#Betternet vpn software free

The free version of Betternet, which grants access to only the US server, does not work as a streaming VPN. It’s also billed as a torrenting VPN, but because it lacks a kill switch, it’s risky to use it while torrenting because you run the risk of disclosing your real IP address.īetternet has apps for both mobile and desktop (Image credit: Betternet) Streaming But, at least in our own tests, this wasn’t the case. The company’s support team claims it’s a VPN for China. In future, we would like to see the developers add additional protocols like Wireguard or OpenVPN. The service uses the industry-standard AES-256-bit encryption to encrypt your traffic and uses the Catapult Hydra protocol. However, this doesn't make up for the lack of fundamental security tools such as a VPN kill switch. Although all of this might sound good, we would prefer that a service provider who has faced numerous accusations and controversies go so far as to invite an independent auditor that would back up their claims.īetternet has split tunnelling, which is useful if you want to remain anonymous online while streaming a show. The privacy policy also states unequivocally that it cannot share any personally identifiable information with ad networks or government agencies because it lacks it. They also claim that their VPN servers are secure because the infrastructure where they are hosted does not require that they collect any data regarding what customers are doing with the VPN. They claim that all of these are logged for service monitoring, support, and marketing purposes.Īdditionally, they claim that they won't log or otherwise keep track of your VPN browsing activity along with your device identifiers, IP addresses, or other identifiers.

#Betternet vpn software android

A research report found that the Android version contained tracking libraries and malware, but Betternet never made a public statement about this.Īccording to Aura product privacy, the VPN records the bandwidth used, the length of the VPN session, the domains that customers access on an anonymous basis, and then device hashes. Another controversy arose in 2016, over Betternet’s mobile VPN app. An Aura spokesperson refuted this claim by stating that Rezazadeh neither works for nor is connected to the VPN. However, the group hasn't had the best run in recent years due to a lot of controversy surrounding the majority of their VPNs.įor instance, it was alleged that Hamid Rezazadeh, son of Iran’s Vice President for Women and Family Affairs, owned the Betternet VPN. Remember we said Betternet VPN is owned by its parent company Aura? Well, all of Aura's VPN products adhere to the same privacy and logging policies. It is quite disappointing that there is no option for anonymous payment in the list of the VPN'S payment optionsīetternet does not record your activities online in any way that can be tied back to you though it does record some information such as your IP address when you connect (Image credit: Betternet) Privacy & encryption In contrast to the free trial, which has numerous restrictions, the Betternet premium plan gives you access to all of their servers, allows you to connect 10 devices at once, and includes a 45-day money-back guarantee.īetternet only accepts payments through the Play Store, iTunes, or a credit or debit card, which severely limits your options for making purchases. We thought this was quite expensive for a VPN that doesn’t come with a lot of features. The monthly plan costs $12.99, while the yearly plan is $7.99 a month, billed annually at $95.88. However, to use the free trial, you must provide your credit card information, keep in mind to remove it before the 7-day mark if you don't want the service provider to bill you. If you want to go beyond the restrictions of using the free service, Betternet VPN has monthly and annual subscriptions, as well as the option to try the premium service for one week.