Reading Time: 7 minutes
Based in Germany [UNSAFE]
Price $5.66/mo
Servers 50+ (38 Countries)
Logs Does not keep logs
Multi-login No
Refund 14 Days
Recommended NO
Website Shellfire.net

Shellfire VPN is a German VPN service provider catering to the needs of VPN users since 2002. Being in the industry for more than 16 years, this VPN has served many VPN users in the past and continues to do so.

However, not all things are rosy with this service. During this Shellfire VPN review in Canada, the provider did not pass the app fitness test with excellence.

In terms of speed, Shellfire may disappoint you big time. Likewise, it does not have a huge server network like ExpressVPN.

Despite offering a freemium version, we can’t recommend the service to our users.

In case you want to subscribe to Shellfire VPN, you will have to pay CA$16.04, CA$7.60, and CA$11.30 per month to avail of monthly, yearly, and two yearly pricing plans.

If you wish to know about VPNs in Canada other than Shellfire, explore our VPN reviews.

Continue reading to discover some hidden attributes of this VPN in detail.

My Rating Criteria – Shellfire VPN Review in Canada

I have tested Shellfire VPN through my 8 steps rating criteria. This criterion includes:

  1. Pricing – How much is the cost of Shellfire?
  2. Security – Protocols & Encryption
  3. Jurisdiction – Where is Shellfire located?
  4. Speed – On the Slowest Side
  5. Streaming – Does it Unblock Netflix & Other Services?
  6. Leaks – DNS, IP, WebRTC & App File Tests
  7. Trustworthiness – Logging Policy & Customer Support
  8. Compatibility – Operating Systems & Devices

Pricing – How much is the cost of Shellfire?

Although Shellfire offers a free version, it has somewhat an expensive pricing strategy.

The service provides three other packages to its users, namely monthly, yearly, and two yearly.

shellfire-prices

The monthly subscription to Shellfire Premium costs CA$16.04. Meanwhile, the 12-month package is priced at CA$10.17 a month, making its overall cost CA$122.09.

Likewise, the two-yearly plan is available at the cost of CA$7.60 monthly. It means you will have to pay CA$188.39 for two years. Also, look at this article for more options of Best Low-Cost VPN Services in Canada.

Shellfire also offers a free version too with limited functionality and features. On its free version, you get unlimited bandwidth with 128-bit encryption and servers only in 2 countries (the US, and Germany).

shellfire-free-version

Furthermore, if you’re interested in discounts, check out our list of best VPN deals in Canada to get premium VPNs at low rates in Canada!

Payment Options

In this Shellfire VPN review in Canada, we learned that you could pay for this VPN through the following options:

  • PayPal
  • BitCoin
  • Credit Card
  • Paysafe card

Money-Back Guarantee

Shellfire VPN provides everyone with a 14-day money-back guarantee. This enables the users to test its services for about two weeks, and if they find the results unsatisfactory, they can ask for a refund.

In our experience, 14 days are more than enough to test out a service. Hence, you have plenty of time to determine if Shellfire VPN is the VPN for you.

Security – Protocols & Encryption

In terms of security, Shellfire has ticked all the boxes correctly.

As we have stated previously in this Shellfire VPN review in Canada, this VPN provides its services free. Hence, it is important to consider a few elements while reviewing its features.

If you are using its free version, the maximum encryption support you will attain will be 128-bit. Similarly, your traffic and data will only be tunneled through the OpenVPN protocol on the free version.

While using the Premium version of Shellfire, all your data will be tunneled through two different protocols. You will be given a choice between OpenVPN and PPTP to choose from. You can choose any of them, depending upon your needs.

If you are looking for a speedy connection, we would advise you to connect to the PPTP protocol, but if you are looking for a more secure connection, OpenVPN is the protocol you are looking for. Your data, communication, and internet traffic are kept safe with 256-bit encryption support in the Premium version.

If you want more tunneling options, we would advise you to opt for the Premium Plus version. The encryption support in this plan remains 256-bit, and there are three protocol types to choose from. You can either get connected to OpenVPN, or PPTP, or L2TP/IPSec protocol.

Shellfire Box VPN

Shellfire box is a Wi-Fi device that provides a secure connection to all your devices. You can connect this device to your desktop, smartphones, Apple TV, Fire Stick, and Gaming consoles.

This device can be connected to your router, after which it configures automatically. This means you will not have to go through much trouble while setting up this device. You can buy the device for CA$126.7 and gain 1 year of PremiumPlus service. Also, you have the option of paying CA$188.39 and gaining 2 years of PremiumPlus service.

Our Shellfire box review suggests this device is extremely convenient for gaining online security. We would not go as far as to term it the best VPN box, but still, we are impressed by this device’s efficiency.

Jurisdiction – Where is Shellfire located?

Shellfire mainly hails from Germany, and the country is a part of 14 eyes countries. From a privacy perspective, the country is not considered a user-friendly destination.

Servers Spread

Shellfire-VPN-Server

We have noted that people often judge VPN service providers on the number of servers they provide. However, only a few VPN users know that a hefty amount of servers do not represent the whole picture. The reality is far more different; it depends on how those servers are working.

We were a bit disappointed when we downloaded their VPN client and ran it on our Windows because Shellfire provides only 50+ servers in 38 countries.

Confused about our contradicting statement? We said we were disappointed because we tested all their servers, and not even one of them failed to impress us. We would have definitely liked to see more servers!

Speed – On the Slowest Side?

Unfortunately, Shellfire does not offer appreciable connection speeds.

We all know that VPN services are great for bypassing geo-restrictions and blocking online threats. But if they achieve these objectives while providing snail’s pace, they become somewhat inefficient.

We conducted a speed test in this Shellfire VPN review in Canada to determine the true utility of this service. The results showed that this service provides poor speeds.

We performed the speed test while using a 28 Mbps internet connection.

Speed-Without-VPN

After connecting to its US server, we received the following result:

Speed-with-shellfire

The provider has a long way to go when it comes to becoming the fastest VPN service industry.

Streaming – Does it Unblock Netflix & Other Services?

Streaming does not bode well with Shellfire.

We were unable to unblock US Netflix with this German service. Similarly, the same went for Hulu streaming as it did not work with the famous US streaming service.

Does it Work on Kodi?

Certainly, it does. Once you connect Shellfire VPN on your computer or any other device, let Kodi stream Live TV content.

Not only Shellfire but there are also tons of other VPNs for Kodi in Canada that work best with the media player.

Leaks – IP, DNS, WebRTC & App File Tests

Shellfire is not a leak-free service. This is because it revealed serious flaws during the app file check.

However, it performed well during IP leak protection examination.

I tested this feature through ipleak.org and found the following result:

IP-Leak-Test-Shellfire

Similarly, it did not expose my DNS information while tested on DNSleaktest.com:

DNS-leak-Shellfire

Luckily, it also protected my WebRTC details during the test conducted on ip8.com:

WebRTC-leak-Shellfire

App File Check

Surprisingly, its Windows setup files exposed serious privacy issues while testing on VirusTotal.

Shellfire-VPN-App-File-Check

Trustworthiness – Logging Policy & Customer Support

Shellfire VPN doesn’t record its users’ online activities.

As per our Shellfire review, this service has a standard privacy policy. The providers say that they use your cookies when you visit their website; this is the case with all the other VPN providers. Therefore, this factor should not worry you a great deal.

Moreover, when you buy Shellfire’s service, the providers store your personal information. This may include your name, email address, and other ways the service can contact you.

However, Shellfire does not keep a record of your online activities. Whatever you do on the internet remains a secret as long as you are doing it with keeping Shellfire VPN on.

Customer Support

Customer-Support-of-Shellfire

We are absolutely gutted at their Customer Support. It is actually very frustrating to see no Live Chat or 24/7 proactive Customer Support.

The support section of Shellfire’s website contains a FAQ section. This section contains concise answers to some standard questions. Also, the website has a contact form for you to leave a query.

Shellfire claims that it gets back to your inquiries within 24 hours which do not make up because it is not virtually present when you need it the most. We would highly recommend Shellfire to work on their Customer Support services.

Compatibility – Operating Systems & Devices

Compatibility is another area where Shellfire has outdone its competitors by some distance.

One important thing to keep in mind while purchasing a VPN service is to keep a check on its compatibility with the device and operating software. Why would you ever want to purchase a VPN service that is not supported on your device?

Shellfire is highly compatible with Windows, Android, Mac, Linux, iOS, and DD-WRT routers. As our Shellfire VPN review in Canada states, you can set it up on your PCs, laptops, IPads, tabs, smartphones, and routers.

The service has dedicated clients for Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS. Also, you can manually employ the VPN service on Linux and other platforms.

Equipping your devices with Shellfire will ensure your devices are fully protected, and your internet traffic is fully encrypted.

Setting up Shellfire VPN on Windows Client

You can download Shellfire’s VPN client for Windows from its website for free. The software hardly takes up any space in your hard disk and is pretty easy to download and install.

Shellfire-VPN-Installation

Once you have downloaded it, you have to follow few simple steps to install it on your machine. Most of it involves hitting the next button and accepting the License Agreement.

Following the installation, double click on the icon that appears on your Desktop.

To start with, our Shellfire VPN review in Canada uncovered that the Windows Client is straightforward. Enter your username and password that has been assigned to you by Shellfire and check the options (if you want) and click on “Login.”

Shellfire-Windows-Client

You can easily check your VPN package and its validity mentioned on the top right of the window. There are a few other options that will give you a better idea of how you can use them to connect it.

Click on the “Server list” and select any of the servers you wish to connect to. Shellfire VPN also tells you which server is providing the best speed and security to its users. Once you have selected the server, select the connection type (again depending upon your needs) and click on “Connect.”

You will be asked to wait for a while and then be prompted with the above window. We have really enjoyed connecting Shellfire; we think it is pretty amazing and works really smoothly on Windows.

Shellfire VPN for Android

You can also equip your Android devices with Shellfire VPN. The android app is easily available on Google Play Store, and you can download it on your smartphones and tabs for free without paying anything.

All the android users who have Android 4.0 or above running on their devices can install it in their devices and secure them while surfing the internet anonymously. The Shellfire VPN android app gives you access to online streaming channels like Netflix and Vudu etc., on your smartphones and tabs and enables you to stream them for as long as you want.

Once you download and install it, tap the Shellfire VPN icon to open it. Your screen will be prompted with the welcome screen. If you already have an account, click on the second option.

Interface-of-Shellfire-VPN

The android app can be used for free and upgraded to Premium and PremiumPlus packages of the Shellfire. The free service provides access to just three servers from two countries: the United States and Germany.

The app has an in-built option to upgrade to the paying service.

If you are not interested in Shellfire for your Android in Canada, don’t worry, have a look at this detailed guide on the best VPN for Android in Canada to explore popular VPNs in this industry.

Shellfire VPN for Mac, iPhone, and iPad

The VPN client for Mac can be downloaded from the website and installed and set up within a few minutes. Shellfire claims that it is much better than their Windows client, but setting it up does not entirely different.

Similarly, you can download the iOS app from iTunes. It has a similar design and layout to other apps of the service. Likewise, it is also free and allows unlimited activity.

Comparison between ExpressVPN & Shellfire VPN in Canada

If you want to know the major attributes of both ExpressVPN and Shellfire under one place, have a look at the below-mentioned table:

Features ExpressVPN Shellfire VPN
Price CA$8.96/mo CA$7.84/mo
Servers 3,000 in 94 Countries including 4 server locations in Canada 50+ in 37 Countries including Canada
Compatibility All Devices Windows, Android & iOS
Jurisdiction The British Virgin Islands Germany
Logging Policy Zero Log Zero Log
Customer Support Live Chat & Email Support Contact Form, Email & Social Media
Trustpilot Score 4.7 N/A
Website ExpressVPN SHELLFIRE

Alternatives to Shellfire in Canada

One size rarely fits when it comes to online privacy services. Hence, we understand if you desire some unique features that this VPN service does not provide. That is why we have reviewed some alternatives to Shellfire VPN.

Do We Recommend Shellfire in Canada?

No, we don’t recommend Shellfire.

We faced issues while connecting to the desired server. Likewise, speed was not impressive at all. Above all, Shellfire is not a leak-free service because it exposed viruses during app file testing.

Despite providing free version, OpenVPN, L2TP/IPsec, and PPTP protocols along with 128-bit, 192-bit, 256-bit encryptions, Shellfire could not come up with our expectations on streaming, leak testing, and jurisdiction fronts.

Based on the above Shellfire VPN review in Canada, I would give the service a 2.5/5.0 stars rating overall.