Features
Speed & Performance
Ease of Use
Mobile App
Customer Support
Pricing
Inside This Article...
BTGuard Pros:
- Secure service
- Supports torrenting
- Military-grade AES 256-bit encryption
BTGuard Cons:
- Small server network
- Can't unblock Netflix
With a multitude of options available to people today, looking for the best VPN is not an easy process.
You have to consider everything from speed to ease of use, and torrenting to compatibility, security, and price.
Luckily, I have done all of the hard work so that you do not have to.
Continue reading to discover my thoughts on BTGuard and whether it is a VPN worth investing in.
Overview
Based in Canada, BTGuard is a small VPN provider. They only have servers in three countries at the moment, and so there is a very limited network.
Because of this, BTGuard is only going to be suitable if you’re looking for a VPN that is located in one of the following countries: Singapore, the Netherlands, or Canada.
As this VPN has a small network, I would not recommend it for anyone who is looking to bypass geo-restrictions on content.
However, there are still plenty of uses for this VPN and there is a lot to like about it if you are looking for a service in one of the three locations they cover.
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Speeds
With such a small server network, reliability can be a bit of an issue with BTGuard.
Overall, though, the speeds are pretty decent. I would say that they are fast enough for the casual user.
However, if you are looking for something for heavy downloads and extensive media content use, I would probably advise looking for a VPN that will deliver better performance levels.
Security
BTGuard is a simple VPN service. It is very much one of the more scaled-back VPNs on the market, and so I wasn’t expecting it to boast a lot of advanced security features. At the same time, though, security is one area that a VPN can never afford to compromise on, and so I never expect to see any corners cut in terms of the protocols used and the encryption in place.
Luckily, BTGuard has certainly fulfilled its obligations in this regard. AES 256-bit encryption, which is of military-grade level, is in place, and so you can be certain that this will keep your connection secure. You can also select from two different protocols: PPTP and OpenVPN. Anyone who has read any of my other reviews will know that I definitely prefer OpenVPN. Nevertheless, it is always nice to have options when paying for a service, right?
As expected, there are not really any advanced security products with BTGuard. One feature that is missing is an automatic kill switch. This is disappointing. A kill switch is essential because it ensures that you are going to be protected even if your VPN connection drops out. The fact that this feature is not on offer means that you are at a greater risk.
Some other features that you won’t get include ad tracking block, double encryption, WebRTC leak protection, IPv6 leak protection, and DNS leak protection.
Does BTGuard keep logs?
The logging practices in place at BTGuard are a little bit ambiguous, which is never a good thing. On their site, they say that usage information is not stored. However, it seems that this is not 100 percent accurate, as some personal information is retained. The nature of this information, though, is not made clear, and that’s a real concern when using any VPN. You want to know exactly what details they store and what information they do not hold onto, so I would like to see BTGuard be more honest and transparent regarding this.
This is especially the case when you consider the fact that BTGuard is based in Canada. This means that it is part of the 5, 9, and 14 Eyes Alliance, which is basically a data-sharing agreement. This means that BTGuard would need to pass over information should the government in Canada send them a request for it. This information could then be shared with the other nations that are a part of these alliances. It is always better to look for a VPN that is not in a jurisdiction like this so that you do not have to worry about their data sharing obligations.
One thing that is made very clear in the privacy policy on the BTGuard website is that your browsing activity or real IP address will not be collected, and so there is a bit of a saving grace here!
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Ease of use
You are going to need to manually set-up BTGuard on your device. However, the process is made very easy and straightforward, as there are installation guides on the BTGuard website for all of the main devices.
Open-source OpenVPN software is used, as BTGuard does not have a dedicated client. The installation guides supply a link and they take you through the steps needed to install this software, which is completely free to use.
Downloading from the OpenVPN site is very simple, and you can also get this via an app on the App Store for iOS or the Google Play Store for Android phones.
The drawback of BTGuard is that there are not a lot of advanced features or settings.
You are also going to need to input your password and username whenever you connect to a new server, and this can become a little bit on the annoying side!
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Torrenting
If you are looking for a VPN for torrenting, you’re in luck, as the main reason that BTGuard was designed to begin with was to give people an excellent VPN for anonymous torrenting. In fact, the BT in the name stands for BitTorrent, and so this tells you everything you need to know about the suitability of BTGuard for torrenting purposes.
Irrespective of the server you connect to, you are going to benefit from unlimited torrenting. Of course, the downside is the small server size, yet this VPN definitely does have everything that you need to share P2P files with complete peace of mind.
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Unblock streaming services
As mentioned, there are only servers in three locations, and therefore, bypassing geoblocks is not a main priority for this VPN.
As there are not any servers in the United States, you’re not going to be able to unblock the US Netflix library, or any other US-based streaming services, such as Hulu.
You have probably noticed that there is no server in the United Kingdom either, and so you won’t be able to access BBC iPlayer.
Consequently, this is not going to be the VPN for you if you’re looking to unblock streaming content. Instead, I would recommend taking a look at my NordVPN review.
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Compatibility
You will want to make sure that BTGuard is compatible with your device before committing to this VPN. A dedicated client is not part of the BTGuard offering, and this is an advantage in terms of compatibility, as it means BTGuard is compatible with all of the major platforms out there.
You can expect BTGuard to be compatible with all of the following:
- Linux
- iOS
- Android
- macOS
- Windows
If you go onto the BTGuard website, you will see that there are extensive guides to help you through the installation process as well.
You can check out my “reviews by device” if you would like more information on the best VPN for a specific device.
It is imperative to point out that BTGuard has been designed for single-user use only; it is not for families or teams of people. Even though you can add as many devices as you want, it is imperative that you are only adding devices that you will use. BTGuard is pretty strict on this front. If you connect from various locations at the same time, they could end up terminating your account.
Games consoles and streaming devices
I wouldn’t recommend using this VPN for gaming purposes, as the server network is small and unreliable.
Browser extensions
There are not any browser extensions available with BTGuard, so there is not a lot to say here!
Customer support
There are two sides to customer service in my opinion: the personalized support from the customer service team, and then the resources available on the website to enhance your experience with a product or service.
I was impressed with the latter, but not with the former. There is no phone support, nor is there any live chat. The ticketing system on offer is the only option when it comes to contacting BTGuard.
The ticketing system is probably one of the most inefficient I have seen from any VPN out there! They take several days to respond to you. Plus, if your problem is not resolved, the only thing you can do is wait and then submit another ticket. It is a very segmented and frustrating process in my opinion.
On the other side of things, I did enjoy the resources posted on the BTGuard website. There are plenty of FAQs, as well as step-by-step guides for all of the main platforms and photos to help you through the installation process.
Pricing
There are several different pricing options available if you decide to sign-up for BTGuard. As is the case with most VPNs, the longer the deal you sign up for, the cheaper it will be per month.
If you only want to sign-up for the monthly plan, it will cost £7.89 per month to use BTGuard.
A three-month plan is available, which will give you a saving of five percent, costing £22.49 in total.
A six-month plan is available, which will give you a saving of 15 percent, costing £40.24 in total.
A 12-month plan is available, which will give you a saving of 25 percent, costing £71.01 in total.
There is also the option of playing for BTGuard with bitcoin should you prefer. Otherwise, payments will be made via PayPal.
One of the disappointing things to see is that there is no free trial, nor is there a money-back guarantee.
Summary
So there you have it: an insight into BT Guard and what this VPN has to offer. As mentioned, this is a VPN that only has a very limited number of countries covered, and therefore, it is only going to be suitable in certain situations.
If you do need a VPN in Singapore, the Netherlands, or Canada, this is a VPN that can offer a number of benefits. Otherwise, I would recommend taking a look at ExpressVPN.
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