F-Secure FREEDOME VPN Review – Is It Safe in 2024

F-Secure FREEDOME VPN is a virtual private network (VPN) service developed by F-Secure, a Finnish software developer specializing in cybersecurity. FREEDOME VPN offers users the protection of their Internet connection, ensuring privacy and data security.

Pros

• Application with great interface 
• Strict zero-logging policy
• Ease of use
• Data protection with strong encryption
• Legal data protection under EU law
• Application with great interface 

Cons

• A limited number of servers
• Pricing
• No P2P support
• Limited customization features

VPN Features

This application combines several modules that will allow you to:

• use Internet resources without the risk of being tracked;
• access websites that are banned in your region;
• connect to public Wi-Fi networks without the threat of hacking;
• block malicious and fraudulent websites  (applications).

To do this, the app uses multiple remote servers (tunnel channels) to redirect traffic from your device. 29 locations are currently available. With that being said, the application will change your IP address to one of the listed cities, thus hiding your real one from anyone who tries to track you. The server closest to you is offered by default.

The possibility to search anonymously is also worth noting – neither keywords, nor cookies are stored in search queries, thus preventing anyone from spying on you. Furthermore, it employs robust encryption of the traffic exchanged between your PC and the remote server, ensuring that the connection remains untraceable and secure.

It has a stylish interface, effortless to configure and manage. All actions are performed literally in one or two clicks so that your security and privacy will be ensured quickly and reliably.

Privacy and Logging

F-Secure’s privacy policy states that the company will not monitor, sell, or share consumer traffic, nor will it keep a way to identify a particular individual from such data. That’s excellent news. The corporation will encrypt your traffic and has no backdoors, among other promises made in the policy. Though it seems apparent, it indicates that F-Secure gave it some thought. 

Once F-Secure’s anonymization process handles most of the privacy-related tasks, some aspects become less transparent. Although it claims not to retain your data, the company does disclose the information it collects. Under “service provisioning logging,” device details such as IP addresses are logged during the initial VPN usage.

The corporation also tracks the length of a VPN connection, a device ID produced by F-Secure, the volume of data exchanged, public IP address, hostname (of your computer), and traffic variances that can point to service abuse. These logs remain on file for ninety days.

Speed Tests – How Fast is VPN

We are mostly interested in investigating how F-Secure FREEDOME VPN affects the initial ISP speed.

Different providers may have different effects of the VPN on the speed of the ISP (internet service provider). It depends on how well the supplier adjusts their infrastructure overall, including the protocols, encryption standards, server setup, etc. The connection speed varies also with the distance between you and the server.

We have divided our test into three sections: PC, Browser Extensions, and Mobile.

Terms for every division are very similar; we assess the US location and one randomly selected nation, then compare the findings to the pure ISP speed.

First up will be PC testing.

PC Test

The image displays the results of an internet speed test performed with a tool called Speedtest:

• Download speed: 94.1 Mbps
• Upload speed: 92.5 Mbps
• Latency (Ping): 12 ms
• Jitter: 0 ms
• Packet Loss: 0%

These results indicate that the network connection is performing well without the VPN, offering high speeds, very low latency, no jitter, and no packet loss.

The VPN is active. VPN connection is set to the Northwest region of the United States. It shows the results of an internet speed test:

• Download speed: 90.5 Mbps
• Upload speed: 31.8 Mbps
• Latency time (ping): 170 ms
• Jitter (delay variability): 1 ms
• Packet loss: 70%

The high latency and significant packet loss suggest potential issues with the VPN or network connection, despite the VPN providing good download and upload speeds. VPN connection is set to the Northwest region of the United States.

The VPN is active, ensuring that your privacy is protected. The VPN connection is set to Warsaw, Poland. It displays the results of an internet speed test:

Download speed: 89.8 Mbps

• Upload speed: 77.2 Mbps
• Latency time (ping): 28 ms
• Jitter (delay variability): 0 ms
• Packet loss: 68%

Despite the VPN providing robust download and upload speeds with low latency and no jitter, the high packet loss recommends potential issues with the VPN or network connection.

F-Secure VPN service indicates that the VPN is active, thus ensuring the user’s privacy is protected. The VPN connection is shown as being established in Finland, Espoo. The interface also displays the results of an internet speed test with the following details:

• Download speed: 78.3 Mbps
• Upload speed: 89.5 Mbps
• Latency (Ping): 47 ms
• Jitter: 0 ms
• Packet Loss: 69%

The interface highlights that while the VPN provides substantial download and upload speeds with low latency and no jitter, the high packet loss rate indicates potential issues with the VPN or network stability.

F-Secure FREEDOME VPN is characterized by stable operation on the computer, without causing hangs or lags during use. The application also impresses with its excellent design, which is not only visually pleasing, but also provides convenience and ease of navigation for the user. These qualities make it one of the preferred choices among VPN apps for PCs.

Browser’s Extension Test

Though it cannot be installed as a browser extension, F-Secure Freedome establishes an encrypted and safe connection from your device to the F-Secure location you have chosen. About the redirection on your browsers, you should make sure F-Secure surfing protection is turned on and do some clean up. If F-Secure SAFE is not installed, you should download some third-party ad blockers for your browsers.

Mobile Test

The picture shows the results of internet speed testing with Speedtest:

• Download speed: 72.0 Mbps
• Upload speed: 81.4 Mbps
• Latency time (ping): 13 ms.
• Jitter (delay variability): 0 ms.

These figures indicate a good and stable internet connection with low latency and no jitter, ensuring efficient real-time data transfer.

The picture shows the results of measuring the speed of Internet connection via VPN using Speedtest:

• Download speed: 18.6 Mbps
• Upload speed: 21.0 Mbps
• Latency time (ping): 43 ms.
• Jitter (delay variability): 13 ms.

The data shows that Internet connection speeds with VPN enabled are relatively stable, but ping and jitter are higher than normal, which can affect latency and connection stability when instantaneous data transfer requirements are high.

With the VPN enabled, download speeds decreased by about 74% and upload speeds decreased by about 74% compared to the VPN disabled.

Ping tripled from 13 ms to 43 ms, indicating an increase in network response time.

Jitter, which shows variability in latency, only appears when the VPN is enabled and is 13ms, which can influence the stability of the connection, especially in applications that require continuous data flow.

VPN use significantly degrades Internet speed and connection quality, which can be critical for tasks that require high bandwidth and low latency, such as online gaming or high-definition video streaming.

About Safety – How Secure is VPN?

By passing network traffic via F-Secure’s servers, FREEDOME VPN enhances your security and privacy protection.

The use of FREEDOME creates a VPN connection between your device and the servers of F-Secure. All data traffic is therefore directed via those servers rather than through a direct connection between your device and the internet. Benefits from this strategy include:

• Your data flow is encrypted. For all of its contacts with the F-Secure servers, FREEDOME employs robust encryption. This implies that even if you utilize an open Wi-Fi connection, identity thieves and other hackers cannot intercept your data flow and steal your personal information.
• Your IP address is used for network connection with the F-Secure server you are logged into. In this manner, for instance, the website you visit may only see the IP address of the F-Secure server and not the IP address of your gadget.
• Geo-restricted material could be available to you using FREEDOME. Traveling overseas and accessing material only accessible in your own country may be possible since the only IP address that websites and services see is the one for the F-Secure server. VPN usage is now prohibited by several websites, nevertheless. Though we cannot promise it, you may be able to use these services while utilizing a different FREEDOME location.
• Within FREEDOME, browsing protection ensures that the websites you visit are secure. This is accomplished by banning websites that either steal your personal information, such as passwords, user accounts, and credit card details, or that have dubious and dangerous material.

Desktop Apps

The Freedome VPN desktop application was meticulously designed by F-Secure, as one would expect from a top-tier organization. The desktop apps are available for iOS and Windows. It is aesthetically pleasing and easy to use. In addition to being compatible with all supported systems, it is attractive and functionally well-organized. Some may find them too simple, but it is a superb instance of design.

If you use Freedome, you will be able to see every detail of your online behavior, including the bandwidth you use, the websites you visit, the efforts to trace you that your VPN thwarted, and much more besides.

Here you may find an auto-connect option, but if you like to have complete control, you can pick the server with a few clicks. We were also impressed by the app’s ability to display your new virtual location on a global map.

Mobile Apps

For mobile devices, an app for Android and iOS devices is available. You can also install the application on your iPad. The app offers a simple user interface where doing a job only requires one button click. 

Performance

In the upload speed test, it decreased 74.9% and in the download speed test, it decreased 61.7%. Though the latter is marginally more than the median, the former is marginally less. Remarkably excellent was the latency score, which rose to 51.3%. It is therefore among the best half of the services we examined. 

Work in Highly Restricted Countries

F-Secure VPN is not currently available in the UAE an999d China. This is because the VPN lacks any obfuscation technology. As a result, if you attempt to use the VPN in heavily censored countries like China and the UAE, it will be detected and blocked through deep packet inspection (DPI).

Server’s locations

With servers spread throughout 29 locations, F-Secure provides a bit more than the average of rival VPNs. Travelling overseas, you’re more likely to locate a local server the more countries a VPN supports. Having additional choices to fake your location is also practical. 

F-Secure overlooks a lot of the world, including Africa, but covers the fundamentals with its servers.

What Bonuses Does the Paid Version Offer, and How Much Does It Cost?

Having a large product line, F-Secure is a key force in the antivirus market. A Freedome subscription, for example, is available alone or as a component of the F-Secure Total bundle, which combines Freedome VPN, ID theft protection, and the F-Secure Safe security suite.

Regarding payment options, F-Secure’s Freedome VPN service cannot be deemed the most versatile. Three plans are available to you, and they are all good for a year. Prices range from three to seven devices connected at once. Subscription prices start from $49.99 per month.

Positively, there’s a 7-day free trial before you pay and a 30-day money-back guarantee (helpful if you don’t like the service) once you do. Freedome VPN truly values your privacy since, if you make a purchase on the F-Secure website, you won’t need to register any place.

About Support

Initially, there is a live chat support feature, which is the favoured method of support in the VPN industry. The live chat support service is available from 9 AM to 6 PM, GMT+3. Additionally, there is phone support provided for 17 countries during the hours of 9 AM to 6 PM (with slight variations possible) according to the time zone of the respective country. Furthermore, there is a dedicated number for assistance available for all other countries. Yet, their email and chat services are only accessible during business hours (and chat is not available on Finnish public holidays).

Although VPN providers often advertise offering round-the-clock technical assistance, a knowledge base is just as crucial. In this sense, Freedome VPN stands out among the competitors.

Everything is clear and educational: F-Secure has done a fantastic job of addressing any queries you may have about how their VPN service works even before you have them. It’s a giant library of easily available material on every facet of the service, from technical and user-related to comprehensive installation and setup instructions (and there’s even a blog!); calling it a “Collection of Popular Questions” would be insulting.

VPN Review: Final Statement 

Popular streaming services cannot be accessed with Freedome VPN, and although P2P networks are available on certain servers, the service does not promote such approach. F-Secure says you download torrents at your own risk, since it is unable to ascertain whether they are lawful and illegal.

Stated differently, Freedome VPN not only encrypts your connection and guarantees dependable online access, but it also honours requests from other parties. The terms of service and privacy policy of the service make all of this very evident and easy to understand, hence generally speaking, the service cannot be held responsible.

However, this VPN has produced outstandingly designed software for consumers, which does not retain connection records, and has gathered one of the largest knowledge libraries.