CactusVPN is a prominent small VPN service that helps you conceal your IP addresses, circumvent geo-restrictions, and browse anonymously.
The VPN’s Smart DNS feature enables you to unblock over 300 international streaming websites, which is one of its main selling points.
Although CactusVPN is a small, it has managed to attract a loyal fanbase. So we decided to find out if it lives up to or even beyond these claims by conducting a Cactus VPN review.
For this VPN review, our put CactusVPN through a rigorous testing process to determine where it shines and where it falls short. Let’s check out the VPN’s features in detail below!
CactusVPN pros and cons
Every VPN in the industry has its own unique features including some tradeoffs as well, and CactusVPN is no different. So, in our review of CactusVPN, let’s examine the advantages and disadvantages first before we get into the details:
| Pros | Cons |
| Easy-to-use apps | Server network is small |
| Unblocks Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and more | Doesn’t enable leak protection by default |
| Offers P2P support | |
| Unlimited simultaneous connections | |
| Offers a kill switch | |
| Strict no-logs policy | |
| 24/7 live chat support | |
| Decent speeds |
Speed and performance: Is CactusVPN fast?
The speeds that CactusVPN offers are enough for torrenting, streaming, and online browsing.
We evaluated this VPN’s speeds using the OpenVPN protocol. We checked our base speeds without a VPN before we started, and it was 95 Mbps.
In our speed test, CactusVPN performed reasonably well — certainly well enough to watch HD video.
We first connected to this VPN’s local US server, and our speed dropped by 24%. These local speeds are very fast, and could be compared to top VPNs like Surfshark and ExpressVPN.
We then connected to its UK server to test out its speeds. On a 100 Mbps connection, we faced a speed drop of 30%, which is pretty normal for a VPN.
In short, CactusVPN’s speeds were great.
Streaming: Does CactusVPN work with Netflix?
CactusVPN is perfect for accessing streaming platforms. The VPN claims to work with 340+ streaming sites of 10+ countries with its Smart DNS.
Our team tested its Smart DNS feature and was successful at unblocking Disney+, Netflix, ABC, HBO Max, Amazon Prime, Hulu, BBC iPlayer.
When we connected to its Chicago server, we were able to access Netflix US easily. With no buffering, we watched Atypical from the American Netflix library.
We also performed five further tests and successfully unlocked Netflix libraries in the Australia, Canada and UK.
Is CactusVPN good and safe for torrenting?
CactusVPN only allows P2P traffic on certain servers, but they are well-labeled and easy to find in the app. When properly configured, there aren’t any leaks, which is vital if you want to torrent safely and anonymously.
CactusVPN features
In addition to offering secure VPN protocols and industry-level security features like 256-bit AES encryption, kill switch, and a strict no-logs policy, CactusVPN also provides:
- Dedicated P2P servers – CactusVPN offers dedicated torrent servers in multiple countries, and is compatible with every well-known torrent client like Vuze, Deluge, and uTorrent.
- Perfect Forward Secrecy (PFS) – This feature prevents hackers from obtaining your data from a previous or upcoming internet session by changing your encryption key each time you begin a new session.
Is CactusVPN safe and secure?
In our CactusVPN review, we examined its protocols, privacy and logging policies, and more to evaluate its security. We ensured that this VPN is quite safe after studying the following factors:
Protocols
You can select from a number of encryption protocols when using CactusVPN, including OpenVPN, PPTP, L2TP, IKEv2, and WireGuard. Amongst all, we highly recommend using OpenVPN.
Logging
Although CactusVPN claims to have a strict no-log policy, what the VPN mentions in it’s privacy policy is a bit vague.
According to the VPN service, they are permitted to block specific websites or applications in order to “protect other users, to adhere to legal requirements, or to lessen the threat or necessity of legal action against us and our users.”
Additionally, CactusVPN keeps certain anonymous data as part of fraud prevention efforts. This includes some system records for troubleshooting, and the IP address and host that you used to sign into the CactusVPN website previously.
Kill switch
Despite not having a kill switch, you can disable specific websites or apps with the killer feature the moment your VPN disconnects. This means that even if you lose connection, your data will be secure and your real IP address will be concealed.
CactusVPN servers and locations
CactusVPN offers 39 servers spread across 22 countries in Europe, North America, and Asia. Despite having a small server network, CactusVPN does a decent job at spreading its servers across multiple countries worldwide.
Does CactusVPN work in China?
Despite not mentioning China on its website, CactusVPN’s support confirmed that the VPN operates there. The VPN uses obfsproxy, a technique that alters the path your web traffic takes by encrypting it.
As a result, you can safely unblock content in restricted areas since obfsproxy will fool ISPs or governments into believing its just the regular traffic.
Plans and pricing
| Plans | Price |
| 1-month | $9.99/mo |
| 3-month | $7.99/mo |
| 1-year | $5.83/mo |
| 2-year | $3.95/mo |
The various payment plans offered by CactusVPN include 1-month, 3-month, 1-year, and 2-year plans. The 2-year subscription offers the best value, costing only $3.95 per month.
It even allows you to pay through several methods, and offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
It even offers a 3-day free trial without ads. We hope this answer your “Does free version have ads?” query in our CactusVPN review.
Interface and ease of use
The apps from CactusVPN are quite easy to set up and use. Simply download the relevant app for your device, then log in using your credentials.
Desktop versions
The home screen of CactusVPN’s desktop app will inform you that you are not secure once you log in. Click the Connect button to establish a connection after choosing a server. The dropdown list can be used to choose any server you prefer.
After connecting to a server, the server dropdown list becomes unavailable, and a blue Disconnect button appears on the main screen.
You can change VPN protocols by going to the Settings tab at the top. Keep in mind that when you are connected to a VPN server, this and many other features will look greyed out and would become unavailable.
Mobile apps
The mobile app’s home screen and the desktop apps are extremely similar. You only have access to the server locations and connectivity status.
You can choose a server location by clicking the dropdown, and if you’d like, you can arrange this list by speed.
The menu (three lines) symbol is located in the upper-left corner of the screen, and tapping it will take you to the settings page. The next screen lacks a kill switch and DNS leak protection, and is noticeably less cluttered than the options menu of the desktop app.
Customer support
CactusVPN offers multiple customer support options. To start, the VPN offers helpful live chat support. A ticketing system, email assistance, FAQs, and a page with setup instructions are all available.
The configuration guides and FAQs are rather in-depth and provide practical step-by-step instructions to assist you in effectively resolving issues.
Although the FAQ section is fairly comprehensive, you might need to contact CactusVPN for assistance with more technical queries. Thankfully, they have a customer service team available via live chat around-the-clock.
In our opinion, the support representatives are pretty knowledgeable about the provider. For consumers who care about their privacy, the fact that the live chat is not outsourced is a major bonus.
Conclusion
Now that our CactusVPN review is over, we’d like to recommend anyone searching for a provider with affordable prices and robust security features to use CactusVPN.
The VPN is compatible with a wide variety of devices despite having a small server network. Even better, a single subscription allows you to connect an infinite number of devices at once.
Moreover, the VPN also offers a robust privacy policy, no data limits, torrenting on some servers, has an app-specific kill switch, and is therefore perfect for users.
FAQs
Is CactusVPN legit?
Yes, CactusVPN is legit and very secure. It safeguards your data using secure protocols, 256-bit AES encryption, and a kill switch to stop data breaches.
What is Cactus VPN?
CactusVPN is a small VPN service which promises to help you conceal your IP addresses, get around geo-restrictions, and browse anonymously.