VPNArea 2024 Review: 3 Cons and 6 Pros

by Vít Nováček

✅ Fact-checked by Petr Novák ​

updated January 1, 2024 (Report a bug)

1. VPNArea Guarantees a Very High Level of Privacy

   • Operates only 186 servers
   • Some of the servers offered were not working
   • Lack of service audit from an independent company

   • Uses servers with RAM memory
   • Some servers can disguise VPN connections as normal traffic
   • Dedicated IP address is available for an additional charge
   • Offers advanced features including Double VPN
   • Unblocked streaming platforms in test
   • Live chat is available 24/7

   VPNArea is a service originally developed in Bulgaria and currently operated by Offshore Security LTD, a company registered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The servers and other infrastructure needed to run the VPN are hosted in Switzerland.

   In our in-depth test, VPNArea received an overall score of 7.8/10 based on the measurements and features reviewed, ranking it 19. among 90 reviewed VPNs.

   It lost points in the VPNArea rating due to the low number of mere 186 servers. When using the service, we encountered significantly fluctuating speeds, which may have been caused by server overload.

   The desktop application VPNArea is neglected in some respects. We noticed a few typos in the translation and were unable to connect to some servers. According to the list of servers, they are available, but according to technical support they do not exist.

   Compared to the high-end services NordVPN or Surfshark, VPNArea has not undergone an independent audit that could confirm its security and how it handles user data.

   Advantages include a good ability to unblock geoblock-protected video, we have successfully made libraries available on all major platforms. The VPNArea supports superior multi-hop functionality, automatic IP address rotation, and offers the option to get a dedicated IP address for an additional fee.

   With a single subscription, VPNArea can be used on up to 8 devices simultaneously, which is good enough for most users. The VPNArea can be used directly on the router, effectively protecting all devices connected to the same network.

   

2. VPNArea Subscription: Discount Code, Free Trial, Money Back Guarantee…

   • Your Price: $9.90​68% off  $3.21 /mo (8 devices)
   • Money Back Guarantee: Yes (30 days)
   • Free Trial: No
   • Cryptocurrency payments:
     Yes

     Bitcoin :Yes
     Dash :Yes
     Ethereum :Yes
     Ripple :Yes

   

   7.8

   ★★★☆

   The service uses more secure servers with RAM memory; some of them can disguise the VPN as regular traffic. The downside is a low number of servers, some of which were not working.

   $3.21 /mo  ​30-day money back guarantee

   Get this VPN 68% cheaper

   Subscriptions VPNArea are available in monthly billing options, or one and two year options with full payment upfront. The two-year subscription is the most advantageous, with only $3.21 paid per month. Discounts and limited-time promotions are sometimes available on the VPNArea website.

   You can use a debit or credit card, PayPal, or the cryptocurrencies Bitcoin, Ethereum, Dash, or Ripple to pay for your subscription. For an additional fee, VPNArea offers the option to get a dedicated IP address in the location of your choice.

   A money-back guarantee is available on all subscription options for 30 days from order. Refunds can be requested without giving any reason through customer support.

   Trial version VPNArea is not offered.

3. VPNArea and Supported Devices: Android, iOS, macOS…

   • Device limit: 8

   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:
     Yes

     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:
     Yes

     Kodi is supported by 21 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Linux:
     Yes

     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:
     Yes

     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, VPNArea can be used on a maximum of 8 devices simultaneously.

   The VPNArea app is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux computers and for Android and iOS mobile devices. Installation instructions are available at VPNArea.

   On Kodi and Fire TV media centers, VPNArea can only be used after OpenVPN has been previously set up on these devices.

   The advantage of VPNArea is that it supports router traffic, so that all devices connected to the network can be effectively protected. It does not matter if VPNArea directly supports them. Devices with pre-installed protection are not available for sale, setting up a VPN on a router needs to be done manually according to the instructions.

   The VPNArea lacks direct support for operation on Android TV, Apple TV, Playstation and Xbox game consoles, or alternative devices such as Chromebook, nVidia Shield, or Raspberry Pi.

   Browser extensions VPNArea do not exist.

4. VPNArea App: User-friendliness, whitelist, server selection…

   • App Languages: 🇺🇸 English
   • Whitelisting:
     No

     Whitelisting is supported by 52 % of reviewed VPNs

   The VPNArea app differs across operating systems and device types, especially in its feature set. The design of the environment itself is clear. When we first started it, we had problems logging in when no appropriate window appeared. This is somewhat confusingly located in the Settings tab.

   The app interface is only available in English and in a single light theme with blue elements, switching to a dark alternative is not available. The VPNArea does not support whitelist, where you could select programs and sites to connect directly to the Internet even when VPN protection is enabled.

   The list of servers is sorted alphabetically by country and city. In a separate tab, servers optimised for P2P and torrenting, for streaming video or with available stealth functionality are filtered. In a separate list, the user can save their favourite servers.

   The VPNArea supports automatic activation of VPN protection when the computer is turned on. The application can also adjust the settings for kill switch, DNS leak protection, ad and malware blocking, or automatic updates. Manual switching between protocols is also available.

5. VPNArea 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.

   Subscribers to VPNArea can transfer any amount of data, this is standard among paid services.

   One drawback is the inability of VPNArea to select the fastest, and therefore most convenient, server at any given time. This must always be selected manually from a list. A small help can be the “Recommended” tab, where recommended servers are displayed. The ranking of servers by distance from the physical location or by the current response value can also be a guide.

   During testing, we repeatedly found that some servers offered by the application were no longer actually available.

   After connecting to the geographically closest location, we achieved an average download value 97 Mb/s. This speed is sufficient, for example, for playing 4k resolution videos, for which 50 Mbps is usually quoted as a lower limit. However, the connection speed varied significantly for some servers.

   Upload reached an average of 68 Mb/s in repeated tests. In the context of the other VPNs reviewed, this is average, for example with FastestVPN we achieved speeds of 254 Mb/s.

   The average response time we achieved 40 ms is sufficient for video calling, video streaming and online gaming. However, the best VPNs performed significantly better in the test, For example, AdGuard VPN we measured 7 ms, and NordVPN had an average response of 11 ms.

6. VPNArea Server Locations

   • Number of servers:
     186

     The average number of servers for the reviewed VPNs is 1699.
   • Number of countries:
     53

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

   Europe	🇧🇪 Belgium 🇧🇬 Bulgaria 🇨🇿 Czech Republic 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇪🇪 Estonia 🇫🇮 Finland 🇫🇷 France 🇮🇪 Ireland 🇮🇸 Iceland 🇮🇹 Italy 🇨🇾 Cyprus 🇱🇹 Lithuania 🇱🇻 Latvia 🇱🇺 Luxembourg 🇭🇺 Hungary 🇲🇩 Moldova 🇩🇪 Germany 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🇳🇴 Norway 🇮🇲 Isle of Man 🇵🇱 Poland 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇦🇹 Austria 🇷🇴 Romania 🇬🇷 Greece 🇸🇰 Slovakia 🇸🇮 Slovenia 🇬🇧 United Kingdom 🇷🇸 Serbia 🇪🇸 Spain 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇨🇭 Switzerland 🇺🇦 Ukraine
   North America	🇨🇦 Canada 🇲🇽 Mexico 🇺🇸 USA
   South America	🇦🇷 Argentina 🇧🇷 Brazil 🇨🇱 Chile 🇨🇴 Colombia
   Asia	🇵🇭 Philippines 🇭🇰 Hong Kong 🇮🇳 India 🇮🇩 Indonesia 🇯🇵 Japan 🇰🇷 South Korea 🇲🇾 Malaysia 🇷🇺 Russia 🇸🇬 Singapore 🇹🇼 Taiwan
   Africa	🇿🇦 South Africa
   Oceania	🇦🇺 Australia 🇳🇿 New Zealand

   VPNArea offers 186 servers in 53 different countries.

   The number of servers is not the only telling parameter of their quality; their configuration or current load also plays a significant role. Still, compared to the best services on the market, VPNArea offers few of them. The Surfshark lists 3,200 and CyberGhost VPN lists 9,264 available servers.

   Most servers VPNArea are allocated in Europe, however at least one is located on each continent. In addition to the traditional locations, Bulgaria, Iceland, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Isle of Man, Slovenia, Argentina, Chile, Colombia and the Philippines are represented by VPNArea. Some VPNArea servers are also located in the USA, Canada, the UK, Australia and New Zealand. Of the countries with state censorship, Russia and Singapore are on the list.

   While testing the service, we have had several instances where the server shown on the list was no longer available. We subsequently checked with customer support VPNArea to verify that the server had already been physically removed.

   The VPNArea does not support automatic connection to the fastest available server. You must always connect manually. However, there are several filters available in the app to help sort the servers. Recommendations include servers optimized for torrenting, for the Tor network, or servers with stealth technology to provide VPN masking protection.

   Double VPN servers are also listed, where the app connects through two different sites simultaneously. This achieves higher security and a better level of privacy.

7. VPNArea Security Features: DNS Leak Protection, Kill Switch…

   • DNS leak protection :
     Yes

     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:
     Yes

     Multi-Hop connection is offered by 20 % of the VPNs reviewed.
   • Tor:
     Yes

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

   VPNArea offers several features to ensure user security. The most basic one is DNS leak protection and IPv6 leak protection, which can be activated in the settings. Advanced WebRTC protection is not available. When testing foreign servers, we were actually connected several times in a different location than the one we chose. However, our actual IP address and location were kept secret.

   An important security feature is the kill switch, which completely disconnects the device from the Internet if the connection to the VPN server is lost. With this procedure, the user’s actual location and IP address remain secret. However, VPNArea cannot restore the connection to the server.

   In the application settings, you can select a protocol from the OpenVPN UDP, OpenVPN TCP and IKEv2 menu. All of the available protocols are standard in the VPN industry, with OpenVPN being considered more modern. The transmitted data is protected by 256-bit AES encryption, which is considered very secure.

   A higher level of privacy and security can be achieved by choosing a Double VPN (multi-hop) server, where VPNArea connects through two different sites simultaneously. Should the protection of the first server be overcome, the user is still protected by the second server. The trade-off for better security is lower speed. The VPNArea offers only a single Germany-Dutch server pair.

   The VPNArea can be used to provide protection when moving around the Tor network. The respective servers can be identified by the “Tor” label in their name.

   Monitoring for personal data leaks on the dark web is not offered by VPNArea. The same goes for user account security with multi-factor authentication.

8. VPNArea & Streaming: Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime…

   • Amazon Prime:
     Yes

     Amazon Prime streaming is supported by 52 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Disney+:
     Yes

     Disney+ streaming is supported by 53 % of reviewed VPNs
   • HBO:
     Yes

     HBO streaming is supported by 57 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Hulu:
     Yes

     Hulu streaming is supported by 49 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Netflix:
     Yes

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

     YouTube streaming is supported by 97 % of reviewed VPNs

   VPNArea is useful for unblocking video from streaming platforms. It even operates dedicated servers in the US, Canada, UK and Italy for this purpose.

   We first tried to unblock foreign streaming platform libraries via regular servers, which failed. When we subsequently connected to a dedicated server, the video played without difficulty. With VPNArea, we were able to unblock video from YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus, HBO Max and Hulu.

   On average, the measured download 97 Mb/s would be sufficient to play 4k resolution video, for which at least 50 Mbps is listed as required. However, our tests revealed significant variation in speed across servers, which occasionally caused problems with loading the highest resolution video.

   For reliable ultra-high resolution playback without complications, we recommend preferring NordVPN or Surfshark. Both services have consistently high transfer speeds, perform well on all streaming platforms in the test, and add an excellent level of security on top.

9. Features of VPNArea: AdBlock, Static IP…

   • Blocks Ads:
     Yes

     Ad blocking is offered by 44 % of the VPNs reviewed.
   • Blocks Malware:
     Yes

     Malware blocking is offered by 33 % of the VPNs reviewed.
   • Blocks Trackers:
     No

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

   In terms of offering extra features, VPNArea is one of the better services.

   The VPNArea application supports ad blocking and malware. AdBlock had mixed results during testing, with some ads failing to be hidden. It cannot provide tracker blocking VPNArea.

   Among the servers available in VPNArea, some bear the Stealth label. Their advantage is the ability to mask the activated VPN protection from the ISP and other parties.

   An interesting feature that many VPN services don’t offer is site rotation. You can turn on either automatic IP address switching or VPN server switching in the settings. This feature makes it much more difficult to track users, which adds another layer of security.

   For an additional fee, a dedicated IP address can be purchased for VPNArea, which unlike the standard free option will not be shared with other users. The location of the dedicated IP address can be chosen from a number of options across the world, with the USA, UK, Hong Kong and Singapore available.

10. VPNArea‘s CPU usage and App Performance

    Although VPN apps don’t typically put unreasonable load on devices, we’ve seen mixed results with VPNArea. We monitored the laptop’s CPU usage, with VPNArea taking an average of 0.2%. The same was true for the battery.

    RAM consumption was significantly higher, with VPNArea taking up to 200 MB. This is a high value by the standards of VPN services, approaching that of, for example, internet browsers. However, modern computers can cope with the application, but use on older computers can bring stability problems.

    You can reduce the consumption of computer resources when protection is not activated by quitting the application completely via the icon in the system tray. To speed up the loading of the computer, we recommend disabling the automatic launch of the application when the device is turned on.

11. VPNArea Torrenting Servers

    • Torrenting servers:
      Yes

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

    VPNArea supports torrenting and P2P file sharing on all its servers. Some of them in the US, Australia, Germany and other countries are even specifically optimized for this type of traffic, and are labeled “P2P” in the app.

    The download 97 Mb/s and upload 68 Mb/s speeds are sufficient for torrenting, although we’ve seen significantly better values for the best VPNs available.

    For torrenting purposes, we recommend comparing VPNArea with Ivacy VPN and CyberGhost VPN.

12. What is the country of origin of VPNArea?

    • VPN Provider: Offshore Secure LTD
    • Country of origin: 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

    The operator structure of VPNArea is rather opaque. Offshore Secure LTD lists its headquarters as Dubai, United Arab Emirates, but in the past it was Varna, Bulgaria. This is also where VPNArea originated. The operator claims that its servers and other infrastructure are located in Switzerland.

    This distribution is favourable for users, as Switzerland has rather strict legislation to protect users.

    Bulgaria, the United Arab Emirates and Switzerland are not members of the 14 Eyes Countries grouping. The police and intelligence services of these countries can monitor internet traffic and obtain and share information about users. VPN operators are then obliged to hand over the data they hold.

13. VPNArea and Privacy: Logging Policy, Security Issues…

    • No-Logs Policy:
      Yes

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

    The operator claims that VPNArea does not generate any logs when using the service. Thus, no information is collected about the user’s actual IP address, pages visited, usage times or device identifiers.

    As we checked with customer support, VPNArea uses servers with RAM memory, which by their very nature cannot store data for long periods of time. Data is continuously replayed and deleted without recovery after a reboot or server shutdown. The servers and other infrastructure VPNArea is located in Switzerland.

    However, the operator of VPNArea is obliged to release all information it holds about a given user in the event of a legitimate request. According to the company, such a situation has not yet occurred.

    Only the data necessary for the maintenance of the user account VPNArea is collected, in the range of email address, username and password. According to the terms of use, the email address is not verified in any way, so a fictitious one can be used. The disadvantage in this case is the impossibility to recover a forgotten account password.

    European Union citizens can request the deletion of data held about them by the operator VPNArea under the GDPR.

    For tax purposes, the country of residence is required when ordering a subscription, but even this information is not verified in any way. To achieve the maximum level of anonymity, we recommend using cryptocurrencies to pay for your subscription.

    To date, there is not a single known case of user data being leaked or sold VPNArea. An independent audit from a reputable company would be even more trustworthy. We could not trace any Transparency Report VPNArea.

    The VPNArea is serious about privacy when it runs the so-called Bug Bounty Program. If users of the service discover a vulnerability in the app and report it to the creators, they can receive a financial reward. The VPN provider will then fix it, ensuring increased security for all users.

14. VPNArea Support: Chat, e-mail…

    Customer support is provided in round-the-clock chat mode at VPNArea. The support staff was able to answer all of our questions.

    You can also use the support@vpnarea.com email address to contact support, or you can create a ticket in your user account on the site VPNArea. Any problems can be reported directly from the application, where logs can be attached to the message, from which support can more easily detect the cause of the error.

    Answers to the most common questions are answered in the FAQ tab, VPNArea does not operate a user forum. Instructions for activating the service for the respective platforms are available as a link in the user profile.

15. VPNArea FAQ

    Is VPNArea free?

    The VPNArea is a paid service, the price of the most affordable subscription option is $3.21 per month. The trial version VPNArea is not available, nor can you download the free alternative with, for example, limited features.

    If you order VPNArea and it does not suit you, you can take advantage of a money-back guarantee of 30 days.

    Is VPNArea secure?

    The VPNArea is not audited by an independent company to confirm the security of the application and the privacy of user data. Nevertheless, it is a relatively secure service, thanks to zero log storage, servers with RAM memory, 256-bit encryption of transmitted data or kill switch function and DNS leak protection. In addition, the VPN provider pays a financial reward to users who detect a security threat in the app.

    An even higher level of privacy can be achieved by paying a subscription fee via cryptocurrency and connecting to Double VPN or Stealth servers.

    Is VPNArea suitable for watching Netflix?

    The VPNArea offers several servers specifically optimized for streaming video. Using them, we’ve been able to unblock foreign content from Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus, HBO Max, and Hulu.

    The downside of using VPNArea for streaming is the fluctuating bitrate on some servers, which makes it very difficult to play 4k resolution video. For seamless unblocking of ultra-high definition video, we recommend prioritizing the best VPN for Netflix.