Amnezia VPN Review 2025: Fast, Private & Easy to Use

Amnezia’s claim to fame is their very own VPN protocol that’s both fast and hard to detect. But they go way beyond this and really do everything to maintain access and provide payment options for users in heavily restricted countries. So if you’re living or traveling in a place with limited internet freedom—like Russia—then Amnezia is a top choice! This is also a great VPN for streaming and browsing, if you’re fine with the tiny list of countries. Amnezia even offers a limited but usable free tier.

The list of countries really is extremely short, with entire regions like Latin America missing. Popular streaming destination UK is also absent. The priority seems to be good connections for the majority of their users. Turkey should be great for users in Iran, while Sweden is optimal for folks in Russia.

While Amnezia does require an email address, you get an anonymous payment option and trustworthy open source apps that use standard encryption. Being as simple as possible, Amnezia loses marks for not having features like a kill switch to protect ordinary users from traffic leaks.

Encryption and Protocols

Amenzia is rocking their very own custom version of the WireGuard protocol: AmenziaWG. It’s a very clever way to mask VPN traffic while also keeping it very fast. There are signs they’re ready to adapt even more sophisticated, high performance protocols like XRAY as the censorship arms race continues.

Censorship Circumvention

Obfuscated connections aside, Amnezia is clever about making sure its website is hard to block by doing things like hiding behind Google Cloud Storage:

They also partner with a payment solution that’s similarly hard to censor:

It’s clear they’ve adopted similar methods to make sure the app can communicate with their backend (API), fetch available servers, etc. All in all, this is a very tough nut for the Internet police to crack.

Secure Payment

Amnezia accepts many payment methods including Monero (an anonymous cryptocurrency):

More importantly, in countries like Russia they still accept local payments. Thanks to Western sanctions and crypto being a pain in the ass, it can be extremely difficult for citizens in these places to actually pay for a VPN and get access to independent media. Sanctions helping dictators, who knew?! Amnezia cares enough to find solutions on both sides of the Iron Curtain.

Source Code

The AmneziaWG protocol is public and has been adopted by other projects and at least one router manufacturer (Keenetic). Amnezia’s apps are open source as well, which is always a win for transparency, privacy and security.

Logging and Trackers

Zero trackers and minimal permissions required by the Android app! Somebody has finally matched Mullvad’s record.

Their privacy policy is concise and doesn’t raise any serious concerns.

Jurisdiction

Ah. They prefer not to say, but the iOS app is published by Privacy Technologies OÜ which is an Estonian company with clear ownership. It’s clear that the core developers are from Russia which may concern some people. To be fair, with most VPN services you don’t even know that much and ownership is way less transparent.

Leak Protection

You should be safe from DNS, IPv6 and WebRTC leaks, but keep in mind: there appears to be no kill switch. All your traffic may leak if the VPN is not connected and you haven’t taken any extra measures.

Being this small, Amenzia probably just ducks under the radar of streaming services that try to block VPN users.

Netflix

Excellent streaming quality and local content for all the countries I tried, like the classic How I Met Your Mother which isn’t available for me here but becomes playable through Amenzia’s US server. The Swedish server works well for any shows you expect to be available in Europe:

Prime

Wow, even VPN-blocking champion Amazon Prime works perfectly. I haven’t been able to watch anything on Prime via a VPN before.

Disney+

No problems streaming Shogun on Disney+.

BBC iPlayer

Amnezia has no UK servers, and BBC iPlayer is only available in the UK. Awwwww.

This is not a VPN for torrenting. Speeds are seriously limited and it looks like even connections to legitimate trackers don’t work:

But as a general rule, in a country where you’re not allowed to open BBC News nobody cares how many torrents you download at home. It’s also fine to build a bicycle shed on your property without certified experts and years of paperwork. Funny how there are different kinds of freedom.

Not a great VPN for gaming. Very few servers and locations, which means latency between you and your peers will likely be increased substantially. Speeds are also slow compared to other VPNs.

It’s still possible to purchase geo-restricted games though, especially using the US server. If you only need a VPN to occasionally pay for a title and download it, nothing wrong with using a slow one.

While it doesn’t look great, this may be the best IP reputation score I’ve seen from a VPN in a long time:

Browsing with Amnezia I actually felt pretty unrestricted and wasn’t hit by a high number of CAPTCHAs. Impressive!

Amnezia gives you an extremely simple app with few options and the same UI on all devices. It does the job but it would be nice to see more features. I’m really missing a manual config option to connect any device, but I realize with a protocol like AmneziaWG that’s not widely supported this would only be useful to nerds very advanced users.

Android TV

Sure enough, another VPN app defeated by the Android TV remote! I can connect and disconnect, but there’s no way to change locations unless I attach a mouse. Why is this so hard guys?!

Testing with iperf3 between my European servers, I don’t get the best results.

While this is still acceptable for a typical home broadband connection, there’s a caveat. With so few locations, users in many countries will need to connect to geographically distant servers and that usually means big reductions in bandwidth and increased latency.

Pricing is very affordable, but there’s a catch: you can’t pay for less than 6 months and they’re very strict about refunds.

Promotions or Discounts

There’s a good discount when you pay for a year.

Everything is covered on the excellent help pages, which are easy to access even where amnezia.org is blocked. Further support is done by email.

Common issues

• Help, I can’t select a server (location) on my Android TV!
  Sadly you can only use the default location selected by the app, or bight the bullet and connect a mouse to your TV every time you want to change locations. Ugh.
• How can I configure a kill switch to prevent leaks?
  There’s no built-in option for this, but systems like Android give you a reliable kill switch on the OS level. Settings > Network & Internet > VPN:

Amnezia VPN has been a topic of discussion among Reddit users, with conversations focusing on its performance, platform compatibility, censorship challenges, and recent developments. Here’s a consolidated overview based on the shared Reddit threads:​

Key Takeaways from Reddit Users

Performance Concerns: Recent Slowdowns

Some users have reported a noticeable decrease in Amnezia VPN’s speed over recent months. Discussions highlight that while the VPN was previously efficient, there have been instances where the connection has become significantly slower, affecting the overall user experience.​

Some users have reported a noticeable decline in Amnezia VPN’s speed and stability.​

 “Amnezia became very slow in the last month.”

Read the full Reddit discussion: Amnezia became very slow in the last month

Platform Compatibility: Issues on iOS Devices

Users have encountered challenges when using AmneziaWG on iOS platforms. While configurations work seamlessly on PCs, iPhone users have reported successful connections without actual network functionality. This discrepancy suggests potential compatibility issues or configuration nuances specific to iOS devices.​

There have been reports of compatibility issues, particularly with iOS devices.​

“AmneziaWG doesn’t work on iOS but works on PC.”

Read the full Reddit discussion: AmneziaWG doesn’t work on iOS but works on PC

Censorship Challenges: Apple’s Restrictions in Russia

There have been instances where Apple has restricted access to Amnezia VPN within Russia. This move underscores the broader challenges VPN services face in regions with stringent internet regulations and highlights the ongoing battle between tech companies and governmental policies.​

Discussions have highlighted challenges due to Apple’s restrictions on VPN apps in Russia.​

“Apple censors Amnezia VPN in Russia at the government’s request.”

Read the full Reddit discussion: Apple censors Amnezia VPN in Russia at the government’s request

Feature Requests: Linux Whitelist Functionality

The community has expressed interest in additional features, such as implementing a whitelist function for Linux users. This feature would allow specific traffic to bypass the VPN, offering users more control over their connection and enhancing the VPN’s flexibility.​

“Please make normal tutorial! Really cool stuff. God bless you.”

Read the full Reddit discussion: Amnezia VPN Linux whitelist

Recent Developments: Launch of Amnezia VPN Free 2

Amnezia VPN introduced the Free 2 version, targeting users in Russia. This version addresses previous protocol blockages by implementing the AmneziaWG protocol, ensuring users can access blocked resources like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. The initiative demonstrates Amnezia’s commitment to adapting to evolving censorship measures and maintaining open internet access.​

“Seems working good for now in Russia by the way.”

Read the full Reddit discussion: Amnezia VPN Free 2 – launching!

Suggestions Alternatives

While Amnezia VPN is well-received for self-hosted use, a few Redditors mentioned alternatives for those preferring simpler setups or better iOS support:

• Mullvad VPN: Highlighted for strong privacy focus and multi-platform reliability.
• Surfshark: Mentioned in the context of WireGuard issues on iOS, though it didn’t fully resolve the user’s problems.

Not a VPN for anyone or anywhere. If you want gaming or torrenting, you’ve come to the wrong place. If you’re located in a region like Latin America, latency and speeds are likely to be pretty bad. What you do get is a VPN that can reliably punch holes through almost any firewall, and is very likely to continue making that a priority in the future as censorship evolves. Users in Russia and Iran will appreciate that they don’t need a VPN to buy a VPN, or even a foreign payment method. Users elsewhere will be impressed by just how much streaming and browsing you can get for a low price, or even for free. Despite limitations, Amnezia VPN is a great product from a small but very capable team.