VPNBook is an absolutely free VPN service that comes with 3 protocols; PPTP, OpenVPN, and Shadowsocks (via Outline VPN). However, the provider doesn’t offer any dedicated apps for devices. This means you’ll have to configure the VPN manually on your device, which can be difficult for the non-techy.
The VPN is based in Switzerland, which is a safe jurisdiction. However, the privacy policy states that it logs your IP address and timestamps. Also, your IP address will also be exposed if the VPN crashes accidentally since VPNBook doesn’t provide a kill switch feature in France.
We also tried unblocking Netflix and other services like Hulu, Disney Plus, and BBC iPlayer but VPNBook failed to unblock all these popular streaming sites.
Overall, we would give VPNBook a rating of 2.0/5.0 and advise our readers not to use this VPN because of the above-mentioned reasons. It is a decent VPN if you don’t care about your IP being logged or don’t want to stream geo-restricted content.
But if you do, we recommend you sign up for ExpressVPN. It offers high-end security, blazing-fast speed, top-notch streaming support, and vigilant customer support.
Key Findings for VPNBook Review in France
- Pricing in France: VPNBook is a 100% free service offering VPN and VPNBook proxy access.
- Servers: VPNBook offers 16 servers in 6 locations, including the US, UK, Canada, Poland, Germany, and France.
- Security: It has sub-par security. Even though VPNBook offers AES 256-bit encryption, it logs your IP address and timestamps.
- Speed in France: VPNBook is very slow. We experienced a decrease of 99.56% in download speed while connected to VPNBook on Mac.
- Streaming in France: We couldn’t unblock Netflix or any other platform with VPNBook. We kept on getting the NSES 404 error message while accessing US Netflix.
- Leak Test: The VPN doesn’t leak your IP and WebRTC. However, it couldn’t protect our DNS information.
- Compatibility: VPNBook doesn’t offer any custom VPN app for devices. However, you can use OpenVPN, PPTP, or Outline VPN to configure the VPN on your device.
- Jurisdiction: VPNBook is based in Switzerland, which is a safe jurisdiction away from the reach of the 14-Eyes Alliance.
- Trustworthiness & Customer Support in France: VPNBook has no presence on Trustpilot and it has a shady reputation on Reddit. The VPN only offers an email address for customer support.
VPNBook Review in France: Pros and Cons
- 100% free service in France
- PPTP works on a wide range of devices (including old ones)
- No large software to install
- Based in Switzerland (away from the 14 Eyes Alliance)
- Slow speed in France
- Doesn’t offer custom VPN apps for devices in France
- Cannot unblock Netflix or any other streaming platform in France
- Leaks DNS information
- No live chat support
Pricing – How Much is VPNBook in France?
VPNBook offers its services absolutely free in France.
The service offers two protocols; OpenVPN and PPTP. You can set up any of the two without spending a single penny.
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Even though the VPNBook is free, we wouldn’t recommend it to the users because of its logging policy and DNS leaking issues. Instead, sign up for one of the cheapest VPN services in France.
Servers
As a free online software that runs on advertisements and donations, VPNBook only has 16 servers in 6 locations in total located. The locations are the following:
- US
- UK
- Canada
- Poland
- Germany
- France
There’s also a VPNBook free web proxy in France. There are four proxy servers within the UK, US, France, and Canada that can be accessed through
Security – Is VPNBook Safe in France?
No, VPNBook is insecure and cannot guarantee your anonymity or privacy online in France. Even though it offers the AES 256-bit encryption method, it leaked our DNS address. On top of that, the VPN doesn’t offer a kill-switch feature, so your original identity will be exposed if the VPN crashes somehow.
Instead, sign up for one of the best secure VPNs in France to make sure your traffic is encrypted with military-grade encryption with no leaks of any kind.
Does VPNBook Keep Logs in France?
No, the company states on its website that it doesn’t collect any personal information or store any user’s internet data in France. However, in the very next sentence, it states that the only thing they log in is the IP address and time the connection is made.
Any VPN that logs IP information is definitely not safe and we would not recommend it to our readers.
Speed in France – Not on the Higher Side
In terms of speed, VPNBook may disappoint you big time. I used a 100 Mbps internet connection while conducting the speed test on Windows, Mac, and Android using the OpenVPN protocol in France.
Windows
- Download speed test in France:
- Without VPN: 51.78 Mbps
- With VPN: 2.56 Mbps
- Upload speed test:
- Without VPN: 48.01 Mbps
- With VPN: 1.98 Mbps
We experienced a decrease of 95.06% in download speed while connected to VPNBook on Windows.
Mac
- Download speed test in France:
- Without VPN: 56.29 Mbps
- With VPN: 0.25
- Upload speed test:
- Without VPN: 53.77 Mbps
- With VPN: 0.19 Mbps
We experienced a decrease of 99.56% in download speed while connected to VPNBook on Mac in France.
Android
- Download speed test in France:
- Without VPN: 68.64 Mbps
- With VPN: 2.05 Mbps
- Upload speed test:
- Without VPN: 62.99 Mbps
- With VPN: 1.75 Mbps
We experienced a decrease of 97.01% in download speed while connected to VPNBook on Android in France.
Here is the summary of the VPNBook speed test in France:
| Devices | Download Speed | Upload Speed | Ping | |||
| Without VPN | With VPN | Without VPN | With VPN | Without VPN | With VPN | |
| Windows | 51.78 Mbps | 2.56 Mbps | 48.01 Mbps | 1.98 Mbps | 156 ms | 946 ms |
| Mac | 56.29 Mbps | 0.25 Mbps | 53.77 Mbps | 0.19 Mbps | 140 ms | 991 ms |
| Android | 68.64 Mbps | 2.05 Mbps | 62.99 Mbps | 1.75 Mbps | 122 ms | 872 ms |
Overall, we wouldn’t recommend VPNBook for its speed. Instead, sign up for one of the fastest VPNs.
Streaming – Does VPNBook Unblock Netflix in France?
No, VPNBook could not unblock Netflix in France.
Sadly, this VPN is not compatible with Netflix in France. Even though the provider claims that it works with Netflix, we were constantly getting the “NSES-404” error message when accessing Netflix with the US server.
- VPNBook didn’t work on Netflix when we used the US server in France
Other Streaming Services in France
Trying the VPNBook on other platforms in France, such as BBC iPlayer and Hulu also led to the same results, i.e. the VPN was easily detected by these websites and we were denied access to every streaming platform that we tried.
Therefore, VPNBook cannot be used for unblocking streaming websites. Instead, check out our best VPNs for streaming in France.
Compatibility in France – Supports Different Platforms & Devices
VPNBook doesn’t offer any custom VPN apps for devices in France. You’ll need to configure the VPN manually with OpenVPN, PPTP, or Outline, which isn’t an easy process.
The 3 setup options are available on the VPNBook webpage with setup tutorials.
- PPTP: It is an old protocol that works easily with all devices, including Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS, PlayStation, and more. However, the protocol is less secure in France.
- OpenVPN: It is a third-party app that can be configured in France with Windows, Mac, Android, Ubuntu, iOS, and your router. OpenVPN is a secure protocol that is best for high-end privacy and anonymity.
- Outline VPN: It works with all widely-used platforms in France, including Windows, Android, Chrome OS, iOS, Linux, and Android. The VPNBook Outline uses the Shadowsocks protocol, which is faster than OpenVPN. However, OpenVPN is superior in the security domain.
If you don’t know how to use VPNBook in France on Android, iOS, Windows, or Mac. Follow the below-mentioned instructions to setup VPNBook manually on your device.
VPNBook for Windows in France
To get this VPN on Windows in France, download the VPNBook config files for OpenVPN mentioned below:
Once downloaded, you will have to extract the contents of the RAR file in this location: C:\Users \[your username]\ OpenVPN \Config (you will of course need OpenVPN GUI installed on your machine to be able to do this).
After extracting the files to this location, you will be able to connect to VPNBook servers from the taskbar.
VPNBook for macOS in France
You can get VPNBook for macOS in France through TunnelBlick, where you can add the necessary config files in much the same as Windows. The performance of VPNBook on macOS is the same as that in Windows with slow speeds and the same levels of encryption.
VPNBook for Android in France
If you don’t know how to use VPNBook on Android in France, then it’s pretty straightforward.
VPNBook Android setup requires you to download the OpenVPN Connect app in France. This will allow you to import the OpenVPN config files. Then all you need to do is enter the VPNBook username and password, which are available on the website.
VPNBook for iOS in France
For iOS, the VPNBook setup process is much the same as in the case of Android. You can get the app from the Apple app store in France, extract your OpenVPN server file, and log in with the VPNBook username and password available on the website.
Leaks – IP, DNS & WebRTC Leak Tests in France
The service does not expose your actual whereabouts, be it IP or WebRTC information online. However, it could not protect the DNS information. To test the service, we used ipleak.org and connected it to the Canada server. Here are the results:
IP Leak Test in France:
No IP leaks were detected when connected to this server.
DNS Leak Test in France:
Unfortunately, VPNBook couldn’t hide our DNS information in France.
WebRTC Leak Test in France:
VPNBook was found innocent of any WebRTC leaks in France.
As a free online software that runs on advertisements and donations, VPNBook only has 16 servers in 6 locations in total located. The locations are the following:
- US
- UK
- Canada
- Poland
- Germany
- France
There’s also a VPNBook free web proxy in France. There are four proxy servers within the UK, US, France, and Canada that can be accessed through the web. Keep in mind that these servers will only change your IP address but do not offer the same level of security that the VPN protocols do.
Trustworthiness in France – Trustpilot Rating, Reddit Reviews & Customer Support
I researched VPNBook on Trustpilot and Reddit to see what the people have to say about this VPN in France:
However, VPNBook has no presence on Trustpilot. This shows that the provider isn’t as well-known because most companies that are recognized widely enough are available on Trustpilot.
VPNBook Reddit Review in France
VPNBook has a shady reputation and has been accused by some Redditors of being a “honeypot“.
While nothing conclusive is available to test the veracity of these claims, the thread does consist of some interesting points made against VPNBook.
I’d suggest users stay away from this service if privacy is what you’re aiming to obtain from this VPN.
Customer Support in France
The provider has no dedicated customer support in France. They only deliver one option by the name of “Contact Us” to their users.
Through the ‘contact us’ page, you can directly send your queries through an email ticketing system. Otherwise, this section is pretty empty, containing only three FAQs with short answers.
The provider’s email is contact@vpnbook.com.
VPNBook Alternatives in France
If you did not find VPNBook enticing, there are various other options on the net. The following are some VPNs that can serve as a good alternative to VPNBook.
- Surfshark VPN in France
- Windscribe VPN in France
- Ivacy VPN in France
- Private WiFi Review in France
- Perfect Privacy Review in France
- TunnelBear in France
- VPN Master in France
- ProtonVPN in France
- Buffered VPN in France
- VPNArea in France
- Astrill VPN in France
- CactusVPN in France
FAQs – VPNBook Review in France
Can you use VPNBook for torrenting in France?
No, we strongly advise against using VPNBook for torrenting in France. VPNBook logs your IP address and timestamp, which can reveal your file-sharing activities. Also, there is no kill switch option available which increases the risk of your IP address getting exposed if your VPN drops somehow.
Does VPNBook work in China?
VPNBook doesn’t work in China. There are no nearby servers to China within VPNBook’s network, nor does it use any obfuscation features to fool sophisticated Chinese firewalls. Nonetheless, it does offer VPN Outline, which runs on the Shadowsocks proxy, though it isn’t effective in China as per our research.
How do I set up VPNBook on my iPhone in France?
You can easily set up VPNBook on your iPhone in France by following these easy steps:
- Go to the “Settings” of your iPhone.
- Tap on “General”.
- Navigate to “VPN”.
- Head to “Add VPN Configuration”.
- Tap on “Type” and choose a VPN protocol.
- Enter your preferred VPNBook server.
- Enter the username and password (this is available on the VPNBook website).
- Tick on “Manual” or “Auto” to enable the proxy server (if you’re using it).
- Tap on “Done”.
Do We Recommend VPNBook in France?
Concluding this VPNBook review in France, after testing the provider in 9 categories, we would not recommend VPNBook to our readers.
The review hereby conducted has found that the service has a small server network, logs your IP address, doesn’t unblock Netflix or other popular streaming platforms, and has awful speeds.
Based on the above VPNBook review in France, we would assign a 2.0/5.0 stars rating overall.
If you want to read comprehensive reviews about other best VPNs, read our dedicated VPN reviews in France page comprised of 160+ VPN reviews.
