Privacy
Ranked #48 out of 61 VPNs for Privacy
Snap VPN has recently improved and clarified its logging policy, but it's still not a private or trustworthy VPN. It logs your ISP, bandwidth usage, and server location. Ties to China, an opaque company history, and no proper web presence also make it difficult to trust. Even if its privacy policy is truthful, it's not worth risking.
| Originating IP Address | No |
|---|---|
| Browsing Activity | No |
| Individual Connection Timestamps | No |
| Date of Last Connection | Yes |
| VPN Server IP | No |
| Device Information | No |
| Individual Bandwidth Usage | Yes |
| Account Information | No |
You can read Snap VPN's full privacy policy on its website.
Snap VPN doesn’t log data enough to identify you, but it’s still not a trustworthy service.
Its privacy policy moved to a self-hosted, secure HTTPs website in 2022 – a big improvement compared to what is was before. However, we find it odd that it isn’t hosted on Autumn Breeze’s own website.
Company Ownership
Snap VPN was previously owned by a company called Lemon Clove PTE Ltd., but that has since changed to Autumn Breeze. It is unclear if Autumn Breeze is a rebrand or a new company altogether.
However, on multiple occasions throughout its privacy policy Snap VPN makes reference to Lemon Clove – this lack of attention to detail further erodes our confidence in the document as a whole and is part of the reason why we don’t trust Snap VPN.
Snap VPN insists that it doesn’t log your real IP address.
The privacy policy states that Snap VPN’s Singapore jurisdiction has “no special data retention laws and no guidance pertaining to e-discovery or disclosure to foreign law enforcement agencies.” However, this is simply not true – Singapore is a member of the SIGINT data sharing alliance and we’d rather a VPN not be based there if possible.
Our research into the Chinese ownership of free VPNs has also revealed that Snap VPN has links to mainland China, a big, obvious drawback for privacy.
Excessive Advertising Permissions
An overabundance of in-app adverts is one of our biggest complaints about Snap VPN. These ads interrupt your user experience and get access to your personal data.
Third-party ad services AdMob, Unity AD, Vungle, and Startapp all have permission to place “their own cookies, pixel tags, and similar technologies” on your device via Snap VPN and may use them to “access information about you which they may collect over time and across different online services.”
In-app ads are common with free VPNs, and are one of the many reasons you should consider using a cheap paid-for VPN instead, but Snap VPN’s permissions are still far more invasive than most other free VPNs.
Streaming
Ranked #40 out of 61 VPNs for Streaming
We tested Snap VPN with 10 different international streaming services. It could only unblock two: BBC iPlayer and ITVX, both from the UK. It didn’t work to unblock any Netflix libraries or any premium US services like HBO Max or Disney Plus.
| Streaming Service | Works with Snap VPN |
|---|---|
| BBC iPlayer (UK) | Yes |
| DAZN (Canada) | No |
| Disney+ (UK) | No |
| Hulu (US) | No |
| ITVX (UK) | Yes |
| Max (US) | No |
| Netflix (US) | No |
| Netflix (UK) | No |
| Prime Video (US) | No |
| Sky Go (UK) | No |
Snap VPN is unable to unblock the vast majority of streaming services that we test. We were blocked from logging into most platforms and, in some cases, we couldn’t even load the login screen.
We couldn’t get past the Disney+ login screen with Snap VPN.
While we were able to unblock BBC iPlayer and ITVX, Snap VPN throttled our speeds. As a result, the stream always took at least 2 minutes to load and buffered constantly.
We found this frustrating and distracting from the viewing experience, especially across multiple hours of testing.
To avoid this, we suggest you use a VPN optimized for streaming that won’t throttle your connection or limit you to UK streaming services.
Speed
Ranked #57 out of 61 VPNs for Speed
Snap VPN is one of the slowest VPNs we've tested. We discovered that the VPN throttles speeds to unacceptable levels. As a result, we recorded download speeds of below 2Mbps across its server network, which is too slow for browsing, streaming, gaming, or just about any other web activity.
To calculate Snap VPN’s overall speed rating, we connected to five of its servers around the globe and compiled an average speed for each location.
You can use the table below to see Snap VPN’s complete speed test results:
Snap VPN produced the exact same download speeds in every location we tested. In each instance, it was unable to exceed a 2Mbps average download speed, regardless of where the server was. Coupled with the fact that its upload times were substantially faster in comparison, we are certain that Snap VPN throttles your download speeds.
We consider anything greater than a 50% drop in download speeds when connected to a nearby server to be poor – Snap VPN is over 98% slower. That makes it one of the slowest VPNs we’ve ever tested.
There are significantly better free VPNs available that won’t throttle your connection. For example, Proton VPN Free is a reputable service and almost 50 times faster than Snap VPN.
Security
Ranked #52 out of 61 VPNs for Security
Snap VPN is not safe to use. It fails to properly disclose its VPN protocol, lacks a kill switch, and doesn't include any advanced security features. Though it passed our leak tests, we strongly recommend you use an alternative VPN with proven security.
| Independent Audit | No |
|---|---|
| VPN Kill Switch | No |
| Leak Protection | Yes |
Ambiguous VPN Protocols & Encryption
Snap VPN only lets you connect with a protocol labelled as “IPSec”. It is unclear whether this is the secure IKEv2 protocol or the unsafe and outdated L2TP/IPSec.
Despite previously offering it as part of its free tier, Snap VPN paywalls OpenVPN as well as the Android exclusive protocols SSR and ISSR. It isn’t obvious you can’t use these protocols as Snap VPN makes no effort to gray them out or highlight them as unavailable.
There’s also no information given about Snap VPN’s encryption. We contacted the support team and clarified that Snap VPN uses industry-standard AES-128 and AES-256 encryption. This is reassuring but we’d like to see it advertised on the VPN’s Google Play listing.
Passed Our Leak Tests, but Lacks a Kill Switch
We ran Snap VPN through several tests and found that there were no IP, DNS or WebRTC leaks.
Our testing confirms Snap VPN is working correctly.
As shown above, Snap VPN uses Google DNS which is considered secure. However, we’d encourage Snap VPN to operate its own private DNS servers, like ExpressVPN and PIA, for total anonymity and security.
We were unable to test Snap VPN’s kill switch as it doesn’t have one.
That means that if the VPN connection drops suddenly, your personal data will be left exposed. This lack is inexcusable and makes Snap VPN fundamentally unsafe.
Technical Features We’d Like to See Added
Aside from its recent addition of split tunneling, Snap VPN fails to provide basic technical features that we expect all VPN services to have. Below is a summary of the most important ones it’s missing:
- Modern VPN protocols such as WireGuard and OpenVPN to ensure that your traffic is kept secure. They’re fast, open-source, and have no known vulnerabilities.
- VPN kill switch to prevent your personal data from leaking following a VPN connection drop.
- IPv4 & IPv6 leak protection to guarantee your real IP address and identity remain private.
Server Locations
Ranked #49 out of 61 VPNs for Server Locations
Snap VPN has 6 server locations, which is around the average for a free Android VPN. It recently swapped its India server for two locations in the UK, meaning it now offers locations in three European countries, as well as the US, Canada, and Singapore.
| Continent | Countries with Servers |
|---|---|
| Europe | 3 |
| North America | 2 |
| Asia | 1 |
| South America | 0 |
| Africa | 0 |
| Oceania | 0 |
Snap VPN offers a small selection of VPN server locations, which is typical of a free VPN. You can choose from Snap VPN servers in just 6 countries:
- Canada
- Germany
- Netherlands
- Singapore
- UK
- US
Snap VPN specifies the different individual cities of its servers in the UK and Germany, but some options in other countries are left unlabeled – the only way to discover where they are is to use an IP checker tool.
Snap VPN does not show the specific locations of all of its servers, which is frustrating.
There are more locations available to premium subscribers, but it still doesn’t come close to matching top-tier VPN services like ExpressVPN, with servers in 106 countries.
User Experience
Ranked #27 out of 61 VPNs for User Experience
Snap VPN has barely any customizable features or settings, which makes it easy to use. However, constant full-screen ads result in an awful user experience. It also often fails to connect to a server on the first attempt.
It’s easy to get started with Snap VPN on Android — the process from start to finish took less than two minutes for us. You just need to download the app from the Play Store, agree to prompts, and you’re finished.
As a free VPN, you’re not required to provide payment details at any point or register an account.
Android
Snap VPN adopts a simple design with easy-to-read white text on a blue background. To start using the VPN, you simply select your preferred VPN server location from the list and tap ‘Go’ on the main screen.
We noticed in our testing that it sometimes took multiple attempts to connect, with no reason provided. We also found it frustrating to have to decline the free trial pop-up following every connection attempt.
Although it’s easy to use, we’d like to see Snap VPN offer more advanced features and customization options. For a mobile VPN in particular, we’d appreciate the option to switch between light and dark mode and add trusted networks.
The worst part of Snap VPN’s user experience is its intrusive ads. They take up the whole screen and you can’t skip them until a certain amount of time has elapsed (usually between five and 10 seconds).
Torrenting
Ranked #53 out of 61 VPNs for Torrenting
Our tests found that BitTorrent traffic is not permitted on Snap VPN's servers. Even if P2P file-sharing was allowed, we wouldn't recommend Snap VPN anyway. It logs too much personal information and its encryption is not secure enough to be trusted with sensitive data.
| Torrenting Attribute | Snap VPN |
|---|---|
| Permits P2P Traffic | No |
| Average Download Bitrate | N/A |
| Countries with P2P Servers | 0 |
| Port Forwarding | No |
| Kill Switch | No |
| Logging Policy | Identifiable Data |
Previously, Snap VPN made it clear on its Play Store listing that P2P downloads were not permitted. Although this warning has since been removed, you still cannot use Snap VPN for torrenting.
Despite repeated attempts, our torrent test file failed to start downloading.
When we attempted to torrent a test file, it simply sat in our client and failed to download. We tried changing VPN protocols and servers to fix this, but our traffic was blocked each time.
This isn’t unusual for free VPNs with many services banning torrenting to regulate bandwidth usage and encourage users to upgrade to a paid subscription.
That said, there are free VPNs that support torrenting and allow you to file-share safely.
Device Compatibility
Snap VPN is only available for Android phones and tablets. There is a similar-looking app with the same name in the iOS App Store, but it is from a different developer.
| Windows | No |
|---|---|
| Mac | No |
| iOS | No |
| Android | Yes |
| Linux | No |
| Amazon Fire TV | No |
| Android TV | No |
| Apple TV | No |
| Router | No |
| Chrome | No |
Simultaneous Connections: Unlimited
Snap VPN’s device compatibility is limited to Android devices. You can’t install Snap VPN on iOS, Windows, Mac, or Linux.
There are also no browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox, Smart DNS, or apps for streaming devices such as Fire TV and Apple TV.
Its system requirements are very low and it will work with any Android device that is running Android 6.0 Marshmallow or later.
If you need a free VPN for other devices, check out our list of the top free VPNs by category.
Additional Features
Snap VPN doesn’t have any additional features beyond split tunneling and a support email. This is the bare minimum and compares poorly to most VPNs we review — including free services.
| Additional Feature | Snap VPN |
|---|---|
| Split Tunneling | Yes |
| VPN Obfuscation | No |
| Multi-Hop Servers | No |
| Dedicated IP | No |
| Ad Blocker | No |
Functional Split Tunneling Feature
Snap VPN includes split tunneling which allows you to exclude specific Android apps from the VPN tunnel.
This can be useful for location-based services that you don’t want to disrupt, like a weather app.
Customer Support Needs an Overhaul
Snap VPN doesn’t have a website – its only web presence is the website of its developer, Autumn Breeze. All information about the app is contained on its Google Play Store listing.
There is a customer support email but its replies took up to a week and were often unhelpful and incoherent.
Snap VPN even went as far to inform us that it won’t disclose any information about the VPN service until we “fairly” evaluate the product.
Our most recent email also came from “Master VPN Customer Service Department”, which is particularly confusing.
However, after several exchanges we were eventually given answers to our questions. We expect more guidance and professionalism from a VPN service, free or not.