Though VPNArea’s servers, website and social pages have all been down for some time, we wanted to be careful before declaring VPNArea dead. It was never one of the best VPNs, but thousands of users still trusted it, so the rumors of its demise deserve expert confirmation. After a thorough investigation, we’re prepared to say VPNArea isn’t coming back.
Whether you’re a VPNArea customer who’s lost service or you’re just curious about what happened, we’ll break it down in this post. However, understand that you may have a hard time getting your money back — there doesn’t appear to be enough of VPNArea left to issue refunds. Let’s review the evidence.
VPNArea Overview
VPNArea is — or was — a virtual private network (VPN) service that helped individuals and businesses conceal their activity online. Founded in 2012 and incorporated in Bulgaria, VPNArea had more than 100 servers in its network before everything went dark.
In our VPNArea review, we gave the late service a middling score. It was reasonably affordable, and we found no reason to mistrust its security record or privacy policy (though it had no third-party audits backing it up). However, it offered nothing special compared to the best providers like ExpressVPN; see our ExpressVPN review to learn why we like it better.
Service Status: VPNArea’s Current State
The problem was first reported in a Reddit post on r/VPN. In the post, user Stimsonite says they had been having trouble accessing VPNArea’s servers for months. However, they had recently noticed that its website returned a host error and its social media pages were unresponsive.
A VPN’s social pages are normally the first source of information about service failures, so if the VPN servers and site servers are down at the same time, it spells disaster. VPNArea’s LinkedIn company page is dead and its main website times out every time we try to load it. The Facebook page still exists, but there’s no official activity.
VPNArea’s Twitter/X page is the last place where it showed any sign of life. It wished users a happy Eid on June 15. On June 26, it tweeted one time after 11 days of inactivity (during which time its VPN servers became fully non-operational), which was almost certainly an automated ad. VPNArea’s customers have heard nothing from the company since.
VPNArea operated ipleak.org, which we frequently used to test for DNS leaks. Sadly, that’s gone, too. We did find a website still in existence under the name of VPNArea’s parent company, Offshore Security, but it doesn’t mention VPNArea at all. Given the generic name, it may not be related to the Offshore Security that owns (or owned) VPNArea.
VPNArea Shutdown: Customer Reviews & Feedback
We found Redditors taking a prevailing tone of disappointment and resignation, though with different user experiences. Many users mention that they’d been using VPNArea for years with no problems. Some say that VPNArea servers and software had been failing for months, frequently triggering the kill switch. Others state that it worked without issue until mid-June.
One user theorizes that VPNArea’s takedown might relate to the United States government’s recent banning of Kaspersky Antivirus, suggesting that VPNArea used Kaspersky’s API. As intriguing as this is, the facts don’t bear weight. There’s no evidence of a connection between VPNArea and Kaspersky. Additionally, vpnarea.com is down everywhere, not just in the U.S.
Is There Anything Customers Can Do?
If you’ve got time left on a paid VPNArea subscription, we don’t recommend trying to get a refund from VPNArea itself. The company’s online presence has been completely unresponsive for more than two weeks, as of the end of June 2024. If you want to try anyway, email support@vpnarea.com or billing@vpnarea.com and ask for your money back.
That said, you’re much more likely to get results if you go straight to your payment processor instead. Redditors report having gotten instant refunds from PayPal, and you’ve got a good chance of receiving the same treatment from banks and credit card companies once you explain the situation.
VPNArea & Current VPN Industry Trends
The rapid implosion of VPNArea is all the more surprising because it flies in the face of trends in the rest of the VPN industry. The latest VPN statistics suggest that the market will keep growing for the foreseeable future. When VPNs disappear, it’s usually because a consolidated market bought them, such as when AtlasVPN shut down at the behest of Nord Security.
On the other hand, the market for personal VPNs is crowded and competitive enough that we expect providers to go under now and then. Viewed that way, what’s unusual about VPNArea isn’t that it failed but that it did so without informing anybody that it was in danger. That makes it all the more vital to learn the signs of a provider in trouble, which we’ll discuss next.
The Cloudwards Expert Opinion
The Cloudwards Expert Opinion
It can be difficult to trust VPNs when services pull stunts like the one VPNArea apparently has, but I urge you not to throw out the good with the bad. The best thing you can do is learn to spot when a VPN service doesn’t deserve your money.
In VPNArea’s case, it doesn’t seem to have implemented updates more than a few times in the last five years. As you can see in our article warning against the worst VPNs, an inactive, unresponsive service is indicative of more serious problems. A VPN with an active community of both users and developers will be much more responsive to any issues that arise.
VPNArea Alternatives
If you’ve been kicked off of VPNArea, here are a few providers you might enjoy instead.
- ExpressVPN: ExpressVPN is our favorite VPN. It has a smooth set of apps with good speeds, excellent security, consistent updates and responsive customer service. You can give it a shot with an ExpressVPN free trial.
- NordVPN: Our tests show that NordVPN tends to be the fastest VPN, so give it a try if you miss the speeds you had with VPNArea. Our NordVPN review goes into more detail about its enticing features.
- Surfshark: Surfshark is solid, reliable and affordable, with well-tested security and a record of continuous improvement. Visit our Surfshark review to learn more.
Final Thoughts
There’s still a slim chance that rumors of VPNArea’s death have been greatly exaggerated, but we don’t think so. At best, its disappearance shows a lack of respect for its customers and should have you seeking out another VPN on the double.
Were you a VPNArea subscriber before it disappeared? Were you able to get your money back? Which other service will you be switching to? Let us know in the comments, and thank you very much for reading.
FAQ: Is VPNArea Still in Business?
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As of June 2024, VPNArea no longer appears to be operational.
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Customers who subscribed to long-term plans may have lost money on VPN services they won’t receive. If you’re one of them, try asking your bank or payment processor for a refund.
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The best VPNArea alternative is ExpressVPN, which is a faster, safer and more reliable service overall. NordVPN and Surfshark are also good choices.
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