Will Astrill Continue Operating in China January 2018
Astrill VPN Review 2022
Astrill is a Seychelles based VPN service that offers servers in 111 cities across 59 countries that assist Netflix and torrenting both. The service has received a 3.0-star rating overall.
- Updated: August 17, 2022
- 10 User Reviews
- Osama Tahir
| Based in | Seychelles [SAFE] |
| Price | $12.50/mo |
| Servers | 111 cities, 59 countries |
| Logs | Keeps Logs |
| Multi Login | 5 Devices |
| Refund | No |
| Recommended | Yes |
| Website | Astrill.com |
Astrill VPN is a Seychelles-based provider. It is a bit of a mixed bag that has several strengths as well as quite a few weaknesses.
The good aspects of the VPN include fast speeds, Netflix and BBC iPlayer unblocking capability, and a good logging policy. Unfortunately, this is where the good stops and the bad begins, as you'll learn in detail in this Astrill VPN review.
It has a small server network which pales in comparison to the likes of ExpressVPN nor does it have an attractive pricing strategy as of Surfshark. In fact, it is quite expensive with its lowest plan costing $12.50/month for a 1-year subscription.
Overall, the provider has earned a rating of 3.0/5.0. Therefore, I would recommend Astrill VPN, but it is far from being the best available option out there. You can check more best VPNs recommended by us.
My Rating Criteria
I created my own 9 step criteria to review that consists of:
- Jurisdiction – Where is Astrill VPN based?
- Security – Is Astrill VPN safe?
- Leaks – IP, DNS, WebRTC & Virus Tests
- Servers – Is Astrill VPN P2P compatible?
- Speed – Is Astrill VPN fast?
- Streaming – Does Astrill work with Netflix?
- Compatibility – How compatible Astrill is?
- Pricing – How much does Astrill cost?
- Trustworthiness – Trustpilot Rating, Reddit Reviews & Support
Jurisdiction – Where is Astrill VPN based?
Astrill VPN's headquarter is situated in a user-friendly country Seychelles . Luckily, the country does not have a connection with the five eye alliance nor does it have any running surveillance programs from state agencies to the best of our knowledge.
Since Seychelles has no data retention rules, nor is it in cahoots with any foreign intelligence agencies, Astrill is located in a very safe jurisdiction.
Security – Is Astrill VPN safe?
Astrill VPN is completely safe and secure . It is easy to see why:
There are many tunneling protocols that you can use which include OpenWeb, OpenVPN, PPTP, L2TP/IPSec, WireGuard, OpenConnect IPSec, StealthVPN, SSTP, Cisco, and IKEv2/IPSec.
Astrill VPN uses AES 256-bit encryption to make sure your traffic and internet connections are safe. Good protocol support compiled with advanced 256-bit strong encryption means you are 100% safe from the potential threats of the cyber industry.
Additional Security Features
Other than the core security features, Astrill also offers the following:
Astrill VPN Kill Switch Feature
Astrill VPN offers other essential privacy benefits such as Kill Switch. When you lose your VPN connection, your IP address is at the risk of being exposed to your local ISP.
To prevent this from happening, Astrill provides a Kill Switch feature. This feature kills your internet whenever you lose your VPN connection. To toggle this feature, go to the privacy option in the settings tab.
Astrill VPN Private IP
The standard Astrill plan offers shared IP addresses to users. However, you can get dedicated (Private) IPs as well if you want your VPN sessions to run through a single IP that belongs entirely to you. The Private IP extra feature will cost you an additional $5/month.
Astrill VIP Add-on
This add-on offers faster speed and lower latency, especially for gaming users situated in Asia. In addition, it offers additional anonymizing features such as multi-hop.
This feature is quite expensive, however, costing an additional $10/month.
Does Astrill VPN Keep Logs?
Astrill has a fairly strong logging policy . For instance, they store connection time, IP address, and device type for the duration of your VPN session. However, this information is deleted permanently as soon you disconnect from the VPN, so the company doesn't retain any sensitive information about you.
This makes Astrill a secure VPN that you can rely on for your privacy protection.
You can learn more about the logging policies of different VPNs through the one-detailed guide.
Leaks – IP, DNS, WebRTC & Virus Tests
Astrill is safe to use since it does not reveal your actual IP address, DNS, or WebRTC data online. For the testing, I connected Astrill to one of its UK servers. Here are the Astrill VPN leak test results:
IP Leak Test:
The VPN was easily able to pass the IP leak test.
DNS Leak Test:
Astrill VPN had no trouble with the DNS leak test either.
WebRTC Leak Test:
The WebRTC test results also came clear for Astrill.
Virus Test:
I tested its Windows setup file to check if it exposed some viruses or not. Luckily, the app does not contain any malware.
These results show that Astrill has good leak protection in place.
Servers – Is Astrill VPN P2P compatible?
Astrill provides servers in 105 cities across 59 countries to its users. Although the Astrill VPN server list is small in number and pales in comparison to other providers, Astrill promises better performance due to its reliance on dedicated VPN services using 1-10 Gb lines.
Astrill works with P2P and torrents on specific servers. Every Astrill VPN p2p server is marked with a golden star symbol next to them. If you want to connect to torrent websites and download p2p files, you must be connected to these servers.
Does Astrill VPN work in China?
Yes, Astrill VPN is still one of the few VPNs that work in China . The provider offers strong proprietary protocols that obfuscate your VPN traffic, making it undetectable to Chinese firewalls.
With Astrill VPN in China, users can hide their IP addresses and can access streaming websites and popular social media networks such as Facebook and Twitter. So, if you're fed up with Chinese censorship, you can count on Astrill VPN to bypass online restrictions in the country.
However, keep in mind that you probably won't be able to download Astrill in China because VPN websites are generally blocked in the country. So, if you're traveling to China, download the VPN on your laptop/devices beforehand.
For more information, have a look at this guide that discusses the contribution of obfuscation benefits in various oppressive countries.
Speed – Is Astrill VPN fast?
Astrill VPN is considerably fast with excellent speeds across its network.
To how fast it is, I performed the Astrill VPN speed test using a 30 Mbps internet connection. Here are the results:
First up is a US server which gave a pretty good speed:
The UK server also delivered decent speeds, though it dropped somewhat in relation to the US server:
I also tested a German server. This was the slowest of all the ones tested, but still not bad considering how a lot of VPNs are unable to reach this mark:
Therefore, Astrill VPN is a reasonably fast service.
Streaming – Does Astrill work with Netflix?
Astrill VPN works fine with Netflix on specific servers. Since Netflix has been cracking down on VPN providers to prevent users from violating geo-restrictions, many servers that were functional before are no longer effective for Netflix.
You can connect to its US Los Angeles server to unblock the US Netflix media library anonymously. Other servers such as US Chicago also work well for this purpose:
Other Streaming Services
I also tested it for BBC iPlayer and the provider managed to unblock it on its UK servers:
Compatibility – How compatible Astrill is?
Astrill VPN is compatible with Windows, macOS, Android, Linux, iOS, and routers. To my surprise, they also support the TOR browser too.
As far as their usability goes, the apps are simple and easy to use. Once you have downloaded the app on your preferred device, you can start using the service in a moment.
Moreover, Astrill VPN offers an excellent user interface that only needs your email address and password to log in.
After logging in, you may choose your desired protocol, be it OpenVPN or Stealth VPN hassle-free.
Astrill VPN for Windows
The Windows VPN client appears quite ugly, to be honest. But it is easy enough to use and get going. You can select your preferred server and protocol from the home screen, which makes the app quite convenient for users.
Astrill VPN for macOS
Astrill VPN Mac looks and behaves exactly the same as the Windows app with the same home-screen functionality for server and protocol selection.
Astrill VPN Android App
The Astrill VPN android app is much more appealing than its desktop counterparts. However, its functionalities and behavior remain largely the same with a few differences.
For instance, there's no built-in kill switch mechanism in the Android Astrill VPN app. Aside from this, there are no drawbacks and the app works flawlessly otherwise.
Astrill VPN iOS App
The Astrill VPN iPhone app has minor stylistic changes as compared to the Android version, but it is pretty much the same other than the design. You can toggle the VPN on and off from the home screen and connect to your desired from the same as well with a decent connectivity response.
Pricing – How much does Astrill cost?
Astrill VPN has one of the most costly pricing plans for its users.
Like any other VPN service, the service comes with three packages that include all the features except a refund policy or money-back guarantee.
The Astrill VPN price packages look something like this:
- Monthly ($25.00)
- 6 Months ($16.67/mo)
- 1 Year ($12.50/mo) 50% OFF
Apart from these pricing plans, you can avail of other services in the form of dedicated IP, VIP add-on, and Astrill VPN router too.
You can get the above-described services at the cost of:
- Dedicated IP – $5.00/month
- VIP Add-on – $10.00/month
For providers that cost lower, check the most affordable VPN services.
Currently, Astrill VPN delivers a comprehensive list of online payment options including:
- PayPal
- Bitcoin
- UnionPay
- American Express
- Maestro
- VISA
- Master Card
- Perfect Money
Astrill also offers a free trial for 7-days. You can simply sign up for the account and use the Asrtrill free trial for 7 days without paying a single penny.
Trustworthiness – Trustpilot Rating, Reddit Reviews & Support
Despite all the bold claims of Astrill VPN being the best out there, it has a low rating on Trustpilot, and many customers aren't happy with the service:
Astrill only has a Trustpilot score of 2.2/5.0. Many user reviews on the platform are extremely critical of the service.
Astrill Reddit Review
Redditors have expressed mixed opinions about Astrill VPN with some happy users and some unhappy ones. The following user pointed out inconsistencies in its performance:
Most other threads on Reddit are archived, but you'll find all sorts of opinions about the service both positive and negative.
Customer Support
Astrill VPN has really unsatisfactory customer support . I tried reaching out to the team with a query and was given an approximate waiting time of 1 minute. I was still in the queue after waiting for 5 minutes.
That's very frustrating and unprofessional on the part of Astrill.
Comparison between ExpressVPN and Astrill VPN
Have a look at the below-mentioned table to figure out the major differences between these two VPNs:
| Features | ExpressVPN | Astrill VPN |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $6.67/mo (Save 49% and get 3 extra months FREE with 12-month plan) | $12.50/mo |
| Servers | 3000+ in 94 Countries | Servers in 111 Cities 59 Countries |
| Compatibility | All Devices | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS |
| Jurisdiction | Hong Kong | Seychelles |
| Logging Policy | Zero logs | Zero logs |
| Customer Support | Live Chat & Email Support | FAQs, Live Chat & Email |
| Trust Pilot Score | 4.6 | 2.2 |
| Website | ExpressVPN | Astrill VPN |
ExpressVPN is rated at the top due to its robust encryption and privacy features, fast speeds on its 3000+ servers, and its commitment to keeping users' data safe from the prying eyes of the authorities.
Alternatives to Astrill VPN
If you are not interested in this service, you can read some of the reviews below:
- ProtonVPN
- SaferVPN
- Buffered VPN
- OverPlay
- ZenVPN
- Hola VPN
- Unlocator
- VPN Gate
- NordVPN
Do I Recommend Astrill VPN?
Yes, I do recommend Astrill VPN . However, the provider has as many pros as there are cons.
In terms of pros, it offers a free trial and is one of the few services that work in China. It also unblocks Netflix with such ease and is torrent-friendly too. The speed tests that I conducted for this Astrill VPN review also show great speed levels.
However, many customers are unhappy with the service and it has a bad reputation on Trustpilot. Furthermore, it has a small server network and is very expensive compared to other notable brands that offer more features with better performance.
This is the reason, I have given the service 3.0/5.0 stars ratings. Astrill is a VPN that is decent, but it's certainly not the best that the industry has to offer.
If you want to know about VPNs other than Astrill that take no half measures in securing their users' privacy, read this comprehensive VPN reviews 2022 guide.
Source: https://www.vpnranks.com/reviews/astrill/
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