AVG has made its mark as one of the finest antivirus solutions for computers, but is the VPN service launched by the company equally impressive? In this review, we’ll dive into AVG Secure VPN review and gives you a realistic expectation from the renowned antivirus giant.
AVG Secure VPN – The Details
In 2016, AVG was bought by its long-time competitor, Avast. But could the combined experience of computing security translate into success in the VPN industry?
Before we reveal some surprising findings, here are some quick facts on AVG Secure VPN.
- AVG Secure VPN operates on a rather small network, with only 50+ servers across the world.
- Free trials are available on both Windows and Android, although the plans can be confusing.
- It has basic security features, such as the impenetrable AES-256 encryption.
- AVG Secure VPN is available on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android platforms
AVG offers a 7-day free trial on both the Windows and Android platforms. You don’t need to provide your credit card details on the Windows free trial, but the Android apps require your payment details on Google Play Store.
If you’re trying out the AVG Secure VPN on Android for free, you’ll be charged automatically after 7 days unless you cancel the subscription.
AVG Secure VPN offers only two subscription plans on its website.
- $6.66 per month
- $79.99 per year
Both of these plans are protected by 30-day-money-back guarantee policy and allows up to 5 simultaneous device connections.
We found a disparity in pricing on the AVG Secure VPN Android app in the Playstore. The app is listed with a price much lower than the website.
After clarifying with AVG’s customer support, we found that if you subscribe via the Android app, the subscription is only valid for a single Android device.
While the explanation makes perfect sense, we feel that the lack of clarity may lead to confusion amongst users.
Nevertheless, we downloaded both the Windows and Android versions of AVG Secure VPN for this review.
AVG VPN Review—The Pros
AVG’s venture into the VPN industry seems to hit the right track, at least in certain aspects.
Here are some noteworthy positives about AVG Secure VPN.
1. Safe Jurisdiction
Some VPN users are unnerved when a VPN provider is based in a country that belongs to the Five Eyes or Fourteen Eyes alliance. These alliances consist of countries that share intelligence amongst the members.
Thankfully, AVG VPN has its HQ in the Czech Republic, which is not a member of the pact and has no agreements with other countries. This means that there are fewer chances of AVG VPN being legally summoned to surrender its data to foreign government agencies.
2. Clearly Worded No-Logging Policy
AVG VPN’s logging policy used to be shrouded in general terms in the past, and that has led to concerns by its users.
It is an open secret that all VPNs do store some data to facilitate payment and user experience. However, it is important that none of the data stored could potentially reveal the identity of the users.
A check into the AVG’s detailed privacy policy reveals that some of the user’s data are stored for up to 30 days. These data involves:
- Timestamps of connections
- A subnet of your IP address
- The IP Address of connected VPN servers
- Data usage
This data does not reveal your identity and is deleted after 30 days.
AVG VPN also stores the following information when you created an account for the VPN service.
- Email address
- Username
- License Key
- Subscription Renewal Date
- Trial User
In its privacy policy, AVG strongly emphasizes that it does not store any data that may reveal your identity in any form.
3. Industry-Standard Encryption and Protocols.
As a new player in the VPN industry, AVG Secure VPN sticks to the basics of encryption. It employs the AES-256 bit encryption, which is trusted by banks, military, and governments to keep data exchange safe from malicious listeners.
There isn’t any mention of the protocol used by AVG VPN, but a check with its technical support shows that it operates on OpenVPN and IKEv2/IPSec.
Both protocols are optimized for security and speed, but there are no options to select the protocols in the app manually. The protocol is automatically chosen for the platform that you’re using.
4. No Malware Detected
It would be embarrassing if AVG Secure VPN contains malware that creeps into your device when you install the app and software.
We wanted to give AVG the benefit of the doubt but decided to scan the installer file. As expected, the AVG VPN installer is free from any malware or threats.
5. Easy To Use
The years spent in designing intuitive antivirus software must have proved useful when developing the AVG Secure VPN software.
After launching the application, we were pleased to be greeted by a simple user interface. A simple and huge quick connect button allows instant connection to an optimal VPN server.
Clicking the blue “change location” text brings you to a list of available servers sorted by continents and purpose.
The AVG Secure VPN offers some basic settings, which can be accessible by clicking on the settings icon.
Android users also enjoy the same simplicity on the AVG Secure VPN app. The app launched with the quick connect button centered on the screen.
You can manually change the server by tapping on the Change Location text.
We’re impressed by how AVG has managed to make the app truly intuitive and simple.
6. No DNS/ WebRTC/ IP Leaks
Some low-rated VPNs are troubled with DNS or WebRTC leaks, which gives away the actual IP address of the user or the ISP DNS server when connected to the VPN.
To confirm that AVG Secure VPN did not suffer the same problem, we did a quick test on IPleak.net.
Our test station was in a tropical country in Asia while we connect to an AVG VPN server in the US.
As expected, our IP address was listed as belonging to the US.
No DNS leaks occurred as well as the IP address of the DNS server is also traced to New York.
AVG VPN also features the mandatory Kill Switch to break of internet connection in case the VPN connection drops.
7. 24/7 Live Chat Support
There aren’t many decent VPNs that offer 24/7 live chat support. Responsive customer support is crucial when you’re stuck with issues on the VPN.
Kudos to AVG for providing 24/7 live chat support, on top of the conventional ticket request.
However, you don’t get the live chat pop up at the bottom of the screen. To access the live chat, you’ll have to navigate to the Contacts page and choose Sales support.
You’ll then notice a “Chat With Us Online” button, as shown below.
To initiate a chat, you’ll need to key in your name and email. Response from the support personnel is almost immediate.
8. Supports Netflix
There’s isn’t any mention of Netflix on AVG VPN’s website, but it’s one of the defining criteria for streaming users.
In the AVG Secure VPN software, 5 servers are dedicated to streaming. We connected to each of the servers and tried watching Raising Dion on Netflix.
AVG VPN seems to be having mixed results in outsmarting Netflix’s blockage on VPN providers. Both servers in Gotham, US and Wonderland, UK, ended up with the dreaded black screen.
However, luck favored us when we’re connected to these three servers.
- New York, US
- Miami, US
- Frankfurt, Germany
We had no issues streaming from Netflix.
With three out of five streaming servers having access to Netflix, AVG VPN is doing well in holding its own against the streaming giant.
9. Supports Torrenting
Torrent users can choose from 8 dedicated P2P servers to safely share their files on software like uTorrent.
These servers are optimized for speed and protection of P2P users' identity when downloading or seeding torrents.
AVG—The Cons
Now that we’re done singing our praises for AVG VPN let’s get down to business on areas that left us disappointed.
1. Slow Connection Speed
Connection speed on AVG Secure VPN is anything but fast. If that’s not bad enough, we have problems getting the speed test results while connected to some AVG VPN servers.
Anyway, here are some of the less than impressive screenshots. We tested our internet speed in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, without a VPN connection.
Connecting to a VPN server in Singapore, which neighbors the country we’re in, only causes a minor reduction in speed.
However, both uploads and downloads drastically dropped when we’re connecting to Prague in the Czech Republic. Keep in mind that this is a P2P-friendly server.
It goes worse for Washington DC, as the download speed is less than a quarter of a VPN-less connection.
Thankfully, there’s an improvement when we’re connected to a streaming-optimized server in New York. However, it is far from the best figures we’ve seen in this part of the world.
2. Lack Of Network Features
Price-wise, AVG Secure VPN is competitive when compared to some of the leading VPN providers. However, its software is sorely lacking in advanced network features.
For example, split tunneling will be helpful as some banking apps could not function properly on a VPN. Or a double VPN that encrypts the data twice for additional security.
AVG Secure VPN is minimal at its best, and we feel short-changed when providers like NordVPN offer more features within a similar price range.
AVG VPN Reviews
In all fairness, AVG VPN has shown remarkable improvements compared to some of the negative reviews we’ve found on the Internet.
There are claims that AVG VPN practices suspicious logging activities, but its clearly-worded privacy policy has since addressed the issue.
We’ve also found reviews that claimed AVG’s subscription is limited to a single type of device. However, this has changed as the latest offering on AVG’s page allows the connection of up to 5 devices of different types.
The discrepancies in older reviews are a sign that AVG is continuously improving its VPN service. Reviews in the Google Play Store has also been encouraging with a great number of users expressing their satisfaction with the app.
AVG VPN for Windows
Here’s how you could install AVG VPN for Windows.
1. Open AVG VPN’s homepage on your browser. Click Download free trial for PC.
2. The AVG VPN installer download should start automatically.
3. Install AVG Secure VPN on your Windows PC.
4. After the installation is completed, the AVG VPN will launch. Click the VPN connect button.
5. For the first use, you’ll be prompted to choose for the 7-Days trial or subscribe to paid plans. Choose Start 7-Day trial.
6. Your 7-day trial officially starts. No payment details are required at this moment. Click Get Started to proceed.
7. You can now connect to any AVG VPN servers.
AVG VPN for Android
Installing AVG VPN for Android is equally simple, but you’ll need to provide your payment details on Google Play Store. The app is free for 7 days, but charges will automatically apply after that.
Follow these steps to get the AVG VPN app for Android.
1. Search AVG VPN on Google Play Store and select install.
2. Launch the app and choose Start Free Trial. Enter your payment details on Google Play Store if prompted.
3. AVG VPN app will start on your Android device. On the first attempt at connection, you’ll be prompted to allow AVG Secure VPN to create a VPN connection. Choose Always Allow to continue.
4. You can now connect to AVG VPN on your Android device.
5. If you already have a paid subscription of AVG VPN, you can link to your existing account from the app’s subscription settings.
Is AVG VPN Good?
In all honesty, AVG VPN is a good attempt by the antivirus giant to provide secure internet connections. It has all the fundamentals of a trustworthy VPN service.
AVG VPN uses industry-standard protocols and encryptions to keep data safe from malicious hackers. There were also no signs of DNS or IP leaks, which reflects the technical ability of the development team.
With Netflix-access and torrent-friendly servers, AVG Secure VPN has what it takes to be a good VPN.
Unfortunately, the slow connection speed and the somewhat muddled price plan of the Windows and Android app means it is yet to match some of the best VPNs in the industry.
Summary
Ultimately, AVG Secure VPN is suitable if you wanted a simple VPN and wouldn’t mind the inferior connection speed.
But considering that AVG VPN is offered at a similar range to better VPNs that we’ve tried, we wouldn’t recommend it unless more improvements are made in the future.
Instead, we suggest that you check out NordVPN or these high-speed VPNs that offer more value for money.