If you like spending a lot of time on the internet, you should know that it comes with considerable risks. Hacking attacks are becoming more and more common, malware is everywhere, and there is also a pretty big chance that you might find some parts of the web unavailable.
This last issue, in particular, is not a consequence of hackers or malware, but a result of censorship and geo-restrictions introduced by your government, as well as those of other countries. While we are at the topic of governments, you should also note that they like spying on their citizens, whether via their security agencies, or internet providers.
Liberty Shield VPN Review
With all of that in mind, it is of small surprise that people started getting worried about the intrusiveness and lack of safety online. As a result, some of them started creating VPN services, which provide us with online privacy, security, and anonymity tools. As the awareness of online issues started to grow, so did the number of VPNs. While once we had only a handful of VPNs to choose from, there are hundreds of different services today — and that number is likely to keep rising as years go by.
For new VPN users, the biggest issue is how to choose the right one. That is why we try to help you by providing deep insight and thorough reviews. And on today’s menu, we have Liberty Shield VPN. Is it good? Is it bad? Let’s find out!
Features
- Security protocols: Liberty Shield allows you to protect your traffic with some of the best security protocols. Although, manual setup may be required
- Strong encryption: It also uses the best encryption on the market: the AES-256 bit encryption.
- Server network: The company has servers in eight countries, which is a pretty small network.
- Pre-configured router: It offers a pre-configured router that you may use to secure your entire internet traffic.
- Free trial: Liberty Shield will let you test out its services with a 48 hour-long free trial.
- Speed: The brand offers high levels of speed, perfect for streaming shows in full HD or simply browsing the web.
- Zero log policy: Liberty Shield claims not to collect user data, thus contributing to their security and privacy.
Interface
Liberty Shield interface is rather simple, but it also looks quite outdated and generally unimpressive. It features a small list of supported countries, as well as a list of servers depending on which country you choose to connect to. Below the lists, there are protocols that you can choose from, and a single button for connecting/disconnecting.
Apps
Liberty Shield offers dedicated apps for a wide variety of devices that run Windows, Mac, iOS, or Android systems, as well as Linux Ubuntu.
Liberty Shield Compatible Devices
The apps look pretty much the same on all devices, which is good in terms of familiarity, particularly when it comes to new users who might have trouble finding their way around.
Liberty Shield Router
As I mentioned earlier, the apps are quite simple, and you can install them on your device from Liberty Shield’s website after signing up for an account.
Privacy and Security
Privacy and security aren’t the company’s strongest features. The service claims to provide inclusive connectivity software and/or manual setup guides for L2TP/IPSec, PPTP, and OpenVPN connections. In addition to these strong protocols, Liberty Shield offers 256-bit AES encryption, which is the best one you can get. However, that is pretty much it.
The apps do not feature a kill switch, nor a DNS leak protection. But the most concerning detail about this service is that it is under UK jurisdiction. The UK is part of the original 5 Eyes surveillance alliance that also includes Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the US. The alliance was later expanded to include additional countries, which led to the creation of 9 Eyes and 14 Eyes alliances.
Not only that, but the country is famous for geo-restrictions and censorship of certain online content.
As such, it is entirely possible that it might request from its VPN services to hand over logged data of their customers. Now, while Liberty Shield claims not to keep logs on its homepage, its privacy policy does not exactly confirm this.
The policy states that they will collect information such as email, payment option, and other data you may provide. However, they ‘may’ also store login times, choice of server location, the total amount of daily transferred data, and such. This does not exactly sound like ‘zero logs.’ Therefore, you should only use the service when you want to access restricted material.
Server Locations
Liberty Shield does not offer a massive network. In fact, it only features servers in eight different countries and on two continents:
- North America: Canada and the US
- Europe: The UK, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Ireland, and France.
Installation and Setup
It is quite easy to download and install Liberty Shield apps. All you need to do is visit the website and choose which app you want, depending on your device. The entire process should only take a minute or so.
However, do bear in mind that you can only connect one device using a single license. This means that the service does not allow simultaneous connections under a single account. However, you can get their VPN router, but remember that there are still some significant privacy concerns involved.
Prices and Payment Options
The company offers a 48-hour free trial. After that, you will have to choose one of the following payment plans:
- 1-month plan for $9.09
- 3-month plan for $25.99
- 6-month plan for $46.76
- 12-month plan for $90.99
Liberty Shield only offers 24-hour money back guarantee, which is shorter than the two-day free trial. As for payment methods, the brand accepts credit cards, as well as PayPal.
Help and Support
Finally, the customer support service is actually quite good, and available every day of the year, although not 24/7.
But, you can reach customer service employees via email, live chat, or on social networks, including Facebook and Twitter.
The website also has an FAQ section, which might be a good place to start researching if you have additional questions.
Pros
- Good encryption.
- Works with the best security protocols.
- Customer support can be reached in multiple ways.
- Average prices.
- Works on most devices and systems.
Cons
- Based in the UK.
- Small server network.
- Simple, outdated apps.
- Customer support is not 24/7.
- 24-hour money back guarantee.
- Significant privacy concerns.
- No additional security features beyond encryption and protocols.
- No simultaneous connections per account.
- It doesn’t have a free version.
- Hard OpenVPN access.
- No P2P support.
Other VPN Providers
If you’re still not too sure about Liberty Shield 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 the end, we can conclude that Liberty Shield VPN is definitely not for everyone. If you have privacy concerns, you should completely avoid it. But if you only need it to bypass geo-restrictions and you don’t care about potential breaches, it will do the trick.
However, the prices are not exactly competitive, and you can get a much better service for the same amount of money. In other words, Liberty Shield is not the best choice when it comes to security, but it does offer decent speeds.
Review Summary
In this review, we took a look at Liberty Shield VPN to determine whether or not it’s a good service. Therefore, we highlighted its strengths and weaknesses, and now it’s up to you to decide.
