Features
Speed & Performance
Ease of Use
Mobile App
Customer Support
Pricing
Inside This Article...
VPN.ac Pros:
- Unblocks China with obfuscation tools
- Supports torrenting
- Unblocks Netflix & BBC iPlayer
- Great security features
VPN.ac Cons:
- Support needs improvement
When people discuss the best VPNs in the industry, you often see names like NordVPN and ExpressVPN mentioned, but one name that is usually overlooked is VPN.ac.
Should it be overlooked? Or, should we be giving this VPN provider more credit? Read on to discover my opinion.
Overview
VPN.ac was established in 2009 in Romania. It is owned and operated by Netsec Interactive Solutions.
So, what’s Romania like for anti-privacy? Well, it’s not the best location, as it is potentially subject to the EU data-sharing agreements. At the same time, though, data retention is deemed illegal by the courts in Romania.
On the whole, I would say that Romania is a decent place for a VPN provider.
VPN.ac operates a small network of servers, with just 117 servers that are spread across 21 countries. When you consider the fact that the likes of ExpressVPN and CyberGhost have thousands of servers around the world, this is a very limited network.
The vast majority of the servers are situated in Europe as well, so it is worth keeping this in mind.
While this is a small server selection, it is very much a case of quality over quantity, and it is good to see a VPN provider that prides itself on this. All of the servers in their network come with self-hosted encrypted DNS. They are also physical servers and none of them are rented.
While you may want to go for a VPN with a bigger server network, I am happy to see a provider on the market that concentrates on ensuring that every server they add to their network is their own and delivers high-quality.
Speeds
In terms of speeds, I have been rather impressed with what VPN.ac have to offer in this department. The speed drop was very low for both short and long distance connections.
I have used this VPN consistently over a period of time, and their speeds have remained impressive, so I would have no problem recommending VPN.ac in terms of connectivity, download, and upload speed.
Security
When it comes to protecting your privacy, VPN.ac really does go that extra mile. OpenVPN is the protocol of choice when using the desktop app. You can read my review on OpenVPN for more information about this, but it is the best protocol out there in my opinion.
VPN.ac also provides you with the option of WireGuard VPN protocol, which a lot of other providers don’t.
One negative point, though, is that you cannot use OpenVPN on the app’s iOS version. You only have the option of IKEv2 and IPSec.
The industry standard AES-256 cipher encryption is used as well, which is always a good thing to look out for.
There are also a lot of extra security features, including a kill switch. If you have read my reviews, you will know that I always look for a kill switch. This makes sure that your personal information is protected even if your connection drops out.
The good news does not end there either! You are also protected against IPv6 and DNS leaks.
Plus, there are 22 Double Hop servers, which can easily be selected. If you use one of these servers, it means that your traffic will be routed via two different encrypted servers before it gets to its destination. This essentially means you are going to get another layer of security, which is always a good thing, right?
Does VPN.ac collect logs?
While data is logged, it is deleted daily and on a permanent basis. The information that is collected for a short period of time includes the amount of data transferred, start and end time of VPN connections, and the originating IP address.
Yes, it is a bit worrying to see that VPN does collect your originating IP address. However, it is deleted on a daily basis, and I do like the fact that the company has been very honest and upfront about their approach, which is refreshing!
Ease of use
Setting up and installing VPN.ac is easy, and there are a lot of different guides to take you through the customization options.
If you are a newbie, this can be a little bit on the intimidating side. However, it is good that they cater to more advanced users who want to have more control over their VPN.
There are a lot of different options that you can make the most of in order to make your VPN experience just right for you. This includes auto-connect toggles, as well as light and dark themes.
Torrenting
If you are searching for the best VPN for torrenting purposes, you won’t be disappointed with this selection. Torrenting is permitted on all of the servers available with VPN.ac.
One thing I like about VPN.ac is that they recommend which servers are the best for torrenting. The ones they have marked out include Switzerland, Sweden, Romania, Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Finland, and Toronto, Canada.
Bandwidth won’t be an issue if you connect to any of the servers mentioned, as these locations boast over 28 gigabit servers.
There are a lot of VPNs out there that restrict or ban P2P traffic, and so it is good to see that VPN.ac permit torrenting and they go as far as to recommend the best servers for users so that they get the optimal experience.
Unblock streaming services
While unblocking streaming services is not at the core of VPN.ac’s services in terms of how they market themselves, it really is a good choice if you need hassle-free access to some of the most popular streaming services.
I was able to unblock the US Netflix library with ease, and I had no trouble with BBC iPlayer either.
VPN.ac does not indicate that any of their servers have been optimised for streaming. Despite this, it is still a robust and reliable choice for this purpose.
Can VPN.ac bypass the Great Firewall of China?
When it comes to beating the stringent security measures that are in place in the likes of China, VPN.ac is actually a really good choice!
The company provides a number of different obfuscation tools to bypass China’s Great Firewall. In fact, they even have servers that are marked as “China Optimized” – I have not seen many providers do this!
You can slip through the firewall by using a TCP-443 port alongside the OpenVPN XOR protocol.
I really do think this is one of the premier choices for anyone seeking a VPN for use in China specifically. Not just because the servers have shown to be effective in China, but because the country goes out of their way to ensure that this is a part of their service.
There are pages providing instructions for China, as well as a ‘China Status’ page, ensuring you always know the best way to connect.
This makes VPN.ac one of only a few VPNs that I would fully recommend for those based in China. It is also an effective choice for other censored locations too, for example, the UAE, Turkey, and Russia.
Compatibility
You should not have any trouble using this VPN on the device you have. There are the usual custom apps, including iOS, Android, macOS, and Windows. It only takes one click to use one of these apps.
If your device lacks a native app, such as Linux, there is a step-by-step tutorial for you to follow.
You can also connect six different devices at the same time, which is one more than the industry average.
Games consoles and streaming devices
VPN.ac also provides native apps for the Amazon Fire TV Stick and Amazon Fire TV.
You will have no trouble using a VPN on your gaming console either. All you need to do is connect your console to a router that is configured for VPN.ac. There are step-by-step guides on the site that can help you with this.
So, no matter whether you use an Xbox, PlayStation, or a Nintendo, you will be able to use this VPN with your gaming device.
Browser extensions
There are browser extensions for Opera, Mozilla Firefox, and Google Chrome browsers. These are SecureProxy extensions.
I like that the company is very open and clear that using a browser extension is going to make you more vulnerable to IP leaks. This is something that everyone needs to be aware of when using a browser extension, irrespective of the VPN provider they choose.
Customer support
One area where I do wish VPN.ac would make some improvement is with their customer support.
There is no live chat support. Instead, you need to use the contact form to get in touch via email, which is a bit annoying. However, I must admit that the team were very quick to respond to my enquiries, so it wasn’t too bad!
There is a detailed knowledge-base, which includes lots of set-up guides, troubleshooting tips, and FAQs, so there is an abundance of information on the website for anyone who needs it.
However, I do wish that there was a live chat feature. This would be a great missing piece of the puzzle. Nevertheless, I should point out that the company does incorporate their Skype ID on their site as a method of contact. I know that this is good for anyone in countries like China whereby a lot of other communication methods are not permitted.
Pricing
There are four different packages for you to choose from when selecting VPN.ac. All of these packages are separated based on the contract length.
The first package is the monthly package, which costs $9 per month.
You then have the three-month plan, which costs $24 in total, equating to £8 per month. This is a saving of 11 per cent.
Next, you have the year-plan, which costs $58 in total for the 12 months. This represents a 46 per cent saving, which equates to $4.80 per month.
Finally, there is the two-year solution, which costs $90 in total, amounting to $3.75 per month. This is the best deal, as you are going to make a saving of 62 per cent if you go down this route.
There are a lot of different payment options available, including all of the major credit cards, PayPal, Bitcoin, and a number of other solutions.
Plus, if you are not happy with the service you receive, there is a full refund within the first seven days.
Summary
So there you have it: my thoughts on the VPN offered by VPN.ac. I have been really happy with the service that this VPN provider has offered, and I definitely believe that VPN.ac deserves more hype and attention than it gets. It is a very secure VPN and it offers a wide range of features. I certainly wouldn’t put anyone off choosing this VPN!