Shellfire VPN Review

Our rating
Security Read more toggle icon
50%
Features Read more toggle icon
40%
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Shellfire VPN is a German-based VPN service that claims to offer security and speed online. The small-sized-server network is spread across 37 countries, including some restricted places like Russia and Turkey.

While Shellfire VPN employs advanced encryption and the OpenVPN protocol to give its users a safe connection and browsing experience, it lacks other tools like an effective kill switch. Moreover, the provider's privacy policy leaves much to be desired since it logs a lot more information than we're comfortable with.

One great thing about Shellfire is the router box it offers to customers. This box enables users to bypass the measly 1 device connection that Shellfire permits and ensures that all of your home operating systems are protected with military-grade encryption.

So, does the service meet our strict reviewing standards, or does its lax privacy policy let it down? Read the full ShellfireVPN review to find out our opinion on this German company.

    Pros

  • pro icon Free VPN
  • pro icon Router VPN box
  • pro icon Advanced encryption

    Cons

  • con icon Logs VPN usage
  • con icon Lack of device support
  • con icon No live chat support
Price Starting At: 3.39 $ / monthly 55.26 $ / annually
For New Users: 14 -day money-back guarantee
Number of servers: 37+
General information
Max Speed: 1000 Mbps
Type of IP offered: Shared
Simultaneous connections / Users: 1
Number of Netflix Libraries: 0Not available
Information sharing: 14 Eyes Member
OS support: Android, iOS, macOS, Windows
Router support:
VPN Promotion: Get VPN from Shellfire VPN for 3.39$ 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
  • Bitcoin
  • Mastercard
  • Mastercard Debit
  • Paypal
  • Paysafecard
  • Visa
  • Visa Debit
  • Visa Electron
Geolocations available
  • Australia
  • Austria
  • Belgium
  • Brazil
  • Bulgaria
  • Canada
  • Chile
  • Czech Republic
  • Denmark
  • Finland
  • France
  • Germany
  • Greece
  • Hong Kong
  • Hungary
  • Iceland
  • India
  • Ireland
  • Isle of Man
  • Italy
  • Japan
  • Lithuania
  • Luxembourg
  • Netherlands
  • Norway
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Romania
  • Russia
  • Singapore
  • South Africa
  • Spain
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland
  • Turkey
  • United Kingdom
  • United States

Shellfire VPN Security

50%

Shellfire VPN is not one of the best VPN services for privacy and security online, but it offers some good features and protection for users.

Firstly, you'll enjoy a super-secure VPN connection with AES-256 encryption on the paid plans and the Shellfire VPN Router Box. This is military-grade encryption and the industry standard that most VPN providers use.

However, if you use the free VPN, you'll only get bank-grade AES-128 encryption. However, don't let the lower level worry you; this level of encryption is still great and virtually unbreakable. Moreover, it also offers slightly faster connection speeds.

To ensure that your connection remains super secure at all times, you need to use a strong tunneling protocol. Shellfire VPN offers a selection of protocols, including L2TP/IPsec, PPTP, and OpenVPN. We recommend using the OpenVPN protocol when possible since this is the most secure. PPTP, for example, offers fast speeds but doesn't provide as much security, and ultimately, privacy online.

With the Shellfire Box, you can also enjoy a connection that is secured with WireGuard, the recently developed open-source protocol that combines speed and security. We're pleased with the level of protocol options on offer.

Unfortunately, Shellfire VPN does not provide a kill switch, one of the most important tools that a VPN provider can offer. Without a kill switch, all of your connections will be exposed if your server goes down. You won't be alerted to the fact that you're browsing the web without VPN protection, and that could expose you to many threats on the web.

Aside from features and encryption, for all VPN reviews, we check out a provider's privacy policy to check whether it logs user data or not. Although Shellfire claims it doesn't log connection data, the provider does store a lot of other information about VPN users. This includes your real IP address, connection timestamps, and account information like your name.

Given the fact that Shellfire logs a lot more than other VPNs and is also based in Germany (a country that co-operates with the Five Eyes), we can't say with certainty that user data will be 100% secure with this provider.

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Shellfire VPN Features

40%

As part of our Shellfire VPN review, we took a look at the features that the service has on offer. First of all, the provider offers unlimited bandwidth, which is good news. It means that you can carry out high-data activities like streaming or torrenting without facing any caps.

Shellfire also guarantees fast server speeds. Speed is important for any VPN service since users don't want to experience lagging or slow page loads. We ran a speed test to see if Shellfire lives up to its speed promises and were pleasantly surprised. Our download speed on a US server was 33Mbps, which isn't the fastest speed we've ever experienced but is also not the slowest.

33Mbps is a good enough speed for streaming. Unfortunately, we ran into a couple of roadblocks when testing out Shellfire's unblocking abilities on popular streaming platforms. It couldn't bypass the VPN blocks on Netflix or BBC iPlayer, although we did experience success on YouTube and US Disney+.

So, what about torrenting? While Shellfire claims to support P2P networking on its servers, there is no indication of which servers you should use if you want to file share with other users. Also, we're not sure if the entire network can support P2P traffic.

Shellfire offers support for the most popular operating systems, which are Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android. It also provides an innovative router box that allows customers to connect the VPN service to all operating systems on their home network and easily adjust settings with an app.

Speaking of the VPN app, Shellfire's client could use some improvements. While there is no doubt that the app is easy to use, the user interface is a bit all over the place, and it isn't exactly clean and sleek. Providers like Surfshark have perfected the art of a good VPN app, and Shellfire could take some inspiration from these services.

The company claims that users get unlimited connections, but this isn't strictly the case. While you can use the VPN on every device you own, you can only run one connection at any time. This means, if the VPN is connected to your Windows PC, you'll need to stop the connection to use the VPN on your Android phone. Essentially, this means users only get 1 simultaneous connection, which is not good whatsoever.

The server network offers decent coverage, with server locations spread across 6 continents and 37 countries. However, the number of servers appears to be limited since Shellfire doesn't disclose the exact number it has in operation. If we were to hazard a guess, we'd say it was less than 100, which is a lot smaller than other VPN servers.

Summary

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Does Shellfire VPN Keep Logs?

On its homepage, Shellfire VPN claims that it doesn’t keep any connection logs. However, the provider mentions in its privacy statement that it does process some user data, including but not limited to:

It’s quite worrying to see that Shellfire logs the above data since some of it is quite identifiable. So, what does Shellfire VPN do with this data exactly? The provider states that it logs and processes this information for security measures, market research, and to communicate with users if there are issues with the service.

Fortunately, Shellfire VPN states that it only discloses stored data with third parties or outside of the EU if legally obliged to do so. For example, if the German government requested data from the servers, Shellfire would be obligated to hand it over.

Some users may feel uncomfortable with this since Shellfire does log identifiable information; however, since no browsing data is logged, it would be difficult to link subscribers to activity on the network.

Where is Shellfire VPN Based?

Shellfire VPN is based in Germany and has to follow this country’s laws relating to data retention and data privacy. Fortunately, Germany, like many other European countries, employs GDPR, laws which protect individuals’ privacy online.

However, it is important to note that Germany is a member of the 5/9/14 Eyes and will share data internationally with other alliance members. Many people are totally against the 5/9/14 Eyes because it infringes on personal privacy and enables countries to learn a lot about citizens living all around the world.

How Much is Shellfire VPN?

Shellfire VPN has various subscription plans on offer depending on the length of time you require the VPN.

Overall, Shellfire is quite expensive, and its pricing plans cost the same as popular VPNs like ExpressVPN. However, those VPNs charge more due to the advanced features they offer, and it is hard to understand why Shellfire is charging similar prices.

What Payment Methods Does Shellfire VPN Accept?

Shellfire is great in the sense that it offers many payment options. You can pay using debit or credit cards, via PayPal, or using cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. Paying with Bitcoin is a great option if you want to remain anonymous online since it is harder to trace a purchase made with Bitcoin to an individual.

Does ShellfireVPN Have a Money-Back Guarantee?

Shellfire VPN operates what it calls a cancellation period. This money-back guarantee states that you have the right to withdraw from the subscription 14 days from the start of your contract. If you cancel your subscription before the end of the 14 days, then you’ll get a full refund from Shellfire.

Does Shellfire VPN Have a Free Version?

Yes, Shellfire VPN does provide a free VPN, but it is slightly limited. Firstly there is only access to servers in Germany and the US, and speeds are not unlimited. Moreover, free plans don’t come with AES-256 bit encryption but bank-grade AES-128 encryption instead.

Fortunately, there is unlimited bandwidth on the free plan, meaning you can use the VPN as much as you’d like – albeit with slightly slower speeds. We recommend downloading the free VPN and trying Shellfire out for free before purchasing a paid plan.

How Many Servers Does Shellfire VPN Have?

Shellfire VPN doesn’t actually disclose the number of servers in its network. However, the provider operates in 37 countries across 6 continents which is quite good server coverage.

Unlike many VPN service providers, Shellfire offers servers in countries such as South Africa and India. It also operates in restricted countries like Russia, Turkey, and Chile, allowing residents in these countries to bypass surveillance and censorship.

The only issue with Shellfire VPN not revealing the exact number of servers it operates on its website is that we’re inclined to believe it is rather small. This isn’t great news, especially when customers can look elsewhere and find providers like CyberGhost and Private Internet Access that offer extremely large server networks along with good features.

Does Shellfire VPN Work with Netflix?

An indication of a good VPN service provider is whether or not it can bypass the VPN firewall on US Netflix. Unfortunately, when we tried to access Netflix with Shellfire, we got the dreaded error page. We were also unable to unblock BBC iPlayer when connected to a UK server.

While Shellfire’s performance on popular streaming sites is disappointing, it’s quite understandable. Like BBC iPlayer and Netflix, streaming services employ advanced technology to detect and block VPN software and IP addresses associated with VPN providers. Since Shellfire has a small server network, it may be harder for the VPN service to bypass restrictions as fewer IP addresses are available.

What Devices Does Shellfire VPN Support?

Shellfire VPN offers support for Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS. There are dedicated apps for these operating systems, which you can download from the provider’s website. Otherwise, you can manually configure the VPN to your device using either OpenVPN, PPTP, or IPsec. We recommend using the apps if you’re a VPN novice since manually setting up a VPN can be tricky work.

Shellfire also offers a router box that can protect all devices on your home internet network.

What is Shellfire Box VPN?

The Shellfire Box is a small device that you can attach to your router. Unlike other VPN routers, the Shellfire VPN Box is extremely easy to set up and use. All you need to do is attach the Shellfire Box to your router and connect your devices to it via your wifi connection.

With the Shellfire Box, you can support devices that Shellfire doesn’t provide an app for, namely many that are connected to your router. You can use the VPN router box on your Amazon Firestick TV, Apple TV, or other IoT (Internet of Things) devices.

You’ll enjoy fast speeds with the Shellfire Box since it employs the ultra-fast WireGuard protocol, meaning users can have a download speed of up to 50Mbps.

With the Shellfire Box, users get access to servers in all 37 countries and can enjoy unlimited data and AES-256 bit encryption. There are two plans: the 1-year plan, which costs $133.95, or the 2-year plan, which is $187.95. Considering that you can provide VPN protection to all your operating systems, this is pretty good value for money.

Does Shellfire VPN Offer Customer Support?

If you run into any issues, then you can access the help section on the Shellfire website. However, there is a limited number of questions, only 9, and most focus on payment methods, subscription issues, and servers. There is no information on how to use the VPN or manually set up a VPN connection.

If you have a more specific problem, then you can submit a ticket request and receive a response via email. There is no live chat where users can directly speak to a customer support representative. Bigger VPN service providers like Surfshark and NordVPN offer 24.7 live chat support on their sites, so we’d like to see this added to Shellfire’s website in the future.

FAQs

Does Shellfire VPN Work in China?

No, Shellfire VPN does not work in China and cannot get past the Great Firewall of China.

Does Shellfire VPN Have a Free Version?

Yes, Shellfire VPN has a free VPN! Users can access servers in the US and Germany and enjoy AES-128 bit encryption.

Does Shellfire VPN Keep Logs?

Yes, Shellfire does keep some logs such as your usage of the VPN, IP address, and device information.

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...
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