AVG is a known name in the antivirus industry, providing antivirus softwares for all devices over a few years now becoming a significant player in the antivirus industry. The brand also offers AVG Secure VPN that is getting quite an attention due to coming from a secure brand identity.

AVG VPN may become a popular VPN service as it has some impressive features to vouch for, but the exact details you will get in this AVG VPN review. On the plus side, the VPN does support different device connections and promising customer support, as claimed by AVG.

However, we shall see if their claims are accurate or not. Stay tuned to dissect this VPN service.

AVG VPN is Deprived of Performance and Speed

A VPN is only as good as it performs. Looking at AVG VPN, you would expect it to be limitless with outstanding speeds. Unfortunately, that is not the case here as the service is way behind its competition due to slow and poor speeds.

While testing, we faced multiple connection failures, and bridging a connection took an ample amount of time. We tested the service for EU and US servers, and the results were not satisfactory.

EU Server:

Ping: 300ms
Upload: 1.5mbps (96% slower)
Download: 5.5mbps (90% slower)

US Server:

Ping: 310ms
Upload: 3mbps (93% slower)
Download: 6.4mbs (86% slower)

These speeds do no correlate with a premium VPN service, and many free VPNs perform better than this. For speed and performance, this VPN failed our tests.

Unacceptable Poor Servers for a Premium VPN

We have tested and researched over a dozen VPN services, and AVG VPN, by far, have very few servers. The service offers 50 locations with no specific server count, that means we can assume they are 50 in number.

While its competitors have servers over 3000, this is fascinating because users do not get an option to chose servers. Instead, they will be directed to any one of the 50 servers. Now all 50 servers could be in one country, but they are distributed across London, New York, Miami, and Amsterdam.

These are what we know of.

Doubtful Logging Policy – AVG Collects User Data

The logging policy of any VPN provider has to be its strongest point because it determines whether the service can be trusted, while trust is a major whistleblower for VPNs.

It took us a while to find the logging policy because the entire website has no specific details regarding its official information. If you read through the snippet, AVG VPN logs data for 2-3 months before it is released or deleted. 

They also claim that under two clauses, the data will be retained.

1. if the user has attempted to defraud the service
2. break their End User Agreement

The part where they claim they “log” data is in itself a major drawback, and we would not recommend anyone to use the service hence its logging data.

Does It Unblock Geo-Restricted Streaming Sites?

Online streaming is one of the main selling points of a VPN service. If you are an online streaming fan and you are planning to get an AVG VPN for streaming popular streaming sites like Netflix US, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Disney+, or Amazon Prime Video, then take a step back because AVG VPN cannot unblock any of these streaming platforms. 

Although AVG VPN claims to have “dedicated servers for online streaming,” the VPN service failed to unblock streaming services on all its dedicated servers (or any other server). Even streaming in incognito mode did not help in bypassing the geo-restrictions. The customer service representative confirmed that geo-blocking was too strong for AVG’s servers. 

If your primary plan is to bypass geo-restricted content with AVG VPN, we would strongly discourage you because there are plenty of other reliable VPNs for reliable online streaming.

Netflix Geo-Blocked In Most Locations

One of the most popular applications of a VPN is the ability to circumvent geo-blocks that prevent you from accessing particular online material. You may connect to services such as the US version of Netflix by routing the connection through a VPN.

While most VPN companies offer specialized Netflix servers for watching, it’s evident that AVG does not believe this option is worthwhile to include in its service. When we attempted to stream Netflix in the United States, we discovered that over fifty percent of the server locations we tested did not provide access to the site.

We eventually connected utilizing North American providers. However, their specialized streaming servers proved useless in our testing.

Can you Torrent in AVG Secure VPN?

Yes and No! If you are looking for a VPN that can torrent, then AVG is sufficient. Peer to peer (P2P) connections are available but in a minimal state. There is a separate tab provided for P2P servers, which are 8 in total. 

• The Czech Republic – Prague
• France – Paris
• Germany – Frankfurt
• The Netherlands – Amsterdam
• The UK – London
• The USA – Miami
• The USA – New York
• The USA – Seattle

There is not much choice for anyone apart from choosing among these 8. 

Pricing Plan – Worth the try?

So far, we can clearly state in our AVG VPN review the service is not a premium VPN service. Instead, it can be an emergency VPN you can opt for, with limited servers and features. 

• 12-Months: $59.88 – $4.99 per month
• 24-Months: $95.76 – $3.99 per month
• 36-Months: $143.64 – $3.99 per month

However, it is still not free, nor cheap as it comes with a price tag. If you look at the pricing plan, the two year and 3-year plan offer the same monthly takeaway, which is not that satisfying. We would suggest getting the 2-year plan instead because more or less the same and you can switch to a better VPN after two years. 

One thing that caught our attention, there is no monthly plan? Why is there no monthly plan, this is a slight mishap for any user looking for a short term plan. 

Average Customer Chat Support

The customer support is actively present but only for users who have an AVG account. For anyone window shopping, you will first have to sign up on the free account to avail the service. It is slightly disappointing as there are no customer representatives for general queries, and you reach a landing page with FAQs.

Once you have an account, the chat support will not be instantly available. You will have to punch in your email, first and last name before proceeding ahead. It is not the brightest support but not the worst as well. 

Compatibility of Apps

The VPN runs smoothly on:

• Android
• Windows PC
• Ma
• iOS.

It is great to see the service being downloaded on your smartphones that have a higher internal memory; otherwise, the app lags the phone’s processor on many occasions. But we don’t recommend using the VPN app alone, its always better to use the AVG Antivirus for protection as well. 

Ease of Use

AVG has invested years to ensure that their interview is fast, reliable, and easy to use. No matter if you are new to using an antivirus or you have been using it for years, you will find AVG interface highly user-friendly and efficient because of its simple layout and clearly defined features.

When it comes to user-friendliness, AVG did not have the best reputation in the past. However, it is now being widely compared to be equally as good as the market leaders, including Avast, Bitdefender, and others.

Connection and Speed

According to AVG, as their server network grows, connection speeds for their VPN have dramatically improved. When linking to local US servers, we saw speeds ranging from 45 to 50 Mbps, which is ample for streaming and quick downloads.

Connecting to US servers from the UK was slightly slower but still provided adequate rates of 40 Mbps. The lower the speed tests become as we go more into mainland Europe. Fortunately, connection speeds to Australian servers were faster than the majority of competitors, with average rates of 30 Mbps.

Unfortunately, Uploading speeds were not as consistent as the download, but this is standard with most VPN companies. Slow upload speeds, on the other hand, may deter frequent P2P users.

While the speed was outstanding, the latency was unreasonably high. Even while connecting to servers in the same city as our geo-location, our ping time was 16 ms, which is unacceptable.

Because of the latency concerns, many players will have difficulty playing live and might want to think about using another VPN provider. According to our study into other VPNs, typical latency durations for local connections are 2 ms, making AVG among the worst providers accessible.

Gaming Apps

If you’re a gamer, you’ll probably want VPN defense against swatting, DDoS attacks, and other nasty things that gamers face. If you play games on consoles, we can’t claim that’s doable with AVG Secure VPN.

As you might expect, no gaming consoles are supported, but with support for Windows, Android, and iOS, you could theoretically utilize the service to game on these platforms. We’ll see later in our AVG Secure VPN review how fast and dependable it is for this function.

Router Support

Finally, if you’re looking for a VPN for routers, AVG will let you down once more. This service closely adheres to its formula, allowing you to utilize it just on the four platforms indicated above. However, if you want to safeguard your router with a VPN thoroughly, ExpressVPN is a good option.

This service works with a wide range of routers and software, allowing you to install it on Asus, DD-WRT, DD-WRT, PfSense, and other popular and lesser-known models. We also recommend CyberGhost, a less expensive solution with excellent router compatibility.

Download and Installation

Installing AVG is as simple as downloading the installer (7.1MB) from their official website. After the installation, Run the program and follow the procedure. The rest of the process is somewhat automatic, which means that all you have to do is click next and select the installation folder.

It will most probably take 7 to 10 minutes to complete the installation procedure. AVG is one of the fastest to install as compared to its rivals that take a significantly longer time to download and install (up to 155 minutes).

Although, it is not necessary to create an account to use AVG. However, creating an account will allow you to monitor other devices that are connected with AVG protection.

Remember that you cannot perform any other operations while AVG installs on your computer. Also, do not forget to unchecked the data collection box (Menu- General- Privacy) after installation.

User Interface

AVG offers a stylish user interface that seems inspired by 90’s popular movie – Hecker. If you see a green circle on AVG’s main window, then you don’t have to worry as your device is safe. 

If there is a red extermination mark instead of a green circle, then be alarmed as your device might be under a virus attack or the antivirus has detected suspicious activity or malware. 

You can run quick scans at any time by pressing the big “Scan Computer” button.

There are a ton of other features that you can use with a single click only. All-in-all, AVG is an incredibly user-friendly antivirus software with tons of smart security features and a simple yet efficient layout.

Operating from the Czech Republic – Safe Data Protection Laws

Thankfully the VPN scores here as it is based in the Czech Republic that is not among the 14 Eyes alliance nor the five eyes. That states that the govt cannot demand user information, and the company is not obliged to give it.

Data protection is a severe ordeal, and any VPN leaking information would be a bad PR.

State of the Art Encryption Protocols

The VPN comprises of industry-standard AES-256-bit encryption key. This is the most forefront encryption that protects your information on the web. The service also uses an SSL certificate for added security. 

As for the protocols, the VPN offers:

• OpenVPN/UDP
• IPSec

IPSec among the protocols is an exceptional protocol for instantly switching between networks while it reconnects or loses connectivity. Please don’t get too excited because even after all these protocols, AVG does not give you the luxury to choose them manually. There are set protocols for every device you use. 

Do We Recommend AVG VPN?

Without any second thoughts, NO, we do not recommend AVG VPN because of the obvious. The goal is to recommend a service that gives you anonymity and the ability to break online barriers and restrictions.

Yet, AVG does not fulfill any of the above. The pricing plan is not at par, and the encryption protocols are present, but you can’t be sure which protocol is being used. You cannot manually configure the protocols which make the online privacy vulnerable.

From a user’s perspective, having lesser servers than in a free VPN provides is a disappointment, and no user would want to pursue this VPN. There is room for improvement which, if done, could make us recommend the service.

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