aSocket Review 2024 — Keep This in Mind Before Buying

aSocket promises high-level protection for a low price. It’s a fairly new VPN with decent security features and an option to create your own programs within the app. But can this young VPN really compete with the biggest services?

To find out, I got a subscription and did extensive testing. I performed leak tests to see how secure it really is and thoroughly tested its speeds. I also checked to see if it works with the major streaming platforms, and how good it is for gaming and torrenting.

My tests showed that aSocket is a secure service decent for streaming, but there’s still room for improvement. The server network is quite small, it’s only compatible with Windows, and there’s no 24/7 live chat support. Plus, its price is actually so low because you can only use it on one device. If you’re looking for a service with a large network that works on more devices, check out this list of the highest-rated VPNs available today.

aSocket worked with all the streaming platforms I tested. The speeds were also fast enough for uninterrupted streaming. However, not all US servers can unblock Netflix, and you can’t access the UK library even though it offers London servers.

Unblocked: Netflix US, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, and ESPN

I could only access the Netflix US library. All the New York servers worked with Netflix, but I couldn’t even log in with the Las Vegas servers. I received a notification that my password was incorrect, but I could log in without issues using the same password on New York servers. The same happened with servers in Luxembourg.

You can't watch The Office, Rick and Morty, or any other UK-exclusive show

aSocket also unblocks Amazon Prime Video. I tested the servers in Luxembourg, the UK, and the US, and they all worked without issues. My video quality was set to the highest level, and I watched The Boys without interruptions. I wasn’t expecting this, as I was connected to the Las Vegas server that performed poorly in my speed tests.

Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, and ESPN also worked without issues. I’m surprised how many streaming platforms aSocket unblocks. The video quality was also satisfactory and all the movies and shows I watched loaded instantly. So, unless you need to unblock a specific non-US Netflix library, I can recommend aSocket as a solid VPN for streaming.

aSocket reduced my speeds by a lot. I did have okay speeds on nearby servers, but far away locations slowed me down significantly. Since the VPN’s network is pretty small, I tested every one of its servers. Here are the results:

The app shows a green dot next to servers with good speeds, a yellow dot for medium, and red for slow. This makes finding the fastest servers easier, which I appreciate. You can also see ping rates for the server you’re connected to. Many VPNs have the option to connect to the fastest server with one click, so it would be nice to see this implemented in the future.

I was disappointed by aSocket’s speeds when looking at the test results, but didn’t notice the difference while using the service. I watched videos without interruptions, and every website I visited loaded quickly. However, many of the top VPNs I’ve tested are 2-3x faster. So, if you’re looking for a reliably fast service, check out this list of VPNs with the best speeds.

You can use aSocket while gaming. One of the most important factors for a smooth gaming experience is ping. Generally, a ping under 100 ms is required to avoid lag. You need this so your character will react instantly when you enter a command. In my tests, some of aSocket’s servers had ping rates under 100 ms, so I picked those to test them for gaming.

I tried loading Overwatch and it took almost a full minute. However, once the game loaded, I played without any noticeable lag. The VPN also includes DDoS protection to prevent your rivals from bringing your server down. I haven’t found any VPN that has low ping on every server, so this was a good result.

Server Network — Very Poor Coverage

The server network is quite small. aSocket offers servers in only 30 countries, including Luxembourg, the UK, and the US. The VPN used to offer more US cities, but some less popular locations have been removed. This is a relatively young VPN, so I expect it to add more servers in the future.

On the plus side, I always had reliable connections, and the location on my IP tests always matched the server I was connected to. This is great, as some poor quality VPNs claim to connect you to a certain location, but the tests show your IP is in another country.

The main issue I had with aSocket’s servers is how long it takes to establish a connection. I had to wait for about 10 seconds to connect every time. This isn’t terrible, but it’s quite noticeable after you’ve tried premium VPNs that connect instantly.

If you live outside Luxembourg, the UK, or the US, I don’t recommend using aSocket. You won’t be able to use the VPN to access geo-blocked content in your home country, which can be an issue especially if you’re traveling. Instead, get one of the VPNs with thousands of servers all over the world, so you can access global content from anywhere.

Compared to top VPNs like ExpressVPN or CyberGhost, aSocket only provides basic security features. However, it still offers solid protection. It secures your data with AES 256-bit encryption, which is used by militaries for securing confidential information. This encryption level is nearly impossible to break, and it has been calculated that even a supercomputer would need 100s of years to decode it.

I was a bit disappointed to see that it doesn’t have the widely-used OpenVPN protocol and only uses WireGuard. WireGuard does have many advantages — it connects and reconnects fast, it’s secure, and it’s faster than most other protocols. However, unlike OpenVPN, this protocol doesn’t have built-in obfuscation technology. So, while your ISP won’t know what you’re doing online, it can still see you’re using a VPN.

The kill switch is automatically enabled by default and can’t be turned off on Windows. I like that I didn’t have to remember to turn it on manually. It’s very efficient too — every time my laptop went into sleep mode, the kill switch terminated my internet connection to prevent data leaks.

I tested all servers for DNS and IP leaks, and there were none

The VPN also offers the choice to "utilize an anonymous DNS server that retains no logs" for enhanced privacy. On the other hand, the default DNS servers maintain logs for 24 hours, but it's asserted that they don't contain identifiable data. It's commendable that this option is provided without additional charges, whereas some premium VPNs levy extra fees for similar features.

Overall, I can recommend aSocket as a safe service. While there are no special features like double VPN or split tunneling, the essentials are covered. Most importantly, the kill switch never failed during my testing, and there were no data leaks.

aSocket has a strict no-logs policy. The VPN says it only collects the information it needs to maintain the service. Its privacy policy states that aSocket doesn’t store used bandwidth, traffic logs, or browsing data. However, since the VPN is still new, no independent audits have been performed yet. So we can’t be 100% sure the no-logs claims can be trusted.

I like that the VPN doesn’t share user data with a long list of affiliates

Unfortunately, the company is based in the US, which is not the most privacy-friendly location. The US is part of the 5-Eyes Alliance, which is a group of countries that collect and share information about their citizens. So, if aSocket was to receive a legal request to hand over your data, it would be obligated to comply. Right now, I can only take it at its word. If it really doesn’t collect any data, it would have nothing to hand over.

Despite the VPN’s no-logs claims, I’d still like to see an independent audit before I can recommend it as a private service. Meanwhile, most premium VPNs publish transparency reports outlining requests for user data they receive regularly. Plus, their no-logs policies have been proven by audits or court cases. That’s why, at the moment, I recommend using one of the VPNs from this list if privacy is your main concern.

I could download torrents while connected to aSocket. All its servers support P2P file sharing. Its kill switch reacted every time my laptop went to sleep, so I had to check up on my download frequently. Still, I was glad to know my real IP was hidden the whole time.

Some VPNs block torrenting on US servers, so I was pleasantly surprised it worked

My speeds were great for torrenting. I connected to a server in London, and it even increased my download speed from 22 Mbps to 34 Mbps. My ISP seems to throttle my connection when it detects torrenting activity and aSocket prevents that by encrypting my traffic. Unfortunately, long-distance speeds were still extremely slow.

While torrenting is legal in most countries, downloading copyrighted files is not. My team and I don’t condone any illegal activities, so I recommend you read the laws in your country and only download content that’s in the public domain.

Does aSocket Work in China? Unsure

According to customer support, aSocket might work in China. Some previous clients have alleged it worked there, but an official test was never performed, so they can’t guarantee it. Unfortunately, I don’t have a colleague in China who can test it, so we can’t be sure.

China’s advanced online censorship system, known as the Great Firewall, has blocked many VPNs. At the moment, there’s only a few VPNs that work in China. These providers all have trustworthy money-back guarantees, so you can get a refund if they ever get blocked.

My team and I don’t condone any illegal actions. However, there’s currently no official ban on using VPNs in the country, and the Chinese government usually goes after the technology rather than individual users. Still, to avoid breaking any laws, make sure you’re up-to-date with the local rules and regulations before using a VPN in China.

Simultaneous Device Connections — Paid Additionally

With a basic subscription, you can only use aSocket on one device. For each additional device, you need to buy a token. These will cost you $2 each. There’s no limit on how many tokens you can get per subscription. However, if you need a VPN for more than 3 devices, I wouldn’t recommend using aSocket. For the same price, you can get a premium VPN that allows multiple device connections with faster speeds and a larger server network.