Steganos Online Shield VPN 2024 Review: 6 Cons and 2 Pros

by Vít Nováček
updated January 1, 2024 (Report a bug)

1. Steganos Online Shield VPN: Is It Worth Subscribing To $4.16 Monthly?

   • The app lacks independent party verification
   • Unblocked streaming services
   • Only supports basic platforms
   • It does not offer DNS leak protection
   • Slow customer support
   • Servers are only in 24 countries

   • The app supports ad blocking and tracker blocking
   • Functional kill switch

   The German company Steganos Software GmbH, based in Berlin, is behind the development of Steganos Online Shield VPN. In a test of parameters and features, it received a 5.4/10 rating, which puts it at 84 in the 90 rankings of reviewed VPNs.

   It lost points in the Steganos Online Shield VPN rankings mainly due to its very low compatibility level, as it only supports basic Windows, macOS, Android and iOS operating systems. The app lacks DNS leak protection as well as other relatively basic features.

   With the number of 24 sites available, Steganos Online Shield VPN also ranks as below average. In addition, we were unable to unblock video from streaming platforms in our test, which is one of the most common reasons to get a VPN.

   The security of the service was not independently audited, and we weren’t impressed by the slow customer support either.

   The Steganos Online Shield VPN‘s support for blocking ads and malware in the app, as well as a tool for automatically deleting cookies and ensuring the operating system and browser in use are anonymised, can be seen as an advantage.

   All in all, Steganos Online Shield VPN can satisfy only the undemanding user, but the price of $4.16 is quite high. Significantly better rated VPNs can be subscribed to for a comparable or lower price. For example, you can subscribe to NordVPN (9.4/10) for as little as $4.07 per month, The price of Surfshark (9.2/10) starts at $2.14 per month.

2. Steganos Online Shield VPN Subscription: Discount Code, Free Trial, Money Back Guarantee…

   • Your Price: $8.86​53% off  $4.16 /mo (5 devices)
   • Money Back Guarantee: Yes (30 days)
   • Free Trial: Yes (7 days)
   • Cryptocurrency payments:
     No

     Bitcoin :No
     Dash :No
     Ethereum :No
     Ripple :No

   

   5.4

   ★★☆

   Below-average VPN can only be used on the most widespread platforms. It failed in speed and streaming platform unblocking tests. The number of locations is very low.

   $4.16 /mo Free 7-day trial ​30-day money back guarantee

   Get this VPN 53% cheaper

   Subscriptions Steganos Online Shield VPN are available in three options: pay-as-you-go monthly, or annual and bi-annual with payment for the entire period upfront. The least convenient is the monthly subscription for $8.86, which can be cancelled at any time.

   A longer term subscription is more advantageous, with prices starting at $4.16. In terms of the features and parameters offered, the different variants do not differ from each other.

   You can use a credit card or PayPal to pay for your subscription, cryptocurrencies are not supported. The order is covered by a money-back guarantee of 30 days.

   The trial version Steganos Online Shield VPN is available for free for 7 days, just download the app.

3. Steganos Online Shield VPN and Supported Devices: Android, iOS, macOS…

   • Device limit: 5

   Platforms supported

   • Android:
     Yes

     Android is supported by 98 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Android TV:
     No

     Android TV is supported by 36 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Apple TV:
     No

     Apple TV is supported by 18 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Fire TV:
     No

     Fire TV is supported by 43 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Chromebook:
     No

     Chromebook is supported by 20 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Chromecast:
     No

     Chromecast is supported by 16 % of reviewed VPNs
   • iOS:
     Yes

     iOS is supported by 99 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Kodi:
     No

     Kodi is supported by 21 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Linux:
     No

     Linux is supported by 61 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Mac:
     Yes

     Mac is supported by 98 % of reviewed VPNs
   • NAS:
     No

     NAS is supported by 24 % of reviewed VPNs
   • nVidia Shield:
     No

     nVidia Shield is supported by 14 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Playstation:
     No

     Playstation is supported by 20 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Raspberry Pi:
     No

     Raspberry Pi is supported by 17 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Roku:
     No

     Roku is supported by 16 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Router:
     No

     Router is supported by 53 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Windows:
     Yes

     Windows is supported by 100 % of reviewed VPNs
   • xBox:
     No

     xBox is supported by 20 % of reviewed VPNs

   Browser Extensions

   • Brave :
     No

     The Brave browser add-on is offered by 43 % of reviewed VPNs.
   • Chrome :
     No

     The Chrome browser add-on is offered by 43 % of reviewed VPNs.
   • Edge :
     No

     The Edge browser add-on is offered by 21 % of reviewed VPNs.
   • Firefox :
     No

     The Firefox browser add-on is offered by 34 % of reviewed VPNs.
   • Opera :
     No

     The Opera browser add-on is offered by 43 % of reviewed VPNs.
   • Safari :
     No

     The Safari browser add-on is offered by 0 % of reviewed VPNs.
   • Vivaldi :
     No

     The Vivaldi browser add-on is offered by 43 % of reviewed VPNs.

   With a single subscription, Steganos Online Shield VPN can be used on a maximum of 5 devices simultaneously. Compared to other VPNs, this is below average; for example, Surfshark can be enabled on 999 devices.

   The Steganos Online Shield VPN app is only available for Windows and macOS computers and for Android and iOS mobile devices. The level of compatibility is thus very low.

   The Steganos Online Shield VPN cannot be used on TVs, game consoles or alternative systems like Chromebooks. It also lacks support for router-based operation, where you could simply protect all devices connected to the same network.

   There is no browser extension available at all.

   Support for all device types is provided by, for example, NordVPN or Proton VPN Plus.

4. Steganos Online Shield VPN App: User-friendliness, whitelist, server selection…

   • App Languages: 🇺🇸 English +8 more🇪🇸 Spanish 🇫🇷 French 🇵🇹 Portuguese 🇮🇹 Italian 🇷🇺 Russian 🇵🇱 Polish 🇳🇱 Dutch 🇸🇪 Swedish
   • Whitelisting:
     No

     Whitelisting is supported by 52 % of reviewed VPNs

   Login to the app Steganos Online Shield VPN is possible via email and password, the UI on mobile and desktop is similar. The mobile version only offers a VPN connection, other features such as kill switch or ad blocking are not supported.

   The app environment is only available in a light version, switching to the dark alternative is not possible. The graphical design looks somewhat outdated and deserves a redesign. The home screen shows an overview of the enabled features and the connection status to the VPN servers.

   The app is available in 9 different languages, including English. The mobile version of the app is in English only.

   After selecting a location, the app starts connecting immediately, on average it took a few seconds. Thanks to the power button, it is easy to connect to the last selected server. During testing, the app worked without any problems or stuttering.

   In the settings, you can optionally activate the automatic launch of the application when you turn on your computer and also automatically connect to the VPN. The Steganos Online Shield VPN has implemented an important kill switch feature that disconnects the internet in case of a VPN connection failure. Thanks to this procedure, the real IP address of the user will not be revealed.

   Among the missing features is whitelist, which allows you to select applications that will connect directly to the Internet even when the VPN is enabled. All others will continue to access through the VPN server.

5. Steganos Online Shield VPN Connection Speed: Upload, Download & Latency

   • Traffic limit: Unlimited

   Download speed

   Higher is better. The average download of all tested VPNs is 115 Mb/s.

   Upload speed

   Higher is better. The average upload of all tested VPNs is 81 Mb/s.

   Server latency

   A lower value is better. The average response rate of all tested VPNs is 48 ms.

   Steganos Online Shield VPN does not limit the user in the amount of data transferred, which is standard among paid VPNs.

   We tested the transfer speed repeatedly, the results shown are the average of the individual measurements. Establishing a connection to the server took a few seconds, and was less smooth and slower in the context of the other VPNs reviewed.

   Average download Steganos Online Shield VPN reached 35 Mb/s, which would be insufficient for streaming 4k video, for example. For this, a download speed of at least 50 Mbps is stated as necessary. For example FastestVPN we measured the average download 352 Mb/s.

   The upload speed only reached 9 Mb/s, a value again insufficient for torrenting or backing up bulky files, for example. The aforementioned FastestVPN uploaded data at an average speed of 254 Mb/s.

   Responsiveness is especially important for smooth gaming or video calls without annoying stuttering. [We measured a response speed Steganos Online Shield VPN that may already be causing problems. The best VPNs have significantly lower response rates, for example AdGuard VPN had only 7 ms on average. For response speed, lower is better.

6. Steganos Online Shield VPN Server Locations

   • Number of servers:
     135

     The average number of servers for the reviewed VPNs is 1699.
   • Number of countries:
     24

     The average number of countries available for the reviewed VPNs is 41.

   Europe	🇩🇰 Denmark 🇫🇮 Finland 🇫🇷 France 🇮🇹 Italy 🇩🇪 Germany 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇱 Poland 🇦🇹 Austria 🇷🇴 Romania 🇬🇧 United Kingdom 🇪🇸 Spain 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇨🇭 Switzerland 🇹🇷 Turkey
   North America	🇨🇦 Canada 🇺🇸 USA
   South America	🇦🇷 Argentina 🇧🇷 Brazil
   Asia	🇮🇳 India 🇯🇵 Japan 🇷🇺 Russia 🇸🇬 Singapore
   Africa
   Oceania	🇦🇺 Australia

   Nowhere does Steganos Online Shield VPN list the number of servers. When asked, customer support replied that this is non-public information that they cannot provide. Therefore, the number of 135 servers is only an estimate.

   The list of individual locations is public, the servers are located in 24 countries around the world. Compared to other services, the offering is quite limited, ExpressVPN gives users a choice of 94 sites, Surfshark has 97 to offer.

   Most servers have Steganos Online Shield VPN involved in Europe, with others located in North and South America, Asia and Australia. The US, Canada, or the UK are not missing from the available countries. Of the countries with government censorship, servers are available in Russia, India, Turkey, and Singapore.

   Automatic connection to the fastest server at any given time is not available. The server location can only be selected from a list. It is not possible to save favourite servers as favourites, so you have to search for them again each time. The Steganos Online Shield VPN does not indicate whether all servers are physically located in a particular country, or whether some are only virtual.

   The Steganos Online Shield VPN does not operate any servers specifically optimized for, for example, torrenting or streaming. All available servers fully support all features offered in the app.

7. Steganos Online Shield VPN Security Features: DNS Leak Protection, Kill Switch…

   • DNS leak protection :
     No

     DNS leak protection is offered by 92% of the reviewed VPNs.
   • Kill Switch:
     Yes

     Kill Switch is supported by 87% of the reviewed VPNs.
   • Multi-Hop:
     No

     Multi-Hop connection is offered by 20 % of the VPNs reviewed.
   • Tor:
     No

     Tor support is offered by 19 % of the reviewed VPNs.

   Steganos Online Shield VPN does not have built-in DNS leak protection, which we consider a rather significant security flaw. The feature is available on most private networks, including free ones.

   The Kill switch is only available in the desktop app, and is absent in the mobile app. Its purpose is to disconnect the device from the internet if the connection to the VPN server is lost. This prevents the possible discovery of the user’s real IP address and location or the possible compromise of transmitted data.

   Only two protocols are supported: OpenVPN and IKEv2. Moreover, the user cannot choose between them at will; the application itself makes the choice.

   • OpenVPN is a popular open-source VPN protocol that allows you to create a secure and encrypted connection over public or unsecured networks.
   • IKEv2 is an open-source protocol designed for secure key exchange and creating secure connections within a VPN. Its advantage is the ability to quickly re-establish a connection after signal loss. It is often used on mobile devices.

   The transmitted data is protected by 256-bit AES encryption, which is considered secure when used, for example, in banking or military systems.

   The application Steganos Online Shield VPN lacks support for multi-hop connections (also known as Double VPN), where all transmitted data is routed through two different servers simultaneously. This approach achieves higher security.

   Unsupported features also include connecting servers via Tor, which generally increases the level of security. Tor supports a relatively small percentage of VPNs that emphasize maximum security.

   Two-factor user account authentication Steganos Online Shield VPN is not supported.

8. Steganos Online Shield VPN & Streaming: Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime…

   • Amazon Prime:
     No

     Amazon Prime streaming is supported by 52 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Disney+:
     No

     Disney+ streaming is supported by 53 % of reviewed VPNs
   • HBO:
     No

     HBO streaming is supported by 57 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Hulu:
     No

     Hulu streaming is supported by 49 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Netflix:
     No

     Netflix streaming is supported by 67 % of reviewed VPNs
   • YouTube:
     Yes

     YouTube streaming is supported by 97 % of reviewed VPNs

   Steganos Online Shield VPN is not suitable for unblocking streaming video.

   In our test, it only managed to unblock a stream from the YouTube platform. We were unable to access foreign libraries on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus, HBO Max, and Hulu. The Steganos Online Shield VPN doesn’t run any specially optimized servers for these purposes; users have to make do with those in the standard menu.

   In addition, the average download speed 35 Mb/s prevents smooth playback of 4k content. For it, a speed of at least 50 Mbps is stated as necessary.

   To unblock and monitor content, we recommend using NordVPN or Surfshark. Both services have successfully unblocked all streaming platforms. At the same time, they provide a stable and fast connection that enables smooth viewing of ultra-high definition content.

9. Features of Steganos Online Shield VPN: AdBlock, Static IP…

   • Blocks Ads:
     Yes

     Ad blocking is offered by 44 % of the VPNs reviewed.
   • Blocks Malware:
     No

     Malware blocking is offered by 33 % of the VPNs reviewed.
   • Blocks Trackers:
     Yes

     Trackers blocking is offered by 38 % of the VPNs reviewed.

   Of the extra features, Steganos Online Shield VPN supports ad blocking and tracker blocking, but cannot protect users from malware.

   An interesting feature of the application is the ability to hide the browser and operating system type from detection tools. When this feature is enabled, Steganos Online Shield VPN uses a local proxy server to plant false data.

   The Steganos Online Shield VPN also supports automatic deletion of cookies when the browser is closed, a feature available for Chrome, Edge and Firefox.

   Missing features include a camouflage mode that can disguise VPN connections as normal ones. In such cases, it is difficult for ISPs or streaming platforms to detect an activated VPN.

   Static IP addresses are also not available for Steganos Online Shield VPN at an additional cost. The servers only have a dynamic IP address, which changes with each new connection.

   No other extra or premium features are available.

10. Steganos Online Shield VPN‘s CPU usage and App Performance

    Like most VPN applications, Steganos Online Shield VPN does not place a significant load on the device. Thus, the user is not restricted in their activities.

    When the application is closed, its process moves to the background, reducing the performance demand as only RAM is used. The application can be closed completely via the icon in the system tray. The mobile version of the app also runs in the background after closing.

11. Steganos Online Shield VPN Torrenting Servers

    • Torrenting servers:
      Yes

      Torrenting support is offered by 89 % of the reviewed VPNs.

    Steganos Online Shield VPN supports torrenting and P2P sharing on all its servers, but we do not recommend the service for this purpose.

    The application lacks basic DNS leak protection, and the average connection speeds achieved in the test were very low. Download only reached 35 Mb/s and upload 9 Mb/s, which is significantly less than what other services offer. The Steganos Online Shield VPN does not run any server specifically optimized for P2P traffic. Static IP addresses are not available even for an additional fee.

    For torrenting purposes, we recommend preferring CyberGhost VPN or NordVPN. Both services offer high transfer speeds and a significantly better level of security.

12. What is the country of origin of Steganos Online Shield VPN?

    • VPN Provider: Steganos Software GmbH
    • Country of origin: 🇩🇪 Germany

    Steganos Online Shield VPN is operated by Steganos Software GmbH, a German company located in Berlin at Storkower Straße 158. Founded in 1996, Steganos has been in the Internet security business since the beginning. In addition to VPNs, it develops password managers or data encryption software.

    Germany is a member of the 14 Eyes alliance of countries that monitor user activity on the Internet. In the event of a suspected security threat, they can request the release of data on specific users and share the information among themselves.

13. Steganos Online Shield VPN and Privacy: Logging Policy, Security Issues…

    • No-Logs Policy:
      Yes

      The No-Logs Policy is followed by 78% of reviewed VPNs.

    The provider of Steganos Online Shield VPN states that it does not store the user’s IP address, the IP address assigned during the connection, or the websites visited when using the service. Neither are device identifiers or connection timestamps to be collected.

    The information collected includes only that which is necessary to maintain the user’s account, such as the email address, password, and payment method chosen. Personal information is not sold or shared without the user’s consent. In case of receiving a legitimate challenge, the operator Steganos Online Shield VPN must hand them over to the police, court or other authorities.

    To date, there are no known cases where Steganos Online Shield VPN has released or leaked user data. The service would benefit from an independent audit by a reputable company in the industry.

    The Steganos Online Shield VPN also lacks a multi-hop feature that supports connections through several different VPN servers simultaneously. Information on the use of RAM-only servers is not available. When asked directly, customer support replied that this is not public information. RAM-only servers are considered more secure as they do not allow long-term data storage.

14. Steganos Online Shield VPN Support: Chat, e-mail…

    Customer support is provided via a form on the Steganos Online Shield VPN website. Immediately after submitting, communication will be forwarded to the email address provided. It took 3-4 days to receive a response to the questions we sent, and support refused to provide most of the requested information.

    Live chat with support or phone hotline is not available.

    There is still a section on the service’s website containing FAQs and information about VPNs. Outside of that, you’ll find a guide to downloading and configuring a VPN.

15. Steganos Online Shield VPN FAQ

    Is Steganos Online Shield VPN secure?

    The Steganos Online Shield VPN application lacks basic DNS leak protection and the service has not been independently audited. Although the transmitted data is protected by secure 256-bit AES encryption and no data leaks have been detected so far, the security level of the service falls short of the best VPNs on the market.

    In which countries is Steganos Online Shield VPN available?

    The Steganos Online Shield VPN is available worldwide, operated by a German company. Servers are located in the USA, Germany, France, Japan and Sweden, among others.

    Is Steganos Online Shield VPN free?

    The Steganos Online Shield VPN is a paid service, the most affordable subscription option starts at $4.16 per month. All orders are covered by a money-back guarantee of 30 days.