X-VPN Review

Although somewhat new, X-VPN has been on our radar for a while. Hence, when the opportunity struck, we came up with a resolution to cover this VPN service in depth. However, the provider offers two distinct VPNs under its name, one of which is a free version. Thus, to keep things fair, we will only mention the free version but focus on the paid one. Our X-VPN review will also highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the service.

Spoiler: although it falls under a top-tier service, we can’t fathom recommending it. As far we are concerned, it has glaring security and privacy flaws, and the service itself is costly. But is that all or is there also a problem with its encryption, as the rumors say? You’ll find out shortly.

Introducing X-VPN

X-VPN started in 2017, in Hong Kong, under the ownership of Free Connected Limited. Although the company claims it believes in equal and free internet access built upon privacy, security, and transparency, we disagree. With that said, the vendor is a mid/top-tier provider with a customer base of over a hundred million. It also boasts a widespread network of VPN servers, amounting to over 8000, and spread across 60 countries. However, the drawbacks are prominent enough to sidestep such meager benefits. First, the VPN fails to disclose the security protocols in play. To clarify, there is no information on how the VPN creates and operates the tunnel.

Another negative is the so-called no-logs policy that records almost everything. Also, despite having such a large array of servers, the service offers disappointing speed on international connections. However, as if that’s not all, the service is pricey enough to contend against some of the best premium VPNs, including ExpressVPN and Astrill VPN. Even the VPN ownership raises some serious doubts. The word is that the company boardroom has distinct and/or discreet ties to China. In retrospect, we won’t, in good faith, propose the use of this VPN to our users. However, to ensure fairness, we will do due diligence and dig out the associated numerous facts and features.

X-VPN crucial data overview

Features	X-VPN Premium	X-VPN Free
Bandwidth limit	Unlimited	Unlimited
Network speed	79 Mbps	67 Mbps
Logging policy	Logs data	Logs data
Leaks data	Yes	Yes
Jurisdiction	Hong Kong	Hong Kong
Number of servers	8,000+	1
IP addresses available	8,000+	1+
Server locations	50	1
Streaming	Yes	No
Torrenting	Not recommended	Restricted
Number of simultaneous connections	5	None
Obfuscation	Unstable	No
Customer support	Chat and email	Email and chat
Cheapest price	$5.99/month on an annual plan	n/a
Free trial	7 days (payment info required)	None
Money-back guarantee	7-day money-return warranty	None

Features of X-VPN

Though we will examine the attributes of X-VPN, users can also visit the official X-VPN website while reading our review. Let’s start.

Privacy

The privacy issue of the X-VPN is messy. Despite hailing from Hong King, the vendor has clear ties to China that are unsuitable for a VPN. Also, the logging policy leaves much to be desired. Contrary to its claim of equality and transparency, it logs too much data. These include:

• Chosen VPN server
• VPN connection timestamp (date and time)
• Choice of VPN protocol
• Network type
• Server CPU load and bandwidth
• Device information
• App version
• Data usage
• City-level location

As you can see, there isn’t much left to protect.

Security and extra features

Although the VPN offers 11 different protocols, not much information gets disclosed about names or types. Consequently, since we don’t know much about these protocols, we can’t judge them. Hence, we do not know which encryption is in play or how the VPN is operating the tunnel. Also, there is a severe lack of advanced features, which fails to justify its high cost. The key features offered are as follows:

• VPN protocols — Proprietary but unknown
• VPN encryption — AES-256 (claimed)
• Security — DNS leak blocking, First-party DNS, VPN kill switch
• Advanced features — Split tunneling

Number of servers and their locations

The VPN has a fetching network of servers that is well spread and covers the whole globe. The servers operate in 50 different countries. For a mid-tier service, 8000 servers are a respectful amount. It is the sole saving grace we could find within the VPN’s offer.

Connection speed

Although the overall ping observed on a local connection was as low as 6 ms, we weren’t impressed with the average speed. Yes, the local connection speed was above par, and it can contend neck to neck with a few top-tier vendors. But the same VPN observed a sharp decline of around 50% when on an international connection. The result isn’t justifiable of the price tag the vendor has attached to the service.

VPN performance

If we disregard streaming, which the VPN does well enough, it is unsuitable for all-around performance. The torrenting is poor on the vendor’s end, as many contradicting points are in play. Be it a spoiled logging policy or slow speeds. We don’t recommend downloading torrents and the same goes for bypassing censorship. Although we know that the VPN has obfuscation, the blanket ban on available protocols makes it harder for us to trust the provider.

Customer Care

The X-VPN live chat is unreliable as it is only available 5 days a week for 24 hours. While this sounds great, many providers offer 24/7 service. You can email them, but there’s an apparent lack of online resources.

Supported platforms for X-VPN

X-VPN has native apps for Windows, iOS, Android, and macOS. Further, users can manually install it on IoT (Internet of Things) devices, Linux, and routers. It also has browser extensions for Chrome. The apps themselves are simple enough to configure and use. The VPN client lacks advanced configurations and is adequate for beginners.

X-VPN subscriptions and pricing

The service is undoubtedly expensive for what it brings to the table. The VPN is a misfit with questionable security protocols and fraught with privacy concerns. Although it offers a free version, it is highly restricted. A free trial is available to offset complaints. But again, a 7-day money-back guarantee is not remotely enough. There are two payment plans X-VPN offers:

• Monthly subscription — $11.99/month
• Annual subscription — $5.99/monthly

Verdict

While wrapping up our review of X-VPN, we concluded it has a massive server network surpassing that of CyberGhost VPN, but it’s also much costlier. The VPN provider also has superb platform support, decent local speed, claims to unblock some streaming services, and offers a free trial. Encryption is a golden industry standard, but we would all need to hear more about its 11 security protocols. However, the data logging and the presence of ads from partner companies in their apps beats the purpose of a VPN. You may as well use a cheaper alternative or a VPN proxy.