AirVPN is an open-source Italian-based virtual private network (VPN) solution designed to protect users online privacy. The software offers strong encryption and security by using the latest encryption technology, ease of use, and a zero-knowledge privacy policy. It combines a wealth of unique censorship bypassing capabilities and powerful privacy enhancements to achieve the best anonymity on the web.
The platform offers advanced settings for an unlimited number of server variables, but the main highlight is the technical setup and commitment to users to customize their privacy. AirVPN offers many powerful features such as VPN over Tor, 5 simultaneous connections per account, OpenVPN support, high-performance servers, transparent policies, and support for all protocols. The service has servers in 15 countries, including Hong Kong, Canada, the US, and many European countries, covering the most popular locations.
Key Data
| Features | Data |
|---|---|
|
Over All Rank |
#20 |
|
Usability |
5/5 |
|
Log Files |
No Logging Policy |
|
Locations |
20 Countries, 237 Servers |
|
Support |
Contact Form |
|
Netflix |
2/5 |
|
Encryption/Protocol |
AES-256 |
|
Cost |
$3.94/Month |
Features
With most VPNs, analyzing the features offered is a simple task. In most cases, a quick look at the website and software settings gives a pretty complete picture of the VPN’s focus and what it can do.
AirVPN’s settings menu contains a dizzying array of 12 tabs, each with a number of options. This is a double-edged sword, as we’ll see in review of AirVPN, because it means there’s no shortage of customization options, but at the cost of being more cumbersome to use than some standard VPN services.
Let’s take a look at airVPN’s features, which have two basic points: an auto-connect option and a kill switch. AirVPN allows you to connect at system startup, but you can’t choose which VPN server to use; it will automatically connect to the last server used.
While there is no “Kill Switch” in the settings, airVPN has a tab called “Network Lock” that serves a similar function. The difference is that AirVPN’s “Network Lock” blocks all traffic that does not pass through the AirVPN tunnel. Many standard kill switches only do this when the VPN is on, but “Network Lock” can be configured to always filter traffic.
Speed and Stability Test
AirVPN’s speeds in the U.S. are the fastest I’ve seen, but international speeds range from “pretty good” to “meh.”
Speed Test – AirVPN – Desktop
| Location | Trial | Latency | Download Speed | Upload Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
NoVPN |
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 |
9ms 8ms 9ms |
96.48 Mbps 98.04 Mbps 97.58 Mbps |
11.92 Mbps 11.87 Mbps 11.91 Mbps |
|
US |
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Average |
30ms 29ms 35ms 31ms |
88.22 Mbps 86.91 Mbps 89.41 Mbps 88.18 Mbps |
11.09 Mbps 10.91 Mbps 11.50 Mbps 11.17 Mbps |
|
UK |
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Average |
273ms 276ms 275ms 275ms |
7.07 Mbps 0.00 Mbps 6.65 Mbps 4.57 Mbps |
5.71 Mbps 0.00 Mbps 4.17 Mbps 3.29 Mbps |
|
Hong Kong |
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Average |
336ms 336ms 337ms 336ms |
11.62 Mbps 10.52 Mbps 8.33 Mbps 10.16 Mbps |
1.65 Mbps 0.00 Mbps 1.26 Mbps 0.97 Mbps |
|
Switzerland |
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Average |
358ms 358ms 358ms 358ms |
3.38 Mbps 1.27 Mbps 3.68 Mbps 2.78 Mbps |
3.49 Mbps 3.26 Mbps 1.56 Mbps 2.77 Mbps |
Speed Test – AirVPN – Mobile
| Location | Trial | Latency | Download Speed | Upload Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
NoVPN |
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 |
11ms 10ms 11ms |
73.36 Mbps 74.34 Mbps 75.15 Mbps |
14.52 Mbps 14.28 Mbps 14.43 Mbps |
|
US |
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Average |
35ms 35ms 35ms 35ms |
32.22 Mbps 29.55 Mbps 41.48 Mbps 34.42 Mbps |
13.14 Mbps 13.15 Mbps 12.96 Mbps 13.08 Mbps |
|
UK |
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Average |
275ms 277ms 406ms 319ms |
2.61 Mbps 3.94 Mbps 2.53 Mbps 3.03 Mbps |
9.37 Mbps 5.48 Mbps 4.96 Mbps 6.60 Mbps |
|
Hong Kong |
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Average |
338ms 365ms 403ms 369ms |
3.21 Mbps 2.90 Mbps 2.05 Mbps 2.72 Mbps |
2.58 Mbps 0.98 Mbps 2.25 Mbps 1.94 Mbps |
|
Switzerland |
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Average |
405ms 359ms 360ms 375ms |
2.23 Mbps 2.75 Mbps 1.86 Mbps 2.28 Mbps |
5.83 Mbps 0.36 Mbps 3.98 Mbps 3.39 Mbps |
Pricing Plans
| Time Period | Price | Bill |
|---|---|---|
|
Monthly |
$8.33/Month |
Billed $8.33 Every Month |
|
6 Months |
$5.75/Month |
Billed $34.49 Every 6Months |
|
12 Months |
$4.88/Month |
Billed $58.28 Every 12Months |
|
2 Years |
$3.92/Month |
Billed $93.96 Every Two Years |
Payment Methods
AirVPN offers a free trial that you can take advantage of by sending a message to customer support and using the coupon code they send you. We received it in less than a day, but many people on the forums reported having to wait longer than 24 hours for the code.
There is a money-back guarantee, but it is only valid for three days, which is stingy compared to the 30 days that most other VPN services offer. Fortunately, this guarantee is not a problem, and refunds are usually returned to your bank within two business days.
AirVPN accepts the widest range of payment methods we’ve ever seen from any provider. This includes most major credit cards, PayPal, and a number of cryptocurrencies. They also accept some international options like Paypal and Giropay.
Servers and Locations
AirVPN offers 240 servers in 22 countries.
Real-time server statistics, including load and number of current users, are available on the server status page, which shows a list of countries (and recommended servers for each country), a list of individual servers, and some interesting user stats like top speed and longest session time (all of which are anonymous unless you volunteer a nickname). Clicking on any server will show more detailed statistics, such as historical bandwidth graphs, available codes, and even latency between that server and other AirVPN servers.
The transparency and amount of data here is huge – many competitors don’t even provide simple latency data, let alone such useful detailed status information. This makes it very easy to find the right server, be it the lowest ping time, the lowest load, or the lowest packet loss rate.
Regional diversity is not as good as many other providers, as only North America, Europe and Asia have servers. Oceania, Africa, and the Middle East do not have AirVPN servers, although Australia has a routing server (more on routing servers at the end of this section).
In many countries, servers are available in multiple cities: In Canada, servers are available in Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver; in the United Kingdom, servers are available in London, Manchester, and Maidenhead. In the United States, servers are located in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Fremont, Jacksonville, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Pennsylvania (city unknown), and Phoenix.
In South America, two servers are located in São Paulo, Brazil, while in Asia, 15 servers are located in Hong Kong, Tokyo and Singapore.
AirVPN also offers routed servers in Australia, Canada, Switzerland, Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, Holland, and the United States. When you connect to certain sites, such as Netflix and Hulu, AirVPN automatically routes the necessary location packets through the appropriate routing servers, while the rest is handled by its regular servers; to use the routing servers, you need to use AirVPN’s private DNS.
This allows you to access geo-restricted content no matter which server you are on. So, you don’t have to sacrifice speed and latency by connecting to a server in your destination country. For example, you can connect to the nearest German server and automatically access the US version of the website when you access Netflix, while benefiting from the speed of your local server.
Privacy Protection
AirVPN is upfront about its no-login policy, making it clear that it does not monitor or track your online activity. The company also says that it complies with the EU Data Protection Directive and that servers outside the EU treat your data with the same or higher level of privacy.
In our opinion, this is all well and good, and we see no reason for concern overall. Still, we’d like to see AirVPN follow the example of TunnelBear, VyprVPN, ExpressVPN and others and allow public audits of its service so we can verify what it’s doing.
And there’s nothing technically wrong with it. AirVPN uses AES-256 GCM encryption with 4096-bit RSA keys and HMAC SHA384 for the control channel, and OpenVPN is supplemented with OpenVPN SSH, SSL, or Tor, making it easier to get online in countries that block VPNs.
User Experience
As for the actual usage of AirVPN, it is very effective in bypassing geo-blocking and censorship in different corners of the world like the US, UK and France. Its dedicated client for Windows and macOS operating systems is quite user-friendly and easy to set up without any help. If you have multiple devices, you can easily connect to five with an AirVPN subscription.
The experience of using AirVPN is not as good as it could be. There is no app specifically for iOS and Android, so you have to use the OpenVPN client for manual configuration, which can be daunting for non-technical users. Customer support also needs improvement, as it only offers a ticket-based support system, which is not conducive to resolving emergencies.
Unblocking Streaming Services
One of the main reasons why people look for VPNs is to unblock Netflix in other countries. You’ll be glad to know that you can use AirVPN to stream Netflix. However, I did notice a slight speed drop, so I would recommend letting the stream load a bit before hitting play.
I also found that AirVPN worked well for streaming HBO GO and Hulu. However, I had some problems trying to watch BBC iPlayer even though I had selected a UK server. If you’re looking for a good VPN for streaming purposes.
One thing I have to give AirVPN credit for, however, is that they are very upfront about the blocked sites. They have a list on their website so you can check which sites their servers are currently blocking access.
AirVPN Routing
The “routing” feature serves as a common tunneling feature for the AirVPN platform. However, it is very complicated to use, as I had to enter a valid IP address or Classless Inter-Domain Routing (CIDR) code to classify which Internet connections go through the VPN and which Internet access does not. Unlike the usual split tunneling function, the routing function does not select which websites and applications that use the Internet connection connect through the VPN and which do not.
AirVPN P2P
Peer-to-peer file sharing is also possible with AirVPN. This means that you can easily download and upload torrent files over a VPN connection. I can also upload and download files from the Internet quickly and securely.
AirVPN Encryption
AirVPN offers its customers OpenVPN, the top encryption protocol used by government agencies.
In addition to 256-bit encryption, the company offers Perfect Forward Secrecy, a feature that prevents third parties from getting hold of the encryption key in any way and encrypting data.
AirVPN Kill Switch
The kill switch is one of the most important features of the VPN software. It detects when you lose connection to the server for some reason and keeps you safe by disconnecting the device from the Internet.
Multiplatform Support
In addition to its Eddie desktop client, AirVPN provides installation instructions for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS operating systems. It also supports various routers such as DD-WRT, Tomato, AsusWRT, pfSense, and TOR. The available services are flawless – we tested their OpenVPN for Android while we were researching for this AirVPN review, and we have nothing to complain about. The app quickly reconnects when a device switches between routers or switches from mobile to WiFi, and there are no DNS leaks.
Support Services
AirVPN offers support for customers on its website, and there is an FAQ list that you can view to get answers to common questions. Alternatively, you can send them an email through the online support form and get help with issues or questions about their app and services.
Moreover, you can get answers to any questions you have by visiting AirVPN’s comprehensive forum. You may find it quite daunting as the discussions contain functional vocabulary and understandable jargon. However, they are written in layman’s terms and can be understood by non-technical VPN customers.
AirVPN’s forum also provides knowledge about the service, among other things, which can be discussed with the VPN team, who provide more specific details and features. For many users, this forum offers a new perspective on online security and personal privacy. This is because AirVPN’s customer support team answers all questions in detail. Moreover, they strive to provide forum members with up-to-date and reliable information and engage in off-topic discussions.
The AirVPN team consists of highly qualified and knowledgeable professionals who will do their best to help you. Its mission includes.
- Providing a technical service that is compatible with the fundamental right to privacy
- Providing services that guarantee strong anonymity, exercising the right to anonymity
- Maintaining and respecting net neutrality and the end-to-end principle
- Protecting net neutrality and the end-to-end principle in an appropriate manner by all possible technical means
- To circumvent censorship and other network barriers to the exchange of information in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
- To support various projects and NGOs that want to work with AirVPN
In this way, by working with AirVPN, you can be sure that you are providing a high-quality service that complies with global network regulations.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- 3 days free trial
- Free trial, Intuitive, clean interface and overall ease of use
- No logs are stored
- Focus on security and privacy
- Transparent server status
Cons
- Limited number of server locations
- No protection against adware and malware
Frequently Asked Questions
Is AirVPN good against China’s censorship?
The main feature against China is the ability to route web traffic through TCP port 443. This is the traditional SSL port used to secure web data. By forwarding all traffic to port 443, AirVPN effectively protects it from most censorship measures, including deep packet inspection (DPI). This feature is referred to as Stealth VPN or obfuscated server by other vendors.
Apart from being able to get past the Great Firewall, AirVPN is definitely secure enough and should have pretty good speeds in China. It’s also a good option for other countries where freedom of information is restricted. Just make sure you check the list of countries where the server is available – if it’s not near you, the speeds may be poor.
Is AirVPN secure?
Overall, AirVPN is pretty secure by default and can be further customized to suit your needs. If you want to change some settings, it comes down to setting everything up properly. There are many different guides available on the community forums.
Does AirVPN support my device?
The software may seem a bit outdated, but it serves its purpose and should be easy to use for both beginners and advanced users. The client (affectionately known as Eddie) is available on Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android. However, you can also use AirVPN with other software by using the official profile. Thus, you can also enjoy the service on iOS, ChromeOS, and routers (DD-WRT, Tomato, AsusWRT, pfSense). Unfortunately, the browser extension is not available.
Conclusion
AirVPN is very good, especially for power users. The speed is above average, the price is reasonable, and the app works well.
AirVPN is also very transparent, the service displays a lot of network information, and the privacy policy is acceptable.
AirVPN is a good choice for privacy-conscious users, although it doesn’t offer the same privacy and anonymity as a service like Mullvad, which generates a random account for you and gives you the option to pay with cash.
We’d also like to see AirVPN be more transparent about who is running the show. The arguments about activists in other countries are understandable, but many VPNs still manage to show a truly public face of their businesses despite serving vulnerable people in repressive regimes.
