Smarty DNS Review
Smarty DNS is a company launched in 2013, aiming at providing an affordable solution for those seeking to unblock websites all over the world. Although it is currently under constant expansion, the company’s goal is to offer quality and convenient services of DNS, Proxy services and of course VPN to its clientele. Below, we are going to highlight the pros and cons of these services, in our thorough Smarty DNS review.
Features
Smarty DNS offers solutions to the people interested in unblocking channels and apps in the USA, UK, Poland, France, Canada, Italy, Netherlands, Germany, Australia and Singapore. P2P is allowed on the VPN servers from Netherlands and Germany. Of course, their aim is to add more locations as they go and cover more places in the world. Among the websites and channels unblocked, we can find Netflix US, UK, DE and CA, Hulu and BBC iPlayer, Pandora and CNBC and lots more (almost 300 websites). The speed is impeccable and they offer superb conveniences, as we are going to witness later on.
Now, if you are troubled as to whether or not the SmartDNS service is best for you, find out what this is all about. You may be surprised at what SmartDNS can do for you.
SmartDNS
VPN is all about encryption and therefore you cannot find the same function in the SmartDNS services provided. This automatically decreases the level of security that you can obtain online. However, it is not all bad. On the contrary, SmartDNS can take pride in having no negative impact on the performance of the Internet connection for the user.
As a result, there is no lack of speed for you while streaming the movie or series you wish to enjoy. In addition, this option does not require any technical knowledge for setting up and it is typically lower in cost than the VPN. Last but not least, all devices and OS are compatible with SmartDNS. To be more specific about SmartDNS:
Pros
It is really easy to setup
You lose no speed while streaming online
It costs less than the VPN
It is fully compatible with OS and devices
Cons
It does not encrypt your traffic
It does not enhance your online security
It does not offer file sharing facilities
Pricing
Well, if you have set your mind on subscribing to Smarty DNS, here is what you should know about the SmartDNS plans offered. There is a 3-day free trial available for users to benefit from, in order to check the service and decide whether or not to go ahead with the subscription. After that, one month costs $4.86 – the average cost of SmartDNS services. Three months are offered at $11.86, and, finally, a whole year at $34.96 – this is the best value for money.
Acceptable payment methods include PayPal, Credit Card, Discover, Bicoin & Altcoins, Alipay, Webmoney, Yandex Money, Boleto Bancario, Qiwi. There is also a 30-day full money refund guarantee, highlighting the level of commitment on behalf of the company towards their clients.
Online Security
SmartDNS does not include any kind of encryption. This is great in terms of speed and performance, but not in terms of online security. On the contrary, you cannot expect to use SmartDNS while surfing the web and getting the proper masking of your IP anywhere you land. If you seek that kind of privacy and anonymity, VPN is the key. Other than that, Smarty DNS is really straightforward at the Terms and Conditions section on their website. There, you will find that they do not allow any torrent activity and that they may share your information, in cases of subpoenas, court orders or legal processes.
Do They Support VPN Too?
At Smarty DNS, they offer VPN as an alternative to the SmartDNS service provided. This leads to no extra cost for the users. On the other hand, you do not have the opportunity to choose the VPN plan alone. They currently have VPN servers in 10 locations. As for the protocols provided, you may select from 6 VPN protocols: OpenVPN, IKEv2, L2TP/IPSec, SSTP, SoftEther, PPTP with the strongest encryption. They don’t keep any logs, which is key!
VPN Pricing
No actual change in the price rates occurs while using the VPN services, alongside the SmartDNS services of SmartyDNS.
Help & Support
Moving on with our Smarty DNS review, help and support is what needs to be analyzed. For clients, there is the client area for instant feedback and much more personalized support. However, even without it, you may submit a ticket and expect to get an answer as soon as possible.
At the Support Page, there are analytic setup tutorials for both SmartDNS and VPN services. Other than that, the FAQ section will clear the air and offer information on several topics (for example, account details and troubleshooting). A blog is available for deeper insight on the services provided. Last but not least, social media presence is strong and there are frequent giveaways for followers of the company online.
Compatibility
It is compatible with all OS and devices, making it really convenient to benefit from the services provided by Smarty DNS. More specifically, you may use this service on Windows, Mac OS X, Apple TV, iPhones and iPads, Android using devices and Roku, Xbox One and 360, PS3 and 4, Samsung Smart TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV and Amazon Fire TV Stick and a lot more. Wonderful compatibility, to say the least!
Conclusion
Now that our Smarty DNS review has come to an end, it is safe to say that this is a greatly affordable SmartDNS service with VPN features that allow full unblocking experience. Its network is not that expanded up till now, with the unblocked content coming from ten different countries. Still, there is a plethora of channels you can get the chance to enjoy. They allow 5 simultaneous connections with VPN and unlimited simultaneous connection with Smart DNS, which is also great.
The free 3 days trial is generous and so is the 30 days full money refund guarantee. With the option to pay via Bitcoin and Altcoins, payment methods are perfect. It is fully compatible and easy to use, with minimum loss of speed – if any. Nevertheless, the support is limited to submitting tickets and reading through the knowledgebase – no phone number or live chat is available. Moreover, torrent activity is not allowed and this can be a problem for some. All in all, Smarty DNS is a reliable DNS service provider with potentials for the future!