F-Secure Freedome VPN Review

Our rating
Security Read more toggle icon
70%
Features Read more toggle icon
60%
Try it now
  • English e-mail support email enabled icon
  • English chat support chat enabled icon
  • English phone support phone enabled icon

F-Secure Freedome VPN is the VPN product from the Finland-based security company F-Secure. Since Freedome VPN is a product from the reliable and reputable company F-Secure, customers can rest assured that they are getting a good-quality VPN service.

The server network that F-Secure Freedome customers have access to is small, operating in just 29 countries around the world, and with an undisclosed number of VPN servers. Freedome also has no servers in Central or South America or Africa, meaning its reach is limited.

However, even though F-Secure Freedome VPN offers a seemingly limited server network, it provides security and privacy to users thanks to its advanced encryption and DNS leak protection, amongst other features.

Thanks to the company's cybersecurity background, F-Secure Freedome VPN also protects users from ads and trackers on the web. It has an interesting Tracker Mapper feature, that while not 100% necessary, is extremely insightful. Overall, F-Secure Freedome VPN is a good VPN service, especially for VPN beginners.

    Pros

  • pro icon 5-day free trial
  • pro icon Great support options
  • pro icon Based in Finland

    Cons

  • con icon Small network
  • con icon Links to 5 Eyes
  • con icon Doesn't support many operating systems
Price Starting At: 2.91 $ / monthly 69.99 $ / annually
For New Users: 5 days free trial + 30-day money-back guarantee
Number of servers: 29+
General information
Max Speed: 480 Mbps
Type of IP offered: Shared
Simultaneous connections / Users: 7
Number of Netflix Libraries: 0Not available
Information sharing: 5 Eyes Member
OS support: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, iOS, macOS, Windows
Router support:
VPN Promotion: Get VPN from F-Secure Freedome VPN for 2.91$ per month
Capabilities
Unlimited Bandwidthcross iconKill Switchcross iconSplit Tunnelingcross iconZero Data Loggingcross iconFree Version / Trialcross iconMobile Appcross iconBrowser Extentioncross iconNetflix Approvedcross iconFirestick Compatiblecross icon
Payment options
  • American Express
  • Dankort
  • JCB
  • Paypal
  • Visa
  • Visa Debit
  • Visa Electron
Geolocations available
  • Australia
  • Austria
  • Belgium
  • Canada
  • Czech Republic
  • Denmark
  • Finland
  • France
  • Germany
  • Hong Kong
  • Ireland
  • Italy
  • Japan
  • Mexico
  • Netherlands
  • Norway
  • Poland
  • Singapore
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland
  • United Kingdom
  • United States

F-Secure Freedome VPN Security

70%

Since it is a security-based company, we'd expect nothing but the best from F-Secure Freedome VPN in terms of security. Indeed, the provider employs advanced AES-128 and AES-256 encryption along with 2048-bit RSA keys with SHA-56 certificates. This protects your web traffic, ensuring no third parties such as hackers can see your browsing data when you connect to public wifi hotspot networks.

It runs over OpenVPN on Windows, Mac, and Android devices and IKEV2/IPSec on iOS systems. Unfortunately, there is a lack of customization available on the Freedome apps, which means you have to accept the security settings as they are. However, they are fairly decent, although it would be good to see the WireGuard protocol being employed.

Although many reviews claim that other VPN companies provide a lot more when it comes to security and privacy protection, we feel that Freedome actually offers a lot to its subscribers.

Firstly, it has tracking protection, which customers can switch on or off in the app settings. This feature removes cookies and prevents trackers from being able to insert personalized ads on websites. Tracking protection can also prevent you from visiting sites with trackers, but if you turn off the protection, you will be able to visit the site but won't enjoy protection.

As well as tracking protection, there is also browsing protection. This feature scans HTTP traffic for harmful traffic and blocks your access to any malicious websites. You can switch off the protection to access sites that are blocked, but again you'll be more at risk of encountering malware, and you're putting yourself at risk.

There is a catch to the browsing protection - if browsing takes place over encrypted connections, then Freedome cannot remove the tracking cookies as it cannot decrypt your secure connection. This means you won't have 100% protection.

F-Secure Freedome also blocks ads and prevents apps from sending information about you to data collection sites. There is also the Freedome App Security. This security feature, based on cloud technology, checks each app you install against a virus database in the cloud. If the app is unsafe, the feature will block you from downloading it from the App Store or Google Play Store. The App Security also scans apps you have pre-downloaded and will alert you of those which are unsafe. You can then remove them from your device.

F-Secure Freedome operates a zero logs policy when it comes to logs, claiming it doesn't view or store your data. However, Freedome does keep some logs for 3 months. These include session duration, the amount of data transferred during the session, device ID, and your public IP address. After 90 days, this information will then be deleted.

Freedome backs up this logging by saying that it is meant to prevent individuals on the network from abusing the VPN and committing fraudulent acts. We understand its point, but the length of time that the logs are stored for does raise a few eyebrows.

A great feature called the Tracker Mapper allows you to log information about the websites that track you. While this isn't necessarily an essential feature, it is fascinating to see how websites collect data on you. However, to use this feature, F-Secure Freedome needs to log your activity. Every three days, the data is automatically cleared, or when you create a new log. If you don't want your browsing data logged, switch off this feature.

Other features include an internet kill switch that cuts off your internet connection when your VPN server goes down. You can also activate a feature in the settings that automatically switches on VPN protection when the Freedome app starts.

We ran leak protection tests and were pleased to see that the VPN was DNS and IPv6 leakproof. However, there was no WebRTC leak protection, which is something that we would like to see.

Overall we are impressed with F-Secure Freedome's security features. It's clear the company takes user security and privacy seriously and has put a lot of thought into several of its security features.

Try it now

F-Secure Freedome VPN Features

60%

While F-Secure Freedome VPN has some great security features, it lacks others that may entice customers to purchase its VPN service. For example, it permits P2P networking on its network, but only on a few servers. If a user is detected trying to access a torrenting platform on a VPN gateway located in a country with strict piracy laws, Freedome will temporarily restrict the user's access to the VPN service for a few hours.

Freedome lists the countries where torrenting is prohibited on its website. These include Australia, Belgium, Germany, Canada, Japan, the US, and the UK. Simply put, Freedome VPN is not an optimal choice for torrenting users due to the restrictions it has in place.

However, despite the lack of support for P2P networking, there are some good features offered by F-Secure Freedom VPN. There are no bandwidth limits, which is great for heavy internet users who require unlimited bandwidth. A bandwidth counter on the client screen shows you how much you have consumed during your session, which is an interesting addition.

Users can also enjoy split tunneling since they can whitelist certain apps to bypass VPN protection. There is also a trusted wifi network feature that allows you to add networks you trust to a list so that the VPN doesn't block any connections to them.

Customers can get up to 7 simultaneous connections at any time. The number of device connections you get will depend on the subscription plan you choose. This is slightly disappointing since many providers like NordVPN and Surfshark offer the same number of connections across all plans.

F-Secure Freedome has dedicated apps for Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS users, with a detailed list of what versions of each system it supports. Its apps are easy to use, and we like the extra features that are included, such as the two counters on the front screen. One counter tells you how many harmful sites have been blocked, and the other tells you how many tracking attempts from websites have been blocked.

Freedome has servers in 29 countries, so its global reach is quite limited. Since it operates an undisclosed number of servers, we imagine that its network is quite small. It has both physical and virtual servers in its network, with some owned by F-Secure itself and some leased.

Despite the small size of its network, Freedome can help customers to bypass some geo-restrictions. Unfortunately, the provider doesn't have obfuscated VPN servers in its network or any features like stealth mode. This makes it an unreliable choice for use in regions such as China or Russia, where censorship online is rife.

Since Freedome VPN is the product of the company F-Secure, you can purchase the VPN as part of a security package. This means that you can enjoy online protection from viruses and give yourself total cybersecurity along with VPN software. We think that customers will like being able to purchase a plan that has everything you need to protect yourself online in one subscription plan.

Summary

0.75
Try it now

Is Freedome VPN Any Good?

While F-Secure Freedome VPN offers fewer features and VPN services than other VPN providers, we think it is a good VPN for novices. If you want something basic that is simple to understand and easy to use, then it is perfect.

However, if you’re looking for something a little more high-tech with more privacy and security features that also allows customization, then this may not be the VPN service for you. We’ve looked at several areas of the VPN in greater detail to help you make your mind up on whether F-Secure Freedome VPN is for you or not.

Does F-Secure Freedome VPN Have a Strict No-Logging Policy?

One of the most important things that VPN companies should have is a good privacy policy. F-Secure Freedome is one company that has a transparent no-logging policy. The company states on its website that it encrypts data traffic, does not share or sell any traffic, does not read web traffic, and does not know what traffic is yours.”

However, the full privacy policy does provide more information than what F-Secure does collect on its users. Firstly, it does process some metadata, including your country and IP address. The provider also screens data traffic to ensure there is no abuse of the VPN service. Furthermore, F-Secure Freedome stores temporary logs such as your device ID and public IP address, which are then deleted after 90 days.

The tracker mapper also stores logs on your internet browsing data for 24 hours, but you can opt to turn this feature off in the VPN client.

It’s important to note that your device IP address is also logged when you first sign up for the Freedome VPN. Freedome calls this ‘service provisioning logging’ and is retained for the duration of an active subscription and 6 months after ending the subscription. Many providers do log sensitive data at sign-up, but it indicates that Freedome stores your device’s IP address for a long time.

In Freedome’s privacy policy, the provider states that it would fully compile with the law if the provider were required to hand over information from its servers. F-Secure states, …our goal is to secure your privacy when browsing the web, not securing your anonymity when committing crimes.”

While we agree with Freedome’s policy, there is no warrant canary to alert subscribers of the fact that the company has been forced to hand over data. Moreover, F-Secure has no transparency report, and its privacy policy has not been independently audited. We’d like to see a third-party audit in the near future since popular VPN companies like NordVPN frequently have audits, which is reassuring to customers.

Is Freedome Free?

Although there are many free VPN services available, F-Secure Freedome VPN is not one of them. However, unlike many other VPN companies, F-Secure Freedome offers a 5-day free trial with no strings attached. Users can even enjoy the free trial without registering for an account or entering any credit card details. We recommend taking advantage of the free trial before signing up for a plan.

How Much Does Freedome Cost?

If you like the sound of everything on the F-Secure VPN plan, then you can subscribe to one of its plans. Each plan comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. The 30-day money-back guarantee is essentially an extension of the free trial since customers can test out the services and cancel their subscription before the end of the first month to get the money back from their purchases.

There are three pricing options. We’ve listed the yearly and monthly pricing for each plan.

It’s disappointing to see that there is no monthly plan out of the pricing options. We recommend signing up for the cheapest 1-year plan and employing the 30-day money-back guarantee if you want to test out the services. Then you can get a full refund on your purchases if you’re not satisfied with the service.

What Payment Methods Does Freedome Accept?

When purchasing any of F-Secure’s services, including Freedome VPN, there are several ways in which you buy the internet VPN software online. F-Secure accepts the following payment methods:

More and more VPN providers, such as NordVPN, are now accepting cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, but unfortunately, F-Secure Freedome doesn’t as of yet. We’d liked to see this option added as it would enable customers to anonymize their purchases completely.

Does Freedome Work with Netflix?

For a free internet experience that enables you to access content from countries all over the world, you should use a VPN. VPNs can bypass geo-restrictions, and many people employ a VPN to buy foreign country products or enjoy foreign Netflix libraries.

F-Secure Freedome VPN doesn’t guarantee customers that it can bypass the Netflix VPN firewall, so we put it to the test. First of all, when we connected to US servers, we had no issues with accessing Netflix. The unlimited bandwidth ensured that we had good video quality and the internet speeds were decent.

However, we connected to other VPN servers on the F-Secure Freedom network and found that it was a little more challenging trying to access more libraries. Our attempts to watch German Netflix were blocked, as was our attempt to access Japanese Netflix when connected to a Japanese server location.

After a few disappointing attempts with Netflix, we attempted to access more streaming services. We were unable to access Amazon Prime Video outside of the US, and we also had no success with BBC iPlayer. For a VPN service, it seems that F-Secure Freedome is not one that works well with unblocking censored internet content.

We searched for why this was happening on the F-Secure and came across a page on the F-Secure site that explained that the provider could not guarantee access to geo-blocked content on all of its servers. While this is disappointing since we feel the pricing is expensive enough to guarantee access to streaming content, we appreciate the VPN provider’s honesty.

However, if watching restricted internet content from around the world is important to you, take a look at providers like NordVPN, which has great success in bypassing geo-restrictions.

Which Devices Can I Use Freedome On?

Depending on the VPN plan you choose, you can connect up to 7 devices simultaneously, encrypting your internet traffic on all of your chosen devices. F-Secure Freedome has desktop clients for Windows and Mac customers and apps for Android and iOS users. You can download the Freedome VPN apps from the Google Play or App Store.

The Freedome VPN desktop client is very easy to use. There is a clearly laid-out sidebar on the Windows client with subsections that lead you to different settings. The different settings include browsing protection, tracking protection, tracker mapper, settings, subscription, and help.

On the client’s front page, users can see how much bandwidth they have consumed on the left-hand side (despite the fact there are no bandwidth limits) and extra and statistics on the right.

The iOS and Android apps are scaled-down versions of the computer client and are extremely functional for mobile phone devices. In both the desktop and iOS and Android apps, customers can access the previous server location they connected to for a quick connection.

In the VPN apps and desktop client, customers can also access useful VPN tools such as the kill switch and the tracker mapper. While there is a lack of customization available in the apps, they are easy to use and are great for new VPN customers.

How Do I Use Freedome VPN?

As mentioned in the above section, Freedome VPN is extremely easy to use and will make your internet experience more pleasant. Firstly, you must download and install the VPN onto your device of choice. The installation process is easy for all devices and takes a few minutes.

The apps and clients for Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS devices are designed in a bright blue color and have a simple and spacious layout.

When it comes to connecting to the VPN, the server locations are listed by area, and you can click on drop-down menus to expand or hide options. You can also click connect, and the app will connect you to the most optimal server in terms of location and speed.

It’s also relatively easy to find features such as the kill switch and activate them in the app’s settings. Overall, the service is very simple, making it a great choice for VPN novices.

Does Freedome Offer Good Customer Service?

Customer service is an essential aspect of any VPN service. Fortunately, F-Secure’s VPN offers multi-language support for an international client base, which is impressive since many providers usually only offer English language support.

Firstly, there is a support section and knowledge base on the F-Secure website, where users can find tutorials and set up guides for different devices. There is also a live chat option, which we like to see, and even a telephone number you can contact during working hours (9 am – 5 pm).

F-Secure Freedome VPN is also active on social media platforms such as Twitter. Customers can try to get in touch with the provider via Twitter if they want to, although we recommend using one of the above options instead if they have a pressing problem.

Is Freedome Fast?

Speed is an essential part of a VPN, especially if you’re accessing the content in other parts of the world. We ran several speed tests to test the internet connection and see whether Freedome VPN is fast.

Our speed tests were surprisingly positive, and we enjoyed a fast internet connection when connected to various server locations. The fastest server location was in the US, but we enjoyed good download speeds and a stable connection in countries like the UK and France.

It helps that the VPN offers unlimited bandwidth since this can help to create a faster overall connection.

Who Owns Freedome?

Helsinki based company F-Secure is the brains behind this VPN service. F-Secure has been in business since 1988, providing cybersecurity and privacy solutions to customers. The company has an outstanding reputation in the world of cyber solutions, making it a reassuring pick for people who want more privacy online.

Is Freedome Worth It?

So, is F-Secure’s VPN service worth buying? If you are new to the world of VPNs, we would say yes, it is. The VPN offers some great services such as unlimited bandwidth and decent location options for servers. It also has a decent no-logging policy and has compatible applications for many different devices, including iOS and Android phones, meaning that you can protect your web traffic when connected to wifi hotspot networks.

However, if you are more experienced with VPN software and want a service that provides you with more advanced security and the ability to customize your VPN use, this might not be the best option. Freedome lacks a lot of the same tools that NordVPN and more popular providers offer.

While we think that F-Secure’s VPN offering is good, if you’re looking for a service that offers more possibilities online and gives you access to more VPN services, it may be better to look elsewhere.

Author Madeleine Hodson

I’m Madeleine, and I'm a writer that specializes in cybersecurity, tech products, and all things related to the internet. I have a keen interest in VPNs and believe that everyone deserves internet freedom and security. I wr...
Read more about the author

VPNSurfers » VPN provider » F-Secure Freedome VPN Review