Goose VPN Review 2023 — Is It Fast & Secure?

Goose VPN isn’t safe because it leaked my DNS data. This means that my real IP was exposed and websites and other users were able to see my true location, which goes against one of the main purposes of using a VPN in the first place.

For this reason alone, I recommend that you steer clear of Goose VPN and instead check out any of the top VPNs on the market in 2023, including ExpressVPN and Private Internet Access (PIA).

The poor leak protection isn’t my only concern, either. Goose VPN’s server network is tiny and doesn’t cover many regions outside of Europe, it lacks advanced security features like perfect forward secrecy and RAM-only servers, there are no extra features like split-tunneling, ad blockers, or multi-hop servers, and it’s not good for torrenting due to suffering IP leaks. Also, Goose VPN doesn’t work in restrictive countries, there’s no live chat, and the 30-day money-back guarantee is only available if you don’t exceed 100 MB in the trial period, which is enough data for less than 30 minutes of browsing.

There are some good things about Goose VPN. It comes with 256-bit AES encryption, a strict no-logs policy, fast speeds, works with a lot of streaming sites, and it allows unlimited connections. However, these positives don’t outweigh the overwhelming number of drawbacks.

Goose VPN offers monthly and yearly plans.

Goose VPN Full Review

I spent a few weeks testing Goose VPN to see how it compares to other top VPNs on the market.

Sadly, I was very disappointed with Goose VPN. My main issue is it leaks your IP address, which means it won’t be hidden. This makes Goose VPN unsafe for torrenting and will prevent you from “tricking” websites into thinking you’re actually in a different location.

But that’s just one of the problems I have with Goose VPN. Its server network is very small, there are no advanced security features, no extras, and no obfuscation tools to bypass government firewalls in restrictive countries.

While you get unlimited connections, fast speeds, and basic security features, Goose VPN is simply not safe enough for me to recommend it. There are much better VPNs available, like ExpressVPN and Private Internet Access — which both have excellent security, excellent streaming and torrenting support, extremely fast speeds, easy-to-install and easy-to-use apps, and offer top-notch value.

Goose VPN Features

Goose VPN comes with the following industry-standard VPN security features:

• AES 256-bit encryption — Goose VPN protects user information using bank-grade encryption.
• No-logs policy — It won’t log any user data, including the websites you visit or the files you download.
• Kill switch — A kill switch disconnects you from the internet if your VPN goes down, ensuring you aren’t left online with compromised security.

Goose VPN uses IKEv2, OpenVPN, PPTP, and L2TP/IPSec protocols. PPTP is an outdated and unsecure protocol and should be avoided, but all of the other protocols are fast and safe. That being said, I’d like to see Goose VPN add WireGuard, which is one of the fastest protocols available. All of the VPNs that offer WireGuard, including Private Internet Access, ProtonVPN, and CyberGhost VPN, provide faster speeds than Goose VPN.

While Goose VPN claims to have DNS leak protection, I experienced DNS leaks on servers in the US, Canada, Singapore, Japan, and several European regions. This just can’t happen with a VPN and is a major red flag. When your IP address is leaked, it’s visible to your internet service provider (ISP) and potential nefarious users who can use it to monitor your online activities. Goose VPN doesn’t say whether it has WebRTC leak protection but confirms there’s no IPv6 protection, so I recommend that you disable traffic for both on your devices to remain 100% safe.

Sadly, Goose VPN also doesn’t have many of the advanced security features I expect from top providers, including perfect forward secrecy and RAM-only servers.

Although it lacks extras like split-tunneling, Goose VPN includes:

• Autopilot. The Autopilot feature allows you to customize the VPN to automatically connect to a server when it identifies an unsecure network, such as public Wi-Fi.
• Cyber Alarm. This feature is a paid add-on that alerts you if you’re trying to visit a site that may contain malware. While Cyber Alarm worked pretty much as intended in my tests and is a decent tool, it’s definitely not worth forking over extra money for it each month. Instead, you can get a malware blocker included with your subscription from many other VPNs. For example, Private Internet Access has PIA MACE, which is the best ad blocker on the market — it blocks ads, trackers, and malware.

Goose VPN Privacy & Security

Goose VPN’s no-logs policy states that the provider doesn’t store your IP address, the websites you visit, or the files you download. While I like everything in the privacy policy, I’d trust the provider more if it conducted an independent audit to confirm these claims (like ExpressVPN and ProtonVPN).

Goose VPN is based in the Netherlands, placing it under the jurisdiction of the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliances, which is a group of nations that share intelligence data. But since Goose VPN doesn’t log your data, it wouldn’t have anything to share if requested to do so.

Goose VPN Speed & Performance

I ran speed tests using a Windows PC on a server in each of the 20+ countries where Goose has a server to determine the average speed loss. My speeds were fastest while using servers in the UK (my home country) and remained pretty fast across Goose VPN’s entire network for most online activities.

First, I ran a test using my baseline speeds without connecting to a VPN server:

Next, I used Goose VPN’s Smart Server feature, which connects you to the fastest server for your location. Here are my speeds connected to a server in the UK:

Here are my speeds connected to a server in the US:

I didn’t even notice I was using a VPN on servers in the UK and in nearby European countries. Websites loaded right away, my HD videos played without any buffering, and I torrented a 10 GB file in about 10-12 minutes, which is fast.

When I connected to servers much further away in the US, Singapore, and Japan, videos loaded in 2 seconds, and the same 10 GB file took 14 minutes to download. However, my ping climbed a bit too high for smooth gaming and caused some lag.

Overall, I was impressed with Goose VPN’s speeds, but it didn’t make our cut for the fastest VPNs in 2023.

Goose VPN Servers & IP Addresses

Goose VPN has 100+ servers in 20+ countries. This is a very small server network, with the vast majority of Goose VPN’s servers located in Europe, along with servers in the US, Canada, Brazil, Australia, and Japan. This means many users in other parts of the world won’t be able to connect to a server in their home country or even in a nearby country to get fast speeds. Many of the top VPNs offer significantly larger server networks. For comparison, ExpressVPN has 3,000+ servers in 90+ countries and CyberGhost VPN has 9,400+ servers in 90+ countries.

Goose VPN supports P2P traffic but only in select countries. As for streaming, I had some issues figuring out which servers are streaming servers because there’s conflicting information on the apps and site. Customer service confirmed for me that all servers support streaming and the information on the websites is currently being updated.

All in all, Goose VPN has a very small Europe-centric server network that has very limited options in Asia, Central/South America, Africa, and the Middle East. However, it allows streaming on all servers and supports torrenting on some servers.

Goose VPN Streaming & Torrenting

Goose VPN works with many of the most popular streaming sites, including Netflix, Disney+, and BBC iPlayer. Unfortunately, it only worked sometimes with Hulu and never worked with Amazon Prime Video.

However, most streaming services, like Netflix, offer different movies and TV shows in each country due to copyright fees and licensing agreements with third-party vendors. So, if you travel abroad, you may not be able to access the TV series that you watch in your home country.

Normally, a good VPN is able to get around this issue by issuing you an IP address from your home country. Goose VPN, on the other hand, leaks your IP address, which will prevent you from being able to access the content library in your home country.

To get the best streaming experience at home or outside of your country with a VPN, I recommend using ExpressVPN. It works with 65+ streaming apps, including all of the most popular ones, provides the fastest speeds out there, and has airtight DNS leak protection.

I don’t recommend Goose VPN for torrenting. Even though the majority of the server locations have servers optimized for P2P traffic, Goose VPN leaked my IP address on multiple servers, which makes it unsafe for downloading files.

For a list of our top VPNs for torrenting, click here.

Goose VPN Plans & Pricing

Goose VPN features monthly and yearly plans, and it’s one of the rare VPNs that allow unlimited simultaneous connections.

With prices that start as low as $5.34 / month, Goose VPN is affordable. However, Goose VPN fails to provide the value of the top competitors like ExpressVPN ($6.67 / month), Private Internet Access ($2.19 / month), or ProtonVPN ($3.99 / month).

Goose VPN also offers Cyber Alarm, which is a malware blocker, as an add-on cost, but you can get a really good malware blocker included with your subscription from the three VPN alternatives I mentioned above.

I don’t like Goose VPN’s refund policy. You get a 30-day money-back guarantee with each plan, but it’s voided if you use more than 100 MB, which is barely enough data to browse for more than an hour. Also, I hate how Goose VPN doesn’t disclose this information on its main pricing page — I only found it in the Refund Policy, which is located at the bottom of the website. Most of the top VPNs offer a money-back guarantee that doesn’t have a data cap.

Overall, Goose VPN offers affordable pricing plans, but I still don’t think it’s worth the money.

Goose VPN Ease of Use: Mobile & Desktop Apps

Goose VPN has apps for all major platforms, including Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android. You can also install it on routers and Android TVs.

The desktop apps have a nice clean interface that makes it easy to find and connect to a server and navigate its features. Activating auto-connect, Smart Servers, or Cyber Alarm is straightforward, and I had zero issues switching between protocols.

The mobile apps use a similar interface, albeit with fewer features. You need to manually connect to servers and can’t switch protocols while connected to a server, but otherwise, the mobile apps performed well for me.

Unfortunately, Goose VPN doesn’t offer browser extensions, which are sometimes more convenient than using desktop apps.

Overall, Goose VPN supports various popular platforms and has easy-to-use apps.

Goose VPN Customer Support

Goose VPN’s support is decent — there’s a ticketing system, email support, and live chat (with a bot), as well as FAQs and guides.

I got informative responses to messages via the email and ticketing system in under 30 minutes, which is very fast. However, I don’t like how the ticket system is only in Dutch. I had to guess what information it was requesting or use Google to translate it for me, which was very annoying.

When I tried out the live chat, I was immediately connected to Guus, the virtual assistant, who linked me to a number of guides for FAQs. While this is a decent solution, I prefer to chat with a live agent to get my questions and concerns answered in real-time. ExpressVPN, Private Internet Access, and CyberGhost VPN have excellent 24/7 live chat support representatives.

The FAQs are split up into 9 different categories, including Account, General Information, Privacy, and Service, and each one offers anywhere from 7 to 20 FAQs. The answers are short and provide basic information, so you may need to search for more details. For example, the page on how to register offers a few lines rather than a step-by-step guide.

Overall, Goose VPN offers multiple ways to contact customer support, but only the email and ticketing system are reliable and helpful.

Is Goose VPN Secure & Fast in 2023?

I’m not a fan of Goose VPN due to its inferior leak protection. My DNS data was leaked in multiple tests, which exposed my IP address to the websites I visited. This makes Goose VPN unsafe for just about any online activity, including torrenting.

Honestly, I can’t recommend Goose VPN because it doesn’t protect your online privacy, and there are many other VPNs on the market that offer significantly better value. 

Plus, Goose VPN has a small server network, it can’t bypass firewalls in restrictive countries, it lacks advanced security features like RAM-only servers and perfect forward secrecy, and is missing some of my favorite extras like split-tunneling and an ad blocker.

On a positive note, it has fast speeds, works with a lot of popular streaming services, and allows unlimited connections.

Goose VPN offers monthly and yearly plans, but the 30-day money-back guarantee is voided if you use more than 100 MB, which is only enough data for about an hour of browsing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Goose VPN safe?

No, not really. While Goose VPN has industry-standard VPN security features like 256-bit encryption, a kill switch, and a no-logs policy, it leaked my IP address on servers in multiple countries in my DNS leak tests. This is completely unacceptable and basically defeats the whole purpose of using a VPN — it doesn’t protect your privacy!

For a truly secure VPN experience, I recommend ExpressVPN. It passed our leak tests 100% of the time, it also comes with advanced security features like RAM-only servers and perfect forward secrecy, and its no-logs policy has been independently audited and verified on multiple occasions.

Does Goose VPN have extensions?

Sadly, no. It has desktop apps and works with some routers but doesn’t support Chrome, Firefox, or Opera extensions. ExpressVPN is our top-rated VPN and has extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge.

Is Goose VPN free?

Goose VPN doesn’t offer a free plan. Each of its plans is covered by a 30-day money-back guarantee, but it’s voided if you use more than a measly 100 MB during the refund window.

I generally don’t recommend that you use a free VPN because most are missing essential security features, have slow speeds, and have buggy apps. If you’re only in the market for a free VPN, though, check out ProtonVPN. It offers the best free plan, which includes unlimited data and has fast speeds.

Can Goose VPN access Netflix?

Yes, in my tests Goose VPN worked with Netflix. It allows streaming on all of its servers and has pretty fast speeds for streaming TV shows and movies in HD. It also works well with Disney+ and BBC iPlayer but not Amazon Prime Video.

However, if you travel overseas and still want to continue watching a TV series, you may be denied due to licensing restrictions. The best VPNs will allow you to connect to a server in your home country so you can stay up to date with your favorite shows. Unfortunately, Goose VPN leaks your IP address, which would prevent you from being able to access the content menu in your home country in this situation.

ExpressVPN is my favorite VPN for streaming Netflix — it works with 65+ streaming services, including all of the most popular ones, has lightning-fast speeds, and won’t leak your IP address.