Astrill VPN is a Seychelles-based VPN service launched in 2009 that claiming to be number 1 in the VPN apps market for nearly a decade. According to this Astrill VPN review, Astrill promises to serve performance, speed, privacy, and useful security features. It also offers some cool additional perks and could be relied on for torrenting and streaming.
Astrill operates what we would consider a mid-sized network of servers, the exact number isn’t specified on its website however we know it maintains its servers in 117 different cities and 64 countries. All major destinations are covered delivering solid download and upload speeds. Then again, it’s not like many users will need to connect to those servers in order to stream Netflix or download files with Bittorrent.
It emphasizes that all of its servers are physical, connected to high-quality network nodes and usually on 1Gbit or 10Gbit lines as well as new VPN servers and IP addresses are added regularly.
Why should we use it?
Platforms
Astrill has all popular platforms apps such as Windows, MacOS, iOS, Android and Linux. It can also work with your router, and if you don’t want to meddle with the configuration, the company offers preset routers that provide VPN out of the box.
It also offers easy to grasp guides, allowing users to set up devices such as Amazon Kindle Fire and Blackberry, as well as gaming consoles and streaming devices.
A single Astrill license lets you connect unlimited devices in your household and there are no caps on the number of simultaneous connections. You can literally connect every single device you have to a VPN.
Speed
It offers fast but not fastest speeds though and more important reliable connections to both local and distant servers. It is a great choice for torrent and streaming users as well as for bypassing any kind of restrictions. But the problem is latency at around 10ms when connecting to distant servers makes it a less than ideal choice for gamers. The consistency of the service probably has a lot to do with the software but Astrill uses their own. All their software is created to be native for each platform, thus using as little as possible system resources (CPU/RAM) and providing optimal performance.
Security
Astrill is one of the top choices offering the super secure Open VPN protocol that is paired with unbreakable AES-256 encryption. It actually matters a lot that the same encryption is used by the government agencies around the world to secure their communication. It also supports Open Web, Stealth VPN, L2TP/IPSec, Cisco IPSec, IKEv2, PPTP and SSTP protocols.
Privacy
It doesn’t boast a strict zero logs policy, but it doesn’t collect much data either. The metadata it keeps include the user’s connection time, IP address, device type and VPN app version for the duration of your VPN session and once you disconnect, this information is permanently deleted. But the company keeps some information on your 20 last connections like as including connection time and duration, country and device type etc. It improves the customer experience. The important thing is that they don’t keep IP addresses or the user’s physical location and it is incorporated in Seychelles, which means it won’t be forced to share data with other countries.
Ease of Use
It offers easy to use apps that design leaves a lot to be desired. Users connect to the desired server in just a few clicks or taps, if he using a mobile app. To use a VPN to download files via torrent servers optimized for P2P traffic are clearly marked with a yellow star making the process of server selection that much easier as well as the app also provides real-time information about the current connection.
It
Advanced settings are accessible by clicking or tapping on the menu button in the top right corner when additional features will be shown including leak blocking, DNS server selection, split tunneling, and the ability to change the default protocol.
Support
Astrill offers live-chat support and you can also send them an email as well as get an answer in an hour or so. The Astrill Wiki is well organized that has a ton of information for different kinds of users. You’ll find tutorials for setting up a VPN on every device imaginable, including those that are not directly supported by Astrill with an app.
Streaming
You can watch Netflix with Astrill with both US- and UK-based servers delivering the buffer-free experience and the same goes for other popular streaming services such as Hulu, HBO and Amazon Prime Video.
Torrenting
Astrill is a good choice for anyone looking for a reliable service for torrenting with p2p-optimized servers being clearly marked with a yellow star on the server list. The company manages to deliver the port forwarding, also known as port mapping or port tunneling, which is a method used to redirect computer signals or ports
Between local area network (lan) computers and remote (internet) computers. This is very useful for torrenting, as by opening certain port for torrent client you allow seeders to send data to you through vpn resulting in higher speed and faster torrent downloads.
Free trial and money-back guarantee
Astrill offers the 7-day free trial option but it is not always available as well the same goes for the money-back guarantee Furthermore, if you do take a free trial option, you will not be eligible for any refund. There is an option to save some cash on your VPN subscription through the “Invite Friend” scheme, which gets you a free month of access whenever your friend signs up to any Astrill subscription.
Extras
Astrill offers dedicated IP addresses that come in handy for collaborative work, when you need other team members to connect to your computer or when you’re accessing some highly secure environment and you need to white list your IP before accessing it. It gets more affordable with longer-term contracts with most VPN services. Astrill accepts all major credit cards, as well as PayPal, Alipay and bitcoins. Also, it will take in wire transfers rising.
Conclusion
Using a VPN can be an inexpensive and secure method to access the internet from anywhere be it your home office, a cafe, the airport, etc and it provides secure communication between you and your employees, customers and so on. So with the considering of the above reason, a VPN for a small business is the must-have for today’s entrepreneur.