Planet VPN Review: Quick Expert Summary
Planet VPN safeguards user data through a comprehensive set of industry-standard VPN security features, including 256-bit AES encryption, a kill switch, defense against DNS and WebRTC leaks, and a commitment to a no-logs policy. Its user-friendly interface and support for 10 simultaneous connections make it an excellent option for individuals with numerous devices or those residing in large households.
Unfortunately, Planet VPN has some serious problems. First, its desktop apps repeatedly freeze and crash, which is extremely annoying. Plus, it’s not good for streaming — my international team and I tested Planet VPN with popular streaming sites like Disney+, Hulu, and BBC iPlayer, and we were unable to access our accounts while connected to servers in our own country. And, Planet VPN is missing extra features like split-tunneling and an ad blocker, and it has very poor customer support. In addition, you qualify for a full refund only if the support team can’t resolve the specific issue that has caused your dissatisfaction.
Planet VPN offers a complimentary plan along with cost-effective monthly and annual subscription options. The annual plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee, providing added assurance, while the monthly plan is supported by a 14-day money-back guarantee for flexibility.
Overall Rakn | 58 out of 105 VPNs |
Number of Servers | 1.260+ |
Number fo Devices | 10 |
Starting Price | $1.99/month |
Free Plan | ✅ |
Money-Back Guarantee | 30 days (for 1- and 3-year plans); 14 days (for 1-month plan) |
Planet VPN Full Review
I spent a few weeks testing and researching Planet VPN to see how it compares to the best VPNs on the market. It has a free version that requires no sign-up and a premium version.
I like Planet VPN for torrenting. Its premium version supports P2P traffic on servers in 1,260+ countries, it works with the top torrenting apps, and it has very fast downloads. Plus, Planet VPN is secure and has a good no-logs policy.
Nevertheless, its applications exhibit glitches, and it lacks compatibility with popular streaming platforms such as Disney+, Hulu, and others. The absence of additional security features like split-tunneling and subpar customer support further contribute to its drawbacks.
In summary, Planet VPN stands as a satisfactory VPN option, offering commendable speeds for fundamental web browsing and file downloads. However, it falls short in delivering advanced security features and other essential tools typically found in leading VPN services
Planet VPN Features
Planet VPN has the following industry-standard security features:
- 256-bit AES encryption — Planet VPN protects your data with bank-grade encryption.
- No-logs policy — Planet VPN doesn’t record your IP address and online traffic.
- Kill switch — This feature disables your internet if your VPN connection drops, protecting you from traffic leaks.
Planet VPN uses OpenVPN, IKEv2/IPSec, PPTP, and L2TP protocols. They’re all relatively fast, but PPTP and L2TP are not as secure. I’d like to see Planet VPN add WireGuard, which is faster than OpenVPN and IKEv2/IPSec and more secure than PPTP and L2TP
I appreciate Planet VPN’s inclusion of built-in safeguards against DNS and WebRTC leaks, coupled with the convenience of offering complimentary DNS and WebRTC leak tests on its website. However, it’s worth noting that ensuring protection against IPv6 leaks requires the manual disabling of IPv6 on your device, which can be somewhat inconvenient. Nevertheless, after conducting thorough leak tests using both Planet VPN’s tools and a third-party leak test site across servers in over 10 countries, I found that Planet VPN exhibited no issues.
Planet VPN doesn’t have any additional in-app features, but there are a few extra features that you can access on its website:
- Virus scan. Planet VPN has a free virus scan for files and URLs but the feature is buggy. When I tested it, I received a scan of a file I entered after a few minutes, and it appeared that it didn’t find any viruses from dozens of known malware programs. When I tried a scan of a URL, however, I never got a result. In both cases, the Check button never worked; I only got results by clicking on the blue right-arrow button. I emailed customer support about this flaw, but I didn’t get a reply.
- Password generator. Planet VPN lets you automatically generate secure passwords. The free password generator is easy to use and allows you to customize passwords up to 20 characters long and you can include a mix of upper- and lower-case letters, digits, and symbols.
Planet VPN Privacy & Security
Planet VPN has a clear no-logs policy — it doesn’t log any personal information like your IP address, websites you visit, or files you download. Planet VPN only collects your email address when you create an account. While it’s great that Planet VPN has a strict no-logs policy,
Based in Dominica, a small Caribbean island, Planet VPN operates outside the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliances—a coalition of nations that collaborate on surveillance data sharing.
Overall, Planet VPN has a strict no-logs policy and is located in a country outside the jurisdiction of the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliances.
Planet VPN Speed & Performance
I ran speed tests on my Windows PC on servers in all 60 countries I conducted speed tests with Planet VPN, utilizing a server to assess my VPN speeds. Optimal speeds were achieved when connected to local servers in Romania and neighboring European countries. Furthermore, I sustained satisfactory speeds for both browsing and torrenting even on servers located at a distance in the US, Canada, Brazil, Japan, Saudi Arabia, and Peru.
Initially, I conducted a speed test without establishing a connection to the VPN to establish a baseline for my internet speeds.
And here are my speeds while connected to a server in the US:
In general, I found Planet VPN’s speeds to be satisfactory, maintaining consistently fast performance across both local and distant servers.
Utilizing a local server led to an 89% reduction in my speeds, but given Romania’s high-speed internet, the impact was minimal. Websites and 4K videos loaded instantly, with no buffering even when skipping through videos.
Connecting to distant servers in the US and Peru resulted in websites loading within 5 seconds, 4K videos within 10 seconds, and only minor buffering during video skipping.
Despite these variations, download speeds remained consistently fast on all servers. As an example, I successfully downloaded a 22 GB torrent file in approximately 25–30 minutes while connected to a US server.
Planet VPN Servers & IP Addresses
With a presence in 60 countries and a total of 1,260+ servers, Planet VPN’s server network, though more compact compared to leading VPNs like ExpressVPN and CyberGhost VPN, covers a diverse range of global locations. Despite the smaller count, the strategic distribution ensures that users can easily locate nearby servers for optimal speed performance.
I appreciate that Planet VPN provides a server load indicator, revealing the number of active users on a VPN server for quick speed assessment. Through testing, I observed that servers with a low load percentage exhibited significantly faster speeds compared to those with medium or high loads. The color-coded system, denoting green for low load, yellow for medium load, and red for high load, aids users in identifying optimal servers. Unfortunately, this server load information is not available on the Android and iOS platforms.
For premium subscribers, Planet VPN enables torrenting on servers across 60 countries, a network size smaller than top-tier VPNs. Despite the network’s size, my testing revealed consistently fast torrenting speeds and download times across all server locations.
In summary, while Planet VPN’s server network is smaller compared to leading VPNs, its global coverage ensures easy access to nearby servers for fast speeds. Additionally, it supports torrenting on servers in 25+ countries, enhancing its versatility for users seeking diverse options.
Planet VPN Streaming & Torrenting
When it comes to streaming, Planet VPN falls short in comparison — during tests conducted by my international team in our respective home countries, we found success only with Netflix and Amazon Prime. Unfortunately, attempts to access accounts on Hulu, Disney+, or BBC iPlayer were unsuccessful. However, Planet VPN demonstrated compatibility with lesser-known platforms such as Sony Crackle, Crunchyroll, and CBC.
Planet VPN excels in facilitating torrenting activities, offering support for P2P traffic in 60 countries, encompassing locations like Germany, France, the Netherlands, Australia, and India. It’s worth noting, however, that P2P support is notably absent in the US and UK. Additionally, Planet VPN seamlessly integrates with various popular torrent clients, with optimal speeds observed when using qBittorrent.
In summary, Planet VPN falls short in the streaming department but excels in the realm of torrenting. Although it lacks compatibility with major streaming platforms such as Disney+, Hulu, and BBC iPlayer, Planet VPN shines with its support for torrenting in 60 countries and seamless integration with leading torrent clients.
Planet VPN Plans & Pricing
Planet VPN provides a range of subscription options, including a free plan, monthly, 1-year, and 3-year plans. Notably, each plan, even the free one, permits 10 simultaneous connections, surpassing the industry average of 5–7 connections.
The free plan offers decent features, allowing connections to 5 server locations, unlimited data usage, and compatibility with major operating systems and browser extensions.
While Planet VPN’s monthly and yearly plans are competitively priced, including a budget-friendly option at $1.99 per month, competing VPNs outshine it in terms of overall value. These rivals typically offer feature-rich apps, user-friendly interfaces, broader streaming site compatibility, and superior customer support.
Payment options are diverse, accepting major credit cards and over 20 cryptocurrencies. It’s essential to note that cryptocurrency payments are non-refundable. The 1-month plan comes with a 14-day money-back guarantee, while the 1-year and 3-year plans offer a 30-day money-back guarantee. However, obtaining an automatic refund is not possible; the refund policy stipulates that your request will only be considered if the support team is unable to resolve your issue.
In conclusion, Planet VPN boasts economical plans with the added benefit of allowing 10 simultaneous connections on all plans, coupled with a money-back guarantee to enhance user satisfaction.
Planet VPN Ease of Use: Mobile & Desktop Apps
Planet VPN has apps for iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, and Linux, as well as browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox, and it even works on routers.
The desktop applications showcase user-friendly design, and I appreciate the informative nature of the apps explaining the functionality of the kill switch option. However, during my evaluations, I encountered instances where both the Windows and macOS applications would intermittently freeze, necessitating the closure, restart, or even uninstallation and reinstallation of the app.
On the other hand, the mobile applications offer straightforward navigation, accompanied by concise explanations for their settings. Remarkably, the iOS app includes a kill switch, a rarity for iOS. Notably, the mobile apps exhibited greater stability compared to their desktop counterparts.
It’s worth mentioning that all the VPNs listed in our compilation of the best VPNs for 2024 feature excellent apps with clean designs, devoid of any operational issues.
In summary, while Planet VPN’s desktop apps tend to experience freezing and crashing, the mobile and desktop counterparts are comparatively more stable and user-friendly.
Planet VPN Customer Support
Planet VPN falls short in terms of customer support, displaying significant weaknesses. The email support provided is subpar, lacking live chat, support guides, or a frequently asked questions (FAQs) section.
During my interactions with Planet VPN’s email support, I found the responsiveness to be inconsistent. While responses were generally received within a reasonable 24-hour timeframe, the quality varied. Often, the replies felt generic and failed to directly address my specific inquiries. Particularly in emails with multiple questions, representatives tended to address only the first query, neglecting the rest. Additionally, there were instances where I received no response at all.
In essence, Planet VPN’s customer support, primarily through email, proves to be inadequate, displaying a need for improvement in terms of responsiveness and addressing user queries comprehensively.
Is Planet VPN Secure & Fast in 2024?
Planet VPN is secure with pretty good speeds Primarily used for torrenting, web browsing, and occasional streaming, Planet VPN exhibits reliability in securely downloading files and navigating the internet at reasonable speeds. However, beyond these functionalities, its overall dependability is limited.
Planet VPN’s applications often encounter glitches, leading to occasional freezing or crashing. Additionally, it lacks advanced security features, misses out on extras like split-tunneling, and faces compatibility issues with major streaming platforms such as Disney+. Moreover, its customer support is minimal.
However, on a positive note, Planet VPN does incorporate standard VPN security features, including 256-bit encryption, a kill switch, a strict no-logs policy, and safeguards against DNS and WebRTC leaks.
Furthermore, Planet VPN stands out by allowing 10 simultaneous connections on a single account, providing a free plan, and offering cost-effective monthly and yearly subscription options. The service also extends a 14-day or 30-day money-back guarantee based on the selected plan duration.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Planet VPN safe?
Certainly, Planet VPN incorporates all the essential VPN security features to safeguard your data, employing robust measures such as 256-bit AES encryption, a stringent no-logs policy, and an efficient kill switch. Additionally, it ensures comprehensive leak protection and utilizes secure protocols, namely OpenVPN and IKEv2/IPSec.
Is Planet VPN free?
Certainly, Planet VPN offers both free and paid subscription options. Notably, its free plan stands out from most counterparts by lacking traffic, bandwidth, or time restrictions, and it requires no personal information for usage, a notable advantage. Furthermore, similar to the paid plans, the free option permits up to 10 simultaneous connections. However, it’s important to be aware that the free plan is ad-supported.
Nonetheless, I advise against utilizing either Planet VPN’s free service or its paid subscriptions due to the absence of advanced security features, a relatively limited server network, and unreliable compatibility with major streaming platforms. Instead,I recommend getting an affordable premium service like NordVPN
Is Planet VPN good for torrenting ?
Certainly, Planet VPN proves to be a viable choice for torrenting, permitting P2P traffic across all servers and seamlessly integrating with leading torrent clients such as BitTorrent, Deluge, and Vuze. It boasts rapid download speeds while ensuring user safety through bank-grade encryption, a reliable kill switch, a strict no-logs policy, and comprehensive leak protection. Nevertheless, it’s essential to note that there are more superior VPN options available specifically tailored for torrenting purposes.
Yes, Planet VPN works with Netflix. In my tests, I was able to log into my home Netflix account from my home country and watch all my favorite shows. Unfortunately, my international team and I found that Planet VPN isn’t compatible with many other popular streming sites, including Max, Hulu, Disney+, and BBC iPlayer.
My favorite VPN for watching Netflix (and all of the top streaming services) is PureVPN
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