Tuxler Review 2024: Before You Buy, Is It Worth It?

Slow and Inconsistent on Most Servers

Tuxler has the lowest speed of any VPN I have tested so far. Your connection speed will be affected since there are an unknown number of people sharing your network. Fortunately, paying Tuxler customers do not have to worry about this since their networks will not be transformed into servers.

The free version has the advantage of offering unlimited bandwidth. You can use the service as much as you want since there are no data transfer limits. Many VPN services offer unlimited bandwidth for subscription plans, but not for free or trial accounts. As Tuxler’s free speeds are generally very slow, it makes very little difference.

Speed Test Results

Tuxler completely slowed down my downloads and uploads. While I expected some drops with any VPN, these results were rather shocking. You can also expect slow speeds if there aren’t as many users available in your target region. The best you can expect is to stream 480p videos and browse the Internet at the very most.

For comparison purposes, I measured my base speed to be 45.33 Mbps download and 48.13 Mbps upload, and ping of 27 ms. Next, I tested servers closer to my actual location (in my case, the United States). I was disappointed that the fastest server dropped my speed by 94%.

Then I went further and tested Tuxler’s servers in the UK, France, and Australia. I received a 2.92 Mbps download speed in the UK, which is a 93% decrease from my base speed. My download speed in France and Australia dropped by 95% and 92%, respectively (down to 1.89 and 3.46 Mbps).

Given these poor results, you can expect a much better performance from the Premium version. The company claims that paying customers experience four times as much speed as those on the free plan. It could be true since customers who purchase a paid plan do not become servers. The number of server locations available to me as a free user was limited, and I could only change my location a few times daily.

I recommend avoiding Tuxler if you require speed and stability, as its pings are incredibly high and its speeds are poor. If you only need a VPN for a short period of time, these top-rated month-to-month VPNs have speeds that let you stream HD-quality video, download files quickly, and play online games seamlessly. Also, they’ll let you conduct your daily online activities with minimal interruption.

Server Network — Large but Unreliable

The primary focus of Tuxler’s marketing efforts is its expansive network of residential IPs. The VPN transmits web requests via residential IP addresses assigned by real Internet service providers (ISPs).

According to the site, you have access to 300,000 IP addresses spread across 92 countries, which is quite impressive considering its global reach. The VPN also provides you with over 70,000 new IP addresses every month and residential IP addresses from more than 182 ISPs. In spite of the company’s assertions that 100% of its IP addresses are private ones, you need to activate a switch to take advantage of these features.

Tuxler’s locations are spread throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, the Middle East, and North America. I had success connecting to a variety of countries during testing, including the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Hong Kong, France, Israel, Singapore, Japan, Germany, Canada, and Australia. By regularly changing the locations it connects to, this VPN is able to avoid being blocked by institutions.

The Tuxler service is a community-based project without fixed or DNS-based servers. The FAQ mentions residential and data center proxy servers. However, this option can only be accessed via the Tuxler extension. The fact that there was no other information about this indicates that the company is using third-party data centers, a practice that is not unusual. However, Tuxler should emphasize this point clearly.

Server availability is primarily dependent on the bandwidth of nearby users. Other users cannot see your IP address unless it’s online through the app. You are, therefore, entirely dependent on the activity of other Tuxler customers in your target area. If there are no active users within your area or your preferred location, the app automatically connects you to the nearest server available. My attempts to connect to the United States were redirected to countries like Germany, Portugal, and Canada.

Security — Strong Encryption but Lacking in Any Other Security Features

Tuxler uses SOCKS5 to protect data transfers. By using proxy servers, the advanced protocol is able to establish UDP or TCP connections through IP addresses. While this proxy protocol increases privacy by hiding your real IP address, it does not ensure security. The information you send over a proxy connection is not encrypted, unlike OpenVPN or L2TP/IPSec protocols. In this way, your IP is masked, but your activity is not hidden.

According to Tuxler’s customer support, the product utilizes the virtually unbreakable AES-256-bit encryption technology, coupled with an RSA2048 key. So, the proxy protocol provides a high level of protection just like other top VPNs.

Compared to more traditional VPN services, this software differs significantly in its communal nature. Consequently, it is unable to directly compete with the major industry players. It lacks standard VPN features, such as stealth mode, split tunneling, and multi-hop.

The kill switch is one of the essential security features, and according to Tuxler’s FAQ, it uses a similar feature to a kill switch and is enabled by default. In theory, connection loss to a secure server should prevent any browser or program from accessing the internet. This raises the question of why, if the use of such technology is employed, it is not displayed on its website.

The Tuxler website does not mention IP or DNS leak protection, so it makes sense to test the free version. I found no IP or DNS leak using Tuxler on any type of connection after performing a number of tests on various servers. Any application that uses IPv6 or WebRTC can expose your true IP address (even when using a VPN). VPN services that use IPv6 sometimes suffer leaks, even the best of them. I found it surprising that even though I switched servers a few times, Tuxler never suffered from leaks of any kind.

In the screenshot, it correctly points out that I am in the United Kingdom, yet my actual DNS address is not visible. I tested different countries and got different DNS addresses, but none revealed my real one.

Privacy — Raises Concerns

The Tuxler privacy policy states that it processes both non-personal and personal data. These data include online identifiers, geolocation data, and website activity. When using a VPN, these are some of the most important things you will likely want to hide. Data collected by the company may be shared, sold, or used for other commercial purposes by third parties, such as ad agencies, internet service providers, and government agencies.

Additionally, every time you run the Tuxler free software on your computer, your computer becomes a tunnel for other users. You essentially agree to let others access the internet with your IP address and conduct business as if they were you. The risk is that others can use your resources for suspicious or even criminal activities, and such misuse can cause severe issues for you with law enforcement.

Headquartered in California, the company is subject to USA surveillance laws. The United States is a member of the multilateral Five Eyes and Fourteen Eyes alliances, which means it has to share any data with other members of these alliances. The FAQ and EULA state that by downloading and running the VPN, you agree that your IP address and other necessary data may be stored.

ExpressVPN is my top pick because the company’s privacy policy has been audited by a top auditing firm. The government of one country seized ExpressVPN servers in 2017 and found no data on them, further proving it does not log any data. On top of that, you can pay for ExpressVPN using cryptocurrency for extra privacy.

Torrenting — Supported, but Not Recommended

Both paid and free versions of Tuxler lack dedicated VPN servers for torrenting. However, the servers can be used for P2P sharing. And you’ll probably be satisfied if you connect to an adequate Tuxler server, as I did in the Czech Republic.

I tested Tuxler’s torrenting speeds using servers in the US, the UK, and Australia. I received speeds of 2.43 Mbps (US), 2.92 Mbps (UK), and 3.46 Kbps (Australia). Unfortunately, the results are poor, plus the software is missing a kill switch, making the process of downloading torrents extremely dangerous.

Additionally, you should be aware that the company is based in the United States and that your data may be logged to an unknown extent. In this regard, Tuxler should not be considered a safe torrenting service.

CyberGhost boasts the fastest speeds and highest security standards for torrenting and P2P downloads. This Romania-based company offers a good selection of custom applications, and our testing found it to be consistently good. Also, you can be assured that your data is protected through a no logs policy, highly secure applications, and a safe, privacy-friendly offshore jurisdiction.

Do not forget to exercise caution when downloading anything through torrents. Although it seems harmless, the consequences can be worse than you could ever imagine. The range of concerns varies from legal issues to malware-infected files. Not to mention you’re making yourself easier to target by exposing your real IP address.

Does Tuxler Work in China? Maybe!

This VPN uses the SOCKS5 protocol, which is one of the most effective at getting around geographical restrictions. Although I haven’t tested it myself, user feedback indicates it can be used to access blocked websites and apps.

Taking it a step further, I asked its customer service team if it worked in China to which it responded within two hours. Unfortunately, the response provided did not adequately answer my question. I was advised to download the free software and test it out on my own.

Even if it could get around the Great Firewall of China, Tuxler’s absence of obfuscation features significantly limits its use. Top VPN services typically offer obfuscated VPN servers with additional layers of encryption designed to guard against censorship in heavily censored countries. For this purpose, opt for a VPN service that has been well-tested instead.

ExpressVPN is one of the most popular VPNs used by tourists in China, thanks to the ease with which it is able to navigate the Great Firewall. Its wide range of server locations is a big plus here, with Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan-based servers coming in especially handy.

Editor's Note: Transparency is one of our core values at WizCase, so you should know we are in the same ownership group as ExpressVPN. However, this does not affect our review process, as we adhere to a strict testing methodology.

Tuxler offers limited support options. FAQs are available, but they lack any troubleshooting tips or detailed information. Also available is a blog with about 20 pages of articles about VPNs and online security. You’ll find a mix of informative and promotional articles.

In addition, the website does not offer live chat, and you can only reach the support team by email or through the website contact form. TuxlerVPN replied to my inquiry regarding its security policies and protocols shortly after I reached out. Also on the same day, I exchanged a few emails with the agent. However, my questions weren’t answered as thoroughly as I would have liked.

According to the customer care representative, the company does not keep user activity logs and provides end-to-end encryption. Surely, this information could have been displayed on the website. Tuxler has a social media presence, but the accounts don’t seem to have any form of maintenance.