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vpnMentor was established in 2014 as an independent site reviewing VPN services and covering privacy-related stories. Today, our team of hundreds of cybersecurity researchers, writers, and editors continues to help readers fight for their online freedom in partnership with Kape Technologies PLC, which also owns the following products: ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, and Private Internet Access which may be ranked and reviewed on this website. The reviews published on vpnMentor are believed to be accurate as of the date of each article, and written according to our strict reviewing standards that prioritize the independent, professional and honest examination of the reviewer, taking into account the technical capabilities and qualities of the product together with its commercial value for users. The rankings and reviews we publish may also take into consideration the common ownership mentioned above, and affiliate commissions we earn for purchases through links on our website. We do not review all VPN providers and information is believed to be accurate as of the date of each article.

AVG Secure 2024 - Keep This in Mind Before Buying

Our Score: 6.2/10
Ranked 183rd out of 305 VPNs
Aleksandra Kovacevic Published on 31st January 2024 Cybersecurity Researcher

The review for this sub category of VPNs is not available yet for this VPN Provider. If you feel they provide a good solution, please add your review as a user, and we'll follow with a detailed expert review

AVG Secure Features — 2024 Update

4.2
💸 Price 4.39 USD/month
📆 Money Back Guarantee 30 Days
📝 Does VPN keep logs? Partially
🖥 Number of servers 700+
💻 Number of devices per license 10
🛡 Kill switch Yes
🗺 Based in country Czech Republic
📥 Supports torrenting Yes

Installation & Apps

6.0

Set-Up & Installation — Relatively Simple and Fast

I can't complain about the set-up and installation — it was straightforward. You can find the necessary downloads on its homepage. In case you need guidance, there are simple set-up guides in its FAQs.

A screenshot of AVG Secure VPN appI quickly downloaded and installed AVG free 7-day trial for iOS

What I loved about AVG Secure's initial 7-day trial is that you don’t even need to enter your credit card information to get your trial started:

A screenshot of a 7-day trial offer of AVG Secure VPNNo credit card is required to start your 7-day free trial

Interesting thing though: there are 2 versions of the free trial: the 7-day free trial and a 60-day free trial. The difference is: to sign up for the 7-day trial, you don't need to leave your payment details — you just need to download the app from their website and install it.

AVG won't charge you anything to sign up for the 60-day trial, but you need to leave your credit card or PayPal account info. The good news is — you can cancel any time.

A screenshot of AVG's Secure VPN message once you opt for a 60-day trialAVG Secure VPN's subscriptions are continuous

Important to remember: you will be charged automatically once the free trial ends, so make sure you cancel your subscription manually unless you want to go ahead and pay for the entire year. With this trial, I could connect multiple devices — up to 10 at a time.

Pricing

8.4
3 Years
$ 4.39 / month per month
2 Years
$ 4.39 / month per month
1 Year
$ 4.49 / month per month

The prices are affordable but come with a catch. The monthly price sounds enticing, but its plan is not monthly — only yearly.

When you first see the monthly price, it looks like a great deal, but you have to pay the yearly price upfront. Even though the price is relatively affordable, to commit to a minimum 1-year plan sounds a little too much for me. But then again — it comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee, which I believe helps in this case.

AVG Secure VPN offers only yearly subscriptionsAVG Secure VPN offers only yearly subscriptions

Reliability & Support

6.3

The customer support was responsive but it couldn’t fix my problem. Plus, it usually takes about a day to respond to each email.

Imagine you need help urgently with a security issue of some sort. With no live chat feature and such slow response time, I couldn’t help but wonder — how would you solve the problem? For me, this is a big issue, so I think if you commit to a year-long plan, you need reliable support.

For those ready to come up with more money, you can get AVG Security Premium Tech support as a paid service. I suppose this extra feature can help you get the most out of their system and put your mind at ease regarding security issues.

The difference is that AVG Premium Tech Support helps you with all AVG products and all operating systems at your disposal 24/7 by phone. You have 3 plans available:

  • Simple Fix for basic help, 1-time call for $79
  • Complex Fix for advanced help, $119 per call
  • Total Care for $199 per year, unlimited calls

But even if you have more AVG products, I think paying this much extra for help makes no sense. I’d appreciate it much more if its regular support replied a little faster instead of paying for 24/7 professional tech support, which technically I should have by default.

A screenshot of AVG's Premium Tech Support pricing planAVG offers Premium Tech support as a paid service

For common questions, you can also check out its AVG Support Community page, where you can ask questions and share tips and solutions. The page is quite active, and its representatives generally respond — not to every inquiry, though.

Depending on the level of assistance you might need (mine was probably high), you have 3 ways of getting help:

#1 Self-Help

That means finding the solution yourself using one of the online resources provided on its support/FAQs page. While quite comprehensive, I found the online resource pages very unintuitive and not so easy to navigate through.

The page offers links to all sorts of educational or instructional content on its blog. I’d say the resources are helpful only if you need basic help installing and activating your VPN. All resources are categorized based on the OS you’re using.

AVG’s resource page is divided based on the OS you’re usingAVG’s resource page is divided based on the OS you’re using

You can leave a question on its community forum, or read about other people’s issues, but its support isn’t as active.

#2 Enquiry Per Email

You can only contact a real person by filling out an inquiry on its tech support page. A 24/7 live chat feature is sorely missed here. You get your web ticket number, and you get a reply per email, usually in a day.

A screenshot of AVG's tech support formYou have to mark you have a paid/trial going on to get help

I reached out to its customer support on several occasions, the first time being regarding the speeds on my 7-day trial. They told me it is because of the server distance.

The second time was because of the streaming problems. If you happen to have issues with streaming like me, you will not solve these quickly, if at all.

Its customer support usually replies the next day. It takes them 24 hours — more or less. I’ve reached out 4 times so far for different issues. Each time, I got a reply the next day at approximately the same time:

AVG's Secure reply on my question why I can't stream Netflix USI complained I couldn’t unblock Netflix US and other sites

#3 Remote Assistance

My experience with its remote assistance was not great. Its tip to stream in Incognito mode didn’t solve my streaming problem, so I decided to turn for more help. Remote control is the last possible way to get help when you’ve exhausted all other means.

AVG's Secure reply on my question why I can't stream Netflix USThe support suggested I re-install the VPN first, then turn for more help if needed

I tried uninstalling and activating the VPN, but it didn’t solve my problems. Next, I decided to get the remote help they offered. But installing the support file didn’t go as smoothly on my Mac:

A screenshot of permission problems on macOS Big SurI encountered permission problems with Mac Sur while trying to install remote support software A screenshot of how to solve permission problems on macOS Big SurTo solve the permission issue on Big Sur, go to System Preferences/Security & Privacy/General

When I finally connected to its remote customer care, I got a reply telling me it was not up to the VPN but the streaming services. Read more about my streaming experience with AVG Secure VPN here.

Compare AVG Secure With The Top Alternative VPNs
Our Score: 9.9
Our Score: 9.7
Our Score: 9.5
Our Score: 9.4

The Bottom Line

Final Verdict

AVG Secure VPN is not a good choice for streaming and privacy-oriented users. Even though it is super easy to install and use, this is not a VPN I’d subscribe to — not even for a month, let alone a minimum of 1 year.

While I was satisfied with its speeds overall, bypassing geo-blocks was impossible. Customer support exists, but I've seen much better. However, what concerns me is that the connection is unstable. In my case, it would break very often.

While I value its transparency, that doesn't change the fact that it harvests a lot of personal data, which makes me uneasy.

  • Complex and questionable privacy policy
  • Intrusive logging practices
  • Data harvesting scandal of its parent company Avast
  • Can’t unblock streaming sites
  • Slow customer service
  • Only yearly subscriptions are available
  • Solid torrenting speeds

FAQs on AVG Secure VPN

Is AVG Secure VPN safe?

Safe is not the word I would use to describe this VPN, so I wouldn't recommend it to privacy enthusiasts. I can't call it unsafe either, but it doesn't sound reliable given Avast's past data selling scandal (its parent company), invasive logging practices, and relatively long privacy policy. I tested and reviewed all of its safety features in detail.

Can AVG Secure VPN unblock Netflix?

A resounding no. I tested all the streaming and regular servers. Sure, you can watch Netflix just like you would without a VPN, but bypassing geo-blocking is impossible with AVG VPN. I also tried it with Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, and BBC iPlayer. If you’re looking for a VPN to watch Netflix US, you can skip AVG Secure.

Will AVG Secure VPN slow my speeds down?

On my 60-day trial, I had no issues with speed. My test results showed that the speed is faster on nearby servers, but faraway servers also performed well. Depending on the server distance, your speeds should remain decent.

Money Back Guarantee (Days): 30
Mobile app:
Number of devices per license: 10
VPN Plans: avg.com
We review vendors based on rigorous testing and research but also take into account your feedback and our affiliate commission with providers. Some providers are owned by our parent company.
Learn more
vpnMentor was established in 2014 as an independent site reviewing VPN services and covering privacy-related stories. Today, our team of hundreds of cybersecurity researchers, writers, and editors continues to help readers fight for their online freedom in partnership with Kape Technologies PLC, which also owns the following products: ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, and Private Internet Access which may be ranked and reviewed on this website. The reviews published on vpnMentor are believed to be accurate as of the date of each article, and written according to our strict reviewing standards that prioritize the independent, professional and honest examination of the reviewer, taking into account the technical capabilities and qualities of the product together with its commercial value for users. The rankings and reviews we publish may also take into consideration the common ownership mentioned above, and affiliate commissions we earn for purchases through links on our website. We do not review all VPN providers and information is believed to be accurate as of the date of each article.
AVG Secure User Reviews (User reviews are not verified)
4.2
Based on 27 reviews in 9 languages

Write a Review on AVG Secure

Please rate VPN.

All Speed Streaming Security Сustomer service
Jeanette Zimmermann
Jeanette Zimmermann
2/10
AVG Popups

No matter what I do on my laptop, AVG is CONSTANTLY putting up pop-ups on my screen. I am really sick of it. I purchased AVG, this is not a freebie but I really don't think I'll renew. I might not even wait out my year's subscription.

Anonymous
Anonymous
2/10
Does Not Meet Expectations !

I have had drop-outs in the middle of banking transactions. NOT GOOD! Some days, I receive: "there is a problem try again later" Really ???? They harass you to renew your subscriptions 5-6 weeks in advance. If you signed up for auto-pay they will pay themselves 10-15 days in advance of the renewal date. Bye AVG !

I M Peedoff
I M Peedoff
4/10
Rubbish! Too slow and keeps disconnecting.

The only thing I noticed, apart from the slowing down of my computer, was that ads came up in the language of whatever country I set the location for. It doesn't give me the confidence to use it for online banking etc. and it is way too expensive. Also, I am now stuck with it for 2 years because of the lack of monthly options. Do not buy it!

About the Author

Aleksandra is an experienced vpnMentor editor, passionate about protecting people against data monitoring and theft. She specializes in online security and privacy, with a knack for simplifying complicated features so beginners can keep their data safe.

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