Google One VPN Review
Community-sourced VPN review based on real Reddit & Twitter discussions
Reddit mentions of Google One VPN are mixed-to-slightly-negative overall, with some users praising it as a convenient, “it just works” add-on for people already in Google’s ecosystem. The most concret...
What the Community Says
Reddit mentions of Google One VPN are mixed-to-slightly-negative overall, with some users praising it as a convenient, “it just works” add-on for people already in Google’s ecosystem. The most concrete positive feedback is around basic connectivity and travel reliability, including at least one report of it working smoothly in Beijing alongside Google Fi. Users also discuss DNS options (e.g., Cloudflare 1.1.1.1 vs Google 8.8.8.8 vs ISP DNS) and generally frame it as a simple, mainstream VPN rather than a specialist privacy tool.
The most common reservations are privacy and trust-related: commenters push back hard on the idea that a Google-branded VPN is “secure and private,” citing Google’s advertising/data-harvesting reputation and the risk of data correlation when one provider handles multiple sensitive parts of your digital life. Some warn about “single provider risk” (Google account + VPN + other services) and discuss jurisdiction concerns, plus worries about security holes/0day exploits in mainstream platforms. There’s also discussion of leak mitigation and connection failure behavior, implying that users who care about strict privacy guarantees or robust threat models look elsewhere.
Strengths
- Convenient add-on for existing Google One/Fi users with minimal setup
- Reports of solid real-world connectivity (including travel use such as Beijing)
- Mainstream usability on mobile platforms (Android/iOS) with straightforward operation
Weaknesses
- Low trust for privacy due to Google’s data/correlation and “single provider” concerns
- Security/jurisdiction skepticism and worries about leaks or failure-mode protections
Summary generated 1 week ago from 13 community mentions
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"We just returned from Beijing for 8 days. Used Google Fi with the Google one vpn the whole time. Not a single problem! 8 others in our group across T-Mobile and att too. Didn't hear any complaints about phones not working as expected. I was very worried before the trip and it turned out to be a non-existent issue. I will agree that the payment processes were the most frustrating. WeChat pay and alipay. Couldn't get a card to work in either for my teen. Had to do identity verification several times for myself, including pics of my passport, physical card and me holding my passport."
"People do know it. Read the OG comment you're replying to.. Calling mainstream (google) "secure and private" is the epitome of hilarity. They're so full of security holes and 0day exploits it's unfunny. They're also The Biggest data-harvester."
"When you use the same company for two very private sides of your life, instead of diversifying your assets to different companies, you expose yourself to bigger risks of this company connecting your data from the one product the have with the other product they operate, if they have to. Take that sentence and you can apply anywhere, it doesn’t need that much IQ to understand. If a single legal authority requests from Proton to compromise their users forcefully, they could cross-connect the info they have from your VPN with any info they have on you from your emails. Put all of your eggs in..."
"Instead of using the default DNS server that your ISP has configured, change it to cloudflare(1.1.1.1) or Google(8.8.8.8) so that if your VPN connection messes up, your ISP won't be able to immediately see your traffic."
"Yeah kinda. I don’t think Proton is evil or anything, but swapping Google for Proton still feels like trading one ecosystem for a smaller, quieter one. I mostly just try to spread stuff out instead of going all in on any single company."
"So google?"
"ah ok. Cloudflare (primary) and Google (secondary)."
"If you're switching from Google over to Proton, are you worried that you're just entering a new ecosystem? Some people already complain about Big Tech tendencies in Proton. Do you have a better alternative? [deleted]"