Is Opera VPN Safe?

Opera has a poor history of privacy issues. In 2016, its synchronization service was hacked. More than 1.7 million users had sensitive information, such as passwords and login details, exposed during the incident.

More recently, a number of users have complained their real IP addresses are being leaked while using Opera VPN. Although we didn’t encounter this issue during our tests, it remains a serious concern.

For a safer alternative that still doesn’t cost anything but reliably hides your IP address and protects your online privacy, read our best free VPN recommendations.

Opera VPN uses the ultra-secure AES-256 encryption cipher to protect all of the data sent through the browser. This is the same encryption standard used by the US government, and is generally considered to be unbreakable.

Unfortunately, Opera VPN doesn’t pair this with a VPN tunneling protocol, such as OpenVPN or WireGuard, which you would expect from a regular VPN service.

Instead, Opera just uses the standard TLS encryption protocol that is used on all HTTPS websites. This means that, even though it encrypts your data securely, Opera VPN provides no additional security over a free plugin like HTTPS Everywhere.

Also, because it is a browser-based service, it does not encrypt any traffic from outside the Opera browser, such as a separate email application or torrenting client.

To learn more about VPN encryption, read our beginner’s guide to how VPNs work.

Opera offers very little information about its security features, likely because they are almost nonexistent.

Not only does Opera VPN lack VPN protocols, it also lacks important security features such as Perfect Forward Secrecy and a VPN kill switch, which is designed to safeguard your privacy when the VPN connection drops. Opera VPN also appears to provide little-to-no protection against IP, DNS, and WebRTC leaks.

While our latest testing showed no IP or WebRTC leaks, it did reveal that Opera VPN does not handle your DNS requests itself.

This kind of DNS leak is a privacy risk as it means an unknown third-party has a log of all your DNS requests, which can be highly revealing of your internet activity.

Since our last review, Opera VPN has updated its privacy policy, reducing reliance on third-party data processors.

However, it still lacks a comprehensive privacy policy for its free VPN, dedicating only a brief paragraph within its general policy.

Opera no longer admits to selling user data to third parties, instead stating:

We monetize our products in various ways, mostly by selling advertising within the Applications themselves.

While common for free online services, VPN users may be concerned that Opera openly acknowledges profiling based on browsing activity, location, and personal data for targeted advertising.

Opera claims not to log detailed browsing history, only recording general behavior patterns. However, this approach is still not as private as we’d like.

Android users should note that Opera Mini includes the Pangle SDK, an advertising library from TikTok developer Bytedance. This SDK typically collects personally identifiable information, and Bytedance has a history of privacy controversies.

Regarding the VPN service, Opera’s privacy policy is notably brief, stating only:

“We do not log any personal data or other information related to your browsing activity or originating network address” when you use Opera VPN.

While this claim is promising, an independent audit would bolster trust in the service. Many other VPN providers have undergone such audits, establishing credibility within the VPN community.

A VPN’s jurisdiction can impact privacy and safety due to surveillance and data retention laws.

Opera is based in Norway, a member of the Nine Eyes intelligence sharing agreement, which is less than ideal for internet privacy.

However, given Opera’s weak logging policy and limited security features, its jurisdiction only serves to make matters worse.

Safer alternatives exist, even within non-privacy-friendly jurisdictions.