Avast SecureLine VPN Review [2021] — What Do You Get For Your Money?

A virtual private network is necessary for anyone who spends a lot of time online. It's the best way to protect your information and browsing history from your internet service provider and third parties. However, it can be difficult to decide on a VPN provider that's optimal for you. Let's take a look at what Avast SecureLine VPN, one of the top competitors in the field, has to offer.

An Avast SecureLine VPN Overview

Avast SecureLine is one of the leading VPN services. It's one of the many products offered by Avast Antivirus, a Czech juggernaut in the cybersecurity field. This VPN is compatible with macOS, iOS, Android, and Windows devices. Unfortunately, they don't offer a version that's compatible with Linux yet. So, let's take a look at what Avast SecureLine VPN offers and how it compares to other VPN companies:

Avast SecureLine VPN Prices And Payment Options

A major difference between Avast SecureLine and other VPN companies is that they offer two subscription plans. On the one hand, you can opt for a one-device subscription. This option is less expensive, but you can only use the VPN on one device, which is not ideal. On the other hand, you can choose the 10-device plan. This plan is quite pricey, but the cost is still similar to the competitor's price plans.

The Price for Up to 10 Devices

The standard price of Avast SecureLine for up to 10 devices is $89.99 per year. Although that may seem steep, it ends up being about $7.49 a month, which is a reasonable price for a VPN. The average monthly price of a VPN is around $10, so Avast actually offers their services for quite an affordable price when compared to other companies. 

However, a major disadvantage of the Avast SecureLine VPN is that you can't subscribe to it for one month. Instead, they offer one, two, and three-year subscription plans. Subscribing to a service you know little about for a year or more may be too much for some. That's why Avast offers a seven-day free trial for those who find themselves in this predicament. 

A major benefit is that they offer a free trial without any obligations. You don't even have to put in your credit card information, which is a rarity among VPN free trials. Still, seven days is hardly enough to see if a VPN service is worth $89.99 per year. In our opinion, a free month would be a much better option. A month is enough time to see what Avast can offer and decide whether you want to use it for a full year or more.

The Price for One Device

Alternatively, Avast also offers payment plans for those who need the VPN for only one device. In that case, the price is $59.99 per year, or $4.99 a month. Although this may seem like a good idea to save a bit of money, we suggest you go with the pricier plan. It's important to use a VPN on all of your devices, and unless you only have a phone, the one-device option simply won't be enough. However, if you opt for the pricier subscription plan, you can split the account with a family member and end up paying less overall.

Discounts

If the full price of SecureLine is more than you're willing to pay, you'll be pleasantly surprised at the discounts they offer. For example, you can save 47% on the two-year plan, paying just $95.76 instead of $179.99. Similarly, if you opt for a three-year plan, the first billing cycle will cost you $143.64 instead of $269.99, which is quite a difference. However, you should be careful if you choose one of these plans. Once the billing period ends, you'll be billed the full price, unless you cancel in time.

Payment Options

Avast SecureLine only offers two payment options. Firstly, you can opt to pay with a card. They offer a variety of credit and debit card payment options, such as Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express. Secondly, you can pay via PayPal. Unfortunately, you can't pay for Avast SecureLine with Apple Pay, Amazon Pay, or with cryptocurrencies.

Avast SecureLine VPN Server Locations

It's integral for a VPN company to have a lot of servers spread across every continent. A server is faster when it's geographically closer to you. Therefore, you should look for a company that has several servers located in your country or countries near you. 

Unfortunately, Avast SecureLine's server number and locations are quite scarce. They offer only 55 servers spread out across 35 countries. Although that may seem like a lot, many VPN companies in the same price range offer well over 1000 servers. Additionally, the country average across VPN companies is 52, which is significantly more than the number SecureLine offers. 

Most of the servers are located in Europe and the US, which is common among VPN companies. They offer servers in Turkey, Russia, and China, as well. These countries have quite repressive internet policies, so a VPN can be the only way to get to certain information. Avast doesn't completely neglect Africa and South America, as they offer servers in South Africa and Brazil. However, it would be better if they expanded to a few more countries in these regions.

Avast SecureLine VPN Privacy And Security

High levels of security are the most important quality of a VPN. Luckily, Avast SecureLine has military-grade AES-256 bit encryption. The same kind of encryption is used by banks, governments, and militaries, so you can rest assured your data is safe with them. 

If you're using Windows, the VPN connects with the OpenVPN protocol. Alternatively, if you're using macOS products, they'll connect through IPSec. Although these protocols are great, we would love to see other protocol options, as well. 

On the other hand, the level of privacy with SecureLine is quite disappointing. Although they are transparent about what they keep on their website, they keep more information than other companies. They log your email, username, license key, and subscription renewal date, which is common across VPNs. 

However, they keep a lot of the service data for future improvement of the VPN. Although they mask it, Avast logs IP addresses, which can be a major problem in case of a breach. Additionally, they collect timestamps of your connections and the approximate amount of data you use in a session.

Avast SecureLine VPN Speed And Performance

The performance of a VPN will depend on plenty of factors, including your internet speed and the location of the server you're using. Still, Avast SecureLine VPN is quite fast across all servers. Additionally, you can choose specific servers optimized for streaming. These servers work faster on streaming platforms, so the buffering process is minimal. Still, other servers are fast enough to browse the internet and play video games without lag, as well.

Avast SecureLine VPN On Streaming Platforms

Avast SecureLine is a reasonable option for those looking for a good VPN for streaming. As we mentioned already, they have a few servers optimized for fast, effortless streaming. However, streaming services recognize some of the servers SecureLine uses as VPNs and block them. Unfortunately, since they only offer a few servers per country, you may miss out on some region-locked shows. There are a lot of better VPN options for a similar price for those looking to bypass regional restrictions on Netflix, Hulu, and similar services.

What We Like About Avast SecureLine VPN

The main benefit of SecureLine is how simple and easy it is to use. The app is surprisingly well-designed and user-friendly. You surely won't have any issues navigating it, even if you're new to VPNs and don't know much about them.

Another great feature Avast offers is the optional kill switch. You can select whether you want all of your tabs and apps to close in case you disconnect from the VPN. It's smart to keep the kill switch on, as you never know when a problem with your internet or the server you're using may happen. 

The AES-256 bit encryption provides the highest level of security, which is something every good VPN must have. Additionally, Avast supports 41 languages, which is great for those who don't understand English well. The 10 simultaneous connections are another major plus, as well. Most VPNs offer up to 6, so SecureLine is well above average in that regard.

What We Don't Like About Avast SecureLine VPN

Avast SecureLine has quite a few things they can improve upon. The fact that they log your VPN usage information is quite a detriment. Additionally, they don't support split-tunneling. That means you must use the VPN on all of your apps or none.  

If a server is overwhelmed, you won't be able to only use the VPN on apps you want to protect. That means you'll have to either disconnect from the server and browse without protection or use the laggy internet on every app.  

Another major detriment of the Avast SecureLine VPN is the number of servers they offer. This company had only 55 servers in 34 countries. You can easily find a VPN company that has 20 times the amount of servers and more for the same price. 

Lastly, we don't like the fact that Avast is not transparent about the price once the first billing period is over. They offer large discounts upfront but don't bill the same amount in the next payment cycle. That means you can easily end up paying close to double what you intended, come next billing period.

In Conclusion

Avast SecureLine VPN is an okay option for those new to VPN use. However, they do have quite a few drawbacks, as well. They're not as trustworthy as some of the more popular competitors. Still, the app is easy to use, and the service is quite inexpensive, making it worth a try.