Opera VPN

Opera is seen as one of the more trustworthy browsers, making its free VPN popular. Opera VPN Pro is the premium version, which claims to be faster and more secure than the free option. But how does it compare to the best VPNs on the market?

After my global team and I ran various tests, I can’t recommend Opera VPN Pro. It lacks several crucial security features, and its privacy policy is vague. It also has a small server network. To get better value for your money, check out this list of our top-rated VPNs.

[features-overview-table]

Streaming — Decent Quality on Several Popular Platforms

Our global team could securely stream many popular streaming platforms while using Opera VPN Pro. However, all my colleagues had trouble streaming with the free version (they could only watch YouTube with an encrypted connection).

Opera VPN didn’t have trouble securely accessing different Netflix libraries, although performance depends somewhat on the server used.

Works With: Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Max, and DAZN

We had no issues securely streaming Netflix US, UK, Australia, or Japan libraries with Opera VPN Pro, and videos loaded without delays.

[imageEditor template_id=”703″]

My global testing team could all watch full libraries too, which was impressive because many VPNs downgrade you to Netflix Originals, which removes lots of popular content. Our testers also had no issues securely streaming Hulu with Opera VPN Pro. Opera VPN could safely access other US streaming platforms too, like Disney+ and Max.

[imageEditor template_id=”704″]

Opera VPN Pro worked well with several Disney+ libraries, including those in the UK and Australia. We could even stream live sports on DAZN in HD, which is known for its robust VPN-blocking technology.

Doesn’t Work With: Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, and ITVX

Unfortunately, we couldn’t safely stream Amazon Prime Video with Opera VPN Pro. Most streaming platforms have anti-VPN technologies to prevent anyone from watching in unapproved regions. Unfortunately, this can stop you from streaming securely, even if you’re in the proper country connected to a local server.

[imageEditor template_id=”705″]

Opera VPN Pro couldn’t access BBC iPlayer in HD from anywhere. So, while I was impressed with how well it’s improved in this area, it’s still not perfect. To find a provider that can keep you safe with the widest range of streaming platforms possible, check out this list of the best VPNs for streaming.

Speed — Fast on Most Servers

Opera VPN Pro is fast, even on some servers far away. As usual, nearby locations always gave us the best speeds.

We try to do all our tests from the same location with the same connection to create fair comparisons. For the results you see in the chart below, our UK-based speed expert used the IKEv2 protocol (the only option available for Windows.)

[imageEditor template_id=”706″]

While we tested many servers, we barely noticed any slowdowns. Most VPNs reduce your speed by 10-20% on nearby servers, but Opera VPN Pro is significantly faster. When we tested the Optimal Location feature, my speeds dropped by 9%. This feature gives you the closest server.

Some distant servers were fast, but it’s not consistent. For instance, Australia is significantly farther away from the UK than Japan (by at least 5,000 km). But, the Australian servers were twice as fast. This could be due to server overcrowding in Japan, but Opera VPN Pro doesn’t display that information.

[imageEditor template_id=”707″]

As you might expect, the results weren’t as impressive when we tested the free browser VPN. With all 3 server options, our speeds always dropped by more than 50%. The Europe server was consistently the fastest, but not by much.

Overall, Opera VPN Pro is fast and performs much better than the free version. Some VPNs are more impressive on distant servers, but few can match it with local speeds.

Gaming — Low Ping Lets You Play Without Lag

Opera VPN Pro provided good ping rates for smooth gaming. While gaming, you want a ping under 85ms, with 50ms the best. If your ping exceeds 100ms, your character won’t respond to your commands immediately like you need them to.

[imageEditor template_id=”708″]

I also tested multiple servers in Europe and North America, and most allowed me to play without delays. I couldn’t get the game to load with the servers in Japan, but that’s actually quite common. I’ve never found a VPN that works well for gaming on distant servers.

Although I was using a closer server, the game wouldn’t load with the free app either. Therefore, while Opera VPN Pro is good for gaming, the free version is not.

Server Network — Decent Number of Servers in Limited Locations

Opera VPN Pro gives you 3.000 servers in 30 countries. It has the most servers in Europe and decent coverage in Asia and North America. However, I was disappointed that it has no server locations in Africa. I had a hard time finding a server near my location in Nairobi. You can see the other countries it offers in the table below:

Opera VPN Pro’s Optimal Location feature is designed to automatically select the fastest server based on your location — typically choosing a server in your country or a nearby one. During my tests from Nairobi, it always connected me to a server in the UAE.

You can’t pick city-level servers. This means you have much less control over which locations you get. For example, most top VPNs, like PIA, will give you several cities in the US to choose from (sometimes 10+).

The free version offers 3 server locations in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. It also doesn’t allow you to choose a specific country or city.

When we tested this service previously, the customer support agent confirmed that all of its servers are virtual. When I asked customer support again this time, I was surprised when the agent said they are all physical servers.

[imageEditor template_id=”709″]

The support team member also said that it rents most of its servers. For clarity, I prefer when a VPN owns its servers because this assures me that no third party can tamper with them, which could affect my data privacy.

It also doesn’t offer dedicated IPs. I like dedicated IP addresses because they provide a consistent and unique internet identity, which is useful for things like running a website. Most of the top VPNs offer this service at an additional fee. If you want a VPN with a larger server network that is more secure, check out this list.

Security — Barebones Security Features

Opera VPN Pro is less secure than the top VPNs. It’s missing several features most of its competitors offer. There’s no split tunneling, double VPN, obfuscation, or perfect forward secrecy. The Opera browser itself comes with an adequate ad blocker, but it won’t work on any other site or app you use, which makes it weak compared to the ad blockers other VPNs provide.

Most importantly, there’s no kill switch. This is a feature you definitely need because it blocks your internet connection if the VPN disconnects unexpectedly. In its place, Opera VPN Pro offers a reconnect feature that attempts to encrypt your connection again if the VPN disconnects. However, your information is vulnerable during this time.

Encryption

Opera VPN Pro doesn’t publicly disclose its encryption levels, which is strange to me. On its website, it only states that it encrypts data and doesn’t elaborate further. When we tested the service previously, a customer support agent told our tester that the encryption level varies between 128 and 256 bits. The free version is only a proxy with HTTPS/SSL encryption.

I contacted customer support again this time, and the agent said that they couldn’t specify which encryption level it uses. The top VPNs use military-grade encryption (AES 256) and clearly state this on their websites, so this is disappointing.

Security Protocols

Opera VPN Pro provides two security protocols: IKEv2 for desktop users and OpenVPN for Android users. Despite both protocols being recognized for their speed and security, I’m unsatisfied with the lack of choice.

Most VPNs offer a larger selection of protocols for each device. For example, most top VPNs support WireGuard, and from my experience, it’s the fastest protocol. While I didn’t encounter any speed issues, I believe WireGuard could have delivered even faster results than IKEv2.

DNS leak protection

It has strong protection against DNS leaks. I ran DNS and IP leak tests using our own tool.

[imageEditor template_id=”710″]

Luckily, it passed all my leak tests on ipleak, including WebRTC detection. So, it’ll keep your online identity private as long as it stays connected. This is nice, but it’s the minimum a VPN should do.

Overall, Opera VPN Pro has a long way to go before it’s as secure as the best VPNs available today. To find a VPN with top-level encryption and a kill switch, look into this list of the safest options around.

Privacy — Bad Location with a Vague Privacy Policy

Opera’s privacy policies are unclear, especially when it comes to its premium VPN. I also don’t like that it’s based in Norway, part of the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliances.

When you connect to a VPN, you hand over your private information. So, you should never use one that you can’t trust with your data. To get a provider that offers clear policies about what it does and doesn’t store, read this list of the best no-log VPNs.

Does Opera VPN Pro Keep Logs? Yes

Unfortunately, Opera’s privacy policy doesn’t mention the VPN at all, and I couldn’t find the policy dedicated to the VPN. I tried asking customer support about this, but the agent was very dismissive and unhelpful. They sent me a link to the main privacy policy which doesn’t say anything about the VPN’s data retention policies.

[imageEditor template_id=”711″]

The Opera browser uses Google’s geolocation tech to send you targeted ads. Because the privacy policy leaves out so much information, I can’t be sure the VPN doesn’t do it, too.

On top of that, I do not recommend using the Opera browser without a VPN. The privacy policy related to the browser is open about recording your location and browsing history to create targeted ads. It also shares your data with several third parties, like Facebook. Plus, its cloud sync service was hacked in 2016, leaking 1.7 million users’ passwords.

Was Opera VPN Pro Audited? No

Unfortunately, an independent third party has not audited this VPN or its policies. When I contacted support to ask about this, the agent told me Opera carries out internal audits, but no external audits have taken place. Honestly, this wasn’t very surprising, considering that the privacy policy is so shallow and doesn’t even cover the VPN.

An audited privacy policy assures me that the service does what it claims. This is one more reason I don’t trust Opera.

Based in Norway

Opera VPN Pro operates out of Norway, a country that’s part of the 14 Eyes Alliance. This alliance involves member countries agreeing to exchange their citizens’ personal data with each other. Therefore, there’s a potential risk that any member country could pressure Opera to change its operating procedures despite its official policies.

Does Opera VPN Pro Work in China? Maybe

An Opera VPN Pro customer support agent indicated that it could work in China. This was surprising because the VPN lacks so many security features, including the ability to hide your VPN traffic with obfuscation.

[imageEditor template_id=”712″]

China bans many VPNs, but there have been no publicly-reported cases of them going after individuals for using them. My team and I don’t endorse any illegal actions, so we encourage you to check your local laws before using a VPN. If you’re unsure about Opera’s claims, you may want to read our recommended list of VPNs proven to work in China.

Torrenting — Didn’t Work with P2P Networks

I was disappointed that I couldn’t get Opera VPN Pro to connect while torrenting. I contacted support to ask whether the VPN was optimized for P2P, but they just said that the service works with all activities. I tried downloading a file, but the download wouldn’t even start. I tested multiple servers in different locations, and none were successful.

Without a kill switch, I wouldn’t feel comfortable torrenting with Opera anyways. You never know who you’re connecting to on these P2P networks.

To be clear, torrenting is legal in most countries, but downloading copyrighted material is not. My team and I don’t condone any illegal activities and ask that you stick with torrents in the public domain. If you want to torrent safely with fast speeds, check out this list of the best VPNs for P2P.