Cheap plans and a 14-day no-card trial, but the site is semi-dormant and still lists dead services, and refunds are purely discretionary - use the full two weeks on your exact services and do not pay beyond the trial until they work.
site reachable · checked 12 h ago · daily check
curated review - researched and written by the smartdnscomparison desk · prose updated 2026-10-04 · facts as of 2026-10-04 · how we verify
Start the 14-day trial without a card and test on your own device. Evidence labels and dates: meta-review.
TrickByte is a Smart DNS + VPN bundle that has been selling since 2013 (domain registered 2013-03-09, renewed through 2028 [6]). Its terms name Digiport OU as the operator [4] - an Estonian company; the original operator was Global Stealth Inc. of Seychelles [5], the same network behind Smart DNS Proxy and Getflix. The service is reachable and still sells [1], but everything about its maintenance says dormant: the last blog post dates from the mid-2010s [3], the copyright line is frozen years back, and the site sits behind an Imperva bot wall [1].
The pricing page claims "350+ Websites with SmartDNS Network including Netflix, Hulu, HBO, BBC, Amazon Prime, Zattoo" [1]. The actual channels page is an uncounted per-country table that still lists Blinkbox and DramaFever - services that died years ago [3]. That gap between marketing and list is the most important signal in this review: the catalog is not being curated, so any per-service claim should be verified in person before paying. There is no independent recent unblocking test in our research; the last substantive community mentions are years old [1]. Every service still needs its own paid subscription [1].
No native apps are advertised - setup is DNS entries per device or router, with guides for PC, Mac, Android, iOS, consoles and TVs [1]. Multiple simultaneous locations are supported. The VPN side claims 200+ servers on 60+ locations [1].
Smart DNS reroutes only the geo-check DNS lookups, so streams run at full line speed. On reliability the evidence is thin and dated: no status page, no recent tests, dead services on the list [3], and a registration flow we could not complete from our test environment because the signup sits behind Imperva [1]. The domain is paid through 2028, so abandonment is not imminent - but the site has not meaningfully changed in years [1].
The privacy policy states the site does not "actively monitor user activity ... nor do we maintain direct logs of any customer's Internet activities" [2] - an unaudited operator claim. The jurisdictional picture is offshore: Digiport OU (Estonia) today, Global Stealth Inc. (Seychelles) historically [4][5]. Smart DNS does not encrypt traffic; the bundled VPN does [1].
Documented pricing: $4.95 per month, $39.96 per year ($3.33 per month) or $49.92 for 24 months [1]. The 14-day trial requires no credit card [1]. There is no money-back guarantee: monthly cancellations get no refund for unused time, and any refund is "at our sole, exclusive discretion" [4]. VPN servers (200+, 60+ locations) are included in the same plans [1].
Operating since 2013 [6], with a documented lineage into the Global Stealth/Digiport network [4][5]. Community mentions exist from recent years (router compatibility complaints) [1], but there is zero news coverage and no current independent testing. Dormancy signals: blog last posted in the mid-2010s, copyright frozen years back, checkout not verifiable end-to-end [1].
TrickByte's price and 14-day no-card trial are attractive on paper [1], but a semi-dormant product with stale service lists, discretionary-only refunds [4] and unverifiable checkout is a poor bet for a paid plan. Test in the trial window and have alternatives ready.
| Free trial | 14 days - no credit card required |
|---|---|
| Documented pricing | $4.95/mo · $39.96/yr · $49.92/2yr |
| Pricing notes | $4.95/month, $39.96/year ($3.33/mo) or $49.92/24 months ($2.08/mo). 14-day free trial without card. NO money-back guarantee: "refunds, if any, are at our sole, exclusive discretion." VPN included (200+ servers claimed). |
Run the long-term math: price calculator with these plans →
What it takes to start with TrickByte, from documented facts only - undokumented steps are named as such. More: TrickByte FAQ.
Affiliate traces exist; terms not public.
Compared in detail on Best affiliate programs.
Real captures of the public website and setup/client pages, taken by us. We do not fake product shots - pages we could not reach (bot walls, geo blocks) simply have no image.
Ready to try TrickByte? Start with the free trial or the money-back window - set up one device, test the exact services you watch.
Based on our checks as of 2026-10-04: TrickByte scores 4.5/10 in our weighted review. We logged no red flags. Facts are reported, not fully verified - test with the free trial first. User reports and operator background are documented with dated sources in the meta-review below.
TrickByte is gone; these providers are still operating and have documented Smart DNS.
400+ claimed services, a bundled VPN and a 14-day no-card trial, while independent April 2026 tests found Netflix US broken although it is still listed - spend the trial window on your exact services before any annual or lifetime payment.
Technically the strongest DNS platform here (DoH/DoT/DoQ, 1009 documented services, 14-day no-card trial), but the operator calls unblocking best-effort and excludes it from refunds - buy it for per-service country rules, not if you only want one TV unblocked.
Verifiable Danish operator (Unlocator ApS, CVR 44498383) with 197 listed services, a 7-day no-card trial and a 30-day money-back - the strongest documented package in this comparison, even though the DNS-only price only shows at checkout. Start the trial, test Netflix and BBC iPlayer on your own TV, then take the annual plan.
Also see the full discontinued list and the standalone ranking.
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