Systweak VPN Review 2023 — Keep This in Mind Before Buying

Systweak VPN is a fairly new VPN, from an established company. The website claims to be the “Best VPN for PC”. But I had to take it for a test run and see how the VPN performs in each category.

Moreover, I had to see how it compares with the best VPNs on the market.

The VPN is really fast and unblocks some major streaming platforms. But while it has good security features, its privacy policy is a bit dubious. In addition to the privacy policy, the very limited compatibility was another downer for me.

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Streaming — Good Unblocking Capabilities

Systweak VPN unblocked more than half of the platforms I tested. But it’s definitely not the best VPN if streaming is your main concern.

The VPN unblocked Netflix UK, Disney+, BBC iPlayer, Peacock TV, and more. I could also access HBO Max, but I couldn’t actually watch.

Hulu didn’t load at all, while Amazon Prime Video, DAZN, and Netflix US were out of reach.

Unblocks: Netflix UK, Disney+, BBC iPlayer, Peacock TV, YouTube, fuboTV, and iTV Hub

Systweak VPN allowed me to access Netflix UK, BBC iPlayer, Disney+, ITV, YouTube, fuboTV, iTV Hub.

The VPN only provides streaming-optimized servers in the US, and I was skeptical of what results I’ll get. But I was positively surprised.

Using the UK servers, I could access BBC iPlayer, iTV Hub, and Netflix UK. Though it wasn’t the smoothest experience. I had to change servers a few times till I found one that allowed me to stream Netflix UK, and it was the only library I could access.

I could watch Netflix UK in HD with SystweakVPN

I also accessed BBC iPlayer, but this time, I used the OpenVPN protocol with a UK server.

I could watch BBC iPlayer with SystweakVPN

When I switched US servers I managed to get into Disney+, Peacock TV, and fuboTV without issues. I was using the regular VPN servers as the streaming-specific ones didn’t really work for me.

SystweakVPN unblocked Disney+ without any issues

Another win for Systweak VPN was unblocking YouTube. I could access country-specific content for all locations I tried.

Blocked By: Netflix US, Hulu, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, DANZ

Systweak VPN couldn’t unblock Netflix US, Hulu, HBO Max, and Amazon Prime Video. The US streaming-specific servers weren’t of much help either.

Amazon Prime Video detected the VPN right away and I couldn’t stream anything.

I was able to log into Hulu, but the loading time was incredibly long and I couldn’t watch anything.

SystweakVPN couldn’t fully bypass Hulu’s geoblocks

I had a similar experience with HBO Max. Some US servers got me only to the login screen, while others provided me access to the actual content, but I couldn’t actually watch anything due to buffering.

SystweakVPN accessed HBO Max, but I couldn’t watch any movie or show

DANZ immediately blocked me and wouldn’t work with any US server.

Overall, I am surprised by SystweakVPN’s unlocking capabilities, even though it didn’t unblock all the websites I tested. But if that’s really important to you, I’d recommend you check out some of these VPNs for Netflix instead.

Speeds — Great on All Servers

Systweak VPN provided fast speeds on local servers. On distant locations, my speed dropped by up to 43%.

Before I began testing, I measured my base speed. I had 49.70 Mbps download, 1.03 Mbps upload, and a ping of 52 ms.

The first server I connected to was in the UK, and it gave me 45.90 Mbps download, 1.12 Mbps upload, and a ping of 59 ms. This was just a 7% drop in download speed, which is impressive.

For my next test, I connected to the US, where I experienced a 23% decrease in download speed. This result was still good, given that I connected to a server that was thousands of miles away from my actual location. Ping, however, reached 199 ms, which is too high if gaming is your main purpose.

I got the lowest speed in Singapore — 29.68 Mbps download (a 40% decrease), 0.08 Mbps upload, and a ping of 215 ms. While these results aren’t the best, I’m quite impressed with Systweak’s overall performance.

I had impressive results on SystweakVPN’s servers

To make sure these numbers really mean something, I tested the connection by simultaneously streaming a TV show on Netflix UK, downloading an update for my graphic card, and browsing the internet. All activities went on without interruptions or delays. Even the TV show played without lag.

Are SystweakVPN’s Speeds Fast Enough for Gaming?

I wouldn’t recommend Systweak VPN for gaming. While the speeds are pretty good, the ping skyrockets on some of the faraway servers.

Ping under 50 ms is great for gaming. But unfortunately, all Systweak servers gave me a ping of 70 ms and higher. When I tried to play while connected to servers in countries further away, I got a ping of over 300ms. I experienced frustrating lag and latency which made my experience disastrous.

If you want uninterrupted gaming with no lag, I suggest you take a look at one of these gaming VPNs.

Stream Disney+ with Systweak VPN

Server Network — Solid Servers Network

Systweak VPN has a decently big server network of 4,500 servers in 53 countries. There are in fact 200+ server locations all over the world, making it easy to find a reliable server location nearby.

The VPN has servers in the UK, Germany, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Luxemburg, Belgium, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Spain, Finland, Sweden, Poland, Ireland, Portugal, Hungary, Czech Republic, Romania, Moldova, Latvia, Russia, Canada, Australia, and more.

While there isn’t a ‘Best Location’ option, servers in the menu are ordered by distance, the closest ones being on top of the list.

I found all servers to be dependable, connecting within around 20 seconds. It is really good that there are server locations in South America (Brazil, Columbia), the Africa region (only South Africa), and locations like Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, India, Turkey, and Cyprus.

Additionally, some servers are labeled for P2P, and two of the US servers are labeled as streaming servers.

Security — Top-Notch Features

The VPN has really strong security features. Systweak uses AES-265 encryption, which is the industry standard. This encryption is hard to crack and can stop even brute force attacks.

When it comes to protocols, there are not many choices. The VPN establishes a connection using IKEv2 and OpenVPN with UDP/TCP. In the Advanced Settings, you choose the protocol you prefer. I noticed that the protocol is automatically set to IKEv2. But if you switch to OpenVPN, it’s set to TCP.

• OpenVPN — this is the industry standard and offers fast encryption and great security. It works with UDP or TCP. UDP is faster but doesn’t check the integrity of every file. TCP is a little slower but more reliable overall.
• IKEv2 — this protocol allows for fast connection changes, and it’s suitable for streaming.

If you decide to use OpenVPN, you can choose your OpenVPN cipher and port number. For ciphers, you can choose from BF-CBC, AES-128-CBC, AES-128-GCM, AES-256-CBC, and AES-256-GCM. AES-128 provides faster encryption, but it’s not very strong against brute force attacks. AES-256 is the strongest available, and my personal recommendation.

Establishing a VPN connection means rerouting your traffic through an encrypted tunnel. While this happens, all personally identifying information (like IP address) gets stripped down so you can stay anonymous. However, sometimes information can leak and reveal your true identity and activities to third parties such as hackers or your ISP. This is really bad when you are using a VPN to keep you safe. The most common leaks are:

• DNS leaks — these leaks occur when the VPN is unable to assign you a proper DNS, and your ISP can intercept your browsing activity.
• IP leaks — when your IP address is leaking, your ISP, along with the apps and website you access will be able to see your IP address and location.
• WebRTC leaks — this is a browser vulnerability, and if the VPN doesn’t block WebRTC, the websites you access will intercept your real IP address.

In my tests, it checked all three types and found that all servers I tested are safe. Systweak VPN did not leak my DNS, WebRTC, nor IP address. On top of that, it blocked IPv6 traffic that can expose your real IP address.

If the VPN was leaking, all my private data could have been exposed

To further increase safety, Systweak VPN has a kill switch that shuts down your internet connection when there’s an interruption in the VPN service. This serves to protect you from any data leaks. However, it’s not turned on by default. This is a little inconvenient, as you won’t be fully protected as soon as you connect. You’d have to go into Advanced Settings and turn it on yourself.

The VPN has some really good security features, but there’s some room for improvement. For example, I missed having an ad blocker and port forwarding possibilities.

If security is as important to you as it is to me, take a look at the list of some of the most secure VPNs.

Privacy — Possible Logging

The VPN states that it has a no-log privacy policy.

Systweak’s privacy policy is shared across all its services and does log quite a lot of information. It clearly states that it records your IP address, type of device, and operating system, as well as the time you used the app.

All this data is used to improve its services, and it may be shared with 3rd party providers and authorities without notice or your consent. The VPN’s website makes it clear that it does collect personally identifiable information such as name, mailing address, and email address.

Yet, later on in the privacy policy, it says the collected information is used to send you product recommendations, product updates, and important customer service notifications straight to your computer.

The company’s headquarters are in Jaipur, Rajasthan, which means it’s not under the 5/9/14 Eyes jurisdiction. This means that even if your data is shared with the authorities, it will only stay in one country.

Considering Systeweak’s privacy policy, I’m not sure your privacy is protected, at all.

I’d stay away from a VPN that does not guard my privacy and anonymity and would choose one of these no-log VPNs instead.

Torrenting — Great for P2P File Sharing

Systweak VPN offers dedicated P2P servers, and there’s no cap on bandwidth so the VPN would be great for torrenting.

But since the privacy policy is not clear at all whether the VPN collects any user data, I am not 100% sure you should use it for torrenting. Especially not in countries where downloading copyrighted content is not allowed.

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Does SystweakVPN Work in China? Yes

Systweak VPN does work in China. But to use it from inside China and bypass the Great Firewall, you need to turn on the Stealth mode. It is located in the Advanced settings menu.

You should be able to bypass China’s Great Firewall with SystweakVPN

Keep in mind that Systweak VPN doesn’t have any servers in China so you won’t get access to exclusive content available there. However, there are servers available in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan, which will unblock similar alternatives.

Simultaneous Device Connections — Unlimited Devices

You can connect an unlimited number of devices using only one account. This would be great if Systweak VPN was available on more platforms than just Windows. You can also use it on Android, iOS, macOS, and Linux devices through the OpenVPN client, but the manual setup can be complicated for beginner VPN users.

Device Compatibility — Windows Only

Systweak VPN only has a Windows app at the moment.

If you need to use it on Android or Mac devices, you can manually configure it using OpenVPN. It’s a bit more work but it’s a good alternative if you want to use your Systweak subscription on other devices.

However, if you want to be able to secure all devices with native apps, I recommend these VPNs instead.