VPNgate.net is a free VPN service, which is a non-commercial project for academic purposes. It was developed by the University of Tsukuba in Japan.
Why was VPN Gate created?
VPN Gate started as a research project at the University of Tsukuba in Japan, built to study how a large, distributed public VPN system works. It runs on the SoftEther VPN platform, developed by the same university as an open-source alternative to other VPN software. The network uses relay servers spread across different countries, but volunteers manage these servers, not a company.
Because volunteers run the servers, the service can be unreliable at times. Server quality and uptime vary from one volunteer to the next, and server locations shift often, leaning toward a mix of Asian countries along with a few servers elsewhere.
SoftEther VPN itself is worth a closer look, too. It supports all the major VPN protocols, and its own developers say it runs faster than OpenVPN.
VPN Gate first gained attention for helping users get around China's internet restrictions, and it's remained popular in parts of Asia since.
VPN Gate pricing
VPNgate.net is a 100% free VPN service. On their website, they have made it very clear that it will never become a paid service in the future. This is possible since it is being run by volunteers. It was launched in March 2013. As stated before, it was meant to be an academic experiment.
The brains behind this VPN service has decided to keep this service online for eight years or more. Well, that’s worrisome to think that it may not be available forever. That’s the problem with all the free services, as it will be stopped once the people behind this project decide to pull the plug on it.
VPN Gate servers
There is a wide range of servers available all over the world, all run by volunteers. So, even you can add a new server to the growing list of VPN Gate servers.
What is the number of VPN Gate servers?
Servers are relay servers in nature. We counted more than 3800 servers when we conducted our testing for this VPN Gate review in 2026. However, the majority of the fast servers are located in Japan and South Korea. There are not too many reliable European servers, and that is a major concern for people who want to connect to this part of the world.
However, the servers in the United States, Vietnam, Israel, Hong Kong, India, Thailand, and other countries appear.
The full list of free VPN Gate servers is presented on the official website of the provider. There, one may find the info on the tunneling protocols used by the server, IP address, and other useful data that may help to make the connection a bit faster.
How do VPN Gate servers work?
VPN Gate works because regular people turn their own computers into VPN servers. Anyone can volunteer their device, install the required software, and let others connect through it.
This setup is why VPN Gate mainly hands out dynamic IP addresses instead of static ones. A dynamic IP changes automatically over time, without you choosing when. A static IP, on the other hand, stays the same every time you connect.
Why does VPN Gate prefer dynamic IPs?
Inasmuch as the VPN is run by volunteer servers, they may be disconnected at any moment. As soon as the server is switched off, the IP will be changed automatically.
That is exactly the reason why VPN Gate provides its consumers with IPs of this kind. Otherwise, a user could face some problems in case of troubles with the internet connection.
VPN Gate functions
- Bypass internet censorship
With the help of this service, you will be able to unblock the content banned in your country or region. It will allow you to get past the geo-location restrictions. When it comes to streaming websites like Netflix and Hulu, this is a big problem. You can address this problem with this VPN service. Moreover, you can ensure a secure connection when you are using public Wi-Fi hotspots, which are not very secure.
- Connect to free Wi-Fi safely
You can ensure a secure connection when you are using public Wi-Fi hotspots, which are often not so secure. With VPN Gate, you will not lose your sensitive data. The cybercriminals will not be able to access your credentials or financial information.
- Security and connection logs
VPN Gate offers 256-bit AES encryption. But one thing you need to understand is that it keeps connection logs for the next 2 weeks. Thus, the period was shortened, as some time ago, VPN Gate users’ logs were kept for 3 months. Even though they don’t monitor the user activity, they could hand over the data to the authorities if required.
- Use it sensibly
Considering the fact that it keeps connection logs, you may not want to use it if you are too concerned about your privacy. You can use it as a tool to avoid censorship. Also, it should shield your connection when you are using public Wi-Fi hotspots. And it allows P2P torrent downloading. This means, bypassing geo-restrictions of your region will let you access torrent websites.
- P2P downloading can be troublesome
VPN Gate technically allows P2P and torrent downloads, but it's a risky choice. Volunteers who run VPN Gate's servers keep connection logs for at least two weeks, and VPN Gate's own policy states it will hand over your IP address and logs to authorities if it flags your activity as abusive, which can include DMCA copyright complaints. If privacy during torrenting matters to you, VPN Gate is not a safe option.
- Windows compatibility
It offers Windows compatibility. The configuration is not complicated at all. All you need to do is download the software and install it. It also supports Android, iOS, and macOS. Such diversity of compatible operating systems made this free VPN provider one of the most relevant to netizens.
- Limited access in many countries
Countries like Iran and China block access to VPN websites, including VPN Gate's own site. If that happens, VPN Gate offers mirror sites as a backup way to reach it. Keep in mind that some countries have ramped up VPN blocking recently, so even mirror sites aren't guaranteed to work every time.
Security and privacy
As stated before, VPN Gate keeps the connection logs for 2 weeks. However, you should know that it doesn’t keep usage logs. It does it to prevent the abuse of the system. In the case of criminal activities, these logs will be handed over to the authorities upon request.
It’s worth remembering that the servers are managed by volunteers, so, if you want high-level privacy, you should subscribe to a paid service.
As for the security, the SoftEther VPN system is really secure with 256-bit AES encryption. You can also download VPNgate.net VPN for Mac if you are a Mac user.
Furthermore, VPN Gate tunneling protocols are diverse. Among them, one will find any to their needs: SSL-VPN, OpenVPN, L2TP/IPsec, and MS-SSTP.
The choice of protocol depends on the activity a user is going to conduct online.
Support service
If you're looking for customer support, you'll be disappointed. We couldn't find any live chat or email support on VPN Gate's website.
This makes sense once you know how the service works. VPN Gate's servers are run by volunteers around the world, not by a company with a support team. So instead of formal customer service, VPN Gate has a forum where users discuss issues and help each other out with VPN-related questions.
VPN Gate also offers detailed tutorials for setting up the VPN on different devices and operating systems, including Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS.
Still, the lack of direct customer support is a dealbreaker for some users. For many people, live chat is the only real way to get a problem solved quickly, and VPN Gate simply doesn't offer that.
Client account
Speaking of the Windows client, you can connect to the network via SoftEther VPN client. You can also use the VPNgate.net plug-in. The Windows client is available in a number of languages, including Chinese, Japanese, and English.
Setting up is very simple.
#1 First of all, download the software and then unzip it.
#2 Thereafter, just install it. There is no need to register on the website or while installing the client.
#3 Change the VPN status into “on” and surf the internet with fewer restrictions.
VPN Gate is a decent option if you need a free way to get around censorship occasionally. But it's not built for privacy or security the way a paid VPN is. It lacks a kill switch, relies on volunteer-run servers with inconsistent quality, and logs connection data that it will share with authorities if asked. If privacy is a priority, look at a dedicated paid VPN instead.
Platforms
VPN Gate supports most of the platforms, including Windows, Android, iOS, and macOS. If you want to use an SSL VPN service, you can definitely go for it.
The Windows platform is the best if you settle with the VPN Gate client. It is explained by the fact that the service offers all 4 tunneling protocols for Windows users’ data encryption.
Summary
Well, we liked quite a few things, and we are not impressed with a few other things. What is most impressive is that VPN Gate is free of cost. Plus, it is an open-source service.
The software is great. The speed is not bad. They don’t keep user logs, but they keep a connection log for 2 weeks. Mirror sites can be used to deal with censorship and firewalls.
On the negative side, it is not recommended for torrent downloading. Also, it hardly provides privacy. In short, this is a really good free VPN client. If you are looking for a VPN USA, you can buy a truly reliable one.
To create a clear picture of the free VPN Gate service, it is helpful to have a look at its advantages and disadvantages.
VPN Gate pros
- Utterly free VPN software
- US-based free VPN servers
- Network of 3800+ servers
- Dedicated IPs
- Compatible with Android, iOS, Mac, and Windows
- Strong AES 256 encryption
- P2P is allowed
- Diverse protocols (L2TP/IPsec, MS-SSTP, OpenVPN, SSL-VPN)
VPN Gate cons
- Logs are kept for 2 weeks
- Lack of live chat support
- Limited number of countries
In case you are not too concerned about your privacy, it is possible to opt for the free VPN Gate provider. And the reason for it is logging. Besides, it is absolutely free of charge. In case such issues don’t bother you, opt for this free VPN service. However, if you are looking for more anonymity on the internet, look through the list of the best paid VPN providers' reviews
If you have already done it, it would be great if you shared your opinion about it in the comments section of this VPN Gate review.
