ZenMate VPN Review 2024: See You on the CyberGhost Side

ZenMate was a simple and affordable virtual private network (VPN) founded in 2013. Its apps mirrored CyberGhost's, albeit with fewer advanced features. Despite its initial popularity, ZenMate couldn't keep up with the bigger VPN providers. This inevitably led to security problems and its merger with CyberGhost in 2023.

Find out more in our full ZenMate VPN review below.

ZenMate VPN review at a glance

Price	$1.51-$10.99/mo
Free version	No
Free trial	Yes (7 days)
Max # of connected devices	Unlimited
# of servers	4,800+ in 80+ countries
VPN protocol	OpenVPN, IKEv2
Encryption	AES-256
No-logs policy	No logs
Headquarters	Germany
Netflix access	Yes

ZenMate VPN alternatives

When choosing a VPN, it’s wise to examine a few options to select the product that offers the right features, security, and pricing for you. If you're wondering what the best option is now that ZenMate VPN is no longer available, we recommend the following:

What happened to ZenMate VPN?

According to an announcement posted in 2023, ZenMate VPN declared it wanted to aim higher than what it was currently able to offer. To expand on its services, ZenMate VPN partnered with CyberGhost.

Starting March 16, any ZenMate VPN users would have their services provided by CyberGhost's apps. The ZenMate VPN apps were supported until May 1, 2023.

Our experience with ZenMate VPN

ZenMate VPN was easy to download, install, and launch. Activating the free trial was a one-click process. Both desktop and mobile apps were simple with a beginner-friendly interface.

Connecting to a server took only a few seconds, depending on the location. We liked how ZenMate’s client had all the basic options on the home screen. You didn’t need to delve into any submenus or hidden tabs.

Who was ZenMate VPN best for?

• Recommended for cost-conscious users

ZenMate VPN was a mixed bag. It was cheap but had privacy and security issues. It was located in Germany, which is part of the Five Eyes alliance, but maintained a full no-logs policy. It also failed our DNS leak test. 

On paper, it was a decent option for people looking to save money on a VPN. However, it had too many issues to provide good value for the price (low as it may be). ZenMate users were transitioned to CyberGhost VPN, which is a far superior service.

ZenMate VPN prices and subscriptions

ZenMate VPN had three subscription plans, with the three-year option starting at $1.51/mo. NordVPN and Surfshark start at $2.99/mo (billed every two years) and $1.99/mo (billed every two years), respectively, but bpth offer a lot more for the price. 

ZenMate was a good option if you were looking for a simple VPN on a budget. Its seven-day free trial further added to its affordability.

Plan	1-month plan	1-year plan	3-year plan
Price per month	$10.99/mo	$4.49/mo	$1.51/mo

ZenMate VPN features

ZenMate had good speeds, a decent VPN server network, a no-logs policy, and unlimited simultaneous connections. That said, it lacked features like split tunneling and was headquartered in an Eyes alliance country. 

Server count and countries

• 4,800+ servers in 80+ countries

ZenMate VPN servers had a decent coverage in 80+ countries. This combination of physical and virtual servers ensured good speeds and stability. ZenMate VPN apps had real-time info about server load and your distance from them. This allowed you to pick the fastest option for your location and avoid server crowding.

If you had trouble finding the best ZenMate VPN servers, it could pick the best options automatically. Furthermore, you could create a list of favorites for quicker access.

ZenMate had optimized streaming servers, which unlocked many popular platforms. Oddly enough, this list didn't show the distance and server load info. It also offered servers optimized for secure torrenting.

Keeping up a good server network and battling VPN filters on streaming platforms is likely one of the reasons ZenMate had to merge with CyberGhost.

No-logs policy and headquarters

• ZenMate VPN logs policy: No logs
• ZenMate VPN headquarters: Germany

Germany, ZenMate’s home base, is a member of the Eyes alliance. However, the company maintained a firm no-logs policy throughout its existence. It only logged your email and payment info and used some harmless cookies and analytics tools. 

In other words, ZenMate didn't record your IP address, browsing activity, VPN connection timestamps, etc. As such, it didn't have any dangerous info to hand over, even if the German government asked for it.

During installation, you could share some anonymous data with ZenMate. Fortunately, you also had the option to refuse.

If you’re looking for VPNs with a similar privacy-first approach, check out our list of the best no-logs VPNs.

Security features

Apart from P2P and streaming servers, ZenMate was a bare-bones VPN. It had no advanced features like split tunneling, a dedicated IP, or malware protection. Some of its prominent security features included:

• Kill switch: An automatic kill switch prevents data leaks by blocking your internet connection when you lose your VPN connection.
• VPN protocols: ZenMate supported OpenVPN and IKEv2 tunnels. OpenVPN is a great all-round choice for general users; it provides the best balance of speed, security, and stability. IKEv2 is ideal for mobile users, thanks to its unique reconnection capabilities. ZenMate never incorporated WireGuard.
• DNS leak protection: This feature was supposed to prevent DNS leaks, but it didn’t work during our testing.

ZenMate VPN test results

During our hands-on testing for this ZenMate review, we checked its speed, geo-unblocking capabilities, and security setup. It passed our performance tests but failed to keep our DNS requests private.

Speed tests

• Speed test results: ZenMate VPN passed our speed tests.

We tested ZenMate VPN’s speed on a MacBook Pro against a benchmark of 106.60 Mbps download, 66.91 Mbps upload, and an 8 ms ping. Upon activating ZenMate VPN, we experienced a slight decrease in download speeds, but Netflix streaming remained smooth.

However, we did experience some lag using Zoom and noted an increase in latency to 117 ms. These dips are typical when using VPNs, but ZenMate’s were marginal enough to pass the test.

Test type	No VPN	US to US	US to EU	US to AU
Download speed	106.6 Mbps	95.1 Mbps	75.4 Mbps	74.1 Mbps
Upload speed	66.9 Mbps	79.8 Mbps	30.4 Mbps	20.6 Mbps
Latency (ping)	8 ms	12 ms	117 ms	216 ms
Download speed % difference	N/A	-10.8%	-29.3%	-69.2%
Upload speed % difference	N/A	19.3%	-54.6%	-69.2%
Latency % difference	N/A	50%	1,362.5%	2,600%

Netflix tests

• Netflix test results: ZenMate VPN successfully unblocked Netflix in the U.S., EU, Canada, and Australia.

You can watch Netflix with ZenMate VPN in multiple regions without lag or buffering. During our tests, it successfully unblocked content on Netflix in the U.S., EU, Canada, and Australia. 

	US to US	US to CA	US to UK	US to AU
Did it work with Netflix?

DNS leak test

• DNS leak test results: ZenMate VPN failed our DNS leak test.

DNS (Domain Name System) translates plain-language website names into IP addresses. A DNS leak test checks if the VPN is routing your internet traffic through your chosen DNS. 

ZenMate VPN failed this test, potentially revealing our activity and compromising our privacy.

WebRTC leak test

• WebRTC leak test results: ZenMate VPN passed our WebRTC leak test.

WebRTC (Web Real-Time Communication) optimizes communication between browsers, reducing video, audio, and streaming latency. A WebRTC leak will make your real IP visible, which is a significant security risk. 

Fortunately, that didn’t happen during our ZenMate testing.

ZenMate VPN compatibility

ZenMate had native apps for the following platforms and systems:

• Windows
• macOS
• Linux
• Android
• iOS

It also had Chrome, Firefox, Opera, and Edge browser extensions. Users with some technical knowledge were able to set it up via OpenVPN on DD-WRT-compatible routers.

ZenMate VPN customer support

ZenMate had decent customer service with on-site FAQs, setup guides, as well as live chat and email support. You were able to submit a ticket through the VPN client or your private dashboard on the site. The response times ranged from 24 hours to a couple of days.

FAQs

Bottom line: Was ZenMate VPN good?

ZenMate VPN was a beginner-friendly service with a lot of potential and some glaring flaws. It was a bare-bones VPN with a good selection of servers optimized for streaming and torrenting. It was stable, dished out good speeds, supported solid protocols, and maintained a firm no-logs policy. On the other hand, it didn’t have any advanced features, and it leaked DNS requests during our testing. It was also headquartered in Germany, which is not a VPN-friendly place.

All in all, we were sorry to see ZenMate go, with all its unrealized potential. However, even if it were still active, we’d recommend using one of these best VPN services instead.