Cloudflare WARP is NOT a traditional VPN. It does not hide your IP address from websites and does not geo-unblock streaming services. It encrypts DNS and protects against ISP snooping, but should not be used as a privacy VPN.
Cloudflare WARP Review 2026
Free DNS encryption -- NOT a real VPN
Cloudflare WARP at a Glance
Cloudflare WARP runs on the 1.1.1.1 DNS service and uses a WireGuard-based protocol (Boringtun) to encrypt your connection. It's free, unlimited, and incredibly fast -- but it is NOT a VPN in the traditional sense.
WARP does not hide your IP address from websites, cannot geo-unblock streaming, and Cloudflare logs some connection metadata. For ISP-level DNS encryption, WARP is excellent. For privacy or streaming, use a real VPN.
- Users wanting free DNS encryption
- Users wanting faster DNS resolution
- Users who want protection from ISP snooping (not full privacy)
Performance Scores
Privacy & Security
Pricing & Plans
Pros & Cons
- Free and unlimited
- Excellent speeds (Cloudflare network)
- Encrypts DNS queries
- Simple setup
- WireGuard-based
- NOT a real VPN
- Does not hide your IP
- Does not unblock streaming
- US jurisdiction
- Logs connection metadata
- No geo-unblocking
Bottom Line
WARP is great for what it is -- free DNS encryption with excellent speeds. But it is not a VPN. If you need to hide your IP or unblock streaming, use a real VPN.
Builder, tinkerer, privacy advocate. I believe privacy is a right, not a product feature.