Avast is a big player in the tech world, making for a company that made a name for itself initially via antivirus programs; however, today’s article is focusing on the issue of Avast Secureline VPN good for torrenting or not. Since Avast is a company specialized in computer security, with an emphasis on malware/viruses and similar stuff, their Secureline VPN product definitely caught our attention. Besides that, the VPN service from Avast is offered at an affordable price, and since it comes from a reputable (as in trustworthy) company, we felt compelled to take a deeper look.
Generally speaking, when reviewing a VPN service, we must determine how good the software is, how it stacks up against its direct competitors, and, most importantly, if it’s fast enough, private, and, the crux of the matter, if it makes for a viable solution for torrenting and/or live streaming stuff (think along the lines of Netflix et al). So, stick with me and let’s begin with today’s review, right after the commercial break.
General Info and Features of Avast Secureline VPN
Since Avast is an internet security powerhouse, it’s not really an issue that their VPN product is a new kid on the block so to speak, i.e. it hasn’t been around since the beginning, like other established players on the VPN market. Secureline VPN has been launched back in 2014, though its mother company Avast was established 30 years ago, in 1988. Avast Secureline VPN is compatible with various operating systems and devices, including PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad and Android. Basically, they’ve got it all covered up.
Since most people using VPN services are interested in torrenting or P2P file sharing, the good news is that Avast Secureline VPN does allow torrenting. More than that, Avast explicitly allows torrenting (peer to peer) connections directly through its own data centers. And that’s as good as it gets cyber security wise, if you’re a P2P aficionado.
The bad news is that US Netflix doesn’t work with this VPN service, so, you’ll have to live with that. Avast boasts a no logging policy and uses three encryption protocols: OpenVPN, IPSec & IKEv2. The company is from the European Union and its jurisdiction is in the Czech Republic. This is not very good, as the EU is not a friend of internet privacy, nor of internet piracy.
You can use Secureline VPN on up to 5 devices simultaneously, and there are no bandwidth limitations whatsoever. Another thing worth mentioning is the relatively low number of servers employed by Avast, only 55 of them in 33 countries. This is rather low, compared to other VPN providers, as some of them offer north of 1500 servers. NordVPN comes to mind, also ExpressVPN (check out our articles on these 2 VPN providers for further info). Also, there are only 3 countries in which Avast Secureline VPN has more than one server: the US with 7 cities, Russia with 2 cities and Canada with 2 cities. In this regard, options are on the down-low, so be advised before you buy.
Avast Secureline VPN Security Features
Security is the name of the game when it comes to a good VPN product, and here Avast did a good job, as it offers the best connection protocol there is, OpenVPN respectively. However, this protocol only works on Windows OS, while Apple/Mac OS X uses IPsec. Avast delivers military grade encryption, which is as good as it gets, and I am talking about AES-256 encryption. Furthermore, there are 2 protocols to choose from: IPSec and OpenVPN on UDP with AES 256-bit encryption (used by intel agencies and security pros worldwide, as it’s the best in the business). On top of that, you’ll find a Kill Switch feature, together with DNS leak protection. In this regard, security that is, Avast Secureline VPN really shines and lives up to its name, or at least doesn’t disappoint, depending on how picky one is. In laymen’s terms, all of your private information is protected by Avast Secureline VPN at all times. There’s a caveat to that though, keep reading.
Avast Secureline VPN Privacy Policy
Here things get a little bit shady, as the company seems to have a misleading privacy policy. First, Avast says they enforce a no logs policy, i.e. the claim is that Avast doesn’t keep data logs with regard to their customers online activities. But, they do keep connection logs, a metadata of sorts, which in case SHTF (they get raided by the government for example), will reveal how long were you connected, at what time and how much bandwidth you used in the process. All this intel is not damning in itself, yet it appears that Avast does some logging after all in the background, like the vast majority of VPN service providers. Also, they sell your stored data to third parties, like Twitter and Facebook, and that’s clearly mentioned in their privacy policy. Just so you know, alright? They’re not “airtight”. This is from Avast Secureline VPN Privacy Policy:
“When you use the Avast Secureline virtual private network (VPN) service, the server may capture certain basic data such as the time and network location from which the VPN connection was made and the duration of the VPN connection. This information is routinely deleted within 30 days. In addition, the system may store data on the bandwidth transferred per session.”
Avast Secureline VPN Download Speed
Good news in this regard, as Avast delivers good download speeds; actually, they’re among the top-five VPNs in the world in terms of download speed. You can find more detailed information about connection speed in our main avast secureline vpn review.
User Interface
This VPN provider is the definition of simplicity and ease of use. Some may even complain it’s too simple, i.e. it doesn’t offer enough control options for advanced users.
Customer Support
Avast offers telephone customer support, which is as premium as it gets nowadays, talking with a real human being that’s not from India I mean. And they provide this service 24/7, together with a ticketing system. Bottom line, customer support at its best.
Pricing Options
There’s a 7 day trial period for all devices and a 30 days money back guarantee. So, whatever you do, you won’t lose your hard earned bucks. There are different subscription plans, for different devices. For PC/Mac, there are one month-one year-three year subscriptions, whilst on mobile devices (iOS and Android) there are monthly and yearly subscriptions. The downside is that you can’t pay with Bitcoin, as Avast only offers PayPal, wire transfer and credit card. So, there’s no anonymity option here.
Avast VPN for Torrenting Final Words
If you’re looking for a very simple and straight-forward VPN provider at a fair price, especially if you’re not very tech savvy, Avast Secureline VPN has your name on it. There’s not much in terms of flexibility, you can’t pay with Bitcoin, the number of servers is relatively limited and the privacy policy is rather shady for paranoid types.
However, as far as torrenting goes, this VPN provider is pretty good, as there are no IP,DNS or WebRTC leaks when using it, i.e. your internet privacy is in safe hands at all times. I almost forgot: this VPN provider does not offer router support, hence can’t be set up on routers, a feature very useful if you own a lot of devices (smartphones, tablets, internet of things stuff, smart TVs etc). And then again, it doesn’t work with US Netflix, which may be a deal breaker for some.