CactusVPN, established in 2011, is a Moldova based VPN service provider that has already emerged as one of the best logless VPN service providers in the VPN industry, offering users with high quality online security and privacy, as well as a virtual means of accessing blocked, censored or otherwise restricted online content.
CactusVPN is committed to develop applications and services that provide an open access of the internet, as well as protect users’ online privacy. With 20 VPN-servers in even 6 Countries, self-owned and maintained, CactusVPN offers a comprehensive reach to its users and empowers them to access blocked and restricted content on the internet. CactusVPN works on Windows, Mac, Android, iOS and Linux with best-in-class Internet security and privacy for anonymous surfing. They continue to grow their customer base and service offerings as an ever-greater number of internet users are adopting the use of VPN.
Pricing Plans with Remarkable Features
In this CactusVPN review, I prefer to discussed about its pricing plan with features first. They offer 5 different VPN service plans: US VPN Plan, UK VPN Plan, Liberty VPN Plan, VPN+SmartDNS Plan and SmartDNS Plan. Undoubtedly if you want the best experience, then you are surely recommend to test their VPN+SmartDNS package as it allows the best features for its clients. Let’s have a look at their pricing plan. They also offer ‘Free Trial’ for 24 hrs which may be surely useful for testing the performance of the service. This free trial is just slimier to main plan without any limitation.
- Free Trial: $0.00 for 24hrs (No Credit Card required; Same features as main plan)
- US VPN Plan: $4.99/month; Save 0% by purchasing 1 month plan
- UK VPN Plan: $4.99/month; Save 0% by purchasing 1 month plan
- Liberty Plan: $4.99/month; Save 0% by purchasing 1 month plan
- VPN + SmartDNS Plan: $6.99/month; Save 0% by purchasing 1 month plan
- SmartDNS Plan: $4.99/month; Save 0% by purchasing 1 month plan
- Free Trial: $0.00 for 24hrs (No Credit Card required; Same features as main plan)
- US VPN Plan: $38.99 (
$59.88); Save 35% by purchasing 1 year plan - UK VPN Plan: $38.99 (
$59.88); Save 35% by purchasing 1 year plan - Liberty Plan: $38.99 (
$59.88); Save 35% by purchasing 1 year plan - VPN + SmartDNS Plan: $58.99 (
$83.88); Save 35% by purchasing 1 year plan - SmartDNS Plan: $38.99 (
$59.88); Save 35% by purchasing 1 year plan
Remarkable Features of the Boss plan at a glance
- 20 VPN Servers spread out across 9 countries
- Unlimited traffic, bandwidth and Server switching
- No connection logs or activity logs stored in VPN servers
- World class and user-friendly VPN Client software / apps
- OpenVPN, L2TP/IPSec, IKEv2, SSTP and PPTP protocol
- Capable of preventing IPv4 & WebRTC IP Leak & DNS Leak
- Kill-switch & app killer to block all traffics when connection drops
- Up to 5 Devices connection allowed at a time
- SmartDNS included in boss plan, free Proxy Servers
- P2P allowed; some servers are P2P Compliant
- Compatible with Windows, Mac, iOS, Android and routers
- Multiple Payment Methods including Bitcoin
- A 30-day Money back policy adopted
- 24/7 email/ticket Support, Live Chat
Accepted Payment Methods
CactusVPN accepts following payment methods for its customers to pay for their VPN services:
- Credit/Debit Cards (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express);
- PayPal;
- Bitcoin;
- Alipay (for China)
- Webmoney (for Russia)
- Yandex.Money (for Russia)
- Boleto Bancario (for Brazil)
- Qiwi (for Russia, China, Brazil, India, South Africa, Romania, Panama, Peru, Chile, Malaysia, Vietnam, Argentina, Colombia, Serbia, Latvia, Ukraine, Georgia, Belarus, Moldova, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan).
20 self-managed VPN Servers in 9 Countries
This provider currently has 20 VPN servers located in 9 countries across the globe to accommodate their users and their authorities have full control to them and all servers are entirely managed personally by their technical staff. Admin access to servers is not provided for any third party.
With unlimited speeds and unlimited server switches, you can connect from anywhere in the world. And they have been proven as reliable in maintaining server uptime. So there’s no need to worry about your VPN not being available. They do have servers with satisfactorily excellent speeds.
They handpick servers that live up to their high standards of security and privacy. These are perfectly access controlled, and they are the only ones that operate them — no one else. They do not store IP addresses, nor do they store other identifiable logs. Each server supports all popular protocols, including: PPTP, L2TP/IPsec, OpenVPN, and SSTP.
CactusVPN has installed their 20 VPN-servers across different locations: 4 servers in United States of America (Los Angeles, Kansas, Manassas, Chicago), 5 servers in United Kingdom, 1 server in France, 1 server in Germany, 1 server in Canada, 2 servers in Romania, 1 server in South Korea, 1 server in Australia and 4 servers in Netherlands.
Compatible with Major Operating Systems and Devices
CactusVPN has developed their VPN client apps for Windows, Mac OS X, iOS, and Android. You can also set them up manually too with up to AES-256bit encryption on those operating systems as well as on Windows Phone, routers, Ubuntu, Chromebook, Boxee Box etc.
Unlimited Bandwidth, Speed and Switching
Unlike many other VPN providers, CactusVPN assures they will never limit you to use bandwidth, speed or server switching. You are also most welcome to be connected to any of their VPN servers, anytime, without restrictions or download caps (but NO illegal P2P). Easily switch between server locations is widely available at no additional charge. In short:-
- Unlimited Speed: No throttling Ever.
- Unlimited Bandwidth: No bandwidth restrictions or download caps.
- Unlimited Server Switching: Switch between locations at no additional charge.
Worldclass and Easy-to-use Secure VPN Client Software / Apps
In this CactusVPN review, I’ll depict an overview of the security and privacy level of their VPN client software in detail.
CactusVPN, with their dedicated team composed of talented and expert IT security personnel, has been able to develop an incredibly simple but at the same time innovative, impressive, competitive and very powerful VPN client software that has, with great features, one of the most secured and end-to-end encryption technologies in the industry to ensure the most up-to-date, high performing and feature-rich security service. They have developed this vpn software to defeat censorship, protect your personal identity and prevent tracking you while surfing. The reasons why I said this client software world class and competitive are as below-
Software includes multiple Protocols to ensure your Internet Privacy
Their powerful VPN software is built by their experts to establish a secured and encrypted VPN connection between your computer and their quality VPN server networks. All in-and-outgoing connections is anonymized and no third-party can see your real IP address and geolocation.
For ensuring utmost online privacy and security in any situation, CactusVPN offers the following compatible VPN protocols that work with your different Operating Systems and Devices: OpenVPN (UDP/TCP), SSTP, L2TP/IPsec, IKEv2, PPTP and SoftEther.
All the VPN apps they developed for different platforms contain AES-128bit key for encryption which is also considered to be very strong key algorithm for VPN security. They have also offer the SoftEther protocol option for you to manually configure it on your Windows OS where you’ll get AES-256bit key for encryption. They state-
“We use:
- AES-128 for OpenVPN, SSTP, L2TP/IPSec and SoftEther VPN protocols.
- 128 bit MPPE for PPTP VPN protocol.
Contrary to common beliefs, the AES-128 encryption is not necessarily weaker than the AES-256. The AES-128 is very strong and it cannot be cracked through full-scale search on the key. Although you may be entitled to think that longer keys offer more security benefits, the truth is that an algorithm can’t be “less broken” than “not broken”. So there is no additional benefit for security from cranking up the key size to 256 bits.
There is also a practical disadvantage as the AES-256 will use up to 40% more CPU in comparison to AES-128. This is a very important aspect for a server with very fast network connectivity or one that has a weaker CPU”. [https://www.cactusvpn.com/support/faq-vpn/#q4]
Capability to hide IP assigned to your local ISP
I have performed multiple tests to know about much capable CactusVPN is of hiding my real IP address assigned by my local ISP and found it supremely OK. Below I have, for example, shown an image of a test result performed at renowned IP tracker website www.whatismyip.com . See the image below-
The above image shows a Canada IP address 149.56.182.1 which was perfectly altered by CactusVPN and my real IP address assigned by my local ISP is absolutely invisible there. Perfect performance.
Capability to prevent DNS Leak
You should know that your Internet Service Provider (ISP) is able to read and monitor what you do on the internet by storing file-logs and records in their servers about your whole internet activities.
When connected to a VPN, a user automatically connects with VPN’s DNS server instead of ISP’s DNS. This way, the ISP doesn’t know which domain you are accessing or what website you are visiting. But, in rare cases it can happen that your system will revert back to your ISP’s DNS server, exposing your online activities to your ISP. So ‘DNS leak protection’ feature has been invented by VPN providers to mask your local ISP’s eye to let them not see and record your internet activity at all. To do this CactusVPN added ‘DNS Leak Protection’ option in their VPN software. See the image above-
I am very delighted to report that to report that I performed multiple DNS leak tests at different DNS leak tracker websites and they gave the common results of No DNS Leak. Below are some images of my test results performed at hidester.com/dns-leak-test , ipleak.net , www.perfect-privacy.com/dns-leaktest , www.dnsleaktest.com, and cryptoip.info/dns-leak-test respectively.
Capability to prevent WebRTC IP Leak
Reports from some users have brought to light a Internet security hole first in VPN industry that might reveal your local IP address to websites/web-browsers through ‘WebRTC’. The ‘RTC’ in WebRTC stands for Real-Time-Communication, and the API directory is used for voice calls, video chats, and p2p file sharing. This WebRTC was originally developed to aid certain types of connections between browsers without the need for an additional plugin. But today’s most remarkable worrying subject in VPN industry has been WebRTC that could be used to discover your local IP address assigned to your local ISP, even under the presence of a VPN connection.
So, does CactusVPN client software have the capability to protect your local IP address from being leaked through WebRTC?
To get this answer, I have performed a test on this issue using OpenVPN protocols (without any WebRTC IP leak controller extension) at following renowned and reliable WebRTC-IP-Leak-Tracer-Websites ipleak.net , www.perfect-privacy.com/dns-leaktest/, diafygi.github.io/webrtc-ips/ and hidester.com/webrtc-ip-leak-test//webrtc. I am very delighted to state that CactusVPN perfectly passed the test and No WebRTC IP leak were detected, at all, during my tests. I have shown below here 4 images of my test results got from the above links. The results show a common IP address 10.6.0.205 as WebRTC Local (Private) IP address which is assigned to CactusVPN; not assigned to my local ISP. So, my Local IP address is not leaked through WebRTC technology while using CactusVPN.
Note: To increase ‘WebRTC Local IP address leak protection’ security, I recommend you to use updated Mozilla Firefox browser (and completely avoid Google Chrome, Opera, Safari, Comodo Dragon etc browsers), while being connected with VPN, for ensuring more privacy. If you add ‘Disable WebRTC’ or WebRTC Control extension to Mozilla Firefox Browser and perform the same test at the same WebRTC IP leak tracer website just mentioned above, then you’ll get more perfect result and even your CactusVPN’s local (Private) IP address will be absolutely invisible.
In case you use ‘Google Chrome‘, you are recommended to add ‘WebRTC Control‘ extension to an updated Google Chrome to prevent ‘WebRTC IP Leak’ perfectly.
Capability to bypass DPI (Deep Packet Inspection)
Nowadays different websites, ISPs and Governments of different countries around the world are using DPI (Deep Pack Inspection) technology to spy on people’s online activities and control their access to the Internet. This DPI can only tell them that you are using encryption and that your packets are coming from a VPN server. And It is not a magic wand that breaks encryption. And so far, despite pretending to do exactly that, not even the NSA has ever broken a single packet with or without DPI.
I performed a test at www.doileak.com to know about how much capable CactusVPN is of preventing its VPN connection from being inspected and traced by any 3rd party. I used OpenVPN protocol. I am happy to say that No VPN connection was detected and traced by www.doileak.com . The result says- ‘We could not detect your connection type‘. See the image below-
If VPN connection was detected, then it would say – ‘You are connected via generic tunnel or VPN and have made …. hops. Your connection type (generic tunnel or VPN) is rather uncommon for the average internet surfer, and could suggest proxy/VPN use’.
Kill-Switch option to stop traffic whenever connection drops
Kill-switch is an innovative feature to ensure data privacy and security of all users by disabling all internet activities when the VPN disconnects.
To ensure complete protection, CactusVPN added this ‘Kill Switch’ feature in their VPN software that disconnects all your internet activities if the VPN connection drops. It means when kill-switch is enabled and the connection interrupts, the client software automatically blocks all outgoing network connections. This is an optional feature so you can switch it on if you feel the need.
VPN is here to provide security and anonymity to users. But, this tool only manages to protect the user’s privacy until it is connected. In most disconnection cases, users do not even realize that their VPN connections have stopped working. Cyber criminals and surveillance agencies stay on the lookout for these few unprotected moments to get into a system and compromise its security. Luckily, this will not be the case anymore with CactusVPN users, because CactusVPN has introduced the Kill Switch feature in its new Windows VPN App.
Reconnect Automatically
You don’t have to connect the software again and again if the connection drops. Just Enable their ‘Auto Reconnect’ option. When your Internet connection is interrupted, their vpn app is intelligent enough to stop and reconnect once your internet connection resumes. This feature guarantees extra privacy and security for their users.
Connect on Application Start
The app will automatically launch every time you login to your device if you enable the ‘Auto Connect on Startup’ option. You can switch it on or off according to your need.
No Logging Policy
CactusVPN is incorporated in Moldova which is great news if privacy is your priority. Because, Moldova, besides having no data retention law applicable to VPN service, lies outside US or EU jurisdiction. Moldova is also comfortably outside the direct influential boundary of or groups like Five Eyes or Fourteen Eyes, and it is a remarkable plus point for CactusVPN as a VPN company for privacy.
CactusVPN is an excellent privacy focused VPN provider with zero-logging privacy policy also that is seriously committed to user’s privacy. To ensure the users’ privacy they accept BitCoin too from their users to pay for their services. So, you can pay anonymously using only your email address.
As one of the best No logs vpn service providers, CactusVPN neither store user’s connection-logs (user’s local IP address, time-stamps during connecting or disconnecting attempt) nor activity-logs whatsoever. They neither can relate any internet activity with any specific user account nor can they match any specific user’s identity with any Internet activity, because they work entirely on the basis of shared IPs, meaning that a single IP is used by uncountable number of users and does not track back to an individual user. They clearly state-
We have adopted Zero Logs policy. That means we don’t keep this type of logs: traffic, DNS reqs, timestamps, IPs, bandwidth, connection logs or any other type of logs that can be tracked to a single person. [https://www.cactusvpn.com/terms-conditions/]
We don’t keep any logs. No connection logs and most certainly no traffic logging. A completely log free VPN for every single one of you. [https://www.cactusvpn.com/vpn-services/]
Refund Policy
CactusVPN has adopted a 30 day refund policy for their VPN services if you aren’t completely satisfied with their service. That means If you wish to claim a refund, you can do so within 30 days following your purchase of their VPN service. However, before refunding, they will troubleshoot an issue you experience first. There may be several nuances to a VPN service configuration and they are proud to solve your issues encountered. Apart from this, they offer a 24hrs free trial option with all features included for all of their potential customers. I personally consider a 24hrs time is enough to judge the performance grade of a VPN service before purchasing any package. Yet you can always require a refund (within 30 days) if you can’t use our services, meaning you can’t connect to any of our VPN servers or Smart DNS services. In regards to Smart DNS you may ask for a refund if any of the websites from the unblocked websites list are still blocked for you.
Customer Support
After sales, customer support service is one of the key implementers to hold your customers; particularly, when you work in a service industry. Be that as it may, with regards to a VPN, Customer benefit gets to be something more than simply fundamental. very one of these services increases the value of the administration acquired and likely enlarge maintenance.
According to my personal observation, CactusVPN service seems pretty professional when it comes to customer care and support. They have got 24/7 live chat for instant feedback, and there is also a contact form. Detailed setup guides for all devices and OS also help you out throughout the installation process and aid you with the VPN apps download. Apart from everything else, there is a FAQ section with enlightening details.
Remarkable Pros
- Based in Moldova, very privacy friendly location
- 20 VPN Servers spread out across 9 countries
- Unlimited traffic, bandwidth and Server switching
- No connection logs or activity logs stored in VPN servers
- World class and user-friendly VPN Client software / apps
- OpenVPN, L2TP/IPSec, IKEv2, SSTP and PPTP protocol
- Capable of preventing IPv4 &WebRTC IP Leak & DNS Leak
- Kill-switch & app killer to block all traffics when connection drops
- Up to 5 Devices connection allowed at a time
- SmartDNS included in boss plan, free Proxy Servers
- P2P allowed; some servers are P2P Compliant
- Compatible with Windows, Mac, iOS, Android and routers
- Multiple Payment Methods including Bitcoin
- A 30-day Money back policy adopted
- 24/7 email/ticket Support, Live Chat
- A 24-hrs Free trial (test with full feature)
Remarkable Cons
- Small number of VPN servers
- Manual fixation for IPv6 blocking is required (which is very easy)
Our Take on CactusVPN
In this CactusVPN review, I like to say that CactusVPN is, according to me, one of the best VPN service providers in industry. Firstly, because CactusVPN perfectly ensures military grade encrypted privacy of user’s identity and other important associated information, while surfing online, by hiding local IP and geo-location from unauthorized inspection of any third party. Secondly, CactusVPN is one of the best No logs vpn service providers; meaning they neither store user’s connection-logs (user’s local IP address, time-stamps during connecting or disconnecting attempt) nor activity-logs whatsoever. They neither can relate any internet activity with any specific user account nor can they match any specific user’s identity with any Internet activity. Their fully No Logging system is a real plus point for anyone concerned about Internet anonymity and freedom from unwanted scrutiny by even bad/corrupted organizations. Thirdly, CactusVPN is under Moldova jurisdiction, which is outside the risk of corrupted political territory of US and EU, which offers certain advantages especially for privacy and the risk of overzealous government surveillance, and also where there is no mandatory data retention law. So, CactusVPN is a great choice in terms of users’ privacy especially for those (like truth seeker journalists, news reporters, bloggers) who face a severe need of end-to-end virtual privacy in upholding true information in the internet against powerful bad organizations ( like bad governments, bad law enforcement agencies, bad politicians etc.) with a view to protecting themselves from the probable harassment that might take place by those bad organizations, because if these organizations even illegally force them to handover all possible identifiable logs of any specific user to them, they will not be able to officially match any specific user’s identity with any Internet activity. Fourthly, this provider might also be highly recommended for those users who want to bypass any country’s Internet Censorship & Content Surveillance, as well as to access any Geo-Blocked Website, or to view or download any legal file or video, in the form of P2P or torrenting, with profound privacy. Fifthly, Cactus VPN has a 24/7/365 live chat facility with other types of customer support systems to solve your problems at any time by a great support team composed of experts in IT security and privacy. I have a very good experience about their support too. In this perspective, CactusVPN is definitely one of the best VPN service providers in industry. As a whole, I consider this VPN provider to be professional, world-class and smart.
