BolehVPN is a Malaysia-based VPN that has provided inconsistent service over the years. In this BolehVPN review, we were again disappointed as we were unable to connect to the VPN and received poor customer service. Read on to find out more.
Key Data
| Features | Data |
|---|---|
|
Over All Rank |
#35 |
|
Usability |
Very easy |
|
Log files |
Minor logging |
|
Locations |
12 Countries, 35 Servers |
|
Support |
Email Only |
|
Netflix |
Yes |
|
Encryption/Protocol |
256-bit AES |
|
Cost |
$6.67/Month |
Speed Test
Speed Test – BolehVPN – Desktop
| Location | Trial | Latency | Download Speed | Upload Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
NoVPN |
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 |
21ms 21ms 22ms |
89.11 Mbps 89.90 Mbps 83.59 Mbps |
7.01 Mbps 7.52 Mbps 6.88 Mbps |
|
Canada |
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Average |
0ms 0ms 0ms 0ms |
0 Mbps 0 Mbps 0 Mbps 0 Mbps |
0 Mbps 0 Mbps 0 Mbps 0 Mbps |
|
UK |
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Average |
0ms 0ms 0ms 0ms |
0 Mbps 0 Mbps 0 Mbps 0 Mbps |
0 Mbps 0 Mbps 0 Mbps 0 Mbps |
|
Switzerland |
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Average |
318ms 320ms 318ms 319ms |
43.41 Mbps 31.46 Mbps 18.45 Mbps 31.11 Mbps |
0.72 Mbps 0.78 Mbps 0.88 Mbps 0.79 Mbps |
|
Germany |
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Average |
0ms 0ms 0ms 0ms |
0.00 Mbps 0.00 Mbps 0.00 Mbps 0.00 Mbps |
0.00 Mbps 0.00 Mbps 0.00 Mbps 0.00 Mbps |
Speed Test – BolehVPN – Mobile
| Location | Trial | Latency | Download Speed | Upload Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
NoVPN |
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 |
23ms 23ms 22ms |
64.71 Mbps 68.35 Mbps 70.83 Mbps |
7.38 Mbps 6.97 Mbps 7.24 Mbps |
|
Canada |
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Average |
149ms 150ms 151ms 150ms |
11.75 Mbps 7.89 Mbps 8.17 Mbps 9.27 Mbps |
1.45 Mbps 1.70 Mbps 1.60 Mbps 1.58 Mbps |
|
UK |
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Average |
276ms 284ms 338ms 299ms |
5.49 Mbps 8.13 Mbps 4.08 Mbps 5.90 Mbps |
0.86 Mbps 1.59 Mbps 1.16 Mbps 1.20 Mbps |
|
Switzerland |
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Average |
318ms 322ms 322ms 321ms |
6.98 Mbps 10.25 Mbps 10.26 Mbps 9.16 Mbps |
0.70 Mbps 1.07 Mbps 1.01 Mbps 0.93 Mbps |
|
Germany |
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Average |
332ms 317ms 322ms 324ms |
9.58 Mbps 14.88 Mbps 15.38 Mbps 13.28 Mbps |
0.65 Mbps 0.95 Mbps 1.37 Mbps 0.99 Mbps |
Pricing Plans
| Time Period | Price |
|---|---|
|
7 Days |
$3.70 |
|
1 Month |
$9.99 |
|
2 Months |
$8.50 |
|
6 Months |
$7.50 |
|
12 Months |
$6.66 |
BolehVPN offers a single package priced at $3.70 for a seven-day trial. Additional pricing starts at $9.99 per month, while annual purchases are a third of the price at just $6.67 per month.
BolehVPN service comes with a free one-day trial, but (somewhat annoyingly) requires signing up and sending an email to the sales team. The service does not offer a refund or money-back guarantee, so you should take full advantage of the trial period before signing up to a long-term contract. In addition to standard credit and debit card payments, BolehVPN also accepts Bitcoin and Dash mobile payments. Bitcoin is also a popular option for those seeking greater anonymity on the internet.
BolehVPN does not recommend using prepaid cards that have certain country restrictions, as these can cause problems when signing up.
Server Locations
BolehVPN may not have the largest network. However, they have earned an excellent reputation in the VPN space for creating a customer-focused VPN service that protects its members privacy, helps them overcome censorship, and provides them with a safe environment to browse anonymously.
BolehVPN has servers in the following countries.
China, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Netherlands, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, UK and US.
BolehVPN offers truly unlimited data usage to all members on its network. This is an advantage for those who are on the move or want to access geographically restricted streaming content.
What’s more, they’ve embraced P2P and even optimized their service for it. Their VPN helps eliminate ISP throttling and traffic shaping of P2P/Torrent activity by modifying packets and hiding traffic to make it difficult for ISP to identify traffic.
Support Multiplatform Devices
BolehVPN is compatible with all major platforms, including Windows, Mac OSX, Android and Linux, and also with routers that support OpenVPN, such as DD-WRT, AsusMerlin-WRT and Tomato. Unfortunately, despite good compatibility with mobile devices, there is no official app for iOS.
Users who want a secure and reliable connection on more than one device will be happy to know that BolehVPN offers two connections for its customers. While this is something you would expect from a VPN provider, it’s still nice to know that your mobile device can stay protected along with your home computer.
Privacy and Encryption
BolehVPN uses perfect forward secrecy and features, the latest SHA-2 hashing algorithm, 256-bit AES encryption and a public key infrastructure (PKI) architecture with a 4096-bit key size that effectively blocks any intrusion attempts. It also includes another optional obfuscation technique that masks VPN traffic and prevents VPN usage from being detected and/or blocked by network monitoring tools.
The platform is based on the OpenVPN security protocol, but also offers other protocols such as L2TP/IPsec, if your device does not support OpenVPN. Thanks to the provider’s privacy mechanisms and location tracking, support for large file sharing via P2P and torrent clients, and complete anonymity.
BolehVPN is a company operating outside the jurisdiction of Five Eyes, it is not required to keep records of user activity and does not track internet usage. It claims to keep only the standard system logs required to run its servers. It also says it does not voluntarily share customer data.
BolehVPN admits that it may temporarily turn on logs if there are performance issues or if it suspects users are abusing the service. However, this is only done “as a last resort” and only in “a few cases” and for “up to a few hours” for the specific server where the abuse occurs. Even then, no information is passed on to third parties and is only used to disconnect the offending user.
The provider also stated that its policy is to notify members when account information is requested “unless prohibited by law or court order”. BolehVPN does not store any user-identifying data about a customer’s VPN use anyway, “little information can be shared other than payment data and payment details,” which sounds reassuring.
User Experience
BolehVPN is easy to use on any platform. It is easy to download and install and requires no configuration before use. If you need help setting up the VPN on your device, there is a very detailed guide on the website to make your experience even smoother.
BolehVPN app is also very user-friendly and easy to navigate. If you like to stream, BolehVPN has dedicated servers for Netflix USA or Hulu.
One of the biggest issues with BolehVPN is that it doesn’t offer a live chat option, so you have to contact them via email or support ticket. However, they usually respond within 1-2 hours, which is pretty impressive. Although BolehVPN needs some improvements, overall it is a reliable VPN service.
Customer Support
BolehVPN customer support is unremarkable. The VPN does not have live chat support or phone support. The only way to contact the team is through the Zendesk ticketing system or directly via email: support@bolehvpn.net. They are not active 24/7 and we only received a response after 6 hours. They also have installation guides, FAQs and a user forum.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Military standard encryption
- Separate tunnels
- Obfuscation technology
- Accepts payments in cryptocurrencies
- Unlimited bandwidth
- P2P support
- Based in the Seychelles
- Works with Windows, macOS, Android, Linux and routers
- Kill switch and DNS leak protection
- Unblocked from Netflix and other services
- Based in China
Cons
- No dedicated app for smartphones
- Can store minimal information
- Below average customer support
- No intelligent DNS proxy
- Limited network of servers
- Difficult to use
- Short term refund policy
- Slow speed
Frequently Asked Questions
Does BolehVPN have traffic throttling technology?
BolehVPN offers traffic caching technology. This feature hides VPN usage by making it appear as normal browser traffic. This prevents your ISP and government surveillance agencies from finding out about your VPN usage.
Does BolehVPN work in China?
The provider’s operation within China was last mentioned in a BolehVPN blog post from October 2017, where the author mentioned that he had successfully used the provider within China.
What payment methods does BolehVPN accept?
The provider accepts bank transfers, PayPal, credit cards and some cryptocurrency types. If you pay via Paymentwall, BolehVPN offers a 10% discount.
Summary
BolehVPN is a pretty reliable provider. It has excellent unbanning features and supports torrents and TOR. However, it has a limited number of servers and charges expensive fees. Not to mention dubious jurisdiction, very poor customer service and a Trojan we found in their Windows app.
