Why you can trust TechRadar
We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.
Astrill VPN sets itself apart from the big names in our best VPN rankings by offering specialized features that bypass internet restrictions. However, it’s not cheap, and prices start at an eye-watering $30 per month.
There’s a reason for the hefty price tag, though. Astrill VPN targets a niche market of folks who need advanced obfuscation technology rather than more casual users.
Astrill VPN’s proprietary protocols are designed to bypass network restrictions, making it one of only a handful of reliable China VPNs. However, its dated interface, limited global server coverage, and high price point make it a tough sell if you’re looking for basic protection or streaming capabilities.
We’ve completely rewritten our Astrill VPN review to dial in on the most important parts of the service, incorporating data from our latest round of testing as well as the latest developments from Astrill VPN itself.
Features
Astrill VPN distinguishes itself with a specialized feature set designed primarily for unblocking websites in particularly restrictive internet environments. Beyond standard AES-256 encryption and DNS leak protection, Astrill offers two proprietary VPN protocols: OpenWeb, which disguises VPN traffic as regular web browsing, and StealthVPN, an advanced obfuscation protocol engineered to bypass sophisticated censorship systems through deep packet inspection avoidance.
We found that both are significantly faster than the industry darling, OpenVPN, but they cover your browsing traffic first. This means that you’ll have to fiddle around with settings if you want OpenWeb to cover all of your internet connection and not just your browser.
Astrill VPN’s premium tier offers a VIP package with multi-hop connections and priority servers (limited to 100 GB monthly per server), as well as optional dedicated IP addresses for more reliable access to services that block shared VPN IPs.
Both features require additional payment beyond the standard subscription. Business plans that include centralized management capabilities for organizations with 10+ users are also available.
The client includes customizable split tunneling for routing specific apps or websites through or around the VPN, and an “App Guard” kill switch on desktop platforms that can selectively block the internet connection for specific applications when disconnected. Unfortunately, this feature is absent from the iOS and Android apps.
Astrill’s “VPN Sharing” feature allows your primary VPN device to function as a VPN hub for other connected devices, essentially acting as a proxy for devices that can’t load a full VPN client onto them. Pretty handy if you’ve got IoT devices you’d like to keep protected. There’s also support for ASUS Merlin and DD-WRT routers with a control applet that simplifies VPN management.
Despite these strengths, Astrill VPN lacks increasingly common features like Smart DNS for streaming devices. There is an ad-blocker available with the OpenWeb protocol, although this seems to be an instance of AdBlock Plus baked into the app. We found that the biggest issue with Astrill VPN is that the service limits you to just 5 simultaneous connections (with only one router connection permitted), which feels particularly limited compared to competitors offering 8-10 devices (or Surfshark’s unlimited connections).
Features score: 4/10
Server network
Astrill VPN’s server network is somewhat modest compared to the likes of NordVPN. The service offers strong coverage across the United States, with servers spanning both East and West coasts as well as several states in between. There’s also decent representation in Western Europe, including multiple locations in the UK, France, and Germany.
However, Astrill VPN’s coverage of Africa, Asia, and South America leaves plenty to be desired.
One unusual aspect is that Astrill VPN is among the few VPNs still offering servers in Russia. That’s a double-edged sword given the potential security risks that have led many providers to withdraw from the country. Considering that these are physical servers, not virtual ones, you may wish to think twice before connecting.
The real issue we had with the servers while testing out Astrill is that server labeling is inconsistently applied, with some locations clearly marked by city while others are just labeled with numbers. Frankly, it’s a confusing experience when you’re trying to place your pin on the map.
Server network score: 6/10
Apps
Astrill VPN provides clients for all major platforms including Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android.
The Windows, macOS, and Linux clients feature a minimalist, black-and-white interface that feels decidedly dated with a design reminiscent of the early 2000s. The desktop app is surprisingly compact, occupying just a small corner of the screen and remaining tethered to the taskbar by default. While this space efficiency might appeal to some users, it can feel cramped and limited compared to modern VPN interfaces.
The Windows client provides the most comprehensive feature set, including the unique “App Guard” kill switch that allows users to specify which applications should lose internet access when the VPN disconnects. While this is useful for isolating specific applications like torrent clients, it’s less intuitive than the system-wide kill switches offered by other VPN providers.
The mobile VPN experince is somewhat more modern, particularly on Android where the app features a dark blue interface that feels more contemporary than its desktop counterpart. The core functionality remains similar with a large connect button, protocol selection, and server menu.
That’s where the positives end, however, as both the iOS and Android apps feel like a cut down version of the full Astrill app. Notably, the iOS app lacks WireGuard support, offering only TCP and UDP connection options for OpenVPN. While both mobile apps provide options to keep the VPN connected when the screen is off and auto-reconnect if the connection drops, they lack the proper kill switch feature that’s available on desktop platforms.
Apps score: 5/10
Ease of use
Despite its dated appearance, Astrill VPN provides a relatively straightforward user experience. The installation process is simple, and the main dashboard, while not visually impressive, places essential functions front and center making it difficult to miss the primary connect button.
The client also has a built-in speed test tool that allows you to check ping times and connection speeds to nearby servers before connecting, which is a useful feature for optimizing performance. However, our testing revealed discrepancies between Astrill VPN’s internal speed measurements and actual performance when connected.
Advanced configuration options are accessible through dedicated menus, including privacy settings for DNS leak protection and WebRTC leak fixes. The organization is logical, if not particularly elegant, making it functional but lacking the polish of VPN providers like ExpressVPN.
Ease of use score: 7/10
Speed and performance
Astrill VPN delivers adequate, if not exceptional, performance for everyday browsing and streaming. In our testing, we recorded speeds of around 56 Mbps while connected to Astrill’s UK VPN server over OpenWeb, compared to 70 Mbps on our test connection without a VPN.
That’s a 20% speed reduction. With WireGuard, this rose to 60Mbps, whereas our OpenVPN speeds were only 45Mbps.
The service’s built-in speed test tool suggested performance comparable to our base connection speeds, but our real-world testing with independent tools showed this to be somewhat optimistic. Nevertheless, the speeds we achieved are more than sufficient for 4K streaming on services like Netflix, which requires only about 25 Mbps.
How we perform speed tests
We test from two different virtual PCs, one in the UK and one in the US. We’re expecting big things out of NordVPN, as both of these servers have a 1 Gbs connection. You can find out more in our VPN testing methodology.
Connection times are almost instantaneous through OpenWeb and StealthVPN, though we found they were unusually long through OpenVPN. You also can’t change your location without disconnecting from OpenVPN first, which made testing servers for our streaming setup a tedious process.
The VIP package promises enhanced speeds through priority servers and we found this was the case, boosting our download speed to 68Mbps. However, given the additional cost on top of an already premium price, the standard servers should be adequate for your needs unless you’re specifically looking for one of today’s fastest VPNs.
Speed and performance score: 5/10
Unblocking
Astrill VPN has mixed streaming capabilities based on our recent testing. The service successfully allowed us to access US Netflix, but our experiences with regional Netflix content was a mixed bag. Unfortunately, we couldn’t watch content in Canada, UK, Japan, or Australia, so it’s not exactly the best Netflix VPN on the market.
The VPN’s performance with other streaming platforms is inconsistent. Hulu, HBO Max, and Disney+ worked on the American servers we used, although we had to go through multiple server locations before finding one that works. We also found that BBC iPlayer and Amazon Prime Video simply wouldn’t work no matter what we did.
When Astrill VPN does successfully connect to streaming services, the video quality is generally good. We were able to stream in HD and 4K without significant buffering. However, we did find that loading times when using the base tier of Astrill VPN could occasionally be a little longer than we’d like.
For torrenting, Astrill supports P2P on many of its servers (marked with a star in the server list) and delivers reasonable speeds. The port forwarding feature available with StealthVPN enhances torrent connectivity, though the lack of a kill switch on mobile platforms is a significant drawback if you’re looking for the gold standard of torrenting VPNs.
Unblocking score: 3/10
Privacy and Security
On the technical side, Astrill VPN offers strong encryption through AES-256 standards and supports multiple protocols including OpenVPN, WireGuard, and proprietary offerings: OpenWeb and StealthVPN.
The latter two are specifically engineered to bypass sophisticated censorship systems in restrictive regions like China. The desktop applications feature comprehensive leak protection, with our testing confirming no DNS, IPv6, or WebRTC leaks when using the WireGuard protocol. Astrill VPN also provides built-in leak testing to check whether you’re exposed, but we’ve used third party tools to verify the results.
Astrill VPN makes strong claims about its privacy practices. Based in the privacy-friendly Lichtenstein (outside the Five Eyes surveillance alliance), Astrill should be well-positioned to protect user data.
As far as data retention goes, Astrill VPN states clearly in its privacy policy that it does not collect or store users’ internet traffic, immediately deleting it from servers and removing IP addresses from connection logs as soon as sessions end. It claims to use RAM-only servers, which should completely wipe all networking data as soon as they’re unplugged. Therefore, if Astrill VPN’s servers are seized it’s unlikely law enforcement would be able to find any useful information about the provider’s users.
However, we’ve found several concerning statements in the privacy policy. The service keeps records of users’ last 20 connections, including connection time, duration, country, device type, and application version. While Astrill VPN claims this data is kept strictly for support purposes and is deleted after 30 days (or upon request), this is a level of logging that we’re not completely comfortable with.
Perhaps more worrying is that Astrill VPN’s privacy policy hasn’t been updated since May 2018. That’s an exceptionally long period without revision in the VPN world. Additionally, Astrill VPN has not commissioned any third-party audits to verify its privacy claims, making it difficult to independently confirm its practices.
Privacy and Security score: 3/10
Track record
Astrill VPN has been operating since 2009, making it one of the oldest active VPN providers in the industry today. It has traditionally positioned itself as a specialized VPN provider with a focus on bypassing censorship. In particular, Astrill VPN has built a reputation for consistently working in heavily restricted regions like China, where many VPN providers struggle to maintain reliable access.
However, Astrill VPN has not been as proactive as its competitors in demonstrating any security claims through independent audits or transparency reports. We’re also unimpressed with their current privacy policy, which has been gathering cobwebs since 2018.
At the very least, we can say that Astrill VPN has maintained a relatively low profile for the last few years. It hasn’t suffered from any major security incidents that we’re aware of, although without an independent security audit it’s difficult to say how secure its server architecture really is.
While Astrill VPN has made some notable contributions to the VPN industry with not one but two different proprietary obfuscation protocols, we get the sense that the service is a little outdated and hasn’t quite kept up with the modern feature set you’d get from a top-tier VPN.
Track record score: 4/10
Customer support
One thing we can’t fault Astrill VPN for is the level of customer support on offer. Astrill VPN claims that it provides 24/7 live support. This matches up with our experience, as we found that all of our interactions with Astrill VPN’s support were resolved very quickly by knowledgeable support agents.
Beyond live assistance, Astrill VPN maintains an extensive knowledge base in wiki format that goes well beyond basic setup instructions. The documentation covers everything from standard installation guides to advanced topics like DNS cache flushing, third-party client setup, router configuration, and even tutorials on BitTorrent and remote desktop support.
There are also plenty of video tutorials on the site in addition to written documentation. We found they were easy to follow and clearly showed how to activate individual features on Astrill VPN, which might be necessary given that the UI can be a little intimidating at first glance. Overall, top marks for customer support, arguably on par with some of the top-tier VPNs out there.
Customer support score: 10/10
Pricing and plans
Astrill VPN’s pricing structure is significantly steeper than industry standards, starting at $30 per month for a monthly subscription. Even ExpressVPN, which is one of the most expensive options that regularly features on our best VPN lists , starts at only $15 monthly.
Longer subscriptions reduce the monthly cost somewhat: a one-year plan brings the price down to $15 per month ($180 annually), while a two-year commitment costs $12.50 monthly ($300 billed every two years). Even with these discounts, Astrill VPN remains substantially more expensive than competitors offering similar or better features.
The “VIP” add-on package increases costs further, adding $10 per month for just 100 GB of data on priority servers and multi-hop connections. We should point out that many competitors, including Surfshark, offer multi-hop in their standard packages for no additional charge. Astrill VPN does also offer private IPs as an add-on from $5 per month, which is a pretty reasonable price for your own dedicated IP that only you can use.
On the plus side, Astrill VPN does offer a wide range of payment options including major credit and debit cards, PayPal, bank transfers, and Bitcoin and Monero. It’s always good to see cryptocurrency payment options which provide a little bit more privacy when purchasing a VPN subscription, especially given that Monero is considered nigh-untraceable.
Pricing and plans score: 5/10
Should you use Astrill VPN?
After some extensive testing, we’ve concluded that Astrill VPN occupies a very specific niche in the VPN market. If you’re consistently encountering VPN blocks from your ISP or at your workplace, Astrill might work where other VPNs don’t thanks to an almost swiss army knife-like set of VPN protocols and options.
Similarly, if you’re working in a heavily censored region of the world like China, Astrill VPN is definitely worth checking out. There are also a few server location options, like Russia, that you won’t find on most VPN server lists, although that’s up to you to decide whether that’s a good thing or not.
Unfortunately, you’re paying a heavy premium to get access to these features. If you’re not interested in obfuscation, there isn’t much else there that justifies Astrill VPN’s $30 a month base price.
The dated VPN interface doesn’t exactly help matters either, and you might find yourself hitting against the upper limit of Astrill VPN’s simultaneous device connections pretty quickly. We’ve found that providers like ExpressVPN or NordVPN offer more polished experiences with broader server coverage at significantly lower price points.
Overall score: 52/100
Leave a Comment
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *