Planet VPN Review — Is the Freemium Worth It?

Planet VPN (formerly known as RUSVPN) is a freemium VPN service based in Romania. Created in 2017, it has managed to attract quite a following over the years.

On paper, it sounds pretty good: free plan, no registration needed, no traffic or speed limits, and excellent unblocking capabilities.

That’s why we decided to put these claims to the test.

Below you’ll find a detailed review of the free desktop app for Windows. We’ve also tried the Android app and Firefox extension.

We’ve inspected Planet VPN’s features, server network, speed, privacy, security, and pricing.

Let’s see if it’s the right service for you and your needs!

Number of servers	+1260	Support	Live-chat & email
VPN Protocols	OpenVPN & IKEv2	User-friendliness	8/10
Speed	10/10	Minimal price	Free
Operating systems	Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and Linux	Number of connections	10
Kill switch	Yes	Split tunneling	No

Planet VPN Features

Generally speaking, this service isn’t particularly feature-rich.

So, don’t expect advanced options like specialized servers, double-hopping, or split tunneling.

That’s not a flaw, but it might deter users who need those tools. In that case, you’re better off looking at premium providers.

So, let’s take a look at its offer!

Kill switch

Simply put, this tool ensures that your unencrypted traffic won’t leak out during an unexpected VPN disconnection.

Namely, it cuts your Internet connection the moment your VPN stops working.

If you want to enable this feature, you can find it in the app settings.

We tested it by suddenly switching to another VPN server. The kill switch reacted accordingly and dropped our connection. 

Platform support

Planet VPN is available on Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and Linux. You can install it on your router but only with the premium subscription.

It works with: 

Simultaneous connections

Planet VPN lets you simultaneously secure up to ten devices, which is a generous offer. Many premium providers allow no more than five connections at the same time, including browser add-ons.

That makes it ideal for larger households with many Internet users. 

Mobile apps

You can also use Planet VPN on the go on Android and iOS. We gave the Android app a try.

It was easy to install and get it running. You get five locations in the free app: France, Germany, Netherlands, UK, and US.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t connect to France, but the rest of the locations worked.

As for security, it uses 256-bit encryption.

You can also switch between protocols in the settings (IKEv2, OpenVPN TCP, and OpenVPN UDP) and toggle the kill switch.

All in all, the app worked smoothly.

Browser extensions

Planet VPN has add-ons for Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Opera, and Microsoft Edge.

We installed the Firefox extension and took it for a spin.

Just like the mobile app, free users can only connect to five locations. All of them worked perfectly fine this time.

Unfortunately, you can’t choose your VPN protocol. And there’s no available information about the default one.

You can block ads and trackers and deny cookies. But there are no leak protection tools like you’d find in NordVPN and ExpressVPN add-ons.

Server network

As mentioned earlier, Planet VPN’s free version limits you to five locations.

Obviously, this plan is intended for casual use, but it’s still a bit underwhelming.

Upgrading to the premium version will unlock more locations. According to the website, you can count on 1260+ servers in more than 60 countries.

You can connect to premium servers in Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, North America, South America, and Oceania.

That includes Canada, Austria, Brazil, Egypt, South Africa, Japan, Australia, and more. Overall, the geographical distribution is decent.

Only the US has separate cities, though. But you can’t choose your server, only the country.

Planet VPN speed

Our Planet VPN review wouldn’t be complete without testing its speed.

Our starting download speed was just 9.76Mbps.

First, we connected to the server in Germany. Here are the results of Ookla’s test:

That’s a surprisingly slight download speed decrease — 3.2%.

We’ve achieved similar results with the US server — 3.3%, but the ping has dramatically increased. 

The UK server had the worst performance but was still outstanding compared to industry standards — 13%.

The upload speed drops for all three servers were similarly slight and almost imperceptible.

Overall, Planet VPN can compete with the best premium providers when it comes to speed. 

Protocols

According to the website, Planet VPN supports OpenVPN and IKEv2.

However, the desktop app only allowed us to choose between OpenVPN TCP and OpenVPN UDP. What’s more, IKEv2 seems to be exclusive to the mobile app.

So, let’s take a quick look at these two protocols.

OpenVPN is a widely used open-source VPN protocol. It’s versatile and supports almost all encryption protocols.

It’s an excellent choice if you prioritize security.

It can run on the TCP or UDP internet protocol. OpenVPN TCP is more reliable and will deliver your data in full.

You should use it for file transfer, emails, and web browsing.

On the other hand, OpenVPN UDP is faster and great for gaming and streaming.

IKEv2 is the most stable protocol for mobile devices. It won’t drop your VPN connection when you’re switching from WiFi to mobile data.

It also works with most encryption algorithms. It’s both speedy and secure.

Privacy

Planet VPN falls under the jurisdiction of Romania. 

It isn’t a part of surveillance alliances like the Five Eyes, Nine Eyes, and Fourteen Eyes. That means it won’t share your personal data with countries that are members.

Furthermore, Romania doesn’t have any data retention laws. Namely, Planet VPN isn’t legally obligated to monitor its users or cooperate with intelligence agencies.

Considering those facts, its no-logs claim seems legit.

We also looked into its privacy policy. Planet VPN clearly states:

We do not store and collect your name, IP address, real address, phone number, or other personal information.

Your personal data is completely secure. It does keep temporary connection logs, but it wipes them every hour.

Is Planet VPN safe?

DNS, WebRTC, and IPv6 leaks are the most common VPN vulnerabilities. Free and lower-tier services are especially prone to them.

In a nutshell, they will expose your DNS and IP address and thus render your VPN completely useless.

So, how well does Planet VPN fare in this regard?

We conducted a test on ipleak.net to find out.

Here are our IP address and DNS addresses without a VPN:

And here are the results after connecting to Planet VPN’s German server:

As you can see, this provider is completely leak-free. 

Is Planet VPN good for streaming and torrenting?

If you’re a dedicated series binger or a fan of P2P file sharing, you’ll definitely want a VPN that’s strong in these areas.

So, let’s see how Planet VPN performs in that regard!

Streaming

In the last few years, it’s getting harder and harder for most VPNs to unblock major streaming platforms.

They employ sophisticated VPN detection methods that block all but the most robust providers.

Unfortunately, Planet VPN’s free plan wasn’t able to bypass their notice. 

Trying to access Netflix’s US and UK libraries only led us to our local home page. BBC iPlayer also didn’t work with the provided UK server.

So, if you plan on getting a VPN for streaming, look elsewhere.

Torrenting

We’ve also had no luck with torrenting.

We tried every server in the free version, but none worked. Each resulted in this error screen:

According to the website, only the premium app supports P2P servers, which is a shame.

Planet VPN pricing

Technically speaking, Planet VPN is a freemium provider. So, yes, there is a free version, but it doesn’t have all the features like the premium app.

The premium plan significantly expands your server network from five locations to 60.

You can choose between three pricing tiers:

• 1 month — $9.99/ mo.
• 1 year — $3.99/mo.
• 3 years — $1.99/mo. plus one year gratis

The three-year plan has the biggest discount, but it comes with a long commitment. You can pay via credit card or cryptocurrency.

Additionally, there’s no free trial for the premium app. There is a 30-day refund option, however.

Keep in mind, you can only apply if you haven’t used more than 1000 MB of traffic.

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Conclusion

All things considered, Planet VPN is a mixed bag.

Let’s start with the pros.

It offers watertight security with 256-bit encryption and OpenVPN. It’s leakproof and has a transparent no-logs policy.

On top of that, the speed test results might have been the biggest positive surprise of this Planet VPN review.

However, its server network is very limited, and it’s virtually unusable for streaming and torrenting. All in all, we can recommend the free app for online protection, but not much else.

You’ll have to upgrade to a paid plan to get more out of this service.