Kaspersky VPN: Fast Speeds, Troubling Privacy, and Limited Streaming

Kaspersky VPN’s privacy policy is confusing. Like many large tech companies, it has multiple privacy policies for its VPN service—separate ones for different operating systems and regions. However, these policies do not clearly explain what data the VPN collects.

This is partly because Kaspersky VPN is a white-label version of Hotspot Shield. It uses the same server network, protocols, and software, so Hotspot Shield ultimately processes Kaspersky VPN’s activity and usage data.

Hotspot Shield’s parent company, Pango, was acquired by Aura in 2020. Both companies are based in the United States, which means your data could fall under US surveillance laws.

In short, Kaspersky VPN Secure Connection’s logging practices are effectively a combination of Kaspersky VPN’s and Hotspot Shield’s.

Together, Hotspot Shield and Kaspersky VPN log a significant amount of information. Critically, they collect your real IP address, the websites you visit, timestamps, and the VPN server location. While your IP address is deleted after each session, we would prefer that it not be collected at all.

Combined with Kaspersky’s Russian jurisdiction, this level of data collection is very concerning.

Russian Headquarters & Jurisdiction

Kaspersky VPN Secure Connection is owned by Kaspersky Lab, which is headquartered in Russia.

Russia is a highly privacy-hostile jurisdiction for VPNs. It restricts a free and open internet and may require VPN providers to log and share activity or connection data.

The company’s founder, Eugene Kaspersky, has also faced scrutiny for alleged ties to the Russian government.

For these reasons, the details of Kaspersky VPN’s privacy policy matter. Any retained data could be subject to government surveillance in Russia. If you care about online privacy, we recommend avoiding this VPN.

We used Kaspersky VPN to stream The Iron Claw on HBO Max.

We experienced a 7% speed reduction when connecting to nearby servers. While that’s not quite on par with the fastest VPNs, it’s still an impressive result.

Kaspersky’s speeds are fast enough for data-intensive tasks, including online gaming, torrenting, and 4K streaming.

Connections were very stable and never dropped during our tests. International speeds are exceptional, even compared to top VPNs like ExpressVPN and Private Internet Access.

This is because Kaspersky VPN uses Hotspot Shield’s servers, software, and protocols, including Hydra, its protocol designed for fast download speeds.

To illustrate this, we’ve compared Kaspersky’s international speeds to the best VPNs in the chart below:

The VPN uses Hotspot Shield’s very fast Hydra protocol, which helps explain the impressive speeds above.

However, Kaspersky VPN’s latency (ping) increases over longer distances and doesn’t match Hotspot Shield’s low ping times. If you’re an online gamer, you should avoid this service unless you connect to a nearby VPN server.

After some investigation, we’ve identified that although Kaspersky VPN uses Hotspot Shield’s technologies, it operates a distinct server network.

Its server network across Europe and North America is quite extensive. In fact, you can choose a Kaspersky VPN server in most European countries, including the UK, France, Germany, Poland, Norway, and more.

There are also many Asian server locations to choose from, including Hong Kong, Japan, India, and South Korea.

However, if you want to connect to servers outside these regions, you may be disappointed. Africa has very limited options—only two locations: Egypt and South Africa. South America also has just five server locations.

Given Kaspersky’s Russian ties, it’s not surprising there is a server available in Russia. This is uncommon following Russia’s laws surrounding VPNs.

Kaspersky VPN Free Doesn’t Allow You to Choose Server Location

Unlike the paid version, the free version of Kaspersky doesn’t let you pick a server location. In our tests, the VPN automatically connected us to the nearest server, making it unsuitable for unblocking streaming services from other countries.

This isn’t unusual for a free VPN. Most come with significant drawbacks, such as smaller server networks and data caps of around 10GB per month.

Kaspersky VPN couldn’t be easier to use. To install the VPN, simply sign up to the service and install the app from My Kaspersky.

After subscribing, we had an issue linking our device to the paid subscription, but once we got in touch with customer support via email, this was sorted quickly and efficiently.

Here’s a more detailed look at the interface of each Kaspersky VPN application:

Desktop & Laptop (Windows & macOS)

Kaspersky’s desktop apps are minimalistic and easy to use. From the homepage you can see your subscription tier (free or unlimited), select a server location, and turn on the VPN.

Kaspersky VPN’s server navigation is a mixed bag, though. We’re disappointed to see the server list isn’t sorted into separate continents, like it is with other VPNs, but you can search for specific countries in the search bar.

The biggest difference between the Windows and macOS clients is that Windows gives you access to dedicated servers for streaming, gaming, and torrenting in separate tabs. Kaspersky VPN on macOS doesn’t feature these dedicated servers.

Both desktop clients offer double VPN servers, where you can choose entry and exit servers, which isn’t common with VPNs. You can also add your favorite servers to a separate tab on both clients.

Ideally, we would like to see a bit more information about the VPN connection (e.g. the protocol and VPN server location). If you connect using the default settings and servers, you can’t actually see your new location or active protocol.

The three main features available on desktop apps are split tunneling, kill switch, and unsecured WiFi. These are all turned off by default, but we would prefer the kill switch to be automatically enabled.

Mobile (iPhone & Android)

Kaspersky’s mobile apps are even more stripped back than their desktop counterparts. The homepage simply shows a toggle switch (to turn on and off your VPN), your current server, and a favorites button to save the server location.

Both Android and iOS use the same server list with a search bar and a Favorites tab. As with the desktop apps, the servers aren’t grouped by continent, which is a minor downside.

The mobile apps also don’t include the dedicated streaming, gaming, or torrenting servers available on Windows. Double VPN servers are missing on mobile as well.

On Android, you get basic VPN features: a kill switch, split tunneling, and connection rules for unfamiliar Wi‑Fi networks. We’d prefer the kill switch to be enabled by default on mobile devices, too.

Disappointingly, the iOS app is even more limited. You only get a kill switch, which is a truly bare-bones experience compared to other VPNs like Surfshark, which include geo-spoofing, an ad blocker, double VPN, obfuscation, IP rotation, and more.

Kaspersky’s mobile apps are simpler than the desktop versions. The home screen shows a toggle to turn the VPN on or off, your current server, and a Favorites button for saving server locations.

Kaspersky VPN allows P2P traffic on all its 2,000+ servers.

When we tested the VPN for torrenting, we recorded very fast torrent speeds, found no IP or DNS leaks, and verified the kill switch works effectively.

However, despite the positives we’ve identified above, we still wouldn’t recommend using Kaspersky VPN for torrenting. This is because we’re concerned with its intrusive logging policy and lack of port forwarding.

Kaspersky VPN is too risky of a VPN to use for torrenting, especially when there are strict no-logs alternatives like PIA and ExpressVPN instead.

Kaspersky VPN doesn’t publish a clear list of compatible routers, but its installation guide indicates support for certain models from Asus, Keenetic, Netgear, and TP-Link.

In addition, Kaspersky doesn’t offer OpenVPN in its apps, but it does support OpenVPN on compatible routers.

Customizable Double VPN

Kaspersky offers a Double VPN feature that routes your traffic through two different VPN servers.

You can manually choose both the entry and exit countries, which is a rare option. Still, similar functionality is available in safer, more secure services like Hide.me, Surfshark, and Proton VPN.

No Live Chat Support

Kaspersky VPN’s customer support is run by Kaspersky Cybersecurity, not Hotspot Shield. As a result, it lacks the instant, focused help offered by many smaller, dedicated VPN providers. It includes FAQs and a ticket system, but no live chat.

Our experience with Kaspersky VPN’s support was disappointing. It simply isn’t on par with leading VPN services.

The biggest drawback is the absence of live chat. Instead, you must rely on online resources or a slow ticketing system.

The VPN’s online resources are comprehensive but hard to find and navigate, largely because Kaspersky offers so many different products and services.

In many cases, we found Kaspersky’s guides more confusing than helpful.

If you submit a ticket, responses typically take at least a day. On one occasion, we were even told to call an operator instead.

Can’t Bypass Online Censorship

Kaspersky VPN is a poor option for bypassing web censorship. It does not work in China or Turkey, and it strongly discourages use in highly censored regions. In fact, the service asks users in China, Pakistan, Iran, Oman, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia to cancel their subscriptions.

According to our tests using a remote desktop in Shanghai, Kaspersky has never worked in China.

This isn’t surprising, as the VPN lacks any obfuscation technology. On desktop and mobile, it only offers the WireGuard and Hydra protocols—neither is designed to defeat sophisticated firewalls.

Hotspot Shield, which shares a server network and software with Kaspersky VPN, also struggles with web censorship and has performed poorly in China for months.