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In the online security race, it’s Google Chrome that takes the lead ahead of all others. The popular browser is one of the most functional and flexible ones on the market, so it’s normal for it to have many add-ons and options to choose from in terms of security.
One of these options is Gom VPN, hailed by everyone to be the best VPN for Chrome.
Obviously, it will never rise to the level of other, more popular and expansive VPNs. However, it provides you with an added layer of security so that your anonymity remains untouchable no matter what website you access.
Moreover, it also helps with bypassing the blocking attempts of some sites that are intentionally limiting access to certain geographical locations.
We’ll see if Gom VPN can truly be called the best or if this is just another marketing attempt to promote a mediocre product.
In terms of speed, the results are fine. There are no immense drops that you would get with other free VPNs, that’s for sure. After a solid check-up, the download speed hit its maximum at about 42 Mbps, and the upload speed was 12.06 Mbps.
These are definitely not the highest values you’ll get when using a VPN. The difference between the standard server responsiveness your ISP provides when compared with the remainder after you activate Gom VPN is not to be ignored either.
In fact, you might have problems even with loading certain web pages, let alone streaming any HD content. Not that they won’t be loading at all, but that it will take a little more time than you were used to.
It follows that you will have to deal with a high latency when visiting websites rich in media content, pictures, videos, interactive widgets, and so on.
Now, this would be understandable and tolerable if we were talking about a free VPN. However, you only get a 7-day free trial after creating an account. After that period of time, you are required to go for a subscription.
More importantly, even after you upgrade to the premium version, the speed remains the same. Nothing at all changes. You will have to deal with the same high latency, low loading times, delays, the occasional freezing and buffering when watching videos, and constant stuttering.
It’s certainly not appealing or satisfactory to pay for the same things you would have otherwise gotten for free. It’s counter-intuitive and straight out of a fairy-tale, to be honest. Logically speaking, when upgrading to a paid plan, you should receive more qualitative services, more options to choose from, basically more of everything you got for free.
Oh, and one final thing. The official claim is that Gom VPN allows you to access Netflix. However, the user reviews I came across paint a different picture. According to those who’ve tried it, Gom VPN really does give you access to Netflix. Except it doesn’t.
It’s either because of the incredibly slow speed that makes it nearly impossible to stream anything on the website or the VPN itself is unable to do what it says. Neither conclusion is any more pleasing than the other.
Given these issues with Gom VPN, you might want to explore our recommendations for the best Netflix VPN to ensure a smooth, uninterrupted streaming experience on Netflix.
Originally, Gom VPN was built to help those in Singapore bypass the internet restrictions imposed by the country on some websites.
From then on, it has expanded much more, in the sense that it now presumably unblocks any website no matter where you are located, and irrespective of the origins of the geo-blocked parameters.
There are no options to customize the servers you connect to or things like this. So, in terms of server locations, there is actually no concrete information about this other than the fact that you are provided with a unique IP once you connect to Gom VPN.
It acts more as a method to obfuscate your IP, to keep it hidden and thus render it hard to notice by websites that use blocking protocols. It’s certainly nothing like the SmartDNS feature of the renowned VPNs on the market – NordVPN for example.
It will not create the illusion that you are located somewhere else, and your IP’s origins will remain the same. The only thing that will change is the difficulty of ascertaining this. Therefore, it really depends on how strong the decryption protocols of the target website are.
Netflix or Pandora, for example, have incredibly powerful methods at their disposal, and it’s very likely you won’t be able to overcome their blocking, at least not by using Gom VPN.
For starters, there’s something that must be said from the very beginning. Gom VPN will not encrypt your traffic, only your browser. In this sense, it doesn’t function as a typical desktop app that you usually use with other standards VPNs.
What it basically does is allows you to bypass some restrictions on certain websites. Ideally, it would grant you access to the vast majority of them, but just like I said, it’s all contingent on the level of security that you come across. It’s like using a fork to eat everything. It works with some foods, but you’re sure as hell to starve in many other situations.
Moreover, I’ve been unable to find any information on the exact encryption protocols that Gom VPN is using, so this is also another unknown that you have to deal with.
If you want something more than just a geo-content deblocking app, namely a method to keep your activities private and remain anonymous on the web, then you’ll have to look somewhere else.
Gom VPN will not ensure your privacy when streaming or, even better, when you’re downloading media. You’ll be running in your panties all over the place and everybody will get to see you. And I’ll just throw it out there that this isn’t a perversion you’re fond of. Or anyone else for that matter.
Being a Chrome extension, the installation process is as easy as they come. This is one of the most glaring advantages of Gom VPN. Oh, excuse me, it’s the only thing that can be called an advantage, honestly speaking.
But then again, what browser extension is difficult to use? I’m already being more than understanding considering this to be a pro.
The app is available for Android and iOS devices as well. The process is nothing to fret over:
Voila, you are the now the proud user of the best Chrome VPN.
You don’t have to worry about any complicated customization or working your way around difficult to understand settings because there are no such things. You are given one option and one option alone – connect to the VPN. That’s it. I believe it’s safe to say that one of the main advantages is that you can use it even while being autistic.
In terms of updates and upgrades, I would assume Chrome keeps it under constant management and supervision, checking for any potential errors and issues. There are also some problems that users have brought to their attention.
“Support on the GOM site is a DEAD LINK!”
This is one of the many like-minded user reviews that you come across at a furtive glance on the original Chrome website.
Others say that they have sent e-mails to the support team, since that’s really the only way to get any information or deal with issues, and weeks had passed with no replies.
Moreover, there are absolutely no FAQ articles or any other documentation on the app itself, not on the website, not on any of the provided links. You can go ahead and search for some on your own, but I’ll bet you won’t find any even with a pair of gloves and some lube at your disposal.
The only thing you can do is, as I’ve said, e-mail them. However, looking at how long it takes for answers to come back, I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that these guys aren’t even stationed on Earth.
That or there is no support team at all, just a fictitious automatized e-mail system.
Moreover, at a closer glance, there seems to be a very glaring discrepancy between the user reviews. Some give 5 stars and praise Gom VPN like it was the granddaddy of online security systems worldwide, while others give it one star simply because that was the lowest they could go.
I’m not saying that the positive reviews smell fishy, but they do have a stinky fish-like odor stagnating around.
The whole thing goes like this:
The prices are relatively low when you compare them to other premium VPNs but when you take into consideration the mediocre services that they offer, everything flies off the fucking window.
For such slow speeds, utterly unresponsive customer support team, dubious and uncertain encryption protocols, the lack of any customizability with regard to the servers, these prices are just about right, if not a little steep.
You also have the option to become an affiliate of Gom VPN. By paying $19.99 per month, you can recruit people and make money in the process. The thing is, most other VPNs offer this service for free. You don’t have to pay anything to become an affiliate.
For some reason, Gom VPN decided to break apart from this trend. Some wild, shady, incomprehensible reason.
Conclusion
If you plan on using Gom VPN for anything else other than unblocking some websites and bypassing their encryption protocols – tough luck.
Do you want top security, enhanced privacy, assurances that your anonymity will not be screwed with, and more options to choose from? Then this VPN is perfect, because it will do everything except any of that.
Admittedly, the service is very easy to use, but that’s just because you have nothing to change, no settings and options. The last time I checked, pressing the “connect” and “disconnect” button didn’t require a Ph.D. in online security systems and computer programming.
Look toward the big names out there like NordVPN, ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, and so on.
NordVPN, for example, has more than 4500 servers worldwide, spread across 60+ countries. You have access to 6 simultaneous connections, which means that you can use 6 devices at the same time, all of them benefitting from the VPN’s protection.
Moreover, you can access Netflix, the speeds are more than enough to watch everything in HD, you have kill-switches, increased security protocols, military grade at that, and not even your ISP will be able to follow your activities on the web.
Last but not least, if you ever encounter any problem at all, there are plenty of FAQ articles and documents on the official website to solve 99% of your issues. If that’s not the case, the support team is very responsive. In no time, you’ll find a solution to whatever ails you.
Gom VPN is just a browser extension. Don’t expect it to be any better than that. Or better than anything. Or simply good at all.