FastestVPN Review 2020 – Budgeted & Secure, but, is it the Fastest?

FastestVPN has undergone some big changes in just a year! It delivered heavy security, ultimate privacy on the internet, and unblocked several streaming services during its testing. But, let’s review its speed shall we?

This Cayman Islands provider boasts the fastest speeds along with top of the line encryption. Even though the latter is true, I still had to run some tests this year, to see if there were any improvements in its speeds.

Apart from that, FastestVPN has recently made some updates on its features, server coverage, and app design. Let’s find out if it’s still one of the best VPNs in 2020, covering all its details and performance results in my FastestVPN review.

FastestVPN – What hasn’t changed about the VPN

The greatest thing about FastestVPN, from what I’ve grasped so far, is that this provider continues to remain affordable at $0.83/mo., even after its latest updates and a few years in the business.

Scroll on a little further and find out if it out-weighs all the pros in my in-depth FastestVPN review, keeping things strictly honest.

FastestVPN – A Quick Perspective

Before carrying onwards, I normally discuss the features or perks that the VPN offers. So before proceeding, here’s a glance at what to expect from FastestVPN:

• Born in the Cayman Islands, absolutely free from the prying 14-eyes alliance.
• A humble array of 350+ servers in 31+ countries (and 39+ Locations)
• A simple server list, but applicable towards US Netflix and Disney+.
• 24/7 live support chat
• A tight security backing, like military-grade encryption, the widest range of protocols/ DNS, and IP leak protection.
• Fast speeds (To be tested)
• P2P/Streaming compatible
• Rich features like Kill Switch, Split tunneling, Smart Connect, additional advanced features (discussed further on)
• Compatibility with a wide range of devices (Windows, iOS, Android, macOS, firestick.) and apps for multiple platforms.
• User-friendly interface with an updated design for all apps.

FastestVPN According to My Rating Criteria

If you’re a regular online surfer and want to gain access to some of the best streaming services like Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Disney+, and DAZN, then why not put all your focus on getting the best VPN services?

Among the great VPN giants, FastestVPN cropped up as one of the top providers in the industry, providing not only fast speeds but also the best security covering all your devices.

For those of you who are new to this provider and have many unresolved questions like, “Is FastestVPN really the fastest?” or “Can I access Netflix with FastestVPN?” I’ll get to all those questions further on. But first, we have to follow certain steps.

I’ve reviewed several VPNs, and I think it’s safe to say that FastestVPN made it to the list of top contenders, you’ll see just why if you bear with me a little while longer. I tested FastestVPN according to a few solid points. These will unveil how good its services are.

These are:

• Pricing
• Location
• Security
• Invisibility
• Streaming
• Speed
• Compatibility
• Reliability

Pricing – Is FastestVPN affordable?

Yes! It most definitely is!

FastestVPN happens to be among the list for the best premium and cheap VPN services!

As a rule, we often buy a product based on quality, but what happens when the product you want is far out of your price range? In the same way, a good VPN is not only rich in features but should include a suitable pricing plan for people from all walks of life.

Luckily for you, FastestVPN has a pretty reasonable pricing range and also has some of the best security features, which you’ll be accustomed to in a short bit. Hang in there!

FastestVPN bases its pricing plan on the following:

The monthly plan is $10/mo.

The 1-year plan is $2.49/mo. (Saves you $90)

The 3-year plan is $1.11/mo. (Saves you $320)

The 5-year plan is $0.83/mo. (Saves 92%)

One of the greatest things about FastestVPN is that it cares about its customers; whether it’s about pricing or customer services. They constantly come up with the most affordable packages and their overly compensated features.

Additional costs

FastestVPN allows a limit of simultaneous device connections up to 10 devices per subscription. But just in case you feel like crossing that limit, it offers an option to add more devices on top of your subscription (20 extra devices is the limit). But of course, all add-ons have an additional cost of $1/device.

FastestVPN payment methods

The FastestVPN payment method includes:

• Credit Card (MasterCard, VISA, DISCOVER, American Express, JCB, Union Pay)
• PayPal
• Amazon Pay

FastestVPN refund policy

FastestVPN offers a 15-day refund policy for anyone who isn’t quite sure about its service, and even though that’s a little less compared to other providers I review, but something is better than nothing.

All you need to do is apply for a refund within the first 15 days of usage for a full money-back guarantee – no questions asked!

Testing account

Lastly, it doesn’t offer a free trial. However, if you wish to try it out for testing purposes, like me, you could always ask the customer support for a 1-day testing account, free of charge.

Now that the pricing plans are out of the way, let’s get cracking with the best parts about this FastestVPN review, starting with its location!

Location – Is FastestVPN Safe?

Yes! It’s safe and good to go!

Most of us buy a VPN and overlook all the warning signs, like its jurisdiction, which by the way is a major part to look into.

Having a VPN originate from a safe jurisdiction automatically makes it a safer option, especially where data retention laws are concerned.

Luckily, FastestVPN hails from the Cayman Islands, which is far from the grasp of the 14-eyes alliance. It’s known for policies against data-retention; having a strict zero-logging policy.

What’s served?

Now that we’ve established FastestVPN’s safe jurisdiction, let’s talk about its server coverage.

There were some updates to its server coverage in 2020. FastestVPN now has around 350+ servers, and 39+ locations, in 31+ countries.

Unlike other VPNs, FastestVPN seems to have a smaller list of server locations in comparison. Most may think of that as a con, but trust me, it’s not.  There are countless of VPNs that have a huge list but lack in functionality.

So what good is that?

The thing about the FastestVPN list of 350+ servers in 39+ locations is that it covers only the major countries of the world needed for multi-purposeful streaming. Servers that are needed to unblock restricted services like Netflix and some which are P2P optimized.

It also has a dedicated server for Netflix US used on the UDP protocol, which we’ll discuss a little later on.

FastestVPN may have limited server coverage but that doesn’t stop it from being great. There are other areas like the FastestVPN security to look into, which make up for the limited network of servers.

Security – FastestVPN security review 2020

Security of a VPN is just as important as server coverage and in fact is sometimes more important. As mentioned above, not all VPNs are designed to work the same way and lack overall functionality. Some have massive server coverage and slow speeds, while others have smaller server coverage and tight security backing.

FastestVPN so far has excellent privacy, but small server coverage. Its security backing was always on the positive side, but let’s see if it still works profoundly in 2020.

We know that FastestVPN is pretty much budgeted, which is why I was surprised to see that it encompasses way more reliability on the security front as compared to other better and more expensive VPNs.

You may assume that maybe there’s a catch to it, but not this time. All the FatestVPN security features it offers are worth every penny.

These include:

Its protocols

Super-fun fact: FastestVPN has the widest range of protocols as compared to other VPNs of the same ranking or higher. These include:

• PPTP

Easy to use, easy to set up, and cost-effective. Though it is the least secure VPN protocol and outdated, it offers a decent speed as compared to other VPN protocols which are great for streaming content.

• L2TP

L2TP is a successor to the PPTP and is usually combined with IPSEC protocol which creates a highly secure VPN connection. L2TP is faster and easier to configure with most firewalls.

• OpenVPN (UDP and TCP)

This has got to be everyone’s favorite!

OpenVPN UDP is faster than TCP. It is the recommended protocol for streaming media, VoIP, and online games.

OpenVPN TCP offers a more stable connection than UDP, therefore, recommended for large file sharing and downloading.

• IKEv2

This protocol is an IPsec-based tunneling protocol that is developed by Microsoft and Cisco.

It is comparatively faster than L2TP, and PPTP. It doesn’t support old platforms like Windows XP but is excellent for newer ones. FastestVPN offers this protocol for higher security for online transactions such as bank transfers and more.

• IPSec

IPSec is a highly secure protocol supported by Apple Mac and iOS devices. IPSec is the best option for those users who need to access a remote location such as their office network.

Its encryption

Okay, FastestVPN brings out the big guns where security is concerned and speaking of guns, it uses bullet-proof AES 256-bit encryption on all protocols except PPTP. PPTP uses AES 128-bit encryption which is still pretty solid.

Other Advanced features

FastestVPN seems to pack a heavy load of staunch features. These include:

• Ad-blocking

Say your farewells to all those annoying ads. This feature pretty much sweeps away every single add or pop-ups that invades your surfing space.

• Anti-Malware

This is one of the main features that every VPN should provide and thankfully, FastestVPN has thought it through. With this, you never have to worry about any malicious websites or viruses vaporizing your system.

• DNS Leak Protection

Keeping things strictly secure, FastestVPN has an in-built DNS leak protection feature, making sure your real location isn’t determined. This makes it one of the best VPN for countries like Canada, the US, Iran, Russia, Germany, etc, that hold strict censorship and online surveillance regulations.

• Unix-based P2P optimized servers

FastestVPN has P2P optimized servers that bode well for large file sharing at high speeds and unlimited bandwidth, assuring you maximum protection while you download content to your heart’s desire.

• NAT Firewall

Protecting your online presence to another level, it has a NAT Firewall feature, perfect for blocking all and every insignificant amount of traffic that comes your way.

• Kill Switch

When VPN shopping, make sure to go for one that offers an active Kill Switch just like FastestVPN has. It secures your data by cutting the internet connection as soon as the VPN connection drops or fails to function.

• Compatibility with TOR

Yes, FastestVPN is compatible with TOR.

TOR works as a single security unit and even though FastestVPN doesn’t lack in providing the best security, some users prefer using TOR over a VPN for double encryption. However, I wouldn’t recommend it, especially if your main focus is streaming or downloading. This is because running TOR over any VPN would slow down its speeds immensely.

FastestVPN updated and advanced features

Added to its list of exceptional features, it has:

Split-Tunneling

When two tunnels split, it’s completely your choice to choose which one to go through. In the same case, this feature allows you to skim through whichever traffic you want going through the VPN and which ones you don’t.

Smart Connect

When you connect to the VPN, the Smart Connect feature automatically connects you to the best server it thinks is perfect for you, depending on your location. You can, of course, change it later on according to your preference.

Invisibility – FastestVPN IP/DNS/WebRTC leak test

What also makes a VPN the best choice for you, is that it keeps every amount of sensitive information, your identity or location completely leak-free. After conducting the FastestVPN leak test in my review, I can eagerly say that it is leak-free!

For this I connected to a US server and tested out the following:

For my IP leak test, I went to ipleak.org, and while connected to a US server, the result I got was:

For my DNS leak test, I went to dnsleak.com and connected it to a US server from the VPN. The result I got was:

For the WebRTC leak test, I went to browserleaks.com while connected to a US server. The results were:

All three tests came out positive!

Streaming – Accessing multiple streaming platforms

Like many other great VPN services, FastestVPN seems to take the lead on letting you gain access to restricted streaming services. To make this FastestVPN review a little more authentic, I tested it out on Netflix and other streaming giants.

Netflix

Another plus point about FastestVPN, besides great speeds, is that it allows all your Netflix-ing dreams to come true.

With almost 70% of the population finding themselves on the hunt for the best streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, BBC Player, and Hotstar, there are 90% chances that you most likely will not be able to gain access without the help of the best VPN.

Luckily, for you, FastestVPN supports US Netflix, which you can connect to using the US Miami server or the dedicated server by the name of USA Netflix that you can find when connected to the UDP protocol on the VPN app.

You can also stream on Disney+ with great enthusiasm, (since it is in great demand) using the US Denver server.

Therefore, it is vise you choose a service like FastestVPN that supports it and has the best speeds, unlimited bandwidth, and promising 99.99% uptime, that’ll make every streaming experience the best.

Kodi – Does it support it?

Yes!

As I said, it seems like FastestVPN has revamped its service big time, supporting one of the most demanded streaming services in the business. Kodi may be a free open-source media player, but to gain access to innumerable channels on Kodi, you have to be able to connect to a VPN that supports it.

Does FastestVPN support Torrenting?

Yes, it does.

FastestVPN doesn’t seem to lack behind in catering towards all your entertainment purposes. There are often times when a VPN provides the best security but fails to think about all-round development. Sometimes it works well for streaming and other times for torrenting.

In the case of FastestVPN, it surprisingly works efficiently for both. There are no specific server locations to use for P2P because it works well on almost all servers.

However, even though it works on all servers, I believe some aren’t recommended for P2P such as Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, and India, due to slower speeds.

If you feel like still going ahead and checking out these servers, go for it! If not, then there are some many others you can choose from!

The only flipside to torrenting is that there are strict anti-piracy laws that are controlled by the DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act). This can sometimes cause the torrenteers to pay a hefty fine or serve jail time if I’m thinking in extreme terms.

But relax! This is where the benefits of a VPN weigh-in, more specifically FastestVPN services; allowing you to torrent smoothly with great speeds.

Speed – How fast is FastestVPN?

To be very honest, FastestVPN may not be the absolute fastest in the entire industry.

It still, however, ranks as one of the few VPN services with decent speeds. So, for my FastestVPN review, I went ahead and conducted a few speed tests.

To check this out, I first conducted a speed test before connecting to the VPN and then moved on to extracting results after connection to the VPN. The results were:

Speed test done on speedtest.net, before connecting to the VPN:

Speed test results after connecting to a US server:

Speed test results after connecting to a UK server:

Speed test results after connecting to an AUS server:

Looking at all three results after connecting to FastestVPN, there was a noticeable jump in the download speed making it super effective for Netflix streaming or downloading files on BitTorrent.

Compatibility – Supporting multiple platforms

Okay, now jumping to another fun part.

Just in case you didn’t know, but another way to find out if a VPN is one of the best is by looking at its compatibility with multiple devices or apps for major platforms.

FastestVPN is known for having user-friendly, interfaced apps for 20+ devices and versatile platforms like:

• Windows
• macOS
• iOS
• Android
• Linux (Ubuntu, CentOS, Mint, Kali, Fedora, Raspberry Pi, Debian, and Arch)
• Routers (Tomato/ DD-WRT, NETGEAR, Asus, TP-Link, and more)
• Kodi
• Roku
• Fire TV/ Fire Stick
• Android Box
• Smart TVs (Nvidia Shield TV and more)
• Browser extensions (Chrome and Firefox)
• Playstore

FastestVPN Review – User-Interface and App design

The user interface for all the client apps is extremely dynamic and easy to use. FastestVPN has now updated its interface with user-friendliness; not just for professionals but for beginners alike.

Many VPNs in the market have the best features and price, but what’s the whole point when the majority of the public that’s looking for a VPN are all beginners?

A VPN should incorporate simple and unique interface, easy to understand, and easy to work with.

In the case of FastestVPN, the design was simple to navigate, with a setlist of options to choose from, some of which include its protocols or general settings. I have tested both the mobile and the desktop app thoroughly and was pleased with the overall responsiveness and performance.

And now since it possesses the optional feature of “Smart Connect” you don’t have to go scrolling down looking for the best server. This feature instantly connects you to the best server with a simple click of a button.

There are a couple of tutorials on the main web page that’ll show you exactly how to get started with FastestVPN on any device you want. It has also made many improvements/updates on its Mac, Android, and iOS apps. So if there are any confusions or curiosities you should check out its tutorial page, which looks something like this:

Overall, both performance and usability can be rated as excellent for desktop and mobile apps, and the same holds true for other platforms as well. Lastly, did you know that FastestVPN allows you to make 10 multi-device connections simultaneously per subscription, making it easier for you to protect all the devices you use the most?

Reliability – Can we trust FastestVPN or not?

Judging from the positive performance I received, yes.

I completely understand that most reviews are personal thoughts and of course everyone’s views completely differ in many aspects.

But I do believe that to get accurate results, you should be checking out the VPN for yourself as I did in my FastestVPN review. Since you’ve come this far; stay a little longer to help me wind up with one of the main reasons why I recommend FastestVPN.

No-logging policy

Keeping in mind, with FastestVPN’s jurisdiction, you’re bound to be in safe hands, especially where its security is concerned. Considering its location, it is known to be one of the safest in the world, far from the watchful 14-eyes alliance, and keeping a tight responsibility for its no-logging policy.

They believe in keeping your anonymity a top priority. You can check out more on their privacy policy page, which by the way, is simple and easy to comprehend.

However, they do collect some irrelevant data that wouldn’t ever put a damp to your privacy or sensitive data.

24/7 help chat

One of the other reasons why I appreciate FastestVPN is because many VPN users often face countless difficulties when trying to get set up with the VPN or use certain features from the app. For reasons like these, you need to be able to receive the best assistance from a diligent team or support chat, which FastestVPN doesn’t fall short of.

FastestVPN offers its live around-the-clock assistance in whichever way they can. If however, the chat support takes a while to respond, which is very rare, they also have a couple of tutorials set up on their website, giving you the easiest explanations on how to get started with the VPN.

Reddit – FastestVPN reviews from other users

Reddit is a great platform where the community shares their personal views on various apps or products. It’s always great to have another opinion; considering others’ reviews on FastestVPN.

So here’s what one Reddit user had to say based on personal experience with FastestVPN:

To wrap things up

I promised you an honest FastestVPN review, and you got one!

If you’ve stayed till the end or even skipped right to the bottom of the review, let me give you a quick recap of why I recommend FastestVPN.

Firstly, its jurisdiction (Cayman Islands) speaks volumes on its own, observing a strict no data-retention and no-logging policy.

FastestVPN comes with a simple server list but all contain the equal capacity to unblock the best but restricted streaming services and to torrent with great speeds.

It has some of the best security features that a good VPN should possess, like AES bullet-proof encryption, multiple protocols, Smart connect, and much more.

Another important factor in this FastestVPN review is the VPNs wide compatibility with some of the major devices. Some of these include (Windows, iOS, Android, macOS, Smart TVs, Android Box, and more).

So yes, I do recommend FastestVPN as one of the best and budgeted VPNs for your browsing and privacy requirements; providing over-all good security features, decent 4K HD streaming speeds, all at affordable rates! If this FastestVPN review helped you out a little, please let me know your thoughts in the comments below!