IronSocket VPN Review
Is IronSocket VPN safe and legit? This IronSocket VPN review is the review that tell if IronSocket VPN is legit, safe, real or scam and fake. IronSocket VPN complaints and feedback from members also reviewed.
IronSocket VPN has not always been IronSocket. The company started in 2005 in Hong Kong as HideMyNet; but at the time, it was just a proxy service for getting around online censors. Later, they went through an overhaul, after which they began to offer a full VPN service in order to give iron-clad online security. They needed a name for the iron-clad security that was promised, and IronSocket was born.
The question that this review is set to answer is: Does IronSocket VPN give iron-clad online security? Specifically: Will they protect my traffic from all online threats? Will they make me completely anonymous online and make it impossible for me to be tracked? Do they also give other perks that we’ve come to expect from VPNs such as; good prices, ease of use, unblocking geo-restricted websites, and supporting P2P file sharing.
IronSocket VPN is safe and legit to use. It is one of the oldest VPN networks currently online with a tight security. You infomation is secured with IronSocket VPN.
Below are IronSocket complaints and feedback to help you know what people are saying about the VPN
RECOMMENDED TOP 3 BEST VPN ALTERNATIVES:
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Benjamin says:
Had a OK experience but little slow connection a year ago. Since then I have been unlucky trying to unsubscribe from the service. Have tried 2 cancellations from their webadmin. The third cancallation is now sent to their support email.
IronSocket stands out from other services by their service offerings. Their complete suite includes VPN, HTTP Proxy, SOCKS5 Proxy and DNS Proxy services.
As we all know, a VPN service offers online security by encrypting your traffic and routing it through the VPN server; it also offers anonymity by masking your IP, replacing your real IP address with one of their own. The HTTP proxy is an anonymous proxy that works on web browsers and some proxy-enabled applications. It offers no encryption, but does IP masking; and it comes with excellent speed and suitable for streaming media. The SOCKS5 proxy does IP masking. It can give complete anonymity including protecting DNS requests; It is best for applications like video games, IRC clients or instant messenger clients. The DNS proxy provide neither encryption nor IP masking, but is excellent for bypassing websites’ geo-restrictions.
It should be noted that many of the Smart VPN and Smart DNS services that people sign-up to are nothing more than proxy services. Here, IronSocket offers a full VPN service and adds all you get with your Smart VPNs and Smart DNS at no extra cost.
IronSocket VPN has three billing options – every one month, every six months, and every twelve months.
The one month subscription is priced at $6.99; the six months subscription is priced at $35.95, which mean it is discounted by 14% to give a monthly fee of $5.99; while the one year subscription is priced at $49.95, which means it is discounted by 40% discount to give a monthly fee of $4.16.
The pricing follows the trend in the industry; you save more by going for the longer term deals. Given that many services in the industry have monthly deals of about $10.00; IronSocket’s monthly deal seems a bargain. However, IronSocket VPN’s best deal does not receive the crazy discounts that some services give their best deals. While IronSocket’s sees a 40% discount, some services give as much as 60 – 70% discount to bring make best deals to just about $3.00.
IronSocket VPN supports a range of payment methods. You can make payment with PayPal and with just about every credit/ debut card (Visa, Master cards, Dicover card etc). They also cater for users with low privacy risk tolerance who would not want to submit the personal information that the above payment methods require. This is accomplished by allowing anonymous payment methods. You can also make payment for an IronSocket subscription with the pseudo anonymous bitcoin, or the very-anonymous gift cards.
As a sign that your satisfaction is more important to them than your money, IronSocket VPN offer a 7-days money back guarantee on all new subscriptions.
If you are using the service for the first time, and for some reasons you’re unsatisfied with the service, you can request a refund of your subscription fee. To get back your money, the request: (i) must be made within 7 days of subscribing to the service, and (ii) must be in writing, and submitted to billing@ironsocket.com. IronSocket VPN promises that if (i) and (ii) above are met, they will refund the amount paid in full; but that it may take up to 30 days for the refund amount to appear in your account.
While any money back guarantee is better than no money back guarantee, it cannot be overlooked that IronSocket 7 days window falls short of the 30-days that many services give. Also, IronSocket VPN sounds it that any request made after the allowed 7 days period will not be considered. Whereas there are services that are more flexible, and will consider request made after their allowed periods, especially if extraordinary circumstances were in play.
IronSocket VPN does not offer free accounts; they do not offer free trials either. Why? They say it is for security reasons. Free trials would have allowed potential subscribers try out the service and get a feel of its features, so that they would know what they are subscribing to. IronSocket VPN advices that their 7-days money back is effectively a 7-days free trial. You buy a subscription, use the service for a while (6 days, 23 hours and 59 mins), and request a full refund.
You can use IronSocket VPN on virtually all devices and operating systems – Windows (10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP), Mac OS, Android, iOS (iPhone, iPad, and iPod), and Blackberry. You can also install the VPN on routers (Tomato, DDWRT, D-Link, Netgear etc) games consoles (PS 3 and 4, Wii, Xbox one and 360, and PS Vista), and TVs (Apple TV, Amazon fire, Boxee and Roku).
In terms of native apps; IronSocket has not invested in developing dedicated apps. They have app for only Windows; and they supply detailed instructions for setting up the VPN on the other devices.
IronSocket VPN says that one feature of their service plan is ‘3 active logins’. They explain that you can have 3 “active” VPN connections to any of their VPN servers, in addition to the use of 3 authorized IP addresses to access their proxy services (HTTP/SOCKS5 proxy and DNS proxy) at the same time.
On the VPN itself, only three devices can be connected simultaneously. This is a good offer especially since a lot of VPN services allow only one connection. However, some would want to point out that many services offer more simultaneous connections especially since the industry average for simultaneous connections is five, and a few services offer unlimited connections.
But you need to realize that IronSocket offers more than VPN connection. You can secure three devices simultaneously with the VPN; but at the same time, you can connect multiple other devices like (Apple TV, Roku, smartphones, tablets and game consoles) to their proxy from 3 different places.
I think that it is not telling the whole story to say that IronSocket support only three simultaneous connections; the whole story will be more like, IronSocket offer 3 VPN connections plus 3 proxy connections
IronSocket VPN has only a Windows client; and to use the VPN on other platforms, you have to download the OpenVPN client. Downloading and installing either client is hassle free. You can get the native Windows client is open BETA. The user interface goes with the simplistic approach that is all too common with VPN Clint these days. Everything is well arranged, and you can easily select a server and connect. Upon, connected the app shows you your connection status, virtual IP address, server location, data usage, kill switch and DNS leak protection status, and a big red disconnect bar. I particularly like that the status of kill switch and DNS leak protection is displayed on the main interface. That way, you cannot forget to enable these security features.
The VPN settings is where you do the tweaks to set the VPN to connect at start up, and enable the kill switch and DNS leaks protection. The app also allows other settings such as changing your protocol and encryption. On the whole, new users will find the Windows app very straightforward.
To use the VPN on other devices, the simplicity ends after downloading and installing the OpenVPN client. To connect to IronSocket servers, you’ll need to have taken some actions that new users will perceive as cumbersome. First, you’ll go to the server list and download the configuration profile for each server you wish to connect to (if you’ll want to connect to all the servers in their network, that’s some downloading for you). After downloading the profiles, you’ll have to import the profiles to the OpenVPN client. Note that this process gets the servers to your device, and not your VPN account. So you’ll have to download and import the server config profiles on every device you wish to use the VPN account. However, once you have your server locations on the OpenVPN client; connecting, switching servers, and the general use of the VPN goes smoothly.
Will IronSocket VPN unblock your favourite content from anywhere in the world? To this question, IronSocket says: “Pop some popcorn and enjoy the show!”
IronSocket VPN offers access to a huge number of streaming media channels. The IronSocket DNS proxy is developed strictly to give the best speed for streaming movies. The Channel guide available only to customers list over 220 websites that IronSocket will effectively unblock for your streaming pleasure; the list include giants like BBC iPlayer, Hulu, HON Go, and numerous others.
However, there is a streaming service conspicuous by its absence in the list – Netflix. IronSocket’s channel guide used to feature Netflix; that was when IronSocket used to unblock Netflix and give users access to its contents. But Netflix has caught up with them, and they can no longer give users Netflix. That is not want particular failure on IronSocket’s part; Netflix has recently become a VPN blocker extraordinaire, and has succssfully blacklisted many VPN services.
While I usually tend to equate a VPN’s Netflix compatibility with its streaming capability; the sheer volume of other streaming services that IronSocket successfully unblocks will make me give the service the pass mark as an excellent VPN for streaming.
Iron Socket call themselves “the Best Torrent VPN”. They have servers optimized for use with torrenting applications – uTorrent, qBittorrent and more. They clearly mark the servers in their network that supports torrenting, and strongly warns against using any other server.
The P2P server locations are Cyprus, Indonesia, Luxembory, the Netherlands, Romania, Russia, Taiwan, and Ukraine. Thus, while IronSocket VPN supports torrenting, they have very few P2P servers. Most often than not, these servers will be crowded.
IronSocket VPN does not explicitly state the number of servers that they operate; instead they provide a list of their server locations. A physical count of yielded that they operate servers in 38 countries. All the countries features only one server location and one server with the exceltion of the U.S.; so it is safe to say that IronSocket has 50+ servers. That’s very small, especially knowing that many services in the market operates hundreds of servers, while the top dogs operates thousands of servers. With VPN services, more servers enhance anonymity and also give better performance; this is because you have more opportunity to spoof your location, and you won’t get to meet overcrowded servers very often. However, while IronSocket VPN do not score points with their server count, they redeem themselves with the geographical distribution of the servers.
Many VPN services carelessly use the word “global” when describing their server network. Their network does not cover certain regions of the world, yet they say that they have a global network. Ironically, IronSocket does not describe their network as a global network, but theirs is a true global network. IronSocket VPN operates servers from every region of the world. In the server network: North America and Europe, as usual with VPN services, have good representation; South America is represented by Argentina and Brazil; Oceania is represented by Australia and New Zealand; Asia is represented by Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, South Korea Singapore, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia; and Africa is represented by Egypt. You will notice that the network touches the Middle East (Saudi Arabia), which is a region (along with Africa) that is usually neglected by VPN services.
IronSocket VPN offer three VPN Protocols; they are PPTP, L2TP and OpenVPN. It is good to see the OpenVPN on offer because it is not only the world’s most popular VPN protocol, but also the most trusted. It is reliable because it expertly optimizes security and speed. Almost all the time, the OpenVPN is the protocol recommended for use. But, there are times when the OpenVPN is not a option; and users would want other protocols. Iron Socket VPN has that covered with their support of the L2TP and PPTP protocols. The L2TP is also a very secure protocol, and seen as an alternative to the OpenVPN. The PPTP is an outdated protocol, and considered as an insecure protocol; but it is still offered to be used when you’re unable to use the OpenVPN or L2TP, or when you do not consider privacy a priority and only want speedy connection.
In terms of encryption: the OpenVPN runs on 1024 bit encryption for data communication over TCP Port 443; the L2TP runs with 256-bit AES encryption over UDP port 500 or 4500; while the PPTP uses 128 bit encryption.
These are top-notch encrytpion standards that are virtually unhackable (minus the PPTP encryption); ensuring that with IronSocket VPN, your online data has iron-clad security.
The kill switch is the VPN side-kick that complements the security that the VPN provides. It cuts off internet connection when the VPN looses comnection, ensuring that you do not continue transmitting data online without VPN protection.
The IronSocket native Windows app has a “Drop Protection”, which is a kill switch that keeps users privacy and security intact when the VPN connection drops. IronSocket VPN’s kill switch is found in the VPN settings, and it can be set to either cut off all internet connection, or cut off only selected apps.
The problem here is that IronSocket VPN has only a Windows client. To use the VPN on other platforms, you have to use the OpenVPN client, which is not equipped with a kill switch feature. This means that (users with devices other than Windows) risks having their privacy compromised by a VPN connection drop.
DNS leaks occur when DNS requests for some reasons leak out of the VPN tunnel and are handled by your ISP. This effectively reveals your real location as well as the contents accessed. Thus, any serious VPN should effectively protect against DNS leaks.
As is with the kill switch feature, IronSocket Windows app comes with a “DNS Leak Protection” which can be enabled in VPN settings. Checking the box to enable DNS leak protection will effectively prevent DNS requests from leaking outside the VPN tunnel, giving you an extra layer of security.
Outside Windows, the OpenVPN client needed to run the IronSocket VPN does not have DNS leaks protection. However, that does not mean the VPN will leak DNS in every browsing session. I tested for DNS leaks with an Android device, and there was no DNS leaks. On the whole, IronSocket VPN’s DNS leak protection is actually a mixed story; on Windows, your DNS can not leak out, but on other devices, it can.
IronSocket summarizes their privacy policy with three punch lines. The first is:
Though there is no industry standard definition of ‘log’. The reference to Logs in the VPN world covers more than “the content you access“. The content you access (such as websites you visit, the content you download etc) is more specifically referred to as activity logs. Therefore, this statement of theirs (irrespective of the big ‘DO NOT LOG’) does not tell me that this service is a no-logging VPN service. Infact, the statement suggests that they do keep logs (but not activity logs). The question is whether what they collect and store threaten users’ privacy.
IronSocket actually collect and store account information (such as email address and password), payment information (which includes payment type, transaction ID, and limited transaction data provided by the payment processor used), and customer communication (from the support channels). Nothing collected here is out of the ordinary; almost every VPN service collect similar data to enable them serve users well. More importantly, your privacy will be intact if you use a disposable email address, pay anonymously, and did not out to support.
However, IronSocket collect and store more. This include: connection timestamps (connection time and disconnection time for every session), originating IP address, the server you connected to, and total data transferred at every session. Needless to say, this information can be used to trace you to your door. Luckily, IronSocket says they keep the information for only 72 hours after which it is purged from their servers. While this is good, there is still a lingering fear that determined persons would still get the information.
They cooperate fully with law enforcement agencies, and will disclose user information when the law requires them to do so.
You cannot but agree that it is better (even best) that these session logs (which can effectively identify a user) are not stored in the first place. That way there will be nothing to disclose to even the most determined agencies. There are many services that do not keep these session logs.
The other punch lines from IronSocket summary of their privacy policy is:
IronSocket may share aggregate statistical data and other forms of non-Personally Identifiable Information with non-affiliated third parties for advertising, marketing or research purposes.
I have two questions here: (i) why else, if not for commercial purposes, will they pass users’ data to non-affiliated third parties for advertising?(ii) will privacy focused users really consent to having their data (anonymized or not) passed to third parties especially ad services?
IronSocket VPN offers respectable speeds. They are not among the fastest services in the industry, but they also do not feature among the slow ones. IronSocket dropped speeds by 45 – 62% below the baseline. This is still very good speed performance that is fast enough to stream HD video and play games without disruption.
IronSocket VPN’s support package consist of self help channels and direct contact channels. The self help channels include FAQs, and Guides. IronSocket’s guides are exemplary both in clarity and extensiveness. The guides are simplified, and comes with screenshots that detail each step in the process. Also, you’ll be hard pressed to see VPN guides as extensive as IronSocket’s. There are guides for all the supported devices, even different routers, different TVs and different gaming consoles. The FAQ section also answers many general question that a user would have about the service.
IronSocket also allow you to contact them by submitting an online ticket. They also do exceptionally well by avoiding the ‘medicine after death’ approach of many services. They provide quality and fast responses to inquiries. The one dent on IronSocket VPN support service is their lack of support for instantaneoussupport channels such as live chat service and telephone service. The life chat feature in particular is being offered by many services these days. Also, I think IronSocket really need a live chat because of the difficulties created by their lack of native apps for most devices.
IronSocket VPN has some very fine points. They include HTTP/ SOCKS5 proxy and DNS proxy services with the VPN as part of their basic plan. They offer secure protocols and use strong encryption. They are compatible with a wide range of devices, they unblock a lot of websites for your streaming pleasure, and they support torrenting; and all these come at very affordable prices.
A small dent on the service is that they keep session logs; a second small dent is that they have few servers and fewer servers optimized for P2P activity; and another small dent is that they do not have live chat. However, the deepest dent is their lack of native apps for most platforms. It means that security features (such as kill witch, DNS leak protection, WiFi protection etc) that comes with dedicated apps are not available for most devices. It also makes setting up the VPN on most devices very tedious and complicated, and effectively making the VPN unattractive to new users and less tech savvy users.
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