avast secureline vpn review

Avast Secureline VPN Review

The VPN industry is widening, many are leaving the board, while many are progressing their roots, one of them is Avast Secureline VPN, and to get to know about this free cum paid VPN, you have to spare some minutes and read this Avast VPN review. 

Avast offers an impressive suite of security products including VPN, antivirus, and others; what sets aside Avast VPN is its large number of server locations and great; thanks to the provider for offering bank-grade encryption, easy usability, and the interface, even the software is also user-friendly.

SecureLine’s specs are ordinary – an average-sized network of 55 locations (only 8 are P2P-friendly) in 34 countries and individual clients for Windows, Mac, iOS and Android, For android, you can download Avast via Blackmart; sadly, there is no downloadable OpenVPN configuration for those who prefer manual mechanisms.

Unfortunately, Avast VPN doesn’t offer a zero-knowledge DNS system, no stealth protocol to bypass VPN blocking – it means that the.SecureLine is neither bad nor outstanding. 

To test these claims ourselves, we signed up for their FREE 7-day trial; we have also recorded its speed and performance, ease of use, customer support, and other features.

Though the company doesn’t disclose the exact number of VPN servers, the company has servers in 55 locations across 34 countries.

Downsides include vague logging policy and no responsive customer service.

Let’s begin from the pros and cons…

Pros 

  • Geography diversified servers
  • Minimal user interface
  • AES-256 bit encryption
  • Unlimited bandwidth
  • WebRTC blocking and DNS leak protection 
  • kill switch – optional 
  • Unblocks US Netflix & BBC iPlayer – some locations
  • Supports 40+ languages
  • Hassle-free 7-day trial

Cons 

  • Only Phone customer support
  • Logs some information
  • Company caught selling user data
  • Split tunnelling isn’t working
  • No VPN protocol modification
  • Only 57 servers in 34 countries
  • Does not block Amazon Prime Video
  • No router configurability 
  • Limited features
  • No monthly plan

Avast SecureLine VPN – Pricing 

Pricing

Initially, SecureLine started a multi-device pricing tier, but now it has loosened up and rolled out a scheme that is making users’ VPN shopping experience super-simplified. 

For $59.88 a year, you are allowed to use Avast VPN on five devices; want more extended plans? Go for a two-year plan that is for $95.76, or a three-year subscription which will cost you $143.64. 

As far as annual plans are concerned, Avast VPN offers a good value, undercutting many fishes of the pond on price.

Though no free version, it has a 7-day free trial that can be used even without creating an account. 

Thankfully, the company has a choice of payment methods, including major credit cards, Alipay, BPay, PayPal, PaySafeCard, Wire Transfer, and PayU, excluding cryptocurrencies.

Don’t like Avast VPN services

Simply, avail Avast refund policy, yes, Secureline offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.  

Avast SecureLine VPN – Servers 

Avast SecureLine VPN - Servers

Not so good to hear, the number of servers that SecureLine VPN has is just fine – only 57 servers in 35 countries, making the provider incompetent with industry leaders, who are offering thousands of servers.

Though it has servers in all the major countries, including Russia, Spain, Germany, Canada, and the UK, it even has 16 servers located in the US.

When it comes to servers, one query always asked…

FAQ: Does Avast SecureLine VPN Work In China?

No, sorry! 

If you’re a Chinese citizen or just travelling through China, don’t go for Avast SecureLine VPN as it’s not capable enough to bypass the Great Firewall of China. Even their virus-protection software is also inactive within China.

Hold on! What about Avast VPN Netflix-friendliness? 

FAQ: Can Avast SecureLine VPN Unblock Netflix?

The recent updates in the Avast SecureLine’s servers have confirmed the fact that this VPN is Netflix-friendly  -their four servers are optimized for streaming; three are in the US, and one is in the UK.

In our test, Avast VPN surprised us with its Netflix unblocking accessibility; we hope this new development will continue to provide this service.

Sadly, the UK server didn’t bypass the Netflix Streaming error, but keep checking back in a few weeks; maybe it will also start working. 

FAQ: Is Avast SecureLine VPN Good for Streaming and Torrenting?

After knowing it’s inclination towards Netflix, I turned to other streaming options; the results were;

  • On the US server, streaming ESPN and NBC were smooth but received a proxy tool error when tried to stream Hulu. 
  • Using the UK server,  iPlayer and ITV Hub ran great.

When it comes to torrenting, this VPN is mediocre; it means some of its servers are good for torrenteers (Miami, Seattle, New York City, Paris, Frankfurt, London, Prague); worry not, you will see a mark on the servers that support P2P file sharing.

Hold on… don;t forget that the company collects some connection logs and stores that for 30 days; so be careful, especially with the information that you might not like the company to know.

Avast SecureLine VPN – Security & Privacy-check

Avast SecureLine VPN - Security & Privacy-check

If caught, something troubling or decided to go against, a VPN could use the insight – of what you see and do online – against you. 

So, make sure you know what your selected VPN collects and how it protects your information.

Avast clearly states the company does not store true IP addresses, nor does it store any personal information but a timestamp of connection, amount of data transmitted (not the content), and a part of IP address (your’s and the VPN server). According to the company, this information is deleted after 30 days.

Still, this list of data is more than that of some logless VPNs, some of them do not have a mandatory sign-up restriction; you will be issued a lengthy ID number, making it nearly impossible to track individuals’ activities. 

Avast SRO, the company behind Avast, is located in the Czech Republic. According to the company, it has provided data to law enforcement in the past on legal requests. 

The company also acknowledged this in it’s Transparency Report, informing that the company gave only one email address to the agencies.

To further satisfy privacy-consciousness, Avast also maintains a warrant canary, notably assuring that the company has not built a backdoor to grant access to encrypted information. 

Saying that its VPN infrastructure has never seen or been through any hack or data-compromisation event, but forgot to mention the safeguards are in place to protect its backend.

The not-so-good news is that in early 2020, the company was caught selling anonymized web usage data, thanks to investigators who found that Avast’s claim of data anonymization is not validated. 

Notably, the company’s antivirus product was used ONLY in this maligning scheme; after the revelation, Avast has shut down this data-gathering operation. 

That’s good, but sorry Avast, this brazen behaviour makes trusting you back tricky. 

Avast SecureLine VPN Security Features

VPN protocols

Avast SecureLine comes with two protocols – OpenVPN and IPSec. Unlike other VPN services, you do not get the option to change your protocols. You can only use the one that is determined by your operating system.

OpenVPN

OpenVPN is a widely used and recommended protocol by most VPN users because OpenVPN is open-source, is widely supported, and offers the perfect balance between security and speed.

You get the OpenVPN protocol with Avast SecureLine’s Windows and Android app. Unfortunately, Avast SecureLine VPN doesn’t offer users the option to choose between TCP (for reliability) or UDP (for speed). You can only use UDP, which can cause issues during port blocking and dropped packets.

IPSec

IPSec is a widely trusted security protocol – developed by Cisco and championed by Apple. Although it is widely used because it offers similar speeds as OpenVPN, its most significant downside is being closed-source. 

You get the IPSec protocol support with Avast SecureLine’s iOS and macOS apps. Unlike OpenVPN, the support IPSec is built into iOS, so it doesn’t need third-party software and goes through various licensing steps to operate on Apple products. It makes IPSec an understandable choice from the developer’s perspective.

Encryption

Avast SecureLine provides excellent encryption with its AES-256 encryption, which is popularly known as “bank-grade” or “military-grade” encryption. The number 256 refers to the encryption key in bits, making it unbreakable.

Logging policy

Talking about the company’s logging policy, the website states that Avast SecureLine VPN boasts a zero-logging policy, promising that it will never track the apps, websites, and the content being used by users.

I was pleased to see that Avast SecureLine VPN has a link to the company’s privacy policy in the app’s settings.

However, it does collect some connection logs, including timestamps of your connection and the amount of data transmitted. This information is stored for up to 30 days.

Avast SecureLine VPN – Supported Platforms

You can use SecureLine VPN on; 

  • Mac OS X 10.9.x, X 10.10.x, and X 10.11.x.
  • Android
  • iOS
  • Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, and 10.

Off Note: Avast SecureLine doesn’t support routers, offering protection for PC and PDAs only.

Router VPNs are useful in protecting  IoT devices, gaming consoles, smart TVs, and multiple PDAs.

Avast SecureLine VPN – Performance 

Unfortunately, Avast SecureLine’s Windows client offers just five servers, though streamers-only; 

  • 3 in the US (New York, Miami, and, Gotham City)
  • 1 in the UK 
  • 1in Germany

Are they enough to access geo-blocked content?

Accessing US-only YouTube content, we weren’t able to get in via ‘Gotham City’ and Miami severs, New York worked just fine. 

Avast SecureLine VPN – Speed Test

Avast brags a lot about how fast their VPN service is, let’s put them to the test – literally!

I ran speed tests on servers in the US, UK, and Germany; before the test, the situation of my internet was something like this; 

Speed Test 1

When connected to the US server, my internet was; 

Speed Test 2

Then, I connected to the UK server, the results were;

Speed Test 3

And, finally, when connected to the server located in Germany, the internet connection reached the following results; 

Speed Test 4

Something other than VPN

Curiously, many companies that offer both antivirus and a VPN, feel reluctant to offer bundled offerings, but this is not the case with SecureLine VPN. In its Avast Ultimate bundle, you will be offering antivirus, VPN, and PC cleanup in just $99.99/year for one Windows. 

Avast SecureLine VPN – Customer Support

Run into any issues? 

There are a few places; 

  1. The company’s website – it has a well-organized, thorough help section that has answers to all the most common questions that users might have; you can use the search bar to find your query.

Didn’ find the answer here? 

  1. Fill out their contact and get in touch with Avast customer support.

Submitted a question and didn’t receive a response?

  1. Say hello – Avast offers a 24/7 phone line that you can call anytime to get help with any and every issue that you run into; even you can call them for free consultation too but at a hefty fee.

Who asks for an additional fee to get live technical support?

Weirdo!

Sadly, no email and 24/7 live chat support here.

Our Verdict

We liked its user-friendly apps, reasonable connection speeds, unblocking potentials for geo-restricted content on popular streaming channels, especially Netflix. 

Avast SecureLine VPN still has room for improvement in areas like customer support, list of servers, logging policies, pricing strategies, features, and a couple of others.

Last note: If you see top VPN providers, you might not find any compelling reason to choose this VPN.

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