What is Avast SecureLine VPN?

Avast SecureLine is a VPN offered by Avast (a company famous for its antivirus program). You can purchase it as part of a bundle with all of Avast’s security programs or separately. A VPN lets you connect to encrypted servers that hide your real location, making it look like you’re somewhere else. It comes with an extensive free trial that allows you to test its features if you provide Avast with your payment information.

Why is Avast SecureLine VPN on my computer?

It’s most likely to be there if you’ve installed other Avast products and enabled automatic updates. This can be confusing because Avast has acquired many smaller anti-malware programs, such as CCleaner. You may not have been aware that you have an Avast program on your device. Luckily, it doesn’t come with any malware, and it’s easy to uninstall.

Is Avast SecureLine VPN free?

No, but there is a 60-day free trial. To obtain this, you will need to provide the company with your credit card information. If you don’t cancel before the period ends, you’ll be charged for a yearly option (at the very least). This lets you test it out for a long time risk-free, but there’s no official free app.

Avast SecureLine VPN

Name: Avast SecureLine VPN
Brand: Avast SecureLine VPN
SKU: 6381

Avast sells some of the most popular antivirus software, and Avast SecureLine is its own VPN. Unfortunately, many people have found this VPN on their computers without knowing how it got there. The company has had a controversial history.

Is Avast VPN any good? Our tests showed that the VPN has its strengths and weaknesses, but you can’t deny Avast’s success, with the company claiming to have over 435 million active users each month (Wonder, 2021)¹. People respect its antivirus service for good reason, but, curiously, it’s hard to find specific stats on how many people use the VPN.

After conducting various tests, I’ve concluded that Avast SecureLine VPN is worth considering; however, better options are available. While it’s good in a few areas, it’s not worth what you get for the price. In this article, I’ll tell you how to delete it, cancel it, or get its 2-month free trial. However, if you want to find one of the best VPNs, check out this list of our highest-ranked providers.

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Pros:

Strong security features The VPN passed all of our leak tests thanks to its military-grade encryption and strong kill switch.
Extended trial period You get 60 days to test out all of the VPN’s features with no limitations.
Good for gaming Avast’s VPN provided us with excellent ping rates on most servers, allowing us to play games with minimal added lag.

Cons:

Small server network You get way fewer countries and city-level locations than the top VPNs provide.
Weak compatibility This VPN only works with Windows, Android, iOS, and Mac. There’s no way to set it up on a router or to protect your smart TV.

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Streaming — Incompatible With Many Popular Platforms

Avast SecureLine VPN has difficulty with many platforms, even with its optimized servers. Switching protocols and using different browsers couldn’t help us when the VPN was unsuccessful. Compared to the top standalone providers, it just can’t compete in this category, which is quite common with many big antivirus companies’ VPNs.

Be advised. The VPNs we prefer follow strict no-logging policies. This means they’re unable to record or view your online activities. You’ll be solely responsible for how they’re used, so my team and I ask that you please refrain from breaking any copyright laws.

Popular Streaming Platforms We Tested

Streaming Service	Status
Netflix	✅
Hulu	❌
Disney+	❌
BBC iPlayer	❌
Amazon Prime Video	❌
HBO Max	✅
Paramount+	❌

Swipe for More

Avast SecureLine VPN can safely access Netflix from anywhere. It makes it possible to stream Netflix US, UK, Canada, and more. During tests, it could load videos without any added wait times, and there was no additional buffering.

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Unfortunately, the VPN only worked with one more platform. That’s a shame because it also provided us with perfect picture quality on HBO Max right from the start. Just like with Netflix, there was no added buffering or extended load times.

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Avast SecureLine VPN has declined in this category, as it previously worked with a wider range of streaming platforms. I hope this VPN isn’t becoming less of a priority for Avast. For the best secure viewing experience, check out our list of the top VPNs for streaming.

Speed — Okay, but Some Servers Are Too Slow

Avast SecureLine VPN offers consistently solid speeds when using the WireGuard protocol. OpenVPN was by far the slowest, while Mimic (which obfuscates traffic to evade Deep Packet Inspection that can lead to speed throttling) was usually just behind WireGuard. I’m pleased to see Avast improve in this area, although it still lags behind its top competitors.

Our speed expert performed several tests on each server at various times of day to create the averages shown in the chart below. This is to ensure the results are fair, as speeds vary significantly throughout the day.

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Avast VPN’s speeds are somewhat unpredictable, as some distant servers are faster than nearby ones. VPN speeds typically decrease as servers become farther away. However, a server in Brazil was much faster than one in New York for our US tester. I must assume this is due to overcrowding. Unfortunately, the VPN doesn’t display any data about how crowded its servers are, so I hope they will provide this information in the future.

While Avast SecureLine offers some fast servers, the top VPNs are much more consistent. Many of them let you see how crowded their servers are and even provide in-app speed tests or display each server’s ping beside it. Some even improve our speeds on occasion. To learn more about VPN speeds, read our list of the fastest VPNs available.

Gaming — Low Lag for Fun Sessions

The Avast VPN provided us with low ping rates, which is ideal for smooth gameplay. Your ping indicates how long it takes the network to respond to your input. You need it to be at least below 85ms if you want your game to respond to your button presses rapidly.

Does Avast protect you while gaming? It can help prevent DDoS attacks, which are on the rise; in a typical year, over 45% of DDoS attacks target gamers (Security Magazine, 2024)². Encrypting your IP address with a VPN is a good first step, but you’ll also need a malware blocker like Avast provides with its antivirus to stay safe (you should set up a firewall too).

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With nearby locations, there was no noticeable lag while gaming. We typically had ping rates below 65ms with closeby servers. Distant locations could raise our ping up to 210ms. However, that’s actually quite normal. I’ve never found a VPN that lets me play games competitively with distant servers. So, SecureLine is very strong in this category.

Server Network — Small and Missing Some Privacy Assurances

With only 700 servers in 34 countries, Avast SecureLine’s network is pretty small. But there are a few things I like about it. You can connect quickly (in around 5 seconds). I also appreciate that it clearly labels optimized servers, so they’re easy to find. There are a few somewhat rare locations, like Turkey and Luxembourg, but the rest are pretty standard.

What I don’t like is how hard it is to learn more about Avast SecureLine’s servers. I couldn’t find much about them on its website, and I had to go back and forth with support staff to get answers. Eventually, I learned it has some virtual locations (but they’re not labeled).

A support agent let me know that it owns most of its servers while renting a few others. Unfortunately, just like the virtual locations, there’s nowhere on its site where you can confirm which servers are which. They’re also not RAM-only, a more privacy-friendly server type that deletes all of its information after each reboot.

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The lack of city-level servers is also disappointing. Most Avast SecureLine servers only tell you what country your IP will be in, which makes it harder to optimize speeds. There are 6 countries that offer cities.

You get the most servers in the US (16), while Canada, Australia, Spain, the UK, and Germany only have 3 cities or fewer. Since Avast is pretty slow at long distances, this could end up compromising your speeds, unless you’re in the US, where coverage is good.

Finally, it’s a little disappointing that Avast SecureLine doesn’t offer dedicated IPs. Most VPNs offer them for a small extra fee, and they give you an IP address that only you use. This is especially helpful if you run a website. Overall, this is one of SecureLine’s weaker areas, and you can find a VPN with a larger server network and more privacy protections in this list.

Does Avast SecureLine VPN Work in China? Maybe

Avast SecureLine support staff claim it works in China, but I’m a little skeptical. This is because I’ve had previous conversations with Avast support team members, who stated that it doesn’t work in the country. The staff have also given me incorrect information on several occasions. For example, at one point, they told me the privacy policies had been audited (which was not true).

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It’s up to you whether you want to believe Avast’s claims or not. While there have been no publicly reported cases of the Chinese government going after individuals for using VPNs, it has banned many VPN providers. My team and I don’t condone any illegal activities and urge you to research the laws before using a VPN. For more information, refer to our list of the top VPNs for China.

Security — Safe but Missing Additional Features

Avast SecureLine VPN successfully hides your real location, but it doesn’t have the extra security features many of its competitors offer. It comes with the industry standard AES 256-bit encryption level. This is the same level used by militaries, and it’s nearly impossible to crack.

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It prevents DNS, IPv4, and WebRTC leaks (but only with its browser extensions). But, it doesn’t support IPv6 connections yet, putting it behind more popular VPNs. I would also like to see it add some additional features like Double VPN. I do like that it offers OpenVPN, WireGuard, and Mimic, but these protocols aren’t available with every app (more on that later).

Mimic is its obfuscation technology, which makes it look like you’re not using a VPN. It’s helpful on restricted networks, like schools and work. OpenVPN is generally considered the most secure protocol, while WireGuard is usually the fastest.

Kill Switch

This is an essential feature that blocks your internet connection if the VPN ever disconnects. I like that Avast’s app indicates it’s blocking your network when you switch servers. This reassured me it was working as advertised.

Smart VPN Mode

This lets you program Avast SecureLine to turn on automatically under certain conditions. For example, if you connect to a public network or open a torrenting app. Overall, there are 4 separate Smart Rules in total.

There’s nothing wrong with this feature, but it would be even more useful if split tunneling came with every app (it’s only available on mobile devices for now). That lets you directly decide what traffic is funneled through the VPN tunnel.

Privacy — Decent Policy With a Bad History

Even though the VPN’s privacy policy is solid, I understand if Avast’s history puts you off. Avast used to run a company called Jumpshot, which sold user data collected through its antivirus browser extensions. On the one hand, you could choose not to share data with the company. But it was an option many users missed.

Most people probably believed Avast only needed anonymized data to keep its services running and didn’t realize their browsing history would be sold. While Avast shut down Jumpshot in 2020 after this was revealed, it still left a bad impression.

Many people have also complained about Avast SecureLine VPN showing up on their computer out of nowhere. Often, this happened because people had gotten Avast Antivirus in the past and allowed the program to make automatic updates (which they didn’t expect to include a VPN). When an entirely new app mysteriously appears on your computer, I can understand why it’s upsetting.

Others claim that the VPN arrived on their computer because they had another free anti-malware program like CCleaner installed on their device. Avast has purchased many smaller free companies, so it’s possible the VPN was added to their computer, even though they didn’t know they had Avast products.

I can’t say exactly why Avast SecureLine VPN has been added to anyone’s device because it hasn’t happened to me. Unfortunately, I was never given satisfactory answers over live chat when I asked about these controversies. Once, I was even told a representative from the company would get back to me over email, but it never happened.

If any of these issues bother you, I completely understand why you wouldn’t want to use Avast products anymore. To get a VPN that doesn’t collect data with a proven privacy policy, check out our list of the best no-log VPNs.

Does Avast SecureLine VPN Keep Logs? No

On the bright side, you’re protected by a good no-logs policy if you only use the VPN. That means I’m not concerned about my privacy while I use Avast SecureLine VPN. However, I’d still be a little worried about using Avast Antivirus. When you sign up for that software, or its other security bundles, you’re asked for more information (including your name and billing address).

What it does record is timestamps, the amount of data transferred, if you uninstall or use auto-connections, and how many times you’ve connected. It also records the data you send them, but you can stay more private by signing up with a throwaway email address.

There are VPNs that record less data, but it doesn’t store any information that can be traced back to you. Avast SecureLine stores everything for 2 years.

Was Avast SecureLine VPN Audited? No

Unfortunately, there have been no independent audits of Avast’s apps or privacy policy. That’s too bad because it could clean up its reputation by undergoing a few audits. I hope it decides to work with some of the top auditing companies in the future to prove it sticks to its claims.

It does issue tri-monthly Warrant Canaries, which let you know if anyone has requested its information. But, it has missed a few, which doesn’t help its case.

Based in the Czech Republic

Thankfully, Avast isn’t located in a country within the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliances. This is an agreement between governments to share their citizens’ information. That means a VPN company in one of those countries could be asked to change its policies in the future. With Avast SecureLine VPN, that’s not something you need to worry about.

Torrenting — Good for P2P File-Sharing

Avast SecureLine offers excellent speeds for torrenting. It only has 8 optimized servers, but I actually didn’t have issues torrenting with any of its locations.

During my tests, I was able to complete a 700MB file in approximately 11 minutes with no VPN connection. Using the P2P server in Miami, I was able to complete the same file in just 7 minutes. Optimized servers are the fastest, as the regular servers didn’t let me finish the file any faster.

Avast SecureLine also offers solid security and doesn’t log any identifiable information. So, if you still trust the company after its shaky history, it’s a solid choice for torrenting.

Is torrenting still popular? It’s speculated that 47% of US adults torrent (Cybernews, 2024)³. Some even believe that up to 24% of global bandwidth can be attributed to P2P downloads (Dataprot.net, 2023)⁴. However, please note that while it’s legal to torrent in most countries, downloading copyrighted files is always considered illegal. I recommend you only download material in the public domain while torrenting.