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vpnMentor was established in 2014 to review VPN services and cover 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 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.
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vpnMentor was established in 2014 to review VPN services and cover 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 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.

Astrill VPN vs AirVPN 2024

Table of Contents
    Our Score: 5.3/10
    %s User Reviews
    More Info
    Our Score: 7.0/10
    %s User Reviews
    More Info

    Which VPN Is Better?

    Author Image Kristina Perunicic
    Kristina Perunicic

    Former Managing Editor

    AirVPN and Astrill VPN are two innovative VPN providers that prioritize security. Both use AES 256-bit encryption, support OpenVPN, and allow you to make subscription payments via Bitcoin to protect your privacy. AirVPN and Astrill also both allow P2P file sharing on their servers and port forwarding.

    Astrill VPN comes with advanced features like split tunneling, StealthVPN, Onion over VPN, and Smart Mode and offers 24/7 customer support, which isn't available with AirVPN. Astrill has servers in 56 countries, compared to AirVPN’s 23 countries. However, AirVPN leads in the number of total servers as it offers 246 in comparison to Astrill's 142.

    Another notable difference is that while AstrillVPN provides dedicated apps for macOS, Windows, iOS, and Android devices, AirVPN does not offer an app for iOS. Additionally, Astrill is more reliable for accessing geo-blocked content like Netflix US and Hulu, while AirVPN almost always fails. Read on to explore a detailed categorical comparison so you can decide once and for all which of these two VPNs is better for you.

    Our Score

    Features 5.3/10
    Pricing 3.6/10
    Ease of Use 5.0/10
    Reliability & Support 7.4/10
    Features 7.0/10
    Pricing 7.4/10
    Ease of Use 6.8/10
    Reliability & Support 8.2/10

    Reviews

    Review by our expert
    Author Image Matthew Amos
    Matthew Amos

    Senior Editor

    Our Score: 5.3/10

    Astrill VPN is one of the most popular VPNs to use in China. But it's also one of the most expensive VPNs available and doesn't have a money-back guarantee. With such a big investment, is it still the best VPN for China, and should you try it if you're located elsewhere? After my tests, I can confirm it's an excellent VPN for China but falls short in other areas. It offers slow speeds and clunky a...

    Read all
    Latest positive user review
    N
    Nestor
    10.0/10
    Been using it for a long time.. but have to go

    I have been using Astrill for more than 10 years. Never had a problem. A couple of times I used the ch... at for support and it was excellent. However this is probably going to be my last year. Reason .... price. With the virus crisis I am unemployed and can not afford it. They do not give any kind of discount and keep raising the price year after year. I am not in China so I suspend it, I do not need all those features.More

    Latest negative user review
    J
    Jim
    2.0/10
    Don’t even think of it if you own Apple products

    Worst VPN ever. Unreliable, unstable. It’s utterly expensive. Forget about streaming. Apple products a... re almost useless with it. Technical support team answers are pretty much like “Why don’t you turn it off and on?”. Please don’t waste your money as I did. They don’t even have a refund policy!More

    Read the full review
    Review by our expert
    Author Image Lawrence Wachira
    Lawrence Wachira

    Editor

    Our Score: 7.0/10

    AirVPN is a budget-friendly option that claims to provide robust protection against online threats. Plus, it says it offers high-performance servers. But can it really rival the top VPNs, or is the price so low because it’s not that good? After testing all its features, I found that AirVPN is secure, but it can't match the best VPNs. It has many great security features, solid speeds, and work...

    Read all
    Latest positive user review
    M
    Marco
    8.0/10
    I am AirVpn cusomers since 2015, and on my gear works remarkably well

    I am working in the biggest country in Asia since 2006. I constantly use AirVpn on my MacBook Pro sinc... e 2015, and on my iPhone - iPad. I never had an issue, of any kind, with it, and I was quite amazed to read the article above. Lately, it is very difficult to get it properly run on iPhone and iPad, but this is more the result of this country where I live in restrictions than the vpn in itself. While in Hong Kong was still working fine, but as soon as I crossed the border troubles started. I will tweak that as soon as I will be out again. In the rest of the world, I never had issues. So I do not give the 5th star just because of my at present troubles using it on my iPhone and iPad. For the rest, I will stick with it.More

    Latest negative user review
    A
    Ari
    2.0/10
    14 Eyes country

    Italy is a 14 Eyes country and that is enough reason to not buy AirVPN. No servers in Russia, so you c... ant bypass the Western censorship of Russian media. VPN should be about bypassing censorship, but this is not the case with AirVPN.More

    Read the full review

    Pricing

    Starting price $12.5/month
    Money Back Guarantee (Days) 0 Days
    Number of devices per license 5 devices
    Starting price $2.91/month
    Money Back Guarantee (Days) 30 Days
    Number of devices per license 5 devices

    Best VPN by Category

    Best VPN Overall

    Astrill provides a more comprehensive VPN service with more advanced features and user-friendly apps for all major desktop and mobile platforms. It's also good for torrenting and streaming. Meanwhile, AirVPN also provides a good service but it doesn't come with many unique features. Plus, it doesn't have a dedicated iOS app, so you need to manually configure it on your device.

    Best VPN for Torrents

    Astrill VPN seems like a better choice for torrenting as it offers an unrestricted P2P service across its network. It also supports automatic and manual port forwarding, which is useful for faster sharing. Plus, it offers a SOCKS5 proxy, which comes in handy in terms of security when torrenting. AirVPN isn't far behind — it also supports port forwarding but it's based in a less privacy-friendly location, Italy, which is a part of the 14 Eyes Alliance. Astrill is based in the Seychelles.

    Best VPN for Windows

    Astrill is the winner for Windows, offering a dedicated app that features a user-friendly interface, split tunneling, and Smart Mode, which gives you a local IP for accessing websites from your country and an international IP when accessing foreign websites. With AirVPN, you can expect a dedicated Windows app with a kill switch and strong encryption, but less user-friendly than Astrill.

    Best VPN for Android

    Astrill provides a better service for Android that features StealthVPN, OpenWEB, and the WireGuard protocol. It also has a split tunneling feature that allows you to choose which apps or traffic should connect via the VPN tunnel. AirVPN also has an Android app, but it's cluttered and not very user-friendly.

    Best VPN for Mac

    Astrill’s macOS dedicated app wins with a very intuitive interface, a StealthVPN protocol, split tunneling, and site filtering. AirVPN users get 256-bit encryption and support for the OpenVPN protocol. These are, however, basic features that Astrill also offers.

    Best VPN for iOS

    An app with a sleek design and features like a kill switch and split tunneling (app filter) makes Astrill a clearly better VPN for most iOS users. AirVPN, on the other hand, does not offer a dedicated app for iOS. However, for those not afraid of manual configuration, AirVPN still competes with a reliable service that includes port forwarding and strong encryption.

    Best VPN for USA

    Astrill wins because it unblocks content on US services like Netflix US, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, and Hulu. AirVPN is not as reliable and often gets blocked. Plus it's headquartered in Italy (member of the 14 Eyes Alliance), whereas Astrill has more privacy-friendly headquarters in the Seychelles.

    The Bottom Line

    See Plans & Pricing

    Astrill provides a more complete VPN service and without a doubt wins this comparison. The availability of more security features, 24/7 live chat support, and dedicated mobile apps from Astrill VPN add up to too much for AirVPN to overcome. Astrill also provides dedicated servers for every online purpose, including streaming, and works well in China. AirVPN does have some innovative features, including a unique approach to attacking Netflix’s geo-restrictions and VPN blocking, but the service has too many gaps that the provider needs to address.

    Time to decide which one is best for you

    Go with Astrill VPN
    Go with AirVPN
    Or click here to check best VPNs, rated by {{review_count}} users

    FAQ

    Is Astrill VPN better than AirVPN?

    Yes, Astrill VPN is better overall than AirVPN. It has 142 servers in 56 countries, fast speeds, and impressive security features.

    Best of all, you can take advantage of its latest discount and get it for only $12.5 a month.

    What should I keep in mind when choosing between Astrill VPN and AirVPN?

    When choosing a VPN, you want to pay close attention to its number of servers, overall speed score, pricing, and the number of simultaneous device connections it offers. While some VPNs provide a flawless online experience, others will really slow you down.

    If you’re ready to commit, then Astrill VPN may be perfect for you due to its performance during the tests .

    Is Astrill VPN faster than AirVPN?

    Yes, Astrill VPN is faster than AirVPN. Since your VPN is your computer’s main connection to the internet, you need to use a service that won’t slow you down by more than 20%.

    If speeds are important to you, then I recommend you take a look at ExpressVPN. It’s the fastest service out there, provides unlimited bandwidth, and you won’t experience any slowdowns even when you connect to the other side of the planet. You can try it out risk-free. It’s backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can get a full refund if you don’t like it.

    Do Astrill VPN or AirVPN offer any deals?

    Both Astrill VPN and AirVPN offer deals on occasion. You can check out the current coupons and discounts here. However, ExpressVPN has the best deals. Right now, you can get a 61% discount and up to 3 months for free with a new subscription.

    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 to review VPN services and cover 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 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.

    About the Author

    Kristina Perunicic is a former editor for vpnMentor. She’s a cybersecurity expert with an interest in VPNs and their importance in the digital privacy landscape.