FastestVPN has undergone some big changes in just a year, rendering some positive user reviews! However, I’ll be going through every detail in this FastestVPN review to see if that all adds up!
The service claims to deliver heavy security, ultimate privacy on the internet, and access to several streaming services.
FastestVPN, as its name goes, even boasts the fastest speeds, which usually varies. To make sure that this is absolutely true, I’ll be running some new tests to see if there were any improvements or upgrades in its speeds.
Apart from that, FastestVPN has recently made some upgrades on its features, server coverage, and app design. Let’s find out if it’s still one of the best VPNs in 2021, covering all its details and performance results in my FastestVPN review.
FastestVPN – What hasn’t changed in 2021
The greatest thing about FastestVPN, from what I’ve grasped so far, is that this provider continues to remain affordable at $1.11/mo. for the 3-year plan and $0.83/mo.. for the 5-year plan, even after its latest updates and a few years in the business.
You can never be too sure about how promising a VPN provider is, and to get the inside scoop, new tests need to be conducted, especially in the New Year. I’ll be covering all the pros and cons throughout this FastestVPN review, keeping things strictly honest.
FastestVPN – At a Glance
Base | Cayman Islands |
Price | $1.11/mo. |
Servers | 350+ servers in 40+ Countries |
Logs | No |
Multi-logins | 15 devices |
Refund | 15-Days |
Recommended | Yes |
Website | Fastestvpn.com |
You’ll find a few points below concerning everything FastestVPN offers vs. what I’ll be testing further on. They are:
- FastestVPN is a Cayman Islands provider, free from the 14-eyes alliance. But, how safe are the logging policies?
- Offers around 350+ servers in 40+ countries
- A simple server list, but applicable towards US Netflix and Amazon Prime.
- 24/7 live support chat
- Claims to have fast speeds (To be tested)
- P2P/Streaming compatible
- Upgraded security and 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 upgraded limit to multi-device connections.)
- User-friendly interface with an updated design for all apps.
FastestVPN review – The Rating Guide
Among the best 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 reliable its services are.
These are:
- Pricing
- Location
- Security
- Invisibility
- Streaming
- Speed
- Compatibility
- Reliability
Pricing – Is FastestVPN affordable?
Yes! It most definitely is!
There are many affordable services, and FastestVPN happens to be one of them.
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, offering a couple of packages you can choose from.
Here’s what the FastestVPN prices are like:
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%)
According to me, and compared to most VPN services, FastestVPN seems to offer the most affordable prices. Whether you choose from the one month, one year, or three-year plans, they’re all within range.
FastestVPN even offers a Lifetime plan, just in case you’re looking for something a little more long term. However, I personally feel like the 3-year plan is the best bargain.
The New Year Deal
What’s more, FastestVPN usually offers regular deals for multiple occasions! It’s currently offering the New Year special on its lifetime and 3-year package! Here’s what the prices are like:
So, get it while it lasts!
Additional costs
FastestVPN allows a limit of simultaneous device connections up to 15 devices per subscription.
But just in case you feel like crossing that limit, FastestVPN offers an option to increase the multi-login limit 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 15-day refund policy
Sadly, there’s no free trial, but FastestVPN does offer a 15-day refund policy for you to test the service. In general, 15 days is a little less compared to other providers I review, but it gives plenty of time for you to get accustomed to the service. During this time, you can test the FastestVPN speed, unblocking abilities, security check, and device compatibility.
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, but if you wish to try it out for testing purposes, like me, you could always ask 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 the FastestVPN location 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 is headquartered in the Cayman Islands, which is far away from countries within the 14-eyes alliance. It’s known for policies against data-retention; having a strict zero-logging policy.
FastestVPN network coverage – What’s served?
Now that we’ve established FastestVPN’s safe jurisdiction, let’s talk about its server coverage.
There are some updates to its server coverage in 2021. FastestVPN now has around 350+ servers, in 40+ countries.
That may seem like a way smaller network coverage compared to other VPN providers, but as long as these servers are able to access the popular streaming platforms that’s all that matters.
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. Plus,
Security – FastestVPN review for upgraded features
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 2021.
We know that FastestVPN is a budgeted provider, 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.
SSTP
This protocol is known as Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol, and is best used on Windows for secure connections.
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 – Can FastestVPN unblock Netflix?
Yes, it can.
Like many other VPN services for streaming, this provider also works great to access a couple geo-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 works with Netflix. Not many services can manage to unblock Netlfix, but luckily, FastestVPN pulled through!
It supports the 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.
Addionally…
You can also stream on Disney+ easily, using the FastestVPN US Denver server. Additionally, FastestVPN also works with Amazon Prime, and is said to soon work with BBC iPlayer and Hotstar in the near future.
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.
There are often times when a VPN sometimes 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. It’s best to stick to the US and UK server.
If you feel like still going ahead and checking out these servers, go for it! If not, then there are 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.
Speed – FastestVPN speed test review
Most users ask, “Is FastestVPN really the fastest?” And, if I were to answer that my response would be that “No, FastestVPN may not be the absolute fastest in the entire industry, but it’s not the slowest.”
It ranks as one of the few VPN services with great speeds. So, for my FastestVPN review in 2021, I re-conducted a few speed tests, just to see if there were any improvements.
To check this out, I first checked the speed of my internet without the VPN and then moved on to extracting results after connection to the FastestVNP Windows app. The results were:
The speed test was 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 – FastestVPN platform support review
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 apps for 20+ devices. It’s one of the best VPN services for Android, iOS, macOS, and many more. FastestVPN is also highly compatible with routers. If it doesn’t offer a native app for a particular device, or if you’d like to exceed the number of devices you’ve connected to, you can create a VPN router to connect to more than its’ 10 device limit.
FastestVPN supports the following platforms:
- 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 User-Interface and App design review
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.
A VPN should incorporate a 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.
Simultaneous connections
Lastly, did you know that FastestVPN allows you to make 15 multi-device connections simultaneously per subscription? That’s an upgrade from the 10 device limit it used to offer in 2020. This makes it easier for you to protect all the devices you use the most.
Reliability – Can we trust FastestVPN?
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 on your privacy or sensitive data.
24/7 help chat & Customer support
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.
You’ll even find some really great customer reviews on TrustPilot.com, regarding the overall FastestVPN app and support system. Considering that they scooped up a five-star rating on TrustPilot, only goes to show the positive performance and customer support.
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 conclude
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 other upgraded features.
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!