Cloudflare also announced Warp+, the fastest VPN that costs $4.99
Warp was announced by Cloudflare in April with a launch forecast for July, but it was only on Wednesday (25) that the company was able to launch its VPN tool. It doesn’t come alone: Warp is free, but it comes with a paid version conveniently called Warp+.
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Cloudflare does not hide that it had difficulties developing the tool, hence the delay. It seemed simple at first, after all, Warp is based on the DNS application 1.1.1.1, available for Android and iOS. However, the new tool needs to offer much more than the encryption of DNS connections. This is where the difficulties arose.
For starters, Warp was announced around the same time Apple released iOS 12.2. This version brought changes to some connectivity parameters that ended up making it difficult for the VPN tool to work.
But overcoming this obstacle was not enough. Around two million people signed up to test the tool during the pre-launch phase. This impressive number allowed the company to detect another problem: the technical aspects of mobile networks vary greatly from one region to another.
It may seem like an obvious finding, but the tests that the company had been doing so far were based on its cell phones and, therefore, did not change location much.
With that, Cloudflare claims to have realized, for example, that keeping WireGuard working properly was a challenge. This is a protocol that, among other attributes, optimizes the use of the cell phone’s radio, making energy consumption less intense. The problem is that WireGuard is relatively new and therefore not natively supported on all devices yet.
To Wired, Dane Knecht, head of product strategy at Cloudflare, pointed out another identified difficulty: users switch between Wi-Fi and LTE connections very frequently, which makes the cell phone’s IP number constantly change.
The developers have gone to great lengths to ensure that Warp maintains the VPN when switching connections.
Warp+: Paid version costs $4.99
Warp is free and unlimited, but those who want a faster VPN have the option of subscribing to Warp+, which costs $4.99 per month. In Brazil, the monthly price is BRL 19.90, but for many users with an Android device, this price has been BRL 7.90. The company explains that the paid version is based on Argo, a kind of virtual backbone that guarantees more speed to the connection (but without giving up encryption).
Argo Routing
To promote the tool, Cloudflare will work with a referral program: the user will earn 1 GB on Warp+ for each person he brings to the service.
In addition, the two million users who signed up for Warp’s waiting list will receive 10 GB of Warp+ usage.
Cloudflare promises privacy on Warp
Free VPN offers are always suspicious. Perhaps that’s why Cloudflare has made four promises about privacy:
- It will not keep logs that can identify users;
- Will not sell browsing data or use it for targeted advertising;
- It will not require registration of personal information, such as name, telephone, and e-mail;
- It will work with external auditors to ensure the fulfillment of these promises.
It is worth noting that both Warp and Warp+ are not separate tools, but functions integrated into the 1.1.1.1 application. You can download it from the App Store or the