ZoogTV VPN Review
2nd April 2015
Summary
If you’re looking for a way to watch American TV overseas while protecting your personal information, check out ZoogTV.
Pros:
- works on most operating systems
- fast connection
- unlimited bandwidth
- low monthly rates
Cons:
- slow customer service
- very few servers
- not compatible with Linux
Overall Score: 76/100
This score is much lower than the 97/100 scored by our top rated VPN – Express VPN.
To get more details on ZoogTV’s service and value, check out our comprehensive review.
To get access to all of your favorite shows, sign up for a service plan with ZoogVPN.
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A VPN is one of the simplest ways around to access all of your favorite content, no matter where you are.
If you’re in a country with content restrictions, a VPN will not only melt through those annoying content blocks, but even protect your personal information and privacy.
The market has exploded with companies providing this service. As the need for internet security software grows, so do the sales pitches.
Here we take an honest look at one of these companies, ZoogTV, and see how they compare to the competition.
There are plenty of factors to consider before you commit to a service contract, so you’ll want to make sure you shop smart and get the best deal possible. Let’s take a look at what ZoogTV has to offer.
Will ZoogTV Work on My Operating System?
One of the first questions you should ask yourself when you start shopping around for a VPN is, will it even work on my device?
VPNs have limits to which operating systems they work on, and if it’s not compatible with yours, it’s not worth your hard earned money.
ZoogTV is compatible with most major operating systems, including Windows, Android, MacOSX, and iOS.
The only one you may be wondering about is Linux, which isn’t terribly common anymore, but ZoogTV is not compatible with it.
All in all though, it’s pretty great that you can use the software seamlessly between so many different devices.
Rating: 4/5-Works on everything but Linux devices
What Kind of Features Does ZoogTV Have?
This is a pretty big category, but there are a lot of important parts to it that you’ll want to consider. The features of a VPN are really their bread and butter-what makes them worth the money.
Remember, there’s a lot to choose from out there, so there’s no need to settle for anything less than the best. Make them earn your monthly fee!
Feature #1: Multiple Connections
When we say a VPN allows multiple connections, what that means is that they allow you to use their software on more than one device at a time, under the same service plan.
Basically, it’ll allow you to spread the protection to more than one gadget, without having to pay an extra service plan fee.
ZoogTV offers up to two simultaneous connections under one service plan.
Rating: 4/5-Up to 2 connections per plan
Feature #2: Money Back Guarantee
If a company is willing to put money on the line and guarantee their services, that’s a good sign. It tells us they believe in what they’re selling, and they’re confident we’re going to love it.
ZoogTV offers a 7-day money back guarantee. However, keep in mind that if you exceed 2GB of bandwidth usage in that time, you may only be entitled to a partial refund.
Rating: 5/5- 7 day guarantee
Feature #3: Number of Servers
The more servers a VPN has, the better your chances are of being able to connect, no matter where in the world you are.
If you’re a businessman who’s always on the go, or just lead a nomadic life, make sure to get a service provider with enough server locations to keep you protected.
Being that it’s primary purpose is to provide access to American TV outside of the US, it’s a little surprising that ZoogTV only has servers in the US and UK.
However, according to a representative from the company, there are more locations soon to come.
Rating: 1/5-Very limited range of servers
Feature #4: Referral Program
Believe it or not, some companies will actually reward you for your word of mouth marketing.
Referral programs often offer free service to customers who entice their friends and family to sign up, and are a bit of a rare perk.
Not surprisingly, ZoogTV doesn’t offer a referral program. Unfortunately, it’s just not the most common perk, so if you see a company offering this one, definitely give them a second look.
Rating: 0/5-No referral program
Feature #5: Data Logging
Much of the purpose of VPNs is to provide its users with privacy and anonymity when they’re browsing.
If a provider is in the business of logging its users’ internet activity, it shouldn’t be in the business at all.
Ladies and gentlemen, this one’s a deal breaker. Don’t pay for privacy with a company that’s going to monitor your activity.
Thankfully, this isn’t terribly common among VPN providers, and definitely isn’t something ZoogTV does – your browsing is always totally private and totally anonymous.
Rating: 5/5-Privacy, guaranteed. No data logging
Feature #6: Bandwidth
This is a particularly important feature for people that frequently download music, or stream movies and TV shows online.
For users of ZoogTV, whose primary purpose is to get people access to their favorite TV shows, having enough bandwidth to support that habit is absolutely crucial.
ZoogTV seems to know this. All of their service plans offer completely unlimited bandwidth, so you can have as many Walking Dead marathons as you want, and never worry about hitting a cap.
Rating: 5/5-Unlimited bandwidth with every plan
How Secure Is It?
Now that we’ve gone through the features that VPN companies can offer, it’s time to look at the nitty gritty of it – the security.
While getting past content blocks and restrictions is really cool, in the end, the security of your personal information is really what counts.
In a time when one of the fastest growing crimes in the world is identity theft, it’s incredibly important to make sure your information is safe and secure.
ZoogTV has you covered there, with 256-bit encryption to make sure that your information is never compromised, and that your data is always secure.
Rating: 5/5-Top notch security
What’s the Set Up Process Like?
Some people are a little intimidated by the concept of VPNs – particularly those that are just figuring out just what the heck they are.
For the massive number of new customers that aren’t tech savvy, it’s very important that the software is easy to set up.
If customers are having to get ahold of tech support just to get it installed, you have a problem.
ZoogTV is a good one for beginners, with software installation that is very straightforward. Once the software installed, there are no settings to change-set up is virtually nonexistent.
Rating: 5/5-Simplest set up around
Is it Easy to Use?
Once you have the software installed and any necessary system settings on your device set up, it’s time to get into the program and connect to the VPN.
If this takes you more than a minute, the company should immediately start losing points.
For people that frequently hop and off the internet all day, connecting to a VPN should be a fast, simple task that can be done in a few clicks and seconds.
ZoogTV has a simple software set up. I gave it a try on my Windows computer, and all that was needed to connect was to right click a small icon in my dashboard, select my server, and click connect.
Rating: 5/5-Fast to connect, easy to use
Logging In
A lot of VPN software require you to log in each time you want to connect, while some have a “remember me” option to streamline the process.
With ZoogTV, all you had to do was log in for the initial software set up, and from there it was as simple as connecting to your desired server.
Changing Servers
If you decide to hop on a different server and try the connection there, it should be as simple as selecting from a drop down menu. With ZoogTV it’s exactly that simple.
Though they have very few servers to choose from, all you have to do to switch back and forth between them is disconnect from your current one, and click on the one you want to use.
What If I Need Help?
Great customer service can mean the difference between loving having a VPN, or absolutely wanting to pull your hair out over it.
If you run into technical problems, or just don’t understand how it all works, you want to be able to reach customer service any time, and get a helpful, polite response.
24/7 Support?
Since VPNs are all about breaking down international content blocks and serving customers all over the world, having 24/7 service to cater to their customer’s varying time zones is critical.
ZoogTV offers round the clock support, so you’re never in the dark or waiting long for a response.
Rating: 5/5-Assistance anytime, day or night
Channels
The convenience of being able to contact customer service in a variety of ways cannot be overstated.
If you have a screaming baby on your hip, you’ll be grateful for live chat support, and if you need help immediately, live chat will be your saving grace.
Unfortunately, ZoogTV only offers e-mail support, so help may not always be immediate.
Rating: 2.5/5-No live chat support
Customer Support Test
I went ahead and took advantage of ZoogTV’s three day trial to give their customer service team a work out.
I tried to contact them for assistance two different times – once during peak business hours, and once in the middle of the night.
I wanted to see how fast their response was, depending on the time of day. Here’s what I ended up with.
E-mail Support Test #1-Wednesday/3:47 p.m.
My first attempt at contacting customer service took place towards the end of regular business hours, but still within the norm for customer service.
I wasn’t terribly thrilled with their response time – for a request at such a typical time of day (at least for me), it seemed to take entirely too long to get a reply.
Result: 5 hours and 46 minutes
Rating: 1.5/5-Polite service, but a long time coming
E-mail Support Test #2-Wednesday/11:53 p.m.
My next attempt to contact customer service was pretty late at night. I wanted to see how the response time varied between these two drastically different times of day, it at all.
Though the response time was a little faster with this request, it still seemed like a long time to wait for assistance.
Result: 4 hours and 41 minutes
Rating: 2/5-Response still took more than 4 hours
Overall, while the customer service was really polite and helpful, it just took too long to get responses for them to really be effective.
Had I been having real technical problems, I would have been pretty frustrated with the whole thing.
Rating: 3.5/10-Slow customer service
How Fast is ZoogTV?
Having a fast connection with your VPN is critical to being able to stream and download, so it makes sense to only pay for one that’s going to meet your needs.
Since ZoogTV is primarily for watching American TV outside the US, I ran a speed test to see how it compared to my original connection. Here are the results:
Without ZoogTV
With ZoogTV
So as you can see, the connection with ZoogTV is just a little bit slower – not a huge difference. Overall, it’s definitely fast enough to handle streaming of your favorite TV shows.
Rating: 4.5/5-Almost as fast as a regular connection
How Much Does ZoogTV Cost?
This is the category that will weigh the heaviest in your decision making – what’s the monthly rate?
If they have a bunch of features, you may feel comfortable paying a little more, but a plan rate that breaks the bank is a deal breaker.
So how does ZoogTV stack up?
As you can see, plans are super affordable, with rates starting at just $4.49 a month, and incremental discounts when you purchase more than one month at a time.
They even offer a 3-day free trial, so you can try it out for a few days to see if it’s for you.
Rating: 5/5-Super low rates, and a free trial
The X-Factor
This is that icing on the cake, the final selling point that you may not even realize you’re considering.
What makes the company stand out? Is it in a good way or a bad way? Is there site full of ads? Is there software sleek and intuitive?
What I noticed the most about ZoogTV was their marketing angle – this is a VPN that is obviously designed primarily for people that are interested in streaming TV services.
While the website is very organized and well set up, it was difficult as a new customer to ascertain whether the service was comprehensive enough for basic security and privacy protection.
If I was looking to purchase VPN software for the sole purpose of streaming TV and movies online, I probably would have been pretty pleased with the way the information was laid out.
However, the marketing seems to be at almost too fine a point, narrowing the pool of possible customers.
If I had been interested in my internet security, and not watching TV online, I probably would have passed this one up just based on that.
Rating: 13/20-Marketing makes VPN function unclear
Conclusion
Overall ZoogTV is a pretty good value. Let’s recap:
The good stuff:
- compatible with most operating systems
- allows up to two simultaneous connections
- 7 day money back guarantee
- unlimited bandwidth with all service plans
- no data logging
- very secure
- easy to set up and use
- fast connection
- low monthly rates
What could be better:
- won’t work with Linux devices
- very few servers
- no referral program
- slow customer service
Overall Score: 76/100
As you can see, the good definitely outweighs the bad, and you really can’t beat all those features for the price.
However, if you think you’re likely to be pretty dependent on customer service, keep in mind that help is not instantaneous with ZoogTV.
To get ZoogTV, sign up here: ZoogTV
To see the highest rated VPN that scored a 97/100, click here: Express VPN
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