F-Secure is a digital security business that has been around since 1988, and is based in Finland. They have
Being part of a large company that has been around for a long time has paid off well for the features found here. Their
We like F-Secure’s Freedome
Features
F-Secure’s Freedome
- Support for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android devices
- Uses OpenVPN protocol with AES-256 bit encryption
- Kill switch
- Unlimited bandwidth
They are by no means the most feature-rich
Servers & countries
This is another area where the F-Secure
Their server list currently includes:
- Americas: Canada, Mexico, USA
- Europe: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom
- Scandinavia: Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Norway
- Asia: Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore
They will not give out data on their total server numbers, but we doubt it’s any significant number. VPNs with thousands of servers scream it from the rooftops.
Speed & reliability
F-Secure’s Freedome
Independent testing has found them to be about average in both download and upload speed, with very few complaints of disconnect issues. F-Secure has a large enough team to handle any major disruptions to their network, so you can be sure that nothing will ever be down for too long.
Pricing & payments
The F-Secure
- Three devices: $4.17/month, $49.99 yearly
- Five devices: $5.00/month, $59.99 yearly
- Seven devices: $6.67/month, $79.99 yearly
These prices are right around the average for a
We’re also frustrated to see that they don’t have a monthly option for those who want to try them out quickly, but they do offer a 30-day refund.
Support
We weren’t happy with how hard it was to find support for F-Secure’s
Their support section is divided up into four sections:
- Knowledge base
- Community
- Support for home
- Support for business
Once you click on one of these headings you’re sent to a general page about all of their products, and you then have to sift through or do a search to find what you need to know about the F-Secure
The contact page is also divided up into:
- For Home: Click on this heading and you’re sent to another page which still doesn’t offer support. It offers links to FAQs, a forum, live chat, and phone support. You have to click on one of these four links to finally get help.
- For Business: This links leads you to a page which simply states you must contact your reseller, then links you to a page of regional sellers! Outrageous.
- Our Community: This opens up a new tab for the community bulletin board. You can search the topics for people who have had the same problem as you before and get answers.
This all could have been handled on one page, and just feels much more complicated than it needs to be, especially since the link for business support just says to contact your reseller!
Policies & logging
The biggest policy issue we have with them is that they do not allow P2P/torrenting traffic. Given that they are a huge company, with many different products, it’s likely that they don’t want hassles from DMCA notices.
To cover their Terms of Service, they have this to say:
- On security and privacy: “…we have put in place appropriate physical, electronic, and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect online.”
- On warranties: “No warranty of any kind, either express or implied, is made in relation to the availability, accuracy, reliability or content of these pages.”
These are standard disclaimers for corporate-talk on not wanting to take any real responsibility.
The privacy section specific to F-Secure Freedome
- There is no sharing or selling of your traffic.
- They don’t monitor your traffic, or know what traffic belongs to you.
- The software has no back doors.
Given how hard governments are pushing for back door access, the last point was good to read.
However, they are open about what they do record and we don’t find it to be very positive:
- They process IP addresses.
- Traffic is analysed for malicious files and URLs, and they automatically screen what goes against their acceptable use policy.
- The really odd comment is how they collect stats on your browsing history for you to review, but don’t connect it to you.
This is all clearly pointing to the fact that they are not the most private
Expert recommendation
F-Secure
Our big issues were their very complicated process for just talking to someone who works there, their unusual pricing structure, and their questionable privacy and monitoring of your connection. They can be a good choice if Freedome seems like the right fit for you, but we suggest looking at the five best VPNs we’ve reviewed for a high quality