Betternet VPN Review 2024: Avoid This Unsafe Free VPN (2024)

Our Verdict

Betternet VPN isn’t a safe or reliable VPN, despite recent improvements. It only has 3 server locations, it logs identifying data, and it can’t unblock streaming services or download torrents. We also found the VPN frustrating to use due to its restrictive 500MB data cap and unskippable ads. Betternet is fast, but it isn’t a private or functional VPN and we don’t recommend using it.

Ranked #43 out of 65 VPNs

Betternet VPN Category Ratings

• Streaming

  0.2/10

• Torrenting

  0.0/10

• Privacy & Logging

  3.2/10

• Speed

  9.0/10

• Server Locations

  3.5/10

• Bypassing Censorship

  1.0/10

• Security & Features

  6.0/10

• Ease of Use

  2.5/10

• Customer Support

  3.4/10

Betternet VPN Pros & Cons

Betternet VPN Key Data

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Ranked #41 out of 65 VPNs for Privacy & Logging Policy

Betternet collects enough data to compromise your online anonymity. The service permanently logs your ISP, originating location, and VPN connection timestamps. All of this taken together can be used to identify you.

Your real IP address is also logged by Betternet, but only for the duration of the VPN session. While this can’t be used to identify you, we’d prefer if Betternet didn’t log IP addresses at all.

Betternet also uses your IP address for determining your approximate geographical location. This is a concerning misuse of user IP addresses and we’re not sure how it assists in the functioning of the VPN service.

Better VPNs, like Mullvad, provide a working VPN service without needing to log any user information whatsoever.

We’d feel less concerned about Betternet’s ambiguous privacy policy if we were presented with real-world evidence of its procedure, such as an independent audit of its logging practices or regularly published transparency reports.

Controversial Ownership & US Jurisdiction

Betternet is owned by Aura, which also manages several other VPN services, including Hotspot Shield, Touch VPN, and VPN 360.

As Aura, and by extension Betternet, is incorporated in the US, your personal data is subject to intrusive data laws and the mass surveillance of the Five Eyes alliance. Put simply, US authorities can force Betternet to log and share your personal data.

We’d like to see Betternet implement a no-logs privacy policy to mitigate its US jurisdiction or consider relocating to a region with more lenient data retention laws, like the British Virgin Islands or Seychelles.

Past Android App Controversy

Most of Aura’s VPN products have been the subject of past controversies. For example, Hotspot Shield was accused of injecting trackers into its Android app to collect and sell user data to advertisers.

While these allegations don’t mention Betternet, and happened under a different ownership, it’s worth noting that Betternet uses the same proprietary VPN protocol and privacy policy as Hotspot Shield.

Betternet also has its own controversy. A 2016 academic report on VPNs revealed that Betternet’s Android app contained malware and embedded tracking libraries.

This was never publicly addressed but Betternet has since changed ownership and avoided inclusion in later reports.

Our own, more recent, research into the risks of free VPNs discovered excessive permissions in Betternet’s Android app but didn’t detect any malware.

Ranked #41 out of 65 VPNs for Security & Technical Features

Supports Hydra & Open-Source Protocols

Betternet defaults to its proprietary protocol Hydra (formerly Catapult Hydra). Though close-sourced, we consider Hydra to be secure and trustworthy. It is based on TLS 1.2 and uses 128-bit AES encryption, which are both proven to safely encrypt internet traffic. It also incorporates Perfect Forward Secrecy for further protection.

To test this, we ran Betternet through a packet analyzer called Wireshark:

As you can see, Betternet successfully encrypted our network traffic using the Hydra protocol. Each data packet displayed an incoherent string of symbols, confirming the encryption.

For further reassurance, Hydra is also used by Hotspot Shield, a prominent VPN service, as well as by VPNs created by cybersecurity firms such as BitDefender and McAfee.

If you still don’t trust Hydra, Betternet has added WireGuard and IKEv2 as alternatives. Unlike Hydra, these protocols are open-sourced and widely used by multiple VPNs. WireGuard in particular is highly secure and has undergone several technical audits to prove this.

Passed All Leak Tests – Except Chrome

Our tests detected no IP, DNS, or WebRTC leaks when Prevent IP Leaks was enabled in Betternet’s settings.

However, switching this off caused Betternet to leak our DNS requests. Thankfully, this feature is enabled by default, but the option to deactivate it is confusing and unnecessary.

Betternet’s Chrome extension doesn’t include the leak blocking feature and consequently leaked our DNS requests. As such, your ISP can monitor which websites you access on Chrome while using Betternet.

Effective Kill Switch On All Apps

Following an update in October 2022, Betternet finally added a kill switch to its desktop and mobile apps. This is a security essential as it cuts your internet access in the event of a VPN disconnection, preventing data leaks.

To verify this, we ran it through our kill switch test tool:

Our testing confirmed that Betternet’s kill switch works well, blocking our internet following a change in VPN server location and after a disconnection.

We were concerned to learn that this kill switch is not enabled by default, though. We recommend you activate it in the app’s settings before connecting to the VPN.

Extra Technical Features We’d Like to See

While we appreciate the additions of split tunneling and a kill switch, Betternet still lacks basic and advanced features. We’ve listed some of the most important ones we’d like to see Betternet add moving forward:

Ranked #28 out of 65 VPNs for Speed

We calculated Betternet’s speed rating by conducting a speed test while connected to each of its server locations. This process was repeated several times and the results aggregated into an average.

Here’s a table showing Betternet Free’s speed test results:

As outlined above, connecting to a nearby server barely affected our download speed, with a loss of just 7%.

This is more than fast enough for bandwidth-intensive activities, such as 4K streaming, but Betternet’s 500MB data cap limits you to just minutes of usage.

Betternet’s international download speeds were even faster, with an average speed loss of 2%. Its upload speeds declined sharply over longer-distances, but this is only important for file-sharing.

For consistently fast internet speeds, with unlimited data, we recommend installing a top-rated VPN such as IPVanish. We recorded an average download speed loss of 5% while connected to a nearby IPVanish server and its upload speed never dropped below 90Mbps — regardless of location.

Ranked #63 out of 65 VPNs for Streaming

To encourage subscriptions to its premium service, Betternet restricts streaming access on its free plan. In fact, it’s listed as an intentional feature on the VPN’s website.

Even if Betternet updated its policy, the VPN’s 500MB data cap limits you to 12 minutes of HD streaming a day. If you want to access the vast majority of streaming services without any limits on your data, we recommend paying for a premium streaming VPN instead.

Can’t Access Any Netflix Regions

Betternet Free used to occasionally unblock US Netflix but this is no longer the case. In the past 18 months of testing, Betternet Free hasn’t worked with US Netflix once.

We also failed to access Netflix in the UK or Singapore using Betternet’s new servers.

For more reliable access to Netflix, we suggest using the free version of Windscribe. It consistently unblocks 6 Netflix libraries without any of Betternet’s privacy risks.

Fails to Unblock US Streaming Services

Despite supporting multiple US server locations, Betternet was unable to unblock any US streaming services.

We were unable to bypass geo-blocks on Hulu, Max, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+. In each instance, the streaming service displayed an error message indicating the use of VPN or proxy software.

Our testing data indicates that ExpressVPN is the best VPN for US streaming. Unlike Betternet, it can consistently unblock US Netflix, Max, Hulu, and more in 4K definition.

Ranked #57 out of 65 VPNs for Torrenting

Below is a summary of how Betternet Free performed in our torrenting tests:

Despite its FAQs claiming otherwise, Betternet has always blocked P2P traffic in our torrenting tests.

We suspect that this is another attempt to force its free users to pay for a subscription.

Even if Betternet permitted torrenting, we can’t recommend it due to its intrusive logging policy, US jurisdiction, and its cooperation with DMCA requests.

If you need a VPN for torrenting, we recommend Private Internet Access. Its no-logs privacy policy ensures your downloads remain anonymous, as proven in an independent audit.

Ranked #54 out of 65 VPNs for Bypassing Web Censorship

Betternet claims its Hydra protocol is equipped with VPN obfuscation, an essential tool for bypassing web censorship.

To test this, we regularly connect to a secure server in Shanghai and try to access censored websites and services with the VPN. In our latest tests, Betternet failed to connect in China.

In fact, Betternet has worked in China only once in over 8 years of testing. Even if the VPN did work, its logging policy and jurisdiction would compromise your anonymity which is especially dangerous in a highly-censored country.

We’ve also come across troubleshooting articles on Betternet’s website warning of connectivity issues in Pakistan, Iran, Oman, Qatar, UAE, and Saudi Arabia. As such, we suspect Betternet lacks consistency in these regions too.

If bypassing censorship is a priority for you, consider reading our Astrill VPN review. Although it’s expensive at $12.50 per month, its StealthVPN protocol maintains a 100% uptime in China.

Betternet has apps for the following devices:

Ranked #61 out of 65 VPNs for Ease of Use

Ranked #56 out of 65 VPNs for Customer Support

For well-informed customer support we suggest emailing Betternet directly. Our testing team always found their answers useful, even for more technical queries.

We were disappointed by how long Betternet’s support agent took to reply, though, with an average response time of six days.

You can get more immediate support through Betternet’s automated chatbot but we found it often failed to properly address our query.

There’s also a support hub on Betternet’s website but we learnt that the articles often contained outdated or inaccurate information.

To compete with the best VPN services, we’d like Betternet to overhaul its customer support. A dedicated 24/7 live chat like ExpressVPN’s support team would allow for faster resolutions to users’ issues.