BullVPN

BullVPN is an affordable and easy-to-use VPN, so I understand its appeal. It claims to work with streaming services like Netflix and Disney+ and offer some good security features. That sounds great, but is it cheap because it’s not a quality product?

I performed extensive tests on all its key features to find out if it’s as good as the top VPNs. This includes its security features to ensure it keeps you safe online. On top of that, I recorded several speed tests and explored all of its streaming capabilities. I also looked into its privacy policy to see if it’s a company you can trust with your data.

Overall, I can’t recommend BullVPN. It doesn’t have a strict no-logs policy, so if privacy is high on your priority list, I recommend checking out these more trustworthy VPNs. I also can’t call it safe when it doesn’t even offer a kill switch. Plus, it has slow speeds on long-distance servers, and its customer support takes forever to respond (and isn’t really helpful when it does).

Try BullVPN Today

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Streaming — Works With Some of the Top Platforms

BullVPN can securely access several popular streaming platforms, including Netflix US, Disney+, and Disney+. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work with Hulu, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, and BBC iPlayer. The VPN offers the following streaming optimized servers:

It is worth mentioning that only BullVPN’s streaming-optimized servers can reliably access streaming platforms. All its other servers were incompatible with streaming sites.

Works With: Netflix , Disney+, YouTube, Disney+, and more

We safely stream Netflix US, Japan, Korea, and more using BullVPN’s streaming optimized servers. These servers give you the best streaming performance since their IP addresses are updated more often. They’re also slightly faster, which means you get less buffering. We were able to watch A Perfect Pairing on Netflix US with short load times.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t stream Netflix libraries that BullVPN doesn’t have a streaming-optimized server for. This means it doesn’t work with Netflix UK. Meanwhile, the VPNs on this list can safely access Netflix from anywhere.

Next, we tested BullVPN’s optimized server for Disney+. Its Netherlands 2 (Disney+) server allowed us to stream Disney+ and watch High School Musical: The Musical: The Series in high quality.

The Netherlands 2 (Disney+) server was BullVPN’s only server that worked with Disney+

Next to that, BullVPN’s streaming-optimized servers also work with Disney+, AIS Play, and TrueID. AIS Play and TrueID are streaming services available in Thailand.

Doesn’t Work With: Hulu, HBO Max, BBC iPlayer, and Amazon Prime Video

BullVPN doesn’t offer servers optimized for streaming Hulu, HBO Max, BBC iPlayer, or Amazon Prime Video. This means we couldn’t watch shows on any of these streaming platforms, even with its regular servers.

We had some hope with HBO Max and Amazon Prime Video since we managed to log in and select the series we wanted to watch. However, after clicking on the “Start Watching” button, we received an error message saying that it detected the VPN. If you need a VPN that works with all the top streaming services, I recommend checking out this list.

Speeds — Average Speeds on Local Servers, Slow Speeds on Long-Distance Ones

BullVPN has decent speeds on local servers, but its speeds dropped significantly on long-distance ones. I tested 3 servers close to my actual location (Germany, France, and the UK) and 3 long-distance servers (the US, Australia, and Singapore).

In my speed tests, I examined 3 different things:

• Download speed: This is how fast your connection can receive data from the internet. This affects how fast web pages load, streaming quality, etc. It’s measured in megabits per second (Mbps).
• Upload speed: This is how fast your internet connection can send data to the server. This is important for things like posting on social media, video calling, sending emails, etc. It’s measured in megabits per second (Mbps).
• Ping: This is how long it takes your data to travel. It is measured in milliseconds (ms). The lower your ping, the more responsive your connection will be, which is really important for gaming.

The rates on BullVPN’s local servers were fast enough to stream buffer-free and download files fairly quickly.

My speeds were the highest on the United Kingdom 1 server

I first tested my base speed without a VPN connection as a basis for comparison.

No VPN connected (Amsterdam, Netherlands):

After that, I connected to BullVPN and began speed tests using its local servers (Germany, France, and the UK). My speeds dropped an average amount on servers close to me. I’ve definitely tested much faster VPNs (some only lower your speeds by less than 10%), but these aren’t bad results. Nearby servers are always faster than long-distance ones. That’s why it’s better to choose them for online gaming, streaming, and torrenting.

Germany 1 server:

France 1 server:

UK 1 server:

However, my speed test results on the long-distance servers were disappointing. I experienced a large decrease in my download and upload speed when connected to the servers in the US, Australia, and Singapore. Plus, my ping was much higher on these locations.

USA 1 server:

Australia 1 server:

Singapore 1 server:

If you need a VPN that’s fast across all its servers, this list will show you several.

Are BullVPN’s Speeds Fast Enough for Gaming? Yes on Local Servers

BullVPN’s local servers were fast enough for gaming, but its long-distance servers gave me error messages. It’s best to always connect to the gaming server closest to your actual location tol reduce ping and maximize performance. You need a ping of 100ms or below to game online without annoying slowdowns. All of the nearby servers I tested had ping rates of 35-60 ms, which means that I could game online without lag.

However, on its long-distance servers, my ping ranged between 180 and 250 ms. This is too high for online gaming, and thus resulted in long loading times. This list will show you the top VPNs for gaming that provide better results at long distances.

Server Network — Small Server Network but Reliable Connections

BullVPN has a small server network compared to other top VPN providers (for example, ExpressVPN has 3.000 servers, and CyberGhost has 11.690 servers worldwide), but it offers reliable connections. The VPN has 300 servers in 49 countries. Next to its streaming-optimized servers, it also offers “No Ads” servers (in Japan, Singapore, Thailand, and the US). BullVPN says you’ll see no Google and Facebook ads when connected to these servers.

Most of the servers are located in Asia and Europe. However, BullVPN also has servers in Australia, South America, the Middle East, and North America. There are even servers in countries with strict censorship, such as Turkey, the UAE, Russia, and China. It does lack servers in Africa though.

BullVPN’s server locations:

One thing I was a bit worried about was overcrowding. Since BullVPN has a small number of servers and locations, it’s possible that the servers could get congested easily. However, I didn’t experience this during my tests.

Security — Good, but Some Features Are Missing

Although BullVPN offers some basic security features, there are still essential options missing. First of all, I couldn’t find anything about BullVPN having a kill switch like other top-VPN providers do. This feature is crucial since it keeps you protected should the VPN connection suddenly drop. I tested to see if it had an operating kill switch by switching VPN servers with a browser open, but it didn’t cut off my internet access (like a kill switch should do).

Another security feature it lacks is split tunneling. This feature allows you to choose which internet traffic to send through the VPN server, while the rest uses your regular internet connection. I like this feature since it can optimize speeds or let me keep up with local news while protecting my other traffic. Therefore, I was disappointed that BullVPN doesn’t offer it.

What I missed the most was the ability to customize security settings. For example, I couldn’t find anywhere to change protocols. Lastly, it’s really annoying that you have to re-enter your password any time you change servers. Customer support told me this was for security purposes but so many other services keep you secure without requiring this extra step. If you’re looking for a VPN with all the best new security features, you can check out this list.

Encryption

It uses military-grade AES 256-bit encryption. This is the highest encryption level available, and it’s used by militaries to protect their personal data. This means that third parties won’t be able to read your data.

Protocols

According to BullVPN’s website, VPN servers have multiple protocols such as OpenVPN, L2TP, IPsec, IKEv2, or Softether. Normally, I prefer to use OpenVPN — it’s very secure and well-tested.

However, I couldn’t change protocols at all in the BullVPN app. There was no “preferences” section. Although the app offers a “settings” section, every time I clicked on it, it just gave me a message stating “re-certificate.” When I tried to contact customer support about this, they couldn’t give me an answer.

Leak Test Results

I tested 15 servers including ones in the US, UK, Germany, and Singapore — I didn’t find any WebRTC or DNS leaks.

I didn’t have any IP/DNS/WebRTC leaks with BullVPN

These tests showed me that your real IP address (and thus your actual location) and internet activity are kept safe from your ISP and other third parties.

Privacy — Not a VPN to Trust With Your Data

BullVPN doesn’t offer a no-logs policy and retains a ton of your data for as long as you’re a customer. This is alarming since it means that your online activity (including your browsing history and internet downloads) are not kept private at all.

Its headquarters are located in Thailand, which is outside of the 5/9/14-Eyes Alliances. This is an intelligence agreement between governments. So, this is a plus, but I wouldn’t call BullVPN a privacy-friendly VPN.

According to its privacy policy, BullVPN collects:

• Your local IP
• Connect Date/Time
• IP the VPN assigned to you
• Disconnect time
• Cookies ID

Its policy states that BullVPN will “only use the data when there are problems with users”, which is a bit vague

BullVPN hasn’t released a third-party security audit either. This is concerning since an audit could confirm if BullVPN actually follows its policies. However, even if it did pass an audit, it still admits to storing more data than I’m comfortable with. You can find many other VPNs that have proven privacy policies and don’t store your identifiable information.

Torrenting — Slow and Not Safe

I had very slow speeds while torrenting with BullVPN. When I connected to BullVPN’s Germany server (which is nearby), the maximum download speed I had was 84 kB/s. This means it would take over 4 hours to download a file I can normally get within 30 minutes.

I had even slower speeds when I tested its servers in France and the UK

Since it doesn’t have a strict no-logs policy, it also can’t guarantee your privacy while torrenting. Overall, BullVPN isn’t the best choice for torrenting. If P2P file-sharing is important to you, I suggest you check out our top VPNs for torrenting.

While torrenting is legal in most countries, it’s illegal to download copyrighted files. vpnMentor does not condone any illegal activities, so I recommend you only torrent copyright-free content.

Does BullVPN Work in China? Yes

According to a customer service representative, BullVPN works in China. But you would have to download it before going there. Since only approved VPNs are legal in China — the government blocks other VPN services. However, it’s uncommon for the authorities to go after the people who use them. We encourage you to read up on the laws in your country, so you can avoid accidentally breaking them.

Customer support told me that BullVPN works in other restrictive countries, too, such as Russia, Turkey, and the UAE. The troubleshooting page for connecting in China recommends you keep your app updated. It also suggests you use OpenVPN or IPSec and one of the servers it recommends for China.

BullVPN also has servers in Hong Kong, which customer support informed me can be used access Chinese TV and websites safely.

To achieve the best speed, BullVPN recommends linking to servers in Thailand 1-12, Japan, South Korea, or Singapore.

Simultaneous Device Connections — Connect up to 2 Devices

You can use BullVPN on 2 different devices simultaneously before it charges you extra (however, only 1 simultaneous device connection with its 7-day offer). You can add more devices (up to 20), but the price increase isn’t worth it. Most VPNs start you off with at least 5 connections; here, the price doubles for every pair you add.

I tested its performance by watching different movies and shows using Netflix on my iPhone, iPad, Windows PC, and MacBook at the same time. I didn’t experience any performance issues, so at lest it works as advertised.