How can we help?

DarkMatter is a VPN service that encrypts your internet connection and hides your IP address from the websites you visit. Your traffic travels through an encrypted tunnel to a VPN server, so your internet provider and whoever runs the network you’re on see an encrypted connection rather than the sites you visit.

Choose a plan on the pricing page and create your account. Then download the app for your device, sign in with the same email address and password, and connect to a server.

Yes. One DarkMatter account works on the website and in the apps for Windows, macOS, iOS, Android and Fire TV. Sign in with the same email address and password on each device, and use up to 5 devices at the same time.

Yes. One DarkMatter account works on the website and in the apps for Windows, macOS and iOS. Sign in with the same email address and password on each device, and use up to 5 devices at the same time.

A VPN encrypts the connection between your device and the VPN server. The network you’re on and your internet provider see an encrypted connection instead of the sites you visit, and websites see the VPN server’s IP address instead of yours. It doesn’t stop websites you sign in to from knowing it’s you, it doesn’t clear cookies or other tracking in your browser, and it doesn’t protect you from scams or malware. What is a VPN? explains more.

Yes, using a VPN is legal in the UK. What you do while connected still has to be legal, and our acceptable use policy applies. Some countries restrict or ban VPNs, so check the local rules before you travel. Our travel guide has more.

Only how long you commit for. Every plan includes every feature, the whole network and up to 5 devices at the same time. Compare plans.

No. Each account has one plan, and it covers up to 5 devices at the same time. If you already have a plan, you can renew it or change to another plan length in your account instead of buying a second one. A change starts at your next renewal, and nothing is charged until then.

You can pay by card or PayPal. Your full card details are entered into our payment providers’ hosted fields and never reach DarkMatter’s servers. How payments are handled.

Yes. Your first purchase is covered by a money-back guarantee: if DarkMatter isn’t right for you, ask for a refund within 30 days of that purchase if you bought a plan of 3 months or longer, or within 14 days if you bought a monthly plan. You don’t need to give a reason. One money-back refund is available per customer. The guarantee doesn’t cover renewals, which have their own rule. If a renewal charge wasn’t wanted, cancel within 14 days of it and we’ll refund the unused part. Purchases made through the App Store or Google Play follow that store’s own refund rules. Our refund policy has the full terms.

Yes. Your first purchase is covered by a money-back guarantee: if DarkMatter isn’t right for you, ask for a refund within 30 days of that purchase if you bought a plan of 3 months or longer, or within 14 days if you bought a monthly plan. You don’t need to give a reason. One money-back refund is available per customer. The guarantee doesn’t cover renewals, which have their own rule. If a renewal charge wasn’t wanted, cancel within 14 days of it and we’ll refund the unused part. Purchases made through the App Store follow the App Store’s own refund rules. Our refund policy has the full terms.

Email billing@darkmattervpn.com, or open a request from your account, and tell us the email address on your account: within 30 days of your first purchase for the money-back guarantee (14 days if it was a monthly plan), or within 14 days of a renewal charge you didn’t want. For a renewal, cancelling your plan in your account within those 14 days also counts as asking. Approved refunds go back to your original payment method; how long they take to appear depends on your bank or payment provider.

At the end of each term your plan renews at the renewal price shown before you paid, unless you cancel before the renewal date. If a renewal charge wasn’t wanted, cancel within 14 days of it and we’ll refund the unused part. Cancelling in your account within those 14 days counts as asking, or email billing@darkmattervpn.com. How renewals work.

Sign in and cancel from the subscription area of your account at any time. Cancelling stops future renewals, and your plan keeps working until the end of the term you’ve paid for. It doesn’t refund the current term, with one exception for renewals. If a renewal charge wasn’t wanted, cancel within 14 days of it and we’ll refund the unused part. Cancelling within those 14 days counts as asking, and your plan then stops when we refund it. Your first purchase is still covered by the money-back guarantee: email billing@darkmattervpn.com to ask for it. Cancelling and refunds.

Prices are shown in GBP.

Purchases made through the App Store or Google Play are handled by that store and follow its own refund rules, so ask the store for a refund. Our money-back guarantee covers purchases made on this website.

DarkMatter’s own systems don’t receive or store the websites you visit, your DNS queries or the contents of your traffic; that traffic is carried on our network partner’s infrastructure, not ours. We do hold the account and billing information needed to run your subscription, such as your email address, plan and invoices. The Trust Centre lists what we hold and what we don’t, and our privacy policy has the detail.

Your email address and sign-in details, your two-factor settings if you turn them on, your plan, invoices and billing history, a payment-gateway reference (never your card number), support messages you send us, and the identifier that links your account to the VPN account set up for you on our partner’s network. See the full list.

The VPN network, meaning the servers your traffic passes through, is operated by our network partner. DarkMatter provides your account, billing and support. That split decides who holds what, and the Trust Centre explains both halves.

No. DarkMatter’s own systems have not been independently audited, and we won’t claim an audit we haven’t had. The VPN network itself is run by our network partner. While connected, you can check what your connection reveals with our IP checker and WebRTC leak test, and the Trust Centre explains how DarkMatter is built.

Yes. Sign in and open Privacy and data in your account. You can download a machine-readable copy of the personal data we hold for your account, or ask us to close your account and erase your personal data. We confirm closure requests with you, and we keep some records afterwards, such as invoices. How to delete your account, and what we keep. Your data rights in practice.

While you’re connected, the websites and services you use see the VPN server’s IP address instead of yours. Your internet provider can still see that you’re connected to a VPN server, but not the sites you visit through it. You can check what websites see with our IP checker.

A kill switch is designed to block internet traffic on your device if the VPN tunnel drops, so your activity doesn’t quietly carry on over your normal connection while the VPN is down. Once the VPN reconnects, traffic flows through the tunnel again. DarkMatter’s kill switch is in our Windows app. About the kill switch.

DarkMatter uses WireGuard by default, a modern, lightweight protocol. OpenVPN and IKEv2/IPSec are also supported for compatibility with different networks. Where the app allows, you can choose the protocol that suits your network. About WireGuard.

Your traffic is encrypted with strong, modern ciphers, including AES-256; WireGuard uses ChaCha20, the cipher built into that protocol. Encryption works alongside DNS and IPv6 leak protection (and, in our Windows app, a kill switch), which are designed to keep your traffic inside the tunnel. About encryption.

Split tunnelling lets you choose which traffic uses the VPN tunnel and which uses your normal connection. It’s in every DarkMatter app except iPhone, iPad and Mac; the options differ between apps, and the app shows what’s available on your device. About split tunnelling.

They’re designed to keep your DNS lookups and IPv6 traffic inside the VPN tunnel while you’re connected, rather than letting them go out over your normal connection. Read more about DNS leak protection and IPv6 leak protection.

DarkMatter runs on a global network of 6,000+ servers in 80+ locations across 65+ countries. Those are network-wide figures for the network DarkMatter runs on, which is operated by our network partner. Server locations explains how to choose one.

Any VPN adds some overhead, because your traffic is encrypted and travels to a VPN server before it reaches the internet. How much you notice depends on your own connection and the distance to the server, so choosing a server near you keeps the extra distance short. A VPN won’t make your underlying connection faster.

You can stay connected while you stream, and your connection is encrypted in the same way as everything else. We can’t promise that any particular streaming service will work: each service decides whether to allow VPN connections, and what it shows depends on its licensing. VPNs and streaming explains more.

DarkMatter has apps for Windows, macOS, iOS, Android and Fire TV. One plan covers up to 5 devices at the same time, on any mix of those platforms. Get the apps.

DarkMatter has apps for Windows, macOS and iOS. One plan covers up to 5 devices at the same time, on any mix of those platforms. Get the apps.

Not at the moment. DarkMatter has apps for Windows, macOS, iOS, Android and Fire TV. We don’t offer apps for Linux, routers or games consoles.

Not at the moment. DarkMatter has apps for Windows, macOS and iOS. We don’t offer apps for Linux, routers or games consoles.

Yes. Your DarkMatter account works on the website and in the apps. Sign in to the app with the same email address and password you use for your account.

Your first connection walks through installing, signing in and connecting, step by step. Our device guides cover installing, first-time permissions and troubleshooting: the macOS FAQ, iOS FAQ and Android FAQ. For Windows and Fire TV, start from the Windows app page or the Fire TV app page.

Your first connection walks through installing, signing in and connecting, step by step. Our device guides cover installing, first-time permissions and troubleshooting: the macOS FAQ and iOS FAQ. For Windows, start from the Windows app page.

iOS, Android, Fire TV and macOS ask you to approve a VPN connection the first time any VPN app connects, and a Mac may also ask you to allow a system extension in System Settings under Privacy & Security. It’s a standard, one-time step for VPN apps. Once approved, DarkMatter connects normally.

iOS and macOS ask you to approve a VPN connection the first time any VPN app connects, and a Mac may also ask you to allow a system extension in System Settings under Privacy & Security. It’s a standard, one-time step for VPN apps. Once approved, DarkMatter connects normally.

First check that your internet works with the VPN turned off. Then try a different server, and if that doesn’t help, a different protocol in the app. Some networks block VPN connections, so we can’t promise it will connect everywhere. Make sure the app is up to date, and if it still won’t connect, contact us.

With DarkMatter connected, open our IP checker. The address shown should be the VPN server’s, not your usual one. Our WebRTC leak test checks whether your browser reveals a different address.

Many people share each VPN server’s IP address, so some websites treat that traffic with extra caution and show a check or ask you to sign in again. Trying a different server can help. It’s the website’s decision, not something we control.

Websites see the location of the VPN server’s IP address, not yours. If a site needs to see your usual location, such as your bank, connect to a server in your own country. Banking with a VPN explains more.

Use Forgot password and enter the email address on your account. If an account exists for that address, we’ll email you a link to set a new password.

Sign in and open a support ticket from your account, use our contact form, or email support@darkmattervpn.com. We usually reply within one working day.