SkyVPN Review

SkyVPN is a Hong Kong-based VPN provider that offers basic services free of charge, allows you to earn free traffic by completing simple tasks, and features several paid plans. This multi-platform service boasts 20 million users and claims to provide fast and stable connection speeds and completely secure and anonymous browsing. At first glance, however, its limited server network and the lack of some important information on the website made us doubt the validity of these claims. After testing the service, we bring you our impressions in this honest SkyVPN review.

Interface

Whether you choose to use the service on Android, iOS, Mac or Windows PC, you will have no problem installing the app. You can use the basic free plan without creating an account. When you decide to create your SkyVPN account, all you need to provide is your email and password.

SkyVPN features a simple and user-friendly interface. There is a big button in the middle that connects you to your chosen server. Above, you will see the server that is currently selected. When you click on it, you will get a drop-down list of available server locations. When you are connected to the service, the message ‘VPN is ON’ is shown under the connect/disconnect button. You enter the menu by clicking on the icon in the top left corner. If you want to upgrade to a paid plan, you can easily do it from the app by choosing one of the available options. Overall, the interface looks fresh, performs well, and is very easy to use.

Performance And Reliability

SkyVPN’s server network is severely limited, with just 10+ server locations in Europe, North America, Asia, and Australia. This is indeed a poor network, especially if you consider that more popular VPN providers offer hundreds or thousands of servers worldwide.

While any VPN will slow down your connection to a certain extent, we are sad to inform you that the speeds you can expect from SkyVPN are far below average. The results of our speed test were very disappointing, placing SkyVPN among the slowest of the VPNs we tested so far.

DNS leak testing is another crucial area where SkyVPN fails to impress. One of the basic functions of a VPN is to enable its users to stay completely anonymous while surfing the web. Sadly, SkyVPN is not very reliable in that regard.

Multi-Platform

SkyVPN was originally developed for smartphones and later adapted for PCs. It is a multi-platform VPN solution optimized to work with major operating systems. A dedicated app is available for Windows, MacOS, Android, and iOS. However, routers and SmartTVs are not supported.

Features

SkyVPN is far from a feature-rich VPN service and, as such, it will not meet the needs of more demanding users. However, it may be good enough for beginners and inexperienced users as it is quite simple and straightforward.

While you can use the mobile version for free, only a server in the US is available with the basic free plan. To earn more free traffic and unlock additional servers, you need to fulfill specified tasks, such as creating an account, watching promotional videos or inviting friends to join the service. SkyVPN does not currently offer free services on PCs, but 500 MB of free data is available to users who want to try out this VPN on their desktop or laptop computers.

Users who want to experience the full potential of SkyVPN have to upgrade to one of the paid plans. With one subscription, you can use your SkyVPN account on up to 5 devices at the same time.

SkyVPN enables users to break out of a restrictive WiFi network at work/school. With this service, you can bypass geographic restrictions and access restricted websites, apps, and social media platforms. You will be happy to hear that Netflix and Hulu are supported. Unfortunately, P2P and torrenting are not allowed on US, UK, CA, and FR servers. Your account may be terminated if you use these servers for torrenting.

Although SkyVPN promises unlimited bandwidth, the service agreement contains a “fair use policy,” which states that SkyVPN has the right to throttle or terminate your account for the remainder of the billing cycle if you exceed “reasonable bandwidth.” According to SkyVPN, the reasonable usage limit is only 600MB of traffic per day!

Security And Privacy

Aside from vague claims about “multiple protocol support” and “military-grade security,” SkyVPN offers no specific information about the protocols used, which is not a good sign. This VPN provider uses secure 256-bit AES encryption, but users cannot choose their desired protocol type. Unfortunately, an Internet killswitch is not included.

It is good to know that SkyVPN respects your privacy and has a strict no-logging policy. It does not keep any connection or activity logs. As we mentioned earlier in this SkyVPN review, as a free user, you do not even need to register an account. An email address and password are the only information you need to provide when creating an account.

Support

SkyVPN could do better when it comes to customer support. The company website features a FAQ section that includes general information on VPN services, instructions on setting up SkyVPN on Windows, MacOS, Android, and iPhone, and basic information on using the service. You can contact the customer support team via email. There is also a “live chat” option on the website, but it is almost never available. You can connect with SkyVPN on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

Pricing Options

When it comes to the paid plans, SkyVPN offers a one-month subscription for $10.99. If you subscribe to use the service for 12 months, you pay $59.88 ($4.99 per month). Unlimited lifetime access to SkyVPN services will cost you $199.99.

The payment options at your disposal include credit cards and PayPal. Unfortunately, you cannot use anonymous payment options, such as Bitcoin.

As mentioned earlier, you can get 500 MB of free data to try out SkyVPN on your PC. The service offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. If you decide to cancel your account within 30 days of purchase, you will receive a full refund in USD. However, bear in mind that iTunes/App Store refund policies apply to subscriptions purchased through the iTunes/App Store, which means that you have to contact the store support to request a refund.

SkyVPN’s Pros & Cons

As we wrap up this SkyVPN review, here’s a quick overview of the features that wowed us and the aspects of the service that could use some improvement.