ZenMate VPN Review 2024

If you’ve used ZenMate VPN in the past, you’d have immediately noticed its close resemblance to CyberGhost. They were owned by the same company (Kape Technologies) and used the same UI. We even dubbed it “CyberGhost’s little brother” while conducting our ZenMate VPN review because it had fewer features than CyberGhost.

Now, ZenMate is no more. Seeking to provide a greater service than ZenMate’s small development team could manage, Kape fully merged the service into CyberGhost. Your ZenMate account remains unchanged, but you’ll have to log into CyberGhost instead. Our ZenMate review below explains why this is a good change for you!

Note:

While you can no longer purchase new subscriptions of ZenMate VPN, existing subscriptions are still active and being honored. ZenMate VPN customers should still log into their account on the provider’s website. However, you must log into CyberGhost with your ZenMate credentials to use your continued VPN service. Additionally, CyberGhost customer support can’t help with ZenMate enquiries. ZenMate’s customer service team are providing ongoing support functions to subscribers via their website.

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ZenMate VPN Review: A Short Review

7.8

What We Liked About ZenMate:

• Good speeds
• Solid VPN protocols
• No-logs policy
• Beginner-friendly apps
• Simple installation
• Affordable
• Access to Netflix in various countries
• Dedicated servers for streaming and downloading

What We Didn't Like About ZenMate:

• DNS leaked despite DNS leak protection
• The VPN couldn't always unblock Netflix

ZenMate was a well-known VPN owned by Kape Technologies, which in the past was associated with malware distribution. So, we wanted to see whether their reputation affected ZenMate’s privacy and security while conducting this ZenMate VPN review.

At its peak, ZenMate VPN supported OpenVPN and IKEv2. WireGuard was not in this roster, but ZenMate customers now benefit from WireGuard with CyberGhost. Both protocols used AES-256 encryption, which is the best cipher we currently have in the industry. ZenMate also had an ironclad no-logging policy but leaked DNS requests, which was a huge security issue.

ZenMate’s server network included 4,800+ servers across 80+ countries. Our speed test results ranged from good to great everywhere, except in South Africa, where our speed just plummeted. ZenMate allowed torrenting and offered servers optimized for streaming and P2P downloading.

The desktop and mobile apps were beginner-friendly since ZenMate used CyberGhost’s UI even before the merger. There was a live chat support option on the site, and the support team was very responsive and knowledgeable. The pricing was reasonable, too, but you couldn’t pay with cryptocurrencies. You could also take advantage of a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Read our full ZenMate review below to learn more about what this service provided, what has changed since its merger with CyberGhost, and the results of our extensive hands-on testing.

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Speed – How Fast Was ZenMate VPN?

Our ZenMate’s speed test results netted an 8.5 out of 10 for performance, as we were able to browse, stream, and play games with no issues.

Here’s a short summary of our experience:

• The VPN offered good speeds, even on distant ZenMate servers.
• We didn’t feel any drastic speed drops during daily use.
• ZenMate’s merger with CyberGhost only improved performance for users.

Speed test results for ZenMate VPN

When conducting our ZenMate VPN review, we tested its Windows desktop client from our headquarters in the Netherlands. After defining our benchmark speed (without the VPN), we tested various ZenMate VPN servers across the globe and compared the results.

Based on your location and connection speed, it was possible to get different results. That’s why we always recommend referring to our speed test table as an indicator of a VPN’s potential performance.

With that said, let’s take a look at the results we got when we last did our ZenMate VPN speed test.

Note:

Actual speed values can differ based on various factors, such as network settings, location, and internet speed. The values in the table below are there to give you an overall view on how ZenMate performed.

Server	Download (Mbps)	Upload (Mbps)	Ping (ms)
No VPN	93.91	93.93	5
Recommended (Amsterdam)	78.16	87.17	8
Germany (Frankfurt)	87.26	85.76	12
UK (London)	78.6	87.6	20
US (Washington)	45.73	86.94	95
Canada (Montreal)	42.05	87.34	95
Brazil (San Paulo)	60.28	87.76	214
South Africa (Johannesburg)	4.03	4.23	169
Japan (Tokyo)	60.17	89.64	260
Australia (Melbourne)	46.97	84.9	343

Surprisingly, ZenMate VPN tested better in speed if we compare it with our CyberGhost tests. It performed quite well on nearby ZenMate servers and even held its own in distant locations. Our speed only dropped to unacceptable levels in South Africa. On the American continent, our speed was basically cut in half, but that was still enough for decent performance.

Our upload speed remained stellar on all locations we tested (apart from South Africa). The connection times were also excellent. We were able to connect to any server in mere seconds.

With ZenMate no longer being available as a standalone service, you can connect to CyberGhost instead. CyberGhost still offers excellent speeds, plus dedicated streaming servers that ZenMate was well-known for!

Speed during daily use

ZenMate provided more than enough speed for regular day-to-day operations. We were able to stream some of the best Netflix shows and a ton of YouTube clips without a single buffer circle.

When it came to online gaming, though, only local ZenMate servers were really suited. This was especially true for bandwidth-heavy online multiplayer titles. We played some games on MTG Arena while connected to a Dutch server and had zero lag or disconnects. We also downloaded torrents without any problems.

Since ZenMate was so adept at preserving your upload speed, it was also well-suited to safe video conferencing or for securing your Twitch streams.

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Safety – How Secure Was ZenMate VPN?

We gave ZenMate VPN a 5 out of 10 for security because we noticed DNS leaks while conducting our ZenMate VPN review. Hence, the service was not effective at completely masking our IP. Here’s a quick overview of how this service’s main safety mechanisms stood up:

• ZenMate VPN supported OpenVPN and IKEv2 protocols.
• It implemented a good no-logging policy.
• It came with an automatic kill switch.
• We experienced DNS leaks during our testing.
• The registration process only required an email and payment info.

Protocols

The protocols supported by your VPN will largely determine its security, flexibility, and performance quality. They also affect its ability to bypass online censorship and access geo-restricted services from your location.

Here are the VPN tunnels that were supported by ZenMate VPN’s service:

• OpenVPN: This is the most popular VPN protocol that offers a great combination of speed and security. ZenMate supported it on Windows, Android, and Linux.
• IKEv2: Just as fast as OpenVPN but less CPU-hungry. It was available on Windows, macOS, and iOS ZenMate installations.

For a solid all-around ZenMate VPN tunnel, our choice was always OpenVPN. However, for mobile security, IKEv2 provided a better choice. This protocol runs smoother on weaker CPUs and has impressive reconnection capabilities. In other words, it’d let you switch between mobile and Wi-Fi networks without ever disconnecting from ZenMate’s servers.

Both protocols use AES-256 to encrypt your traffic. This cipher is known as “military-grade“ encryption but it’s also used by banks, hospitals, and other institutions that have a lot of sensitive data to protect.

Logging and privacy

ZenMate VPN was created by a company called ZenGuard in Germany. As a 14 Eyes country, Germany is not a VPN-friendly location. ZenMate also had a free version, which was widely criticized for leaking data.

Furthermore, ZenMate was acquired by Kape Technologies in 2018, which just added a new layer of concern for VPN users. Kape also bought ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, and Private Internet Access from 2018-2021.

Note:

Kape Technologies (formerly CrossRider) famously created software developer tools that were used to distribute malware and ad injectors in the past. It’s worth noting that it’s difficult to gauge the responsibility of the company itself for these incidents, as its tools and platform were used by many third parties. Still, that poor reputation carried over to when CrossRider rebranded into Kape Technologies.

With all this in mind, we wouldn’t have accepted anything but a solid no-logging policy from ZenMate VPN. We were relieved to find that ZenMate did indeed offer a sold no-logs policy.

ZenMate only collected email and payment info upon registering. They did employ some cookies and analytics tools for users visiting their site, but all in all, they recorded nothing that could be used to mount a hack attack against you. For most VPNs, you can maximize your privacy by using an anonymous email and choosing PayPal as your payment method.

During the ZenMate VPN client installation, we noted a prompt to allow the collection of unspecified anonymous data. We didn’t like the phrasing of the options here, as it appeared you wouldn’t be able to install the software unless you agreed. Thankfully, you could choose the “I want to opt-out” option without interrupting your installation.

In conclusion, ZenMate was as close to a good no-logging VPN as possible. It didn’t record any harmful data, including your IP, online activity, connection timestamps, and other info that could identify you as an individual.

Kill switch

A kill switch is your last line of defense against data leaks when your VPN malfunctions for whatever reason. It will cut your internet access and prevent your real IP address and other information from leaking out. A kill switch will also help you hide the websites you visit from your internet service provider.

ZenMate VPN came with an automatic kill switch that worked perfectly during our testing. It was accessible in the settings menu in the bottom-left corner of the app.

ZenMate’s kill switch was enabled by default, so we never had to tinker with any settings to get optimal protection before starting our VPN connection.

Did ZenMate VPN leak your data?

We experienced DNS leaks during our testing for this ZenMate VPN review. This meant that online actors could have intercepted the communication between our browser and DNS, stealing data from a DNS cache. This could’ve allowed them to get our real IP address, see the sites we visited, and monitor our online activity.

We tested ZenMate from several different countries, including the Netherlands and Serbia. As you can see, we clearly saw our ISP DNS during our ipleak.net testing. Note that we had ZenMate’s DNS leak protection feature turned on for this test, and it did absolutely nothing.

This was a serious problem, as ZenMate basically failed at providing essential VPN functionality. The main purpose of a VPN is to change your IP address and hide your traffic from prying eyes. With leaking DNS requests, however, ZenMate could not ensure the safety of its users.

That said, CyberGhost has never leaked our data during test circuits. This is a big win for ZenMate – by merging with CyberGhost, users can now enjoy the stellar speeds that ZenMate provided while avoiding risky DNS leaks.

Apart from this egregious security issue, ZenMate was a pretty decent VPN.

What information did ZenMate VPN need?

Creating a ZenMate VPN account required your email address and payment info. As we already mentioned, it’s possible to create a new email without any personal identifiers when you sign up for a VPN.

However, ZenMate didn’t support crypto payments, so you weren’t able to create a fully anonymous subscription. As always, we recommend choosing PayPal over credit cards since credit cards reveal too much info.

If you’re looking for anonymous VPN subscriptions, we advise going with VPNs that accept Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

Fortunately, CyberGhost is one such VPN, taking crypto payments via BitPay. Create a throwaway email address, and you can subscribe to CyberGhost completely anonymously!

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Usability – How User–Friendly Was ZenMate VPN?

ZenMate VPN was a very beginner-friendly service without overly complicated menus and options. With that in mind, we gave it a 9 out of 10 for user-friendliness during our ZenMate VPN review.

Here were the main points we noted regarding its usability:

• ZenMate VPN’s website was clear and easy to navigate.
• ZenMate’s installation process was quick and simple.
• ZenMate’s clients were very beginner-friendly.
• You could try ZenMate VPN for free for seven days.
• ZenMate VPN had several payment methods but no anonymous options.
• The customer service could be reached via live chat and was very responsive.

ZenMate VPN’s website and installation process

ZenMate VPN’s website was uncluttered, though oriented towards selling its service (like many other VPN websites). You were immediately encouraged to purchase the service or make use of their seven-day free trial. The marketing tactics did get annoying after a while, especially the “time-sensitive” offers with ticking timers.

Clicking the “My Account” button in the top-right corner would open up the sign-up screen and allow you to activate the free trial. On the other hand, if you wanted to purchase a subscription right away, you were able to do so by clicking the “Buy Now” button right next to it.

After registration, you’d gain access to your personal dashboard. Here, you could check your account info, monitor the used devices, upgrade/cancel your subscription, and contact customer support. Of course, not even your client area was free of promotional “time-limited” offers.

ZenMate supported all major platforms, including Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Linux, and many more. You could also download ZenMate browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Opera.

When conducting our review, we primarily tested the ZenMate VPN Windows app. The installation was quick and effortless, without any unusual steps.

Installing ZenMate VPN was simple, using its seven-day free trial:

1. We went to ZenMate VPN’s official website.
2. We clicked on “My Account” in the top-right corner.
3. We signed up with our chosen credentials.
4. We confirmed our email to activate the free trial.
5. We accessed our personal dashboard on the site.
6. We downloaded the installation file for our device.
7. Clicking on the downloaded file started the installation.
8. We followed the on-screen instructions and completed the installation.

After registration, you’d receive an email asking you to confirm your email address. This message often ended up in a spam folder, but without clicking on the “Activate Trial” link within the email, you weren’t able to get your free ZenMate VPN trial.

Once you installed the ZenMate VPN app on your device, you would see a login screen with some confusing wording. Namely, it mentioned the username and password you supposedly received in an email – which never actually happens during installation. You defined those credentials yourself when signing up.

The company claimed that you could install ZenMate on an unlimited number of devices. However, this number was capped at 99 in the personal dashboard (though that was still beyond impressive).

ZenMate VPN’s appearance and ease of use

Since ZenMate used CyberGhost’s client, it made for a very beginner-friendly VPN. Omitting some of CyberGhost’s advanced options made it an even better gateway service. Naturally, power users wouldn’t have enjoyed it as much.

The main screen of its Windows client only featured a big on/off button with the last server chosen displayed underneath. The two icons in the top-right corner allowed you to access the settings and the customer support menu.

If your VPN was connected, you would get the screen below.

If your VPN client was not connected, you would see a very similar screen indicating that the VPN is not on.

Clicking on the arrows in the bottom-left corner would open up a list of the available ZenMate servers, which could be viewed in four different groups.

The general settings menu behind the little cog icon allowed you to:

• Autostart the app on system startup
• Pick a language
• Enable/disable the kill switch
• Submit anonymous usage data (we didn’t recommend doing this)
• Define what the app would do when you close the window
• Enable/disable the background processes when the app was not running

The ZenMate VPN Windows app supported 11 languages, including English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Romanian, Polish, Russian, Portuguese, Korean, and Turkish.

All in all, we noticed during our ZenMate VPN review that the ZenMate app was pretty straightforward. There weren’t many extra options, making everything easy to find and activate.

Pricing and payment methods

Like many VPN providers, ZenMate offered two subscription packages with three different plans in each. The rule of thumb was the longer the subscription you choose, the lower your monthly payment. Consequently, the three-year subscription only cost a few dollars a month.

ZenMate VPN’s Ultimate plans included:

• One month: $10.99/month (billed $10.99 every month)
• One year: $4.49/month (billed $53.88 per year)
• Three years: $1.51 per month (billed $59 every three years)

The Ultimate plans were available for all devices. However, if you only wanted to use ZenMate in your browser, it was better to opt for one of its Pro plans. These Included:

• One month: $7.99/month (billed $7.99 every month)
• Six months: $3.19/month (billed $19.14 every six months)
• One year: $1.99/month (billed $23.88 every year)

Apart from the supported platforms and price tags, there was also one more difference between these instances of ZenMate VPN. Namely, the Ultimate plan offered optimized streaming servers in nine countries, while the Pro package covered only two (the US and the UK).

Every purchase came with a 30-day money-back guarantee. If you weren’t satisfied with the service, you could get your money back within the first month. As we already mentioned, there was also an unlimited seven-day free trial, which was a huge plus.

We noticed that prices didn’t always change according to the chosen currency, though. The price you paid in dollars was exactly the same as the one in euros. If the dollar’s worth was less than one euro, which it often is, paying in dollars was more beneficial.

ZenMate VPN accepted the following payment options when taking new subscribers:

• Credit cards (VISA, MasterCard, American Express)
• PayPal

Our preference is usually to avoid credit card payments and go with PayPal instead. While ZenMate never got around to offering crypto payments, CyberGhost does.

Customer service

ZenMate’s website featured a decent FAQ section paired with some setup guides and troubleshooting manuals. If you couldn’t solve your problem there, you could contact customer support in a number of ways.

You could reach them on the site, through your personal dashboard, and even through your client.

If you had a problem that required urgent help, you were also able to use the live chat option on ZenMate’s website. Here, you’d first be sent automated links to pages on the ZenMate support site where you’d often find the answer you needed. But you could also click on the “Live chat” option to speak to a real employee.

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Server Network – Could ZenMate VPN Unblock the Internet?

The size of a VPN’s server network is very important. Having more servers at your disposal ensures better speeds and less server crowding. It also increases your chances of unblocking geo-restricted services like BBC iPlayer or Netflix, for example. ZenMate’s server offering at its peak scored it an 8.5 out of 10.

Here are some points that highlight what ZenMate offered in this area:

• ZenMate operated a little under 5,000 servers in 80+ countries.
• It could unblock plenty of streaming services, including Netflix.
• You could use ZenMate VPN servers that were optimized for torrenting and streaming.
• ZenMate VPN didn’t offer dedicated IP addresses.

Number of servers and locations

When we wrote our ZenMate VPN review, there were a little under 5,000 servers spread across 80+ countries worldwide. This was an extensive server network that could hold its own even against the giants like NordVPN.

The full ZenMate server list included:

• Americas: Argentina, Bahamas, Brazil, Canada, Greenland, Mexico, Panama, the US, Venezuela
• Europe: Albania, Andorra, Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, the UK
• Asia: Armenia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Cyprus, Hong Kong, India, Iran, Israel, Japan, Kazakhstan, Macau, Mongolia, Philippines, Qatar, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, the UAE, Vietnam
• Africa: Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, South Africa
• Oceania: Australia

Now that ZenMate VPN users must log into CyberGhost, that list has expanded even further. CyberGhost boasts 9,100+ servers in 90+ countries. It’s a win for existing ZenMate subscribers or new CyberGhost users – it’s one of the biggest server networks in the industry!

On the official website, you could browse a full list of ZenMate’s VPN servers. This allowed you to see whether or not they support P2P file sharing, plus the cities they were located in. You could also check whether you were using a physical or virtual server.

ZenMate featured servers optimized for streaming and torrenting. Each streaming server had a tag that indicated which streaming platforms it supported, too. You were able to create a list of favorites by clicking the star next to any server. Lastly, ZenMate apps could also choose the best server location for you based on your physical location and internet connection speed.

ZenMate VPN and streaming (Netflix, Disney Plus, Hulu, BBC iPlayer)

ZenMate offered servers optimized for streaming that were designed to geo-unblock the best catalogs of top video streaming services. This included locations optimized for specific streaming platforms and TV channels, like Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime, and many more.

In the table below, you’ll see the results of our ZenMate VPN streaming test:

Platform	Could ZenMate VPN unblock it?
Netflix France	✔
Netflix UK	✔
Netflix US	✖
Netflix Germany	✖
Disney Plus	✔
Hulu	✔
BBC iPlayer	✔

Since ZenMate’s performance with Netflix was so inconsistent, we asked their support for help. They informed us that they were experiencing some technical issues that caused some ZenMate servers to stop working. These problems would soon be resolved.

In conclusion, ZenMate had some problems with Netflix. If you’re looking for a VPN that can reliably unblock Netflix, CyberGhost is a strong alternative. With streaming–optimized servers and great speeds, you can unblock Netflix and numerous other streaming platforms.

ZenMate VPN and torrents

ZenMate was a good VPN for torrenting. During our ZenMate VPN review, were able to download files very quickly and easily when using the nearby locations. On distant ZenMate VPN servers, things started to slow down, but we were still able to finish our downloads fairly quickly.

Each server came with some useful tags, including distance and load indicators. This helped you to pick the best option for you and avoid lag and server crowding.

You didn’t need any additional options or settings for this. You just needed to make sure that you used one of the ZenMate servers under the “For torrenting” tab.

If you’re looking for an alternative to get your torrenting fix, consider our list of the best VPNs for torrenting. We’ve tested tens of VPNs to hand–pick the best providers at keeping you secure and anonymous while P2P file sharing.

Dedicated IP address

ZenMate VPN didn’t offer dedicated IP addresses at the time that we wrote our ZenMate review. The feature never made the cut before ZenMate stopped selling subscriptions. This was a shame, as dedicated IPs help to protect your privacy.

If everyone uses the same IP, it’s more difficult, although not impossible, to track data traffic back to one person. However, without dedicated IP addresses, the likelihood that you’re blocked by websites that reject proxies is much higher. CyberGhost offers dedicated IP addresses as part of its myriad of features.

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Our Experience With ZenMate VPN

ZenMate VPN was a very intuitive VPN that was easy for the average internet user to comprehend and navigate. Their website was to the point, and the software installation process was easily completed quickly.

The software itself was also user-friendly, although it had limited options. However, this was often a benefit for novice users or users who wanted to get started quickly without too much fuss. ZenMate’s VPN service was also affordable (though not the cheapest), and it was made more enticing by a 30-day money-back guarantee and seven-day free trial.

A big plus of ZenMate VPN was that it had separate servers for various streaming platforms, including Netflix and BBC iPlayer. There were also specialized servers for P2P traffic. By providing these specific servers, they made unblocking online content much easier, although the various Netflix servers didn’t always work.

According to their privacy statement, ZenMate VPN didn’t keep logs either. With all of this in mind, our ZenMate VPN review revealed that this was a decent VPN service provider that was especially useful for beginners and those looking to stream or torrent.

ZenMate VPN Review: Frequently Asked Questions

Below you’ll find answers to some frequently asked questions about ZenMate VPN. If you can’t find the answer to your question, please leave your question in the comments.

Does ZenMate work with (American) Netflix?

ZenMate VPN had specialized streaming servers that could ordinarily unblock Netflix. However, during our testing we noticed that we couldn’t unblock Netflix USA as easily as we had hoped.

Bear in mind that ZenMate is no longer available as a standalone VPN service. Now, you’ll have to either sign into CyberGhost with your existing ZenMate VPN credentials, or sign up to CyberGhost if you aren’t already a customer.

Can I download torrents with ZenMate?

ZenMate used to make it easy for you to download torrents. ZenMate had dedicated servers that were aimed at downloading files while keeping you safe and anonymous. However, since ZenMate merged with CyberGhost, you will have to log into CyberGhost to torrent now.

How much does ZenMate VPN cost?

ZenMate used to be a very affordable VPN with several subscriptions. The longer the subscription period you chose, the higher the discount. This resulted in you being able to get a three-year subscription for just $1.51 per month.

But you can no longer sign up for ZenMate, as the service has merged with CyberGhost. Fortunately, CyberGhost’s monthly subscription costs are a little over $2 per month on some plans!

Personal Opinions of VPNOverview’s Experts

“Was good for streaming and torrenting, but DNS leaks were hard to overlook”

7.8

Chris Bluvshtein

Senior Journalist

ZenMate VPN was an attractive option for people wanting to torrent or stream securely, and on optimized servers. While mostly secure, the DNS leak issue was frustrating. A little like buying a car that has all the bells and whistles, but you can’t shift into first gear. Fortunately, the merger with CyberGhost benefits everyone. CyberGhost’s one of the top VPNs you can get right now. If you already have ZenMate VPN, your service just got a major upgrade. If not? Subscribe to CyberGhost for one of the largest server networks, streaming–optimized connections, and robust online security.

Deal

ZenMate VPN is no longer available, but you can get a great VPN from CyberGhost instead

Visit ZenMate VPN (Discontinued)

No longer available