ClearVPN is a promising VPN service that has a lot of potential for growth. The VPN service is relatively expensive compared to many of its premium competitors, and the customer service is very disappointing. However, it offers excellent server speeds and access to some popular streaming sites.
ClearVPN comes from MacPaw, which offers a range of security solutions for macOS and iOS devices, including a computer optimiser, file and photo organiser, file encryption, RAR optimiser and more.
Speed Test
| Location | Ping | Download Speed | Upload Speed |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Without VPN |
4 ms |
67.79 Mbps |
38.23 Mbps |
|
Australia |
254 ms |
27.49 Mbps |
0.89 Mbps |
|
Singapore |
47 ms |
58.54 Mbps |
29.61 Mbps |
|
Brazil |
332 ms |
12.14 Mbps |
5.33 Mbps |
|
US |
200 ms |
4.68 Mbps |
4.21 Mbps |
|
UK |
279 ms |
13.80 Mbps |
8.56 Mbps |
|
Average |
222 ms |
23.33 Mbps |
9.72 Mbps |
In all of our VPN tests, we use Speedtest.net to test the speeds of all providers for added accuracy. It’s also important to note that even the fastest VPNs, such as ExpressVPN, may experience a drop in download or upload speed.
ClearVPN isn’t going to win the award for fastest VPN in the world anytime soon, but some of the countries we tested did quite well. This is especially true for Singapore, which is quite close to our test country Vietnam. We only saw a 10% drop in overall speed, and latency remained low.
However, when we started to move out to other continents a bit, we saw a more significant drop in performance with ClearVPN. Australia was still holding up well, but we saw pretty low speeds in the US and UK. While we were still able to stream Netflix and watch YouTube videos in good quality, there was some buffering at the start.
In short, ClearVPN worked well. However, we would have liked better performance, as the DynamicFlow feature supposedly guarantees faster speeds by connecting to the best servers in the desired location.
Pricing
The cost of their premium subscription depends on the software used. Each package allows you to connect up to 6 devices simultaneously.
MacOS $12.95/month: System requirements macOS 10.14 and above, 90 MB
iOS $12.95/month: System requirements iOS 13.0 and higher, 40 MB
Android $12.95/month: System requirements Android 6.0 and higher, 54 MB
Windows is available for $12.95/month: System requirements Windows 10 and higher, 49.9 MB
Privacy and Encryption
To keep all online activity private and free from prying eyes, ClearVPN uses unbreakable AES-256 encryption and innovative VPN technology DynamicFlow, which “instantly analyses a user’s current network status (servers, local restrictions, current regional content restrictions, etc.) and connects to the fastest available server for a secure, low-pinging, hassle-free experience.”
In addition to IPSec, IKEv2 and OpenVPN, it uses its own unique protocols “to eliminate security vulnerabilities and enable high-speed connections.”
The apps have a few extra features. For example, you can prevent annoying ads from ruining your online experience by enabling an ad blocker, prevent malware with a special blocker, and protect your email privacy with secure chat.
In case you’re wondering about logging: MacPaw’s privacy policy explains that its servers “automatically collect and record information in log files when you visit or use our website and/or products. This log data may include IP address, browser type and settings, date and time of use, browser configuration data, language settings and cookie information.”
The company may also collect device-specific information, such as “the type of hardware and software you use and the unique device identifier of the device that uses the MacPaw product,” so be careful. Torrenting or P2P traffic is allowed, and there is even a shortcut in the app for this option.
User Experience
ClearVPN is a service provider that has no client software of its own and must be manually configured on your system to establish a VPN connection. Thanks to a very clear and detailed step-by-step guide on the website, it is easy to connect to any VPN server on all major platforms.
If you follow the steps carefully, you won’t need to invest a lot of time and effort. The sign-up process is also very simple and hardly takes any time. That doesn’t rule out the fact that it would be even easier if ClearVPN had its own software that is plug-and-play.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Good server speeds
- Strict no-logging policy
- Strong military-grade encryption with AES-256 encryption
- Available on Windows, macOS, Android and iOS
- Free version available for browsing
- Up to 6 devices can be connected
- Unblocked from Netflix US, BBC iPlayer, Hulu and HBO Max
Cons
- Windowed apps can sometimes lag
- Severe lack of locations in Country Picker
- No death switch
Conclusion
ClearVPN has made an interesting start. It still needs work to get up to speed, but it works as promised. The price is a little higher than we’d like based on the speeds we’ve seen, but it’s not outrageously expensive.
We can’t recommend ClearVPN for those who want maximum anonymity and privacy on the internet. However, if you just want an unblocked service for your favourite streaming sites, ClearVPN might be for you.
