FastestVPN Review: A Good Choice for VPN Beginners

Price when reviewed

Lifetime Special: $40, usually $600

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Last time we took a look at FastestVPN, we were impressed by its price, solid speed, and ability to run 10 connections simultaneously, but we were left a little cold by its slightly smaller one that lacked tools like a kill switch to cut off communications. when a VPN connection is lost, and industry mainstays like split tunneling.

Either we weren't the only ones with such complaints, or FastestVPN is reading igamesnews (and why not really?), but the company has made huge strides to improve almost every aspect of the experience.

It starts with a much cleaner Mac app that's just as satisfying to press the big power button as any other VPN app, as well as a big increase in servers with over 800 included. It also remains remarkably affordable, with a $40 lifetime plan (down from $30 at the time we updated this review!), cheaper than a few years on competing services, and now supporting user-friendly features. experienced such as multi-hop connections.

See how FastestVPN compares to other Mac VPNs we've tested.

Will this make your traffic private? You bet, with a no-logging policy verified by a third-party auditor and the aforementioned features like the kill switch. Will this help you bypass geoblocks? Yes, although it's much more likely with streaming-focused servers.

These are two of the main reasons to use a VPN for the vast majority of people, and for this, FastestVPN does a great job and for much less than the others. Competitors offer a larger number of servers, but the ease of use and low barrier to entry make FastestVPN one of our top VPN picks in 2025.

Features and applications

Foundry

FastestVPN is available on Mac (which we'll primarily review here), but it also offers Windows, iOS, iPadOS, Android, and many other apps. Take a look to see how this compares to the other options: Best VPNs for iPad and Best VPNs for iPhone.

This is particularly important here because it allows 10 devices to be connected simultaneously, meaning your family can be covered with a single payment without needing to resort to paid add-ons (although these are available at $4 per device).

This makes purchasing a plan as simple as possible, and each comes with 24/7 support for anyone who needs it, as well as a long list of features.

These include Internet Kill Switch to stop all traffic if your VPN goes down for any reason, as well as a free NAT firewall and ad blocker that might trick you into running it even if you don't. You don't necessarily need a VPN.

All plans also include 256-bit AES encryption and full server access, which some competitors charge extra for.

Even the app, which has had a facelift recently, is much nicer to look at. It seems silly to say, but if you're likely to look at it multiple times a day, it's good to know that it's responsive and has light and dark mode options.

You'll find a variety of VPN protocols to choose from (more on those in a moment), and you can use Smart Tunneling to ensure that certain apps pass through a VPN while others don't. You can now link servers together to double the encryption if you really want to take obfuscation to the next level.

Performance

A VPN that significantly slows down your traffic probably won't be used for long, and while FastestVPN's name may set expectations, it's not quite the best when it comes to speed.

The servers have recently been updated to 10Gbps options and there are four different protocols to use, with Wireguard, OpenVPN (TCP and UDP options) and IKEv2 available.

I tested about a dozen locations from my MacBook Air, using my upgraded Gigabit Internet speed, and found the speeds were about 60% of my download speed at their peak, and the speeds of downloading fared better.

It's not quite the fastest on the market, but if you're just looking to cover your digital tracks or watch Netflix in another country, it'll definitely tick those boxes.

I'm especially glad that server latency is shown when you choose a server, because that can make a difference, and that's not all.

FastestVPN also highlights some streaming-focused servers to help bypass geo-blocking, meaning I was able to test out Disney Plus, Netflix, BBC iPlayer and more from the comfort of my UK home. It should be noted that results will vary when using servers that are not specifically identified as “streaming” servers, but there is still plenty to choose from.

Speaking of choices, FastestVPN has over 800 servers, which is a lot – but in context, it's significantly less than NordVPN or ExpressVPN. Still, the price difference makes this easier to swallow.

Foundry

Privacy and security

So you can broadcast from other territories, but what about privacy? After all, it can be difficult to verify a “no logs” policy, because it's difficult to prove that you're not doing anything (in this case, logging user data).

Like some of its contemporaries, FastestVPN is headquartered in the Cayman Islands and has been third-party audited by Altius IT. The report reveals that aside from connections and billing, FastestVPN does not keep any data on user activity and you can download the results to see for yourself.

Rates and packages

We've always advised against paying for several years of a VPN in advance, simply because legislation in the industry continues to change regularly. And yet, FastestVPN's price makes it hard not to shell out the $40 for an annual subscription (sometimes $30).

The $5 rolling monthly contract is cheaper than some competitors, but a $20 annual subscription is also a good deal. Still, for just $40, it's hard not to opt for a full lifetime subscription, especially if the service continues to improve at the same rate as in recent years.

Should you buy FastestVPN

Fantastic pricing, a completely improved app, and a whole host of extra features make FastestVPN a service that's easy to recommend, especially to anyone looking for an easy-to-use VPN that also adds extra utility for experts.