UltraVPN Reviews 2019 - Why 4.4 Stars?
Kate Veale
(Cybersecurity Researcher)
UltraVPN is a high-speed service with 100+ servers across 58 countries. It keeps a strict no-logs policy and all its apps use 256-bit encryption and an automatic kill switch.
Streaming - Does UltraVPN Work with Netflix?
According to UltraVPN’s homepage, you can use it to “unlock the whole web.” But can it defeat Netflix’s notorious VPN blocks?
The short answer - yes. I was able to unblock Netflix and stream in high definition using the Ultraflix US server. While connected to this server, I was also able to unblock Hulu and HBO GO.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to unblock BBC iPlayer using any of its UK servers.
- Netflix: Yes.
- Hulu: Yes.
- HBO GO: Yes.
- BBC iPlayer: No.
UltraVPN Speeds
Speed is one of the most important things to consider when choosing a VPN. Nobody wants to wait forever for a website to load, so it’s important to choose a VPN with top-notch connection speeds.
The farther your data needs to travel from your device to the VPN server, the slower your speeds will be.
For browsing, you’ll get the best speeds by connecting to a server in your country because your data won’t have to travel as far.
If you want to bypass a geoblock or censorship, you’ll need to connect to a server in a country where that content is already available. So, if you want to watch Netflix US, you’ll need to connect to a US VPN server. This will slow your connection down, but the difference should be barely noticeable with a premium VPN.
I wanted to find out exactly how well UltraVPN could perform, so I decided to test its connection speeds myself.
My base speed before I connected to UltraVPN was 12.81 Mbps download, 1.38 Mbps upload, with a ping of 31 ms. The internet in Australia can be pretty slow, so I was pleased to find that my connection was 71% faster than most of the country.
My download speed decreased to 8.53 Mbps when I connected to UltraVPN’s Australian server. My upload speed increased to 1.56 Mbps, and my ping increased a little bit to 44 ms. This was still faster than 66% of the country, so I was happy with this result.
Finally, I connected to UltraVPN’s US server. Although my ping increased dramatically to 335 ms, I was really impressed with my connection speed.
My download speed actually increased to 10.30 Mbps, and my upload speed dropped slightly to 0.53 Mbps. This is a really good result, especially considering that my data had to travel all the way to the US from Australia.
Overall, I found UltraVPN to have fast and reliable connections. It was perfect for streaming in high definition, and browsing was even quicker.
Is UltraVPN Good for Torrenting?
UltraVPN’s website is quite basic, and I couldn’t find a lot of information about P2P connections. So, I decided to reach out to customer support to find out.
After a few minutes, the representative advised me that VPNs are essential tools for anyone who is interested in torrenting. I already knew this, so I re-phrased my question.
The representative replied, “you’re welcome, is there anything else I can help with?”, which… did not answer my question, so I asked a third time.
Finally, I was advised that UltraVPN allows P2P connections and torrenting without any restrictions. Whew.
Is UltraVPN Safe?
Yes. Although it’s based in a 5/9/14-Eyes country, UltraVPN doesn’t keep any logs. So, even if the government subpoenaed it for information, it wouldn’t have any data to hand over.
Does UltraVPN Keep Logs?
UltraVPN does not keep logs.
It is headquartered in the US, which is a member of the 5/9/14-Eyes Alliance. This means that allied countries could retrieve information from UltraVPN about its users, but is this really a threat to users like you and me?
Well, no. UltraVPN doesn’t keep logs, so even if the government got involved, it wouldn’t have any information to pass on.
Does UltraVPN Have an Ad Blocker?
No. If you want to use an ad blocker, you’ll need to use a third-party app or browser extension.
Does UltraVPN Work in China?
According to UltraVPN’s customer support, it doesn’t currently work in China. However, they are working on a fix, so it may become available at a later date.
UltraVPN Price and Value for Money
UltraVPN is well-priced, but its limited server network means it struggles to compete against bigger providers, like NordVPN. NordVPN offers more features and a few thousand extra servers for only a few dollars extra per month.
Does UltraVPN Have a Free Version?
Yes, UltraVPN offers a 7-day free trial with a limited amount of servers.
UltraVPN’s Refund Policy
UltraVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee with all its subscriptions.
Is UltraVPN Compatible with My Device?
Although it advertises one VPN service for all your devices, UltraVPN only offers apps for Windows, MacOS, Android, and iOS.
The good news is that you can connect up to three devices simultaneously with the premium plan.
Encryption
UltraVPN uses 256-bit encryption to protect your data.
Multiple Security Protocols
From within the app, you can configure UltraVPN to use IKEv2, UDP, or TCP.
Automatic Kill Switch
UltraVPN’s automatic kill switch - or firewall - prevents unprotected data from leaving your network in the event your VPN connection fails. It can be manually configured from within the app.
UltraVPN Customer Service
Because UltraVPN is a relatively new provider, there wasn’t much information available about it online. So, whenever I had a question, I had to get in touch with customer support via the online chat.
The representatives I spoke with were consistently friendly and thorough. Although I did have trouble with one agent who didn’t understand my question regarding torrenting, I was able to get an answer after I rephrased my query, and they remained friendly and polite for the whole interaction.
It’s really easy to get in touch with UltraVPN.
Each time I connected to the live chat, I only had to wait around 30 seconds to connect with a representative. Because I was able to provide my email before connecting, they already had all of the necessary information on the screen in front of them, so there was no time wasted looking up my account details.
Unlike most VPN providers, UltraVPN can also be contacted 24/7 toll-free by phone for billing support from anywhere in the world.
User Experience
UltraVPN’s app is really easy to use. It’s lightweight, which was great for my ageing Windows 8 PC. Running the app won’t freeze your computer or slow down any processes.
It offers a simple layout with convenient buttons to control your connection. There are very few settings, so UltraVPN may not be the best choice if you’re an advanced user looking to customize your connection.
From the main interface you can choose a server to connect to and configure your firewall. Unfortunately, there is no search function so you’ll have to scroll through the server list each time.
Conclusion
UltraVPN is relatively small and doesn’t offer a lot of value for your money.
When I tested it, my connection was quick and reliable. I was able to unblock Netflix US, Hulu, and HBO GO.
But I had a lot of trouble setting it up, and I had to contact customer support three times just to get it going.
Its apps are easy to use, but are quite limited when it comes to features. You can’t customize them at all.
Based on my experience, I don’t recommend UltraVPN. For a few dollars more each month, you could use a premium provider like NordVPN instead.
NordVPN offers great value for money. It operates 5,100+ servers across 60 countries, and can unblock any streaming service, including BBC iPlayer. Its apps are feature-rich and fully customizable, too.
| Features | Details |
|---|---|
| Number of countries with servers | 58 |
| Number of servers | 100 |
| Number of IP addresses | 100 |
| Does VPN keep logs? | No |
| Does VPN include a kill switch? | Yes |
| Number of devices per license | 1 |
UltraVPN is easy to use once it’s set up, but the sign up process was frustrating and slow.
After filling in my details, I had to click through three full-page offers before being taken to the payment page.
UltraVPN sneakily inserts a “claim this offer” button where you’d normally find the “confirm” or “skip offer” button, so it felt like they were trying to trick me into commiting to a longer plan. I’d already seen the special offers before choosing my plan, so there was no real benefit to showing me again.
I eventually got through the signup process and installed the app. As soon as I went to connect to a server, there was a popup asking me to pay a second time. I closed the app and tried once more, and was asked to pay a third time.
When I contacted them via chat, customer service informed me that my PayPal payment had not gone through even though I had received a confirmation screen saying it had, but no funds had been taken from my account when I checked.
The representative asked me to pay again, but use my credit card this time. I begrudgingly complied - I prefer to use PayPal, and if you do too, this might not be the best VPN for you.
This time I paid via credit card, and saw the funds taken from my account. I logged back into the app, only to be asked to pay again.
I hopped back on live chat and the second customer service representative informed me that, since I’d only paid that day, it would take a while for my VPN to become available. They ended up manually refreshing my account after I asked them to, as I needed to use it right away.
This was a really disappointing experience, as every other VPN I’ve used has accepted PayPal without problem and activated my account immediately.
UltraVPN offers a 7-day free trial account and a paid subscription service.
With the free trial, you can connect to Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, and Switzerland. Once it’s over, though, you’ll need to upgrade to a premium account.
You can choose to commit for one month, six months, or 12 months. The longer plans offer a higher discount, making them a better overall deal.
You can pay for your subscription with VISA, American Express, Mastercard, or PayPal.
UltraVPN offers great customer service. You can contact them via live chat, email, or by opening a support ticket.
I had to contact customer support via live chat more than once during my analysis, and found them to be considerate, friendly, and thorough.
UltraVPN is one of the only VPN services that you can contact via phone from anywhere in the world. They do limit phone support just to billing issues, though.
Easy to use, but nearly impossible to set up.
UltraVPN’s app is simple and great for beginners, but I experienced a bit of a nightmare trying to register my account. Luckily, I found that their customer service representatives were knowledgeable and friendly, and they fixed my problem in under 20 minutes.
Its greatest downfall is that UltraVPN doesn’t activate your account immediately, and you’ll need to wait an unspecified time for it to become available. When companies like NordVPN are activating accounts immediately, UltraVPN isn’t really worth the wait.
Liz
Jul 29, 2019
I purchased this VPN to use on my firestick 4k. It was horrible. My speed went from 120 to 33. I had difficulty streaming movies without constant buffering. I turned off the VPN and everything streamed perfect. I requested my money back.
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