Hey everyone,
I know Mullvad, Proton, and IVPN are the top choices for privacy, but since I’m in Iran, they aren’t very reliable. I found that PrivadoVPN has a scrumble option in its OpenVPN protocol that works well for bypassing restrictions.
However, I’m not a fan of the fact that they track users on their website and in their emails. I’m wondering if they have a bad reputation when it comes to privacy and if using their service is risky.
Hello,
Don’t know about this one but did you ever consider Adguard VPN ? They also have a free plan, their VPN looks very promising.
Thanks for the suggestion. I just tried Adguard VPN, and while it connects, my speed drops from 132 Mbps to just 502 Kbps! So, it’s not working for me. I’m also wondering about Adguard’s trustworthiness.
I’m sorry to hear it doesn’t seems to work, but did you try the tips at the end of their article : How to use AdGuard VPN in countries with Internet restrictions | AdGuard VPN Knowledge Base
About adguard trustworthiness, I suggest you to read this theead thar was made a few weeks ago, one of the co-founders of Adguard answered to the different allegations : Can AdGuard VPN be trusted? - #65 by ameshkov
Just in case, could you please contact me directly? I’d just like to figure out why there’s such an issue.
If I succeed you’ll get a working VPN and a free premium subscription 
They are reliable. They offer obfuscation methods in countries with restrictive internet.
Mullvad: v2ray obfuscation supported on our Bridges | Mullvad VPN
IVPN: I cannot connect from China / Vietnam / Iran / Russia etc. What can I do? - IVPN Help
Proton VPN: Defeat censorship with Stealth, our new VPN protocol | Proton
@jerm I don’t know about Iran, but in China Proton doesn’t work. Proton VPN is understaffed (per their own admission) and they don’t have the ressources to continually introduce new censorship circumvemtion tool.
In my experience, only Mullvad is reliable on Android. On PC, both IVPN and Mullvad are fine.
Mullvad are also working on Wireguard over Shadowsocks to further improve censorship evasion.
@CosmicExplorer I haven’t found any info about Privado’s team, which is a red flag. Try Mullvad VPN, it will work I can assure you. Download it from Github (which shouldn’t be banned) and get the latest beta releases (they aren’t buggy at all). If you can’t connect to Mullvad servers, ask them for alternative server IPs.
Thanks for the response. I checked the webpage, and my configuration looks correct, but the speed is still not satisfactory.
surely do
Perhaps try ControlD DNS. While not a VPN, it does have a unique feature where it gives you a foreign IP address and access to things not available in Iran.
I have experience with internet access in the Middle East and this has worked for me in the past.
But of course, a VPN is the best solution nonetheless.
Also consider SPN from Safing. It could work for you better.
Yes and I’ve tried all of them with different methods. Living in a country with strict internet restrictions, I can say they sometimes work, but when the firewall updates, they often stop or slow down.
For instance, right now, Proton has only one server working for me with the Stealth protocol, but that might not last, like before.
Plus, the restrictions vary by ISP, mobile SIM card, and region, so it’s not that simple.
I’ve tried both Mullvad and IVPN, and they work to some extent. For instance, Mullvad’s WireGuard obfuscation used to work well, but now it doesn’t on any connection. The bridge method also works, but it significantly impacts internet quality (speed, ping, jitter, etc.).
Thanks for the suggestions! I’m a Mullvad user myself and have tried all the methods listed at Using Mullvad VPN in restrictive locations
What servers are you connecting to ? Mullvad-owned servers usually work best.
Also, did you ask their support for an alternative IP for their server ?
Thanks for the suggestion! I tried Control D, but it didn’t work as expected. The government uses deep packet injection (DPI) to monitor traffic and drop TLS hello, which changing the DNS can’t fix.
SPN looks good but is quite expensive, and I can’t afford “yet another VPN” to test it. I already have four subscriptions 
.
I usually connect to the EU servers, primarily those owned by Mullvad. Sweden used to work well, but now France is the best option (Bridge not direct connection).
I also requested an override IP address, but that didn’t help.
I see.
Try it for a month only. The subscription does not auto renew so you don’t need to worry.
I mean, you won’t know what works unless you try it in full.
Sorry, wish I could help more.
For ControlD, did you make sure your DNS cache was flushed and it was a clean install and a brand new connection without other VPNs installed on your computer?
You can also use Orbot with Snowflake mode, it will work in your case !
I’ll try it for a month since it doesn’t auto-renew.
I appreciate your help.
For ControlD, I tested it on my Android phone and made sure no other VPN was active.
I just tried Orbot with Snowflake on Android, but it doesn’t seem to work. Sometimes it works with the Tor browser, though.
Just a quick update: Mullvad released an update for the beta plan, and it works again! (On some ISPs) 