The situation got worse as we tried other sites, with Opera VPN failing to get us access to US Amazon Prime Video or Disney+. We could stream content, though, without Netflix complaining, so it's possible you'll have more success. Our Netflix results were strange, as the site continued to show our regular UK Netflix library, even when using a US IP. We weren't able to access BBC iPlayer, for instance, one of our normal test sites, as Opera VPN doesn't provide a UK location. Opera VPN's extremely short list of locations means it's not a smart choice for unblocking. One other thing to make clear: the Opera VPN only works for what you do inside the browser – it doesn’t help at all with any apps that run outside it.We use a number of different speed tests to determine the performance of each VPN we review (Image credit: Ookla) Performance While these won’t pinpoint your identity or location, they do indicate that you’re connecting through a VPN. Leak tests threw up warnings about potential DNS leaks – a serious red flag for a VPN. Privacy LeaksĪnd while Opera gives you the improved security of an encrypted VPN connection, your privacy doesn’t seem to be so well protected. The list of locations is tiny, with just Optimal (chosen for you), Europe, Americas and Asia, and when you pick Americas as your location you just get a VPN link to a server within Europe, making the Opera VPN useless if you want to undo region locks on US video streaming services, or unlock, say, the BBC iPlayer from outside the UK. That means Opera VPN is only usable on a laptop or desktop, not a smartphone or tablet.
Opera has reduced its level of support for the VPN and has also halted work on its free mobile VPN apps, which are no longer available to download. Now, onto those limitations we mentioned before. If you really want to protect your business, opting for a trustworthy VPN subscriptionis definitely your best bet, particularly because they just aren't that expensive. They typically offer zero business features, they're security protocols are often laden with loopholes, and their support options are essentially non-existent. In fact, virtually any free VPN is not going to be the best option for your business. Opera VPN is simply a VPN-like service provided through a specific browser, so it's really not going to fit your business needs, especially if you're installing it to add more security to your business. There is no tunneling protocol in place, it logs your data, and if we're being technical, it's not a real VPN. To make matters worse, Opera VPN is not good when it comes to security.
Subsequently, you'll have to rely on your team to use it throughout the day, rather than having your IT manage it from a secure spot.
From a professional standpoint, it lacks any kind of business-facing features, like management dashboards, centralized billing, or admin control. See how it compares to our top ten rated VPNs, in the table below.Īll right, we're going to level with you: Opera VPN is not a good VPN, especially for businesses. It's a good place to start and far better than nothing, but we'd recommend most other VPNs above it. Saying all this, Opera isn't really a VPN. The browser keeps evolving, too – the latest version of Opera has a crypto-wallet, dark mode and web 3.0 support. Beyond that, it’s very easy to use – and Opera is a great browser with some brilliant features in its own right. So, using Opera’s VPN won’t cost you a single cent. That's pretty rare for any free VPN – most free services will cut your bandwidth down to a couple of gigabytes, making them less useful for streaming video or heavy downloading. Secondly, it’s free to use and offers unlimited bandwidth.
Firstly, it’s built into the Opera browser, so you only need to download and install the browser, then enable the VPN to switch on the service.