Smart DNS Proxy Review

Smart DNS Proxy is a service brought to you by Global Stealth Inc., a company that has been providing online security and anonymity to high-profile clients such as Apple, Microsoft, and IBM for more than 20 years. Smart DNS Proxy’s main purpose is unblocking websites and streaming services and it provides both Smart DNS and VPN services. In this Smart DNS Proxy review, we explore this service’s advantages in comparison to standard VPN services and point to its potential shortcomings.

Interface

Smart DNS Proxy’s DNS service has no client and thus no interface to talk about. You simply set it up via your device’s network settings and you are good to go. The official website of the service offers incredibly helpful and user-friendly setup guides for all types of supported devices, with videos that guide you through every step of the process. These videos even offer solutions to the most common problems that users face when setting up Smart DNS Proxy, so you are more than likely to easily get it running in a matter of minutes, even if some issues arise along the way.

When it comes to its recently launched VPN service, there are apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android, but they are still in the beta testing phase and not fully functional, so we suggest opting for manual setup, using the guides provided on the website. However, this may not be the best option for less experienced users.

Performance And Reliability

Smart DNS Proxy has multiple Smart DNS servers in around 30 locations all over the world, including the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, Spain, and the Netherlands, as well as some less popular locations such as South Africa. Its VPN servers are somewhat more numerous and found in around 40 locations around the globe, including Africa.

The speeds and performance highly depend on whether you are using Smart DNS Proxy’s Smart DNS service or VPN service. If you opt for the Smart DNS service, you are sure to enjoy great speeds and smooth performance, as well as no DNS leaks. On the other hand, its fledgling VPN service does not provide such an excellent user experience and the speeds can fall below average, but we hope that the situation will change soon.

Multi-Platform

One of the main advantages of the company’s Smart DNS service is its great device compatibility. It works on all major operating systems and platforms, including Windows, Mac, Ubuntu, Chromebook, Android, iOS, Smart TVs, set-top boxes, gaming consoles, and routers.

The VPN service is not characterized by such impressive compatibility, but it does work on Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Ubuntu, and routers. It can be used on 5 devices at the same time.

Features

As we have mentioned several times throughout this Smart DNS Proxy review, this service allows you to enjoy the benefits of both Smart DNS and VPN technology, although its VPN has not yet reached the level of functionality that would satisfy our strict criteria. However, there are a couple of features that could make this VPN interesting, given that it reaches its full potential.

Smart DNS Proxy’s VPN allows you to enjoy unlimited bandwidth and speed, zero logs, and strong encryption. It allows you to stay safe while connected to public WiFis and 5 simultaneous connections are a nice touch. It also allows torrenting, which is a big plus for a large number of VPN users. However, until the apps are fully developed, we cannot say we are too satisfied.

On the other hand, the Smart DNS service works perfectly and allows you to bypass geo-restrictions with ease. The speeds are amazing and you can access more than 300 streaming services in 29 countries around the world. This service does everything it is supposed to do and it is definitely one of the best Smart DNS services currently on the market.

Security And Privacy

Smart DNS Proxy’s DNS service does not encrypt your data or change your IP address. That is why it does not provide the kind of security and anonymity you can expect from a VPN. It only promises to allow you to bypass geo-restrictions and enjoy great speeds, not maximize your privacy and security.

As far as the VPN service is concerned, there is not enough information on the kind of privacy it provides, apart from the fact that it keeps no logs. The protocols used include PPTP, L2TP, SSTP, and OpenVPN, as well as IKEv1 protocol for older devices and IKEv2 as an alternative to L2TP. OpenVPN and SSTP provide 2048-bit encryption, IKEv2 and L2TP provide 256-bit encryption, and PPTP provides the least secure, 128-bit encryption. As always, we suggest going with OpenVPN in order to enjoy the highest level of security.

Support

Smart DNS Proxy has an excellent support section with dozens of articles categorized by nearly 30 topics. Finding the answer you need is facilitated by the handy search option. If you need the help of an expert, you can easily get in touch with the support staff via its 24/7 live chat. The staff is quick to respond and rather knowledgeable as far as general topics are concerned, so do not hesitate to reach out to them whenever you have an issue with the performance of the service or need additional information about it. If you are not in a rush, you can also reach out to them via email or the contact form available in the Contact Us section of the website.

Pricing Options

The service offers 4 subscription plans, with great discounts on longer subscriptions. You can opt for the monthly, 3-month, annual or bi-annual subscription. With the monthly option, you pay $5.90 per month. The 3-month option allows you to enjoy a 12% discount and pay $4.30 per month. The yearly subscription comes with a 32% discount and costs $3.33 per month while the 2-year subscription brings you a 58% discount, so you pay only $2.08 per month. However, we suggest you go for the Life time subscription that’s just $200.

No matter which plan you choose, you get to enjoy a 14-day free trial, so you have 2 weeks to make up your mind before making a purchase. The subscriptions also come with a 30-day money back guarantee.

Accepted payment methods include PayPal and MasterCard, Visa, American Express, and Discover credit cards.

Smart DNS Proxy Pros & Cons

Finishing off this Smart DNS Proxy review, here’s a quick overview of the features that wowed us and the aspects of the service that could use some improvement.