Avast SecureLine VPN Review 2024: Is It Safe & Trustworthy?

Avast sells some of the most popular antivirus software, and Avast SecureLine is its own VPN. Unfortunately, many people have found this VPN on their computers and have no idea why. The company has had a controversial history, so is this a VPN you should try, or should you uninstall it immediately?

Avast SecureLine VPN might be worth testing, but better options exist. While it’s good in a few areas, it’s not worth what you get for the price. In this article, I’ll tell you how to delete it, cancel it, or get its 2-month free trial. However, if you want to find one of the best VPNs, check out this list of our highest-ranked providers.

My global team and I could safely stream most of our local platforms while connected to Avast SecureLine VPN. The quality was generally good, but we did run into a few issues.

While you could theoretically use a VPN like Avast SecureLine to view content unavailable in your region, it’s important to note that this will likely cause a copyright violation. My teammates and I only connected to servers in our respective countries during testing.

Works With: Netflix, Max, Disney+, and Amazon Prime Video

During my tests from the US, I could securely watch Netflix while connected to its Gotham City (streaming) server. There are also streaming-optimized locations in Germany and the UK.

There were no instances of buffering or dips in quality

My teammates in Canada, Brazil, and the UK could also securely stream Netflix. We were impressed that Avast SecureLine let us securely watch our complete local Netflix libraries.

I was also able to safely stream Max with the Gotham City server. Unfortunately, I was never able to watch Amazon Prime Video from the US. However, my colleague in Australia could stream it with the Melbourne server. On the negative side, it took about 17 seconds for videos to load.

Thankfully, Disney+ could be securely viewed without issues when we used servers in our respective countries.

I could also load videos instantly with the US servers

We had the best results using the streaming-optimized servers with this platform, but my teammates and I never had any issues safely streaming YouTube with regular servers.

Doesn’t Work With: Hulu, BBC iPlayer, and ITVX

Most streaming platforms use anti-VPN technologies to keep anyone from watching in unapproved regions. Even though we were in licensed countries using local servers, these platforms still couldn’t be watched while connected to Avast SecureLine.

Switching protocols and browsers didn't do anything to help

The same thing happened to my colleague from the UK when she tried watching ITVX and BBC iPlayer. She was in London using the streaming-optimized server from the UK, but she could never securely view BBC iPlayer while connected to Avast SecureLine.

This VPN is extremely fast on closeby servers, but it slows down a lot at greater distances. So, you could run into trouble if it doesn’t offer many locations near you, and that’s quite likely with its small server network.

To be clear, I connected to various Avast SecureLine VPN servers from around the world, but this was done purely to assess their speeds. As stated above, my team and I are strongly against any form of copyright infringement.

As for the tests, I performed several on each server at different times of day to create averages for the chart you see below. This is to make sure the results are fair as speeds vary quite a bit throughout the day.

Speeds rose 5% on nearby servers and fell 56% on distant ones

These tests were done with the Mimic protocol since it was the fastest. They were performed on a Windows device, which also supports the WireGuard and OpenVPN protocols. I was surprised that Avast’s proprietary Mimic protocol was nearly 30% faster than these more established options. This is good news for Mac users who only get Mimic and IPsec.

With servers under 3,000 km away, I always got great speeds

The top VPNs will only drop your speeds by about 10-20% on nearby locations. So, Avast’s performance on closeby servers is one of the best I’ve ever seen. On the other hand, its long-distance results were poor; many locations dropped my speed by over 50%. This rarely happens with the fastest VPNs.

Unfortunately, there’s no way to see how crowded its servers are, which could have made it easier to optimize our speeds. These results are a mixed bag, and many VPNs with a comparable price are faster overall. You can check out our list of the fastest VPNs to find a service that’s more consistent and probably offers more servers near you.

The Avast VPN gave us low ping rates, which is optimal for smooth gameplay. Your ping lets you know how long it takes the network to respond to your inputs. You need it to at least be below 85ms if you want your game to rapidly respond to your button presses.

There was no delay while he was running or shooting

With nearby locations, there was no noticeable lag while gaming. We typically had ping rates below 65ms with closeby servers. Distant locations could raise our ping up to 400ms and above. However, that’s actually quite normal. I’ve never found a VPN that lets me play games competitively with distant servers. So, SecureLine is very strong in this category.

With only 700 servers in 34 countries, Avast SecureLine’s network is pretty small. But, there are a few things I like about it. You can connect quickly (in around 5 seconds). I also appreciate that it clearly labels optimized servers, so they’re easy to find. There are a few somewhat rare locations, like Turkey and Luxembourg, but the rest are pretty standard.

What I don’t like is how hard it is to learn more about Avast SecureLine’s servers. I couldn’t find much about them on its website, and I had to go back and forth with support staff to get answers. Eventually, I learned it has some virtual locations (but they’re not labeled).

A support agent let me know that it owns most of its servers while renting a few others. Unfortunately, just like the virtual locations, there’s nowhere on its site where you can confirm which servers are which. They’re also not RAM-only, a more privacy-friendly server type that deletes all of its information after each reboot.

I'm a little disappointed there is no search function though

The lack of city-level servers is also disappointing. Most Avast SecureLine servers only tell you what country your IP will be in, which makes it harder to optimize speeds. There are 6 countries that offer cities.

You get the most servers in the US (16), while Canada, Australia, Spain, the UK, and Germany only have 3 cities or less. Since Avast is pretty slow at long-distances, this could end up compromising your speeds, unless you’re in the US where coverage is good.

Finally, it’s a little disappointing that Avast Secureline doesn’t offer dedicated IPs. Most VPNs offer them for a small extra fee, and they give you an IP address only you use. This is especially helpful if you run a website. Overall, this is one of SecureLine’s weaker areas, and you can find a VPN with a larger server network and more privacy protections in this list.

Avast SecureLine VPN successfully hides your real location, but it doesn’t have the extra security features many of its competitors offer. It comes with the industry standard AES 256-bit encryption level. This is the same level used by militaries, and it’s nearly impossible to crack.

There were never any leaks during tests on a dozen servers

It prevents DNS, IPv4, and WebRTC leaks (but only with its browser extensions). But, it doesn’t support IPv6 connections yet, putting it behind more popular VPNs. I would also like to see it add some additional features like Double VPN. I do like that it offers OpenVPN, WireGuard, and Mimic, but these protocols aren’t available with every app (more on that later).

Mimic is its obfuscation technology, which makes it look like you’re not using a VPN. It’s helpful on restricted networks, like schools and work. OpenVPN is generally considered the safest protocol, and WireGuard is usually the safest, but Mimic actually outperformed it in our speed tests.

Kill Switch

This is an essential feature that blocks your internet connection if the VPN ever disconnects. I like that Avast’s app indicates it’s blocking your network when you switch servers. This reassured me it was working as advertised.

Smart VPN Mode

This lets you program Avast SecureLine to turn on automatically under certain conditions. For example, if you connect to a public network, or open a torrenting app. Overall, there are 4 separate Smart Rules in total.

There’s nothing wrong with this feature, but it would be even more useful if split tunneling came with every app (it’s only available on mobile devices for now). That lets you directly decide what traffic is funneled through the VPN tunnel.

Even though the VPN’s privacy policy is solid, I understand if Avast’s history puts you off. Avast used to run a company called Jumpshot which sold user data collected through its antivirus browser extensions. On the one hand, you could choose not to share data with the company. But it was an option many users missed.

Most people probably believed Avast only needed anonymized data to keep its services running and didn’t realize their browsing history would be sold. While Avast shut down Jumpshot in 2020 after this was revealed, it still left a bad impression.

Many people have also complained about Avast SecureLine VPN showing up on their computer out of nowhere. Often, this happened because people had gotten Avast Antivirus in the past and allowed the program to make automatic updates (which they didn’t expect to include a VPN). When an entirely new app mysteriously appears on your computer, I can understand why it’s upsetting.

Others claim that the VPN arrived on their computer because they had another free anti malware program like CCleaner installed on their device. Avast has purchased many smaller free companies, so it’s possible the VPN was added to their computer, even though they didn’t know they had Avast products.

I can’t say exactly why Avast SecureLine VPN has been added to anyone’s device because it hasn’t happened to me. Unfortunately, I was never given satisfactory answers over live chat when I asked about these controversies. Once, I was even told a representative from the company would get back to me over email, but it never happened.

If any of these issues bother you, I completely understand why you wouldn’t want to use Avast products anymore. To get a VPN that doesn't collect data with a proven privacy policy, check out our list of the best no-log VPNs.

Does Avast SecureLine VPN Keep Logs? No

On the bright side, you’re protected by a good no-logs policy if you only use the VPN. That means I’m not concerned about my privacy while I use Avast SecureLine VPN. However, I’d still be a little worried about using Avast Antivirus. When you sign up for that software, or its other security bundles, you’re asked for more information (including your name and billing address).

What it does record is timestamps, the amount of data transferred, if you uninstall or use auto-connections, and how many times you’ve connected. It also records the data you send them, but you can stay more private by signing up with a throwaway email address.

There are VPNs that record less data, but it doesn’t store any information that can be traced back to you. Avast SecureLine stores everything for 2 years.

Was Avast SecureLine VPN Audited? No

Unfortunately, there have been no independent audits of Avast’s apps or privacy policy. That’s too bad because it could clean up its reputation by undergoing a few audits. I hope it decides to work with some of the top auditing companies in the future to prove it sticks to its claims.

It does issue tri-monthly Warrant Canaries, which let you know if anyone has requested its information. But, it has missed a few, which doesn’t help its case.

Based in the Czech Republic

Thankfully, Avast isn’t located in a country within the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliances. This is an agreement between governments to share their citizens’ information. That means a VPN company in one of those countries could be asked to change its policies in the future. With Avast SecureLine VPN, that’s not something you need to worry about.

Does Avast SecureLine VPN Work in China? No

Customer support told me that you can’t use Avast SecureLine VPN in China.

Most VPNs don't work in the region, so this isn't uncommon

The Chinese government has banned many VPNs, but there haven’t been any publicly-reported cases of them going after individuals for using them. My team and I don’t condone any illegal activities, so we advise you to read up on the laws before deciding to use a VPN. If you choose to use a VPN in the country, you can read about these VPNS proven to work in China.

Avast Secureline offers excellent speeds for torrenting. It only has 8 optimized servers, but I actually didn’t have issues torrenting with any of its locations.

During my tests, I could complete a 700MB file in about 19 minutes with no VPN connected. Using the P2P server in Miami, I could finish the same file in only 10 minutes. Optimized servers are definitely the fastest as the normal servers didn’t let me finish the file any faster.

Avast SecureLine also offers solid security and doesn’t log any identifiable information. So, if you still trust the company after its shaky history, it’s a solid choice for torrenting. While it’s legal to torrent in most countries, downloading copyrighted files is always illegal. I recommend you only download material in the public domain when you use P2P services.