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Thunder VPN - Full Review
Thunder VPN is free. That’s about as good as it gets compared to the competition. Let downs include customer service failings, questionable security and you’re going to be lucky if you’re happy with the speed you get – despite it’s claims. (At the time of writing Thunder VPN is only available on Android).
Let’s dive straight into our Thunder VPN review, there’s not too much to mark down in the positive column, so brace yourselves for a very honest Thunder VPN user experience.
Speed
For full context, this is the area that Thunder VPN claims to be better than most (see their promotional material below). Unfortunately they fall short of both average industry standards and a lot of their close competition in the free VPN space.
And that is one thing that is fair to say at this point (even though we’re looking at speed right now), Thunder VPN is free and therefore maybe it’s not quite fair to compare them against a paid subscription provider. But then as the old saying goes, ‘you get what you pay for’ and in this case it definitely rings true.
So back to speed.
We ran extensive tests, predominantly to ensure that we thoroughly use the service to give an impartial review, but also because we couldn’t quite believe that Thunder VPN was performing so slowly.
We connected from California to our nearest servers and during our tests we experienced download speeds anywhere between 1.85 and 2.15Mbps.
To give some context, these speeds make seamless browsing of the internet a struggle let alone trying to stream. Get comfortable with the buffering percentage gauge on your favorite streaming platform if you decide to download and use Thunder VPN.
Add to that the fact that our download speeds lost upwards of 90% when attempting to download while connected.
They’re not quite ‘as fast as lightning’ as they claim.
How Thunder VPN Works
There are some crucial points to note about Thunder VPN in this section concerning its application and approach. As with anything, make sure you know what you’re downloading and how it will impact you.
Log Policy: Thunder VPN claims that it has a no logging policy, however as has also been revealed elsewhere on numerous trusted VPN sources it actually has an invasive logging policy.
What does this mean? Read Thunder VPN’s privacy policy and it will tell you all you need to know. When you agree to the privacy policy, you agree for Thunder VPN to log all of the following information:
- IP Address
- OS Version
- App Identifier
- Times when connected to the service
- Total amount of data transferred per day
- Internet service provider (ISP)
- Choice of server location
This isn’t the full list. These are the most alarming from the list however you can read the policy yourself to see if it’s something you’re comfortable with.
For any security and safety conscious internet user, this likely won’t sit well with you.
Our stance on it is that no VPN provider needs to store this amount of information and we have concerns over both why Thunder VPN wants to store this information and what it is used for. The privacy policy states that it is used to provide ‘the best possible network connection’ which seems like a paper thin justification in our book.
Streaming
If you’re hoping to stream Netflix, Hulu or most other platforms then you’ll generally come unstuck with Thunder VPN as it is blocked by the streaming service’s proxy detectors – in simple words, you can’t get in.
It does, however seem to be able to stream services in the UK such as BBC iPlayer and Channel 4’s ‘All 4’. So if you’re a fan of British entertainment then there is something for you here.
While internet speeds are slow we were able to stream both iPlayer and All 4 successfully without too much buffering to halt our viewing experience.
So credit where it’s due.
Torrenting
Torrenting is not allowed by Thunder VPN through its service.
If you were to attempt torrenting with Thunder VPN you would at the very least have your account terminated by the provider.
Given that they log a lot of personal information on their users then it is probably not a good idea to try.
Besides, their speeds aren’t good enough to warrant you even attempting to torrent.
Subscription Plans
Free.
Yes, Thunder VPN is completely free and this is probably its most redeeming feature in the eyes of most. Not for me and I’ll explain why.
Here at VPN Reactor, we have an extremely cautious approach to the concept of ‘free’ VPN services. Typically we frown upon them.
Ultimately the provider needs to be making money somehow and in the case of Thunder VPN it appears as though they do this through advertisements within the app.
There are of course other ways that providers can make money from having many users on their service and this is something you should ensure you research and make your own decision on. At VPN Reactor we advocate and campaign for internet safety and security above all else and for these reasons we recommend a paid-for VPN service.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- It's free
- Can connect to UK streaming services like BBC iPlayer and All 4
Cons
- Intrusive and unnecessary logging policy
- Outdated security protocols in use
- Extremely slow upload and download speeds
- Not able to stream Netflix or Hulu
- Only 8 countries have local servers
- No torrenting allowed and not fast enough for either torrenting or gaming
FAQ
Is Thunder VPN Secure?
Thunder VPN has a lot of users and (according to their Google Play reviews) a lot of happy customers.
However their security features are outdated and their terms are particularly vague on how much they protect their users.
Add to that their invasive logging of user data then I would suggest that Thunder VPN is less safe than a number of its contemporaries in the VPN market.
Can You Be Tracked Using Thunder VPN?
Yes, yes and yes. As detailed in our ‘How Thunder VPN Works’ section, this provider will log and store your information, in other words you can be tracked.
Read their full privacy policy to know exactly where you stand.
Does Thunder VPN collect log data?
For the 100th time yes. Alarmingly and unnecessarily so.
Read Thunder VPN’s terms and privacy documentation so you know exactly what you’re giving away when you connect.
Verdict
It’s really difficult for us to recommend Thunder VPN to our readers without a high level of discomfort.
So I’ll go ahead and say it, we don’t recommend that you download or use Thunder VPN.
There is definitely a market for free VPN providers and we understand that it is difficult to make a profit when you’re essentially giving your product away for free.
That said, given the nature of internet security and safety, a VPN should prioritise these first and foremost and I can’t say with confidence that I believe Thunder VPN does that.
Equally their no logging policy claims are untrue and the data they do actually collect is quite unecessary.
