Zenmate VPN Overview 

ZenMate VPN - WiFi Security - Apps on Google Play
ZanMate Vpn Review

ZenMate has been around for years, but it’s still not as popular in comparison to industry heavyweights like ExpressVPN. Yet with low prices of only $1.99 per month, ZenMate appears to be a great bargain for a premium VPN service.

I wanted to see if there was a catch, so I put ZenMate to the test. I rigorously tested its speeds, server network, streaming capabilities, customer support, and security and privacy features.

In short, ZenMate is a solid VPN but I was disappointed by the inconsistent features across each device. The Windows app is packed with the most features — except you can’t use the WireGuard protocol. The Android app has WireGuard, but no IPv6 or DNS leak protection. The Mac and iOS apps lack the most features with no leak protection, no WireGuard, and no browser extension for Safari (only Chrome, Edge, and Firefox extensions are available).

If you’re curious whether ZenMate has the power and versatility you need, I’ve shared all my testing results below. However, you can also just try ZenMate risk-free with the 30-day money-back guarantee. That gives you plenty of time to test out every feature for yourself before committing to a subscription.

ZenMate Works With Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu and More

ZenMate has streaming-optimized servers for specific countries and platforms. You can access the streaming-optimized servers on the Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS apps.

In tests, ZenMate’s optimized servers had no issues accessing the following streaming services:

  • US: ESPN+, Comedy Central, NBC, Android TV, Crunchyroll, SlingTV, YouTube
  • Canada: CBC
  • Germany: 7TV, ARD, ZDF, Zattoo DE, Android TV, and more
  • Austria: ORF, Servus TV
  • Italy: Rai Play Diretta
  • France: TF1, France TV, Europe1, RTL, Radio France, 6 Play
  • Finland: Yle
  • Brazil: Fox Sport, Globo, Globo Sport TV
  • India: Disney+ Hotstar
Unfortunately, Zenmate failed to work with HBO Max.

Netflix: Unblocked

ZenMate works with Netflix US, Canada, Germany, France, Japan, Italy, and Australia. I was especially impressed to find both the streaming-optimized and regular servers worked and were fast enough for HD quality.

Amazon Prime Video: Unblocked

ZenMate instantly unblocked Amazon Prime Video US on both the optimized server and regular servers. Episodes played all the way through without any buffering or pixelated video.

Hulu: Unblocked

There are no Hulu-optimized streaming servers, but I could access Hulu with a regular US server. I watched the show Nine Perfect Strangers in SD (sadly, it never loaded in HD throughout the entire episode).

Is ZenMate Good for Gaming? (Average)

I connected to ZenMate servers both near and far to play Dota 2. I had no problem finding servers with high speeds, but low ping was tricky.

A high ping rate means it takes your device longer to communicate with a server — and in the worst-case scenario, it can cause enough lag for you to lose a battle.

If you’re a hardcore gamer, I wouldn’t recommend ZenMate as your go-to VPN for gaming. In the same tests, ExpressVPN had the fastest speeds and lowest ping on its global servers. This easily makes it an ideal VPN for all types of online games, including Call of Duty: Warzone, PUBG Mobile, and more.

Is ZenMate Any Good for Torrenting? (Yes)

It’s a great choice. ZenMate has torrenting-optimized servers for secure P2P file-sharing — just click on its For Torrenting tab in the VPN app. These servers are optimized for fast speeds and compatibility with torrent clients like BitTorrent, uTorrent, Deluge, and Transmission.

In my tests, I connected a torrenting-optimized server in the US and downloaded 2GB of public-domain books in just a few minutes. There are other servers in the UK, Canada, Germany, Italy, and more.

You can also use the regular servers for torrenting — even though your speeds might not be as fast, you’ll be protected by ZenMate’s built-in leak protection, military-grade encryption, and no-logs servers.

Note: The torrenting-optimized servers are only available on the Windows and Mac apps. 

VPN Protocols — OpenVPN, IKEv2, and WireGuard

Your choice of protocol depends on your device. I would prefer more customization and consistency for each device, although all the available protocol options are still the best on the market.

  • Windows: OpenVPN and IKEv2
  • Mac: IKEv2
  • Android: OpenVPN and WireGuard
  • iOS: IKEv2
  • Linux: OpenVPN

OpenVPN and WireGuard are both open-source protocols and considered to be the industry gold standard. OpenVPN has been around for longer so it’s considered highly secure, but WireGuard offers much faster speeds. IKEv2 is another solid option — while it’s not as fast as OpenVPN or WireGuard, it works best on mobile devices.

I was disappointed that ZenMate doesn’t offer the WireGuard protocol, which has been released by all other premium VPN services. ExpressVPN has even taken a step further and offered its own Lightway proprietary protocol to rival WireGuard. 

Privacy Features

I carefully read the privacy statement and ZenMate has a strict no-logs policy. As soon as you connect to a server, none of your browsing or download history, location, and personal data is logged, stored, or shared with any third parties.

Some non-identifying data is collected for analytical purposes when you’re using the website. Your email address is also collected if you’ve signed up for optional marketing emails. However, this is normal for any website and nothing to be concerned about.

The major downside is that ZenMate hasn’t undergone a third-party review. This is common practice with industry-leading VPNs as it proves their privacy claims. For instance, ExpressVPN’s no-logs policy has even been verified by global auditing firm PwC. 

Final Verdict

ZenMate is a budget-friendly VPN that gets the job done. it has decent speeds and all the key security and privacy features I look for in a premium VPN — including a no-logs policy, military-grade encryption, leak protection, and the WireGuard, OpenVPN, and IKEv2 protocols. You can even connect to streaming and torrenting-optimized servers.

However, not every feature is available on every app. The Windows app is packed with the most features and the Android app comes up second, but the Mac and iOS apps severely pale in comparison. If you like to have maximum protection on your desktop and smartphone, you’re not likely to be satisfied with ZenMate.

That said, ZenMate has an extremely low price of only $1.99 per month when you sign up for the 18-month plan. You can even use it on an unlimited number of devices at once, which makes it great value for money.

It’s completely risk-free when you download ZenMate and take advantage of the 30-day money-back guarantee. You can test out every feature and see if it’s a good fit for your needs. If you change your mind later, you can easily get a full refund. I tested this myself and I got my money back quickly with no issues.