The rapid advancement of technology that we have experienced in the past few decades has had a major impact on how we work, communicate, spend our spare time, and more. The world has shifted towards the digital — towards the internet. You will rarely find someone who does not have an account on social networks, or a Netflix subscription, or some other online presence.
That shift has brought massive improvements in the way we lead our lives. Business is blooming, getting in touch with anyone anywhere in the world only takes a few seconds, and we have all the online content we could ever desire, and then some. However, for all the benefits, there are also many dangers, and we don’t mean eyesight damage from constantly staring at the screen.
No, online threats like hackers and malware continue to infest the web. Governments are developing more and more advanced surveillance techniques, and even our own internet providers are recording our every move. Not to mention restrictions and censorship that are getting stronger in countries around the world. Yes, there are definitely issues to accompany all the benefits. However, while it is extremely rare, nay a privilege, to have a single solution to all of these problems, we still have it. It’s called a VPN, and it has been around for a while now, although it only recently started gaining popularity.
But, with such massive demand, it is only natural that an abundance of services came as well, and we now have more providers than we could ever need. While each of them claims to be the best, this is, of course, not true. But, if you are new to the world of VPNs, you might not know what to look for when picking a provider, and you may end up with a bad one unknowingly. This is where we can help, by reviewing various providers and telling you which ones are good and which ones you should avoid.
Today, we will take a look at Buffered VPN, and see what it offers and if it really provides what it claims. Let’s start.
Features
- Security protocols: Buffered VPN offers the strongest security protocols to ensure safety and privacy during your online sessions.
- Encryption: It uses 256-bit AES encryption, which is the best one in the industry, to make your traffic data unreadable in case of a leak.
- Server network: The company has a server network in 35 different countries, which include all the popular locations around the world.
- Device compatibility: You can use Buffered VPN on a large number of devices and platforms, including all the popular ones, as well as routers.
- High speeds: Buffered VPN is among the top 5 fastest VPNs that we have tested, making it an excellent choice for streaming.
- 30-day money back guarantees: The company will return your money within 30 days from the moment you make a payment if you decide that you are not satisfied with their service.
- Unlimited bandwidth: With this brand, you can stream or download as much as you want. the bandwidth you get from the service is unlimited.
- Kill Switch: The service presents an additional security measure — a kill switch. This is a feature that cuts off your internet access in case of a VPN app malfunction.
- Favorite servers: Buffered VPN also has Favorite Servers feature, which lets you quickly access your favorite locations.
App & Interface
When it comes to Buffered VPN apps, there is one for pretty much every popular platform, including Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, and even for routers. The apps are very user-friendly and easy to navigate, with a similar design across platforms. This helps users to quickly learn how to use the app and remain familiar with it across all devices.
The design is very simple and user-friendly, but also clean and informative. Once you log into the app, you can choose which server you wish to connect to from the list. Picking a server will display its location, download and upload speed, as well as your total uploads and downloads. Finally, it will also show your IP address.
There are three categories of servers to choose from, including All servers, Recent, and Favorites. The latter allows you to quickly pick from the servers you like most, instead of searching through the entire list to find them.
Privacy and Security
Buffered VPN offers pretty great protection. It supports the OpenVPN protocol, and it uses 256-bit AES encryption. Furthermore, it has DNS leak protection, and a kill switch that you can activate in the settings. As an extra layer of security, the company has Perfect Forward Secrecy. This feature creates a different, unique encryption key for each new session.
Moreover, the service does not keep any records of users’ activities online. Although, it does keep some information for about 30 days. This includes your real IP address, the duration of your connection, and the amount of data that gets transferred while your VPN is on. While keeping this type of data slightly damages the image, all that this really proves is that you are a VPN user, which is not a crime.
Other than that, the privacy policy seems to check out, and the VPN itself is based in Gibraltar, which is good. Although the country is a British Overseas Territory, it manages to be privacy-friendly due to the fact that it is fully anonymous. In other words, you won’t have to fear that 5/9/14 Eyes alliances will spy on you, or request your data from Buffered VPN.
Server Locations
The provider has a decent-sized network covering 35 different countries. Those include:
- Americas: Canada, the US, Mexico, and Argentina.
- Europe: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK.
- Asia and the Pacific: Australia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, and Singapore.
Installation and Setup
Installing the Buffered VPN app is quite easy and straightforward. Once you sign up, pick a plan, and pay, you’ll receive download links for different apps. Simply choose your software, and the process will be completed within minutes.
Alternatively, you can download the app from app stores. As a result, it will automatically install itself and set up on your phone. Also, you can click on settings to activate additional features such as the kill switch. You can use the app on 5 different devices using a single license.
Prices and Payment Options
You have three different payment plans, all of which come with 24/7 customer support, software, great speeds, and unlimited bandwidth.
The payment plans are as follows:
- A monthly plan for $12.99.
- A yearly plan for $79 (or $6.59 per month).
- A 2-year plan for $99 (or $4.12 per month).
You can pay for any of the packages via Bitcoin, credit card, or PayPal. Furthermore, all three options feature a 30-day money back guarantee in case you are not satisfied with the product.
Help and Support
Finally, our experience with the service team was quite pleasing. You can contact them via email, or through the 24/7 live chat. In both cases, the support team was very helpful and quick to respond.
Additionally, you can find answers to some of the questions you may have on the service’s website. There is a lot of information and useful guides that might help with some of the common issues. Of course, if you cannot find the answer you seek there, the live chat feature is always available.
Pros:
- Good protection.
- Additional security features.
- Outside of 5/9/14 Eyes alliance jurisdictions.
- Does not keep logs.
- Decent-sized server network.
- Supports torrenting.
- Easy to install on multiple platforms.
- 5 simultaneous connections.
- Unlimited server switching and bandwidth.
- Excellent customer support.
- Very user-friendly app.
Cons:
- The monthly plan is a bit more expensive than what the competition offers.
- Does not unblock Netflix.
- Keeps some information about the user up to 30 days, although none of the online activity.
Other VPN Providers
If you’re still not too sure about Buffered VPN, the list below features some of the highest-ranked brands in the industry:
- 30-Day Money-back Guarantee
- Unlimited Bandwidth
- Apps For All Your Devices
- 24/7 Live Support
Conclusion
In conclusion, we can say that this is a pretty decent VPN service. It offers great protection and keeps no logs. And while it holds some information, all that it proves is that you are a customer of their service and nothing more.
The app is easy to use, and has the most important features, while the server network covers the most important and popular locations. The customer service is very helpful and friendly, although you might not even need to use it. That’s because the website is full of helpful information, set up guides, and such.
In addition, the service covers torrenting and offers pretty good speeds, which is a nice combination. Unfortunately, it does not work with Netflix, which is an issue with a lot of services these days. And even though its monthly plan is a bit more expensive, the service still offers a 30-day money back guarantee. With that in mind, it’s better to pick a longer plan and save up a decent amount.
In the end, the service is pretty good, and you can use it without worrying about any security breach or invasion of privacy. So the bottom line is that we recommend it.
Review Summary
In this review, we took a look at Buffered VPN: a Gibraltar-based VPN service that claims to offer access to the free internet at great speeds. We also talked about its features, privacy policy, customer service, and more in order to determine whether it truly offers a good deal.