Namecheap FastVPN – Is It Worth It? [Hands-on Testing and Review]

Namecheap FastVPN

$

0.66

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Namecheap FastVPN is a budget and user-friendly VPN that comes with military-grade encryption. It offers access to over 1,000 high-performance servers in over 50+ global locations. It ensures privacy, unblocks geo-restricted content, and smooths streaming or gaming.

Features

• Employ military-grade AES 256-bit encryption with IKEv2, WireGuard, and OpenVPN protocols.
• Include security features like a kill switch, split tunneling, ad-blocker, and leak protection.
• Maintain over 1,000 fast servers across 50+ global locations.
• Compatible with Windows, Android, iOS, macOS, Android and Linux.
• Offers ad blocker to improve the browsing experience.

Pros

• Offers affordable pricing starting as low as $0.66.
• Excellent customer support with 24/7 availability.
• Provides unlimited bandwidth.
• Ensure user anonymity with a strict no-logs policy.
• Offers 30-day money-back guarantee.

Cons

• Lacks advanced features such as dark web monitoring.
• Restricted streaming server availability is limited to the US, UK, and Canada regions.
• Limited specialized servers like obfuscated.

Namecheap’s FastVPN is quite popular among remote workers, travelers, gamers, streamers, and entertainment enthusiasts. If you’re thinking about buying a VPN and wondering if FastVPN is the right option, rest assured I want to help you. I’ll review all its features, perform several tests to determine its performance and quality, and check whether its service lives up to its hype.

Namecheap FastVPN Features

Here, I’ll share my experience with Namecheap FastVPN’s features and how they performed during my tests. I tested everything on my Windows 11 PC, and here’s what I found:

1. User Interface

Namecheap FastVPN has a really simple interface. If you’re new to VPNs, you’ll find it super easy to set up and pick a server.

I tested FastVPN on both my Android phone and Windows 11 PC, and honestly, it’s too simple to install and use. The mobile app works just like the desktop version, with the same speed and features, so there’s no learning curve if you switch between devices.

Its dashboard shows all the basics you need like VPN settings, server locations, advanced settings, log details, connection status, and your account information.

2. Military-Grade Encryption

Namecheap’s FastVPN offers military-grade AES-256-bit encryption and IKEv2, WireGuard, or OpenVPN protocols to protect your online activities and data.

To test Namecheap FastVPN’s encryption, I used a Wireshark 4.0 network packet analyzer on my Windows 11 PC to verify whether the data packets were encrypted or not.

First, I visited unsecured websites on my Chrome browser without the VPN and captured the data packets. The result? The packets were readable, and anyone could easily intercept and misuse that information.

Next, I turned on the Namecheap FastVPN and chose the IKEv2 (Internet Key Exchange version 2) protocol. I repeated the same test, visiting unsecured sites and capturing packets using Wireshark.

This time, all data packets were fully encrypted—no readable information at all. This encryption test showed that Namecheap FastVPN does its job well in encryption.

Without a VPN, your data can be exposed to hackers, but with FastVPN, your online activities and data remain fully protected.

3. Kill Switch

The kill switch defends your IP address from being exposed whenever a VPN connection terminates, ensuring your online privacy is never compromised. This can happen due to switching between the servers, forgetting to turn on the VPN or any technical glitch.

Enabling the kill switch is necessary if you use public Wi-Fi, sensitive private communications, and anonymous browsing.

I tested Namecheap FastVPN Kill Switch using PageReloader, which refreshes a webpage at a given time interval. I provided 10 seconds and used geekflare.com for testing.

I disconnected FastVPN manually and noticed my internet was terminated. The kill switch worked perfectly, blocking all access until the VPN reconnected.

4. IP Leak Protection

FastVPN offers an IP Leak Protection feature to protect your IP address from being exposed to other websites despite using a VPN, which compromises your privacy and location.

I tested FastVPN’s IP Leak Protection feature using the Astrill VPN leak test tool and ipleak.net. After connecting to a FastVPN US server, both tools showed the VPN server’s US IP address instead of mine, confirming there were no IP address leaks.

5. DNS Leak Protection

FastVPN includes DNS leak protection so you can see who handles your DNS requests. Without this feature, anyone could check out your ISPs, DNS servers, and identity even while using a VPN.

To test if FastVPN has a DNS leak, I connected to a US server and visited DNSleaktest.org, After running the test, I found that all the IP addresses and servers were based in the US—none of them were my actual IP.

Here’s what I found when I tested DNS leaks both with and without a VPN connection:

FastVPN passed the zero DNS leaks test.

6. WebRTC Leak Protection

FastVPN offers WebRTC Leak Protection, which stops your browser from exposing your real IP address, even when you’re using a VPN or proxy. This helps keep your online privacy safe.

I tested for WebRTC leaks using Browserleaks and confirmed that FastVPN successfully protected my IP address, passing this test.

7. No-logs Policy

FastVPN’s no-logs policy ensures that it does not collect, store, or share user activities, browsing history, or personal information.

The log details option is available in the dashboard’s left side panel; by default, it is inactive. If you can activate it, your log details will show up.

Make sure your Log Details option is turned off in your VPN dashboard if you need privacy.

8. Split Tunneling

Split tunneling allows you to choose which websites or hosts and apps use the VPN connection and which bypasses it. The main purpose is to increase bandwidth and control traffic routing.

To test FastVPN’s split tunneling, I added Amazon Prime and Netflix hosts to the bypass list and connected my FastVPN to the German server. When I tried Netflix, it didn’t open through the VPN, which showed me that split tunneling works perfectly.

9. Ad Blocker

FastVPN offers an Ad Blocker to block ads and trackers. It boosts your browsing speed by removing heavy ads and protects your privacy by preventing websites from tracking you.

To test the FastVPN ad block capabilities I used the d3ward adblock tool. First, I ran the test without a VPN, just using my regular internet.

It found 135 ads and trackers. I already had an ad-blocking extension on my Chrome browser, but it only blocked 36 of them—that’s pretty disappointing.

Then, I connected to FastVPN and enabled its ad blocker (it’s off by default). When I ran the test again, FastVPN blocked 112 ads and trackers out of 135. That’s a big improvement compared to my AdBlock Chrome extension.

FastVPN passed the ad and tracker blocking test very well.

10. Global Server Network

FastVPN has over 1,000 servers in 50+ locations worldwide. VPNs usually reduce your internet speed because of encryption and the distance to the server.

I did some speed tests to check for FastVPN speed and performance on regional and distant servers. First, I checked my regular internet speed using Ookla Speedtest before turning on the VPN. It was around 44 Mbps.

After that, I connected to different servers: one in Mumbai (India), one in Germany, and one in the USA.

Here’s what I found:

• On the India server (regional), the speed was 44.54 Mbps, almost no drop at all.
• On the Germany server (distant), the speed dropped to 38.28 Mbps.
• On the USA server (distant), it was around 33.68 Mbps.

I noticed minimal speed drops with regional servers and reasonable drops with distant ones. If you’re worried about speed, FastVPN performs pretty well, especially with nearby servers.

Namecheap FastVPN Benefits

Here, I will explain Namecheap FastVPN’s features with my hands-on evaluation.

1. Streaming-Optimized Servers

FastVPN offers streaming-optimized servers that bypass geo-restrictions and allow you to access streaming content from different countries with minimal buffering and faster speeds.

To test FastVPN streaming performance on Netflix USA and Amazon Prime US, I tried watching Grey’s Anatomy on my Netflix India account. However, it isn’t available on Netflix due to licensing restrictions and is showing me Error Code NSES-404.

So, I tried FastVPN and connected to a USA streaming server. Guess what? My favorite show, Grey’s Anatomy, was ready to stream instantly in FHD/4K. It worked perfectly—no buffering at all! The connection was stable, and the internet speed was excellent throughout the session.

If you want to watch something restricted in your region, you should give this a try!

Similarly, I am looking to watch the Mr. Robot web series on my Amazon Prime India account, but it is not available in my Prime India account due to some streaming restrictions.

So, I tried using the FastVPN USA streaming server and connecting to it, and boom—I was able to watch Mr. Robot! Give it a try if you’re facing the same issue.

2. Compatibility

FastVPN is compatible with Windows, Android, iOS devices (iPhone and iPad), macOS devices, and Linux.

FastVPN Chrome extension unlocks US, Canada, and UK streaming sites. The extension lets you connect to international content via the browser and play online games that are blocked in your region.

You can connect FastVPN with your router to protect all devices connected to your Wi-Fi, such as Smart TVs, gaming consoles (e.g., PlayStation, Xbox), and streaming devices (e.g., Apple TV, Roku).

3. Customer Support

Namecheap FastVPN offers dedicated customer support via 24/7 live chat for real-time assistance, an extensive knowledge base, tutorials for resolving common queries, and ticket-based support for more complex issues.

I face an issue with FastVPN because they temporarily locked my VPN due to some usage limits and restrictions. When I saw the notification, I reached out to their live chat. Nithesh, one of their support reps, responded quickly and helped me out. He passed my issue on to their risk management team for handling.

Within 30 minutes, the risk management team contacted me via email, resolved my issue, and unlocked my account. I was impressed with how fast they handled everything.

From my experience, FastVPN really values its customers and responds quickly to fix issues. If you face an issue, you can connect with its support team to sort it out quickly!

4. Protocols

VPN protocols establish secure and encrypted connections between devices and networks via a VPN application to go online. FastVPN supports IKEv2, WireGuard, and OpenVPN protocols.

IKEv2

IKEv2 is great if you frequently switch between Wi-Fi and mobile data. It’s fast, stable, and works well on your phone. Plus, it uses AES-256 encryption, so your data stays safe.

WireGuard

WireGuard is fast, lightweight, and secure, with strong encryption. It’s perfect for gamers and streamers who want speed and top-notch security.

OpenVPN

OpenVPN is a highly secure and flexible VPN protocol that uses SSL/TLS for encryption. It is widely used in corporate VPNs. However, it is a bit slower than WireGuard.

Namecheap FastVPN Pricing

Namecheap FastVPN offers affordable pricing. For the first month, you pay just $0.66; after that, it’s $6.88. If you choose the yearly plan, it starts at $0.82 per month and renews at $9.88. You can save up to 71% with the annual plan or 90% on the first month of the monthly plan.

Sign up on Namecheap, pick your plan, and pay using your credit card, debit card, PayPal, or even Bitcoin. It’s quick and easy!

Namecheap FastVPN Ratings and Recognition

Namecheap FastVPN has gained recognition from well-known platforms like G2, Geekflare, Security.org, and TechRadar.

Platforms	Namecheap FastVPN Ratings
G2	4.4/5
Geekflare	4.0/5
Security.org	8.2/10
TechRadar	3.0/5

Namecheap FastVPN Alternatives

Namecheap FastVPN is a good VPN option, but it might not work for everyone due to speed, server, and other advanced feature requirements. I’ve compared top alternatives like NordVPN, ExpressVPN, Surfshark, and ProtonVPN to help you find the right one.

Namecheap FastVPN Verdict: Is it Worth Trying?

Namecheap FastVPN is a solid choice overall if you’re looking for a simple, budget-friendly VPN. It works well for streaming apps and platforms like Netflix, Prime, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, and more.

Honestly, if you just want basic privacy and security during browsing or streaming, you’ll definitely go for it.

If you’re a power user or running a business and looking for advanced features like dark web monitoring and specialized servers, this VPN might not be the best fit for you. In that case, I would suggest you try NordVPN.

For remote workers, travelers, gamers, streamers, and entertainment enthusiasts alike who want privacy and unlimited bandwidth without spending too much, Namecheap FastVPN is the best option.

After trying it myself and evaluating it based on several tests, such as kill switch, split tunneling, leak protection, no-logs policy, and customer support, I’m giving Namecheap FastVPN the Geekflare Budget Award.

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