Opera VPN Review 2026

Opera VPN is a feature in the Opera web browser that encrypts your traffic and routes it through a proxy to hide your real IP address. Therefore, it is a VPN only by name, as it really is just a proxy service.

Most importantly, you should keep in mind that it only protects the traffic on the Opera browser, as it’s not a separate VPN application.

Even though Opera VPN is completely free, you should think twice before using it. That’s because it lacks all the necessary features like a kill switch, doesn’t work with Netflix, and even poses certain security risks. In fact, I would strongly suggest using a paid alternative like NordVPN that would guarantee your online anonymity by providing you with best-in-class features and an audited no-logs policy.

Continue reading this Opera VPN review if you want to find out more about this service - and why it’s better to choose a more reliable VPN provider.

	NordVPN	Opera VPN
⭐ Rating:	4.9 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★	2 ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
🥇 Overall rank:	#1 out of #41	#41 out of #41
🖥️ Servers:	9,500+ servers in 149 countries	3,000+ servers in 30 countries
📖 No logs policy:	No logs	Some logs
💵 Price:	From $3.09/month	-
🔥 Coupons:	NordVPN coupon 76% OFF	Get best VPN coupon deal
🔒 VPN protocols:	OpenVPN, WireGuard (NordLynx), NordWhisper	HTTPS
🍿 Streaming services:	Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, Disney+, and more	YouTube
🖥️ Platforms:	Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS	Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS
📥 Simultaneous connections:	10	-
💁🏻 Support:	Knowledge base, FAQs, email, 24/7 live chat	-

Opera VPN pros & cons

Opera VPN is free - but is it worth the risk?

Opera VPN is absolutely free, as it simply comes with the Opera browser. There are no paid subscriptions that would enhance your experience. However, even though this seems to justify its mediocrity, I still don’t recommend using it even if you are on a tight budget. That’s because there are plenty of free VPNs that will give you a far better service.

You can also consider ProtonVPN, as its offer is even better - you get unlimited data with no monthly caps! However, you’ll experience slower speeds than with the paid version.

Finally, it’s also not a bad idea to settle with Windscribe. Even though it only gives you 10 GB of data per month, its free version can unblock Netflix.

Just keep in mind that it can be dangerous to use a free VPN if it’s not included on our list of the best free VPNs. That’s because there are lots of shady services that can sell your data or bombard you with malicious ads. So, if you can afford it, it’s better to pick a paid VPN service with a trustworthy privacy policy.

Why Opera VPN can't be considered safe

Unfortunately, Opera VPN is not very safe to use. Even though it implements military-grade AES-256 encryption, everything else about this service raises an eyebrow or two.

First of all, a proxy service shouldn’t promote itself as a VPN. Most internet users aren’t tech-savvy and might not know that the tool merely protects the traffic of the Opera browser, not the whole device.

Also, Opera VPN doesn’t use a secure tunneling protocol. Instead, it implements the outdated HTTPS (TLS) protocol that is prone to cyberattacks.

It doesn’t come as a surprise that Opera VPN hasn’t undergone any independent security audits like other VPN services (NordVPN, Surfshark, VyprVPN, etc.).

And keeping in mind all the Opera-related scandals, I wouldn’t recommend Opera VPN to anyone concerned about online privacy.

Is Opera VPN good for streaming?

After some testing, it became pretty obvious that Opera VPN is not a good choice for unblocking streaming sites.

Platform	Does Opera VPN work?
Netflix	❌ No
Hulu	❌ No
BBC iPlayer	❌ No
HBO Max	❌ No
YouTube	✅ Yes

For starters, the VPN doesn't let you select a specific country - you can only choose between Asia, Europe, and the Americas. This makes it much harder to unblock a streaming service that works only in particular regions.

In any case, Opera VPN didn’t change my Netflix library no matter which continent I used. I didn’t get blocked, at least - I simply got the international page.

Next, I always test for BBC iPlayer. However, I couldn’t even attempt unblocking the page, as the VPN doesn’t have the option to pick a UK server.

Then, went Hulu and Max. None of them worked when using the American server.

However, what did work was YouTube. I got the Indonesian library when using the Asian server, the Dutch library with the European server, and YouTube USA with the American server. Unfortunately, random YouTube libraries aren’t nearly enough to redeem Opera VPN.

VPN alternatives for streaming services

If you need a good VPN to unblock Netflix and other platforms, simply head to our article on the best VPNs for streaming or check out the list below:

• NordVPN. Equipped with ultra-high speeds and best-in-class encryption, NordVPN is able to unblock a total of 16 different Netflix libraries. It also works with Hulu, HBO Max, Disney+, BBC iPlayer, and other platforms. Oh, and it offers the SmartDNS feature that allows you to watch movies on virtually any device.
• Surfshark. You’ll love this VPN if you love Netflix. That’s because it unblocks 30 Netflix libraries - more than any other VPN can offer. The tool also works with the majority of other sites like BBC iPlayer, Apple TV, and HBO Now.
• PureVPN. Even though PureVPN’s abilities are a bit more humble than the ones of NordVPN and Surfshark, it still does a pretty good job at letting you watch Netflix US and BBC iPlayer.

Is Opera VPN good for torrenting?

It’s no shock that Opera VPN isn’t suitable for torrenting. Since it’s a browser-only VPN, it doesn’t cover traffic from standalone torrenting apps — meaning nothing outside the Opera browser gets encrypted. In theory, you could try using a browser-based torrent client, but in my testing, that didn’t work either. Torrent traffic went unencrypted and bypassed the VPN entirely.

Bottom line: Opera VPN offers no real protection or benefits for P2P file sharing. It didn’t come as a surprise that Opera VPN just downright doesn’t work with torrents. To find the best VPN for torrenting, I suggest checking out our recently updated guide.

Opera VPN servers and locations

Even though Opera VPN has 3,000 servers, they are located in only 30 countries. Meaning, some parts of the world won't be able to enjoy such good connection performance.

In case you need a larger server fleet with more server locations, you should consider getting a real VPN service. For example, NordVPN offers 9,500 servers in 149 countries and even lets you connect to the same server each time you use the program.

Speed performance: Is Opera VPN fast?

I wasn’t able to do a comprehensive speed test like with other VPN services, as there are only three continents to choose from with no option to select a specific country. Also, there's only one protocol (HTTPS) available, so there wasn't much to work with.

Nevertheless, the results that I managed to get were pretty good.

• Baseline: 295.85mbps download, 301.12mbps upload

Location	Download (Mbps)	Upload (Mbps)
Europe	293.37	231.91
Americas	219.66	64.38
Asia	195.46	8.02

Opera VPN offered really fast download speeds comparable to those of the best fast VPNs. However, the upload speeds were sometimes struggling.

Overall, these results aren’t that excellent for a proxy, since I’ve seen nearly zero percent download speed reduction when connecting to the other side of the world with other providers.

Interface and ease of use

Opera VPN is available as an Opera browser add-on on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS. To use it, you have to download Opera (for free) and enable the VPN in the settings section.

Afterwards, there’s not much to discover. You simply open the tool by clicking the VPN icon on the left side of the address bar and choose the continent you want to connect to. That’s it.

The only info you see on the desktop apps is the amount of data you’ve used that day. However, as the VPN doesn’t limit your data, I don’t really see the reason for this.

The Android version, however, is a bit more customizable. You can choose to use the VPN for private tabs only, or allow search engines to detect your real region for more accurate search results.

Opera VPN lacks critical VPN features

There’s not much to say about the features of Opera VPN. The only feature I could think of is the encryption of the Opera browser’s traffic (which is actually more than some proxies can offer, as they only change your IP address without protecting your data).

Other than that, there’s nothing. There is no kill switch that would protect your identity in case the VPN unexpectedly fails. Also, there’s no split tunneling because there’s nothing to split - the VPN works only on the Opera browser.

It’s apparent that Opera VPN lacks all of the most important features that make a VPN fully functional - let alone secure.

If you need a tool with lots of functionality, I’d suggest NordVPN. That’s because it includes some of the rarer features like obfuscated servers, SmartDNS, and even an integrated SOCKS proxy that works wonders with torrenting. On the other hand, when it comes to Opera VPN, any alternative will do.

Jurisdiction

The VPN’s jurisdiction is a bit problematic. It is based in Norway, which is a member of the 9-Eyes Alliance. The countries that belong to this alliance are less than desirable locations when it comes to user privacy on the internet.

However, what’s even more concerning than Norway is Opera’s relationship with China. That’s right - a few years ago, large shares of the company were sold to Chinese investors. Unfortunately, China-owned apps have a bad reputation privacy-wise. For example, TikTok has already raised lots of speculations about its user data being shared with the CCP.

Privacy issues

Since the only way to use this VPN is through the Opera browser, concerns and scandals relating to the browser are also relevant.

For example, Opera allegedly launched a few predatory loan applications with horrible annual percentage rates and unreasonable loan terms.

To add insult to injury, the privacy policy of the Opera browser is not the most transparent one. Even though the section about the VPN states that no info related to your browsing activity and the originating network address is collected, the same cannot be said about the browser itself. For example, it’s written that Opera and its products share some of the user info with sites like Facebook (which is one of the most privacy-unfriendly entities online).

Customer support

As Opera VPN is not a full-fledged VPN service, there are no dedicated customer support options in case you need assistance. The only place you can get any info on the VPN is Opera’s Help Center. Here, you’ll find a total of four FAQs on the VPN tool. That’s it.

You may also discover Opera’s contact details on the web. However, the support page states that the phone numbers provided can’t be used for product support. There’s also a contact form but you can only give feedback through it without expecting an answer.

Is Opera VPN any good and worth getting?

All things considered, Opera VPN is a mediocre service at best. It advertises itself as a VPN but doesn’t act like one in the slightest.

The tool doesn’t use any secure tunneling protocols, can’t unblock any streaming platforms except for YouTube, and is pretty useless when it comes to torrenting. Also, all the Opera-related scandals don’t really add any credibility.

The only good thing about the service is its high speeds, but you can also get that with a reputable VPN like Surfshark.

All in all, let’s hope that Opera VPN becomes a better service in the future.

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