OysterVPN Review 2023

Oyster is a small Irish VPN provider that looks simple and beginner-friendly at first glance. Our research for this OysterVPN review revealed some solid features but also plenty of serious flaws. Ultimately, we think the final product is not worth the asking price.

Read all about our testing and conclusions in the full OysterVPN review below.

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OysterVPN: A Short Review

3.5

What We Like

• OpenVPN and IKEv2 protocols
• Automatic kill switch
• Easy to install
• Split tunneling
• Torrenting allowed on all servers

What We Don't Like

• Severe speed drops (especially upload)
• No WireGuard
• DNS leaks
• Potentially dangerous logging policy
• Glitchy and unpolished apps
• Expensive
• Live chat didn't work for us
• Small server network
• Can't unblock Netflix US

OysterVPN has some good security features, such as an automatic kill switch, split tunneling, and OpenVPN and IKEv2 protocols. However, during our OysterVPN review, we observed that it was not able to hide our IP effectively, which is one of the main tasks a VPN provider should be able to accomplish to protect your online data.

Moreover, even though the software was easy to install, some of its apps did not seem to function properly, as we had to repeatedly press some buttons for them to work. When we tried its 24/7 live chat support, we did not get a response at all, which is not great, especially if you are experiencing issues with the provider and are looking for a swift response.

Additionally, OysterVPN’s download and upload speeds on distant servers were disappointingly low on some distant servers, which is probably attributed to its small server network, and we could not unblock any popular streaming platform apart from BBC iPlayer.

After our thorough testing, we gave OysterVPN a 3.5/10 as its drawbacks outweighed its benefits. Read our full OysterVPN review below to learn about our experience with this VPN provider and why we believe it is not the best virtual private network on the market.

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Speed – How Fast is OysterVPN?

During our VPN speed testing, we got good results from Oyster on servers close to us. Ideally, we were looking for a lag-free performance, even during bandwidth-heavy operations. After using all locations this VPN provider has to offer, we gave OysterVPN a 4/10 for speed.

Here’s what we noticed during our extensive testing circuit:

• OysterVPN offers decent speeds on nearby servers.
• We experienced severe speed drops in distant locations.
• The daily use yielded mixed results, depending on the server.

Speed test results for OysterVPN

We tested the speed of OysterVPN from our offices in the Netherlands. We measured our benchmark speed (without a VPN) against Oyster’s performance on various servers. Note that we used the OpenVPN UDP protocol, which should provide the best results.

Here’s what we got during our speed tests:

Server	Download (Mbps)	Upload (Mbps)	Ping (ms)
No VPN	204.33	247.41	3
US (East) [New York]	29.55	44.10	89
US (West) [Los Angeles]	20.41	19.69	136
UK (London)	126.86	62.62	26
Japan	20.58	23.16	221
France	150.21	77.24	23
Germany	116.96	98.36	15
South Africa	34.64	7.22	190

Speed-wise, OysterVPN was a disappointing testing experience for us. We got our best result regarding connection speed in the VPN server in France, which retained 73.63% of our original speed. The UK and Germany were also passable, with 62.19% and 57.33%, respectively.

Unfortunately, it was all downhill from there. The Los Angeles VPN server, for example, dropped our speed by 90%. Our upload was nuked across the board, with only Germany being semi-decent.

The pings were acceptable for the most part, except in Japan and South Africa. We recommend avoiding those servers if you’re using Oyster as a VPN for gaming. It took us between seven and 32 seconds to connect to various servers, which can get annoying if you’re switching servers a lot.

Expert tip:

Latency is the time in which the signal travels from your device to the VPN server and back. Pings over 150 ms will cause serious lag during your gaming or streaming sessions. As such, we recommend using VPN servers closer to your physical location.

Some servers, like Canada, didn’t even work during our trials. OysterVPN also doesn’t cover the Netherlands, so we couldn’t test servers in such proximity to our headquarters and find out whether we would get fast connections there.

Speed during daily use

Uneven speeds aside, Oyster is not a good VPN for Netflix or other streaming websites. We tried unblocking the best geo-restricted catalogs and ended up with disappointing results. OysterVPN gave us enough speed for HD streaming, but it might lag for you if you’re on a slow network.

During our gaming test, we played Minecraft and MTG Arena. Our Minecraft experience was choppy on distant servers, but Arena gameplay was smooth. As mentioned, Oyster is not a great gaming VPN, especially if you prefer demanding multiplayer titles.

Torrenting is allowed on all VPN servers, but we don’t recommend it due to privacy concerns we’ll discuss later. Last, we had no issues with general low-impact surfing.

If you’re looking for a secure, lightning-fast VPN that can unblock any website for you, we recommend going with NordVPN instead.

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Safety – How Secure is OysterVPN?

At first glance, OysterVPN has a solid security setup. However, our tests during this OysterVPN review have revealed some troubling flaws as well. We expect a secure VPN service to ensure anonymous browsing by masking our real IP address and encrypting our internet traffic. With that in mind, we gave OysterVPN a 5/10 for security.

Here’s why:

• OysterVPN supports OpenVPN, IKEv2, L2TP/IPSec, and PPTP protocols.
• Its logging policy could be harmful in certain situations.
• It provides an automatic kill switch.
• We observed DNS leaks while testing OysterVPN.
• While registering, you need to submit your email and billing info.

Protocols

VPN protocols determine the speed, security, and flexibility of your VPN service. They also increase your chances of bypassing online censorship in countries that enforce such measures.

OysterVPN supports the following tunnels:

• OpenVPN (TCP/UDP): The most popular open-source protocol that offers an excellent mix of speed and security.
• IKEv2: A fast protocol that allows you to switch between Wi-Fi and mobile networks without dropping the connection.
• L2TP/IPSec: This protocol is reasonably fast but can’t bypass any firewalls.
• PPTP: You should never use this tunnel due to numerous security vulnerabilities.

OpenVPN, IKEv2, and L2TP use the AES-256 cipher, which is the best encryption method we have today. It’s known as “military-grade encryption” but is also used by institutions like banks and hospitals.

Expert tip:

If you’re looking for a well-rounded secure protocol, you should go with OpenVPN. UDP is fast but easily blocked while TCP is slower but more resilient to VPN filters. We recommend IKEv2 if you’re on your phone a lot, constantly switching between different public networks. It’s also great for frequent travelers. We recommend avoiding L2TP and PPTP.

We were surprised by the absence of WireGuard, the fastest (secure) VPN protocol we currently have and one that is offered by most premium VPN providers. This is an excellent option for streaming and other tasks that require sheer speed. If you’re on a slow network, adding WireGuard would definitely help.

With that in mind, we recommend using NordVPN instead if your internet is slow. It has a proprietary WireGuard-based tunnel paired with unparalleled online security.

If you want to do a bit of research beforehand, you can learn all about this VPN service in our full NordVPN review.

Logging and privacy

OysterVPN was launched by an Irish company called Oyster Digital Solutions Ltd. Privacy-wise, Ireland is a mixed bag – it’s outside the Eyes Alliance but has serious mandatory data retention laws. Oyster is also a GDPR-compliant VPN service, which is a huge plus.

With all that in mind, here’s the user info recorded by OysterVPN:

• Full name
• Billing method
• Email address

We don’t like VPNs that log full names. It’s a first step toward building your profile and connecting it to your online traffic. Although the company doesn’t store your IP address, its live chat interface does. So, if you chat with an agent, OysterVPN will collect a lot of your personal data it simply doesn’t need.

Their live chat also records your:

• Web browser info
• Geographic location
• Device type
• Previous history with customer support
• Operating system

We’ve never seen a VPN with such an intrusive live chat system. OysterVPN’s privacy policy is pretty good, but their live chat tool is a huge liability. As such, we recommend against using this handy feature.

With all this in mind, we can’t call Oyster a no-logging VPN since they clearly collect more data than they should. They don’t store your connection timestamps, the sites you visit, and assigned IP addresses, but you can suffer significant damage even without those logs. Hence, we would not say that they have a strict no logs policy.

Kill switch

OysterVPN comes with an automatic kill switch that worked fine during our testing. We blocked it within our firewall while online, and it cut our connection instantly.

Note that you have to activate the kill switch manually to protect yourself if your VPN stops working; it’s turned off by default. After you click the option, the settings menu will close, and there will be a checkmark next to it when you re-open it.

Does OysterVPN leak your data?

During our testing, we had DNS leaks on some of OysterVPN’s servers. We conducted our leak testing from Serbia and were able to see our ISP’s DNS on multiple locations. Oyster’s US servers were especially affected by this privacy flaw. We presume that was the main reason we couldn’t unblock the US streaming catalogs.

On the other hand, we didn’t see any problems on the UK-based servers, which explains our success with BBC iPlayer.

Our testing here was a tedious trial-and-error exercise regarding whether OysterVPN offers DNS leak protection. Regular users probably won’t bother with all these tests and will be confused as to why OysterVPN can’t unblock certain content. Also, DNS leaks defeat the purpose of using a VPN since they can reveal your location, browsing history, and IP address.

What information does OysterVPN need?

During registration, we were asked to provide only our email address and billing method. OysterVPN’s privacy policy also mentions full names, but we didn’t see any such request. We presume this data is acquired from your credit card.

Expert Tip:

If you have to provide an email address during any online registration (VPN purchase included), we recommend creating a new anonymous email without any personal identifiers. You should never use your business or personal emails that might reveal your real name or other sensitive info.

Speaking of credit cards, they’re the only payment method supported by OysterVPN. This is far from ideal since cards hold a lot of private information you don’t want to share.

OysterVPN should follow the example of privacy-minded VPNs that accept crypto payments or even cash. With MullvadVPN, for example, you can pay for your subscription with anonymous cash payments.

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Usability – How User-Friendly is OysterVPN?

For such a simple VPN, Oyster felt surprisingly awkward to use during our OysterVPN review. Its general lack of polish and the glitches we had to endure got OysterVPN only a 2/10 for user-friendliness.

Here’s a quick overview of our conclusions:

• OysterVPN’s website is simple and informative.
• The installation was fast and didn’t require any extra steps.
• The apps were glitchy and sluggish.
• The prices are too high for what you’re getting.
• The live chat was unresponsive during our testing.

OysterVPN’s website and installation process

OysterVPN’s website is well-structured and informative. Clicking “Buy Now” in the top-right corner will take you to the purchase screen, where you can choose a subscription and provide the necessary information.

After subscribing, you’ll be granted access to your personal dashboard. You can enter this client area through the “Log In” button in the top-right corner of the homepage.

Here, you can:

• Inspect your account
• Download OysterVPN apps and extensions
• Monitor the connected devices
• Check VPN server locations
• View invoices
• Cancel your subscription

At the moment, Oyster has native VPN apps for Windows, iOS, and Android, but you can also set it up on Amazon Firestick, Kodi, Roku, gaming consoles, Linux, and other platforms. Despite being listed on the site, OysterVPN currently doesn’t have a macOS app or Chrome and Firefox extensions.

For this OysterVPN review, we mainly tested its Windows app. Here’s how to install it:

1. Visit OysterVPN’s official website.
2. Click on “Buy Now” in the top-right corner of the homepage.
3. Choose your subscription and billing method.
   
   
4. Check your email for a message with your temporary password.
   
   
5. Access your personal dashboard and download an app for your device.
   
   
6. Click on the downloaded setup file to start the installation.
   
   
7. Follow the on-screen instructions and complete the installation.

After installing OysterVPN, you’ll get a client login screen where you need to insert your email and provided password.

The password email comes with a broken OysterVPN logo, which reminded us of our testing for the UltraVPN review. The banner we got after installation claimed that we would receive an email with a link for setting up our password. However, the email we got had no such links. Instead, it just gave us a predetermined password with no way of changing it.

OysterVPN currently supports up to five simultaneous connections. Some support articles mention 10 connections, which leads us to believe that the company cut this number in half at some point. Although not bad, five devices can’t compete with unlimited connections supported by other VPN services like Surfshark, for example.

OysterVPN’s appearance and ease-of-use

OysterVPN’s apps are quite simple, and the provider has a user-friendly interface. Unfortunately, they feel unpolished, and we frequently had to click several times to get certain buttons to work.

The main screen of the OysterVPN Windows app features a server list with a prominent Connect button on the right.

There’s also information about your IP address and connection status. The Settings menu can be accessed via the cog icon on the left.

During our research for this OyserVPN review, the company released an update that overhauled the client completely. However, in just a few days, another update rolled back the changes and gave us the old client back.

The new app just felt awkward to use and had several visual glitches that further contribute to our talk about the overall lack of polish.

Furthermore, if you keep OysterVPN app minimized for a certain period, the VPN servers will simply disappear from the list. When this happens, you have to log out and log back in to refresh the client. This was quite tedious during our testing.

The Settings menu is one of the poorest we’ve ever seen. It only offers four options:

• Access the actual settings
• Activate the kill switch
• Use split tunneling
• Close the app

OysterVPN apps are currently only available in English, which is below the standard for modern VPN providers.

Split tunneling

OysterVPN allows users to employ split tunneling to conserve bandwidth and get better speeds overall. However, the wording here is not quite clear.

Namely, split tunneling can handle apps, websites, or both. The way this option is worded, it appears that exclusive tunneling applies only to sites while inclusive applies solely to apps. OysterVPN is in desperate need of a client overhaul, and this is just another example of why.

Pricing and payment methods

OysterVPN’s lowest price is $4.17/month for its one-year package, and its monthly subscription is $9.99, which is too high for the features provided. We have plenty of affordable VPNs that offer much better utility for less money.

With that out of the way, here are OysterVPN’s pricing plans:

Pricing plans

• OysterVPN 1 month $9.99mth View offer
• OysterVPN 6 months $5.00mth View offer
• OysterVPN 1 year $4.17mth Deal View offer

OysterVPN only accepts credit cards, which is not ideal for your privacy. We prefer buying VPNs with crypto or cash. PayPal is the bare minimum we’re willing to accept. Credit cards reveal too much personal information, and we don’t recommend using them unless you absolutely have to.

How does OysterVPN’s money-back guarantee work?

OysterVPN comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. This is a good period of time to test its features, and most premium VPN providers like NordVPN offer such a free trial. Note that canceling your subscription in the personal dashboard just stops the auto-renewal; it won’t get you your money back. You have to request your refund via live chat or email.

Since the live chat didn’t work for us, we sent an email requesting our money back. We got a response in about seven hours.

Most VPN service providers will try to convince you to stay, so this wasn’t unexpected. However, after we told them we’d like to proceed with our refund request, we never heard back from them.

Customer service

OysterVPN features a decent support center on the official website. You can browse numerous FAQs, setup guides, troubleshooting tutorials, and more. The site also comes with its own blog, but it has less than 10 articles at the moment.

OysterVPN boasts 24/7 live chat support, but the live chat feature didn’t work for us. Good ad blockers can interfere with live chat widgets, but we couldn’t access the live chat even after shutting all our security tools down.

We contacted the support team via email, and they were pleasant enough. However, we never heard back from them regarding our refund request. In conclusion, OysterVPN needs to fix its live chat and optimize its refund procedure.

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Server Network – Can OysterVPN Unblock the Internet?

OysterVPN was not great at unblocking geo-restricted content the majority of the time. After our OysterVPN review on this aspect, we’re giving it a score of 3/10 based on the following reasons:

• It has a relatively small server network of 150+ VPN servers in 15+ countries.
• We only managed to unblock BBC iPlayer during our testing.
• Torrenting is allowed on all its servers.
• OysterVPN doesn’t have dedicated IPs.

Number of servers and locations

OysterVPN operates around 150 servers in 15+ countries. This is an extremely small server network for modern VPN standards. Note that we’re primarily talking about rented and virtual VPN servers.

You can access the available servers from the list in the client. All servers are separated into two groups:

• Recommended: Optimal servers for your current location
• All locations: The full list of OysterVPN’s servers

The client also lets you create a list of favorites simply by clicking the star next to the chosen server. It also keeps track of your recently used locations. Some of the more exotic locations utilize virtual servers. This means that the server is not located in the country it represents.

For example, our testing showed that OysterVPN’s Singapore server is actually located in Canada. This doesn’t prevent it from giving you a Singaporean IP address, though.

Here’s a complete list of OysterVPN’s server countries:

• Americas: Canada, United States
• Asia Pacific: Hong Kong, India, Japan, Singapore
• Europe: France, Germany, Ireland, Russia, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom
• Middle East: Israel
• Africa: South Africa

With all this in mind, we recommend going with a premium VPN like Private Internet Access, which offers more than 30,000 VPN servers around the globe.

OysterVPN and streaming (Netflix, Disney Plus, Hulu, BBC iPlayer)

OysterVPN had quite a disappointing showing during our streaming and geo-unblocking tests. It basically couldn’t access anything apart from BBC iPlayer, and even that wasn’t consistent.

Intermittently, we would experience severe speed drops on the UK servers that prevented BBC iPlayer from functioning properly. In other words, we just didn’t have enough bandwidth to keep it running.

Here are the results of our extensive OysterVPN streaming test:

Platforms	Can OysterVPN unblock it?
Netflix	✖
Disney Plus	✖
Hulu	✖
Amazon Prime Video	✖
BBC iPlayer	✔
Crunchyroll	✖
HBO Max	✖

OysterVPN’s subpar performance wasn’t surprising, given its small server network. If you’re looking for true geo-unblocking powerhouses, we recommend going with one of our best VPNs for Netflix instead. They’ll also work with other popular streaming platforms.

OysterVPN and torrents

OusterVPN allows torrenting on all its servers but doesn’t offer any P2P-optimized locations. Having said that, we wouldn’t recommend torrenting with Oyster due to the aforementioned DNS leaks and speed drops. You’ll have a much better time with one of the best VPNs for torrenting for this year.

Dedicated IP address

OysterVPN doesn’t offer dedicated IP addresses. This service costs a lot of money to maintain, so it makes sense that smaller VPNs choose to ignore it. If you want the benefits of a dedicated IP, we recommend a virtual private network like NordVPN instead, which is the best VPN service for us.

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Our Experience With OysterVPN

When first looking at all the privacy and security features OysterVPN offers, you may believe that this is a good VPN provider that will protect your online activities, provide you with fast speeds, and help you unblock popular streaming sites, as its website claims. However, by looking closer and testing its features, you soon realize that this is not the case.

Its slow speeds on distant servers, its inability to unblock streaming services like Netflix US and Disney Plus, and the fact that you have to provide your full name for the live chat, in addition to the DNS leaks we experienced during this OysterVPN review, make us think twice about using this VPN service.

However, its website was easy to navigate, and its software was simple to install. Nevertheless, even though it offered a good range of apps, the fact that we experienced glitches when using it is another fact that makes us not want to use this provider. Moreover, the subscription plans offered were not the most affordable ones in the market if you also think about the issues we experienced.

Therefore, at this point, we would not recommend using OysterVPN until it deals with all the areas that need improving, especially the DNS leaks and proper functionality of its apps.

If you want to check out other VPN providers, have a look at our reviews below:

• AVG Secure VPN Review
• Unlocator VPN Review
• Opera Pro Review

OysterVPN Review: Frequently Asked Questions

Have any more questions about OysterVPN? Check out our FAQ section below and click on a question to reveal the answer.

Is OysterVPN safe?

No, OysterVPN is not a safe VPN provider. During our testing circuit, we were able to see our ISP’s DNS on multiple locations, especially when using US servers. A VPN’s primary function is to conceal your IP and true location. If you want to find out more, check out our OysterVPN review.

Does OysterVPN unblock Netflix?

No, OysterVPN does not unblock Netflix or other popular streaming platforms, apart from BBC iPlayer, but that even isn’t guaranteed. During our OysterVPN review, we just didn’t have enough bandwidth to keep BBC iPlayer running.

How many VPN servers does OysterVPN have?

OysterVPN has 150+ servers in 15 countries. It offers a very small server network compared to premium VPN providers, and this affects several areas where you can use this VPN, such as when you want to unblock streaming platforms and download torrents.

Personal Opinions of VPNOverview’s Experts

“Below Average VPN With DNS Leaks”

3.5

Evangelia Fragouli

Editor

OysterVPN offers some good secuirty features at first glance. However, after extensively testing its speed and how well it fairs at keeping your data private and unblocking popular streaming platforms, we can’t say that it lives up to the hype. If the VPN provider deals with the issues of DNS leaks, glitchy apps, and improved speeds on distant servers it has the potential to be a good VPN service.

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