Fixing Slow Speed Issues when using Speedify Guide

Several factors can affect the speeds you get when connecting through Speedify. This article walks you through the most common causes and how to address them so you can get the best performance possible.

Let's Get Started

Step 1: Check the Speedify Server Location

Because Speedify is a VPN (Virtual Private Network), your internet traffic is routed through a Speedify server before reaching its destination. The farther you are from that server, the more latency is added, which can reduce performance.

Try connecting to the Speedify server closest to your physical location. If performance is still poor, experiment with other nearby server locations. Speedify uses multiple hosting providers, sometimes more than one per location, so switching between nearby options, or even between server instances in the same city, can make a noticeable difference.

If there's no Speedify server in your country, test servers from several neighboring countries. Due to how internet cables are routed, the geographically nearest country isn't always the best-performing one.

Step 2: Understand Maximum Speed Capabilities of Speedify's Public Servers

On most of Speedify's public servers, you can expect speeds of around 200–300 Mbps. The exact ceiling varies by location, and some regions may be faster or slower than that range.

On a public server, you're sharing bandwidth with other users, so reaching consistently high speeds isn't guaranteed. If you have a 300 Mbps+ connection and need reliable throughput, consider a Speedify Dedicated or Self-Hosted Server.

Step 3: Try a Different Transport Mode

Speedify can connect to its servers using several transport modes: TCP, TCP Multiple, UDP, and HTTPS. By default, Speedify automatically selects the best option, but you can override this if you're seeing performance issues. You can find these options in Session Settings.

TCP Multiple works best when:

• Your connection has high latency or packet loss
• You're connecting to servers in other countries
• You have a fast internet connection (100+ Mbps)

TCP is often the most efficient protocol. Switch to UDP if:

• Your connection has high latency or packet loss
• You're far from the Speedify server
• You're using latency-sensitive applications like gaming, stock trading, or live streaming

HTTPS is worth trying if you're on a restrictive network, such as at a library, hospital, or in a country with strict internet policies. Some networks block standard TCP and UDP connections but throttle them to very slow speeds rather than blocking them outright. Manually switching to HTTPS in those cases can help.

Step 4: Review Your Bonding Mode

If you're connected with multiple internet connections, Speedify offers three bonding modes.

Speed Mode bonds multiple internet connections together to increase your total throughput. Use this when maximizing download and upload speed is the goal. If combined speeds aren't improving, see Step 5 below.

Redundant Mode sends the same data over multiple connections simultaneously and uses whichever arrives first. This improves reliability and reduces latency, but your speed is capped at your fastest single connection. Use Redundant Mode for important internet traffic where consistency matters more than raw speed.

Streaming Mode works like Speed Mode for most internet traffic, but it automatically detects real-time streams (such as Zoom, Skype, WhatsApp, or Twitch) and dynamically switches those specific streams between Speed and Redundant Mode based on current network conditions.

If you need combined speeds, make sure you're not in Redundant Mode. If you're gaming across multiple unreliable connections, Redundant Mode may be the better choice even if it doesn't increase speed.

Step 5: Diagnose Combined Speed Issues

If you're having trouble getting good combined speeds from multiple internet connections, work through these checks:

1. Test each connection individually. Run Speedify with only one internet connection at a time and verify the speed looks correct. A single slow connection can drag down your combined speed. Speedify has a built-in speed test that makes this easy, or you can use speedtest.net. When using external test services, choose a test server that's close to your Speedify server, not just close to you, to get an accurate reading.
2. Check for large speed or latency gaps between connections. Two connections that are very different in speed or latency often won't combine well. For example, a 100 Mbps connection paired with a 1 Mbps connection won't produce meaningful combined throughput. Similarly, combining a low-latency cable connection with a high-latency satellite connection typically doesn't work well.
3. Review connection priority settings. By default, Speedify sets 4G/5G cellular connections to Secondary priority to help avoid unexpected data overages. A Secondary connection won't be used for bonding unless your Primary connection is fully utilized, and it won't be used at all if the Primary connection is above 30 Mbps. If you want Speedify to actively bond both connections, set both to Primary. Backup connections are never used for bonding. Learn more about connection priorities here.
4. Check for conflicts between connections. Some common sources of interference:
   • Connecting to the same internet connection over both Wi-Fi and Ethernet won't increase speeds, since it's the same source.
   • Two Wi-Fi connections on the same or overlapping wireless channels can interfere with each other, sometimes resulting in combined speeds that are no better than a single connection. Switching the Wi-Fi networks to non-overlapping channels (1, 6, or 11) can help.
   • Multiple 4G/5G cellular connections from the same provider (or on the same frequency band) may compete for the same wireless bandwidth, especially in low-signal areas. Using connections from different carriers is recommended when possible.

Contact Support

If you've worked through all the steps above and you're still seeing slow speeds, reach out to Speedify Support at support@speedify.com. Include details about what you've already tried and what you're seeing, so the team can help you faster.