This VPN is no longer available.
Features
- P2P supported
- No logs
- Unlimited data and bandwidth
- DNS leak protection
- 14-day free trial
- 2 server locations (US and Netherlands)
- Killswitch
- 45-day money back guarantee
- OpenVPN
- PPTP
- L2TP/IPSec
- 5 concurrent connections
Speed and Performance
Tests were performed using TestMy.net on a UK Virgin Media VIVID 100 optical connection. The results for downloading were bad on both servers, with the US server performing terribly, with an average of just 2.5mb per second (compared to around 50mb with no VPN in use). The upload speeds on the US server didn't take any noticeable hit with the VPN on. All in all, both the servers were slow. This is a part of the review that Anonymizer really failed.
The good news is that no IPv4 DNS leaks were detected in the Windows or Android clients. Unfortunately, however, WebRTC did show my internal IP address in both clients (though as mentioned before, this does not reveal your identity or geo-location and is not a problem at all). Sadly, I was unable to test for IPv6 leaks as that connection is not available with my ISP.
Pricing and Plans
While most VPNs offer the option to pay monthly, Anonymizer has decided on a simpler (if not rather restrictive) yearly plan. A subscription to Anonymizer VPN must be for a year, and will cost you $79.99. That works out at just under $7 per month, which is pretty average for a premium VPN package.
The obvious downside of having to commit to a year’s subscription is that you are tied into the service for that length of time. In order to encourage people to try its service, however, Anonymizer offers a 14-day free trial.
In addition, there is a 45-day money-back guarantee for anybody who decides that the service isn’t for them. That is one of the longest money-back guarantees that we have ever seen, and certainly appears to give subscribers a pretty generous opportunity to change their minds.
Privacy and Security
Anonymizer is registered in the US, which is the home of the NSA. When using any VPN registered in the US, privacy becomes an issue. Anonymizer clearly knows this, because it has decided on a no logs policy that allows its users to access what they want without the worry of their actions being scrutinized at a later date.
Anonymizer keeps no usage logs whatsoever. Sadly, it does keep some connection logs for 24 hours. While these few connection logs are kept for internal use, the fact that they are deleted within 24 hours is a huge bonus.
Although the privacy policy makes it clear that the firm would help with criminal investigations if asked to do so by a court, they would have minimal data to provide, as they keep no usage logs.
Anonymizer offers PPTP, OpenVPN, and L2TP/IPSec. The firm's OpenVPN implementation uses AES-256 cipher. Sadly, even though I asked them, Anonymizer was unwilling to inform me about handshake key encryption size, authentication method, or if there is Perfect Forward Secrecy in place. As such it is very hard to determine the actual level of protection afforded via Anonymizer. The general rule is that if the VPN isn't forthcoming, encryption is likely to be less secure than one would hope.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, Anonymizer is a VPN that provides a pretty poor service at an expensive price. Upload speeds were admittedly ok, but download speeds were simply atrocious. The only real saving grace was that the customer support team was incredibly friendly and helpful. The privacy policy is good and connection logs being kept for 24 hours is better than many VPNs. However, with plenty of zero logs VPN providers on the market (that have a choice of servers in well over 50 countries around the world and provide good connection speeds), one has to ask:
Why settle for Anonymizer when you could have something better at the same price?