Kepard VPN Review
Kepard VPN…wait, who? Kepard VPN is a little known VPN service based out of Moldova that, in our humble opinion, deserves to be listed as a top VPN provider. They were only founded in mid-2012, yet have built a surprisingly high quality VPN software. Their main selling point is their premium security, however they excel in total speed and offer some pretty sophisticated features as well. It is also no secret that one of the main factors that played a key role in their quick growth was their rock bottom pricing, where users can access their VPN software for just $35 per year. Moreover, a little known fact about Kepard is their free trial offers. Yes, offers (in plural). You can use their software for 30 minutes a day for free (although somewhat limited), or experience their software in its entirety on the premium service for 15 days for free. While they may lack a little in the customer support area, they more than make up for it in the other categories.
Features
Kepard VPN offers all of the features that a top VPN service should offer. This is quite remarkable considering the amount of time they have been around. However, it should be noted that they are pretty limited in the countries they offer IPs in. Other than that, their main features include:
- Unlimited bandwidth with no throttling
- Unlimited server switches
- Unlimited speed
- Connect from 2 locations simultaneously
- Mobile apps included for free – Android, iOS
- Supports TCP & UDP OpenVPN, PPTP, L2TP
- P2P torrent use allowed (only connected to a Netherlands server)
- NAT firewall & 256-bit encryption
- Shared IP types (dynamic)
At the moment only applications for Windows and Android are offered, iOS and MAC or any other devices with VPN support can be configured using built-in clients.
KepardVPN Server Locations: United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, France, and Sweden.
Kepard VPN Mobile App
Privacy
It is certainly not a given that new companies offer stellar security measures. Kepard VPN captivated us with their security. Aside from the standard VPN security features across all VPN providers, Kepard uses a NAT firewall and up to 256-bit encryption (the default is 128-bit BlowFish for OpenVPN). No logs are kept where you go, in the logs they keep just username (e-mail provided upon registration), vpn server you connected to, and time you was connected to it. Additionally, all logs are completely removed after 72 hours. Not instant, but still very good. They will never release your logs unless ordered legally. Even so, it would have to be such precise timing by law enforcement that it is virtually impossible for them to see any real data (only 3 days’ worth even if they get their hands on the records).
Pricing
Kepard VPN is, without question, one of the cheapest VPN providers on the market. In addition to their 1 day free trial on their premium service, they offer 3 deeply discounted plans. The one month plan is $7 per month, the 3 month plan is $19 (or $6.33 per month), and their 12 month plan, which is by far the best value on the market, is $35 (which averages out to $2.92 per month). Kepard VPN does not offer any money back guarantee but with pricing like this, it is all but irrelevant. Also, the payment options are great: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, and PayPal. To get the free trial you must create an account for first time and login to their Windows or Android software. Additionally, you can invite other people and get up to 180 days of premium VPN free.
Speed
Kepard VPN maintains a policy of not limiting speeds. When we tested it out initially, we saw almost no difference between a connection without a VPN and with a VPN. Using a US server, the VPN ran at about a 95% effectiveness compared to a connection without a VPN. However, keep in mind that you can only use P2P torrents on an NL (Netherlands) server. When we tested this, the speed decreased slightly (to about 80% efficiency) but not enough to label them as untruthful. Many VPN providers will operate below this level.
Ease of Use
Signing up was just as easy as some of the other top VPN services. All you need is an e-mail address and a password. This was asked of us for the free trial. If you go the paid route from the start, you will also need your name, address, phone number, and payment. Downloading and setting up the software can be completed within 2 to 5 minutes. The user interface is simple yet refined. There are only two tabs within the dashboard: ‘Connection’ and ‘Settings.’ All other tasks are completed on the dashboard itself. They have also diligently worked on optimizing their mobile app for ease of use. All connections and disconnections are completed with one click.
Kepard VPN – Choosing Server Location
Customer Support
Customer Support is the one area where Kepard VPN falls short. There are no live chat or phone options. Even if you e-mail in asking for a call with them, you likely will not get one. That said, they do have an e-mail ticket system which has better than average response times. We waited about 2 hours for a reply. When asked about this they responded, “Support response in fact depends on how loaded the servicedesk is, so it is usually something like <=30 mins, but it may happen that more time will be required depending on servicedesk load.” Additionally, Kepard VPN has a highly informative FAQs section and a manual settings section to make up for the lack of personalized support options. They also detail a list of common problems you may experience, and answer them right on the Kepard VPN website.
Summary
Despite the lack of customer support options, Kepard VPN is a leading VPN provider. Their features are solid, the software is sleek and straightforward in regard to usability, and they live up to their word about the speed of their service. More importantly, the value proposition is arguably the best on the market. For only $35 per year, you may as well give this top VPN service a try.
