What is Avast SecureLine?
Run by the anti-malware firm Avast, SecureLine is a reliable, no-frills VPN service with clear logging policies – it keeps connection logs but doesn’t track user activity while connected – and a useful selection of endpoint locations. It uses the same backend network as AVG Secure VPN, which is also owned and run by Avast.
Avast SecureLine – Features and usability
SecureLine’s stand-alone client is simple to use, if not particularly slick. You choose your endpoint country and city from a pull-down menu, connect, and you’re all set.
There aren’t many additional options, but a setting that automatically prompts you to connect your VPN for security if your computer joins an unsecured Wi-Fi network is a useful security measure.
What’s much less helpful is the lack of a kill switch to automatically suspend internet traffic if your VPN connection fails unexpectedly, and this could be a deal-breaker for users with genuine concerns over their traffic being exposed.
Clients are available for Windows, macOS, Android and iOS. However, no connection instructions are provided for other operating systems or embedded systems, such as NAS devices and routers.
SecureLine is also available as an optional upgrade to Avast Antivirus, with the same features but an integrated interface.
Related: Best VPN
Avast SecureLine – Performance
SecureLine did well in our European speed tests in particular, with FTP transfer speeds speeds of over 9MB/sec (72Mbps) from both the UK and the Netherlands and HTTP transfers reliably coming in at over 8.4MB/sec. US speeds were a little slower at 6.14MB/sec (49.12Mbps) via HTTP and 4.65MB/sec (37.2Mbps) via FTP, but Avast’s performance here is still acceptable and significantly better than on previous tests.
Avast did surprisingly well in our streaming media test, allowing us to view content from Netflix, Shudder and Crunchyroll in the US, as well as BBC iPlayer in the UK. However, it was foiled by All 4’s VPN detection systems.
Related: What is a VPN?
Why buy Avast SecureLine?
Avast is headquartered in the Czech Republic and has a no-logging policy across its VPN service. The company explicitly states that, although general network performance is monitored, it “does not log bandwidth, URLs, or packet data and we do not gather any personally identifiable information.”
Avast SecureLine provides VPN endpoints in a reasonable number of countries – 34 so far – including some unusual ones: Russia, Taiwan and Brazil, as well as more common locations such as the USA and the Netherlands.
However, it’s expensive, with an annual £49.99 subscription for a single device working out at £4.17 a month. If you want to connect more than one computer or mobile device, you’ll have to pay £64.99 per year for a five-licence account. A free seven-day trial is available, though, so you can see if SecureLine meets your needs before you pay for it.
AVG Secure VPN is also owned by Avast, uses the same backend infrastructure and costs the same for UK users, although it has a smaller range of endpoint locations. Both services keep connection logs for a period of 30 days.
Verdict
Although Avast SecureLine’s performance is adequate for most VPN users, its restricted single-device licence and relatively high cost make it a poor choice when more capable rivals such as Private Internet Access cost less.
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