Bitdefender VPN Review (2026): Is it the right choice?

Bitdefender VPN Review

Sleek design, high speeds, and excellent streaming. Bitdefender is one of the best VPNs we’ve tested. However, its reliance on Pango for its VPN technology raises privacy concerns.

• Privacy: 50%. While Bitdefender itself doesn’t track user activity, Pango’s data collection practices are worrisome.
• Streaming: 100%. Bitdefender offered easy access to Netflix, Disney+, Max, Hulu, Prime, and BBC iPlayer in our test.
• Speed: 100%. Bitdefender is among the fastest VPNs we’ve tested, perfect for streaming, gaming, and downloading.
• Security: 100%. Bitdefender offers top-tier encryption, protocols, a kill switch, split tunneling, and more.

Thanks to the 30-day return policy, you can try it risk-free.

Privacy

When we tested Bitdefender VPN, we found its privacy practices to be less reassuring than those of top competitors.

Data Collection

Bitdefender VPN logs a range of identifiable user data, including your real IP address, browsing activity, connection timestamps, device information, and bandwidth usage. While it doesn’t store the VPN server IP, account information, or the date of your last connection, the collection of your real IP address is explicitly confirmed in the policy — without any mention of how long this data is retained or when it’s deleted.

Aura

Bitdefender VPN operates using Aura’s (formerly Pango) infrastructure, meaning Aura provides the servers, software, and VPN protocols. In this setup, Aura acts as the data processor, while Bitdefender remains the service provider.

This shared responsibility results in a combined privacy policy that merges Bitdefender’s and Aura’s terms. Unfortunately, that combination leads to ambiguity and makes it difficult to clearly understand what data is collected, by whom, and for how long.

Romania

Bitdefender is headquartered in Romania, an EU country that adheres to EU data protection and retention regulations. However, Aura’s U.S. jurisdiction adds another layer of concern, as U.S. law allows for more extensive data access and sharing under national security and law enforcement frameworks.

 The lack of transparency reports, diskless (RAM-only) servers, and anonymous payment options further undermines confidence in the VPN’s privacy safeguards.

Privacy policy

The company’s privacy policy explicitly acknowledges the collection of personally identifiable data, although it also notes that some non-personally identifiable logs are kept for maintenance and service improvement.

During our tests, we did not detect any DNS or IP leaks, which suggests that your browsing traffic is securely encrypted while connected. Still, the extent of identifiable logging means your privacy is not fully protected at the account level.

Android

It’s also worth noting that Bitdefender’s Android app once requested the “read phone status and identity” permission, which could grant access to sensitive data such as your IMEI number, phone number, and address.

Although this permission has since been removed, it raises questions about Bitdefender’s historical approach to user privacy. Competing VPNs such as ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, IPVanish, and Hotspot Shield have not required such intrusive permissions.

Conclusion

Overall, while Bitdefender VPN performs well in preventing technical leaks, its data collection practices and complex privacy structure — shared between two jurisdictions — make it far less private than leading VPNs that enforce strict no-logs policies.

Streaming

Bitdefender VPN may not offer specialized streaming servers, but don’t let that discourage you—its performance in accessing popular streaming platforms is impressive.

In our tests, we connected to Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, Disney+, HBO Max, Hulu, and Netflix without any issues. This means you can enjoy your favorite shows and movies seamlessly.

Speed

Bitdefender VPN impresses with its fast download and upload speeds, making it a top choice for both local and international connections.

In our tests, it recorded an average international speed loss of just 3%, a great result that puts it ahead of many competitors. Whether you’re streaming, gaming, or simply browsing, Bitdefender’s performance ensures a smooth, lag-free experience.

This remarkable speed can be credited to Hydra technology, developed by Pango (the provider behind Hotspot Shield). Hydra is designed to optimize data transfer, reduce latency, and maximize performance, even over long distances.

It’s worth noting that other major security brands like Panda, Kaspersky, and McAfee also rely on Pango’s infrastructure for their VPNs.

Security

When we tested Bitdefender VPN, we found it offers robust protection backed by strong encryption and modern protocols. It uses military-grade AES-256-bit encryption and ChaCha20, both of which are considered virtually unbreakable by today’s standards.

Protocols

Bitdefender supports several secure VPN protocols: OpenVPN (TCP/UDP), WireGuard, and Hydra, the latter being Hotspot Shield’s proprietary protocol. In our experience, Hydra delivered higher speeds, while WireGuard provided a balanced mix of performance and modern cryptography.

Kill Switch

A kill switch is available across all major platforms, including Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS. However, we found it to be imperfect — during our testing, switching servers without manually disconnecting sometimes exposed our real IP address.

Leak Protection

Bitdefender VPN offers comprehensive leak protection, and in our latest tests, we detected no IP, DNS, WebRTC, or geolocation leaks. The app also includes public Wi-Fi protection, automatically securing connections on open or untrusted networks.

Auto Connect

For convenience, Bitdefender provides an auto-connect feature that activates the VPN when the device starts up or connects to unknown networks. Additionally, the built-in ad blocker helps filter intrusive ads and enhance browsing privacy.

Limitations

That said, there are some limitations. Bitdefender’s apps are closed-source, meaning their internal code cannot be publicly reviewed. The service has not undergone an independent security audit, which would provide additional transparency. It also lacks advanced security tools like multi-hop (double VPN) connections.

Conclusion

Overall, Bitdefender VPN offers solid core security, but it could be stronger with an independently verified audit and an improved kill switch mechanism.

Servers

When we tested Bitdefender VPN, we found that it offers a total server network covering 110 countries, including virtual locations. That’s well above the top 10 VPN brands’ average of 93 countries, making Bitdefender’s global coverage quite extensive.

Unfortunately, Bitdefender does not disclose how many of these locations use physical servers. Among the top VPN providers, only about half are transparent about their physical server counts, so this lack of clarity is not uncommon — but still disappointing for users who value full transparency about data routing and server ownership.

The difference between physical and virtual servers is important. A physical server exists in the country it claims to be located in, providing stable and predictable performance. A virtual server, on the other hand, is physically hosted elsewhere but routes traffic through an IP address associated with a different country. This can improve coverage but may affect speed or privacy due to mismatched jurisdictions.

Bitdefender’s network is straightforward but limited in functionality. It doesn’t offer specialty servers such as Double VPN, Onion over VPN, Dedicated IP, Obfuscated, or P2P-optimized servers. These advanced configurations are common among competitors like NordVPN or Surfshark, which cater more to power users who need enhanced privacy or access in restrictive regions.

Prices

Bitdefender VPN is competitively priced, especially for budget-conscious users. The first-year price is $34.99, rising to $69.99 upon renewal. This is well below the top 10 VPN brands’ average of $53.47 for the first year and $102.85 upon renewal.

That makes Bitdefender an attractive option alongside other affordable brands such as Norton, Private Internet Access, CyberGhost, TotalVPN, and Avast. In contrast, Surfshark, NordVPN, and ExpressVPN sit at the premium end of the market, offering larger server networks and more advanced privacy tools, but at significantly higher prices.

Overall, Bitdefender VPN offers good value for users seeking a simple, low-cost VPN without extra features or complex configurations.

User reviews

On Trustpilot, Bitdefender holds a score of 3.6 out of 5, based on over 9,500 reviews. This is below the top 10 VPN brands’ average rating of 4.1 from about 22,000 reviews.

User feedback is mixed. Many praise Bitdefender’s reliability and ease of use, especially for those already using Bitdefender’s antivirus suite. However, others mention occasional performance drops and limited control compared to more advanced VPNs.

In short, Bitdefender VPN receives moderate user satisfaction — solid for casual users, but not among the top-rated in the VPN category.

Ownership

Bitdefender, established in Romania in 2001, is a leading cybersecurity provider, serving individuals, small and medium-sized businesses, and enterprises. The company operates globally, with headquarters in Bucharest, Romania, and Santa Clara, California, along with offices across North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific.

With over 1,600 employees—more than half dedicated to research and development—Bitdefender prioritizes innovation, holding 440 patents in areas such as machine-learning threat detection. Its technology is widely trusted, with partnerships with major players like Microsoft, VMware, and Citrix, and a reseller network spanning 170 countries.