Freedome VPN Review

F-Secure Corporation, the company behind the FREEDOME VPN app, is widely known for its antivirus software. The firm has been in operation for more than three decades now and offers a decent suite of other internet security products. 

How does their VPN service work and is it worth having it?

To answer these questions, I’ve tested the app myself.

Here are the results. 

F-Secure FREEDOME VPN Features

The software offers features like kill switch and good speeds, which are essential to any VPN service. However, the FREEDOME VPN app does have a few shortcomings. 

Let’s see the good and the bad.

Starting off with the positives.  

Cross-Platform Support

To begin with, it serves both Windows and Mac users.

You can download FREEDOME VPN browser extensions for:

• Google Chrome
• Internet Explorer 
• Mozilla Firefox

The app isn’t Linux compatible, though. 

Kill Switch

The kill switch feature deals with drops in the connection to VPN servers.  

But how does it work?

Let me explain.

Sometimes you may (unknowingly) lose connection to your VPN server. This usually happens if you use heavily utilized public networks, your signal weakens, or you’ve got the wrong router/firewall configuration. 

Needless to say, VPN connection drops leave your traffic data unprotected.

Luckily, the kill switch feature identifies instances of such VPN glitches. Then it cuts your connection to the Internet, preventing data leakages. 

On FREEDOME VPN for Windows and Mac, the kill switch is off by default. You need to activate it from the Settings tab.

On Android and iOS, it is turned on automatically. 

Here’s another killing feature of the FREEDOME app.

Simultaneous Connections

The FREEDOME VPN allows simultaneous connections on multiple devices. You can use three or seven slots. Like with every VPN service the plan price depends on the subscription period and the number of devices you’d like to protect. 

Sadly, the simultaneous connections feature is available on Windows and MacOS only. 

On Android and iOS, the provider permits only one user per subscription.

F-Secure FREEDOME VPN Advanced Features

Here are some additional features that make FREEDOME VPN safe. 

Anti Virus Scanning and Malware Detection

The internet is full of malicious applications designed to steal data or use your device for illegal purposes.

Luckily, the FREEDOME VPN scans for viruses to ensure that malware doesn’t get you. 

The feature is cloud-based and regularly checks every software you install on your device. If it spots a dangerous app, it will block it before it gets into your gadget. 

Not only that:

It also scans the software that you had before downloading FREEDOME. The app will then ask you if you’d like to remove anything it deems suspicious.

Additionally, you can submit files or IP addresses/URLs for testing on the F-Secure site. If you have doubts about a website or an app, you can run it by the company’s analysts to prevent security issues. 

Tracking Protection

Have you ever wondered how many tracking attempts you get while online?

A lot!

Fortunately, when you download FREEDOME, you will be able to see when advertisers are analyzing your browsing habits. 

The feature is called Tracker Mapper and it also prevents HTTP traffic from tracking domains. Yet, it doesn’t work with encrypted communications. 

Note that the Tracker Mapper asks you to log visited sites to see how they are tracking you. Good news is, you can stop logging at any time. 

FREEDOME VPN Server and Locations 

FREEDOME VPN servers span across 22 countries worldwide. To provide the best experience in terms of speed, it assigns you the server closest to you by default.

But of course, you have the liberty to change the location at any time.

FREEDOME VPN servers are distributed in:

• North America
• Europe
• Asia
• Australia

F-Secure FREEDOME VPN Speed

We all know that using one of the disadvantages of using a VPN is usually lower speed. 

So, when compiling my F-Secure VPN review, I tested the app via Speedtest.net. I analyzed metrics on servers in Australia, the UK, and the US.

Here’s what I found out. 

My base speed:

Below you can see how different locations affected my speeds.

Australia:

The United Kingdom:

The United States:

The upload speeds saw a slight drop of between 0.02 Mbps and 0.04 Mbps. Download was up to 0.58 Mbps slower.

As you can see, the differences are negligible and the service offers very good speeds. 

But.

We can’t have a complete FREEDOME VPN review without checking out what level of privacy we get for these speeds. 

F-Security FREEDOME VPN Security and Protocols

FREEDOME VPN uses OpenVPN and IKEv2 on Android, Windows, and MacOS.  As for the encryption type, it is one of the best out there — AES-256. 

On iOS the app uses IKEv2. 

F-Secure FREEDOME VPN Leak Test Results

Another thing I checked for this F-Secure FREEDOME review is if the app was leaking my DNS. 

The Ipleak test I ran showed exactly what I was hoping for. 

No leaks were found.

Ease of Use

Downloading and setting up FREEDOME VPN for a free trial was a piece of cake.

The entire process took less than a minute.

Moreover, the uncluttered interface made it quick to find whatever I needed. 

The main features are positioned on the left side of the UI. Here, you can easily navigate between: 

• Browsing Protection
• Tracking Protection and
• Tracking Mapper
  

You can activate the kill switch feature from the Settings tab. 

In a nutshell, the FREEDOME app is very intuitive. 

Right! 

FREEDOME VPN pros — checked.

Now, let’s have a look at the downsides.

Zero-Log Policy

FREEDOME does not create traffic logs, so it keeps no records of your browsing history, downloads, and messages. 

However, it collects data such as your IP address, bandwidth, or session timings. And it may share it with the authorities upon request. 

So, essentially, the company does not follow a zero-log policy. 

F-Secure FREEDOME VPN Privacy and Jurisdiction

FREEDOME VPN’s head office is in Helsinki. On one side, this is great because Finland follows very strict data retention laws.

It is not part of the Fourteen Eyes Alliance, either. That means that it’s not under any agreement to provide user data to participating countries. 

Yet, F-Security is subject to other jurisdictions. As I’ve already mentioned, it keeps some of your data and is willing to share it with authorities upon request. 

F-Secure FREEDOME VPN Streaming Services

Are you planning to use FREEDOME for Netflix? If yes, I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you…

While some VPNs allow access to Netflix, FREEDOME isn’t one of them. 

You may have trouble accessing the content of some Netflix competitors, too.

To date, F-Secure hasn’t come up with a solution to this problem. 

F-Secure FREEDOME VPN for Torrenting?

Sadly, FREEDOME VPN torrent support is quite limited. 

The software prevents US-based gateway sites from allowing any sort of P2P sharing.

This is because F-Secure abides by the legislation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), which protects digital copyrighted works from any form of pirating. 

But is torrenting illegal?

Technically not. 

However, BitTorrent and P2P sharing as a whole are widely used for downloading copyrighted material like movies, games, and music. 

No torrenting with FREEDOME?!

This is bad enough, you think. 

Unfortunately, there are more downsides to read in this FREEDOME VPN review.

See which they are. 

No Stealth VPN

If you choose a reliable VPN service, it will protect your data from prying eyes.

However, using a “regular” VPN will show your connection as an encrypted one. Thus, your internet service provider (ISP), network administrator, or government can tell if you’re using a VPN server. 

Unless you employ a stealth VPN. 

The VPN stealth technology makes your encrypted connection look like a regular one. This happens via obfuscated servers. It comes quite handy to users surfing from countries that are subject to VPN use bans or restrictions.

Check out where VPNs are illegal and what restrictions have been imposed on their use. 

Alas, F-Security hasn’t really taken pains to make FREEDOME a stealth VPN. 

Does FREEDOME Have a Double VPN Feature?

No stealth technology, no double VPN feature either. 

Unfortunately, the FREEDOME app is not for those who look for additional security features. 

Can F-Secure FREEDOME VPN Bypass Geoblocks?

Not really. 

Why?

Well, take the limited torrenting options and servers that find it hard (or even impossible) to unblock streaming websites.

Then, add the lack of stealth VPN, which proves necessary when surfing from countries with lots of restrictions. And you’ll get that dealing away with geoblocks is not FREEDOME’s specialty. 

You are already nodding in agreement, aren’t you?

Customer Support

F-Secure has support in different countries. Customer service is available during business hours.  

At the time of writing this FREEDOME VPN review, the company had a list of customer support working hours per country as well as phone numbers to talk to a real person. A chat option is also available.

Note that you can't get support at weekends and on public holidays.

I contacted customer service.

Here’s what I found:

Some reps were very professional and knowledgeable. Others didn’t have a clue about the product’s features.

One referred me to the F-Secure FREEDOME’s community page. 

I did post my question in the forum, but unfortunately, I haven’t gotten a reply yet.

Overall, despite the multiple support centers, the customer service experience isn’t great.

F-Secure FREEDOME VPN Price

The FREEDOME app doesn’t have a free version. Its price varies according to the three subscription types offered by F-Secure. All of them have the same features. The difference in price depends on the subscription period and the number of protected devices. 

Here’s how much each one costs:

• 3 devices, a 12-month plan - $2.92/month
• 7 devices, a 12-month plan - $5.83/month 
• 7 devices, a 24-month plan - $3.75/month

All plans are billed upfront but they come with a 30-day money-back guarantee. 

In addition, there is a FREEDOME VPN trial, which gives you access to all functionalities. The trial period lasts five days for Android, Windows, and Mac and seven days for iOS devices. 

F-Secure FREEDOME VPN Review – Verdict

It’s time that I gave the FREEDOME VPN app the thumb sign. 

For starters, it offers a decent level of internet privacy, good speeds, and a free trial. Its ad-blocking feature is also a plus.

However, torrent support and access to streaming services are severely limited.
What’s worse, there is no stealth or double VPN feature.

Now, the final verdict:

The FREEDOME app is suitable for those who need a standard level of security and are fed up with advertisements popping onto their screens. 

However, it offers limited torrent support, and it’s not good for unblocking Netflix or other streaming services. 

As for security level, it needs quite a few improvements. 

Last but not least, the number of its VPN server locations (22) is much smaller than the number offered by other VPN service providers like NordVPN (60) or ExpressVPN (160). 

You’ve read this FREEDOME VPN review but do you need something better?

Find out what are the best VPN services today.