AdGuard VPN Review 2024: Is Its Free Plan Secure?

AdGuard is now using its 10+ years of expertise in content blocking to hype up its new VPN. But just because they're great at blocking ads doesn't mean they know how to make a proper VPN. I tested the service on all fronts to determine if it stands a chance against the industry's best.

After my tests, I can confirm it's a good VPN, but it doesn’t match the top players in the industry. While it’s a solid choice for security and privacy, it offers fewer servers and protocol options and lacks 24/7 customer support. It wasn’t the best for gaming or torrenting, either. Read on to understand why you should rather check out this list of top-rated VPNs that excel in all categories

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AdGuard VPN's paid tier helped my global team and I safely stream our local platforms. It's a big step up from how it performed in the past.

The free version didn't allow my colleague in the US to safely watch Amazon Prime Video. While it did perform well with other platforms, the free plan's small data limit (5GB a month max) will run out in about an hour if you're streaming in 4K.

While the VPN can theoretically let you watch geo-restricted content, we advise against this due to potential copyright law violations. All of our tests were done using the servers within our respective countries.

Works With: Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, Max, ESPN, Peacock, Disney+, ITVX, and Netflix

Disney+ worked well for my teammate in the US, although there were instances of buffering. All the titles he tried also didn’t load right away.

The same connection let him was Nada on Hulu from New York

AdGuard VPN’s US servers also supported secure streaming on all the other American platforms tested. However, he did face some longer load times and buffering when he skipped around, though the overall quality was great. He had a similar experience streaming Max, Peacock, Amazon Prime VIdeo, and ESPN+ securely from the US.

He experienced no disconnections on any US server he tested

Similar success was mirrored by our UK and Japanese correspondents. Unfortunately, my teammate in Australia was only able to watch Netflix Originals, the platform's library of in-house shows and movies.

The VPN also worked well with ITVX and BBC iPlayer. Unfortunately, our UK-based tester reported instances of buffering and had to wait a bit for videos to load on both platforms.

Overall, AdGuard is much better than the majority of VPNs in this category. But, there are a few choices out there that provide better quality and faster load times.

AdGuard VPN was consistently fast on almost all the servers our dedicated UK specialist tested.
Most servers didn’t drop her speeds by more than 20%, no matter how far away they were. That’s impressive because most VPNs are only that fast with closer locations.

All of our tests were carried out from the same UK location and connection using AdGuard’s proprietary protocol as it was the only option available at the time. She ran at least 10 tests on each server, and the average results are detailed below.

Although she speed-tested multiple worldwide servers, we advise you to only use local ones for streaming. As mentioned before, my colleagues and I are firmly against any manner of copyright infringements.

Speeds fell 0.5% on nearby servers and 25% on far-off ones

It even provides you with a choice of the 3 fastest locations, constantly updated in real-time based on ping and speed changes. I also appreciate that AdGuard displays the latency of each of its servers within the app.

Some great VPNs will slow you down more at the same range

The Australia and Japan servers reduced our tester’s speed by 43% and 52%, respectively. Such drops are still sufficient for basic web browsing, even if your starting speed is low. However, if your original speed is high, say 100Mbps, a 50% cut still leaves you with more than enough bandwidth for data-intensive tasks like video calls and torrenting. On the other hand you’ll probably have issues with the free version, no matter how fast your base rates are.

We lost over 80% of our speed on all of the free servers

Overall, AdGuard VPN lives up to its promise by offering fast speeds in its paid tier, which is really impressive for a service that’s fairly new.

AdGuard gave me ping rates over 100ms, which resulted in too much lag. Unfortunately, even the fastest location in the Netherlands (6,000 km away from my location in Kenya) showed a latency above 155ms. Nearby servers in South Africa and Egypt also yielded little improvement, with in-game pings from 190ms to 500ms. This led to significant lag while playing World of Tanks.

Connect to a nearby server for faster gameplay

Usually, the closer the server is to you, the better your gaming experience will be because of lower latency. But since AdGuard VPN's nearby servers still gave me high latency, I recommend you look at our list of the best VPNs for gaming to play without lag.

None of the free servers I tested worked for online gaming. I received error messages such as Matchmaking failed and Failed to connect to the server when I attempted to play Counter-Strike 2 and World of Tanks.

AdGuard VPN has 1,000 servers in 59 countries with 65+ total locations. While the network is fairly small, it’s well distributed across all continents, with the majority of servers located in Europe, North America, and Asia.

City-level servers are available in the US, the UK, Canada, Germany, Italy, and Spain. This allows precise location selection, and you get the most locations in the US. With the free plan, you can connect to 10 locations, including Finland, Poland, France, the UK, and the US.

Pick a server nearest to you for optimal speed

All the servers I tested connected quickly and remained stable throughout all of my tests.

It has virtual servers in some countries, such as Russia and India, due to data regulations. The rest are physically located. Virtual servers give you a safer alternative in countries with known security risks, so I applaud AdGuard for this move. Unfortunately, it doesn't own all its servers but maintains control over the infrastructure.

AdGuard VPN also doesn’t have memory-erasing servers or dedicated IP addresses. However, it justifies the absence of RAM-based servers with its strict no-logs policy. It further bolsters this by channeling all server traffic through its own private DNS for added security.

Overall, this is one area the VPN needs to improve. Top-notch services provide access to a larger pool of servers, dedicated IPs, and advanced security features. You can check out this list to find a VPN with an extensive server network and more features.

Despite lacking standard protocols like OpenVPN and WireGuard (though it plans to adopt the latter soon), I’m confident in its ability to protect your information. It also excelled during my extensive leak tests.

There were never leaks on 10+ servers tested over 3 days

The VPN also offers protection against IPV6 and WebRTC Leaks.

Encryption

AdGuard VPN uses industry-standard military-grade (AES 256-bit) encryption to keep you safe online. It’s the same technology governments, banks, and security agencies employ to protect classified information.

It also supports Perfect Forward Secrecy (PFS) for added security. PFS regularly changes your encryption keys, so each session is safeguarded with a new one.

Security Protocols

At the moment, it limits you to two options: the in-house AdGuard VPN protocol and QUIC.

The former uses HTTP/2 transport protocol to disguise your encrypted connection as normal HTTPS traffic. This means that you can use the VPN to bypass restrictive networks in places like workplaces and schools.

QUIC is at the experimental stage and is designed to enhance connection speeds and security. I look forward to when it’ll be stable, so I can take it for a spin.

Kill Switch

This feature cuts off all internet traffic in the event the VPN unexpectedly drops. If this happens, you’ll be protected from data leaks. It’s turned on by default.

Split Tunneling (Exclusions)

You can use this feature to decide which apps or sites to exclude from the encrypted VPN tunnel. For example, you can use it to browse local content with your real IP, while securing sensitive activities, like torrenting, with the VPN.

There’s also the Subnet exclusions option that lets you choose devices to bypass the secure tunnel. This can be helpful when you want to easily interact with your smart home devices, network printers, and things of that nature.

Auto-Protection

This feature protects you on unsecured networks. It'll automatically launch the VPN upon detecting a new network. Currently, it's available on mobile. Windows and Mac users can only set AdGuard VPN to auto-start with their computer. This is similar to its website safelisting feature, which lets you choose which sites trigger an automatic connection to the VPN.

Private and Custom DNS Servers

AdGuard VPN offers DNS servers with varying levels of filtering within the app’s settings, including its own DNS servers that are optimized to work well with it. Unfortunately, you don’t get access to the original AdGuard blocker without paying an extra fee, but these do block some content.

By default, AdGuard VPN uses non-filtering DNS servers, which provide extra safety against ISPs and prying eyes. However, you do have the option to choose different DNS servers that best serve your priorities.

AdGuard VPN makes it easy to set up public and private DNS

I tried out the filtering servers and was pleased with their effectiveness. For instance, those designed to block ads successfully prevented their appearance on Speedtest.net and CNN. However, for YouTube, I had to turn on the standalone ad blocker to get rid of all the ads.

VPN and ad blocker combo let me watch YouTube without interruptions

Many VPNs now come with built-in DNS filtering capabilities, so it's really impressive to see that AdGuard VPN has joined the fray.

AdGuard VPN only records necessary operational data and won't share any of your information. I particularly like how clearly its privacy policy outlines the measures taken.

Does AdGuard VPN Keep Logs? No

AdGuard VPN doesn’t log your IP address, browsing history, or connection timestamps. However, it requires your email address and payment details to provide you with a fully functional service. If you’re not comfortable sharing this information, I recommend you use a one-time email and cryptocurrency to sign up.

I value AdGuard VPN's clarity on the data it collects

It also records usage data (traffic volume and subscription duration) to monitor traffic limits on free accounts as well as diagnostic or device information if you give your consent. Plus, you' can request the erasure of your data held by AdGuard VPN at any time.

Was AdGuard VPN Audited? No

So far, AdGuard VPN's apps and privacy policies haven't been subjected to any external audits. The best VPNs open their doors to independent experts to verify their promises, a trend I hope the company will adopt soon. This would let us assess its proprietary protocol's safety, especially since there's no hint of it turning open-source in the near future.

Based in Nicosia, Cyprus

AdGuard VPN is headquartered in Cyprus, outside the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliances — a collective of nations that have consented to exchange their citizens' online data. Before this, the company was based in Russia, which has strict censorship and surveillance, so moving to Cyprus is a good move for privacy.

Cyprus is also a member of the EU, meaning AdGuard VPN has to adhere to the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Under these rules, you have the right to see what details the VPN has about you, correct any mistakes, and even ask for its deletion. AdGuard VPN is also mandated to seek your consent before sharing any or your information with anyone else.

Does AdGuard VPN Work in China? Yes

Several agents claimed you can use AdGuard VPN in China. The VPN attributes its success in countries blocking VPNs to its proprietary protocol that masks encrypted connections as standard HTTPS traffic.

It also offers a mirror URL and usage tips for areas with internet restrictions

China regularly blocks VPNs, but there's no public record of individuals being prosecuted for using them. However, this doesn't mean using VPNs in the country is entirely risk-free. My team and I don’t condone any illegal activities, and we ask you to familiarize yourself with the local laws before choosing to use a VPN.

AdGuard VPN has servers in DMCA-free zones and directs torrent traffic there, irrespective of the server you choose. P2P traffic is exclusively supported on AdGuard VPN's premium plan, but I was able to torrent with the free app after restarting it.

Connected to its fastest premium server, I downloaded a 798.2MB file in 9 minutes and 38 seconds. Without the VPN, the same file took just 4 minutes and 35 seconds to download. This delay was likely due to the rerouting of P2P traffic to DMCA-free zones. You can achieve better results with a P2P VPN from this list.

While AdGuard VPN helped me securely download torrents, I still ask you to use it responsibly for P2P activities. Remember that torrenting laws vary by location, and it's wrong to download pirated material. To stay on the right side of the law, stick to downloading files that are in the public domain.