TechRadar Verdict
VPN Tracker is a comprehensive VPN management solution for enterprises, while its World Connect VPN app will certainly suit individuals looking for a speedy and efficient VPN solution. It allows a level of customization in terms of server locations and can even unblock geo-restricted Netflix content. However, it’s only limited to Mac and iOS platforms, the apps lack a lot of typical VPN features, and it can’t unblock BBC iPlayer.
Pros
- +
Great speeds
- +
Unblocks Netflix
- +
Free trial
- +
Various connection modes
Cons
- -
Only for Mac and iOS
- -
Basic apps
- -
Doesn’t unblock BBC iPlayer
- -
Some logging
Why you can trust TechRadar
VPN Tracker has been around for 15 years, offering a range of VPN products primarily aimed at enterprises and professionals working from home.
We tested its World Connect VPN product, which can be purchased separately or as part of the larger VPN Tracker 365 solution that also comes equipped with VPN management options.
Price
If you purchase the annual plan, VPN Tracker World Connect will only cost you $49.99/year, which equals $4.17/month - an acceptable price for a solid VPN.
There’s also a 24-hour free trial on the table so you can check if this VPN is right for you. You don’t even have to leave your credit card details.
Each account can be used by just one user and on a single iOS or macOS device. Unfortunately, there is no support for Windows, Android or other major platforms.
Accepted payment methods include credit/debit cards, PayPal and bank transfers. During the purchase, you may choose whether you want your plan to be automatically renewed or not, which is a welcome level of flexibility not often seen among the competition.
Alternatives
Although VPN Tracker is an excellent VPN management solution, its World Connect VPN app lacks a lot of the features offered by the industry giants like ExpressVPN, NordVPN, Surfshark and CyberGhost.
It can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them in terms of download speeds and the free trial should not be overlooked, but the platform support is limited to just macOS and iOS.
Streaming
A lot of VPN users sign up for anonymity services in hopes of watching their favorite content that might not be available in their region. As we have witnessed during our tests, World Connect allows its users to access whatever geo-restricted Netflix content they choose, but is less successful when it comes to BBC iPlayer.
About the company
The company that runs this platform is called equinux AG and is headquartered in Germany. It offers access to 1,400 servers in 41 locations and 21 countries, including South Korea, Poland, Brazil, Czechia, New Zealand, and others.
Privacy and encryption
World Connect ensures your browsing activity remains private with the use of the secure AES-256, DH-Group 18 encryption, and the IPSec connection protocol. There’s no clear information about whether this VPN allows you to share files via torrenting and P2P clients, but we were told by customer support that “there are no technical restrictions on which protocols can be used”. That said, discretion is still advised.
In itself, the VPN Tracker 365 management platform provides support for IPsec VPN, OpenVPN, L2TP VPN, PPTP VPN, SonicWALL SSL VPN, Cisco EasyVPN, Cisco Meraki, Mode Config, Sophos SSL, and other protocols.
As far as World Connect is concerned, there are a few different connection modes on the table, under the collective moniker Magic VPN. These include ‘Open Internet’ which you can use in a country with restricted internet, ‘Secure Connection’ when you’re in an internet café or just want to make sure your data stays safe, ‘EU only’ if you want to make sure your data only travels across the European Union, ‘North America only’ if you want your data to be routed only across the US or Canada, ‘Avoid USA & UK’ for picking countries outside the UK and US, ‘Outside of Germany’, and ‘Outside of UK’.
Of course, you can also just pick a country you want to connect to by yourself.
The company’s Privacy Policy suggests that it doesn’t log or store any data when you’re using World Connect. It specifies that this means “traffic data, including data content, traffic destination, downloads or browsing history". However, the provider can see your user ID, the time and date of your login, your IP address, and information about your device. The purpose is to identify you as the license owner and protect your account from unauthorized access.
We'd prefer if there was independent confirmation of these claims by a third-party auditor.
Support
VPN Tracker World Connect is available for Mac and iOS platforms only. At the time of writing, the Mac app has a score of 3.3 stars (out of 5) as rated by just 6 users. The iOS app has a better score of 5 stars, but has again been rated by a tiny number of users.
All enterprise-level clients have access to web-based team management but individual clients that only use its World Connect app have resources at their disposal as well. The first line of support is the provider’s FAQ section, from where you can also fill out and send a support form. There’s also an email address you can use. We got a response to our general email query in just less than 20 hours.
Speed and experience
The World Connect app looks nice and is very simple to use due to the lack of any complicated settings or features. Connections are established within a few seconds. We tested the app’s download speeds on an 83.29Mbps testing connection from a location in Southeast Europe.
A server in Austria delivered a formidable 52.16Mbps, but the results for the server in the UK were a bit disappointing, with speeds dropping to only 11.90Mbps.
However, the speed picked up again when we connected to a service in the US, which delivered a very fast 36.72Mbps. We also tested a server on the other side of the globe - in Singapore - which yielded a very good 20.07Mbps.
Verdict
VPN Tracker is a strong VPN management platform that also offers its own VPN app. This app can unblock geo-restricted Netflix content and delivers some quite impressive speeds.
However, it falls behind the major VPN vendors in terms of features, platform support and the ability to unlock BBC iPlayer outside the UK.
Sead is a seasoned freelance journalist based in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. He writes about IT (cloud, IoT, 5G, VPN) and cybersecurity (ransomware, data breaches, laws and regulations). In his career, spanning more than a decade, he’s written for numerous media outlets, including Al Jazeera Balkans. He’s also held several modules on content writing for Represent Communications.