BlackVPN Review: Is Legit and Safe? 2025

BlackPN is a Hong Kong based provider of VPN services. Nothing in their name (black VPN) or their logo (a clenched fist) suggest security or protection, but that’s what the service is all about. To protect you from all online threats, to ensure that you are completely anonymous online and cannot be tracked, and to ensure that you have an unrestricted and free internet use.

In a business where almost every service claims to be the best; it jumped at my face that Black VPN makes no such claim. There is no blurb of being the best VPN, or the fastest VPN, or the most secured VPN. No lofty self-acclaimed titles.

Why does Black VPN, unlike many other VPN services, not claim any lofty title? Is it that their service is so poor that it is not worth announcing; or is it that their service is so good that they don’t have to personally announce it? This review will provide the information to help you answer the question.

In this BlackVPN review, we show you if BlackVPN is safe. And also if BlackVPN is legit, secure, legal and reliable. Or if it is scam and fake. BlackVPN complaints and feedback from members are also reviewed. So, if you are looking for the best and unbiased BlackVPN reviews, you are welcome.

Is BlackVPN legit and safe?

BlackVPN is legit and also safe to use.  There have never been complaints about BlackVPN not being safe or secured. And you can test the service for 14 days, if you are not pleased with what you see, you can request for refund, which is accepted. Your information is also safe in the sense that the vpn service has an internet kill switch that will preserve your detail from leaking out when the vpn disconnects.

Server Network

Black VPN operates 31 servers in 20 locations in 18 countries. The network covers the usual suspects in Europe  (such the UK, France, Germany etc), and has the US and Canada representing North America. South America is represented by Brazil; Oceania is represented by Australia, and Asia is represented by Japan. The whole of the Middle East and Africa is not represented in the server network.

The server network of Black VPN is relatively a small network; the top players in the industry operates hundreds and thousands of servers in 50+ countries. With VPN server network, bigger is better. A big network with a high number of servers and countries covered will make for enhanced anonymity and performance. The anonymity comes from having more locations to hide behind; and the performance comes from being less likely to meet many users connected to a few servers. However, Black VPN’s 31 servers in 20 locations will adequately serve any location-spoofing needs. When you connect to any server in the network, you are given a shared IP which further allows you to mix your traffic with other users. However, the bigger the network, the better.

Black VPN suggests that their server count is on the low side because they run bare-metal hardware in every location advertised. They say that unlike some VPN services who use virtual servers to inflate their server count, the Black VPN service have “no virtual or fake VPN locations” but run dedicated physical servers all physically located where advertised.

BlackVPN complaints and feedback

Pascal says:

Speedtests (only done once for several countries, this is not a very representative scientific study:
I am actually from Germany(i pay for 100k DSL and get 77(Down) and 36k (UP) with a ping of 17 secs) and tested several different VPN Locations by measuring Download, Upload and Ping)
(i will write it in this Format 77DOWN,36kUP, 17ms)

No VPN Server: 77/36/17
German VPN Server: 70/33,/20
Czech VPN Server: 63/23/53
France VPN Server: 65/24/48
Swiss VPN Server: 66/26/40
Brazil VPN Server: 47/2,7/450
Japan VPN Server: 29/1,5/520
Canada VPN Server: 56/4 /200

These are some amazing numbers(@european Servers) and proof of great servers und service!

John says:

Great VPN at low price’s
Works great on the desktop software and mobile
Slow speeds of 5mb/s using the openvpn setup on a asus router
No 12 month contracts and easy to pay

Ben says:

I’ve been using BlackVPN during 2 months and I didn’t have any problem. They are great tutorials on how to configure and install the VPN (I personally used the tutorial for headless Linux and windows) and the android application is great.I like the fact to be able to choose the location of my VPN.
5* deserved.
Go for it without hesitating

Andrew says:

I was a bit skeptical of Black VPN at first, but I decided to give it a try. It’s a bit pricey at £5/month, but the connections are reliable and fast, and the privacy is top notch. Black VPN servers don’t keep logs, which is a huge privacy advantage

Service Plans And Pricing

Service Plans

Black VPN have five different service plans. The plans have different features differentiating them, with the main differentiator being the server locations that can be accessed.

The premium plan of the Black VPN service is the Global Plan. This means this is the plan that gives you access to all the features of the Black VPN service. The Global Plan gives access to all the locations (all 20 locations) in their server network.

Another service plan of the service is the TV plan. As the name suggests, this plan is specially for unblocking streaming services and giving access to geo restricted contents. Since most of the streaming services have vast contents available in the US and the UK, this plan gives access to four server locations – three in the US (East, West, and Central), and one in the UK (London).

The third service plan is the Privacy Plan; it gives access to 16 of the 20 locations in the Black VPN server network. The excluded locations are the three US locations and the single UK location.

Finally, the service offers two single country plan – US Plan , and UK Plan. The US Plan gives access to only the server locations (three) in the US; and it will be fine for users who want to unblock content specifically limited to the US. The UK Plan also give access to only the single server in the UK; and it will be fine for those looking to unblock UK specific contents.

All the service plans have three packages based on three billing periods – one month package, three months package, and twelve months package.

Pricing

The Global Plan is Black VPN’s premium plan that gives access to all available features in the service. The one month package of the Global Plan cost €9.50; the 3 months package cost €27.00, which breaks down to €9.00 per month; while the 12 months package cost €99.00, which breaks down to €8.25 per month. The discounts on the packages are not massive, the 3 months deal is discounted by only 5%, and the 12 months deal is discounted by only 13%.

The one month package of the TV Plan cost €7.50; the 3 months package cost €20.00, which breaks down to €6.67 per month; while the 12 months package cost €75.00, which breaks down to €6.25 per month. The 3 months deal is discounted by 11%, while the 12 months deal is discounted by 16.5%.

The Privacy Plan, the UK Plan, and the US Plan are similarly priced. Their one month package cost €5.00; their 3 months package cost €13.00,  which breaks down to €4.33 per month; while their 12 months package cost €49.00, which breaks down to €4.08 per month. The 3 months package is discounted by only 13.4%, while the 12 months deal is discounted by 18.4%.

Comparing Black VPN’s prices with other VPN services shows that Black VPN is not about winning the market with its prices. Black VPN is highly priced compared to most of the highly rated VPN services. For example, the best deal on Black VPN’s single country plan is €4.08, and this is higher than the best deals of some services even when those services gives access to all locations in the network. The best deal on Black VPN’s premium package is also beyond most pockets at €8.25 per month. The major issue with Black VPN pricing is that they do not offer massive discounts which would have plummeted the prices of their 12 month deals. Most of the other services discount their best deals by as much as 70% to have very low prices; but Black most generous discount is only 18.4%, and that’s on the lower-graded plans (Privacy, UK, and US plans).

Payment Methods

Black VPN allows a host of payment options. This is one of the selling point of the service because users can easily find an option which is convenient for them from among the many options that Black VPN supports.

For fast and easy online payments, you can pay with your PayPal account. Using Paymentwall, you can pay with Credit Cards, Bank Transfer, Gift Cards and e-Wallets. You can also pay anonymously with Bitcoin and 40 Altcoin cryptocurrencies.

The support for anonymous payment options will really draw users to this service because users are increasingly being uncomfortable with having to submit personal information as part of a billing process.

That said, if your concern is to conveniently pay for a VPN service using one of many online platforms, you will be pleased with Black VPN; also, if you’ll rather not reveal card details or any other personal information when purchasing a VPN service, you’ll also be pleased with the many anonymous payment options that Black VPN supports.

Refund Policy

Black VPN offer a 14 days money back guarantee which allows users to request a refund of their payment if they are not satisfied with the service. The 14 days period of the guarantee means that you have 14 days from the time of making payment for the service to request any refund.

You will get a full refund regardless of your reason for cancellation if the refund request is made within the allowed 14 days; but if made after 14 days, there will be no refund. It is also worth noting that Black VPN does not condition their refunds by placing data transfer caps; you can use any amount of bandwidth and still be entitled to a full refund. However, some will feel that the 14 days offered by Black VPN is not long enough; there are services that give as much as 30 days.

Free trial

BlackVPN also offer a 3 days free trial. This will give users an opportunity to try out the service so that they can experience what is being offered before committing their resources. Many persons will argue that a money back guarantee offer the same advantages as a free trial; but it is not entirely true  because in a free trial the user does not have to submit payment information and is not charged.

You do not have to submit payment information to access Black VPN’s 3 days free trial. Also, the free trial is not limited in anyway; you get access to all the features in a specifically chosen paid plan. The only snag about the free trial will be that it is available only on the mobile apps (Android and iOS).

Features

 Device compatibility

The Black VPN service works on Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android, iOS, and routers. The service can also be used on TVs and gaming consoles, but not directly; you have to get the service on a router, then connect the devices to the router.

Simultaneous connections.

Black VPN allows you to connect up to seven devices at the same time with your one VPN account. This is a very generous offer especially since the industry average for simultaneous connections is five. If you have a small family or business and you wish to secure all the devices of the unit (up to seven), you really should get the Black VPN service. Only a few services can offer more, and that will be the few services that offers unlimited simultaneous connections.

P2P Activity and Torrenting

Torrenting is one of the fastest and most effective ways of downloading files from the internet. But because torrenting can easily get one in trouble with the law (when copyrights are infringed upon), torrenters seek VPN cover to download torrents safely and anonymously. However, not all VPN services support the activity.

Black VPN supports torrenting. In their words: “Torrents and P2P allowed – Torrent safely and avoid copyright alerts“. However, the activity is limited. The service says that they may block certain kinds of usage on some servers; and they specifically mention torrenting as one of such usage.

Of the five service plans of Black VPN, P2P activity/ torrenting is supported in only two – the Privacy Plan and the Global Plan. Also, torrenting is restricted to certain servers in the network. That said, if accessing the numerous titles of Netflix or other streaming giants is your primary concern; then Black VPN will be an ideal choice.

Streaming

One of the reasons for seeking VPNs is content accessibility. Streaming services make available different contents in different regions. If I am in location X and need to watch contents available only in location Y; then I need a VPN to change my location and give me access to the restricted content.

However it is not that simple, because streaming services are now blocking VPNs; such that even with a VPN, one cannot access certain geo restricted contents. Netflix is the champion in this regard. Netflix has effectively blocked many VPN services, and only a few can still give access to Netflix vast library. As such, any service that still unblocks Netflix is regarded as an excellent service do streaming.

Goodnews is that Black VPN gives access to Netflix. Since there is a US location only plan directed at people who need to unblock US specific contents, I had expected all three servers in the plan to give me Netflix. Not all did. The service says in a FAQ article that two of the US service should give Netflix namely the West coast and East coast servers. Still, both servers did not give me Netflix in my tests. Only the West coast server did.

Using the Service

Black VPN does not actually have native apps, but they also do not leave you to the native OpenVPN clients. They have custom versions of the OpenVPN clients, and these are very easy to set up and use. There is actually an Android app which is very simple and easy to use.

To get started, you click the menu button on their website to open the menu options. Open VPN set up and choose your operating system to reveal the installation files. Then proceed to install the files. It could be a little disconcerting to new users that they have to add servers during installation, but the process is fairly straightforward.

After the installation, you are prompted to log in; after which you’rd set to connect to a server and get flying with VPN protection.

Security And Privacy Features

VPN Protocols and Encryption

Black VPN supports the following VPN protocols: OpenVPN, SSL Tunnels, IPSec/ L2TP, and PPTP.

The OpenVPN is the darling of the industry. It is the most secure of the bunch, it us highly configurable, and it also optimizes speed. The SSL Tunnels can be used to hide the OpenVPN connection in an extra layer of encryption. The L2TP/ IPSec is considered a secure alternative of the OpenVPN; while the PPTP is less secure, but offers the advantage of speed.

The OpenVPN is the recommended protoc for establishing connections The services warns that the PPTP has known security vulnerabilities and should only be used if you cannot install openVPN and the L2TP/ IPSec is being blocked.

In terms of encryption, Black VPN raise the bar. The OpenVPN servers use AES- 256 bit data encryption, with 4096 bit RSA certificates (with SHA512) for server authentication, DHE for perfect forward secrecy, and re-keying is performed every 60 minutes. Bottom line: Uncrackable. Unhackable. Your data is secured.

Internet Kill Switch

The Black VPN service comes with a built-in kill switch which would protect against sudden drop of the VPN connection. Though, the service is designed to reconnect automatically when it disconnects, the few seconds before reconnecting is enough for any monitoring element to capture your traffic and real location if the kill switch wasn’t there. The kill switch cuts off internet connection the moment the service looses connection, and ensure that you do not transmit any data online until the VPN reconnects.

Security Leak Protection

The good work done in providing security is through a combination of strong protocols and high encryption standards; while masking location will involve a large server network of many servers in different lications around the world. But all of this good work can be undone by a simple security leak. A DNS leak, IP leak or WebRTC leak will expose online activity as well as the real location of the user. Therefore a VPN service that gives optimal protection should plug these security leaks.

Black VPN comes with leak protection.when testing the service, I did not discover any IP leak, DNS leaks or WebRTC leaks.

Logging Policy

On their landing page, Black VPN list ten reasons why you should choose them, and the first is No Logs. They acknowledge that logs could one day be used against a user (that is, compromise privacy); and that while most VPNs keep logs, they do not. In their words: “NO LOGS! No activity logs. No connection logs. No bandwidth logs. No DNS logs“

They do not monitor or log a user’s internet activity such as the websites accessed or the contents downloaded. This was really not surprising because any VPN that logs your internet activity is not serious about privacy.

Also, Black VPN does not keep connection logs such as your real IP address, connection timestamps (the time you connect and disconnect from the service in each session) or the total amount of bandwidth used. They say honestly that they can see when a user is connected and how much bandwidth was used for the current connection. But that the data is “gone when the user disconnects”. Black VPN has shown a commitment to users’ privacy by tightening up their logging policy. They use to keep connection logs with timestamps for 7 days on the Privacy Plan and for 30 days on the TV Plan. But now, such information is deleted the moment the user disconnects.

This is a selling point of the Black VPN service. Many services that claim to be no-log VPNs keep session logs such as timestamps and bandwidth usage, and they’ll even go as far as to claim that these logs are harmless. Well, they are not, as they can be used to narrow in on a user. Black VPN gives you optimal privacy by not keeping both activity logs and connection/ session logs.

The only user information they keep is email address and a form of payment record (not payment details such as Credit Card numbers). However, this will not harm a user privacy especially when the person uses an anonymous email and pays for the service anonymously.

They also give an open and honest explanation of how they mange to respect your privacy while mitigating abuse; this involve “reacting to incoming abuse reports by temporarily blocking access to those sites and services that are being abused“. Most services will choose to be silent about this.

Black VPN will also fiercely protect the privacy and rights of their users and will not disclose any user’s information to anyone. The only time they will is when the requesting individual/ agency produces the proper legal compliance documents. Even in the event of that, there will be nothing to disclose, because the service had kept no log whatsoever.

Lastly, all services collect aggregate data (metadata) on their site which are used to improve the site. The problem is that most services use third party software such as Google Analytic for such aggregate data collection. I maintain that even though the data collected is nonymized, Google does not sound like privacy. Black VPN recognizes this; they have stopped using Google Analytics, and now host their own version of Piwik for their website analytics.

In a time, when VPN no-logging claims means nothing, it was really satisfying to see that Black VPN’s no log means NO LOGS.

Jurisdiction

Black VPN now operates from Hong Kong, but it has not always been so. When the service was launched in 2009, they were based in the Netherlands. They relocated in 2012 to avoid being subject to anti-privacy laws that would force them to keep logs that could compromise their users. Black VPN explains that in Hong Kong “there are no mandatory data retention laws to force us to monitor or log the activity of our users“. Apart from being away from data retention laws; Hong Kong is also outside the circle of intelligence alliances such as the 14-Eyes.

Speed

Speed is an important consideration when choosing a VPN service. You won’t want to take forever to download simple files, or to watch stills instead of videos.

VPN use reduces network speed because of all the encryption that the service does to give you security. However, the reduction in speed should be tolerable, and not the type that will give you the experience described above.

Black VPN does not make any claim to be the fastest VPN, and they are not. On the average, the service reduced download speed and upload speed by 72% and 43% respectively. If only Black VPN’s download speed performance was as good as its upload speed performance, then the service would have been a fast VPN. But the all important download speed was reduced by 72%. However, the speed will still allow you stream and watch movies without any disruption. On the whole, Black VPN will be among the average speed performers.

Customer Support

Black VPN support center has two resources – a knowledgebase for self help and a ticket support service for direct contact with a support staff.

The knowledge base of Black VPN is really a knowledge base. It holds not just general FAQS, but also articles about technical issues and troubleshooting. The knowledge base is neatly arranged by topics to aid navigation.

The ticket service allows you to send Black VPN an email and get a response from a rep. Black VPN floors a lot of the competition by the effectiveness of this support channel. You get timely and quality responses. There is also a live chat that allows you to get instant responses. The only snag in Black VPN’s support is that it is only active during work hours, as it is not a 24/ 7 service. While the service can definitely improve on this, the timeliness and quality of support offered by Black VPN is really exemplary.

 

Extra Time

BlackVPN’s commitment to making the internet private and free has gone beyond providing VPN services. They donate 10% of every VPN Privacy Package directly to the Electronic Frontier Foundation — a non-profit digital rights group fighting for our internet freedom.

Summary

BlackVPN offers strong security and privacy. They support secure protocols including the OpenVPN and use industry high AES 256 bit encryption. They have a Kill switch functionality, they plug all security leaks, and they allow anonymous payments. Also, they keep zero logs, and have a very honest and assuring privacy policy. Most importantly, Black VPN have shown a commitment to users’ privacy over the years: they moved their operation from the Netherlands to Hong Kong to escape mandatory data retention laws; they moved from keeping session logs for seven days to no keeping of session logs; and they ditched third party analytics software for an in-house application.

The also have other VPN essential ingredients – they support torrenting even on the cheapest plan, they give access to Netflix, they allow users seven simultaneous connections.

The drawbacks of the Black VPN service will be that: their prices are a little on the high side, their server network is relatively small on both server count and countries covered, they offer only average speed, and they do not have native apps (especially Windows).