Shellfire VPN 2026 review covering German no-logs service, 40-country servers, AES-256 encryption, and direct Monero payments via CoinPayments with current pricing and performance data.
Shellfire GmbH, based in Germany, runs a software VPN service that offers both a free tier and paid Premium plans. The free tier limits users to AES-128 encryption and caps speeds at 1,000 kbit/sec, roughly 1 Mbps. Paid plans switch to AES-256 encryption and remove all speed and traffic limits.
The service maintains servers in 40 countries across all six continents, per the official site as of October 2026. It supports the OpenVPN protocol and provides manual setup options for PPTP, IPsec, and WireGuard. Official FAQ pages updated February 7, 2025 state that paid subscriptions allow up to five concurrent connections.
Shellfire advertises a strict no-logs policy for connection data on flat-rate plans and includes a 14-day money-back guarantee. The company also sells a separate Shellfire Box hardware router. On its website the provider claims more than 600,000 users, yet Google Play data from late 2025 through October 2026 shows between 100,000 and 220,000 installs with an average rating of 2.90 from roughly 1,760 to 1,970 reviews.
These differences between official marketing figures and public app metrics highlight the need to verify actual reach before committing to the service.
Shellfire lists three paid Premium tiers plus a free plan on its official site as of October 2026, with all EUR prices including VAT (rate varies by country). The monthly plan costs €10.95. The 12-month plan charges €59.95 upfront, equating to €5.00 per month and a 54 % discount. The 24-month plan charges €79.95 upfront, equating to €3.33 per month and a 70 % discount. The free tier is limited to 1 000 kbit/sec (≈1 Mbps) and AES-128 encryption, while paid plans remove speed and traffic caps and use AES-256.
| Plan | Price | Billing | Speed / Traffic | Connections | Encryption | Money-back |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | €0 | — | 1 000 kbit/sec cap | Not stated | AES-128 | None |
| Monthly | €10.95 | Monthly | Unlimited | 5 | AES-256 | 14 days |
| 12 months | €5.00/mo | €59.95 yearly | Unlimited | 5 | AES-256 | 14 days |
| 24 months | €3.33/mo | €79.95 every 2 years | Unlimited | 5 | AES-256 | 14 days |
Paid subscriptions therefore allow five concurrent connections and include the 14-day money-back guarantee. The free tier provides no refund option and remains the only choice without committing any payment data.
Shellfire accepts Bitcoin, Ethereum, Monero, ZCash and additional cryptocurrencies through its CoinPayments.net integration. The provider lists these options alongside traditional methods on its official payment FAQ, which was last updated February 7, 2025.
Monero stands out for users who want to keep payment details separate from their identity. Card and PayPal transactions on a German service require personal billing information that Shellfire GmbH, operating under EU rules, could be compelled to retain or disclose. XMR transactions avoid this linkage because the coin’s protocol hides sender, receiver and amount by default.
The CoinPayments.net gateway handles conversion and confirmation, so the VPN account is credited once the network reaches the required confirmations. No extra fees beyond network costs are mentioned for crypto payments, and the 14-day money-back guarantee remains available regardless of the chosen method.
Users who already hold Monero can therefore subscribe without creating an additional financial trail that could later be matched to their VPN activity through German data-retention obligations.
ProPrivacy's October 2026 UK fiber tests recorded roughly 25 Mbps on a capped Premium server, exceeding the expected 10 Mbps limit. Results on certain unlimited servers were noticeably weaker and less consistent.
The free tier enforces a hard 1,000 kbit/sec ceiling, or approximately 1 Mbps, paired with AES-128 encryption. Paid plans switch to AES-256 and remove speed or traffic restrictions, yet the review still flagged persistent throughput shortfalls on some connections.
Earlier plan tiers separated a 12 Mbps capped option from an unlimited PremiumPlus tier with access to more servers. Streaming support for Netflix and BBC iPlayer appears in the provider's claims, but the 2026 evaluation offered no detailed success rates for either service and concentrated instead on raw speed measurements.
Shellfire GmbH is based in Germany and states a strict no-logs policy only for connection data on its flat-rate plans. No independent audit of this claim appears in public records. The service operates under German jurisdiction, where authorities can issue data requests that may affect even no-logs providers.
Google Play listings show a 2.90/5 rating from roughly 1,760 to 1,970 reviews as of October 2026, with 100K to 220K installs. Low scores sometimes correlate with reported connection or client issues that could lead to IP leaks if the app fails to route traffic correctly.
Users combining the VPN with Monero payments should follow these steps to limit exposure. Pay directly with Monero through the CoinPayments option to avoid card or PayPal records. Test the client on multiple networks with a leak-detection site before handling sensitive traffic. Route the initial Monero transaction over Tor if the local node runs on clearnet. Disable IPv6 in the operating system when the client does not explicitly block it. Review the current payment FAQ for any changes to crypto processing partners.
Official documentation updated February 7, 2025 states up to five concurrent connections per subscription.
The provider offers a 14-day money-back guarantee on paid plans, allowing cancellation within that window for a full refund.
The service lists servers in 40 countries across all six continents on its current pricing page.
Monero is accepted through the CoinPayments.net partner alongside Bitcoin, Ethereum and other coins; users select the option at checkout and complete the transaction on the payment processor’s site.
The free tier caps speed at 1,000 kbit/sec and uses AES-128 encryption, while paid plans remove these restrictions.
Payments via CoinPayments.net are compatible with any standard Monero wallet that can send to the generated address during checkout.
Each renewal generates a new CoinPayments invoice, so users can reuse the same wallet address or generate a fresh one per transaction.
