ZenMate Review - Not Your Average VPN Service
Written by
Nick GalovUpdated · Apr 08, 2022
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- No-log policy
- Affordable prices
- Great customer support
- State-of-the-art encryption
- Low speed
- No split tunneling
Everyone’s on the internet nowadays - even our grandparents.
With 4.6 billion internet users and constantly developing internet technologies, it’s getting harder to enjoy safe browsing. There’s no such thing as too much online privacy protection because we leave our online footprint everywhere we go.
ZenGuard GmbH, with its ZenMate VPN service, is there to offer digital safety to all internet users.
Today, we are going to do a full ZenMate review and explore the question - is ZenMate a good VPN?
What Is ZenMate?
Once we read the founder’s story on the company’s website, we knew that ZenMate is not just another VPN service.
By sharing the origin story, the founders, Markus Hanel and Simon Speck gave a more personalized approach to their company.
As a service, ZenMate VPN was developed by ZenGuard GmbH, a software company based in Berlin, Germany. The founders Markus Hanel and Simon Specka wanted to provide internet users with the encrypted connection everyone deserves.
Nowadays, there are more than 40 million satisfied users. This virtual private network spans over 77 countries and runs on +2,600 secure ZenMate VPN servers!
ZenMate Features
We had to check for ourselves whether ZenMate is really that good.
That’s why an essential part of the research for our ZenMate VPN review included probing and analyzing its features.
Here’s what we found out.
Cross-Platform VPN
ZenMate works on all popular platforms.
You can choose between using the ZenMate for Windows, Mac, Linux, Chrome, or Mozilla Firefox. You can install the dedicated clients or procure the respective ZenMate extension for your browser of choice.
If you prefer to use it on the go, there’s a solution for that too. The user-friendly, ZenMate applications for Android and iOS make. ZenMate on mobile is as easy to use as it gets.
Whitelist
ZenMate Whitelist allows you to approve certain websites you trust.
Upon accessing them, the VPN connection will terminate automatically.
Smart Location
With Smart Location, ZenMate users can access specified websites from a location they’ve chosen in advance.
Autopilot
The automatic options are one of the basic requirements for any VPN service and ZenMate doesn’t disappoint.
The clean design of the ZenMate VPN client for PC and Mac gives you an option for an automatic start of the VPN service on the system startup.
Additionally, you can automatically set up the location of your choice.
ZenMate Security
We took our time to review all ZenMate security features and its logging policy.
Logging Policy
Monitoring user activity is a big concern with many VPN services. That’s why, before installing the ZenMate Chrome extension, we read its privacy policy.
It is extensive!
Germany is a member of the 14 Eyes alliance, and the government can monitor its citizens. There’s a possibility that no amount of cybersecurity measures could cover that up.
It addresses everything you could possibly think of, including the strict no-log policy. The 4,000 words long privacy policy says that ZenMate doesn’t store any personal data. It explicitly states that selling your data to a third party can never happen with ZenMate.
Security Protocols
When it comes to security, the service is top-notch. Our review of ZenMate VPN security practices showed that the company uses AES-128 encryption for its browser extensions and AES-256 for the downloadable clients.
As a security protocol, the premium memberships offer OpenVPN protection, 1Kev2, and L2TP protocols.
Killswitch
ZenMate has an automatic killswitch option, in case of a failed VPN connection.
Should the secure connection be broken, the killswitch will block all traffic, maintaining your anonymity and security.
ZenMate Speed
Arguably the most interesting part of our ZenMate review is the speed testing.
We measured its speed first with the Chrome extension, and the results weren’t that great.
The drop in speed, even from nearby locations, was over 50%.
The desktop client performed much better. The speed went down by 25% on average using servers from the same continent (Europe) and about 40% when swapping to US locations. Still, if you'd like even better results, we suggest checking out one of the top-performing solutions like Hola VPN.
The 3,800 ZenMate VPN servers are spread in more than 70 countries around the world.
Such opulence is not to be overlooked.
But how does that affect the streaming?
Streaming
For this part of our review, ZenMate needed a lot of testing - the service can stream anything.
The results were spectacular. We tried to access the most popular sites like Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Disney, etc.
Not a problem.
Unlike other VPN services, ZenMate uses a quality geolocation-blocker that enables ZenMate users to enjoy Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, and many other popular entertaining websites from any point of the globe.
It streams in SD, HD, live HD and even 4K UHD.
Impressive!
Ease of Use
The ZenMate apps for Windows and Mac are well-designed.
The intuitive navigation would allow even the biggest VPN newbie to manage the service with ease.
The ZenMate apps for Android and iOS are also smooth and easy to use.
ZenMate Plans & Pricing
Time to get real and review the ZenMate VPN fees.
First things first:
Works only on browser extensions. It covers 77+ locations and it’s available for Chrome, Mozilla, and Edge.
The most popular plan grants access from 77+ locations and works on multiple platforms. You get the OpenVPN protocol, as well as P2P and torrent support.
ZenMate VPN also offers a 7-day free trial for browser extensions, which is awesome! You can test the VPN and its encrypted connection, check the streaming service and how it bypasses geolocation blocks
Compared to the industry average, ZenMate cost is a great value for money.
Support
The ZenMate support is one of the highlights of our ZenMate review. We were positively surprised.
The knowledge base covers everything from A to Z, but in case you have a specific problem, there’s the mail support.
We tested that support channel extensively.
The agents answered within half an hour, very kind and understandable, and also resourceful.
All our queries were addressed swiftly and politely.
ZenMate User Reviews
The service enjoys overwhelmingly positive feedback on user review sites.
Most reviews praise ZenMate efficiency and security, as well as the complete anonymity it grants.
Ratings of 4.7/5 on TrustPilot and 4.3/5 on G2 are no mean feats.
The ZenMate reviews on Reddit are not that numerous - most threads are about recent promotions and discount codes.
When to Use ZenMate
The service offers top-notch security.
Anyone looking for an affordable service, 77+ countries, and 3,800 servers to choose from to enjoy spotless access to Netflix, and other streaming services will be extremely happy with ZenMate!
A big bonus is also the option of testing before buying - ZenMate VPN free 7-day trial!
All the same, it might not be the perfect fit for everyone so here are some popular alternatives.
ZenMate Alternatives
The last part of our ZenMate review will cover some of the competitors and how ZenMate fits with them all.
ZenMate vs NordVPN
ZenMate and NordVPN have quite similar characteristics and performance.
Both grant excellent security with the unbreachable AES-256 encryption, the OpenVPN protocol, and no-log policy.
Also, they both have satisfying customer support and streaming services.
NordVPN edges it slightly in terms of speed, but ZenMate is much more affordable.
ZenMate vs ExpressVPN
Is ZenMate as good as ExpressVPN? Once again, it is a tough call.
Both services offer similar benefits - exceptional security, no geolocation restrictions, a strict no-logging policy, and user-friendly apps.
Express VPN is a bit more expensive than ZenMate, but even so, it’s considered one of the top 10 VPN services in the world.
ZenMate vs Hotspot Shield
These two have comparable features, offer similar benefits, and even their pricing plans have a lot in common!
Both ZenMate and Hotspot Shield offer sufficient protection.
Both give a 7-day free trial for users to test their service, and both are big on using geolocation blocker to unlock popular sites.
One thing that’s better in HotSpot Shield is the speed, which enables it to provide you with better streaming quality.
On the other hand, ZenMate users enjoy a better interface, regardless of the device they choose.
Final Verdict
So, is ZenMate good?
Yes, it is!
It offers a stable encrypted connection and for the money, you pay you’re getting a quality service to stream and download content with!
It’s definitely worth the try, as it has a 7-day free trial period and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
It’s pretty simple – visit the website, and if you don’t want to pay for a plan, download its free browser extension and test it. If you decide to go with ZenMate as your VPN service, choose a plan, and download the app.
Yes, ZenMate uses a geolocation blocker to unlock Netflix for you.
Yes, as it uses military-style encryption for both the browser and the app version.
Check out our ZenMate review above to find out more about its security and logging policies.
Unaware that life beyond the internet exists, Nick is poking servers and control panels, playing with WordPress add-ons, and helping people get the hosting that suits them.
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