ZenMate VPN Review (Updated in 2024)

ZenMate-review-in-USA
ZenMate is an affordable VPN service that targets the needs of all average VPN users. But is it worth subscribing to? Let’s find out in our ZenMate VPN review!

Truth be told, we found ZenMate to be a simple VPN that’s tailored for novice users. It lets you torrent, unblocks streaming platforms like Netflix, and allows lag-free gaming – all while offering a budget-friendly long-term plan.

But, along with all the pros, it also has some cons. ZenMate equips a shady privacy policy, offers mediocre speeds, and its customer support can sometimes be disappointing. Moreover, it openly mentions that it doesn’t operate in China and has its headquarters in a 14 Eyes Alliance country.

Overall, after considering all the advantages and drawbacks of ZenMate VPN, we’ve rated it 3.2/5.0 stars in this ZenMate review. Continue reading and learn all about our testing results.


​ZenMate VPN Review – VPNRanks Verdict

After extensive testing on multiple factors, we’re not very sure about recommending this VPN to our users. Even though it offers low-cost subscription plans, a user-friendly interface, and free extensions for browsers, it doesn’t unblock BBC iPlayer and Disney+ for us. Moreover, it offers inadequate customer service, which can be pretty frustrating if you have any queries.

In short, ZenMate is a good choice if you are a new user who doesn’t know where to start. But, if you know what capabilities premium VPN services can offer, we advise you to choose a better choice, like ExpressVPN.


Quick Overview – ZenMate VPN Review

We used our 9-step rating criteria to test the VPN for this ZenMate VPN review:

  1. Pricing – ZenMate offers subscription plans as low as $1.51/mo and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
  2. Security –  ZenMate offers multiple essential security features, such as a kill switch and AES 256-bit encryption.
  3. Jurisdiction – Unfortunately, it’s headquartered in a 14 Eyes Alliance country. Now, this can be a drawback for most users.
  4. Servers – This VPN offers 4800 servers in 81+ countries, which can be used for unblocking geo-restricted sites quickly.
  5. Speed – ZenMate’s download and upload speeds are pretty average, and there’s no guarantee that you’ll face any lags or not.
  6. Streaming – ZenMate unblocks 7+ Netflix and Prime Video libraries. However, it didn’t work with Disney+ and iPlayer.
  7. Torrenting – This VPN allows torrenting on all its servers and keeps you secure while doing so.
  8. Leaks – As per our evaluation, ZenMate VPN successfully passed our DNS, IP, and WebRTC leak tests.
  9. Customer Support – ZenMate customer support is below par. However, its Reddit reviews are great!
  10. Compatibility – This VPN is compatible with all major operating systems and devices, such as iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux, and FireStick.

ZenMate VPN Review  – Pros & Cons

Pros
  • Extensive network of servers
  • DNS leak protection
  • Unlimited simultaneous connections
  • Allows torrenting
  • 24/7 live chat support
  • Budget-friendly cost
  • Free browser extensions
  • Streaming-optimized servers

Cons
  • Located in a 14 Eyes Alliance country
  • Doesn’t work in China
  • Less tunneling protocols
  • Allows payments through credit cards and PayPal


ZenMate Pricing & Plans – How Much Does ZenMate Cost?

ZenMate is pretty affordable. Its pricing starts from $1.51/mo, which is pretty budget-friendly compared to its alternatives. Moreover, ZenMate also offers a free plan for browser extensions with servers in 4 countries.

An interesting thing about ZenMate VPN is that it offers three separate subscription plans for browsers and all devices. Its plans for browsers are present in the ‘Pro’ tier, and the ones for all devices are available in the ‘Ultimate’ tier. 

Let’s check them out below:

Subscription Plans Pro (for browsers) Ultimate (All devices)
1 Month $7.99 $10.99
6 Months $3.19/mo
1 Year $1.99/mo (2 Months Free) $1.51/mo
3 Years $1.51/mo (3 Months Free)

ZenMate VPN Discount

Get the most affordable 3-year subscription + 3 Months FREE using this coupon:

Payment Methods

Now as for payment methods, you can only purchase ZenMate through PayPal and Credit Cards. Most notably, you don’t get any options to purchase ZenMate anonymously through Bitcoins. For instance, ExpressVPN accepts payments through Bitcoin: Etherium, BitPay, CRP, etc.

But the good thing is that all ZenMate subscription plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Another thing we forgot to mention earlier is that ZenMate also offers a 7-day free trial which we find really impressive.


Security – Protocols, Encryption, & Other Features

ZenMate offers robust security, considering its advanced features. However, there definitely are some aspects where it doesn’t live up to our expectations. So, if you’re searching for a secure VPN, this can be a dealbreaker. But before we get into details, let’s take a quick overview through the following tables below:

Encryption Standards Availability in ZenMate
ChaCha20 No
Blowfish No
AES-256 Yes
AES-192 No
AES-128 No
VPN Protocols Availability in ZenMate
SSTP No
SoftEther No
TLS VPN No
PPTP No
IKEv2/IPSec Yes
OpenVPN (TCP/UDP) Yes
WireGuard No
L2TP/IPSec No
Proprietary No
SSL VPN No
Security Availability in ZenMate
IPv6 Leak Blocking Yes
WebRTC Leak Blocking Yes
TCP Port 443 Support No
First-party DNS No
Kill Switch Yes
DNS Leak Blocking Yes
Other Advanced Features Availability in ZenMate
Tor over VPN Server No
Split Tunneling No
DoubleVPN No
Ad-Blocker Yes
Dedicated IP No
SOCKS No
Smart DNS No
Tracker Blocker No

Encryption

ZenMate uses the AES 256-CBC cipher, a method that uses private keys to encrypt and decrypt your traffic. This means that you can easily send and receive data, but it would remain hidden from outsiders since they won’t have those private keys.

Moreover, when you’re connecting to a server, the authentication is processed through the SHA-256 hash function. This is the same as most premium VPNs in the industry, which is excellent.

Kill Switch

With ZenMate, you’re entitled to a kill switch, which adds another layer of security between your device and the VPN server. However, we could only comment on the efficiency of this feature by thorough testing.

So, since it’s a default kill switch, we disconnected our device from the internet while loading a page. And honestly, the kill switch worked as it should. But the only problem was that we didn’t get notified about the kill switch working.

Logging Policy

ZenMate VPN is headquartered in Germany, which is not ideal. This country is a part of the 14 Eyes Alliance and is also a member of the European Union. All of this can be problematic if you search for anonymity and privacy.

Even though the service claims to collect no logs, its privacy policy differs from the statement. They, themselves, inform you that they collect user data from your visited websites and utilize pixels for tracking in newsletters. Now, this is what you wouldn’t want to find in terms of service of your VPN.

After reading through its no-logs policy, we’d prefer not to use this VPN. That’s exactly why we recommended ExpressVPN earlier.

Tunneling protocols

VPN tunneling protocols are how your data would be sent through the VPN. These protocols can be slow but more secure or faster but less secure – depending on your chosen VPNs. Therefore, we recommend you choose a tunneling protocol for ZenMate carefully. Here are all the options offered to you:

  • OpenVPN (TCP/UDP): This open-source protocol is pretty customizable. You can use TCP for better security but slower speeds or UDP for faster speeds. This protocol is available on iOS, Android, and Windows apps.
  • IKEv2: This is one of the oldest protocols to exist. It’s pretty lightweight and works on a vast range of devices.

Sadly, these are all the options you get. There isn’t any WireGuard or such protocols available that you get with other premium VPNs.


Jurisdiction – Where is Zenmate VPN Located?

ZenMate was created by an organization named ZenGuard based in Germany. What you wouldn’t know is that Germany is not a privacy-friendly location – a part of the infamous 14 Eyes Alliance. Therefore the provider has to comply with anyone requesting user data. In short, if ZenMate was asked to hand over data to the authorities, then the VPN would have to comply involuntarily.

Since ZenMate ensures that it doesn’t collect any logs, we don’t believe there’s anything one needs to be worried about. But, if you’re pretty privacy-conscious, then you might want to opt for another VPN provider, such as ExpressVPN.


ZenMate VPN Review – Servers

ZenMate has increased its network to 4800 servers in 81+ countries. The good thing is that all these servers are present physically in the respective locations. ZenMate owns all the servers it offers, which is rare since most VPNs simply rent them.

These servers are located in regions like Asia Pacific, Africa, North & South America, and Europe. Most servers it offers are in countries like the US, the UK, and Germany and within multiple locations in these countries.


Speed – How Fast is ZenMate?

ZenMate didn’t perform very well when we conducted our speed tests. We tested its speeds on multiple servers and discovered that it delivers above-average speeds on our 100 Mbps test connection. We repeated the tests three times a day, so we could see if the speeds are stable or dropped at some time.

The speed varied according to every region. For example, the US servers performed better and delivered higher speeds than the German servers. Despite that, every server that we tested allowed us to access content in HD.

First, here’s an image of our speeds before connecting to ZenMate:

speed-test-without-a-vpn

We had our base connection of 100 Mbps at this time.

US Server:

When we connected to its US server, our speeds dropped slightly. But, we won’t whine too much about it since they were still pretty fast. On our connection, the VPN delivered a download speed of 65.48 Mbps and an upload speed of 42.17 Mbps.

zenmate-speed-test-on-us-server

We faced a speed drop of 35% from our base speed.

Germany Server:

When connected to the Germany server of ZenMate, we managed to get around 43.27 Mbps downloading speed and 22.18 Mbps uploading speed.

zenmate-speed-test-on-germany-server

The speed drop was over 57% on this server.


Streaming – Does ZenMate Unblock Streaming Platforms?

ZenMate can unblock tons of streaming services, including Netflix. We tried circumventing Netflix’s geo-blocks using its Netflix-optimized servers. We quickly unblocked US Netflix and started streaming our favorite show. While doing so, we didn’t face any streaming issues. However, the quality did drop to 720p at times.

zenmate-unblocked-netflix

We didn’t face any lags while streaming the movie.

We could also unblock the German and French libraries of Netflix. In addition, we tried unblocking Netflix Italy with ZenMate. Even though we became successful, we encountered multiple lags that got annoying. So, if you want to unblock multiple libraries of this streaming platform.

You also get optimized servers for Amazon Prime Video with ZenMate VPN. When we connected to its US server, it let us stream all exclusive content without buffering.

We could also unblock BBC iPlayer with its UK server easily. However, we did encounter a few streaming issues here and there. Since we couldn’t test it with Disney+, we reached out to its customer support, and the representatives confirmed that we’d be able to access the streaming service without issues.

zenmate-unblocked-bbc-iplayer

We did face a few lags while streaming our favorite shows.

That’s not all. There are a few streaming platforms that ZenMate cannot unblock. These include ITV Hub, Hulu, and Sky Sports. It doesn’t mean that ZenMate doesn’t unblock them at all; they just didn’t work for us while testing.


Does ZenMate Allow Torrenting?

Yes, ZenMate allows torrenting and offers optimized servers for downloading P2P files. Even though its torrent servers are not too many, they are located in less popular areas like Iran and Kazakhstan.

zenmate-torrenting-servers

You can connect any of these servers and enjoy torrenting.

We tested its torrent servers with clients like uTorrent, Bittorrent, and Deluge, and were able to download torrent files easily. However, we found the speeds better when utilizing ExpressVPN torrenting.

Moreover, ZenMate doesn’t offer port forwarding support. It’s true that this feature is rare in VPNs, but seeders usually look for it since it improves their download speed drastically.


ZenMate Leaks – IP, DNS, WebRTC, & Virus Tests

In this ZenMate VPN review, we learned that this provider is absolutely leakproof. Apart from not leaking our actual DNS, ZenMate also passed our WebRTC, IP, and Virus tests without any problem.

IP Leak Test:

The first thing we did was test it for IP leaks. For that, we connected to its server in Austria. As you can see in the screenshot below, ZenMate easily passed our leak test and kept our original IP address from being exposed.

zenmate-ip-address-leaks

Our actual US IP was absolutely safe with ZenMate.

DNS Leak Test:

The next thing we did was conduct a DNS leak test using this VPN. Since ZenMate offers a built-in DNS leak protection feature, we didn’t face any DNS leaks. You can confirm this through the screenshot below:

zenmate-dns-address-leaks

We faced no DNS leaks while using ZenMate.

WebRTC Leak Test:

ZenMate further passed our WebRTC leak test without any problem. Even though we tested its multiple servers, there were no evident signs of WebRTC leaks.

zenmate-webrtc-address-leaks

This ensured that ZenMate is absolutely safe to use.

Virus Test:

Finally, we used the link to its Android app and ran it through Virustotal.com. You can see in the image below that we found no hidden viruses or malware.

zenmate-virus-total-test

From this test, we learned that ZenMate’s apps aren’t malicious.


Customer Support

ZenMate offers multiple customer support options. But, after testing each one of them, the best turned out to be its 24/7 live chat support. Accessing the live chat is pretty easy. All we had to do was click on the blue button present at the right corner of its official website.

We found their live chat representatives to be particularly helpful. Their support agent got back to us within minutes which we think is rather impressive.

zenmate-live-chat-support

We got the answers to our questions within minutes.

Anyways, aside from live chat, you can also get help through email by filling out a form on their website. While testing its email support, we got our answer within a few hours. Moreover, it also offers multiple guides on its website. But, most of them are outdated. 


Compatibility – Which Devices Can I Use ZenMate With?

As for devices, ZenMate is pretty good. However, its Ultimate plan is the only one that supports all devices, including PCs, smartphones, tablets, Smart TVs, and more. It further offers dedicated apps for Android, Windows, Android TV, macOS, Fire TV, iOS, and also for Firefox, Brave Browser, Chrome, Edge, and UC browsers. Moreover, a single subscription can be used on unlimited devices simultaneously.

Windows

The first thing we noticed in ZenMate was that its interface is an exact copy of CyberGhost. Moreover, it was pretty weird to find that the server list consisted of the number of users connected to each server. Honestly, while navigating, the UI of the app seemed pretty poor.

zenmate-windows-app

ZenMate’s Windows app looks exactly like CyberGhost.

It further lacked certain customization options. You can always make the app launch automatically and connect to a server every time you fire up your Windows device.

macOS

The macOS of ZenMate is more minimalistic than its Windows counterpart. Its Settings tab includes General, Account, and Connection. The Connection tab is blank, General offers a toggle using which you can run the VPN on startup, and Account displays your email ID and the device number.

Android

ZenMate’s Android app is pretty easy to use but has some major flaws. To start, its font color doesn’t go well with the background which affects its readability. Moreover, you’re unable to access the server list when you’re connected.

iOS

The iOS app is poorly built, just like the Android. The only button you see on the screen is the country one. Moreover, it also has a settings menu, through which you can see your username, app version, subscription plan, and active connections.

zenmate-ios-app

We didn’t really like ZenMate’s iOS app as well.


Does ZenMate Work in China?

ZenMate doesn’t work in China or any other restrictive country. So, if you’re searching for a VPN that you can use while traveling to China, Saudi Arabia, or Iran, then ZenMate isn’t for you.

The provider openly mentions that it doesn’t offer apps in China since it cannot guarantee that the apps would work reliably. However, ZenMate offers servers in Hong Kong, allowing you to easily unblock Chinese streaming platforms like iQiYi.

However, this would be a short-term achievement as the Chinese government will soon get access to Hong Kong’s ISPs and snoop into your activities.


Alternatives to ZenMate

Some of you may not be satisfied with the features provided by this service. We cannot blame you for this. Digital privacy is a sensitive matter; everyone has their own preferences. For alternatives, you can check out this list of ZenMate alternatives in our comprehensive and unbiased VPN reviews:

  • ExpressVPNThis is the best VPN service in the industry and our top alternative to ZenMate. It’s a super-secure VPN that’s also quite efficient in terms of speed. Using this VPN, you can unblock all your favorite streaming platforms and torrent as much as you like. Read about it in detail through our ExpressVPN review.
  • SurfsharkIf you’re looking for a budget-friendly option, then Surfshark is what you need. This VPN is faster and much more secure than ZenMate. Moreover, it offers some of the most advanced security features, like Camouflage Mode and MultiHop, that ZenMate just cannot beat. Read about it in detail through our Surfshark review.
  • NordVPNThis VPN simply beats ZenMate by offering more servers to users. Moreover, its unblocking capabilities and speeds are way better than its rival. Let’s not forget that you also get specialty servers with NordVPN, which are nowhere to be found in ZenMate. Read about it in detail through our NordVPN review.

More VPN Guides by VPN Ranks

  • Best VPN for Streaming: Access boundless streaming opportunities with the premier VPN service, providing effortless access to worldwide content.
  • Best Netflix VPN: Elevate your Netflix experience with the top-rated VPN service designed to unlock global content seamlessly.
  • Best VPN for Brave Browser: Elevate your browsing experience with the premier VPN tailored specifically for the Brave browser’s privacy-focused environment.

FAQs – ZenMate VPN Review

Yes, ZenMate is worth subscribing to. ZenMate is a great VPN for circumventing streaming geo-restrictions, but it doesn’t match the qualities of the best streaming VPNs. The VPN offers various servers designed to bypass geo-blocks, but after testing this VPN for years, we learned that these servers don’t work every time.

Yes, ZenMate offers a free trial of 7 days. Moreover, you also get a more extended 30-day money-back guarantee with it. You can utilize all features of ZenMate during the 30-day period and cancel your subscription before the 30 days to get a refund.

Yes, you can use ZenMate for free through its browser extensions. These extensions are available for Edge, Mozilla Firefox, and Chrome. You’ll have to register for its 7-day free trial period to use this VPN on any other device.

Yes, ZenMate, like most other VPNs, can slow down your connection speeds. But it all depends on the server location you’re connected to. Ensure that you’re not using the ZenMate desktop app and browser extension simultaneously, as it will route your connection twice and slow your speeds down. Moreover, select a location that’s closer to you.

Yes, ZenMate is a safe VPN service. It offers AES 256-bit encryption, a default kill switch, a strict no-logging policy, and DNS/IP leak protection. It further offers advanced security features like RAM-only servers and Perfect Forward Secrecy, along with a tool that prevents you from accessing malicious sites.

ZenMate is a VPN service that suits all needs of a VPN user. It allows torrenting, unblocks streaming services like Netflix, and offers a budget-friendly long-term plan.

Final Verdict: Do We Recommend ZenMate?

After conducting this ZenMate VPN review, we can say that, yes, we do recommend ZenMate. It’s because of multiple reasons. To start, ZenMate works great with streaming platforms, allows torrenting, offers a reliable free trial, and provides above-average speeds. Moreover, it refuses to log any user data. In short, it’s an overall fantastic service. But, it is not entirely perfect.

For example, it lacks multiple advanced features, like an ad-blocker and split tunneling. Moreover, it’s based in a country that’s a part of 14 Eyes. So, in our opinion, ZenMate has to work on improving its service and offering more robust features. Moreover, we’d prefer if the provider makes its privacy policy a bit more comprehensible.

That’s all for our ZenMate review.