Faceless.me Review

Faceless.me is a service that is specifically targeted at mobile users. The VPN is a reasonably priced service that you can test on your iPhone, iPad, or Android device yourself thanks to its money-back guarantee. Despite the shrewd marketing, the VPN is actually available on Windows and Linux machines, which is great.

Performance-wise, we found speeds to be generally OK, meaning it can be used for streaming (and it does unblock Netflix US).  In terms of privacy, the VPN keeps no usage logs, and it provides basic PPTP encryption, which is not ideal. Luckily, however, you can connect using OpenVPN, but you will need to do so using the third party OpenVPN client.

We take an in-depth look at each aspect of this VPN in our Faceless.me Review below.

Our Score
1.75 / 5
Pricing
$19.95 - $29.95
Free option
Available
Simultaneous connections
1
Server locations
3
Jurisdiction
Cyprus
ProPrivacy.com SpeedTest (average)
7 Mbps
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Features

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Speed and Performance

Normally we test VPNs using our proprietary server based speed check system. However, to do so, the VPN provider must provide us with the .ovpn files to be able to perform those regular and accurate tests.

Due to the VPN's inability to provide this (as all other VPNs do) we had to carry out our tests using an online speed checking tool: Speedtest.net. This will give you an idea of the VPN's speeds, but it is only a snapshot, and a fairly unreliable one at that.

First, as usual, we took a benchmark to test our connection without a VPN. The results of this test, which was made on a 50 Mbps Virgin Media account in the UK, provided speeds of around 47 Mbps. We then connected to the Faceless.me server in the Netherlands and tested its download speeds. We encountered speeds of around 34 Mbps, which is fast enough to stream in HD. 

We then connected to Faceless.me's server in the USA VPN and achieved a download speed of 28 Mbps. This is a drop of around a half, which is a little disappointing. However, it is still worth noting that this will let you stream Netflix in HD without issues. 

Overall, we found the speed results to be OK, if not mind-blowingly good. Of course these tests were performed on a single afternoon, and we encourage the VPN to provide us with the .ovpn config files we need to actually test it regularly - as we do all other VPNs.

Pricing and Plans

Faceless.me is a service that can be purchased in one of two subscription plans. A three-month unlimited traffic subscription costs $19.95 and a six-month sub will set you back $29.95, working out to $59.90 annually. 

This puts the price of the service towards the low end of average. However, it is worthy of note that if (like us) you are located in Europe, VAT is added onto the price. Overall, these prices seem inflated considering the level of service you get. 

For a VPN that has no live chat support and a very limited feature set, we would hope for much lower prices. On the whole we recommend that you shop elsewhere, because you can find better value for money.

It is also worth noting that this VPN only supports Visa and Mastercard payments - no Bitcoin or PayPal here.

Privacy and Security

The fact that Faceless.me allows you to use a limited version of the service with no real sign-up procedure at all means that this could be a great choice for those who want a quick, one-off privacy solution.

Moving onto more technical details, Faceless offers support for PPTP and OpenVPN. OpenVPN encryption is implemented with AES 256, according to the company's privacy policy.

This is generally strongly implemented OpenVPN. However, the lack of knowledge about how it implements the handshake and authorization on the data and control channels - as well as a lack of information regarding Perfect Forward Secrecy - makes this VPN very hard to recommend for privacy purposes.

PPTP by default is also a massive turn off, with the best VPN services nowadays dropping that outdated and insecure protocol from their apps altogether. This reveals just how far behind the industry Faceless.me is lagging. Not good, considering the bloated cost of a subscription.

Regarding data retention on the server side, this VPN claims to keep zero logs. However, the amount of information contained within the privacy policy is very limited, and it is hard to know what connection logs might be getting stored from the information provided. It is also worth noting that the privacy policy is not GDPR compliant.

Final thoughts

Faceless.me is a VPN that has a cluttered website, and a generally lack luster service, the VPN does not provide the kinds of features you would expect from a modern VPN. As a result, it is extremely hard to recommend this service - especially considering the high price point.

For a similar cost, you could get a service with servers in 60+ countries and much better privacy features. Overall, we recommend that you give this VPN a miss. 

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Written by: Pete Zaborszky

Founder of ProPrivacy.com and privacy advocate even before Edward Snowden's revelations. Computing graduate from Imperial College London. Speaker at cybersecurity conferences e.g. IPExpo and regularly speaks on tech podcasts.

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