ZenMate Review

ZenMate is far from being the biggest VPN, but it could be a good option for some users. In this article, we put ZenMate's service to test; here's what's it all about...

How We Test VPN Services?

1. We do our installs... We actually put an effort to buy the software and install it on our computers and phones. We don't settle for a free trial version as it may lack features of the full package. Cause we want to know how the paid version works and whether it's worth the money.

2. Desktop + mobile We test both on desktop and mobile. For Windows apps, we use a 7th generation Core i5 machine and for Mac - we rely on a 2017 MacBook. When it comes to mobile tests, iOS apps are tested with an iPhone X, and Android apps - with Samsung Galaxy S9.

3. It's all about location It doesn't mean much for a person living in the U.S. that some service works flawlessly from, say, Germany. Therefore, we take an extra step to test each VPN service from multiple locations. This provides us with a better idea how the service works in real-life situations.

4. Research Related to the previous point, we also read stuff online as we know that people living in other parts of the world may experience a different level of service. We think it is important to get the other side of the story, as well. So if we read that someone's struggling with an app, we try to replicate his/her problem and report about it.

5. Review process We analyze and test the following elements of every VPN service: number of servers & locations, supported platforms, speed, security, privacy, ease of use, support, streaming, torrenting, ability to bypass censorship (mostly in China, but in other countries as well), and pricing -- including free trial and money-back guarantee (where available).

Read more on how we test VPNs...

Servers & Locations

ZenMate operates a small network of servers in 30 countries, each of which is covered with a single location. One exception is the U.S. where you can choose between the East and West coasts.

There are three locations in the entire Asia Pacific region; whereas Africa, Australia, and South America are each covered with a single server.

ZenMate has 3,000 individual IP addresses, which is not enough and could lead to network congestion.

Platforms

Available on:

ZenMate has native apps for most popular platforms -- namely Windows, MacOS, Android and iOS. Additionally, there are manual setup guides for Linux and other devices, including routers, Amazon Fire TV and a few games consoles. It's worth adding that these guides leave a lot to be desired and chances are newbies will struggle to configure devices not supported with native apps.

Browser extensions are available for Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Opera and they rock. In fact, they look much better than ZenMate's desktop and mobile apps that feel rather basic in comparison.

Said browser extensions offer malware protection and ad-tracking blockers, which is a neat add-on.

A single ZenMate license lets you protect up to 5 devices.

Speed

ZenMate offers below-average and inconsistent speeds across its server network. In our tests, we have also found latency to be very high, making ZenMate a hard sell for gamers.

On the other hand, those looking to access video streaming services will find ZenMate's service to be more than good enough. It will deliver buffer-free videos pretty much every single time -- except if you want to stream in 4K when you may experience a few hiccups.

Also, the service could be used for general web browsing.

Security & Privacy

ZenMate comes with two pre-installed protocols -- IKEv2 and L2TP -- whereas connecting through OpenVPN requires manual configuration, and even then it is limited to just two servers (UK and US). Encryption is via AES-256, which is a top cipher that is considered "unhackable."

ZenMate has a VPN kill switch feature that makes sure your true IP address doesn't get leaked by blocking all web traffic if the VPN gets disconnected. Also included is a DNS leak protection which prevents DNS requests being sent to your ISP.

In addition and as noted above, ZenMate's browser extensions include malware blocking and tracking protection features.

Privacy

ZenMate says it doesn't collect, process or permanently store users' personal data. The only information ZenMate collects is the amount of data you use, and this is only on accounts with limited data volumes. Also, it may temporarily store your IP address to "prevent against attacks."

But, as a Germany-based company, ZenMate is a subject to EU data retention laws, meaning the little data it collects may be given to authorities if they submit a subpoena. The good thing is that this data can hardly lead to any individual user being identified.

Ease of Use

ZenMate's apps are as straightforward as possible with a limited number of configurable options. Among those are kill switch and DNS leak protection, and... that's about it.

Most users will find that sufficient, but we would like to see more. For one thing, we miss a few details about the current connection such as the VPN protocol and a new IP address.

On the other hand, ZenMate's browser extensions offer a better experience but they are not the complete substitute for a full-blown desktop app.

Support

I guess it's unfair to compare ZenMate with top-tier VPN providers. Whereas the "big boys" offer live chat support and comprehensive online resources, ZenMate's customer support is very limited.

There are well-organized FAQs on the site and you can send an email to get answers to any questions you may have. Also included is the so called Academy section that covers interesting and related topics like WiFi safety and Net Neutrality. We would like to see more images and even videos all across the board to make those explanations easier to grasp.

Streaming & Torrenting

Netflix works with ZenMate, with a dedicated US streaming server making sure you get a buffer-free experience. The same is true for Hulu and a few other US-based services.

On the other hand, the situation is different with BBC iPlayer which didn't work every time we tried it. We did manage to start it up with ZenMate's browser extension, though. So I guess it works, it's just a matter of technique.

Kodi, on its end, works nice on Windows and Mac computers.

Torrenting

P2P traffic is supported on every server, making ZenMate a viable option for torrenters and -- related to that -- Kodi users. You won't get top speeds that major VPN providers are offering, but you will be able to grab all the files you want -- if you give it some time.

Bypassing censorship

ZenMate openly says it may not work in China. In fact, the company suggests its (prospective) clients to first download the software without purchasing a premium account to try it out. We can't help but like this honesty.

ZenMate used to be a viable option, but the situation is different these days following the country's VPN crackdown in 2018.

And the same goes for Iran and Saudi Arabia, with ZenMate saying it is investigating ways to get around censorship issues, without promising an immediate solution.

You shouldn't have such problems in other high-censorship countries though -- including Turkey, Pakistan and the UAE. ZenMate has a list of ISPs in these countries that are known or suspected to be blocked, which is a nice touch. Again, we love how they're handling this issue.

Extras

ZenMate offers a few extra features, including the "Web Firewall" that will block ads, trackers and malware.

Another feature, ZenMate SafeSearch, will take care of bias news and fake information to ensure you surf safely.

Finally, the handy ZenMate Identity Shield will inform you whenever your email appears in a breached database.

Comparison

Use a drop-down menu to compare ZenMate with other VPNs.

 

 

 

 

 

ZenMate

 

Platforms

 

 

Browser extensions

 

 

Router support?

 

 

Number of devices

 

 

Servers

 

 

Countries

 

 

Locations

 

 

IP addresses

 

 

Kill switch

 

 

Ad blocker

 

 

24/7 chat support

 

 

Lowest price

 

 

Money-back guarantee

 

 

Free trial

 

 

Accepts PayPal?

 

 

Accepts Crypto?

 

 

Our rating

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pricing

accepts PayPal

7-day free trial

ZenMate accepts major credit and debit cards, PayPal and UnionPay. In addition, you can also pay via an international bank transfer. Cryptocurrencies are not supported. Money-back guarantee is good for 30 days, and there is also a free trial option which lasts for 7 days.

Free trial and money-back guarantee

ZenMate has both the money-back guarantee and free trial. The former is good for 30 days and is of our favorite "no questions asked" kind with no hidden data caps or restrictions.

The free trial is good for 7 days, providing unlimited use of the service during the period. What's more, you won't be automatically billed after a week which is a nice touch of trust. Love it.

Summary

ZenMate offers a decent service but it is definitely not in the top bracket. We do like their honest approach that doesn't include promises VPN will work everywhere -- cause it won't, especially in certain high-censorship countries.

ZenMate is good, but not the best, for regular web surfing, torrenting and accessing streaming services like Netflix. The company offers apps for all popular platforms and has one of the best browser extensions we've seen.

Also included are a few extra features such as an ad blocker, SafeSearch that filters out fake news and Identity Shield which informs you whenever your email appears in a breached database.

ZenMate offers a 7-day free trial of its service and 30-day money-back guarantee.