Is frootvpn.com Safe?

For a year now, I’ve been using FrootVPN to help me be protected online. I used it for free when they first launched their service, but now that they’re charging at most of $4 a month, it’s a very good bargain for me since the service still suits my needs and helps me roam around the web more freely.

The VPN servers are hosted by Portlane Networks AB, which is engaged in the distribution of spam. The DNS address of the VPN servers is rdns.gigabell.es, which is a spamtrap that also happens to be hosted by Portlane Networks AB. If you're a G-mail user, this shouldn't be a problem. If you're a Yahoo user and you can't stand spam, FrootVPN might not be for you. In terms of connection speeds and encryption, The VPN servers, at least for free users, have horrible pings and download speeds. The free servers are located in Stockholm, Sweden. Make sure you only connect to the OpenVPN server, not the PPTP or L2TP servers because the OpenVPN server uses the highest level of encryption, 2048 RSA 256-bit AES. In terms of connection stability, the servers (at least the free ones) take quite a few tries or a while to connect to. If you're a computer user, once you actually manage to connect to the server, it usually remains stably connected, although the download speeds and pings are horrible. Download speeds sometimes fall as low as <1 mbps and the pings are usually in the ***** range. If you're an iPhone (or any other iOS mobile device) user, the free OpenVPN servers are not as stable as the servers that computer users are connected to. The mobile servers may periodically and spontaneously have extremely long periods of down time, sometimes lasting for more than a couple of days. The servers usually also stop connecting if your screen turns off, leading to potentially huge amounts of data leakage. This may be particularly annoying if you are downloading, streaming, or loading something during disconnection. For both computer and iPhone (or any other iOS mobile device) users, the download speeds are sometimes so low and unstable that large files often just stop downloading, leaving you with a broken, incomplete file and a huge loss of time that you will never be able to earn back. In terms of network security, I ran a leak test on ***** and my DNS addresses were still leaked. I had to purchase VPNCheck Pro to repair the leak. So far, there is no safe, convenient, and reliable solution to DNS leaks that is freely available on the internet. Dnsleaktest.com's free DNS leak repair application no longer works the way it should. In fact, dnsleaktest.com's free online leak testing is no longer adequate because it missed more than a couple of AT&T DNS leaks in my FrootVPN connection that ***** detected. Overall, if you have a reliable way to fix DNS leaks, a G-mail account or a high tolerance of spam, and you don't mind mediocre download speeds and pings, FrootVPN is an excellent choice for a free VPN. It was founded by some guys the Pirate Bay founders know and it was advertised on the Pirate Bay website a while back. *Don't forget to run OpenVPN as an administrator otherwise the client won't be able to open the FrootVPN log file and connect to the server. Don't make the low connection success rate a flat out 0%! **Don't wait longer than 30 seconds to connect to the VPN. If 30 seconds pass and you're still not connected, try reconnecting. Repeat this cycle until you're finally connected. Like I said before, connecting to the VPN in the first place may take a while (at least for free users). ***If you're an iPhone (or any other iOS mobile device) user, don't forget to enable seamless tunnel (iOS 8+) in the OpenVPN section of your device's settings. Also, the mobile iOS servers (at least the free ones) sometimes may start hanging up on connections or just stop loading pages even though the OpenVPN app shows that that you're still connected to the VPN. If that's the case, just reconnect. If that doesn't work, restart your device, then reconnect. If that still doesn't work, then the server is down and you'll just have to wait. ***** Update: Sometimes when I try to visit certain websites, I am restricted access due to my FrootVPN IP being blacklisted for spam or other illicit activities. My FrootVPN IP is also logged by the sites' administrators. FrootVPN has also been extremely inconsistent lately for free users. Some servers run incredibly fast whereas some run at speeds of less than 2 mb/s and there is no way for free users to choose a specific server. I'm afraid I'll have to let go of FrootVPN. The cons simply outweigh the pros by far too much. ***** Update: FrootVPN is no longer a free service.