X-VPN: Improved Transparency, But Logs Connection Timestamps and Still Falls Short on Speed and Trust

As shown above, X-VPN doesn’t log enough data to identify you. It does collect connection timestamps, but these are deleted within 48 hours. We’d like to see X-VPN reduce this window to 15 minutes, like NordVPN, or stop logging them entirely.

X-VPN also collects your real-world location at the country level only. Even combined with timestamps, this isn’t enough to de-anonymize you.

Previously, X-VPN logged different data depending on the device, which was confusing and arbitrary. Thankfully, it now uses a single logging policy across all platforms and devices.

X-VPN has also completely overhauled its website, which now looks professional and polished. While this doesn’t change its logging practices, it makes the product feel more reputable.

Plus, X-VPN uses diskless servers, so any activity logs are periodically wiped, and it supports multiple anonymous payment methods.

Though greatly improved, we’d feel more confident in X-VPN’s logging policy if it were verified by an independent audit or supported by a warrant canary.

Links to Chinese Ownership

X-VPN is owned by Free Connected Limited, incorporated in July 2017 and based in Hong Kong.

We do not consider Hong Kong a privacy-friendly jurisdiction due to its ties to the Chinese government, which actively restricts VPNs and engages in digital surveillance.

Our free VPN ownership investigation found that X-VPN has links to mainland China, which raises privacy concerns for the reasons above.

Jin Li, the company’s director, and Chengdu Zhuozhuo Technology Co., the sole shareholder, are based in Sichuan, China.

You can find X-VPN’s optimal dedicated server for each streaming service on its website.

Paid plans include streaming-optimized servers in 12 countries. Using these, we unblocked every major streaming service we test, consistently.

While this is great, we’d prefer X-VPN integrate this into its standard servers instead of separating them.

You can see a more detailed analysis of our X-VPN streaming tests in the next section.

Unblocks US Netflix

We used X-VPN’s US-Video-N server to successfully unblock US Netflix from abroad.

Streams loaded almost immediately with no buffering or resolution drops.

We also tried several standard US servers and found none worked with Netflix. X-VPN should fix this disparity, as it wastes time navigating to a separate menu to find dedicated servers.

Better VPNs, like NordVPN, automatically assign a working server from the normal list.

We also confirmed X-VPN works with Netflix Australia, but slow international speeds meant the stream took over three minutes to load.

Works with BBC iPlayer

While connected to GB-Video-B, X-VPN reliably unblocked BBC iPlayer.

Both live and on-demand content worked without issues. However, X-VPN’s standard UK servers were less consistent and often required multiple attempts.

X-VPN Free Streaming Tests

X-VPN’s Free tier is a poor choice for streaming, as it fails to unblock any platform. This has been true since our testing began and is unlikely to change.

Because X-VPN Free automatically assigns the server closest to your real location, you can’t spoof your location to access geo-restricted content.

We even tried the free US server with Hulu and Max, but the VPN was detected every time.

If you want a free VPN for streaming, we recommend Windscribe Free. It can stream five Netflix libraries—more than either version of X-VPN—as well as Max, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video.

Uses Open-Source & Proprietary Protocols

X-VPN uses a self-developed protocol called Everest to encrypt your traffic. Because it’s closed-source, we’re limited to the information provided by the company.

X-VPN states that the Everest protocol uses obfuscation technology and industry-standard AES-256 encryption. It’s compatible with multiple transmission protocols, including UDP, TCP, HTTP, and TLS, all listed within the app.

We used Wireshark, a packet analyzer, to inspect our network traffic while connected with the Everest protocol.

As shown above, X-VPN encrypted our traffic. While we can’t fully assess Everest’s strength or reliability, it will at least conceal your online activity.

We’re also pleased that X-VPN added OpenVPN and WireGuard to its apps. These secure, open-source protocols are widely used in the industry and will keep your traffic safe.

Reliable but Paywalled Kill Switch

All X-VPN apps include a kill switch, but you need a subscription to use it on iOS and Android.

This is poor practice and puts your data at risk if your mobile connection drops unexpectedly.

To test the kill switch, we forced an internet disconnection while running our in-house tool. In each instance, X-VPN blocked network traffic and no data left the VPN tunnel.

To get started, click “Get Started” on the website and create an account, then download the app for your device.

This process took about five minutes. On desktop, you can speed it up by logging in via mobile.

X-VPN uses a plain white design across platforms with a central power button that turns blue when connected. While it’s straightforward to connect—just tap or click the button—we found usability issues beyond that, especially when choosing servers and navigating the app.

Here’s a more detailed look at our experience across devices:

Desktop & Laptop (Windows & macOS)

X-VPN is identical on Windows and macOS, with the same interface and features. We appreciate the simplicity, but the desktop apps lack the polish of a bespoke VPN.

The home screen has no graphical elements, like an interactive widget, and the X-VPN logo is tiny, resulting in a generic, flat appearance. For comparison, Windscribe’s desktop app includes a toggle for its kill switch and changes the interface to match the flag of your connected country.

The apps are easy to use and connect with a single click. Still, we’d like the specialty servers for gaming, streaming, and torrenting to be integrated into the main server list for faster navigation.

We’d also like the option to resize the desktop apps, especially on Windows. When we tried watching Hulu, the app obscured much of the screen, making viewing frustrating.

This is less of an issue on macOS, where you can add X-VPN to the menu bar in settings.

Mobile (iPhone & Android)

X-VPN’s white-blue color scheme and simple design look better on smaller screens than on desktop. Despite that, we found the mobile apps harder to use.

X-VPN’s mobile apps display a permanent banner ad along the bottom, which is distracting. Even worse, the iOS app frequently shows full-screen pop-up ads that can redirect you to a webpage if you tap them accidentally.

On the free version, you can unlock four additional server locations in the US, UK, Germany, and India by watching an unskippable ad. This is an odd choice and became irritating after extended use.

We liked that both mobile apps include a dark mode and a “follow system settings” option. Going forward, we’d like to see mobile-specific features like iOS Shortcuts support or GPS spoofing on Android.

Streaming Devices (Fire TV, Apple TV & Android TV)

X-VPN’s apps for Fire TV, Apple TV, and Android TV are functional and match the general design of its desktop and mobile apps.

The apps are basic, but you get full access to the X-VPN server network, including streaming-optimized options.

The newly released Apple TV app is the most refined, with a working kill switch and a slick design. We also liked logging in via mobile, which is much faster than typing credentials with the sensitive Apple TV remote.

We tested X-VPN using qBittorrent on a fixed 10 MiB/s connection. We downloaded a 1 GB test file in under four minutes on paid servers. The same file took twice as long with X-VPN Free.

X-VPN is one of the slowest torrenting VPNs we’ve tested, even on its paid plan. Its average bitrate of 4.1 MiB/s compares poorly to top VPNs like PIA and ExpressVPN, which average 9.6 MiB/s and 9.8 MiB/s, respectively.

We’re pleased that X-VPN now labels P2P servers with “BT,” rather than the confusing “Ultimate Line” tag tied to a specific protocol.

X-VPN’s P2P-optimized servers aren’t available on the free plan, which partly explains its poor 2.0 MiB/s bitrate.

You can download X-VPN’s dedicated apps for a wide range of streaming devices, including Fire TV and Android TV.

To improve, we’d like to see X-VPN add a Smart DNS tool for easy access to geo-restricted content on game consoles and streaming devices.

We’d also welcome a dedicated router app to simplify setup and expand device compatibility.

5 Simultaneous Connections

With a single X-VPN subscription, you can connect up to 5 devices at the same time. If you want to use it on more devices, you’ll need to log out on another device first.

This limit is standard, but competing services like Surfshark and IPVanish offer unlimited simultaneous connections.

Split Tunneling for Paid Users Only

X-VPN includes split tunneling on all its apps when you sign in with a paid account. It lets you exclude specific apps from the VPN tunnel, such as a weather or banking app.

Restrictive Double VPN Feature

You can enable Double VPN in the X-VPN app settings to route your traffic through two servers instead of one. This boosts anonymity by adding a second intermediary between your device and the internet.

However, this feature is limited to paid plans, and you can’t choose the server locations used. We’d like to see X-VPN add server selection for Double VPN, similar to NordVPN and Surfshark.

Static IP Is Limited to Mobile Apps Only

X-VPN offers a Static VPN IP feature, but only on its mobile apps for paid plans. To use it, go to Advanced Features > Static IP, where you’ll see a list of recently used VPN IP addresses.

These IP addresses are stored only on your device and are not logged by X-VPN.

We’d also like X-VPN to offer dedicated IP addresses. A dedicated IP is used only by you, which can help with IP allowlists, secure remote access, and fewer CAPTCHAs.

Technical Features We’d Like to See Added

X-VPN has significantly improved its feature set in recent years, but it still lacks some advanced options. Here are the features we’d like added: