TechRadar Verdict
Avast SecureLine VPN is a solid, consumer-oriented VPN with great connection speeds, strong streaming unblocking performance, and a generous device allowance (up to 10 devices). However, it is hindered by inconsistent feature sets across platforms, with mobile apps missing features compared to their desktop counterparts, and its lack of third-party audits raises unnecessary privacy concerns.
Reasons to buy
- +
Excellent Streaming Unblocking
- +
Versatile Features on Desktop
Reasons to avoid
- -
Platform Inconsistencies & Missing Mobile Features
- -
Underwhelming Support Offering
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Avast SecureLine is an easy-to-use VPN from the popular security vendor Avast Software, but underneath it is powered by the HideMyAss! network (HideMyAss! is part of the Avast group).
While it doesn't match the server networks, connections, or speeds of some of the very best VPNs, it's by no means incapable.
It has strong support hubs, works surprisingly well with streaming services, and offers longer plan terms than most VPNs. Read on to find out why Avast SecureLine VPN might be good for you.
Pricing and plans
Avast SecureLine offers 1-, 2-, and 3-year subscriptions. The 2- and 3-year subscriptions both charge $3.99 a month, totaling $95.76 and $143.64, respectively. The 1-year subscription costs $4.99 a month, for a total of $59.88 annually.
All these plans have automatic renewals, but they all renew into the annual plan, something to keep in mind if you’ve signed up for the 2- or 3-year plan initially.
Price-wise, Avast SecureLine is more expensive than other VPN providers with more features. Surfshark charges $2.99 per month for its “Starter” annual subscription, which includes its Alternative ID tool.
There are no add-ons or different feature tiers; all subscriptions are the same, only the length differs.
Avast does offer a wide suite of additional products, but these come at additional costs; instead, it would be far cheaper to sign up for the Avast One “Ultimate” subscription, which offers a suite of security and privacy tools, including the VPN.
Server network
Avast SecureLine VPN boasts 116 locations across 74 countries - comparable to providers such as Windscribe and CyberGhost- though it doesn’t publish how many servers it has.
It’s a strongly European-centric service, though users in other countries should be able to find at least one location near them. It struggles a little in Asia and Oceania, with competitors offering more locations to pick from there.
Privacy
Avast was originally a Czech-based company, but since being bought out in 2022, its new parent company has locations in both Arizona and the Czech Republic.
Like many of the best VPNs, Avast SecureLine uses AES-256-bit encryption and offers WireGuard support to ensure fast, secure connections.
It has a kill switch to stop internet traffic if your VPN connection drops. The kill-switch is available to PC and Mac users. Android has an “always-on VPN,” and there’s no kill-switch on iOS.
This is backed up by the company’s no-logs guarantee, which states that while it does log some connection data, such as when you connect/disconnect and how long you’re connected for, it does not log or track what you do online, what sites you visit, what your original IP address is or the content of any online communication.
Unfortunately, the company has never had a third-party audit, so there is no way to independently verify these claims.
Apps, features, and usability
Avast SecureLine VPN offers apps for Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS, as well as browser extensions for Chrome, Edge, and Firefox.
The SecureLine VPN interface will be immediately familiar to anyone who has used a VPN before.
There’s a Connect/ Disconnect button to start/stop the VPN, the current/last selected location, which expands to show the full location list, and the ubiquitous gear icon to open the Settings menu.
The Windows app adds some details and changes the names of some settings for no immediately apparent reason. For example, on macOS, it says ‘VPN is off/ on’ but Windows says ‘Not connected/Connected.’
In terms of features, the Windows offering has all the basic security and privacy features we’d expect from a premium VPN. There’s split-tunneling, a kill-switch, multi-hop connections, and the ability to manually rotate your IP address if you find a site you’re trying to use has it blocked.
By contrast, the iOS app is the most feature-limited, lacking a kill switch, split tunneling, multi-hop, auto-connection when using unsecured Wi-Fi, and ad or tracker blocking.
Avast explicitly mentions its support for torrents/P2P servers on its website, and the client offers dedicated P2P servers, as many other VPN providers do. Its torrenting performance is solid, with good download speeds and no access issues.
Support, accessibility, and reviews
Avast SecureLine shines in accessibility, supporting 44 different languages and offering keyboard controls for all major app functions, including connecting, disconnecting, and choosing servers.
If you run into problems, you can get support through an online knowledge base, a community forum, a chatbot (which will put you through to a real person if you reject enough of its suggestions) and 24/7 telephone support.
In terms of reviews, Avast SecureLine VPN has a good iOS app rating. The Android app, however, has many negative reviews highlighting a variety of technical and connection issues over the years.
Speed performance and streaming unblocking
While the speeds aren’t the best we’ve seen, Avast SecureLine is no slouch, with WireGuard speeds ranging from 874Mbps to 1.2Gbps in our testing, depending on the server we connected to.
OpenVPN speeds were also solid, with speeds between 245Mbps and 280Mbps. These results put Avast solidly in the upper mid-range, with competitors like AirVPN, VyprVPN, and Hotspot Shield.
Alongside solid download speeds, Avast SecureLine was a great choice for accessing streaming sites.
It accessed most of the most well-known sites such as Netflix, Amazon, Disney+, the BBC iPlayer, and more; however, we struggled to access YouTube Premium. The only region where this seemed to work was in Asia.
Final verdict
Avast SecureLine VPN is an all-around average VPN. Its prices are good, but not spectacular. The same goes for its download speeds, app offerings, and functionality.
It doesn’t do enough to stand out from the pack and feels almost like a product made because Avast felt it needed a VPN to bundle with Avast One.
It’s perfectly fine for basic users with simple needs, but anyone needing additional features, more security settings, and the ability to trust that the company lives up to its privacy claims would be better off looking at competitors such as Surfshark, Windscribe, or Proton VPN.
