AVG Secure VPN 2024 Review: 5 Cons and 4 Pros

by Vít Nováček
updated January 1, 2024 (Report a bug)

1. AVG Secure VPN: Free Trial for 60 days

   • Does not work with Netflix, Disney+ and other platforms
   • Application not audited
   • Only 700 servers in 37 countries
   • Application available only for computers and mobiles
   • Low download (32 Mb/s) and upload (10 Mb/s)

   • The app is available in 18 languages
   • You can connect up to 10 devices simultaneously
   • 60 days of free trial period
   • Very good customer support

   AVG Secure VPN is a service operated by Avast Software s.r.o., based in the Czech Republic. AVG is a well-known brand of antivirus software with a tradition since 1991; the same owner still operates Avast SecureLine VPN.

   The big competitive advantage of AVG Secure VPN is the free trial version available for the first 60 days. The application is available in 18 languages and supports up to 10 devices connected simultaneously. Technical support also works very well.

   The overall AVG Secure VPN rating in our test is 5.6/10. The service lost points especially for connection speed; we measured average download only 32 Mb/s and upload only 10 Mb/s. The number of 700 servers in operation in 37 countries is also low.

   The VPN only supports basic mobile and desktop platforms, and despite repeated attempts, we were unable to unblock videos from streaming platforms. The AVG Secure VPN app failed an independent audit, while the leading services like NordVPN (rating 9.4/10) or Surfshark (9.2/10) undergo it regularly and publish the results publicly.

2. AVG Secure VPN Subscription: Discount Code, Free Trial, Money Back Guarantee…

   • Your Price: $5.32​20% off  $4.25 /mo (10 devices)
   • Money Back Guarantee: Yes (30 days)
   • Free Trial: Yes (60 days)
   • Cryptocurrency payments:
     No

     Bitcoin :No
     Dash :No
     Ethereum :No
     Ripple :No

   

   5.6

   ★★☆

   VPN from well-known antivirus creators has a long free trial. But it doesn’t unblock video, has below-average speed, and low compatibility.

   $4.25 /mo Free 60-day trial ​30-day money back guarantee

   Get this VPN 20% cheaper

   Subscription to AVG Secure VPN is available for 1 year, 2 years, and 3 years with full payment upfront. The variants differ only in price; the VPN features and parameters are the same. The most expensive subscription is the monthly subscription at $5.32; the most affordable and also the longest subscription is at $4.25 per month.

   The order is covered by a satisfaction guarantee of 30 days, and refunds without reasons can be arranged by technical support.

   Trial version of AVG Secure VPN is available for free for 60 days. To obtain it, you need to enter a credit card number, which is verified by a zero-sum transaction. When the free period expires, the subscription money is automatically charged. If you are not interested, be sure to end the trial on time.

   Subscription payment is possible by debit and credit card or bank transfer. Unfortunately, it is not possible to use the one-time payment card offered by Revolut, for example.

3. AVG Secure VPN and Supported Devices: Android, iOS, macOS…

   • Device limit: 10

   Platforms supported

   • Android:
     Yes

     Android is supported by 98 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Android TV:
     No

     Android TV is supported by 36 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Apple TV:
     No

     Apple TV is supported by 18 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Fire TV:
     No

     Fire TV is supported by 43 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Chromebook:
     No

     Chromebook is supported by 20 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Chromecast:
     No

     Chromecast is supported by 16 % of reviewed VPNs
   • iOS:
     Yes

     iOS is supported by 99 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Kodi:
     No

     Kodi is supported by 21 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Linux:
     No

     Linux is supported by 61 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Mac:
     Yes

     Mac is supported by 98 % of reviewed VPNs
   • NAS:
     No

     NAS is supported by 24 % of reviewed VPNs
   • nVidia Shield:
     No

     nVidia Shield is supported by 14 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Playstation:
     No

     Playstation is supported by 20 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Raspberry Pi:
     No

     Raspberry Pi is supported by 17 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Roku:
     No

     Roku is supported by 16 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Router:
     No

     Router is supported by 53 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Windows:
     Yes

     Windows is supported by 100 % of reviewed VPNs
   • xBox:
     No

     xBox is supported by 20 % of reviewed VPNs

   Browser Extensions

   • Brave :
     No

     The Brave browser add-on is offered by 43 % of reviewed VPNs.
   • Chrome :
     No

     The Chrome browser add-on is offered by 43 % of reviewed VPNs.
   • Edge :
     No

     The Edge browser add-on is offered by 21 % of reviewed VPNs.
   • Firefox :
     No

     The Firefox browser add-on is offered by 34 % of reviewed VPNs.
   • Opera :
     No

     The Opera browser add-on is offered by 43 % of reviewed VPNs.
   • Safari :
     No

     The Safari browser add-on is offered by 0 % of reviewed VPNs.
   • Vivaldi :
     No

     The Vivaldi browser add-on is offered by 43 % of reviewed VPNs.

   With a single subscription, AVG Secure VPN can be used on a maximum of 10 devices simultaneously.

   In terms of the breadth of platforms supported, it is one of the more poorly reviewed VPNs. The app is only available for Windows and macOS computers and for Android and iOS mobile devices.

   AVG Secure VPN does not support alternative Linux, Android TV, Apple TV, Fire TV, or Kodi televisions and multimedia devices, PlayStation or Xbox game consoles, or other types of devices. VPNs cannot be used on a router that would secure all devices connected to the same network.

   Browser extensions for AVG Secure VPN are not offered. For Windows, Mac, and Android devices, there is a free AVG Secure Browser that has built-in VPN protection, ad-blocking, and trackers.

4. AVG Secure VPN App: User-friendliness, whitelist, server selection…

   • App Languages: 🇺🇸 English +17 more🇩🇪 German 🇪🇸 Spanish 🇫🇷 French 🇵🇹 Portuguese 🇮🇹 Italian 🇨🇳 Chinese 🇷🇺 Russian 🇰🇷 Korean 🇵🇱 Polish 🇯🇵 Japanese 🇹🇷 Turkish 🇳🇱 Dutch 🇭🇺 Hungarian 🇩🇰 Danish 🇳🇴 Norwegian 🇨🇿 Czech 🇸🇰 Slovak
   • Whitelisting:
     No

     Whitelisting is supported by 52 % of reviewed VPNs

   The AVG Secure VPN desktop app is rendered in a minimalist design; the dark look is the only one available. The interface is clear and easy to navigate, with English among the 18 languages supported.

   The home screen of the app consists of a button to connect or disconnect the VPN and a second button to change the location. The latter can either be selected manually or you can leave the choice to the app, which will choose the fastest server at that moment. A notification informs the user of the change in connection status; the connection establishment was smooth and without any app glitches during the tests.

   The AVG Secure VPN supports split tunneling in mobile apps only. In this feature, you can select apps that will access the internet directly, while the rest will always connect with the VPN active. In the desktop app, you can at least add websites to the list that will not be secured by the VPN.

   In all apps, a kill switch is implemented that disconnects the device from the Internet if the connection to the VPN server is lost. This way, the user’s real IP address or location will not be revealed.

5. AVG Secure VPN Connection Speed: Upload, Download & Latency

   • Traffic limit: Unlimited

   Download speed

   Higher is better. The average download of all tested VPNs is 115 Mb/s.

   Upload speed

   Higher is better. The average upload of all tested VPNs is 81 Mb/s.

   Server latency

   A lower value is better. The average response rate of all tested VPNs is 48 ms.
   AVG Secure VPN doesn’t limit users with a data transfer cap, which is standard for paid VPNs.

   Connecting to the server was fast and without complications. The transfer speed was affected by the chosen server and protocol, with WireGuard being the fastest.

   In repeated tests, we measured an average download speed of 32 Mb/s, ranking AVG Secure VPN among the worse VPNs. Such a speed would most likely be insufficient for watching a 4K stream, which requires at least 50 Mbps.

   The upload speed of 10 Mb/s is a major limitation for torrenting or backing up large amounts of data. In comparison, FastestVPN achieved an average upload speed of 254 Mb/s in the same test.

   The response time AVG Secure VPN reached in the test was an average value of 29 ms, which is sufficient for online gaming. For response speed, as opposed to download and upload, lower is better.

6. AVG Secure VPN Server Locations

   • Number of servers:
     700

     The average number of servers for the reviewed VPNs is 1699.
   • Number of countries:
     37

     The average number of countries available for the reviewed VPNs is 41.

   Europe	🇧🇪 Belgium 🇨🇿 Czech Republic 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇫🇮 Finland 🇫🇷 France 🇮🇪 Ireland 🇮🇸 Iceland 🇮🇹 Italy 🇱🇹 Lithuania 🇱🇻 Latvia 🇱🇺 Luxembourg 🇭🇺 Hungary 🇩🇪 Germany 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇱 Poland 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇦🇹 Austria 🇬🇧 United Kingdom 🇪🇸 Spain 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇨🇭 Switzerland 🇹🇷 Turkey 🇺🇦 Ukraine
   North America	🇨🇦 Canada 🇲🇽 Mexico 🇺🇸 USA
   South America	🇧🇷 Brazil
   Asia	🇮🇱 Israel 🇯🇵 Japan 🇰🇷 South Korea 🇲🇾 Malaysia 🇸🇬 Singapore 🇹🇼 Taiwan
   Africa	🇿🇦 South Africa
   Oceania	🇦🇺 Australia 🇳🇿 New Zealand

   AVG Secure VPN gives users the ability to connect to 700 servers in 37 countries around the world. This offering is below average compared to other VPNs reviewed.

   Most servers are located in Europe, but every continent is represented. Servers in AVG Secure VPN are also available in the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Iceland, Luxembourg, Malaysia, and South Africa among the less common countries on offer. Among countries with government censorship, Turkey is available.

   Some servers in AVG Secure VPN are specifically optimized for torrenting and streaming and are located in Europe and North America. All available servers support all features. All servers are physical, so none of them are virtual.

   AVG Secure VPN does not give the option to choose a specific server, only the location.

7. AVG Secure VPN Security Features: DNS Leak Protection, Kill Switch…

   • DNS leak protection :
     Yes

     DNS leak protection is offered by 92% of the reviewed VPNs.
   • Kill Switch:
     Yes

     Kill Switch is supported by 87% of the reviewed VPNs.
   • Multi-Hop:
     No

     Multi-Hop connection is offered by 20 % of the VPNs reviewed.
   • Tor:
     No

     Tor support is offered by 19 % of the reviewed VPNs.

   The primary security tool in AVG Secure VPN is DNS leak protection, which proved to work during our testing by reliably hiding our IP address.

   An important feature of the app is the kill switch, which disconnects the device from the internet if the connection to the VPN server is lost. This prevents the user’s real IP address and location from being revealed and the transmitted data from being compromised.

   Users of AVG Secure VPN have a choice of three different protocols. WireGuard is a modern and fast open-source protocol that is used by a growing number of VPN providers. OpenVPN is the most popular protocol and is offered by most services. Mimic is a lesser-known protocol that spoofs and duplicates connections, giving false information about your identity and the site you’re coming from.

   AES 256-bit and ChaCha20 encryption are used to secure the data being transmitted. The former, in particular, is considered very secure and is used by banks and some militaries.

   Multi-hop connections in AVG Secure VPN are not supported. Also known as Double VPN, this feature uses connections to two different VPN servers at the same time, which further increases the level of security. The trade-off is usually lower connection speeds.

   The use of VPNs on the Tor network is not supported. This is an advanced feature that is only available in some VPNs.

   Access to the user account in AVG Secure VPN can be secured by two-factor authentication, where a code from Google Authenticator will be required along with the password when logging in.

8. AVG Secure VPN & Streaming: Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime…

   • Amazon Prime:
     No

     Amazon Prime streaming is supported by 52 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Disney+:
     No

     Disney+ streaming is supported by 53 % of reviewed VPNs
   • HBO:
     No

     HBO streaming is supported by 57 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Hulu:
     No

     Hulu streaming is supported by 49 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Netflix:
     No

     Netflix streaming is supported by 67 % of reviewed VPNs
   • YouTube:
     Yes

     YouTube streaming is supported by 97 % of reviewed VPNs

   Although AVG Secure VPN offers servers optimized for streaming, in our test only videos from the YouTube platform were unblocked.

   We were unable to play streams from Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus, HBO Max, and Hulu.

   In our testing, we measured AVG Secure VPN‘s average download speed at 32 Mb/s. The connection speed usually varies depending on the chosen server, the current load, and the time, but this value is not sufficient for 4K video playback. For this, a download speed of at least 50 Mbps is stated as the minimum required.

   For unblocking streaming video, we recommend giving preference to other services. Good results were achieved by NordVPN or Surfshark, for example. Both have high connection speeds, unblocked all tested platforms, and offer important security features on top.

9. Features of AVG Secure VPN: AdBlock, Static IP…

   • Blocks Ads:
     No

     Ad blocking is offered by 44 % of the VPNs reviewed.
   • Blocks Malware:
     No

     Malware blocking is offered by 33 % of the VPNs reviewed.
   • Blocks Trackers:
     No

     Trackers blocking is offered by 38 % of the VPNs reviewed.

   AVG Secure VPN does not support blocking ads, malware, or trackers. However, for these purposes, AVG offers the AVG Secure Browser, which has the features implemented.

   Among the missing features is a camouflage mode that can disguise a VPN as a regular connection. It can be partially replaced thanks to the Mimic protocol, which spoofs where the user is and what site they’re coming from.

   AVG Secure VPN doesn’t offer a static IP address, even at an extra cost.

10. AVG Secure VPN‘s CPU usage and App Performance

    The AVG Secure VPN desktop application developed only a minimal load during testing, which did not seriously impact the computer’s ease of use.

    After closing with the crosshair, the application only minimized, continued to run in the background, and consumed power. Exiting the application completely is possible via the icon on the taskbar.

11. AVG Secure VPN Torrenting Servers

    • Torrenting servers:
      Yes

      Torrenting support is offered by 89 % of the reviewed VPNs.

    AVG Secure VPN supports torrenting on all servers. Moreover, some of them are specially optimized for this purpose, and torrenting servers are marked in the server list when you select a connection.

    Dedicated torrent sharing servers are located in the Czech Republic, France, Germany, the Netherlands, the USA, and the UK. Servers with a static IP address in AVG Secure VPN are not offered.

    When sharing torrents, DNS protection and the kill switch feature ensure user safety. This keeps their real IP address hidden, and should the connection to the VPN server fail, the computer will automatically disconnect from the Internet.

    The only limitation of AVG Secure VPN for torrenting purposes is the low bit rate. During our tests, we measured the average download speed of 32 Mb/s and an upload speed of only 10 Mb/s. Competing VPNs such as CyberGhost VPN or Ivacy VPN offer significantly faster speeds.

12. What is the country of origin of AVG Secure VPN?

    • VPN Provider: Gen Digital Inc.
    • Country of origin: 🇨🇿 Czech Republic

    The operator of AVG Secure VPN is Avast Software s.r.o., registered in Prague, which also owns the Avast SecureLine VPN service.

    AVG’s best-known product is antivirus software, the development of which was the work of AVG Technologies, a Brno-based company founded in 1991. The Czech company Avast bought it in 2017, but the services are still developed separately.

    The Czech Republic is not a member of the 14 Eyes group of countries whose police and intelligence services can monitor users’ activities on the internet. As the Czech Republic is part of the European Union, AVG Secure VPN is subject to the GDPR user protection regulation.

13. AVG Secure VPN and Privacy: Logging Policy, Security Issues…

    • No-Logs Policy:
      Yes

      The No-Logs Policy is followed by 78% of reviewed VPNs.

    AVG Secure VPN does not transmit the user’s original IP address, DNS connection queries, browsing history, or any user data to servers. Thus, there is nothing to hand over in the event of a request from the police or other authorized authorities for data.

    The only information stored is related to the user’s account, such as the email address and chosen payment method. This user data is collected for 2 years and is not resold by AVG Secure VPN.

    However, some older versions of the app used third-party analytics tools, such as Facebook Analytics, to improve the quality of the service. Similar tools are also used by newer versions, a common practice among other VPN providers.

    Greater confidence in AVG Secure VPN could be achieved with regular security audits by a reputable industry company.

    The Surfshark, Oeck VPN, and some other services use servers with only RAM memory, which does not allow for long-term data storage. AVG Secure VPN also lacks multi-hop connections, where all data is routed through two different VPN servers simultaneously. Both of these contribute to an even greater enhancement of user privacy.

14. AVG Secure VPN Support: Chat, e-mail…

    The easiest way to contact technical support is via online chat on the AVG Secure VPN website, or you can fill out a contact form. The support staff will then reply to the email address provided.

    An English telephone line and a discussion forum are also available, where you can find solutions to common problems.

15. AVG Secure VPN FAQ

    Is AVG Secure VPN free?

    AVG Secure VPN is a paid service. The price of the most affordable subscription option is $4.25 per month. You can use the free trial version for a period of 60 days, but you need to enter your credit card number to access it.

    Is AVG Secure VPN trusted?

    AVG Secure VPN has implemented DNS spoofing protection and a kill switch feature that disconnects the device from the Internet when it loses connection to the VPN server. According to the VPN provider, it does not store any data from VPN traffic. However, the service lacks an independent audit to confirm its security.

    In the context of other reviewed VPNs, we consider AVG Secure VPN to be a relatively secure service.

    Is AVG Secure VPN a good VPN?

    In our test, AVG Secure VPN received a 5.6/10, ranking it among the worse VPNs. It lost points due to lower transfer speeds, fewer servers in use, the inability to unblock streaming services, and a very narrow group of supported platforms. An advantage is the free trial version of AVG Secure VPN, which can be used up to 60 days after entering a credit card number.