Astrill VPN Fast FactsOur rating: 3 out of 5.
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Astrill is considered by some to be a premium VPN that users can use to maximize their degree of privacy. Online Privacy and Security. It is priced accordingly. I found it more expensive than competing solutions. The company is registered in Seychelles, which helps it overcome many of the regulatory hurdles that VPN companies face when handing over data to government agencies.
Astrill VPN Pricing
Astrill costs $30 per month, which comes to $15 per month for a one-year subscription and $12.50 per month for a two-year subscription. There is also one Free VPN Available for an Android device. Business plans for 10 to 200 accounts are $8 to $18 per account per month. Astrill VPN allows unlimited devices to connect per subscription but I discovered that only five can do so simultaneously.
Key Features of Astrill VPN
Data security
Astrill VPN’s data security features include a kill switch so that if the VPN is disconnected, all web activity stops, and all browsers close. Moreover, multi-hop encryption protects data even when passing through a large number of servers. The company uses several types of encryption, including OpenWeb, StealthVPN, and Wireguard. Dedicated IP addresses are available when a user wants to address the fact that some email providers and websites create problems for shared IP addresses.
While security features vary from provider to provider, when I checked out competitors like NordVPN, ExpressVPN, and ProtonVPN as part of this Astrill VPN review, I found that they generally lacked security features. Offers a wide range.
Anonymity
Astrill VPN’s home in the Seychelles Islands is well-chosen because it is outside the jurisdiction of the nations that sanction VPN vendors through the Five Eyes, Nine Eyes, and 14 Eyes Surveillance Alliance (collectively known as the Eyes Alliance). (Goes) to request the handover of personal data. Some other VPNs are located in jurisdictions that are forced to turn over user data under certain circumstances.
NordVPN and CyberGhost offer similar anonymity to Astrill VPN, while Surfshark and Private Internet Access can sometimes be prying eyes. I like the fact that Astrill VPN has also had some success in China, which is better than other VPNs, although performance and connectivity in that region can stand out.
See: Everything you need to know about the malvertising cybersecurity threat. (TechRepublic Premium)
Access to Netflix
Netflix and others Streaming services VPNs make life difficult and many don’t work when trying to access Netflix outside of their approved geographic zone. VPNs like NordVPN, ExpressVPN, and Surfshark all offer access to Netflix, but TunnelBear, Mozilla VPN, and Perfect Privacy do not. Astrill VPN sometimes provides access to Netflix, depending on which server you use. You might be lucky.
speed
Astrill promised me fast download and upload speeds, and it delivers. In the speed test it is far ahead of ExpressVPN and Surfshark. It even beats NordVPN in some tests, which is the VPN that usually has the fastest reputation. However, speeds vary and may vary by VPN user. Applications run more slowly. If they run on the web without a VPN.
See: 6 Best Anonymous (No-Log) VPNs for 2024 (Tech Republic)
Astrill VPN Pros
- Good range of security and encryption features.
- Out of reach of problematic jurisdictions like the Five Eyes.
- Decent upload and download speeds.
- There has been some success within China.
Astrill VPN Disadvantages
- Astrill VPN is more expensive than most VPNs.
- You can only connect up to five devices to Astrill VPN at the same time, which may cause problems for some households and some businesses.
- Astrill VPN users must download apps for Windows, macOS, iOS, Linux, Android, and routers as there are no browser extensions.
- A limited server network of around 300 servers compared to thousands among many of its competitors.
Frequently Asked Questions about Astrill VPN
What is Astrill VPN?
Astrill VPN is a premium VPN that is usually faster than other VPNs and available at a higher price.
Is Astrill VPN safe to use?
Astrill VPN is based in Seychelles and is located well outside Eyes Alliance countries, making it safer to use than VPNs based in Eyes Alliance jurisdictions.
See: 6 Best Small Business VPNs for 2024 (Tech Republic)
How fast is Astrill VPN?
Each Astrill VPN server connects to a 1 gbit or 10 gbit connection using dedicated bandwidth. As a result, the service promotes extremely fast speeds. Note, though, that I discovered during this Astrill VPN review that this speed depends on many factors, including location, the amount of encryption used, and the application. Sometimes, the speed is close to 300 Mbps, and other times it can be less than 30 Mbps.
What are the pricing plans for Astrill VPN?
Astrill is usually More expensive than other VPNs.. If paid monthly, it costs about $30 per month. It comes to $15 per month for a one-year membership and $12.50 per month for a two-year membership.
Business plans for 10 to 200 accounts are $8 to $18 per account per month. Astrill allows unlimited devices to be connected simultaneously per subscription.
A free VPN is also available for an Android device.
How does Astrill VPN compare to other VPN services?
Astrill VPN is as fast or faster than most VPNs and offers a high level of anonymity. It also beats most other VPNs for Chinese access. However, it has a much smaller server network than other VPNs and is more expensive.
Alternatives to Astrill VPN
| Astrill VPN | NordVPN | Surfshark | Express VPN | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Our rating (out of 5) | 3.5 | 4 | 3.5 | 4 |
| Initial price | $12.50 per user per month | $11 per user per month | $3.27 per user per month | $5.54 per user per month |
| Anonymity | The best | The best | Eyes come in the Alliance territories. | The best |
| Security | good | The best | good | very good |
| speed | Very fast | Very fast | fast | fast |
NordVPN
NordVPN offers high performance, sometimes rivaling Astrill VPN. Its network of thousands of VPNs internationally is much larger than Astrill VPN. Both are priced in a similar range, and both offer plenty of security features, though NordVPN has more Widest range of security. While Astrill VPN allows five simultaneous connections, NordVPN offers six. Both are outside the jurisdiction of the supervisory coalition.
Surfshark
Surfshark offers many of AstrillVPN’s features at a lower price, and I’ve seen it outperform Astrill VPN by 10 to one in the size of its server network. Since Surfshark is based in the Netherlands, it can be vulnerable to the eyes of various countries that like to snoop on internet traffic. Surfshark also has a decent range of security features, and is fast, but not as fast as Astrill VPN. Where Surfshark really shines, though, is At a price. For a few dollars per user per month, you can buy a VPN that’s not far behind Astrill VPN.
Express VPN
ExpressVPN is much cheaper than Astrill VPN, although not as cheap as Surfshark. It offers a fleet of security features, an extensive server network, and plenty of apps, and works on almost all platforms and devices. Like Astrill VPN, it is not located under the jurisdiction of any surveillance coalition.
Procedure
I gathered information from analyst reports, TechRepublic, and TechnologyAdvice reviews, and various peer reviews in this Astrill VPN review. It includes a comprehensive review of its features, cost and real-world performance. They were also compared to well-known alternatives like ExpressVPN, NordVPN, and Surfshark.
ExpressVPN and NordVPN received a 4 out of 5 rating due to their wealth of features, a large number of servers around the world, and overall value. Surfshark scores slightly lower than the two, largely because it comes in the Eyes Alliance. Similarly, Astrill VPN scores slightly lower than NordVPN and ExpressVPN due to its price and relatively limited number of available servers compared to others.