AVG Secure VPN: Fast Speeds, But Weak Privacy, Limited Streaming, and Few Features

Although this data is only stored for 35 days, we cannot recommend a VPN that logs individual bandwidth usage or connection timestamps for any amount of time.

To improve its privacy rating, AVG would need to stop storing this data and invest in a diskless server network. It should also commission an independent audit to verify its privacy claims.

Subject to EU Data Retention Laws

AVG is based in Czechia, a country subject to EU data retention laws and intelligence-sharing agreements.

In other words, Czech authorities can demand user data that AVG would be legally obligated to hand over. We’ve already established that AVG logs identifiable data, so this is a serious concern.

AVG openly admits to sharing user data via the transparency reports released by its parent company, Avast.

In 2023, Avast received 51 government requests for information and handed over the data of five users. In 2017, it shared information for over 30% of requests.

Can AVG VPN Be Trusted?

We examined AVG’s corporate structure and history to assess its trustworthiness. Simply put: we advise caution when using AVG Secure VPN.

In July 2016, Avast — an even larger cybersecurity company — bought AVG. We also reviewed Avast SecureLine, its flagship VPN, which we rated 5.3/10 due to intrusive logging practices.

In December 2020, NortonLifeLock Inc. bought Avast, taking control of AVG in the process. In our review of Norton Secure VPN, we gave it an even lower rating of 4.6/10, partly because it logs your IP address.

NortonLifeLock (and therefore Avast and AVG) is part of the US multinational conglomerate Gen Digital, which also owns the VPN HMA (HideMyAss). This VPN also logs user data.

We’re concerned that all of Gen Digital’s VPN products, including AVG Secure VPN, have a history of logging user data.

We found that the US server “Gotham City” unblocks US Netflix, and the UK server “Wonderland” unblocks BBC iPlayer.

However, AVG Secure VPN did not work with other major US services like Hulu, Max, or US Prime Video. Similarly, it’s not a good choice for accessing local streaming services in these countries:

• Australia (SBS On Demand)
• Canada (CBC Gem)
• France (France.tv)
• Italy (RaiPlay)
• Korea (Kakao TV)
• Singapore (MeWatch)

We know this because we’ve tested 61 VPNs with up to 120 international streaming services, and AVG performed worse than most of them.

Below is a snippet of the streaming data we maintain:

Does AVG’s Mimic Protocol Encrypt Your Data?

AVG Secure VPN’s default protocol is called Mimic, a proprietary technology developed by its parent company, Avast.

We’ve confirmed Mimic’s fast speeds, but we are uncertain about its security credentials. Avast is not transparent about how Mimic works, and there has been no independent audit. In contrast, ExpressVPN also uses a proprietary protocol, but it is open-source, so anyone can examine it.

We ran AVG Secure VPN through packet inspection to verify encryption. It successfully concealed our internet activity.

We recommend sticking to WireGuard or OpenVPN and avoiding L2TP if possible, which is older and less secure.

Unfortunately, WireGuard is only available on Windows and Android. This makes the macOS and iOS apps significantly less secure, and we advise against using them.

We’d like to see AVG follow the rest of the industry and add WireGuard across all platforms. Protocol options should also be made consistent across apps.

As you can see, AVG Secure VPN’s network is heavily focused on Europe, with servers in 23 countries — 62% of its locations.

Asia is relatively well served with seven locations. However, overall, AVG Secure VPN’s network is small compared to top providers that offer up to 100 countries, such as Surfshark and Private Internet Access.

Less-developed regions are poorly served, including South America and Africa, which each have only one server location for the entire continent.

City-level servers are available only in Australia, Canada, Germany, Spain, the UK, and the US. The US has the most city options, with servers in 16 cities, which is helpful if you’re based in the US.

Unfortunately, AVG does not disclose how many individual servers it operates, or whether they are owned or rented from third-party providers.

AVG’s VPN apps are easy to download and install. They’re laid out in a user-friendly and colorful way, and they’re not unpleasant to look at.

However, there aren’t enough customization options, and the Windows and Android versions are far more advanced than the macOS and iOS apps. We also encountered bugs when installing and using the apps.

Here’s a more detailed look at AVG on different platforms:

Desktop & Laptop (macOS & Windows)

AVG’s Windows app is much more advanced and customizable than macOS. It includes WireGuard in its protocol selection, which is the best protocol. There’s a Startup option so the VPN turns on with your computer, plus the ability to enable prompts to turn on the VPN when you connect to the internet.

On both desktop apps, AVG lists servers specifically designated for streaming and torrenting. We’d prefer if all servers worked for these purposes, but theoretically, optimized servers can help avoid trial and error.

However, as our tests show, these servers don’t work for most streaming sites beyond US Netflix and BBC iPlayer.

We also encountered random app crashes and bugs throughout testing. We couldn’t install the AVG VPN free trial on macOS, and after using the app for a while we saw issues such as the one below:

On the positive side, AVG includes 20 language options on Windows that translate the app instantly, making it more accessible.

Mobile (iOS & Android)

AVG’s iOS and Android apps look identical, but there are important differences.

Android has three main screens: a home screen with the main connect button, a server list, and a settings menu. Helpfully, each setting includes a short explainer.

Android is the most customizable AVG VPN app. It is the only app with split tunneling, it has the WireGuard protocol, and there’s a manual kill switch. It’s also the only app with Wi-Fi Threat Shield, which turns on your VPN when connecting to “suspicious” public Wi-Fi networks.

In contrast, on iOS the only things you can customize are the protocol and an Auto Connect toggle. There is no WireGuard option, and we noticed the listed torrenting servers are not present. It’s much more limited and doesn’t offer much.

AVG is a poor choice for torrenting due to its invasive privacy policy, which doesn’t guarantee anonymity. It has also handed over user data following legal requests.

Because of these privacy issues, we cannot recommend using AVG VPN for torrenting, even with its fast average bitrate of 8.8MiB/s and P2P-optimized servers, which are available in these five countries:

• France
• Germany
• Netherlands
• UK
• US

While AVG VPN has a kill switch to protect against accidental exposure of your IP address, other data that can identify you is already logged.

AVG VPN has no manual installation workarounds, so you won’t be able to use it on any device not listed above. This is highly restrictive compared to most top VPNs.

We’d like to see AVG develop more apps, making it compatible with Fire TV Stick, Android TV, and Apple TV.

It should also offer a router app so gamers can use it on Xbox and PlayStation.

Although AVG VPN is similar across apps, there are important differences. Use the table below to compare features on each platform:

No Browser Extensions

Adding to its limited compatibility, AVG Secure VPN does not offer any browser extensions.

This is disappointing, as you can’t quickly change VPN locations within your browser and must switch windows each time.

Does Not Bypass Internet Censorship

Poor Live Chat and Slow Email Responses