Astrill is a VPN provider that has been providing VPN service for more than a decade. Despite the length the company has been in business, you might not have heard of them. Astrill VPN is a company that seems to fly under the radar while offering little competition to the big VPN providers. Still, Astrill is a company worth looking into for those who want a specific VPN experience. Here’s a brief review of this company.
About Astrill VPN
Astrill was founded in 2009. The company is based in Seychelles. A search on Astrill reveals that many people who choose the company’s VPN are satisfied. It must be important to the company to keep its customer base happy, because that seems to be where it earns the bulk of its revenue. You will find far less advertising from Astrill than you will from other VPN companies.
One thing that has kept Astrill on the map is a proprietary security protocol that has been effective in evading the Great Firewall of China. Unusual security protocol options are just one thing that sets Astrill apart.
Astrill VPN Privacy & Protection
Astrill VPN accounts offers four types of encryption to its users. These include the standard AES 256-bit protection that most VPN providers prefer. For those who want more, Blowfish 448-bit and CAST 512-bit encryption are options. Clearly, Astrill is trying to target a specific subset of VPN users that are very concerned with the effectiveness of the VPN tunnel.
The available protocols are OpenWeb, StealthVPN, Wireguard, Open VPN, OpenConnect, and about five others. Of these, OpenWeb is the proprietary protocol that was developed by Astrill VPN for getting past geo-blocking. It is the protocol we mentioned that has been able to get users past the Great Firewall of China.
Users will have no problem browsing in private or unblocking Netflix and other services. The only thing that raises a red flag for us is that Astrill requires a mobile number to be provided at sign-up. That seems a little extreme.
Astrill claims to have a very strict no-logging policy, but we had a little trouble separating fact from fiction in this claim. What we will say is that Astill is upfront about the information they collect. Mainly, Astrill is tracking active sessions. The company says that once you log off the VPN that the records are erased. Okay, if Astrill says so.
There is a VPN kill-switch option built-in to the VPN. You won’t have to worry about getting disconnected and being exposed.
Astrill VPN Servers & Speed
Speed is a big factor where Astrill VPN is concerned. The tests we examined for the VPN show that on average the download speed is around 63 Mbps with a starting speed of 78 Mbps. That is respectable when you weight it against other VPNs on the market. What people have to remember is that a VPN is going to slow down your normal speed somewhat. What you are looking for is a VPN that keeps this to a minimum. Losing just 15 Mbps isn’t bad for any VPN provider.
Of course, this varies by server locations. The closer you are to the server you are using also has an impact on VPN speed. Astrill should work just fine for streaming media and even torrenting.
Astrill claims to always be adding to its VPN servers. At the time of this writing the company was offering a little over 300 servers in 64 countries. Some people are going to shake their head at that. Some VPNs offer as many as 3,500 servers. What you have to ask yourself is how many of those you are really going to need.
Astrill VPN Service Pricing
If you want to have Astrill VPN service, you are going to pay a lot for it:
The Astrill VPN rates are:
- $20.00 per month for monthly plan
- $15.00 per month for six-month plan
- $10.00 per month for yearly plan
These were the prices at the time we wrote this review. Astrill has been steady increasing the price of its VPN plans for years. You should check for the latest pricing before you buy.
Astrill VPN Verdict
In our opinion, Astrill may be a little overpriced when it comes to VPN service. We understand that the number of security protocols offered and proprietary technology could merit the higher prices. We’re just not sure how those features benefit the average VPN user.
For more affordable VPN accounts, check out the plans we have to offer.
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