The 6 best ZenMate VPN alternatives

ZenMate has a few strengths versus other VPNs, but the announcement in early 2023 that CyberGhost is taking over the ZenMate VPN service may have you perplexed.

After all, you didn’t sign up for CyberGhost. And now you have no option to keep using ZenMate. It may feel like you have to switch from ZenMate to CyberGhost, because support for ZenMate is ending.

But since you have to make a change in VPN accounts anyway, it may pay to look at alternatives. You may be wondering if there’s another option on the VPN market that will meet your needs better than CyberGhost after it takes over for ZenMate. Although our CyberGhost review ranks this service highly, you may be wondering about ZenMate VPN alternatives that will serve your needs better.

In a rush to find a ZenMate alternative? Our top picks include:

1. NordVPN: Our top choice as a ZenMate alternative. Has a huge server network, delivers impressively fast speeds, and never logs your activity. Highly secure design.
2. Surfshark: The best VPN on a budget. There is no limit on simultaneous device connections. Better security features than ZenMate offered.
3. ExpressVPN: Works especially well to unblock content in most locations. Has servers in nearly 100 different countries. Among the highest levels of security available.
4. CyberGhost: Yes, CyberGhost made our list as a ZenMate alternative. You may just want to go with the flow as ZenMate ends and shift your account over to new owner CyberGhost permanently.
5. IPVanish: Focuses on security and on protecting you. One of the best VPNs for ensuring your browsing stays private.
6. PrivateVPN: A newer VPN that focuses on security. Unblocks content on almost all streaming services. Lets you pay via Bitcoin, if desired.

Best ZenMate Alternatives

We applied a number of criteria to the VPN services we were considering for our list of the best ZenMate VPN alternatives, including:

• Large number of servers
• Servers located in many countries
• No limits on bandwidth
• No limits on simultaneous users
• Fast speeds to enable smooth streaming
• Quick responses from customer support
• No maintaining of logs related to your usage

To learn more about our full methodology for testing VPNs, check out our article explaining how we perform our testing.

We wrote mini-reviews of each of the best ZenMate VPN alternatives to help you figure out which one is the best for your needs.

1. NordVPN

Dec 2024

NordVPN is one of the best VPNs on the market for privacy. Our tests show that it deserves its reputation as one of the most trusted VPNs based anywhere.

NordVPN does not log any of the activity of its users. And even if a governmental entity wanted to try to force NordVPN to turn over your activity logs, NordVPN has its base in Panama, which leaves it outside the Five, Nine, and 14 Eyes Alliances. If federal governments inside the alliance wanted your login information, NordVPN would not be required to turn it over because of its location.

NordVPN doesn’t sacrifice speed, either, meaning you receive an impressive privacy policy alongside fast performance. NordVPN has servers in more than 60 countries, simplifying the process of finding a server near your location.

Customer service is another area where NordVPN greatly improves on the offerings of ZenMate. To pay for the service anonymously, NordVPN offers Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Ripple, while ZenMate doesn’t have such options available. For torrenting, NordVPN outperforms ZenMate as well. For those reasons and more, we believe NordVPN fits the definition of the best ZenMate alternative.

BEST ZENMATE ALTERNATIVE:NordVPN tops our list. It has excellent security, guards your privacy, doesn’t track your activity, and offers servers across the world. It works with almost any hardware you want to use, and it works securely with multiple streaming services. It has a 30-day money-back guarantee available.

Read our hands-on NordVPN review.

2. Surfshark

Surfshark is better value than ZenMate, offering the best budget option among ZenMate VPN alternatives. With servers in more than 65 countries, you’ll have an easier time finding a server near your current location to maximize your operational speed from the VPN.

Even though it is a budget-friendly option, Surfshark does a great job at accessing nearly all streaming services when you are traveling, including Netflix, which causes problems for some VPNs.

We appreciate that Surfshark is taking the privacy of its users seriously, instituting several new features in recent years. It does not retain your data, maintaining a strict zero-logs policy. Because Surfshark has its base in the British Virgin Islands, it is not subject to data retention laws.

Surfshark has plenty of speed to make your streaming experience a good one. You don’t have to worry about bandwidth limits when using Surfshark, and you can make use of an unlimited number of simultaneous devices with your account.

LOW-PRICED VPN:When you need a budget VPN, Surfshark is our choice. Even with a low price, it doesn’t skimp on features or performance speed. You can safely try Surfshark, thanks to its 30-day money-back guarantee.

Read our hands-on Surfshark review.

3. ExpressVPN

With ExpressVPN, speed is everything. If you found that downloading files, gaming online, or streaming in 4K was a struggle at times with ZenMate, you may be ready to make the switch to one of the fastest VPNs we’ve measured in ExpressVPN.

ExpressVPN provides servers in nearly 100 countries, which helps with maintaining your usage speed. It also works inside China, which is a struggle for quite a few VPNs.

There are no privacy or security worries with ExpressVPN, either. It has a straightforward no-logs policy that fully protects your information and shields your usage history. Because ExpressVPN has its base in the British Virgin Islands, it’s not subject to sharing your activity with authorities under 14 Eyes.

In our ExpressVPN vs. ZenMate comparison, we selected ExpressVPN. It has more servers available in more countries, delivers greater speeds, and has a higher level of privacy and security.

EXTREMELY FAST VPN:ExpressVPN has speed to burn. You can successfully use ExpressVPN to access almost any streaming service, and you can do so without any risk, thanks to its 30-day money-back guarantee. It works inside China, which is not available with all VPNs.

Read our hands-on ExpressVPN review.

4. CyberGhost

If you like the idea of using CyberGhost as your ZenMate VPN alternative, the good news is you don’t really have to do much. Per CyberGhost’s takeover agreement with ZenMate, CyberGhost is absorbing all of ZenMate’s accounts.

We strongly trust the features and services available with CyberGhost, so switching your ZenMate account to a CyberGhost account will work nicely for many users. Like ExpressVPN, CyberGhost has impressive speeds. In fact, we measured CyberGhost’s performance speeds as better than ExpressVPN’s speeds in a close race.

CyberGhost has servers in nearly 90 different countries, giving you the ability to connect to a nearby server, no matter where you are traveling. Among its 8,000+ servers, CyberGhost has dedicated servers that provide focused service for particular online activities, such as torrenting. This may be a significant benefit to you.

With its headquarters in Romania, CyberGhost sits outside the Five, Nine, and 14 Eyes Alliances, ensuring local entities cannot make legal requests to access your online activity. CyberGhost does not maintain logs of user activity, and it has a far clearer and stronger privacy policy than what ZenMate offers.

EASIEST ZENMATE ALTERNATIVE TO USE:Not only is CyberGhost extremely easy to use, but, because of its agreement with ZenMate, you can quickly switch over to a CyberGhost account if you decide that it is the best ZenMate VPN alternative. Try CyberGhost without worry, as it has a 45-day money-back guarantee.

Read our hands-on CyberGhost review.

5. IPVanish

IPVanish is one of our favorite strong all-rounder. It may not be at the top of the list for any single feature, but it excels in a variety of areas, giving you an impressive level of performance.

You can trust IPVanish’s zero-logs policy to not track any of your online activity. In fact, IPVanish underwent an independent audit to verify its zero-logs policy. However, IPVanish is based in the United States, which means it could be subject to requests from the Five, Nine, and 14 Eyes Alliances.

Versus ZenMate, IPVanish provides significant improvements for Kodi users. It’s well worth considering if you are using Kodi, which is a free home theater software package for video streaming.

Through IPVanish, you receive DNS leak protection, 256-bit AES encryption, and no limit on the number of simultaneous connections you can make with your devices. IPVanish operates servers in more than 75 countries and has more than 2,000 total servers. It doesn’t work well inside China, though.

STRONG ALL-AROUND ZENMATE ALTERNATIVE:IPVanish gives great performance in numerous categories. You can trust IPVanish not to maintain logs related to your online activity. Its no-logs policy underwent an independent audit. Its 30-day money-back guarantee means you can try IPVanish without risk.

Read our hands-on IPVanish review.

6. PrivateVPN

Although PrivateVPN has only 200 servers, don’t discount it as a top alternative to the ZenMate VPN. It spreads its servers smartly across more than 60 different countries, giving you the level of performance that you’re seeking when traveling.

One of PrivateVPN’s biggest strengths is its ability to unlock and work with almost any streaming service. It especially works well with Netflix, which can be a struggle for some VPNs.

Customer support is a significant advantage of PrivateVPN, especially when compared to what ZenMate offers. With PrivateVPN, you have access to live chat and email support. It also offers remote control support if you are struggling with setup.

When you sign up for PrivateVPN, you can pay anonymously with Bitcoin. It has a strong zero-logs policy, which means you can trust it to protect your user activity. However, its base is inside Sweden, which is a member of the 14 Eyes Alliance. It is possible that a federal government could make a request to create logs of certain users’ activities through PrivateVPN in relation to a suspected crime.

STRONG CUSTOMER SERVICE TEAM:PrivateVPN's customer service responds fast. If you are having problems with setup, PrivateVPN even offers remote control support. It unblocks content from nearly any streaming service, giving you seamless performance. Try PrivateVPN safely with its 30-day money-back guarantee.

Read our hands-on PrivateVPN review.

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