Speed | 8.0 / 10 |
Servers | 7.1 / 10 |
User Experience | 8.6 / 10 |
Support | 8.6 / 10 |
Pricing | 8.0 / 10 |
Banana VPN Review 2024: Before You Buy, Is It Worth It?
Banana VPN Overview
If you’re in a hurry, here’s the bottom line — You can get more servers globally, better VPN features, and 24/7 customer support with Surfshark for the same price or less. So why bother reading on?!
Banana VPN is, in its essence, a very simple VPN for users who prioritize content unblocking and censorship bypassing over advanced security.
Since its establishment in 2007, Banana VPN has gained popularity across Asia and the Middle East. It boasts a reliable server network, albeit not extensive.
Services that may be restricted for you, such as Facebook or Skype, are easily accessed with Banana VPN. The same goes for geoblocked US/UK streaming platforms — however, Netflix is currently off-limits.
Banana VPN isn’t as well-equipped as some of the top-shelf providers out there. The 128-bit encryption, while passable, isn’t the best you can get, and the UK headquarters of the VPN’s parent company isn’t the ideal location for privacy-conscious users. Moreover, this provider clearly states that bandwidth logs are kept in their system for 2 weeks.
Other drawbacks include the lack of a kill switch and P2P support — for a VPN that costs as much as the industry leaders, these features are sorely missed. On the upside, you get responsive support (albeit not 24/7), plus a 3-day refund window in case you end up with buyer’s remorse.
So, is Banana VPN worth it? If you’re after a simple, proven solution to geoblocks and restricted content, then absolutely. But if immaculate privacy and a truly effective layer of security are on top of your list, there are plenty of alternatives that can give you those at a better price.
Speed
- 8.0 / 10Why Most Speed Tests are Pointless & How We Correctly Test VPN Speeds
Speed determines how fast content uploads, so if you're torrenting or streaming, you want the speed to be somewhat identical to your regular internet speed. Since a VPN encrypts your data, it usually takes a bit longer to send your data back and forth, which can slow down your connection. However, if your ISP deliberately slows down your connection (also known as throttling) a VPN might increase your internet speed. Testing a VPN is somewhat pointless because new servers pop up and affect speed. Your speed can also differ according to your location, so your speed test might not match ours. Having said that, we tested the speed in numerous locations to provide you with the average.
Servers
- 7.1 / 10BananaVPN has 15 servers, strategically situated in 7 countries around the world.
Server Locations
User Experience
- 8.6 / 10Despite the absence of custom clients, we found Banana VPN easy to set up and configure. This is in no small part due to the helpful in-depth guides, available for each of the supported platforms.
That said, the lack of a dedicated interface made switching servers a laborious task.
We also tried out the customer support to get a better idea of Banana VPN’s response times. We submitted a couple of questions via the contact form — one related to billing and one technical inquiry — and we had our detailed answers after a few hours.
Although we’d love to see a live chat option in the future, it’s safe to say Banana VPN are doing their best for users in need of support.
Still not sure if Banana VPN is the right VPN for you? Check out our top recommended VPNs to learn more.
Support
- 8.6 / 10How We Test Customer Support and Why Should You Care
We personally test the customer support team of every VPN we review. This means asking technical question through the live chat feature (where applicable) and measuring the response time for email questions. Whether you need to connect to a specific server, change your security protocol, or configure a VPN on your router, finding a VPN with quality customer support should be important to you.
Pricing
- 8.0 / 10Banana VPN offers the following plans
Editor's Note: We value our relationship with our readers, and we strive to earn your trust through transparency and integrity. We are in the same ownership group as some of the industry-leading products reviewed on this site: ExpressVPN, Cyberghost, Private Internet Access, and Intego. However, this does not affect our review process, as we adhere to a strict testing methodology.