ClearVPN 2 Review 2024: Before You Buy, Is It Worth It?

Maintains Fast Speeds on Nearby Servers

ClearVPN 2 provides near-baseline speeds on nearby servers. Its DynamicFlow technology checks your current network status and finds an optimal server that best suits your needs. This guarantees smooth, low-latency, and secure VPN connections.

Speed Test Results

ClearVPN 2 delivers impressive speed and performance. The recorded speeds were suitable for multiple UHD streams. Additionally, ClearVPN 2 has a minor impact on upload speed, making it a solid choice for file sharing and video messaging.

To establish a baseline speed, I conducted a speed test without connecting to ClearVPN 2 and recorded 157Mbps. The local UK servers were faster than the others due to the shorter distance. Compared to my baseline speeds, the download and upload speeds on UK servers decreased by 9% and 25%, respectively.

France’s server also delivered good results, with just a 24% drop in download speed. However, connecting to ClearVPN 2’s US servers recorded significant drops — 69%. Despite this, I still enjoyed lag-free browsing and streaming on YouTube. However, your experience could be different if you have slow internet.

The distant server in Australia recorded a 25% speed dip. Despite the 10,000-mile distance, the Australian server performed much better than the US one. I video-conferenced with my international team on Google Meets without any disconnections. Streaming videos on YouTube was also seamless, though UHD nature documentaries had a slight initial lag.

ClearVPN’s performance might vary depending on the server load. Although I didn’t notice server congestion during my tests, its relatively smaller network might sometimes get overloaded. In contrast, ExpressVPN provides fast speeds even on distant servers and prevents overcrowding with its extensive network in 105 countries.

Is ClearVPN 2 Fast Enough for Gaming? Yes!

ClearVPN 2 gave me fast enough speeds for gaming even when connected to distant servers. Local servers averaged 143 Mbps while keeping the latency below 50 ms. Although it no longer features gaming-optimized servers following its recent update, the speeds I got ensured uninterrupted gaming.

However, my speeds dipped between 30% and 40%, and the ping spiked to 95ms on distant servers in Australia. I noticed a lag in my gameplay because I’m used to a 120-FPS frame rate. However, it was just enough to play games smoothly. If you’re a pro gamer, you can try one of these top VPNs for zero-lag gaming.

Server Network — Small Network but Includes Personalized Servers

ClearVPN 2 has servers in 45+ countries, compared to 24 before the upgrade. While it doesn’t cover the Middle East and Africa thoroughly, it has servers in the UAE and South Africa. ClearVPN 2 has a decent server spread, but it doesn’t disclose its actual server count. That didn’t concern me because none of the servers I tested were congested.

There are 3 server selection categories:

• Location Changer — works like a regular VPN, changing your IP address to the selected server country.
• Smart Connection — has 3 modes (‘No Restrictions’ connects you to countries with no web restrictions, ‘Top Protection’ connects you to countries with robust privacy laws, and ‘Fastest Server’ picks the most optimal connection based on your location.
• Streaming — includes specialty servers for streaming on various platforms, including multiple Netflix libraries, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and more.

Its RAM storage architecture minimizes the risk of privacy breaches by erasing your data every time the servers restart. Plus, most of ClearVPN’s servers are physical and they are generally faster than virtual ones — its only virtual server is in India. You can’t pick specific servers in different cities — ClearVPN selects one after you choose the country.

That said, ClearVPN 2 lags behind top VPNs like CyberGhost. For context, I found CyberGhost offers 11,670+ server locations spanning 100 countries, which helps reduce server congestion. I suggest trying CyberGhost to get a broader server range and swift connections consistently.

Security — High Encryption Standards

ClearVPN 2 uses military-grade encryption for data protection. It also has Perfect Forward Secrecy, which creates unique encryption keys for each session. This prevents attackers from decrypting past or future communications if they steal a single key. In addition, ClearVPN 2 includes:

• Secure protocols — include OpenVPN, IPsec, and IKEv2, but it doesn’t let you pick a protocol manually (it auto-selects the best protocol depending on your online activities).
• Kill switch — disconnects you from the internet if your device crashes or the VPN server drops to prevent your IP address and data from getting exposed.
• Ad and malware blocker — blocks pop-up ads and malware for safe browsing but is only available via its ClearWeb Chrome extension (the previous version didn’t have an ad blocker).

I ran various leak tests, and ClearVPN 2 passed all of them. It didn’t leak my DNS addresses and consistently displayed the IP address of my chosen country. It also passed WebRTC leak tests, preventing my actual IP address from being exposed.

While it provides adequate security, ClearVPN 2 lacks advanced features like double VPN and split tunneling that other top VPNs like NordVPN offer. However, ClearVPN 2’s leak protection and military-grade encryption are enough to keep you secure online.

Privacy — Zero Logs but With Some Concerns

ClearVPN 2 has a strict no-logs policy to guarantee your privacy. However, its privacy policy states that it logs diagnostic information, speed test data, and crash reports. But that’s not all — it also logs anonymized information about your VPN connection, mainly successful connection attempts to maintain the quality of its services.

Although it’s headquartered in Ukraine, ClearVPN also processes data in its private servers in the US, which is part of the 5 Eyes group of intelligence-sharing countries. Therefore, I’m skeptical about ClearVPN’s no-logs claims, especially when it hasn’t had a single independent audit.

Torrenting — Supported on Some Servers

ClearVPN 2 restricts P2P on servers in countries where it’s illegal but allows it without restrictions in regions where torrenting is not regulated.

While ClearVPN 2 lacks dedicated torrenting servers, its regular servers performed well during my testing. I downloaded a 2GB public domain classic, Night of the Living Dead, in under 4 minutes. The 5 servers I used for torrenting passed my DNS leak tests, and my IP address remained hidden throughout.

Does ClearVPN 2 Work in China? Unlikely

ClearVPN 2 lacks the sophisticated technology to work in China. I confirmed my suspicions with live chat support, and the agent confirmed that ClearVPN 2 is unlikely to work in China. However, some users reported being able to access Chinese video hosting platforms like YouKu and Sohu using servers in Hong Kong.

ExpressVPN is one of the few VPNs that consistently work in China. However, you should be cautious about using an unregulated VPN in the country as tourists have been caught and prosecuted for this reason.

ClearVPN 2 offers customer support via 24/7 live chat and email. Live chat is the quickest way to get help, even if you’re not a subscriber yet. I didn’t have to provide my email address or any other personal information to contact via support live chat, which I commend. I was connected to an agent within a minute.

ClearVPN’s live chat support answered my questions clearly, but some of my queries went unanswered. For example, the FAQ section says torrenting is supported only in locations where it’s legal, but it isn’t illegal in and of itself. I inquired about this, and the agent didn’t give me a clear response.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have the same positive experience with email support. While I received a response to my first query within 24 hours, my follow-up email went unanswered even after 48 hours. I suggest using live chat or consulting ClearVPN’s detailed FAQ guides to find answers. You can search for a keyword and find relevant articles that might have the answers.