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AirVPN developed from a free open-source VPN built by European hackers and activists to protect the internet from spies and censorship. It’s a great value service that lets you opt in for a few days at a time for a small fee. While it’s a little technical, this is a great VPN with plenty to recommend it: Safety and privacy policies are strong, while cost-effective plans offer some flexibility for those who just need a VPN for a few days or a few months.
Why use AirVPN?
AirVPN’s heritage is evident in its rather technical look and feel, but it’s a low-cost service that puts users in control, and the developers always put your privacy first. It uses very high-level encryption and allows you to use some advanced settings and features to avoid measures that disrupt other VPNs.
AirVPN is particularly useful if you’re worried that your Internet use is monitored and it's crucial that you can operate in freedom – not a problem for most users in the US, but a concern if you’re, say, a corporate whistleblower, journalist or activist.
For a more comprehensive look at AirVPN compared to other providers, take a look at this helpful table:
Test Score
Our scoring is based on independent tests and assessments of features, privacy settings, ease of use and value.
|
Verdict |
No. of Devices |
No. of Servers |
Zero Data Logging |
Killswitch |
Email Support |
Live Chat |
Ease of Use |
Features |
Privacy |
Speed |
Help & Support |
Value for Money |
Free Trial |
Price From |
Try
Click to find the latest offers, deals and discounts from the VPN provider
| ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BEST ON TEST | ||||||||||||||||||
4.1
| 4.0
| 3.8
| 3.7
| 3.7
| 3.7
| 3.5
| 3.5
| 3.5
| ||||||||||
Fast, effective, low-cost and simple – the best VPN we've tested | Powerful features and security, but a bit technical. Some massive savings currently available. | Outstanding value, with an advanced VPN app | Good VPN privacy at good speeds | A good, well-priced VPN | A decent option for expert users | A user-friendly VPN, let down by some speed loss | Superb features, but at a higher cost | A powerful tool for expert users | ||||||||||
6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 5 | ||||||||||
3,605 | 1,000 | 3,035 | 3,000 | 480 | 112 | 40 | 1,500 | 60 | ||||||||||
★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★☆☆ | ||||||||||
★★★☆☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ||||||||||
★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ||||||||||
★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★☆ | ||||||||||
★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ||||||||||
★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★☆ | ||||||||||
$2.99 (3-year plan) | $3.25 (1-year plan) | $3.33 (1-year plan) | $4.99 (1-year plan) | $4.08 (1-year plan) | $4 (1-year plan) | $3.50 (2-year plan) | $8.32 (1-year plan) | $2.66 (1-year plan) | ||||||||||
AirVPN: The Good
This is an impressive VPN in plenty of ways, but it's best suited to the more technically-minded user.
Lots of Control
If you’re looking for control, AirVPN gives it to you. You can control everything from whether and how the VPN connects when your PC starts up, to which VPN protocols and encryption strengths it uses.
Outstanding Encryption
Its encryption levels actually surpass most military standards, while arcane connection types that use different protocols or the TOR network give you even more protection against snoopers.
Great Policies
We also like AirVPN’s transparent policies, including its commitment to absolutely no monitoring or logging of user activities. For more, it's worth reading the mission statement on AirVPN's website.
Impressive Speeds
Speeds are also impressive, both on local, short-distance VPN connections and long-haul transatlantic links.
AirVPN: The Not-So-Good
Privacy and anonymity are the focus with AirVPN, and it achieves these mission statements well. However, it falls a little short on some features that other VPNs do a better job of.
AirVPN Netflix Fail
AirVPN makes no overt promises about being able to unlock Netflix, and our tests found that it couldn't do this successfully. It’s hard to complain that AirVPN won’t unblock some US streaming services, but if this is important to you, be sure to check out our roundup of the best VPNs for Netflix.
Little Help
For support, you need to rely on the forums and email, and while there’s a lot of helpful information on there, it assumes a level of technical expertise. This isn't a great VPN for raw beginners.
No Simple Mobile App
Finally, there’s no mobile app as such. You can use AirVPN with OpenVPN apps for iOS and Android, but you’ll need to configure them yourself.
AirVPN Prices
AirVPN’s team isn’t greedy and you can use the full service for €7 (roughly $8.30) per month or €54 (roughly $64) per year.
What’s more, if you just need a VPN for a few days there’s a special 3-day plan that’s only €1 (or approximately $1.20), not to mention some three-month and six-month options.
Interested in the AirVPN 3-day or 3-month plans? Learn more.
Getting Started with AirVPN
AirVPN isn’t the easiest VPN to get going with. You need to register for an account before signing up, and even there there’s a Captcha test in your way to check you’re human. While the service takes a wide range of electronic payment methods, including Bitcoin, the only currency it works with is Euros. This isn’t a problem if you pay by Paypal or Credit Card.
Setup is pretty complex, too. You need to find the download page, pick your operating system and version, and then make sure you’ve selected the version with a GUI. The Windows client, dubbed Eddie, is also pretty fearsome looking, throwing up an epic list of different servers with a mass of technical info.
If you’re reasonably expert, you’ll see that all this information helps you make an informed decision on which server will give you the fastest connection, but if you’re not you will find it all a bit intimidating.
The Verdict
AirVPN isn’t a VPN for everyone – and it isn’t really trying to be. It’s more of a powerful privacy tool for more expert users, which does without the slick user interface of more commercial VPNs, but makes up for it with serious, in-depth controls. Provided you know what you’re doing, it’s a good VPN where privacy and freedom are the obvious priorities.
If AirVPN is for you, than this deal is definitely for you
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