FrootVPN is a Swedish company that is all about offering VPN servicesfrom their headquarters in Stockholm. Since FrootVPN is still a youngling, the scale of their activities is not that big. Thus, if less is more, FrootVPN should really be a worthwhile experience, but there are a few catches to this. It should be highlighted though that the little they have works flawlessly, but the little is maybe a bit too little. You only have four countries to connect to, with minimal client support. Additionally, security is also a bit dodgy, as there is an illogical emphasis on the less safe PPTP encryption model. So yes, service is lacking, to some extent; but prices are extremely low, and customer support is fine as well. FrootVPN has its ups and downs – we are going to write about them in detail.
There is a bit of bad news to speak of, as FrootVPN only has client/app support for one platform: Windows. What’s more, it is not their own software that you can use – they do not have one. Instead, you are required to utilize the OpenVPN GUI open-source client. Naturally, you are given clear instructions as to how you can set things up. Beyond a regular installation process, you are also required to download the one configuration file of FrootVPN and copy it into the “config” folder of the OpenVPN client software. Afterwards, your only job is to run the program as administrator, and then off you go into… well, not so much.
You can only connect to four countries: Sweden, Canada, France and the USA. This means that you can “only” access the total online content of these four states (or in the case of the latter, a union of states). A piece of better news is that FrootVPN supports P2P and torrent activity, and since the company is based in Sweden, you are given a somewhat favorable environment to do these file sharing activities.
A feature FrootVPN prides itself on is the lack of NAT. According to their official texts “NAT stands for Network Address Translation, a router feature. [FrootVPN] wants to avoid third-party interception or intervention in any way…” This means that if you use routers, you are better off from this technical standpoint. However, as you will read below, the safety side of things is less favorable with routers.
The worst news regarding this VPN company is that you only have four locations to connect to: the USA, Sweden, Canada and France. What is even worse is that you cannot change between them; you are automatically assigned to either one, based on which one is closer to you. This is bad news. The servers operate under Swedish law, which is favorable compared to the strict restrictions of the other countries they host servers in.
We were not so satisfied with speeds, either. Since we could only access the Swedish server, we conducted our probing there, on the OpenVPN (highest security) protocol. Yes, VPN does reduce your speeds and it shows for FrootVPN, too. The results below are our best ones.
First of all, FrootVPN advertises itself as a company that guarantees 100% privacy and online freedom online. We must point out that even with sophisticated services like VPN, this is not possible. You are still liable to the company you subscribe to and they too are liable to the country they are seated in, one way or another. Security is also never “complete”, but it is true that a VPN gets very close to it, at least in the online environment of today.
There are three types of encryptions that FrootVPN supports: OpenVPN, L2TP and PPTP. There is an unusual emphasis on PPTP, even though it is the least safe of the three. Some devices can only run on this unreliable type of encryption and thus we do not recommend work with them. The other two protection protocols are highly competent.
Regarding logging, the official privacy policy claims that “FrootVPN saves no traffic data and stores no logs. This means that we never log your IP address, times and similar details.” This is quite advantageous; the only data they do store are your personal information, to have some means of contact.
FrootVPN has mediocre device support. It is a pleasant sight that the setup guides for them are arranged based on encryption types, but there is a downside to it. A number of devices are only available in PPTP, meaning that from a security standpoint, they are already unreliable. Those that can only be found here are Synology NAS, Windows 8, Windows 10 and Mikrotik. For the much better OpenVPN you have Windows 7 and Vista, Mac OS X, the iPhone and iPad, along with Linux/Debian. Some of them are also usable on L2TP: iPhone and iPad, Android and Mac OS X. Sadly, none of them have a client or application to use (except Windows); you will have to resort to manual setup.
Given the slim offerings of FrootVPN, we expected lower prices. And this is true; you will meet one of the best values. Unfortunately, there are companies that offer much, much more for just a tad more money. The great thing about FrootVPN though is that with all purchases, you are eligible for a 30-day refund. However, there is no free trial to speak of.
One month of FrootVPN costs $4.99, this is a low price already, as most other companies start at around $10. Three months need a $3.99 per month payment ($11.97 overall), while their best offer is the annual one, which costs $2.99 per month ($35.88), offering 40% in savings compared to the one-month plan. These are good values but we still think you do not get too much meat on the skeleton here.
You can pay for your subscription using PayPal, Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover and Bitcoins.
Given the slim offerings of FrootVPN, we expected lower prices. And this is true; you will meet one of the best values. Unfortunately, there are companies that offer much, much more for just a tad more money. The great thing about FrootVPN though is that with all purchases, you are eligible for a 30-day refund. However, there is no free trial to speak of.
One month of FrootVPN costs $4.99, this is a low price already, as most other companies start at around $10. Three months need a $3.99 per month payment ($11.97 overall), while their best offer is the annual one, which costs $2.99 per month ($35.88), offering 40% in savings compared to the one-month plan. These are good values but we still think you do not get too much meat on the skeleton here.
You can pay for your subscription using PayPal, Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover and Bitcoins.
FrootVPN has decent customer service. Help runs 24/7, and you have a live chat option to establish direct contact with the company. However, we only recommend talking to them about general information there. For more specific and difficult problems, catch them via e-mail or send in a ticket. These are the two most significant methods of them helping you out, but you can hit them up on social media as well. FrootVPN is present of Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and also runs a YouTube channel, which is apparently empty.
FrootVPN is clearly not ripe yet. Small-scale sa are always welcome, but this is a bit too fat-free for our tastes. Only Sweden, Canada, France and the USA are up for connections, with client software only for Windows. The OpenVPN GUI is a bit troublesome at times, but it gets the job done. Prices are acceptable, but they do not compensate for the lack of competitiveness FrootVPN displays. The company is still finding its way in the VPN landscape, and we’re eagerly waiting to see what FrootVPN will bring to the table next to distinguish itself from the rest of the pack.
The Best Reviews team researches and tests all products first-hand. We've been reviewing products and services since 2012 and are proud to only publish human-created content.
Best Reviews may receive compensation for its content through paid collaborations and/or affiliate links. Learn more about how we sustain our work and review products.
©2012-2024 Best Reviews, a clovio brand –
All rights
reserved
Privacy
policy
·
Cookie
policy
·
Terms
of use
·
Partnerships
· Contact
us
Well, you can now connect up to three devices simultaneously with FrootVPN. This update makes my day, I can now use it on my phone, tablet or pc at the same time. FrootVPN rocks!
I am a new user of FrootVPN and it was recommended by some of my friends. I am a gamer and need to access games that are not open for my current location but sadly I can’t keep up on paying my previous vpn cause I am still a student so I tried FrootVPN. Well, just to share my experience I am deeply amazed! For a small dime monthly I can enjoy my hobby without low speed interruptions haha. Just want to let FrootVPN know that they also have a happy user here! 🙂 Don’t mind haters, you’re just great!
I love the simplicity of FrootVPN – how it works, the setup and the service itself! They have no software to install which is good, I prefer being connected after a few clicks, that’s why. I was surprised with the speed you’ve got, haven’t got bad speeds (well few times but due to my own slow connection, which is acceptable) also with your problem of switching locations, I was able to connect to any of them based on my liking anytime. I switched to FrootVPN because it’s cheaper but it proves me that vpn shouldn’t really be pricey to achieve anonymity. Nice!
This “a bit too fat-free for our tastes” is my provider for over a year and I am quite satisfied. 🙂 Knowing in your article that it is not clearly ripe yet, it’s awesome how a vpn which is said to have “lack of competitiveness” can satisfy the needs of a user like me, so I greatly disagree on that part. FrootVPN made it possible for me to protect my identity online, based solely on my experience. Btw, Most providers have PPTP encryption too but it was only written in this article that it’s the least safe and you don’t recommend using it and the Device/OS support does not match on your content, its NOT only working on Windows. Anyways, I travel a lot and I have no complain with the speed. Though FrootVPN is just starting on expanding its server locations I enjoyed it much as I only need some of the locations it currently have. I just need to be secure. I have no worries at all. So still, it’s great for me. FrootVPN!