I tried Australia's favorite VPN for 24 hours — and it's only a few improvements away from being a superb free VPN | Tech Radar

Overview

I tried Australia's favorite VPN for 24 hours — and it's only a few improvements away from being a superb free VPN

It shot to second on the i OS App Store in the wake of age verification, but is it any good?

Details

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VPN — Super Unlimited Proxy has seen an unexpected rise in popularity in the wake of new Australian age verification measures.

The provider rose to second in the i OS App Store rankings within a matter of hours, and has seen considerable visibility on Android also.

To see if you should download it for yourself, I took it for a 24-hour test drive. While it’s not awful at first glance, it’s left me more frustrated compared to many of the best VPNs I’ve used. Here’s everything I found.

A free VPN has shot to second in Australia's i OS App Store rankings after the arrival of age verification — but here's the VPN you should get instead

The best Australia VPN: safe ways to secure yourself while travelling or navigating age verification measures

Australians are downloading these 3 VPNs right now, we find 1 of them a little concerning

The free VPN offers split tunneling, insecure Wi-Fi notifications, and a secure browser.

While that isn’t much, it’s more than you get from some trustworthy free VPNs. What’s more, the app is nice to look at, and you’re not stuck with 30-second ads like you are with Event VPN.

From the homescreen, you can quickly access its support hub, IKEv 2 and Open VPN protocol settings, and an impressive list of free server locations.

15 locations are available, spread across North and South America, Europe and Asia. While there’s little chance these locations are run from physical servers, it’s among the largest number of locations you’d find available with a free VPN, including top options like Proton VPN Free.

There are six server locations across the US, plus the ability to individually choose the server you use and see each server’s current latency. This makes the provider more customizable than most free VPNs, including Proton and Privado VPN Free.

The problems aren’t immediately visible after downloading the app. However, after some quick research, we found several privacy concerns that raised alarm bells.

Windscribe Free VPN review – a fast, but clunky, free VPN solution

We have a complete guide to the best VPNs for Australia. Each is super-secure, offers faster speeds, and has features that can secure you and your whole family.

This type of language is extremely uncommon among legitimate VPNs and seems at odds with a general privacy-preserving approach.

A deeper analysis of its Android app didn’t ease my concerns. We found it requests around double the number of permissions you’d expect from a trustworthy VPN and almost 30 trackers. Meanwhile, the best VPNs often use fewer than 10.

None of this definitively proves that VPN Super Unlimited Proxy is doing anything problematic with your data. However, it does suggest that it hasn’t been optimized for minimal possible data collection.

The biggest issue is, however, the VPN’s performance. Not only does the app take a long time to load, but attempting to establish a stable connection is near-impossible.

I tried connecting to several different servers, but could only achieve a minute of connectivity before being disconnected without warning or notification. This meant I couldn’t even connect for long enough to get a proper speed test result.

What frustrates me most is that VPN — Super Unlimited Proxy App has real potential.

Because of the significant drawbacks, however, you’re better off with Privado VPN Free and Windscribe Free. They offer far superior, more trustworthy VPN experiences. Plus, paid VPNs such as Surfshark and Proton VPN are more secure and cheaper than VPN — Super Unlimited Proxy App on long-term plans.

In short, if you’re serious about protecting your data in Australia, it's probably best to look elsewhere.

Rob is Tech Radar's VPN Editor. Coming from a background in phones and technology, he's no stranger to the risks that come with putting yourself online. Over years of using different platforms, testing the limits of his online persona, and feeling the brunt of several data breaches, Rob has gained a keen understanding of cybersecurity and the benefits of services such as VPNs in providing a secure online experience. He uses this to not only advise on the best ways to stay secure online but also share his own experiences and especially how to avoid trouble. Outside of work, you'll find Rob on the tennis courts, in the gym, or diving into the biggest and best games of the year. To share a story or tip, email robert.dunne@futurenet.com

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Key Takeaways

• I tried Australia's favorite VPN for 24 hours — and it's only a few improvements away from being a superb free VPN

• It shot to second on the i OS App Store in the wake of age verification, but is it any good

• When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission

• VPN — Super Unlimited Proxy has seen an unexpected rise in popularity in the wake of new Australian age verification measures

• The provider rose to second in the i OS App Store rankings within a matter of hours, and has seen considerable visibility on Android also