AVG VPN Review 2024: Features, Pros And Cons
Jacob Roach
Read our comprehensive AVG VPN review to learn everything about this popular VPN's features, pricing, benefits and potential disadvantages.
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Our Verdict

Our Verdict

AVG VPN can look like an enticing product thanks to its developer’s popularity in the cybersecurity space, its 10 simultaneous connections and the ability to bundle it with AVG antivirus products. However, its developer’s history regarding user data, as well as its fairly steep price as a stand-alone product, make AVG VPN a tough sell for both businesses and users.

To see if it is a worthwhile investment on its own, we did a deep dive into the system’s key features, policies and performance.

Pros

Clean, easy-to-understand interface

Up to 10 simultaneous connections

Cons

Lacks several key features, such as Dedicated IP

Nonexistent no-logs policy

Questionable company history regarding privacy

Fairly high price for what you’re getting

Expensive renewal pricing

Learn More

On AVG's Website

2.2

Our ratings take into account a product's cost, features, ease of use, customer service and other category-specific attributes. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.

Starting Price

$4.49 per month or $53.88 per year for one year

Number of Simultaneous Connections

10

Number of Countries with Servers

37

Featured Partners

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1

NordVPN

Monthly Pricing (2 Year Plan)

$3.49 per month

# of Devices

6

Dedicated IP

Yes (add-on)

1

NordVPN

Learn More

On NordVPN's Website

2

Surfshark

Monthly Pricing (2 Year Plan)

$2.29

# of Devices

Unlimited

Dedicated IP

Yes

2

Surfshark

Learn More

On Surfshark's Website

3

Norton

Monthly Pricing (2 year Plan)

$3.33/ month

Multi-device plans available

1, 5 and 10

Dedicated IP

No

3

Norton

Learn More

On Norton's Website

4

Private Internet Access

Monthly Pricing (2 Year Plan)

$2.03

# of Devices

Unlimited

Dedicated IP

Yes (add-on)

4

Private Internet Access

Learn More

On Private Internet Access' Website

What Is AVG VPN?

AVG is a prominent brand in the cybersecurity space, as one of developer Avast’s array of products.

The AVG VPN service boasts up to 10 simultaneous connections and servers in over 30 countries.

It is notable for being one of the only virtual private network (VPN) providers we’ve covered that does not claim a no-logs policy.

What Sets AVG VPN Apart

When we used AVG VPN, it felt more like a white-label product, which, in a way, it is. In 2016, parent company Avast purchased VPN developer Privax, developers of HideMyAss (HMA). As part of the acquisition, AVG stated that HMA’s VPN offering would be added to AVG’s existing suite of security apps. And much like its antivirus offering, AVG VPN shares much of its DNA with Avast VPN.

Pros

AVG VPN’s only real selling points are its unlimited simultaneous connections and the ability to bundle it with AVG Ultimate. While the simultaneous connections are nice, other providers with more features do the same thing, such as Surfshark. Bundling with AVG Ultimate is nice in theory, but it’s only really worth it if you are already an AVG customer to begin with.

Cons

The service is devoid of several key features, such as dedicated IP, making it a difficult sell for business users. Plus, the company’s past with logging user data as well as its lack of a no-logs policy, raise too many red flags for personal users, in our opinion. The service’s high price compared to what you’re getting is also a major downside.

AVG VPN Core Features

While lacking in key features, AVG VPN has some of the features you’d expect from a standard VPN. You can go on the internet from another location, such as the U.K. or Germany; it features a kill switch to keep your traffic from leaking out when not connected to the VPN; and it has basic DNS protection measures, meaning your IP address won’t leak while using the service.

DNS Protection Measures

The DNS protection measures successfully passed our attempts to check if the service is working. Using websites, such as DNSleaktest.com, we found no evidence of our DNS leaking at all.

Kill Switch

We were unable to actually test AVG VPN’s kill switch feature. According to the feature description and the app’s settings, the kill switch only engages when you suddenly lose connection to your VPN but does not stop traffic if you just turn the VPN off. Other VPNs tend to cut off all traffic not routed through the VPN when a kill switch is enabled, which is much easier to test.

Split Tunneling

Split tunneling is only available on AVG VPN’s Android app. Users of other platforms including Windows or iOS are out of luck. When we tested the feature, it worked as well as expected, successfully routing traffic away from the VPN with selected apps.

AVG VPN Pricing and Plans

Length of Contract Yearly Two-Year Three-Year

Monthly Rate

$4.49

$4.39

$4.39

Total Amount Billed

$53.88 for the first year, $99.99 for every year after

$105.36 for the first two years, $194.99 for every two years after

$158.04 for the first three years, $294.99 for every three years after

30-Day Guarantee

Yes

Yes

Yes

AVG VPN Setup

Setting up AVG VPN was straightforward. You simply purchase the subscription, download and run the installer and select which server you want to connect to.

When we attempted to set up on Android, we did encounter trouble using our username and password to log in, instead being forced to use an activation code. This is not a big issue, but it’s worth noting for users who might find themselves frustrated trying to get AVG VPN to work on Android.

AVG VPN Ease of Use

We found AVG VPN to be incredibly easy to use. The interface is simple, the settings are understandable and everything is laid out very legibly.

Of course, this is exactly what we would expect from a VPN with no real complexity to speak of. When your most complicated feature is a kill switch, your app should be very easy to use. While AVG VPN clears this bar, it is not exceptional for doing so.

AVG VPN Servers and Locations

AVG VPN has 59 server locations in 37 countries. More accurately, it’s 58 locations. Two of the servers listed, Wonderland in the U.K. and Gotham City in the U.S., reference fictional locations and are dedicated to streaming. These do connect to real locations in each country, however. Wonderland is based in London, which already has its own server location. Gotham City’s server is in Newark, New Jersey.

AVG VPN has earmarked six of these server locations as being dedicated to streaming, and 8 are dedicated to torrenting. However, between AVG VPN’s poor performance at accessing region-locked content (see below) and the company’s nonexistent no-logs policy, we would not recommend using the VPN for either activity.

Fictional locations aside, the server and location count are extremely small compared to other VPNs in the space, such as Proton VPN. During periods of high traffic, this small count could lead to bottlenecking and throttled Internet speeds while using the service.

AVG VPN Speed and Performance

AVG VPN currently supports the following protocols:

Mimic: AVG’s proprietary protocol. It is designed to bypass methods of blocking VPN traffic by appearing as HTTPS traffic. While AVG likes touting Mimic as unique, you can find similar functions from other providers under different names, such as VyprVPN’s Chameleon protocol.

OpenVPN: OpenVPN is a free and open-source security protocol commonly used by most VPN providers. It is one of the oldest security protocols in the VPN space, being initially released in 2001. It is a solid, if unremarkable protocol by today’s standards.

WireGuard: The current standard-bearer of VPN protocols, WireGuard is a free and open-source security protocol known for its speeds and consistency. Many VPNs use WireGuard as their default protocol, even in cases where a proprietary protocol exists.

Protocol Average Upload Speed Average Download Speed Average Upload Ping Average Download Ping

No VPN

399.3 Mbps

352.5 Mbps

8.25 ms

11.2 ms

WireGuard

338.5 Mbps

384.1 Mbps

9.95 ms

15.7 ms

OpenVPN

242.9 Mbps

304.6 Mbps

7.55 ms

15.25 ms

Mimic

261.9 Mbps

243.4 Mbps

141.6 ms

189.1 ms

AVG VPN’s speeds are roughly on par with those of major players in the space, such as NordVPN. As usual, the best protocol to use is the open-source WireGuard, thanks to its high speeds and relatively low impact on device performance. AVG’s proprietary protocol Mimic is not recommended for streaming, gaming or video chatting due to its high amount of ping compared to other protocols.

AVG VPN Security and Privacy

AVG VPN’s security measures leave much to be desired. There is no multifactor authentication or an account system that safely anonymizes users. On top of that, AVG VPN does not have any sort of no-logs policy, leaving it out of step with the majority of providers we cover.

While the veracity or transparency of a company’s no-logs policy varies wildly, the fact that AVG VPN has no policy to speak of leaves us with many concerns about its ability to protect user privacy. This is especially true when AVG and parent company Avast have been caught selling user data through their free antivirus service before.

Although the company has no such history with its VPN as of this writing, its willingness to do so for other products in the past leaves us unable to trust the company or its service. In a cybersecurity space, even a primarily consumer-focused one such as VPNs, trust is the most important currency a company trades in.

When you use a VPN, you are trusting that company to safely handle your data and internet traffic. If you cannot place trust in a provider, you should avoid using it. While the company has not had any major incidents since the aforementioned data collection scandal, we do not believe companies in such a highly trust-focused environment deserve a second chance with users’ data, especially with how intentional the company’s data harvesting was.

AVG VPN Customer Service and Support

AVG VPN has access to the same customer service and support features as AVG antivirus. This means, on top of live chat and a knowledge base, AVG VPN is one of the few VPNs with an actual phone service. This would, in theory, make AVG VPN one of the more accessible VPNs in terms of customer support.

That being said, we tried to use both the phone and live chat customer support services. Unfortunately, neither of them worked. Phone support did not pick up despite multiple calls, and live chat was just unavailable entirely. We tried live chat twice and received the same error both times.

AVG VPN Device Compatibility

AVG VPN is available on Windows, Mac, iOS and Android. While AVG has browser extensions for other services, it has none to speak of specifically for VPNs.

AVG VPN for Streaming

We tested AVG VPN for streaming on Disney+, Hulu and Netflix. While we were able to get Netflix working, we were not successful with Disney+ or Hulu. The streaming experience on Netflix, using one of AVG VPN’s dedicated streaming servers, was fine but nothing spectacular. It outperforms some VPNs by accessing Netflix at all, but we think there are better options for a streaming VPN for a similar price.

AVG VPN Alternatives and How They Compare

AVG VPN ExpressVPN hide.me Mullvad VPN

Rating

Starting Monthly Price

$4.39 (with a two- or three-year contract)

$8.32 (with annual contract)

$3.84 (with a 26-month contract)

$5.29

Anonymous Browsing

No

No

Yes

No

DNS Protection Measures

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Dedicated IP

No

No

Yes

No

Kill Switch

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Split Tunneling

Only on Android

Yes

Yes

Yes

Multifactor Authentication

No

Yes

Yes

Not necessary

No-Logs Policy

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Learn More

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Read Reviews

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We normally review how the VPN in question stacks up with its competitors. However, in this case, we see no reason to do so, as AVG VPN lacks key features, a commitment to privacy and charges high price, giving it almost no edge over its competition. The 10 simultaneous connections are only worthwhile if the service itself is worth using on any device at all. We would still prefer, as an example, Mullvad VPN’s five simultaneous connections over AVG VPN’s 10 connections.

Is AVG VPN Right for You?

Taking everything about AVG VPN into account, we do not recommend the service for anyone. What few pros it has do not outweigh its many cons, and most users would be better off staying away from the company entirely. For business users, it does not have essential features, such as dedicated IP, and for individual users, its privacy commitment is so lacking as to be nonexistent.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Does AVG antivirus include a free VPN?

No. AVG VPN is a separate service from the company’s signature Antivirus offering. However, AVG VPN can be bundled with AVG Antivirus’ Ultimate plan.

Does AVG VPN store logs?

Yes, AVG VPN stores connection logs and other user data. It claims to detail all the data the service collects in its Privacy Policy, but this has never been independently audited to our understanding.

What does AVG VPN do?

Anytime you surf the internet, you transmit data from your device to a website’s server. That data can contain personal information, which unsavory third parties could potentially use for nefarious purposes. A VPN, or virtual private network, essentially hides your data by rerouting your data through a privately hosted server before it reaches its destination. That way, it can’t be traced back to you.

Is AVG VPN good for torrenting?

No. While AVG VPN has dedicated servers for torrenting, the provider does not have a no-logs policy. We recommend only torrenting with VPNs that you would trust with your internet traffic. Given AVG’s history of harvesting user data for monetization, we would not count AVG VPN on that list of trusted providers.

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