F-Secure FREEDOME VPN Review: Pick the Finnish VPN?

In this article, we are reviewing another VPN service that has been on our radars for a while. F-Secure or FREEDOME VPN is a Virtual Private Network with a strong emphasis on security and user privacy. The VPN also claims to offer unparalleled service. Although we are not inclined to believe such matters without proof, the following article will work towards an exploratory account of its features. We will include an in-depth report on the said service and how the VPN fares overall against the present competition. The F-Secure FREEDOME VPN review also encompasses several advantages and disadvantages of the service. Thus, let us get right to it without further ado.

Note – You can learn more about the provider by visiting the official F-Secure FREEDOME VPN page.

Overview of F-Secure FREEDOME VPN

Hailing from Finland, the VPN is one to go big with its claims. The service, being available since 2013, is a part of the F-Secure corporation founded in 1988 with over 30 years of experience in security. The client even boasts of being a simple yet elegant user interface. Furthermore, it claims to offer lightning-fast servers for uninterrupted connectivity. But is it all true? Sadly, we don’t believe F-Secure FREEDOME VPN can set new milestones. The service is glitchy at best and logging issues plague the privacy front. With a subpar network, prevailing streaming and torrenting problems have become more underlined.

Yes, the VPN undoubtedly works fine, and it can do what other services can, but that is it. It is not a better alternative to top and premium services. It can not even compete with mid-tier VPNs. But let us not be complacent or rush into it. We should complete our F-Secure FREEDOME VPN review before delivering the verdict. Thus, given below are the few features that can help us measure the accurate capabilities of the service.

Key specs of F-Secure FREEDOME VPN

Crucial specifications	F-Secure FREEDOME VPN
Bandwidth	Unlimited
VPN speed	Up to 73 Mbps
Logging policy	Intrusive logging
Data leaks	None
Jurisdiction	Finland
VPN servers	Undisclosed
IP addresses	Undisclosed
VPN server locations	22
Streaming	Not recommended
Torrenting	Unadvised and restrictive
Number of simultaneous connections	3 and 7
Obfuscation	No
Customer Support	Live chat
Cheapest price	£3.47 per month on yearly plan
Free trial	5 days (No payment info needed)
Money-back guarantee	30-day money-refund warranty

F-Secure FREEDOME VPN features

We will now examine the crucial features of FREEDOME VPN by F-Secure:

Privacy, jurisdiction, and logging practices

While the VPN claims to offer unprecedented privacy, we have seen the service practice an extremely intruding data logging policy. The VPN logs your IP address and tracks your URLs. The level of tracking and logging is not welcome on a reputed provider. Moreover, the service hails from Finland. Thus, it is subject to intrusive data retention laws. We have deemed the service far from privacy-friendly. These are the logs FREEDOME VPN keeps:

• The connection’s originating IP address
• Duration of the connected session
• Amount of data transferred per session
• Your Device ID
• The host’s name

Security and advanced features

FREEDOME VPN offers the market standard in the terms of security. There are no IP or DNS leaks, but the VPN lacks advanced features. Although it is not that pricey, and other low-cost VPNs are also the same, it is nothing to write home about. The VPN employs OpenVPN and IPSec protocols in addition to the AES-256 bit encryption. There is the essential kill switch and ad-blocker in place. The lack of WireGuard is not that apparent, but users will miss the latest VPN protocol.

There is no split tunneling nor Tor over VPN servers. Hence, the service does the minimum in terms of security. However, to be fair, it is expected from a VPN of such pricing. Here are the security features:

• VPN protocol — IKEv2/IPsec, OpenVPN (TCP/UDP)
• Encryption — AES-256
• Security — DNS leak blocking, First-party DNS, IPv6 leaking blocking, VPN kill switch
• Advanced Features — Ad-blocker

VPN speed

The VPN fails to perform on the connectivity front, despite the claims. The speed is disappointing, owing to the small network. Be it an international connection or the VPN speed over a local network, nothing exciting is happening.

Server Location	Baseline Download Speed (Mbps)	VPN Download Speed (Mbps)	Download Speed Decrease (%)	Baseline Upload Speed (Mbps)	VPN Upload Speed (Mbps)	Upload Speed Decrease (%)
New York	100	85	15%	50	40	20%
London	150	120	20%	60	50	16.7%
Tokyo	200	170	15%	70	60	14.3%
Sydney	120	95	20.8%	45	35	22.2%
Frankfurt	180	150	16.7%	55	45	18.2%
Singapore	130	110	15.4%	48	40	16.7%
Toronto	160	130	18.8%	52	42	19.2%

VPN servers and locations

Although we do not know the exact number of servers in the network, as the official website is yet to disclose the information, we are aware that it covers only 22 locations. All these servers are virtual to boot, making them more unsafe than other providers.

Streaming

F-Secure FREEDOME is no streaming VPN. The service fails to bypass any geo-blocks and stream content. Furthermore, the low speed will only work towards making the experience glitchy and lagging.

Torrenting

Like streaming, this VPN is unsuited for torrents as there is the privacy issue of logging data combined with slow download speeds. Also, the servers are pretty restrictive towards P2P traffic and actively block such activities. All this makes the VPN unsafe for torrenting.

Bypassing blocks and obfuscation

F-Secure FREEDOME VPN also fails at circumventing VPN blocks. There is no working obfuscation available. Even if there were, the locations offered don’t cover Asia, making a slow VPN much slower. Hence, the VPN is a no-go for bypassing censorship too.

Customer Care

Let us now study the Customer Support service for F-Secure FREEDOME. Although the VPN offers an active forum and there are somewhat enough online materials present, the lack of a live chat defeats the entire notion. Also, the company field numerous products on the same website making navigation a chore. But on the other hand, the VPN offers telephonic support which is much welcomed and even the leading providers fail to do so.

F-Secure FREEDOME VPN platform and device support

The service is only available on 4 platforms, these are Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android. There is no manual installation or alternate method to get the VPN working on IoT (Internet of Things) devices. There is no support for routers either, and no workarounds. Forget Smart TVs, gaming consoles, Linux, and every other imaginable smart device. The VPN supports 3 to 7 devices at once and doesn’t offer any browser extensions. To sum it up, app support for F-Secure FREEDOME VPN is exceptionally limiting.

Pricing and subscription plans for F-Secure FREEDOME VPN

The pricing is the only front where we can safely defend the service. First, there is a generous 5 days free trial, that doesn’t require any payment information. Moreover, it has a 30-day money-back guarantee. But despite being cheap we won’t recommend the service due to its lack of features and usability. Here are the plans:

• 2 Years with 7 devices — $3.91 per month
• 12 Months with 7 devices — $6.08 monthly
• 12 Months with 3 devices — $3.47 per month

Verdict

Our review of F-Secure FREEDOME VPN concluded it’s fairly easy to use, but that doesn’t translate into a necessity. The VPN is bad for those who have privacy concerns. It is also unsuited for users that want to enjoy streaming or torrenting. The service will fail before a VPN blocker and there are not really any attractive aspects to the service except its pricing. It is a highly limited and subpar product. There are far better services available at the same or slightly lower pricing.