Opera VPN to be killed off, users directed to SurfEasy instead (Update: Last day)

Update 4/30/18 at 3:38 P.M. EST: Today is the last day for Opera VPN before it is shut down for good. If you are a current Opera Gold subscriber, you can claim a free, one-year subscription to SurfEasy Ultra VPN. You should claim it before the end of the day though, as it is unclear if the offer will be accepted after April 30. There is also an 80 percent discount offered for free members of Opera VPN. Read below for more information.

Original Article: Whether you value your privacy or live in an oppressive state, VPN apps are a solid way to circumvent restrictions and stay (somewhat) hidden on the web. But fans of the Opera VPN app for Android and iOS will have to find another service, as it’ll be shutting down at the end of the month.

The company made the announcement on its website, but didn’t give a clear reason for the shutdown.

“We’re discontinuing the Opera VPN app for iOS and Android on April 30, 2018. But don’t worry. We’re helping to make sure your privacy is still looked after,” read an excerpt of the announcement.

Read more: What is a VPN — Gary explains

In lieu of the Opera VPN app, the website encouraged users to sign up for its SurfEasy VPN service. Members of the Opera VPN Gold subscription plan are able to migrate to a one-year SurfEasy Ultra subscription at no extra charge. Opera VPN users that haven’t signed up for Opera Gold can migrate via the Android or iOS apps at an 80 percent discount.

The SurfEasy Ultra option differs from the free SurfEasy plan by offering unlimited data (as opposed to 500MB), ad tracker blocking, torrent protection (on desktop) and 12 more countries for connection routing.

To be fair, SurfEasy isn’t a fly-by-night service, having been acquired by Opera back in 2015. The following year saw Opera integrate VPN functionality into its desktop browser, using SurfEasy as the backbone until January 2018.

In fact, checking the terms of service for the Opera VPN app shows that SurfEasy runs the service anyway. So in theory, you shouldn’t see a huge difference when signing up for the new experience.