Edit: I did it, I bought it. Tested it a week before I went for it. I’ve no regrets and I will post a longer review soon. It works smooth with Adguard adblock and connection is good, no noticeable speed loss. Will provide a better review.
I’ve been using Adguard for a long time, have multiple lifetime licenses but never really looked into their VPN.
I did try the beta but found it too slow and basically never looked back. But I saw the Valentines promo and that looks like a decent deal so I figured it was time to have a look at some reviews.
To my surprise I can hardly find any ‘objective’ reviews and I don’t understand why. Most reviews are just too good to be true, like very little cons and don’t answer my questions about speed.
I “know” the company for years so I have no trust issues, I’d like to know how the VPN affects the overall user experience, pros and cons. I hope someone could answer my question or post a review.
Thanks
Omg, speedtests still show a speed loss of ~60% (vpn vs no vpn).
im a adguard lifetime sub for some years now and couldnt be happier with their product. that being said i do not use their vpn service because they collect too much information for my taste.
at the very least they log and collect your connection timestamps:
Usage information. It is crucial for a VPN service to understand how much traffic you are using. That is why we collect data about how you interact with our services, how much traffic you’ve used, and for how long have you been using our services.
…
We retain Personal Data for as long as necessary to continue providing you with our products and services, or until you revoke your consent to share this information.
except it is not “crucial” for a vpn to “understand how much traffic you are using”. if its crucial for them they also probably assign you some identifier which is likely linked to your account.
their apps and service has not been audited afaik and they are not open source either.
again, ive used their main product for a long time and have no reason to doubt their “reputability”, but there are other vpns options out there which are doing more to safeguard your privacy.
AdGuard VPN directly addresses the primary concerns of modern internet users: privacy, speed, and access. With advanced encryption, it ensures your online activities remain private, safeguarding your data from unauthorized access. AdGuard VPNAdguard VPN review 2024 protects user data from cyber threats and surveillance, offering a secure online environment.
I have been using NordVPN for the past three years on Windows, MacoS, iOS. My subscription renewal is coming due, so I decided to look around. First stop was ExpressVPN. Very simplistic, and also significantly slower running about 150. (My internet is 500/500) On NordVPN I regularly see over 400/400 (but I can also go way down as it decides to switch servers on me.) Tested a couple other vendors, none of which I was impressed with.
Then I decided to check out Adguard’s VPN, since I have used their full client Adguard Adblocker install as well as their browser extension install in different scenarios on different machines (Windows, MacOS, iOS, Android, work machine, home machine, for many years. Nothing beats Adguard IMO, and I have tried them all. My testing with their VPN shows they will consistently run in the 350/350 range, regardless of device. Not quite as fast as Nord, but much faster than Express.
I killed my trial subscription to ExpressVPN. I uninstalled NordVPN and I licensed Adguard-VPN, and now have it running on all my devices. Unlike NordVPN it does not decide to switch cities on me on it’s own (dropping the speed tremendously quite often). Every test I have run it handles well. I do wonder what encryption method Adguard uses, which I have not found documented anywhere, and yes I do realize they log my connections. That said, it integrates with AdGuard adblocking very well, does not leak, and I’ll be using it for at least the next year if not longer. It’s a company I trust, and my experience with their adblocking software/extension gives me confidence this product will only keep getting better and better over time. Your own VPN choice may be different, and that’s perfectly fine.
The android version is Beta. The Windows version is Alpha. Doing a review on an unfinished product might not represent the final product. On Windows it leaks DNS and reveals your real IP. Even after changing all DNS to a 3rd party it still leaks. On Android the speed is below that of competitors. Instead of looking at a % of your non VPN speeds, look at the top speed the VPN is capable of. NordVPN is 3500mbps - 4000mbps. Hotspot Shield is the fastest 4000mbps - 4500mbps but requires a premium dedicated gaming server purchase that is over $20 a month. ExpressVPN at 3rd place is costly and this helps reduce server crowding. PIA is 4th. Mullvad was faster than Adguard, so was OVPN. Also last I heard Adguard rents servers and does not own them. I also bought a 1yr subscription to AdguardVPN because of the faith I have that they will produce a quality product,…eventually.
At this time, standalone AdGuard VPN has no advantages over the browser add-on AdGuard VPN.
However, browser add-ons will eventually have restrictions on interfering with DNS requests (I think add-on VPNs are exactly proxies), so I think we’ll have to rely on standalone VPNs in the future.
Perhaps AdGuard is planning a standalone VPN for integration with future (paid) AdGuard Home.
I use TunnelBear and I’ve been very happy with them. Tried a few others but dumped them. Did try AdGuard VPN but yeah too slow, collects too much information
I have been using Nordvpn for 4 years, for gaming, for my business, no problems with speed, many countries, convenient connection, they also have a promotion 3 months free and 68% discount. https://go.nordvpn.net/SH5d9 no cancel"