12VPX Review 2024: Is It Any Good?

12VPX is secure and fast for web surfing, but it’s not a typical VPN. Although it has a lot of the basic VPN features, a support rep told me it’s mostly optimized to give users in China access to the open web. There are much better VPNs out there, including ExpressVPN and Private Internet Access.

12VPX secures your traffic with industry-standard security features like 256-bit AES encryption, a kill switch, and a no-logs policy, and it also comes with DNS and IPv6 leak protection and obfuscation.

Unfortunately, 12VPX has some serious drawbacks. It doesn’t work with top streaming sites like Netflix and Amazon Prime, it doesn’t have native apps for iOS and Android, and its desktop apps are not user-friendly. It’s also missing WebRTC leak protection, it only has 1 P2P server, it’s overpriced, and there’s no live chat.

12VPX allows 6 simultaneous connections with 1 account, which is on the lower end of the industry average. It has monthly and yearly plans, and it comes with a 14-day money-back guarantee as long as you don’t use more than 5 GB of data..

12VPX Full Review — Secure but Unintuitive (& Bad for Streaming & Torrenting)

I spent a couple of weeks researching and testing 12VPX to see how it compares to other top VPNs on the market.

12VPX is good for securely browsing the web — it protects your data with bank-grade encryption, and it has a kill switch and a no-logs policy. It also prevents some leaks and has obfuscation, so it works in restrictive countries.

But compared to other top VPNs, 12VPX just doesn’t provide good value. It doesn’t have native mobile apps (you need to perform annoying manual setups), its desktop apps aren’t intuitive, and it’s bad for streaming and torrenting.

12VPX Plans & Pricing Expensive (With Annoying Limitations on the Money-Back Guarantee)

12VPX has monthly and yearly plans. It allows up to 6 simultaneous connections with 1 account, which is on the lower end of the industry average.

12VPX’s monthly and yearly plans are more expensive than ExpressVPN, Private Internet Access, and CyberGhost VPN’s plans. All of those VPNs provide better value than 12VPX.

There’s a 14-day money-back guarantee with 12VPX, but you must use less than 5 GB of data to qualify for it. This is really annoying — just watching 1080p videos on YouTube consumes around 1.5 GB of data per hour. Most top VPNs, like ExpressVPN, Private Internet Access, and NordVPN, have no-questions-asked 30-day money-back guarantees.

Overall, 12VPX is pretty expensive and doesn’t provide good value. Plus, it only has a 14-day money-back guarantee, and you need to use less than 5 GB of data to qualify for it. Other top VPNs provide far better value and have longer money-back guarantees that don’t have any conditions.

12VPX Features — Industry-Standard Security Tools + Smart DNS Option

12VPX has industry-standard security features:

• 256-bit AES encryption — 12VPX secures your data with bank-grade encryption.
• Kill switch — This feature disconnects you from the internet if your VPN connection drops, to prevent traffic leaks.
• No-logs policy — 12VPX doesn’t log your IP address and online traffic (visited sites and downloaded files).

12VPX uses the OpenVPN, OpenWeb, and XTLS protocols. OpenWeb is much faster than OpenVPN — my speeds were 82% faster with it. However, it’s also less secure because you don’t get the kill switch and leak protection. XTLS is slightly faster than OpenWeb and less secure as well, as it doesn’t encrypt connections that are already encrypted (like HTTPS connections). I wish 12VPX would support WireGuard too — it’s just as fast as OpenWeb, but much more secure. Competitors like Private Internet Access have WireGuard, and ExpressVPN has its own proprietary protocol that is even better than WireGuard.

12VPX protects you against IPv6 and DNS leaks, but not WebRTC leaks. When I ran tests, I didn’t notice any leaks, but I still recommend manually disabling WebRTC to be safe. Other top VPNs, like ExpressVPN and CyberGhost VPN, provide protection against all leaks.

I like that it offers a smart DNS option. This is convenient if you want to use the VPN on devices that don’t natively support VPN connections, like certain smart TVs and gaming consoles.

12VPX also claims to work in China and has special versions of its OpenWeb and XTLS protocols optimized for use in the country. The customer support rep told me it may not work in all censorship-heavy countries, including Turkmenistan, Nigeria, and Ghana, so if you’re looking for a VPN that consistently works in countries with restrictions, I recommend ExpressVPN.

12VPX Privacy & Security — Privacy Policy Is Vague

12VPX claims to have a no-logs policy, but its Privacy Policy is very vague and doesn’t say what data the apps log. I had to reach out to customer support to find out. A support rep confirmed that the apps don’t log your IP address and traffic. 12VPX only logs your email on signup and to process your payment.

I’d have an easier time trusting 12VPX’s no-logs policy if it underwent an independent audit like ExpressVPN has.

12VPX is located in the Netherlands, which is part of the 9 and 14 Eyes Alliances (groups of countries that share surveillance data with each other). But even if the authorities ask 12VPX to hand over user data, it shouldn’t be able to do that because it doesn’t keep any logs.

Overall, 12VPX has a vague no-logs policy and is located in a 9 and 14 Eyes Alliance country. Other top VPNs have clear, strict no-logs policies that have been independently audited and are located in privacy-friendly countries.

12VPX Speed & Performance — Good Speeds Overall

I ran dozens of speed tests on my Windows 11 PC on servers in all 39 countries where 12VPX has servers. I had the fastest speeds on local servers in the US, but I also maintained good speeds on distant servers in Japan, Australia, Germany, and Taiwan.

First, I ran a speed test without being connected to 12VPX to get a baseline of my internet service provider (ISP) speeds:

12VPX doesn’t have a quick-connect feature that automatically connects you to the fastest server, so I manually connected to a server in my country (the US) to test its speeds on a local server.

Finally, I connected to a distant server in Japan. Here are my speeds:

Overall, 12VPX provided me with good speeds — I maintained fast connection speeds on both local and distant servers.

When I tested a local server, I experienced a minimal 5% slowdown. Websites loaded instantly and HD videos on YouTube didn’t buffer when I skipped through them.

When I tested distant servers, I experienced a 38% slowdown, which is better than average. HD and 4K videos loaded in less than 5 seconds, and I only experienced minor buffering.

12VPX Servers & IP Addresses — Very Small Server Network (& Only 1 P2P-Friendly Option)

12VPX has 80+ servers in 39 countries. Other top VPNs have much larger server networks — ExpressVPN has servers in 105 countries and CyberGhost VPN has servers in 100 countries. 12VPX has servers in most parts of the world except South America, Africa, and the Middle East. If you live in these regions, you might have slower speeds because there are no nearby servers.

12VPX only allows torrenting on 1 server in Sweden and blocks it on all other servers. Top VPNs like ExpressVPN and Private Internet Access have significantly better torrenting support since they allow P2P traffic on all servers.

Overall, 12VPX has a very small server network that doesn’t cover most regions, and there’s only 1 P2P-friendly server. Other top VPNs have much larger server networks with far better P2P support.

12VPX Streaming & Torrenting — Awful for Both Activities

12VPX is terrible for streaming — it doesn’t work with top streaming sites like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, or Disney+. It’s a little better for smaller sites, as it works with Sony Crackle and Peacock TV, but not with Crunchyroll. 

If you want a really good streaming VPN, I recommend ExpressVPN because it consistently works with all top streaming sites.

12VPX is also really bad for torrenting because it only has 1 P2P server, which is located in Sweden. If you’re outside Europe, you’re likely to experience a significant slowdown. I’m from the US and my torrenting speeds weren’t great — it took me 3–4 hours to download a 10 GB file. There are much better torrenting VPNs out there.

Overall, 12VPX isn’t good for streaming or torrenting. It doesn’t work with popular streaming sites like Netflix and Amazon Prime. And it only has 1 P2P server, which is located in Sweden, so users outside Europe will have slower downloads. Other top VPNs like Private Internet Access and ExpressVPN provide much better streaming and torrenting support.

12VPX Ease of Use: Mobile & Desktop Apps — Unintuitive Desktop Apps & No Mobile Support

12VPX only has native apps for Windows and macOS. To use 12VPX on iOS and Android, you need to use third-party apps and perform manual setups, which is very inconvenient. If you’re looking for a good Android VPN, click here. For the top iOS VPNs, check out our recommendations here.

The desktop apps are easy to install, but they’re not user-friendly. There’s no quick-connect feature and the design is very dated — the interface looks like something from the early 2000s. Also, the settings don’t have explanations, so they’re confusing. For example, I have no idea what Omit setting system proxy and Ignore HOSTS file are, and the support rep couldn’t explain when I asked. Honestly, there are much better Windows and Mac VPN apps out there.

Overall, 12VPX only has Windows and macOS apps, which aren’t intuitive, and there are no native mobile apps.

12VPX Customer Support — Unhelpful Support Reps & Poor FAQs

12VPX only offers email support and a few not-so-helpful FAQs. It has setup guides for all devices it supports and a very small blog that reveals a little about what the VPN offers — most articles are tips for users in China. Overall, I had to email them a lot.

When I tested 12VPX’s email support, I usually received a response in 3–4 hours, which is a good response time. The support reps didn’t answer any of my questions — they just told me this is a service for users in China and that I’d be better off with a regular VPN service.

Overall, 12VPX’s customer support needs a lot of improvement. It has email support and a few FAQs but they aren’t very helpful. Top VPNs like ExpressVPN have much better customer support, including 24/7 live chat, responsive email support, in-depth FAQs, and troubleshooting articles.

Is 12VPX Any Good in 2024?

12VPX has good security features and fast speeds, but it’s an extremely basic VPN. Other than securely surfing the web, 12VPX isn’t good for anything else.

12VPX comes with industry-standard security features, and it also includes advanced security features like IPv6 and DNS leak protection and traffic obfuscation.

But 12VPX has lots of issues — for example, it doesn’t work with top streaming sites, and it’s missing dedicated apps for iOS and Android. Its desktop apps are confusing to use, it only allows torrenting on 1 server, it costs too much, and it has no live chat.

If you still want to try 12VPX, it has monthly and yearly plans, and it comes with a 14-day money-back guarantee — but only if you don’t use more than 5 GB of data.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is 12VPX free?

No, 12VPX doesn’t have a free plan. It has a 14-day money-back guarantee, but you need to use less than 5 GB of data to qualify, which is very inconvenient. Also, its monthly plan and its long-term plans are expensive.

Does 12VPX work with Netflix?

No, 12VPX doesn’t work with Netflix, or with other popular streaming sites like Hulu, Amazon Prime, and Disney+.

If you want a good Netflix VPN, I recommend ExpressVPN — it consistently works with Netflix, has fast speeds, and is very easy to use.

Does 12VPX work on Android and iOS?

12VPX doesn’t have native apps for Android and iOS, so you need to perform manual setups using third-party apps. This is very inconvenient and time-consuming.

Is 12VPX safe?

Yes, 12VPX is a safe VPN — it has industry-standard security features like 256-bit AES encryption, a kill switch, and a no-logs policy. It also provides obfuscation and DNS and IPv6 leak protection.