Disconnect VPN and Content Blocker Review

Internet privacy, security, and VPNs have been hot topics for the past few years, as more and more of our lives exist in a digital world. We work online, shop online, bank online, and trust internet services with some of our most personal information.

The idea of being tracked, or having your information snooped on unknowingly by potentially malicious third parties is enough to keep some people up all night. This has led to a rise in consumer-friendly security tools like content blockers and VPNs. Disconnect, a multi-platform service, utilizes VPN technology to offer both ad and content blocking to keep your information away from spying eyes.

Getting Started with Disconnect VPN

Disconnect is a two-part service that can act both as a full-blown secure network for your smartphone, tablet, or computer, or as a basic content blocker, enabling quicker page loads and freedom from trackers and advertising. Unlike some other VPN and content blocking products, Disconnect rolls all of their services into a single iOS or macOS application. Simply download the app, enable the profile (iOS only), turn on protection, and browse the internet without being tracked, watched, or followed.

Using the two content services within Disconnect is as easy as toggling the setting on or off (Mac), or tapping to start/stop (iOS). When enabled on iOS, the VPN indicator will appear in the status bar to let you know it’s working, and Disconnect will automatically remain connected or reconnect as you use your device, even when moving between Wi-Fi networks or between cellular and Wi-Fi.

On the Mac, Disconnect will reconnect with each new Wi-Fi network, although the transition wasn’t always smooth in my testing. Also worth noting, a custom status bar icon will indicate whether the service is running successfully on your Mac.

Content Blocking

When it comes to actually browsing the internet with Disconnect, the primary method is through their “blocking” VPN. This allows for faster internet speeds than their full VPN service, while reducing web advertisements, trackers, and other javascript tools used to keep tabs on your browsing history.

VPN Protection

When using public Wi-Fi networks, or working on more sensitive data, having a full VPN is essential to ensuring your personal or work information stays private. Using Disconnect’s Premium Protection, you can benefit from fully encrypted VPN traffic from your computer to its destination, ensuring that passwords, bank information, social security numbers, etc. aren’t scooped up by someone they weren’t intended for.

Their full VPN offering does come at a technological cost. Due to the nature of VPNs, using the Premium Protection means reduced internet speeds. It also means trusting your VPN provider to keep your traffic secure, a trade-off most are willing to make.

Other Features

Inside both the iOS and Mac application, Disconnect offers “private search.” This feature utilizes a URL handoff which anonymizes your search query keeping your searches clean. Private Search also uses DuckDuckGo as its search engine, which is known for not tracking users and being less “creepy” than Google.

Disconnect also features location control for the “Premium Protection” (full VPN) connection. This setting allows users to choose to mimic a connection from one of four locales – USA, Europe, Germany (apparently not part of Europe), and Asia – to increase privacy when browsing the web.

Conclusion

More and more of your life is on the internet and maintaining your security and privacy is critical to internet safety. Investing in a quality VPN service means staying safe is just a little easier while you interact with your personal and professional information online. Disconnect offers a high-quality, reliable VPN service for both privately browsing the web and keeping your most private information secure on all of your devices (up to 3 per subscription).

Price: $50/Year for Premium $49 Lifetime Premium Subscription for iDrop News Readers