Astrill VPN was launched in 2009 and was created by Astrill Systems Corp., and is located in Seychelles.
Why is that important for a VPN user?
Because there are no data retention laws within its VPN jurisdiction.
But that’s not the reason we published this Astrill review.
We wanted to know all the good and bad stuff, so that we can give you a well-informed overview of this service.
For this test, we couldn’t launch Astrill VPN on a PC due to its technical restrictions, which we’ll explain shortly. However, we tested its mobile app for speed, streaming, and security. We also went through numerous expert and user reviews to verify and update our previous test information.
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Is it a good VPN to stay anonymous on a public Wi-Fi in order to protect your personal data? Does it really hide your IP?
Let’s find this out.
Astrill VPN Overview
The Astrill VPN website is aesthetically pleasing, showcasing the features of their service so it’s easy to understand.
At first glance, we noticed how easy it is for new users to sign up for their service; simply enter your email address, and you’re good to go. In fact, Astrill VPN boldly claims that you’ll be up and running using their VPN within 3 minutes.
Overall, it appears to be a legitimate site with a professional design focused on highlighting its security features and global server network.
However, it’s worth noting that the user reviews on Astrill’s site appear to be carefully curated, as negative reviews are rarely displayed. This selective presentation of feedback should be considered when evaluating their claims.
Let’s take a closer look at what Astrill VPN offers and see how its mobile app performs.
| OVERALL RANK: | #28 Out of 30 VPNs |
| USABILITY: | 2.0/5 |
| LOG FILES: | No Logging Policy |
| LOCATIONS: | 58 Locations, 300s+ of Servers |
| SUPPORT: | 24/7 Live Chat |
| TORRENTING: | P2P Torrenting Allowed |
| NETFLIX: | Unblocks Netflix USA |
| ENCRYPTION/PROTOCOL: | 256-bit AES/OpenWeb, StealthVPN, OpenVPN, WireGuard |
| COST: | From $12.50/mo |
| OFFICIAL WEBSITE: | www.astrill.com |
Premium Pricing at $12.50/mo for 2-Year Plan
Astrill VPN positions itself as a premium VPN service with pricing to match. While it no longer offers a standard free trial, new users can request a 7-day trial by contacting customer support.
The good news is that Astrill offers the same features for each plan. So each package includes access to every server, unlimited bandwidth, and all other available features. However, the packages are differentiated by subscription length, with significant price differences between options.
The one-month plan costs $30.00 per month.
This monthly option is one of the most expensive in the VPN industry – nearly three times higher than most competitors’ monthly plans.
The one-year package is $15.00 per month.
This brings the total to $180 annually, still significantly higher than industry averages but offering some savings compared to the monthly rate.
The two-year package is $12.50 per month.
The two-year commitment brings the total to $300, representing the best long-term value if you’re committed to using Astrill’s services.
For comparison, top VPN providers like ExpressVPN offer yearly plans around $2.49/month, while NordVPN’s two-year plan is $3.09/month.
Astrill offers numerous payment options, including:
- Credit/debit cards
- PayPal
- Maestro
- Bank wire transfer
- Cryptocurrency
An important note: While many VPN services offer a money-back guarantee, Astrill does not provide any refunds once you’ve purchased a subscription. This makes their trial option particularly important for testing before committing.
The company also offers premium add-ons:
- Private IP ($5/month): A dedicated IP address used only by you
- VIP Plan ($10/month): Provides priority traffic on all servers, multi-hop VPN functionality, and access to optimized gaming servers
Overall, pricing for Astrill VPN is among the highest in the VPN market. Even when compared to premium providers like ExpressVPN, Astrill’s long-term plans remain considerably more expensive.
Features, Compatibility, and Servers
Astrill VPN offers unlimited bandwidth across all subscription plans. Their primary focus is on privacy and security technologies, which they prominently highlight throughout their marketing materials.
Astrill VPN supports all major platforms:
- Windows
- macOS
- Linux
- iOS
- Android
- DD-WRT, Tomato, and ASUS Merlin router firmware
They allow 5 simultaneous connections per account, which is below the industry average of 6-10 devices that many competitors offer. Also, our reviewed Surfshark, PIA, IPVanish, and a few others do not limit simultaneous connections at all.
Astrill VPN maintains a network of 100s servers in 58 locations.
While this is a significant improvement from their earlier days, it still doesn’t match the thousands of servers offered by leading providers like ExpressVPN or NordVPN. Astrill VPN’s server coverage is strongest in North America, Europe, and parts of Asia.
Its servers are strategically located in many popular cities worldwide:
- United States (multiple cities)
- United Kingdom
- Canada
- Germany
- France
- Japan
- Singapore
- Australia
- And many more
Astrill VPN offers an internet kill switch on desktop applications, called “App Guard.” This feature helps protect your data by automatically disconnecting your internet access if the VPN connection drops unexpectedly.
For torrenting fans, Astrill VPN supports P2P activities on its servers (marked with a star in their server list). This is good news for users who want to protect their torrenting activities from ISP throttling and monitoring.
Astrill VPN also works with DD-WRT, Tomato, and ASUS Merlin router firmware. Setting up the VPN at the router level helps you protect all connected devices in your home network, effectively bypassing the 5-device connection limit. You can find manuals on how to set up Astrill VPN on routers here.
Astrill VPN Pros
With over 17 years in the VPN industry, Astrill VPN has had time to refine its service. Here’s what stands out about their offering.
1. Strong Encryption & Diverse Protocol Options
Security is paramount for any VPN service, and Astrill VPN delivers with robust encryption and protocol options.
Astrill VPN protects your data with industry-standard 256-bit AES encryption across all subscription plans. This provides military-grade protection that would take billions of years to crack using current technology.
What truly sets Astrill VPN apart is its impressive range of VPN protocols:
- OpenWeb (proprietary)
- StealthVPN (proprietary)
- OpenVPN
- WireGuard
Its proprietary protocols are particularly noteworthy. OpenWeb is designed to bypass deep packet inspection (DPI) employed by ISPs and governmental surveillance agencies, while StealthVPN is specifically engineered to circumvent sophisticated firewall systems and VPN blocking, particularly important for China.
WireGuard support demonstrates Astrill’s commitment to keeping pace with modern VPN technology. This cutting-edge protocol offers excellent speed, but in Astrill VPN’s case, we sometimes experienced 50% download speed drop.
With this diverse range of protocols, Astrill VPN provides options for many use cases, especially for bypassing restrictions in heavily censored regions.
2. Mobile App and Security Tests
Installing and using the mobile application was easy. It does have a slightly outdated design that didn’t age well, but connecting to servers and accessing settings was straightforward.
One thing to notice is that in order to connect to a different server, you have to disconnect first manually. That’s frustrating, but also risky, as we didn’t find a kill switch on it.
On the other hand, it also passed our three tests. Firstly, we checked for IP leaks and didn’t find any.
There were no DNS leaks.
It also passed WebRTC test.
Although the test shows a local IP address exposure, it’s actually the VPN’s local IP address, not ours. In reality, there is no privacy breach, and Astrill VPN protected our traffic.
3. Functional User Interface
Astrill VPN’s app design is a double-edged sword, as it lacks a smooth UI that the likes of TunnelBear offer. However, we feel a tech-oriented interface is not a downside.
Astrill VPN provides a straightforward installation and setup process. The website automatically detects your operating system and displays the appropriate download button.
After installation, the interface presents a clean layout with essential functions clearly visible.
The main connection button is prominently displayed, with server selection available through a drop-down menu. Users can easily switch between OpenWeb, OpenVPN, StealthVPN, and WireGuard protocols through the interface.
The app provides comprehensive leak protection, with DNS leak protection, IPv6 leak protection, and WebRTC leak prevention enabled by default—essential safeguards for maintaining privacy.
While the client is functional, the design appears somewhat dated compared to the sleek interfaces offered by competitors. The mobile apps feature a more modern design than the desktop versions.
For advanced users, Astrill VPN provides sufficient configuration options, including port selection, proxy settings, and protocol fine-tuning—though most users will rarely need to adjust these settings.
Overall, Astrill VPN earns a 2/5 for usability. While not the most elegant or intuitive interface on the market, it provides all the necessary functionality without significant learning curves.
4. Trial Period Available
While Astrill VPN no longer prominently advertises a free trial on its website, new users can still request a 7-day trial by contacting customer support. This provides an opportunity to evaluate the service before committing to its premium-priced plans.
The trial is particularly valuable since Astrill VPN does not offer refunds after purchase, making it the only risk-free way to test their service with your specific network configuration and devices.
During the trial period, users receive access to all VPN features, though server options may be somewhat limited compared to paid subscriptions.
5. Unblocks Challenging Netflix Regions
Astrill VPN consistently unblocks US Netflix and several other streaming platforms, though results vary depending on the server and protocol used. Our previous test confirmed that Astrill can unblock Netflix in the US and UK – simply connect to the location you want to access, and you can view your favorite shows.
Astrill VPN’s servers successfully unblock streaming services:
- Netflix (US, UK, and some other regions)
- Hulu
- Disney+ (with some servers)
Streaming services with inconsistent access:
- BBC iPlayer (works with UK servers but may require multiple attempts)
- Amazon Prime Video (limited success)
During our recent tests, which happened using its mobile app, Astrill VPN unblocked the following sites:
- Netflix US and Japan (one of the most challenging libraries)
- BBC iPlayer in UK
It did not unblock Amazon Prime Video, Paramount+, or Disney+. We believe it’s a hit-and-miss, since Astrill VPN is designed to avoid detection. However, it is also evident it is not dedicated to streaming, as the best VPNs for Netflix are.
For reliable streaming, the OpenWeb protocol often works best, as it’s specifically designed to evade detection by streaming platforms. Performance testing has shown that Astrill can unblock several streaming services’ libraries through PC and mobile apps.
While not explicitly marketed as a streaming VPN, Astrill VPN still performs well for accessing geo-restricted content, particularly from US-based services.
Astrill VPN Cons
1. Insufficient Speed Performance
Astrill VPN claims to deliver exceptional speeds, but that statement is not the case. Our current test used its Android app, which uses the same servers across all platforms and reflects its performance accurately.
We started by marking down our internet connection speed without Astrill VPN on. Then, we connected to its five locations, and this is what we got:
Baseline
- Download: 242Mbps
- Upload: 26.3Mbps
- Ping: 15ms
Nearest location
- Download: 126Mbps
- Upload: 22.1Mbps
- Ping: 22ms
Europe
- Download: 164Mbps
- Upload: 16.8Mbps
- Ping: 156ms
US East
- Download: 173Mbps
- Upload: 26Mbps
- Ping: 50ms
US West
- Download: 144Mbps
- Upload: 5.92Mbps
- Ping: 211ms
Asia
- Download: 154Mbps
- Upload: 24.3Mbps
- Ping: 290ms
As you can see, even on the nearest server, our speed dropped by 52%. Considering that we ran the test on the WireGuard protocol, available on Android, these are really insufficient.
Paradoxically, it performed better on distant servers. On US East download dropped by 29%, but these are still insufficient results. We also found user reviews outlining shaky speeds, so Astrill VPN should offer more, considering its steep price.
2. Privacy Policy Concerns
While Astrill VPN prominently states they maintain a “strict no-logs policy,” a deeper examination of their privacy policy reveals some potential concerns.
According to its current privacy policy, Astrill VPN does temporarily collect certain session data:
The company states they don’t collect browsing traffic or file downloads, but they do temporarily track connection timestamps, IP addresses, device types, and application versions during active VPN sessions. This information is supposedly removed once you disconnect.
Additionally, Astrill VPN maintains “last 20 connection records which include: connection time, connection duration, country, device type and Astrill client application version number. ” for customer support purposes, though users can request manual deletion of these records.
Unlike many leading VPN providers who have undergone independent security audits to verify their no-logs claims, Astrill VPN has not submitted to such third-party verification. This lack of external validation makes it difficult to fully assess their privacy practices.
For users who prioritize complete anonymity and zero data collection, these aspects of Astrill’s privacy policy may be concerning.
3. Premium Price Point
Astrill VPN positions itself as a premium VPN service, but its pricing is significantly higher than most competitors, including other top-tier providers.
At $30 per month for a monthly plan and $12.50 per month for a two-year commitment, Astrill VPN is among the most expensive VPN options available. For comparison, ExpressVPN’s cheapest 2-year plan is discounted to $2.49 a month, while NordVPN’s 2-year plan costs $3.09 a month.
This price disparity becomes even more pronounced when considering their add-on services:
- Private IP: An additional $5/month
- VIP Plan: An additional $10/month
With both add-ons, a monthly subscription could reach $45/month—far exceeding industry norms.
While Astrill offers multiple protocols and some unique features, particularly for users in heavily censored regions, the significant price premium is difficult to justify for most typical VPN users, especially since there’s no money-back guarantee to provide purchase protection.
4. Customer Support Limitations
Astrill advertises 24/7 customer support, including live chat, which is an essential feature for a premium VPN service. However, although the response time was quick, we didn’t get the help needed.
The live chat feature is accessible directly from their website:
Our problem was straightforward: we couldn’t launch Astrill VPN on PC because it simply would not launch when other VPNs were on it. This is the only case that happened out of 30 VPNs we reviewed.
We asked for some kind of solution or a refund, because Astrill VPN doesn’t state this restriction anywhere. The only answer we got:
This was a very unpleasant conversation that neither solved our issue, provided a refund, nor offered an apology.
Their alternative support channels include:
- Email support (typically responds within a few hours)
- Knowledge base and Wiki (comprehensive but not always user-friendly)
- Video tutorials (helpful but limited in scope)
For a VPN service commanding premium prices, the support experience doesn’t consistently match the level of service you might expect.
Do We Recommend Astrill VPN?
Astrill VPN is an expensive service with some standout features, particularly for specific use cases. Based on current testing and analysis, we’d rate it 28th out of 30 VPNs tested.
Here’s who should consider Astrill VPN:
- Users in heavily censored regions like China who need reliable access to restricted content
- Those who seek a tech-oriented app designed with some advanced features
- Advanced users who value protocol variety and configuration options
However, there are significant drawbacks that prevent us from giving Astrill a stronger recommendation for general users:
- The premium pricing is difficult to justify when equally capable VPNs are available at half the cost
- The privacy policy contains some concerning elements regarding temporary data collection
- The 5-device limit is below industry standards
- No independent security audit has been conducted to verify their security claims
- No money-back guarantee if you’re unsatisfied with the service
- Insufficient connection speed
- Bad customer service experience
That’s why we’d recommend considering alternatives like NordVPN, Surfshark, or ExpressVPN before committing to Astrill VPN. These providers offer comparable security and performance features at more reasonable price points, with the added confidence of independent security audits and money-back guarantees.
For users who need specialized features like StealthVPN for bypassing censorship in restrictive countries, especially China, Astrill remains a capable option, albeit an expensive one. Just be sure to take advantage of their trial period before committing to a long-term subscription.