HN stories matching 'zenmate'
328 hits dominated by Kape-conglomerate discussion (275-pt thread 2021, 'criminal conglomerate' Ask HN 2019), the 2018 extension exploit, and 2013-2014 launch-era nostalgia.
ZenMate Review
A brand in palliative care that still markets like it's 2018: ZenMate's own announcement closed new signups on March 16, 2023, killed its apps on May 1, 2023, and moved every remaining subscriber onto CyberGhost's apps - yet the homepage still cheerfully advertises '64+ locations', '40 million users' and 'unlimited devices' to people who cannot buy anything. Legacy facts are unverifiable (the pricing page shows no prices), the brand never audited its own logging claims, and its parent - Kape Technologies, formerly Crossrider - built its fortune on an ad-injection SDK abused by adware developers, while also owning four other VPNs and a stable of VPN 'review' websites. The 2018 extension deanonymization exploit (3.5M users) rounds out the picture. There is no reason to route anything through this name in 2026: use CyberGhost if you want the Kape stack, or better, anything not in it.
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Red flags (5):
- Parent-company heritage: Crossrider's SDK was 'increasingly utilized by malware and adware developers and the company was unable to combat misuse' (Wikipedia, citing RestorePrivacy) before rebranding as Kape in 2018
- May 2018: extension deanonymization + hijacking exploit, 3.5 million users affected (The Hacker Blog)
- Sunset mechanics penalized app-store subscribers (auto-renewal removed) while the marketing site kept soliciting trust
+2 more red flags - expand before signing up
- Teddy Sagi's Kape also acquired Webselenese - the company owns VPN review media alongside five VPNs (CyberInsider/RestorePrivacy)
- Legacy service now runs entirely on sibling CyberGhost's infrastructure with a cross-brand data handover promise that is operator-asserted, not audited
// Review
by the vpncomparison editorial desk · review version 4 · prose updated 2026-09-28 · facts as of 2026-09-28 · how we verify
Honesty note: we have not run our own tests on ZenMate yet (leak tests, speed, kill switch). Everything on this page is source-based meta-research with dated links. When we test it, results appear here and on the change log.
Overview
ZenMate is a commercial VPN brand that has been sunsetted: no new accounts or purchases have been allowed since March 16, 2023, and its apps were retired on May 1, 2023. It’s now fully migrated to CyberGhost’s infrastructure under parent company Kape Technologies, formerly Crossrider - an ad-injection SDK firm with a history of abuse by adware developers. Despite this, the website still markets outdated claims, making it functionally a dead brand with active marketing.
Logging & privacy
ZenMate claims a "strict no-logs policy," but this is policy-only - never independently audited under its own name. Since 2023, the service runs on CyberGhost’s infrastructure, and ZenMate now points to CyberGhost’s audited no-logs policy as evidence. However, the data handover between brands is operator-asserted, not verified. Jurisdictionally, ZenMate was founded in Germany but is owned by UK/Israel-based Kape Technologies, which has a controversial past tied to browser ad-injection exploits. No warrant canary exists.
Pricing & the renewal trap
ZenMate is not purchasable: no prices are listed, and new subscriptions were blocked as of March 16, 2023. Legacy users remain on existing plans, but all new traffic is funneled to CyberGhost offers. With no verifiable intro or renewal pricing, there is no way to calculate a renewal trap ratio. The pricing page shows only marketing language, not actual costs. Free tier: 1GB via browser extensions.
Features & performance
The legacy ZenMate service supported OpenVPN and WireGuard protocols with a kill switch and split tunneling, available on major platforms including Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, and browsers. It claimed 2,300 servers in 64 countries and supported streaming, but did not support multihop, P2P file sharing, or obfuscation. Since May 2023, actual service is delivered via CyberGhost’s apps. No independent performance tests have been conducted.
Ownership & track record
ZenMate is 100% owned by Kape Technologies, formerly Crossrider - a company whose SDK was widely abused for adware and browser hijacking. Kape also owns CyberGhost, PIA, ExpressVPN, and review sites like vpnMentor and Wizcase, creating clear conflicts of interest. ZenMate’s 2018 browser extension exploit exposed 3.5 million users to deanonymization. The 2023 migration sidelined app-store subscribers and erased auto-renewal, while the site continued promoting non-existent products.
Censorship resistance
ZenMate offers no obfuscation features, and its browser extensions - once central to its offering - were compromised in a 2018 exploit. Since the service now runs entirely on CyberGhost’s infrastructure, any censorship resistance depends on CyberGhost’s tools, which are not detailed here. This brand provides no reliable path for use in heavily censored regions like China or Iran.
Verdict
Do not sign up for ZenMate - it is not accepting new customers and has no independent service. Legacy users are now on CyberGhost’s platform under unverified data transfer claims. Given Kape’s adware origins, lack of direct audits, and ownership of multiple VPNs and review sites, trust is structurally compromised. This provider pays affiliate networks (CJ), fueling misleading promotions.
++ What holds up
- Free browser extensions still functional (Chrome/Firefox/Opera) for casual unblocking
- Unlimited simultaneous devices advertised for legacy accounts (rare in the industry)
- Sunset handled with some grace: remaining subscription time auto-added to a CyberGhost subscription, credentials exchanged via API so CyberGhost nominally never sees ZenMate login data (operator statement)
- Kill switch and Android split tunneling available via the CyberGhost apps that now provide the service
-- What to watch
- Dead as a product: no new accounts or purchases since March 16, 2023; ZenMate apps discontinued May 1, 2023
- App-store subscribers silently lost auto-renewal in the sunset - service access simply expires
- No ZenMate-specific logging audit, ever; the no-logs story now belongs to CyberGhost
- Parent Kape = former Crossrider ad-injection platform (man-in-the-browser ad rewriting history) + owns VPN review sites - a structural conflict of interest
- 2018: ZenMate VPN browser extension deanonymization/hijacking exploit affected 3.5M users
- Stale marketing live on: '64+ locations', '40 million users' and a pricing page with no prices
Pricing reality check
| Intro price | see provider site |
|---|
See the 3-year total next to the marketing number: true-cost calculator →
// The money trail - what review sites earn by recommending this
has an affiliate program via CJ · published terms: not public - CJ terms behind login; no rate published
No affiliate page on zenmate.com any more, but CJ affiliate tracking links to zenmate.com were captured by Wayback as recently as 2025-12-23 - and the site now carries a 'We're joining forces with CyberGhost VPN' banner (Kape consolidation).
If we sign up for this program, every link here becomes rel="nofollow sponsored" and this box stays. Until then our links are plain redirects with zero tracking. Ranking logic physically cannot read affiliate fields - here is the proof.
Incident record (1)
- 2021 Kape buys ExpressVPN, now controls 4 big VPNs plus VPN review sites Kape Technologies acquired ExpressVPN for $936M, putting an ex-adware company behind ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, PIA, ZenMate - and, via acquisi source →
Before you pay: check the renewal price, the refund window, and whether a cheaper or free path covers your use case - the honest checklist.
// ZenMate FAQ
Is ZenMate legit?
Based on our checks as of 2026-09-28: ZenMate scores 4.9/10 in our weighted review. We logged 5 red flags (listed above). User reports, ownership and the incident record are documented with dated sources in the meta-review below.
What do I actually get if I try to sign up now?
Nothing - you cannot create a new ZenMate account or pay for a subscription. The site redirects to CyberGhost. Legacy users get access via CyberGhost’s apps, but new users are blocked at purchase.
What is the renewal price and total cost over three years?
There is no renewal price because ZenMate does not sell subscriptions. No verifiable pricing exists on the site, making long-term cost impossible to calculate.
What evidence supports ZenMate’s no-logs claim?
None under its own name. The claim is policy-only. ZenMate now references CyberGhost’s audited no-logs policy, but the migration and data handover process lacks independent verification.
Does ZenMate work in censored countries like China or Iran?
No. It offers no obfuscation tools, and its browser extensions were compromised in 2018. The current service runs on CyberGhost, but ZenMate itself provides no censorship-resistant features.
Can I pay anonymously with cryptocurrency?
No. Cryptocurrency payments are not listed, and since no new subscriptions are accepted, payment methods are irrelevant. Even if they were, Kape’s ecosystem does not support anonymous onboarding.
What happens if ZenMate shuts down completely?
It already has: apps were discontinued May 1, 2023. Remaining users were migrated to CyberGhost. Future access depends entirely on Kape’s decisions, with no user recourse or transparency.
What’s an honest free or cheap alternative?
Proton VPN offers a permanent free tier with no data limits (mobile only). For paid options, Mullvad (flat annual rate, anonymous accounts) or IVPN (independent, audited, transparent) are better choices outside conglomerate control.
// User comments (0)
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