Avast SecureLine VPN Review 2024: Before You Buy, Is It Worth It?

My Base Speed Dropped Significantly

Using the Ookla speed test tool, I found that Avast SecureLine VPN significantly slowed down my internet connection on the majority of its servers. To get an idea of how fast it is, I connected to several different servers and ran a series of speed tests using its OpenVPN protocol. It’s important to note that Avast SecureLine VPN claims to have no bandwidth limit.

Speed Test Results

Although I typically enjoy download speeds of 180Mbps, I noticed a 58% decrease when I connected to Avast SecureLine local servers. My connection was even slower for servers further away or under heavy user load.

However, even the slowest connections gave me fast enough speeds to watch my favorite shows in UHD. When connected to the server in Melbourne, Australia (the furthest server from my location), I had speeds of 8Mbps. Keep in mind, however, that this isn’t quick enough to multitask while you watch.

If you run these tests yourself, you may find your numbers differ slightly. Factors like base speeds, geographic distance from a server, and peak-use times, tend to impact download speeds significantly. Avast SecureLine VPN will substantially decrease your connection speeds.

The good news is that, with servers closer to my location, I got low latency, making it suitable for gaming activities. That said, compared to top VPNs like ExpressVPN, you usually don’t see a speed drop of more than 20% or a latency drop of more than 15%, even with distant servers.

If you rely on fast internet speeds for gaming or torrenting, you need a VPN that doesn’t cause significant speed drops. Several VPNs offer faster speeds for whatever you do online. During my tests, I found that ExpressVPN is the fastest on the market. It’s perfect for multitasking, so you can easily use ExpressVPN to game, stream music, or torrent while watching a movie.

Is Avast Secureline Vpn Fast Enough for Gaming? Yes, but Only on Local Servers

Avast SecureLine VPN provides fast speeds on local servers, but performance decreases on distant ones. Competitive gamers should be mindful of high ping times when using distant servers. Casual gamers typically won’t notice a significant impact unless the ping exceeds 120 ms. To gain a competitive edge, it’s advisable to select a nearby server with a ping rate below 50 ms. Personally, I observed a performance difference when connecting to Avast SecureLine VPN servers outside the US.

For casual gamers looking for a seamless experience, Avast SecureLine VPN is an excellent choice. However, if you’re a heavy gamer who values a wide range of server options and lower ping, ExpressVPN would be the recommended option for your gaming requirements.

Server Network — 700+ Servers in 30+ Countries

Avast SecureLine VPN caught my attention with its decent server network, which spans an impressive number of locations — over 53 server locations scattered across more than 30 countries. Moreover, the provider ensures that each location houses multiple servers, resulting in a total of over 700 servers at your disposal.

Avast SecureLine VPN organizes its servers based on regions, ensuring wide coverage across the globe. These regions include Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, North America, and South America. However, if you prefer a more specific server location, you can simply select the “All” tab, which provides a comprehensive list of countries with their respective server options.

In addition to the regional and country-specific servers, Avast SecureLine VPN offers two specialized tabs for enhanced functionality. The first tab is dedicated to P2P servers, designed to optimize your peer-to-peer connections for faster and more efficient file sharing. The second tab is focused on streaming servers, enabling seamless access to geo-restricted content from various streaming platforms.

Avast servers offer two modes: Manual and Smart. In Smart mode, you can establish rules to govern the behavior of the app based on your activities. For example, you can set Avast SecureLine VPN to activate automatically when you connect to a public network, visit torrent websites, access banking websites, or stream videos. Conversely, Manual mode allows you to manually switch between different servers. Please note that the Smart mode is absent in the Android application.

The mobile app offers a smooth experience when it comes to selecting and switching servers. All you need to do is tap the “Server Location” button and browse through the list of available servers.

Security — Military-Level Security Guards Your Information

Avast SecureLine VPN offers excellent security features, although their availability and effectiveness may vary across different devices. Nonetheless, it generally performs admirably in ensuring protection.

The security features include:

• Solid encryption – Avast SecureLine VPN uses robust AES-256 encryption, which is the industry standard for data protection. This encryption method makes it nearly impossible for hackers to decipher your data, ensuring your online activities and information are kept private.
• Multiple protocol options – Avast SecureLine VPN offers OpenVPN for Windows and Android, while macOS and iOS use IKEv2/IPSec. It also supports Wireguard and Mimic, a protocol developed by Avast to prevent tracking and provide false information for enhanced privacy, particularly in censorship-heavy countries.
• Split tunneling – with this, you have the flexibility to choose specific apps that you want to use with the VPN. This means that while those selected apps enjoy the VPN protection, other applications won’t be routed through the VPN tunnel. It’s exclusively available in the Android application of Avast SecureLine VPN.
• Kill switch – Avast SecureLine’s app includes a kill switch that disables all internet access when your VPN connection breaks, protecting your personal information. I was thus assured that my data would never be accessed if my VPN connection was interrupted abruptly. However, you will have to manually turn on the VPN’s kill switch, since it isn’t turned on by default.
• DNS leak protection – ensures that all your DNS requests go through the VPN and not directly over your normal internet connection. This further protects your online activities from being tracked or monitored.

I checked for IP, DNS, and WebRTC leaks while connected to SecureLine VPN, and did not discover any leaks. The IPv6 connections were completely blocked as well. Avast SecureLine protects against DNS leaks by forcing DNS requests to go through its own DNS servers. If you want to prevent your IP from being leaked through WebRTC, you must also install the browser extension and enable the WebRTC blocker.

Privacy — Questionable Privacy History

Avast SecureLine VPN privacy policy is concerning. With Avast’s numerous products, it was difficult to find its Avast SecureLine VPN privacy policy. According to its privacy policy, the service records a timestamp of your connection, your IP address, how much data is transmitted, and the client’s service data which is stored for 2 years.

While it states that it can’t identify you based on this information, I’m still uncomfortable with Avast SecureLine VPN logging any information about my online activities. Not just that, Avast has a history of selling user information to advertisers, including Facebook and Twitter. Additionally, their antivirus extension was previously banned in 2019 for violating Mozilla’s privacy rule.

As I wanted to learn more about its log policy, I reached out to the customer support team. I was told by Avast’s support team that the service does not record website or application usage, but keeps connection logs.

The option of automatic sharing of app usage data is turned on by default in Avast SecureLine VPN’s Android app. You can toggle off an automatic sharing of app-usage data that goes to third parties. It shouldn’t be there in the first place, really. At least, it should be an opt-in option.

On the bright side, Avast SecureLine VPN owns most of its servers, minimizing risks associated with third-party providers who could install backdoors or hand over data to law enforcement. Additionally, Avast maintains a warrant canary, which guarantees that the company doesn’t have a backdoor that grants access to its server information.

Avast is headquartered in the Czech Republic, outside of the Five, Nine, and Fourteen Eyes alliances. These are alliances of countries (the US, UK, and most European countries) that work together to collect and share intelligence. However, the country collaborates with these alliances. If you’re worried about a VPN based within one of these intelligence-sharing coalitions, Avast might not be suitable for you.

Since Avast stores some connection logs, I wouldn’t recommend it for a privacy-minded VPN user. With a reputation as one of the top private VPN providers, ExpressVPN has become a stalwart in the privacy sector. The company is headquartered in the British Virgin Islands, a jurisdiction with no mandatory data retention laws – and unaffiliated with the Five, Nine, or Fourteen Eyes alliance.

Editor's Note: Transparency is one of our core values at WizCase, so you should know we are in the same ownership group as ExpressVPN. However, this does not affect our review process, as we adhere to a strict testing methodology.

Torrenting — Has Servers Optimized for P2P Sharing

Avast SecureLine supports P2P file sharing within its network, but the amount of servers available is limited. The service operates dedicated P2P servers in the Czech Republic, France, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States. These servers can be accessed from the main interface under the ‘P2P’ tab in the navigation menu. You can also locate these servers when searching by country, as they have a ‘P2P’ icon.

While Avast SecureLine has optimized P2P servers that allow fast torrenting, it captures and stores connection logs — a huge red flag for a privacy-minded individual. Fortunately, other top-tier VPNs like CyberGhost have optimized servers for P2P and don’t keep any connection logs.

My team and I don’t condone participation in any illegal activities. Please check the rules and regulations in your country to ensure you are not in breach of any laws.

Does Avast SecureLine VPN Work in China? No!

Avast SecureLine VPN may not work in China. I wasn’t able to test Avast SecureLine VPN in China since I don’t live there. However, I found a blog post by Avast where it listed some countries, including China, where its VPN may not work. I also reached out to Avast support via email, and the agent confirmed that the VPN isn’t guaranteed to work in China.

Many VPNs don’t work in China because of the Great Firewall of China that blocks most VPNs in the country. If you want a VPN that’s guaranteed to work there and has an airtight privacy policy, your best choice is ExpressVPN. You can use ExpressVPN to surf the internet securely in China. It comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee that allows you to get a full refund if it doesn’t work for you.

While you should exercise caution when using a VPN within Chinese borders, you are unlikely to suffer any legal repercussions. No public cases have been reported where the Chinese government has taken action against foreigners for using a VPN to access restricted content or websites. The usual practice is that China blocks VPN services by implementing technological measures, rather than pursuing individuals who use them.

If you need assistance using Avast SecureLine VPN, you can check out the knowledge base or contact support via email, live chat, phone, or Twitter. My first contact with Avast was via its support email inquiring about its VPN’s log policy. It took almost 20 hours for Avast to get back to me. It was difficult to obtain accurate and timely assistance because Avast uses the same support email address across all of its products.

I contacted the company again when I had questions about the VPN pairing feature. I used the live chat feature this time around and was pleased with how knowledgeable and responsive the representative was.

Avast SecureLine VPN offers live chat support exclusively for paying customers who have an order number. In case you’re using the software for free, the support team will redirect you to the knowledge base, which includes a comprehensive FAQ section, setup instructions, and usage guides. Additionally, you may suggest seeking assistance through the support forums.