Let’s start the review of Le VPN with some company background. LeVPN is an online privacy service based in France. They help members protect their privacy and unblock geo restrictions for sites like Netflix and BBC. They support torrent access for connections to their Czech servers.
Pricing and Special Offers
Le VPN is on the high end of monthly pricing for VPN services now a days. The service is normally priced at $9.95 a month which is a right in line with leading services like IPvanish, and ExpressVPN. They offer unlimited VPN with access to their full network of servers around the world.
As you can see Le VPN is offering discounts based on the length of your subscription. You can save up to 50% off by signing up for a year. Enjoy unlimited VPN access from just $4.95 a month. Members can access LeVPN with up to two devices at a time. This makes the annual plan a great value.
When you sign up for an account Le VPN offers a number of payment options for you to choose from. I like using PayPal for any online service since you can manage the subscription. LeVPN offers PayPal along with credit card payments. Giving you a wide range of options based on preference.
Risk Free Trial Period
While I’ll try my best to offer a full review of the service there’s only one way to make sure Le VPN is a good choice. You’ll want to test the service out for yourself. Le-VPN understands that as well. To help they offer a 7 day money back guarantee. If you’re not pleased with the service you can cancel in the first 7 days for a full refund. Here’s the language Le VPN uses in the moneyback guarantee section of their terms of use page:
Account Holders may cancel their account with full refund within the first 7 calendar days after first registration in Le VPN. Full refunds will only be issued to Account Holders who voluntarily cancel their service within this first 7 days after purchase. If an Account Holder is terminated for violation of the terms of these T’s&C’s there will not be any refund of any remaining account balance. All moneyback requests must be made using Le VPN support tickets.
Le VPN Network and Server Locations
Le VPN manages a large network of VPN servers around the world. They have one of the larger networks with server locations in key regions. That will help you access coverage of sporting events and unblock sites like Netflix and BBC iPlayer from anywhere in the world.
Countries | Locations | Servers | IP's | Protocols |
---|---|---|---|---|
50 | 60 | 350 | unknown | OpenVPN, PPTP, L2TP |
Le VPN has servers in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, the Czech Republic, the Emirates, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, the Isle of Man, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Moldova, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, the United States and Vietnam.
Privacy and Security
When we talk about VPN services a lot of people assume they will get a high degree of privacy and security. That isn’t always the case. It really depends on your reason for using a VPN service. If your purpose is privacy and anonymity then you probably want a VPN that doesn’t log.
Le VPN makes it clear on their homepage and throughout the site that they don;t keep traffic logs. Here are some more details we found on LeVPN’s terms of use page:
Le VPN does not and will not actively monitor user sessions for inappropriate behavior, nor do we maintain direct logs of any customer’s Internet activities. However, Le VPN reserves the right to investigate matters we consider to be illegal or violations of these terms and conditions.
Le VPN has you covered on the security side. They support OpenVPN which is the most secure protocol. They also allow L2TP/IPSec and PPTP connections. That helps extend compatibility to a wide range of devices including iOS, Android, smart TV’s, routers and more.
Hands-On Testing
The first thing I look for when deciding whether or not to review a VPN service is a custom client. Sure you can configure OpenVPN and manually configure connections but there isn’t any need anymore. There are so many VPN providers that offer easy to use client software now a days.
I’m happy to share that Le VPN has a nice Windows client that I used to test their service. They also have a custom client for Mac and iOS. So if you have an iPhone or iPad they have you covered. Android users will find an easy to follow guides for setting up OpenVPN, L2Tp or PPTP connections.
Connecting with the Windows VPN Client
Let’s take a look at the Le VPN Windows client:
The Windows software is easy to install and use. When you run the program it will add an icon to your Windows Taskbar. From there you can select a region followed by the server location and finally the protocol and port you want Le VPN to use to connect. The client also has some extra bandwidth usage stats.
As you can see above Le VPN makes it simple to track your data usage on the service. While they offer unlimited VPN it can still come in handy for those who want to track their usage. It also shows you how long you’ve been connected along with the client and server IP addresses.
Connect with the Mac VPN Client
In addition to their custom Windows software, Le-VPN also has a Mac client. You can download the latest version from the support or members area of their site. The client is compatible with Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard or above. They also offer a setup guide for Tunnelblick.
Connect from your iPhone or iPad
Connecting to Le VPN with your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch is simplified with their app. You can download the app from the Apple iTunes App Store. It requires at least iOS 5.0. The app will run on iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. It has been optimized for iPhone 5.
The iOS app will save you time. Instead of manually entering server and protocol info you can let the app take care of the configuration. You choose a server location and the app will set up a profile on your iPhone or iPad with the desired VPN. Then you can enable the VPN connection anytime.
Connect from an Android Device
Le VPN doesn’t offer an app for Android devices but the set up process is very simple. You can configure your Android phone or tablet to connect to server locations using OpenVPN, PPTP or L2TP protocol. It doesn’t take long to configure.
Here’s the instructions for L2TP connections:
1) Open the menu and choose Settings
2) Select Wireless and Network or Wireless Controls, depending on your version of Android
3) Select VPN Settings
4) Select Add VPN
5) Select Add L2TP/IPsec PSK VPN
6) Select VPN Name and enter a descriptive name
7) Select Set VPN Server and enter a server hostname (server addresses listed here)
8) Tap Set IPSec pre-shared key and enter “levpnsecret”
9) Uncheck Enable L2TP secret
10) Open the menu and choose Save
Once the VPN is added it should appear in the VPNs list. You can select it to connect.
Le VPN Speed Test
I tested Le VPN using OpenVPN which is the most secure protocol. As you can see my speed was slower on the VPN than it was direct to my ISP. You can expect some impact on performance using any VPN based on the overhead of encrypting your connection.
Conclusion
Le VPN is a reliable VPN service with a wide range of software and configuration guides to help members connect from a wide range of devices. I like that they offer custom software for Windows and Mac systems. Along with a mobile app for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch users.
What I liked most about the service:
- Custom VPN client for Windows, Mac and iOS
- Support for OpenVPN, PPTP and L2TP protocols
- Allows you to connect on 2 devices at a time
- Torrent support on Czech server locations
- Term discounts on annual sign ups
Ideas to improve the service:
- Offer a mobile app for Android devices
- Consider dedicated IP as an add-on
- Add bitcoin as a payment option
I enjoyed testing Le VPN for the review. Their Windows client was a nice surprise. It’s simple to use. Similar to OpenVPN but without the manual set up. They offer a nice presentation of bandwidth and usage stats. The only knock I have on the service is the monthly price. At $9.99 a month Le VPN is a good value. Those looking for a longer term account, especially six month or annual terms will get an even better deal on VPN access.
Regardless of which term you choose (monthly, 6 month, annual) Le VPN offers a seven day money back guarantee. I doubt you’ll need it but it’s always nice to know you can cancel and receive a refund if things don’t work out. Give Le VPN a try. Drop me a tweet and let me know what you think of the service.