TorGuard VPN Review 2019
A secure and feature-rich VPN aimed at experienced users
Torguard is an incredibly secure VPN service, with a host of features and options. The level of access offered could be daunting for VPN newcomers, but the protections it has in place for privacy-conscious users, especially those looking to use torrents, make it very appealing.
Pros
- Strong global presence
- Great features and control for expert users
- Impressive VPN perfomance
Cons
- Not great for less experienced users
- Awkward sign-up process
- Tiny text when you sign in
Availability
TorGuard is a feature-rich VPN aimed principally at users who want to keep their peer-to-peer file-sharing private. However, TorGuard has a lot to offer other users. It can ensure a more secure, private connection when you’re using the Internet on a free, unsecured public WiFi network, and also enable you to unlock websites or streaming services that are blocked from one country or another.
File sharers don’t always want others to know that they’re sharing and who they’re sharing with, so it makes sense to use a VPN to hide their location and identity.
While file-sharing itself is perfectly legal, it’s commonly used as a means for distributing copyrighted material, including movies and digital music. This sort of file-sharing is illegal, and Tech.co in no way condones such conduct. Our recommendation for TorGuard as a service is purely based on its merits as a VPN for creating a secure, high-speed and anonymised connection to the internet.
- What Is TorGuard?
- TorGuard: The Good
- TorGuard: The Not-So-Good
- TorGuard Prices
- Getting Started with TorGuard
- The Verdict
What Is TorGuard?
If you know a bit about online privacy, you might expect the TorGuard VPN to have some connection with the Tor project and anonymous browser, but it’s actually named TorGuard due to its focus on protecting BitTorrent users.
TorGuard has a strong global presence, with over 3000 servers spread across 55 countries. Its features are designed to give you a higher level of privacy and anonymity while browsing the web than many other VPNs.
It works across Windows and macOS, plus and Android and iOS devices, and you can use it on five devices simultaneously with the one account.
Before you make up your mind, see how TorGuard compares to some of the other top VPNs that we’ve tested. Though it’s certainly one of the best VPNs we’ve come across, it’s bettered by a few other brands – some of which are cheaper, too.
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| PureVPN | NordVPN | IPVanish VPN | TorGuard | Private Internet Access | Windscribe | Proton VPN | Hide Me VPN | AirVPN | Express VPN | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Tech.co Rating | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ |
| No. of devices | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 3 |
| No. of servers | 750 | 3605 | 1000 | 3000 | 3035 | 480 | 112 | 150 | 60 | 1500 |
| Data logging | – | ✓ | – | – | – | – | ✓ | – | ✓ | – |
| Killswitch | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Email Support | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Live Chat | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | – | ✓ | – | – | – | ✓ |
| Ease of use | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★★ |
| Features | ★★★★★ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| Privacy | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| Speed | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Help & Support | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★☆ |
| Value for Money | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★☆☆ |
| Free trial | – | ✓ | ✓ | – | – | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | – | – |
| Price per month | $2.80 (1-year plan) | $2.99 (3-year plan) | $6.49 (1-year plan) | $4.12 (2-year plan) | $2.91 (2-year plan) | $4.08 (1-year plan) | $4 (1-year plan) | $4.99 (1-year plan) | $2.78 (2-year plan) | $8.32 (1-year plan) |
| Discounts | See offers | See offers | See offers | See offers | See offers | See offers | See offers | See offers | See offers | See offers |
TorGuard: The Good
There are plenty of positives going in TorGuard’s favor, especially if you have a decent degree of familiarity with using a VPN.
Feature-Rich
TorGuard gives more expert users a lot of control and some powerful features, so that they can define exactly how they want their VPN to work. The downside is, TorGuard may be overwhelming for the less technically astute.
VPN first-timers may struggle with the advanced settings, but power-users will be happy to have them. The how-to guides are excellent, however, and there’s also email and live chat support.
High Speeds Possible
TorGuard can be dependably fast, even with a long-distance transatlantic VPN connections. While some speed loss is inevitable with any VPN enabled, the average impact in our tests showed that TorGuard is a safer pair of hands than most at preserving your broadband speeds.
Keeps Data Tight
Its data and privacy protection is absolutely superb. TorGuard passed all leak tests with flying colours, even – with the right settings enabled – those that caught other leading VPNs out.
Unlocks Netflix
It also handled region-locked streaming services, like US Netflix and Comedy Central, without any difficulties at all. Plenty of VPNs fail to successfully connect to Netflix – including some that claim to be able to access it.
TorGuard claims that its Stealth VPN service has been engineered to bypass the Deep Packet Inspection firewalls that block some other VPN services from working.
TorGuard: The Not-So-Good
This is one of the best VPNs we’ve tested – our main reservation isn’t about whether or not TorGuard is good. Rather, it’s whether or not it’s the right choice for all users.
Better for Experts
Like we said, it helps if you know what you’re doing when it comes to using TorGuard’s settings and controls. VPN newbies are likely to be a little overwhelmed by some of the depth here, and we’ve tested other services that put the options into more user-friendly language.
While TorGuard has email and live chat support and some excellent walkthroughs, it’s never going to be a novice’s ideal VPN.
Fine Print
You have to enter your username and password when you first launch a connection, and on a high-resolution screen, like a laptop screen, the text for doing so is absolutely tiny.
TorGuard Prices
You might expect TorGuard to be a high-cost VPN service, but it’s actually one of the most reasonably priced.
The $9.99 monthly fee is a bit steep, but pay annually and it’s just $59.99. That’s great value for such a comprehensive VPN.
Click For TorGuard Deals and Discounts, Or Try Free For 7 Days
Getting Started with TorGuard
Signing up is relatively straightforward, though TorGuard asks if you’d like to pay for extras, like additional simultaneous connections or access to a higher-speed network, when you sign up.
After that, you choose a payment method, enter an email address and password plus a security question, in case you lose either. Then, rather unexpectedly, it throws up an invoice on the screen. You need to click the checkout button on this before you can proceed and buy your VPN.
Once installed, the TorGuard app looks a little imposing, giving you a lot of settings to configure and advanced settings to turn on or off.
In fact, you can simply select a server from the list and click Connect in most cases, but if you’re a nervous newcomer to the world of VPNs, you could easily be put off. TorGuard really works best if you already know what you’re doing and what you want.
The Verdict
TorGuard isn’t for everyone, but if you have a modicum of technical expertise then it’s a superb VPN to choose. Less experienced users should look towards PureVPN or CyberGhost for a more user-friendly interface. But if you want a VPN with real performance, power and control, this is the one to get.