I. Introduction
Astrill VPN is a virtual private network service with over 11 years of experience in helping users browse the internet privately and access restricted content. Headquartered in Seychelles, Astrill VPN operates servers in over 65 countries to facilitate secure and fast connections.
With its long-standing presence in the VPN market, Astrill VPN promises strong security features and good connectivity speeds. This Astrill VPN review will analyze its pricing, features, user experience, privacy policy and more to help determine if it’s the right VPN choice for you.
II. Pricing and Subscription Plans
Astrill VPN offers four subscription options: monthly, 3-month, 6-month and annual plans. The monthly plan costs $13 while the annual plan is only $7 per month when billed upfront annually. This makes Astrill VPN competitively priced compared to other top VPNs.
It’s recommended to choose the annual plan to get access to all features at the lowest effective monthly rate. Users wanting to test Astrill first can start with a short-term subscription.
III. Features
Some key features that set Astrill VPN apart include:
- Leak protection – Astrill VPN protects against IPV6 leaks, DNS leaks and WebRTC leaks to prevent revealing your real IP address. This improves privacy protection while using the VPN.
- Ad/tracker blocking – Built-in ad-blocking and anti-tracking prevents ads and trackers from compromising your online privacy.
- Strong encryption – Choose from AES-256, AES-128, Blowfish 128, Blowfish 192, CAST 128 or Camellia 128/256 bit encryption protocols.
- Diverse protocols – Connect using OpenWeb, StealthVPN, Wireguard, OpenVPN and other protocols optimized for speed, privacy or bypassing restrictions.
IV. User Experience
The account creation and installation process with Astrill VPN is quick and straightforward. Apps are available for all major desktop and mobile platforms.
Once connected to a server, most users report sufficiently fast speeds for HD streaming and lag-free browsing. Speeds are consistently fast across different server locations as well. Besides streaming and torrenting, Astrill VPN also works reliably for VoIP calling and gaming.
V. Security and Privacy
Astrill VPN has robust privacy features built directly into its apps. These include VPN over Tor access, multi-hop connections crossing 2-5 servers, SOCKS5 web proxy, obfuscated VPN and dedicated streaming servers.
These prove especially useful for users in restricted regions like China to improve privacy protection and bypass internet censorship. User feedback suggests Astrill VPN provides reliable access and good speeds within China.
VI. Customer Feedback
Looking at user reviews, Astrill VPN generally scores very positive feedback. Users like the competitive pricing, wide choice of global servers, ability to torrent securely and bypass geo-restrictions on streaming platforms like Netflix and BBC iPlayer.
Some downsides mentioned include occasional server capacity issues, short 1-day trial limiting evaluation before subscribing, and account suspensions for violating terms of use when torrenting heavily. A few users also report inconsistent speeds during peak times.
VII. Performance and Speed
Independent speed tests clock Astrill VPN servers at good speeds for a VPN, averaging 50-80Mbps globally across various locations. This supports HD streaming on multiple devices and fast large downloads. Speeds are lower to very distant servers but still usable for browsing.
Compared to other top VPNs, Astrill VPN matches up very well on speed and overall network performance. Congestion rarely slows speeds except the rare instance of server overloads.
VIII. Privacy Policy and Logging
Astrill VPN claims a strict no-logs policy, meaning no user activity logs nor connection logs are maintained. The company can comply with legal data requests since payment details may be stored.
While a good privacy policy on paper, a possible caveat is Astrill VPN requires new users to provide a phone number when signing up for an account. The purpose is to curb abuse by verifying identities, but supplying a phone number compromises privacy.
IX. Conclusion
In summary, Astrill VPN is a veteran VPN provider that ticks all the right boxes in terms of pricing, speeds, reliability and advanced user features. It delivers very well as an unblocking and security VPN suitable for both casual and experienced VPN users alike.
The few downsides like short money-back guarantees or supply of phone numbers during sign up should not deter most users. Overall, Astrill VPN deserves strong recommendation as a complete VPN package balancing speed, security and usability.