Ran Greenberg
New-Media and online expert, Venture Capitalist and investor
Astrill and Buffered are two well-known VPN providers respected for their security and ability to bypass geoblocks. Both services are effective for unblocking US Netflix and similar websites and place no restrictions on P2P traffic. A 24/7 live chat support option and dedicated apps for Windows, MacOS, iOS, and Android are also available with either provider’s service. In addition, both Astrill and Buffered allow up to five simultaneous connections per user. If you change your mind after subscribing to either of these two VPNs, Astrill offers a 7-day refund policy, whereas Buffered has a 30-day money-back guarantee for all new subscriptions. However, Astrill’s server network spans more countries – over 60, compared to 37 for Buffered. Features like split tunneling, Onion over VPN, and Stealth VPN are also only available with Astrill VPN. Before you decide which VPN is better for you, read on for a more detailed, categorical comparison.
Features
8.5
Pricing
6.0
Ease of Use
8.8
Reliability & Support
8.4
Features
8.6
Pricing
6.0
Ease of Use
8.8
Reliability & Support
8.4
Rating
Features
8.5
8.6
0.0
Pricing
6.0
6.0
0.0
Ease of Use
8.8
8.8
0.0
Reliability & Support
8.4
8.4
0.0
Reviews
Review by our expert
Katie Kasunic
Technology Researcher
8.0
Astrill VPN is undeniably powerful and packed with useful features. Its network of 300+ servers in 64+ countries offers superfast connection speeds and access to geo-restricted content around the world. By way of comparison, ExpressVPN has 3,000 servers in over 160 countries.
This VPN provides a long list of encryption algorithms and secure protocols to choose from, including a proprietary prot
Excellent All RoundVery robust VPN, the only real choice for China. A little on the costly side but the only one which has consistently worked well over the years. Wouldn't hesitate in recommending, especially for anyone looking for a reliable VPN for China.
Latest negative user review
Dimitri
2.0
Good... when it worksI've been with them for several years but this may be my last. When it works it's great, but this year I've experienced throttling where I get 1-5Mbps on a 1Gbps connection on ALL servers. Their customer service has gone downhill and I've experienced rude representative who have been pushing to upsell additional products all while avoiding to resolve any of the issues on their servers. Stay away for the moment until they can resolve some of their internal issues and hopefully they can return it to a consistent and favorable service.
Buffered VPN has a lot to offer due to its user-friendly interface, fast connection speeds, and reliable security. One thing it can't do is unblock Netflix, you'll need a premium vendor like NordVPN for that.
In addition to dedicated apps available for all major platforms, Buffered VPN also offers router compatibility. There are 40+ servers available in 37 different countries, including three ser
I considered a number of VPN's before going with Buffered which I find excellent.No issues in any aspect, On the rare occasions that I required assistance (in the initial set up stage), the Help Desk was outstanding. Would highly recommend Buffered to anyone considering using a VPN
Latest negative user review
Dimitri
2.0
Good... when it worksI've been with them for several years but this may be my last. When it works it's great, but this year I've experienced throttling where I get 1-5Mbps on a 1Gbps connection on ALL servers. Their customer service has gone downhill and I've experienced rude representative who have been pushing to upsell additional products all while avoiding to resolve any of the issues on their servers. Stay away for the moment until they can resolve some of their internal issues and hopefully they can return it to a consistent and favorable service.
Astrill VPN is undeniably powerful and packed with useful features. Its network of 300+ servers in 64+ countries offers superfast connection speeds and access to geo-restricted content around the world. By way of comparison, ExpressVPN has 3,000 servers in over 160 countries.
This VPN provides a long list of encryption algorithms and secure protocols to choose from, including a proprietary prot
Buffered VPN has a lot to offer due to its user-friendly interface, fast connection speeds, and reliable security. One thing it can't do is unblock Netflix, you'll need a premium vendor like NordVPN for that.
In addition to dedicated apps available for all major platforms, Buffered VPN also offers router compatibility. There are 40+ servers available in 37 different countries, including three ser
Excellent All RoundVery robust VPN, the only real choice for China. A little on the costly side but the only one which has consistently worked well over the years. Wouldn't hesitate in recommending, especially for anyone looking for a reliable VPN for China.
Don Bartlem
10.0
I considered a number of VPN's before going with Buffered which I find excellent.No issues in any aspect, On the rare occasions that I required assistance (in the initial set up stage), the Help Desk was outstanding. Would highly recommend Buffered to anyone considering using a VPN
Latest negative user review
Dimitri
2.0
Good... when it worksI've been with them for several years but this may be my last. When it works it's great, but this year I've experienced throttling where I get 1-5Mbps on a 1Gbps connection on ALL servers. Their customer service has gone downhill and I've experienced rude representative who have been pushing to upsell additional products all while avoiding to resolve any of the issues on their servers. Stay away for the moment until they can resolve some of their internal issues and hopefully they can return it to a consistent and favorable service.
Trev
2.0
They are no moreAfter being a customer for more than 2 years and paying a premium price for a good service. THEY DON'T EXIST ANYMORE.. No warning, just logged in one day and my app doesn't work and they have changed their website name. STAY AWAY, sounds dodgy.
Buffered’s small network does not affect its overall performance, as it still offers strong encryption, advanced security features, and effective bypassing of tough geo-restrictions. Meanwhile, Astrill offers an attractive VPN service with a variety of security features and dedicated apps for all major platforms.
Buffered’s small network does not affect its overall performance, as it still offers strong encryption, advanced security features, and effective bypassing of tough geo-restrictions. Meanwhile, Astrill offers an attractive VPN service with a variety of security features and dedicated apps for all major platforms.
Buffered is great for downloading torrents anonymously, as it offers several dedicated P2P servers that provide very fast connections for downloading. Astrill also allows torrenting on its network and provides dedicated P2P servers for the purpose.
Buffered is great for downloading torrents anonymously, as it offers several dedicated P2P servers that provide very fast connections for downloading. Astrill also allows torrenting on its network and provides dedicated P2P servers for the purpose.
By offering a user-friendly app with a firewall-based kill switch that keeps your online activity protected at all times, Buffered provides a very reliable Windows service for PC users. Meanwhile, Astrill also has a Windows app that features split tunneling and IPv6 leak protection.
By offering a user-friendly app with a firewall-based kill switch that keeps your online activity protected at all times, Buffered provides a very reliable Windows service for PC users. Meanwhile, Astrill also has a Windows app that features split tunneling and IPv6 leak protection.
Buffered’s Android app is very easy to install and set up and includes “always on” functionality that keeps your VPN connection active even when the app is in the background. The standout feature of Astrill’s Android app is a Smart Mode that allows you to decide which apps or traffic types should connect through the VPN.
Buffered’s Android app is very easy to install and set up and includes “always on” functionality that keeps your VPN connection active even when the app is in the background. The standout feature of Astrill’s Android app is a Smart Mode that allows you to decide which apps or traffic types should connect through the VPN.
If you appreciate a dedicated app with easy access to 24/7 live chat support, 256-bit encryption, and a diagnostics tool, you’ll enjoy using Buffered VPN for your Mac. Meanwhile, Astrill’s app for MacOS includes access to dedicated IP addresses and split tunneling.
If you appreciate a dedicated app with easy access to 24/7 live chat support, 256-bit encryption, and a diagnostics tool, you’ll enjoy using Buffered VPN for your Mac. Meanwhile, Astrill’s app for MacOS includes access to dedicated IP addresses and split tunneling.
The standout features of Buffered’s iOS app are its firewall-based kill switch and highly intuitive user interface. With Astrill VPN, you can expect an iOS app that’s packed with advanced features like Onion over VPN, split tunneling, and DNS leak protection.
The standout features of Buffered’s iOS app are its firewall-based kill switch and highly intuitive user interface. With Astrill VPN, you can expect an iOS app that’s packed with advanced features like Onion over VPN, split tunneling, and DNS leak protection.
Buffered provides a high-speed US server that’s reliable for unblocking US Netflix and similar American websites and apps. Astrill also provides US servers, along with a dedicated streaming feature that reliably unblocks Netflix and Hulu.
Buffered provides a high-speed US server that’s reliable for unblocking US Netflix and similar American websites and apps. Astrill also provides US servers, along with a dedicated streaming feature that reliably unblocks Netflix and Hulu.
The Bottom Line
Ran Greenberg
New-Media and online expert, Venture Capitalist and investor
In spite of having a small server network, Buffered wins this contest by providing a high-quality VPN service without restrictions on your use. As a new VPN provider, Buffered reliably gets past geo-restrictions that are usually tough to crack, like the geoblocks on US Netflix. Buffered also has the kind of modern security setup you would expect to find in a top VPN service.
Interestingly, if you compare Buffered VPN with NordVPN, which is our top ranked vpn, you'll see that Buffered VPN can learn a lot from NordVPN. Compare Buffered VPN with NordVPN
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Katie Kasunic
