Unblockr Review - Why We Don't Recommend It

To be completely honest with you from the very beginning, Unblockr is overall a VPN you need to stay away from, and we are about to show you why. 

What Is Unblockr?

Unblockr is a new privacy company that offers two privacy tools: a Virtual Private Network (VPN) and a DNS service. While the website looks very promising, the reality of things is quite different. Most of the services and features you expect to see in a VPN are either not available or not mentioned on the website. We will get to that in detail. 

What is the difference between a VPN and a DNS service?

VPN stands for virtual private network. A VPN directs your IP address through a set of servers it has in any country you want to switch your IP address to. A VPN supposedly creates an exceptional level of security and privacy for you while you surf the internet; this protects you from hackers or anyone who might want to track your data and internet traffic. 

DNS stands for domain name system. Every time you visit a website, your local internet service provider keeps track of your every move and notes your activity down, saving it and storing it in their system. A DNS service will give you a different IP address so that your local ISP will not be able to track your activity. 

All in all, a VPN is much more secure than a DNS service. DNS should be used for general surfing of the internet, while a VPN can be used for many purposes, including bypassing geo-restrictions while staying completely hidden.
 

Unblockr Features

In this section, we will go over all the features that Unblockr has, and even the ones it lacks. We will also explain the importance of each feature so you can judge for yourself whether you want to choose it or not.

Privacy and security

Based country

One of the first things one needs to know about a VPN is where it is located. This is needed so you can know whether it is located inside of outside the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliance. Countries inside the eyes alliance spy on their citizens and can have a full log of their activity on the internet. They also have an agreement between each other where they all agree to share this info between each other if needed or if requested.

As for Unblockr, no one knows where it is located; nothing is mentioned on the website to indicate anything about its whereabouts. The only thing we know is that their prices are listed in pounds (£) which might or might not mean that they are located in the UK. Of course this lack of info about their country of origin is a red flag when it comes to privacy.

Log policy

If a VPN states they have a true no-log policy, it means they do not collect any data or info of their customers at all; not even your email address or billing address. This gives you assurance that no one is tracking you or your activity. 

As for Unblockr, they stated clearly that they do in fact collect their customers' info, which is very concerning. 

Encryption

The top leading VPNs usually use the AES 256-bit encryption, which is the highest level of encryption. Governments, banks, and even military bases use this type of encryption to protect their top-secret info. Some other VPNs provide the AES 128-bit encryption; even though it is not as strong and secure as the AES 256-bit encryption, it is still very secure. 

As for Unblockr, no one knows what type of encryption they use to keep your data safe. Nothing is mentioned on the website or even after subscribing with them. 

Protocols

In the VPN world, so many protocols exist. Differences between protocols make the difference in how secure a VPN is, how fast, and whether it can bypass geo-censorship and geo-restrictions. Typically, the trade-off is between speed and security, as each protocol excels in some aspect while slightly compromising other aspects. The most commonly used protocols include PPTP, L2TP/IPSec, OpenVPN, SSTP, and IKEv2.

Kill switch

A kill switch is a very important feature you find in good VPNs. A kill switch is vital for your privacy; when you connect to a VPN, you might at times experience a sudden drop in your VPN connection, which can be a threat for you, because then your actual IP address would get exposed. A kill switch will automatically sever your connection to the internet in case your VPN connection drops unexpectedly.

As for Unblockr, they did not say anything about having a kill switch.

Warrant canary

A warrant canary is a VPN's indirect method to warn customers of governmental attempts to subpoena. The presence of the warrant on the company's official website means the local government hasn't yet asked the VPN company to hand in the info of any customer. If the warrant canary is removed from the company's page, it means they were asked. The warrant canary is a good feature that can give you more assurance. 

As for Unblockr, it does not have a warrant canary on the website. 
 

Number of servers and geographic distribution

Some VPNs on the market offer a small number of servers, like WeVPN that has 100 servers; some other VPNs offer a vast number of servers like Private Internet Access that has 35,000+ servers in more than 77 countries.

As for Unblockr VPN, no info is available regarding how many servers they offer and what countries these servers cover. However, we know that Unblockr DNS offers 3 servers across the US, the UK, and Canada.
 

Plans and pricing
 

Unblockr offers three plans, as shown in the photo:

• 1-month plan - for £2
• 6-month plan - for £10 (£1.66 per month)
• 1-year plan - £20 (£1.66 per month)

Unblockr has a 7-day free trial where you can try its service for free, and without having to enter your billing info. 

Speaking of payment, Unblockr does not support credit cards, debit cards, e-wallets, or cryptocurrency; you can only pay through your PayPal account. Any payment you make has a 7-day refund guarantee.

Keeping everything in mind, Unblockr basically has none of the feature that you need in a VPN. So if you still think you want to use it, it's at your own risk.
 

Unblockr Alternatives

Features in a good VPN

After showing you all the aspects in which Unblockr is lacking, we ought to show you all the features you need to look for in a VPN to consider it good. Some of the features that need to be in a good VPN include:

• AES-256-bit Encryption: This is the strongest data encryption; it is so strong that governments, banks, military bases, and other official parties use it to protect their most confidential info.
• Zero-logging Policy: A no-log policy denies third-party apps access to your info, as the VPN itself will never save your login info and internet traffic.
• Servers run on RAM (No data is written on hard drives): This gives you more security by storing your data on RAM servers that get erased every time the server is rebooted.
• Kill-Switch: A kill switch is a feature that severs your internet connection if your VPN connection drops suddenly, preventing your real IP address from being exposed.
• Split Tunneling: This feature will allow you to choose which apps run on the VPN server and which ones stay on the public network.
• Unblocking streaming services, such as Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, HBO Go, and so on.

Choosing a good VPN also depends on the quality of the customer service of the company, the devices the VPN is compatible with, the languages supported by the VPN provider, and the prices.
 

Recommended VPNs

We will now recommend you some great VPNs and show you their best deals. All the following VPNs have been tested by us, and have all scored top points when it came to the features mentioned above.

1. CyberGhost - With their 3-year plan, you will be charged $2.25/month, billed $87.75 every three years. 
2. Surfshark - With the 2-year plan, you will be charged $59.76.
3. IPVanish - With the 2-year plan, you will pay $2.62/month ($31.49/year) for the first year and $89.99/year for the renewal price.
4. Private Internet Access - Their best plan is the two-year plan for $69.95 ($2.69/month).