Astrill VPN is the perfect VPN with 300+ servers in 64+ countries unblocking geo-restricted content with secure encryption. But there are always loopholes along with great features, so we tested out the VPN, and this is our Astrill review.
- Smart Mode
- Site and App filter
- VPN Sharing
- Wireguard protection
- Private IP’s
- Multi-hop VPN
- Onion over VPN
- Torrents
Features of Astrill VPN -
Privacy
The privacy and security of Astrill VPN are remarkable. You get strong 256-AES encryption that secures your data with an unbreakable coded language. Also, there is a strong no-log policy that assures your data is not logged on the Astrill servers.
The privacy is taken care of even when the VPN connection is lost. This is done with the help of the Kill switch feature that suspends internet connection when disconnected from the internet. As we already know, VPN acts a veil between anonymity and real identity, disconnecting from VPN exposes your real identity to the other side. But the kill switch feature avoids this by suspending the whole internet connection to your device.
Logging Policy
Astrill VPN does not log any of your activity as it is stated on the privacy and policy statement but it is ambiguous as it is not completely log-free. While using Astrill VPN, they keep anonymous information of yours related to connections but not related to usage and personal information.
What does that mean?
As soon as you connect to the Astrill VPN, it logs certain information such as connection times, IP address, device types and the version of the app that you are using. This information is deleted permanently from the system once you disconnect the VPN and you can also request for deletion manually.
Along with this information, Astrill logs your recent 20 connection sessions that include connection times, connection duration, server locations accessed and the version of the app. This information is used for quality purposes and is deleted after 30 days period.
Support
Astrill VPN does have excellent options for user support. From setup guides to a manual representative, you get them all.
I prefer getting the setup guides as it makes the installation easier and in the right way. The setup guide on Astrill VPN gives you visual guides on how to setup Astrill VPN on multiple platforms and OS. The visual guides will help you with a step-by-step process for installations.
We also have an option for FAQ and Video tutorials that solve the general queries. You can usually find the answers to common questions in the FAQ section but if you are unsure of how to solve your query, go with the video tutorials. They are explanatory and gives you the ease of understanding.
If the query you are looking for is not resolved in any of the above support sections. You can also do a live chat with a representative and get all your questions answered, or leave a message using the contact form, so they can get back to you with your query.
Streaming
One of the best VPNs for streaming media from geo-restricted areas, Astrill VPN is just amazing at its job. You can stream from countries that have banned your IP address without even letting them know. How? because Astrill VPN is smart and has advance techniques.
Streaming on Astrill VPN is so good, that you can stream Netflix and BBC iPlayer from the United Kingdom without being detected. Usually, most of the VPNs are caught by these two platforms, but Astrill VPN does it smoothly and slips you in.
Almost all the streaming platforms are supported by Astrill VPN; some of the popular ones are Netflix, BBC IPlayer, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and Hulu.
Fast Speed
When talking about VPN, do not forget to mention the speed. We wanted to check how good is Astrill VPN when it comes to speed along with the security and streaming; because without speed, it would be a junk to use.
Here are the numbers after we ran a test over a few servers on Astrill VPN :
- US server (Avg. Download speed – 70 Mbps)
- UK server (Avg. Download Speed – 66 Mbps)
- Japan server (Avg. Download Speed – 77 Mbps)
Astrill VPN is pretty fast and we can say it was just like “Flash” when we connected to the server. We experienced the same while switching between the servers, everything was quick and secure.
Torrenting
The most commonly asked question, does my VPN support torrenting? The answer is “Yes”, especially when it is Astrill VPN. We are not exaggerating this point but torrenting is good on Astrill VPN and it is because it is more secure and also, fast.
The privacy and policy statement specify why it is one of the best when it comes to torrenting; there are no logs and all the torrents are 100% private, neither the government, Astrill VPN, or the intruders will ever know about your torrenting.
It is supposed with a guarantee by Astrill VPN that it supports major torrent clients such as BitTorrent, uTorrent, and LimeWire, along with a few other torrent clients such as VUZE and deluge.
Ultimately, it is good for P2P sharing networks.
Compatibility with devices
Astrill VPN supports almost all types of smart devices and OS, except for the Smart TV (Which we will fix in the last section of this point). You can download the Astrill VPN software for Windows OS, Mac OS, Android, IOS, and Linux operating systems.
Once you download the file, you can open the installer file on your PC and complete a simple installation. You can check the setup guide from the support section or simply scroll down to find the visual guide on how to install the Astrill VPN.
On your mobile devices, you can download the app from the official site.
Note: A lot of other VPN apps have cloned Astrill VPN with a similar name, logo, or theme. They are scammers and Astrill VPNs warn about such apps and request you to download through the official site only.
Once downloaded, the app will install itself and the only thing you need to do is sign in with your login credentials and you are good to go.
Remember, I mentioned earlier about Smart TVs not getting the Astrill VPN benefits? You can fix this with installing Astrill VPN on your router. Yes, you can do that.
Astrill VPN allows you to install their VPN service on your network router and secure the whole network. You can then choose the device filter and select your Smart TV to get the VPN benefits.
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Strong Encryption
This is my favourite part where we discuss how secure the Astrill VPN is. And this is probably the first time I have come across something like this where you get to choose what security standard you need. Confused? Let me help you.
Astrill VPN is loaded with security options; by default, it securely encrypts your data with 256-AES encryption but you can also manually choose a different encryption option.
However, it should not be necessary to manually choose another encryption method. A 256-AES encryption would be impossible to break, even with a supercomputer. So, it is unnecessary but when you have better than the best, then why not?
Here are the other encryption methods on Astrill VPN –
- AES 128-bit, 192-bit, or 256-bit encryption
- Blowfish 128-bit, 192-bit, 256-bit, or 448-bit encryption
- CAST 128-bit, 192-bit, 256-bit, or 512-bit encryption
- Camellia 128-bit, 192-bit, or 256-bit encryption
Security doesn’t limit itself here on Astrill VPN. You get a bunch of more choices on the protocols involved when connected to the VPN.
Here are a few to choose from –
- OpenWeb
- StealthVPN
- Wireguard
- TCP/UDP
- OpenVPN
- OpenConnect
- Cisco IPSec
- IKEv2/IPSec
- L2TP/IPSec, and
- SSTP
If you are not yet satisfied over any of these protocols, you can choose Onion over VPN and get anonymity from the TOR network without having to install the TOR browser.
Server Network
Talking about the Network, you must be wondering which locations you can access and will you be trapped due to limited servers being busy? The answer to which is, mostly. Because Astrill VPN has VPN servers in 111 cities and in 59 countries. Though they are limited, and you may find also find them busy during peak hours, they are still reliably fast when you get a connection slot.
It wouldn’t be hard to get connection over 300+ servers but it is best to use them in the off-peak hours.
Works with Netflix
Most of the VPN providers claim to unblock Netflix but they ultimately fail. Because Netflix and BBC iPlayer are two most secured and intelligent platforms. Astrill VPN smoothly slips you in without letting both of these platforms to know that you are connected to a VPN service.
We made a test because it was hard to believe. Once, the Astrill VPN was set up, we connected to one of the servers in the United Kingdom to know how exactly was the performance of the VPN. To no surprise, it was lag-free and buffer-free; we could easily stream content without having to wait till the loading completes.
To make it more difficult for Astrill VPB, we quickly changed to one of the servers from Asia. It was smooth and fast.
The connection was established in no time and within seconds we were viewing content from one of the Asian countries.
Plans and Pricing
Like I said before, the best of the best VPN also has some of the loopholes. Astrill VPN is an advanced VPN and it will cost you some good amount of money.
There are three plans to choose from on Astrill VPN –
- 1 Month ($20.00/Month)
- 6 Months ($15.00/Month)
- 1 Year ($10.00/Month)
Now, you may feel the 1 Year plan is the best plan but do not fall for the trap or you will be only losing money. I suggest you go with the 1-month plan and test if the VPN works great for you because in reviews we talk about general user experience. You may find Astrill VPN a bit different based on your location and servers available near you.
Once you are satisfied with the 1-month plan, you can go with the yearly plan and save some money. There are multiple payment options to choose from, some of these are –
- Visa
- MasterCard
- American Express
- Maestro
- Union
- PayPal
- AliPay
- Perfect Money
- Bitcoin
- Monero
- Web Money
- Bank Transfer
Prefer the online payment modes to make the process quicker, or you will be lost in time.
Pros and Cons of Astrill VPN
Pros :
- Split tunneling
- Strongest Encryption
- Works with almost all the streaming platforms
- Fast
- Best for torrenting
- Onion – Tor Network
- Wireguard protection
Cons :
- Price is concerning
- Collects device information (Temporarily)
- No refund policy
Advantages Of Astrill VPN
Astrill VPN has over a dozen of features that other VPN providers fail to achieve. You get to use Smart mode where the VPN automatically establishes a connection through tunnelling for international websites, while local websites are connected using the traditional way.
Sharing VPN has been misleading with most of the other websites. They charge you extra for sharing but using Astrill VPN, you can share VPN with unlimited devices but can you can use only 5 devices simultaneously. The Multi-hop network, Private IP through stunneling and OpenVPN, site and app filters, and wireguard protocol connect your device to the internet in the most secure way.
If you wish to choose the ultimate level of anonymity (TOR network), you can choose Onion over VPN option to connect to the TOR network without actually having to install the TOR browser.
Final Words / Review of Astril VPN
Astrill VPN has turned out to be one of my favourites and I recommend it for secure browsing and streaming over the internet. My review of Astrill VPN gets a thumbs up for many reasons that I have shared above. You can choose the level of encryption security and the protocol for the connections. On the other hand, it works smoothly with Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu and more. It’s a win win!
Astrill VPN is excellent with speed! The average speed ranges from 66Mbps to 77 Mbps in US, UK & Japan servers.
No, Air VPN is for personal use only, though you can have VIP add-ons for as per your needs.
Astrill VPN encrypts the data with 256-AES encryption which is the most secure, though it gives you the option to manually change it.
