BullGuard VPN Review 2019
BEST FOR: Easy to use VPN
- Easy installation and setup
- No logs and tracking
- Reasonable pricing
- Unlimited bandwidth
BullGuard VPN Overview
BullGuard VPN is a virtual network application that was released in April 2019. Although this is a new VPN software, BullGuard earns a good reputation as a cyber-security company that has been on the market since 2002, offering antivirus and mobile security solutions. Furthermore, BullGuard is actually powered by NordVPN and operates as a white label.
BullGuard VPN is easy to install and use, and pricing is very reasonable through their plans. You can also take advantage of its 30-day money back guarantee should you have a case of buyer’s remorse, though we don’t believe you will.
The VPN software runs on all major operating systems, including Windows, MacOS, Android and iOS. No-logs policy and no-tracking policies are in place while you can connect up to 6 different devices simultaneously. BullGuard VPN offers unlimited bandwidth and speed. The software is available in English, German, Danish, French, Dutch, and Spanish.
Pros
What we liked
- Easy installation and setup
- No logs and tracking
- Easy to use
- Reasonable pricing
- 24/7 live support
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Supports Windows, MacOS, Android, and iOS
Cons
What can be improved
- No servers in Africa, Latin America, Russia, and most of Asia/Pacific.
- No Linux version
Security & Privacy
BullGuard is incorporated in London, which in theory is not a preferred location for a VPN service. The UK has adopted very strict and specific legislation concerning the provision of usage data by service providers. Since BullGuard does not keep records of your online activities, they are unable to provide personal data even if asked by the authorities. “BullGuard VPN does not log what you’re doing online, or keep records of the websites you visit,” the company says on their official website.
Their VPN uses OpenVPN protocol and AES-256 encryption. Furthermore, the company claims that they are using military-grade encryption to secure your data and make your online activities untraceable.
Users can select whether the VPN connection will be performed via UDP or TCP protocol.
Authentication is achieved by logging into your BullGuard account using a username and password.
It is unclear whether their customers get a shared or a static IP address to use but, in any case, there is a Kill Switch feature that prevents your IP address and other sensitive from leaking on unsecure connections. An auto-connect VPN for open Wi-Fi networks identifies open Wi-Fi networks and automatically starts the VPN service to secure these connections. BullGuard VPN’s users are also able to make their computer invisible on LAN (local area network).
Pricing & Payment
You can purchase a licensed copy of BullGuard by using the following credit cards: Visa, MasterCard, American Express and JCB. Alternative payment methods include PayPal, wire transfer, PayNearMe, and check/money order.
Credit cards
Payment Service
Others
The VPN app is available for under $3 a month with a 3-year plan. Current BullGuard users get a 20-percent discount.
It appears that BullGuard does not offer a free trial for their VPN but they have a 30-day money back guarantee. You can contact them at payment@bullguard.com for questions concerning refunds.
most popular
2 Year Plan
Save 58%
$2.97
Per month
$107.10 billed every 3 years
30-day money-back guarantee
*Although we make every effort to ensure all prices are accurate, we cannot guarantee thet they are always up to date
Performance
We have tested the speed of BullGuard VPN’s server connections from Bulgaria, connecting to all of their servers to check the service performance while downloading, uploading, and streaming video. Overall, we were able to watch live TV shows and movies without any interruption. The download/upload speed was comparable to the speed without a VPN.
The best performance was with a server located in the Netherlands, which is relatively close to Bulgaria. We were also using the closest local server to perform the tests.
Below are the test results
As you can see, the ping is not that fast but the download and upload speed are pretty good, bearing in mind that we used a Wi-Fi router over a mobile Internet network. Connection to a BullGuard server completes in 20 seconds on average and the bandwidth is unlimited. You also have unlimited server switches in and for every location where they have servers, which enables you to reconnect if you think the speed is low. Data traffic reaches around 1MB per second during our tests but VPN Split Tunneling is not available.
We have also compared the speeds achieved by BullGuard to another unsophisticated VPN, Hide.me.
It seems that BullGuard performs better than Hide.me overall and that BullGuard provides better protection. You should be aware that VPN speeds are very difficult to test and depend on multiple factors such as system configuration, location, protocols used, and even time of the day.
Overall, BullGuard VPN performs well both when streaming and downloading/uploading
Get started with BullGuard VPN today to stay safe, private, and secure online!
Visit BullGuard VPNServers & Location
BullGuard operates servers in 16 locations as of April 2019. The below screenshot from their official site shows their most valuable server locations.
The full list of supported locations is below:
- Australia
- Austria
- Belgium
- Canada
- Denmark
- France
- Germany
- Ireland
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Singapore
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- United Kingdom
- United States
When you start BullGuard VPN, the application automatically connects to one of their servers that is the closest to your actual location, unless you have chosen a preferred country server.
You can also manually select servers in whichever country on the list to which you’d like to connect. According to the list of available countries, you can have a dynamic IP address in cities such as New York, Montreal, London, Paris, Berlin, Singapore, or Sydney. Nonetheless, you can change servers in your selected country and the program connects you to a server in the selected country automatically.
There is no official information by BullGuard regarding how many servers they operate in each country.
Features
- There is no Smart DNS function – BullGuard is using its own DNS.
- Users can also use their own DNS.
- Kill switch is available for both Internet connections and apps.
- Support for simultaneous connections on 6 devices available.
- The service blocks all the major ports.
- Invisibility over LAN networks hides your computer on local networks.
- You can easily change between UDP and TCP protocols.
BullGuard VPN Setup & User Interface
BullGuard VPN is extremely easy to set up and to use once installed.
Start by creating a BullGuard account and purchasing the VPN app. You will then be able to download the full version of the software.
The installation package is about 18 MB, which is acceptable for such an app while 50 MB of disk space available on Windows and 150 MB on Mac.
You should bear in mind that BullGuard does not work in China, so it is pointless to try to sign up for their service while there.
Here is how to install BullGuard VPN (need to provide an email address and username):
- Download the installation package to a folder of your choice
- Start the installation and select where to install
- Wait for the installer to check and eventually install the required Windows updates
- Wait for the program to install
- You can run the VPN immediately after the installation
The ensuing setup process is quite easy and straightforward. The software has only two tabs: Status and Settings. The Status tab is for connecting to a VPN server. The Settings tab shows additional options you can set up.
The setup is entirely self-explanatory. It is easy to shift settings on or off via a slider button.
Bear in mind that you might need to start the application with administrator privileges.
Here is how to setup BullGuard VPN:
- Start the program.
- Log in if asked.
- Select the “Status” tab and click on any server location to connect.
- Select “Settings” to change any of the other options.
- Use “Auto connect” to automatically connect to a server of your choice.
- Choose whether to start BullGuard VPN on startup.
- The “Internet Kill Switch” can be turned on to prevent you from connecting to the Internet without a VPN connection.
- Make your computer invisible on local networks by turning on the “Invisibility on LAN” function.
- Use the “App Kill Switch” function to select applications to close if the VPN service drops.
- You can start the app minimized and get notifications when connecting and disconnecting by using the “Start minimized” and the “Show notifications” options.
- Add a custom DNS by selecting the “Custom DNS” feature.
- Switch between TCP and UDP protocols through the “Protocol” selector.
You can set up BullGuard in less than 10 minutes, although the installation itself may take a bit longer. This will depend on your download speed and your computer configuration. BullGuard will perform checks for installed programs and Windows updates before installing. BullGuard does not offer many options for customization as it bets on providing a very simple interface with basic VPN features.
BullGuard apps will work on any device running on one of the following operating systems:
- Windows
- MacOS
- Android
- iOS (iPhone + iPad)
- Linux version is not available
You can benefit from simultaneous connections on up to 6 devices when using BullGuard. Replace any device at any time without any additional steps. Only active devices are counted as part of your subscription.
All of the versions of BullGuard feature the very same easy-to-use interface to enhance user experience across all operating systems. In other words, you have the same features and similar interfaces on Windows and Mac desktops, as well as on Android and iOS.
Here is how the “Settings” tab appears on Android:
Compatibility
BullGuard VPN scores really well when it comes to unblocking content, streaming video and audio, torrenting or simply browsing the Internet.
We have tested the VPN for connecting to Netflix from all their 16 server locations and the tests demonstrate that you can watch your favorite shows and movies on Netflix using any of BullGuard’s servers.
The same applies to Hulu, so you can use BullGuard to watch videos using this platform as well.
Another popular free video and online TV service that is restricted to US viewers only is Crackle. With BullGuard, we successfully connected to them using their US server.
China is an exception, as you actually cannot use this VPN service to visit blocked sites from there. A statement by BullGuard says that their VPN will barely work in China and there is no information whether their developers are working on such functionality.
There is no Fire TV app or extension as well as no extensions for other similar services.
Interestingly, BullGuard cannot connect to BBC iPlayer when a server in the United Kingdom is selected.
Customer support
BullGuard offers 24/7 live chat in English and Romanian. All other languages (including Danish, German, French, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, and Chinese ) are available from 09:00 to 17:00 CET.
BullGuard does not have built-in support options within the VPN app. You’ll need to provide an email address and name on their site to start a live chat with a representative. Response time is almost instant.
They also offer support via email, which is available in all the above-mentioned languages. BullGuard states that their support team responds to questions within 24 via email but they usually answer faster.
You’ll find a community forum on their website where users can ask questions and share issues with BullGuard VPN.
BullGuard support staff can even provide assistance via a remote connection when necessary. Guides are available on their site for the Windows, MacOS, and mobile versions of their product.
A built-in diagnostics tool can be used to send data about technical issues to the BullGuard developers.
Conclusion
All in all, BullGuard is a solid VPN despite it lacking certain features such as split tunneling and the ability to select a specific server in a country. The software is very easy to install and configure once you have created an account with BullGuard and purchased the application. Once installed, it is incredibly simple to use as well.
Despite being incorporated in the United Kingdom, which is among the members of the Five Eyes area where VPN providers are under scrutiny, BullGuard does not log your connections and nor track your online activities, which in turn protects your privacy.
The product is reasonably priced. Their prices are comparable to those of NordVPN, which actually offers more features. BullGuard VPN is a white label of NordVPN, which means that any possible security flaws in NordVPN will most probably affect BullGuard VPN users as well.
The service offers unlimited bandwidth and speeds. This is great news for Netflix and Hulu subscribers since this VPN successfully connects to both of these streaming services. Moreover, you can enjoy these and other blocked services on desktop and mobile devices running a variety of operating systems, including Windows, MacOS, Android, and iOS.
BullGuard VPN is most suitable for users who need an easy-to-use application with a simple interface. This VPN is not the most advanced one but it still has all the major VPN features of a reliable VPN service, offers good speeds, and enables you to stream video in real time, unblock content, and safely browse the Internet. Hence, we think it’s worth a score of 8.5 out of 10 in our ratings.
Advertiser Disclosure
This website is an informative comparison site that aims to offer its users find helpful information regarding the products and offers that will be suitable for their needs. We are able to maintain a free, high-quality service by receiving advertising fees from the brands and service providers we review on this website. These advertising fees, combined with our criteria and methodology, such as the conversion rates, our team of reviewer's finding and subjective experience and product popularity, impact the placement and position of the brands within the comparison table. In the event rating or scoring are assigned by us, they are based on the position in the comparison table, or according to other formula in the event specifically detailed by us. See our How we Rate page and Terms of Use for information. The reviews, rating and scoring are provided “as-is” without guaranties or warranties regarding the information contained in our website, which shall not be considered as endorsement. We make the best efforts to keep the information up-to-date, however, an offer’s terms might change at any time. We do not compare or include all service providers, brands and offers available in the market.
Performance
Privacy
Subscribe to our newsletter!
Your information will be handled as detailed in our Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe at any time
Please check your email.
