ZenMate VPN Review: Discontinued and Merged Into CyberGhost
Verified live 2026-09-28: independent tester's headline states the brand is discontinued and merged into CyberGhost.
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.
Visit ZenMate
Read full review
site reachable · checked 19 h ago · daily check
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
draft generated by Qwen3, fact-checked by the vpncomparison editorial desk · review version 5 · prose updated 2026-10-07 · facts as of 2026-09-29 · 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 no longer sells subscriptions or accepts new users as of March 16, 2023. It is owned by Kape Technologies - formerly the ad-injection platform Crossrider - and has been fully merged into CyberGhost’s infrastructure. The website still markets outdated features, but you cannot buy anything. This is a defunct brand in name only, with no reason to engage in 2026.
Logging & privacy
ZenMate claims a “strict no-logs policy,” but this is supported only by policy statements, not audits. Since May 2023, the service runs on CyberGhost’s infrastructure, and ZenMate points to CyberGhost’s third-party audit for logging assurance - evidence that does not directly cover ZenMate’s past or transitional data handling. Jurisdiction spans the UK and Israel, both with invasive surveillance laws. No warrant canary exists, and the brand’s history includes a 2018 extension exploit that deanonymized 3.5 million users.
Pricing & the renewal trap
ZenMate does not offer new subscriptions, so there is no verifiable intro or renewal price. The pricing page displays no actual figures - only marketing claims - confirming the service is closed to new customers.Pricing is not documented, so no renewal ratio or 3-year cost can be calculated. Legacy subscribers remain on old terms, but new money is redirected to CyberGhost offers.
Features & performance
ZenMate advertised OpenVPN and WireGuard protocols, a kill switch, split tunneling, and support across 10 platforms including routers. It claimed 2,300 servers in 64 countries, streaming support, but no multihop, P2P, or dedicated IP. However, since May 1, 2023, the actual service runs on CyberGhost’s apps. These features are no longer independently operated or testable under the ZenMate brand. No performance data is available from independent testing.
Ownership & track record
ZenMate is 100% owned by Kape Technologies, formerly Crossrider - an SDK platform whose ad-injection technology was widely abused by adware and malware developers. Kape also owns CyberGhost, PIA, ExpressVPN, and several VPN review sites, creating inherent conflicts of interest. Red flags include the 2018 ZenMate extension exploit, misleading sunset practices, and the lack of transparency during the transition. Reddit and Hacker News communities consistently criticize Kape’s ownership model and trustworthiness.
Censorship resistance
ZenMate offers no obfuscation methods, and its infrastructure has been folded into CyberGhost, which also lacks documented obfuscation. The brand does not market censorship-bypass capabilities. Given the absence of obfuscation and its reliance on standard protocols, this service is not suitable for use in high-censorship environments like China, Iran, or Russia.
Verdict
Do not sign up for ZenMate - it is not accepting new users and has no independent operation since 2023. Legacy subscribers are now on CyberGhost’s system, but new users should look elsewhere. The brand’s unaudited logging claims, Crossrider heritage, and role in Kape’s conflicted ecosystem make it unsuitable for privacy-conscious use. Kape also owns major VPN review sites, meaning many positive reviews may stem from affiliate incentives.
++ 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 routes through /go/. Until then our links point straight to the provider's website 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
On the website
Captured by our screenshot bot from the live site (or its public archive). A capture is evidence of what the page showed at capture time - not an endorsement.
ZenMate FAQ
What do I actually get if I try to sign up for ZenMate today?
Nothing - you cannot create a new account or buy a subscription. The site redirects to CyberGhost. The free browser extensions still exist but are relics of a discontinued service.
What is the renewal price and total 3-year cost?
There is no renewal price or 3-year cost - ZenMate does not sell subscriptions. The `derived_pricing` fields are null, confirming no active billing model exists for new users.
What evidence supports ZenMate’s no-logs claim?
None beyond policy statements. The brand was never audited. It now references CyberGhost’s audit, but that does not cover ZenMate’s own data practices or transition period.
Can I use ZenMate in a censored country like China or Iran?
No. ZenMate offers no obfuscation, and its infrastructure is now part of CyberGhost, which also lacks proven censorship-circumvention tools. This is not a viable option in restrictive networks.
Can I pay anonymously with crypto or cash?
No. Even before shutdown, ZenMate accepted only fiat payments. No cryptocurrency options were offered, and new purchases are no longer possible anyway.
What happens if ZenMate shuts down completely?
It already has. As of May 1, 2023, the apps stopped working and were replaced by CyberGhost. Any remaining access is through that brand, under different terms and infrastructure.
What’s an honest free or cheap alternative?
For free: Proton VPN’s free tier (no logs, audited, no ads). For paid: Mullvad (flat rate, anonymous accounts, audited) or IVPN - both independent, transparent, and outside conglomerate control.
User comments (0)
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