May 02, 2020 1. Remove Avast as the default operating system and delete the Temporary Avast OS. During uninstalling, Avast creates a small operating system that it uses to uninstall files. After it is done, the operating system does not seem to uninstall itself after you restart your computer. The Avast SecureLine VPN browser extension is an optional installable component that allows you to conveniently control certain aspects of Avast SecureLine VPN behavior directly via Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Avast Secure Browser. For instructions to install and use the Avast SecureLine VPN browser extension on Windows or Mac, refer to.

1. Should I Remove Avast Secureline
2. Avast Vpn Reviews
3. Should I Remove Avast Secureline Free

Avast Secureline offers both free (7-day trial) and paid versions. They use strong 256-bit AES encryption and you can choose from OpenVPN, IPSec & IKEv2 protocols.

Their server speeds are top of the line, they even landed in the top 10 of our fastest reviewed VPNs, but still fall behind the top providers like Express and NordVPN.

Is this a decent provider? Let’s find out in this Avast Secureline VPN review.

General Info & Features

Avast Secureline was launched in 2014 in Prague, Czech Republic. Although the company, Avast, has been around for a while – since 1988.

The VPN service supports the following devices and operating systems:

• PC
• Mac
• iPhone
• iPad
• Android
• Android TV

Avast SecureLine works on up to five devices and features no bandwidth limits.

As for TOR, customer support mentioned the VPN is not compatible with it.

It’s worth mentioning that Avast provides ONLY 55 servers in 34 countries.

That’s a really low number of total servers compared to other VPN providers, like NordVPN and ExpressVPN, that both have over 3,000 servers.

The only countries that Avast has more than one server location are Canada (two cities), Germany (two cities), Russia (two cities), Spain (two cities), the United Kingdom (two cities), and the United States (16 cities).

Avast SecureLine does offer a kill switch, which is perfect for protecting your privacy if your connection is ever lost.

Kill switches are a critical safeguard or backup plan. When they detect your network connection is about to terminate, they’ll automatically kill your current session, too.

That helps to keep whatever you were doing private and away from prying eyes.

If purchased alongside your subscription, their MultiDevice service allows up to 5 simultaneous conncetions.

Avast Secureline Pros

1. Top 10 Download Speed

Avast brags on their homepage about how fast their VPN service is.

So now it’s time to put them to the test – literally!

I ran speed tests of their service on servers in the US and the Netherlands to see how they stack up against the competition.

Here are my results without VPN:

Here are our results with Avast VPN:

US Server

• Ping: 113 ms
• Download: 67.94 Mbps
• Upload: 13.67 Mbps

Netherlands Server

• Ping: 34 ms
• Download: 65.97 Mbps
• Upload: 39.44 Mbps

These are pretty fast speeds in comparison to some other VPNs. They’re not the fastest, but not the slowest, either.

2. Well Encrypted and Secure

• AES-256 encryption
• Kill-Switch
• DNS leak protection

Avast SecureLine offers two protocols, IPSec and OpenVPN on UDP with AES 256-bit encryption.

This is military-grade encryption. The “256” number refers to the encryption strength.

The short story is that 256-bit is the best in the business right now. It’s considered virtually ‘brute-force proof’ by many of the top government agencies and security professionals around the world.

Avast SecureLine also offers DNS leak protection. This handy little feature makes sure that none of your personal data might ‘leak’ outside the VPN connection without you realizing it, divulging your browsing activity or true physical location.

3. Torrenting Is Allowed

It appears that torrent downloads and P2P are allowed with this VPN. According to the Avast VPN FAQ page:

SecureLine VPN allows peer-to-peer connections through our data center locations listed below.

• Prague, Czech Republic
• Frankfurt, Germany
• Amsterdam, Netherlands
• New York City, New York
• Miami, Florida
• Seattle, Washington
• London, United Kingdom
• Paris, France

4. No Logs Policy

Avast SecureLine claims that they keep no data logs of your online activity.

However, they do store connection logs, which show the time you connect or disconnect to a server, how long you are connected, and how much bandwidth you use.

Avast claims that this information is only collected for “diagnostic purposes and to prevent abuse of the VPN connection.”

But, when you read Avast’s privacy policy, you’ll find that they offer links to third-party sites such as Twitter or Facebook.

Overall, I’m a fan of Avast’s security. Just be aware that some logging, like most other VPN services, is happening in the background.

5. Fast Customer Support through Call Center

Avast Secureline uses a ticketing system and has a number you can call for a free diagnosis.

They also offer a knowledge base full of help articles, tons of support pages, and a forum.

Since the knowledge base is searchable, users can easily find what they need by typing in a few basic keywords.

That being said, Avast doesn’t offer a live chat support option and I wasn’t able to find a customer support email for the company.

Both developments had me a little bummed.

They do, however, have a Twitter account where users can send in direct messages. I sent one in to test out how responsive their social support is.

More than three hours later, I still hadn’t heard back.

The good news is that if you need support fast, Avast’s phone support is available 24/7. The question, of course, is how truly fast was it?

I called in to see if it was an automated service or if I would actually receive help from an actual human. Initially, there is an automated message that directs to select a number so that Avast can direct your call to the right person.

This is a huge step above live chat, in my opinion, because you have the option of hearing a live person’s voice for assistance.

I’ve tested “live” chats on numerous VPNs and sometimes it took them hours to get back to me (hint: VPNArea).

No live chat or email options were disappointing. The Twitter alternative was interesting, but so far has proved to be too slow. However, they saved it in the end with a quick, responsive call center.

Should I Remove Avast Secureline

6. Great Usability on Both Desktop and Mobile

Avast’s VPN software is surprisingly sleek and simple. All it takes to connect to one of Avast’s servers to hide your IP address is the click of a button.

And changing your location is as easy as selecting a country off of the server list inside of the user interface.

There’s even a “Preferences” menu where you can customize Avast to better suit your needs. For example, you can set it to automatically connect every time your computer starts up. That way, you’re always protected.

Avast also offers a mobile app that is available for both iPhone and Android. The usability of the mobile app is just as sophisticated and simple as using the service on a PC or Mac.

Much like the desktop interface, all it takes to connect to a server is just one tap.

And changing server locations takes little to no time at all.

However, the free mobile trial requires users to hand over their credit card information to get started, unlike the desktop version.

So if you’re only looking for an initial test drive of the service, you might want to do it on your good old fashioned desktop instead of mobile.

7. We Found No DNS, IP or WebRTC Leaks

VPN’s create a secure tunnel around your internet connection.

This encrypts your traffic so no one can bust inside. But more importantly, it creates a seal around your IP address and hides your true location.

That way, no government agency can get you in trouble for looking at what you’re looking at while sitting where you’re sitting.

Unfortunately, these connections aren’t always as secure as they seem to be.

For example, a DNS or WebRTC leak can cause your IP to be revealed without you even realizing it.

The good news is that we found the Avast Secureline connection to be leak-free.

• https://ipleak.net/ (none found)
• https://www.perfect-privacy.com/check-ip/ (none found)
• https://ipx.ac/run (none found)
• https://browserleaks.com/webrtc (none found)
• https://www.perfect-privacy.com/dns-leaktest/ (none found)
• http://dnsleak.com/ (none found)

DNS leak test:

IP leak test:

That’s the good news, though.

Which means there’s also a little bad news we found when running these security tests.

But we’ll tell you about those down below in the next section.

8. No AdWare/Malware Found

A VPN might protect you from inadvertently downloading malicious files.

But what happens when the very VPN you’re using to protect you does their own malicious injection?

For example, before firing up the VPN client, we ran their installation files through VirusTotal.com.

Nothing found, it’s as clean as it gets.

Avast SecureLine Cons

1. No Router Support

It’s also important to note that Avast SecureLine can’t be set up on routers to provide additional protection. This VPN appears to be basic protection for PC and mobile devices only.

While this won’t be a big deal for most users, it’s something to keep in mind. Installing a VPN on a router is a great way to protect all of the devices in your house without having to remember to sign in every time you log on.

It’s especially useful if you want to protect gaming consoles, IoT devices, smart TVs, and lots of phones and tablets.

This isn’t a deal breaker, but we’d prefer the possibility of using Avast with a router.

2. Does Not Work With Netflix

There’s always an ongoing battle between VPNs and Netflix—and Avast is losing the battle at the moment. Netflix knows when you’re using an Avast connection, and won’t let you stream movies or shows.

Of course, it’s possible that this could change. VPNs are always working to stay ahead of Netflix’s blocking capabilities.

Netflix VPN streaming error

But for the moment, you’ll need to use a different VPN if you want to watch Netflix.

3. Czech Republic (Bad Jurisdiction)

Avast is based in the Czech Republic.

While the country isn’t part of any of the major intelligence-sharing agreements that we discuss on a regular basis, it does cooperate with the Five Eyes agreement countries.

This doesn’t mean that Avast will be sharing your data with intelligence agencies in the US and the UK.

But the fact that the Czech Republic is friendly with these countries and willing to cooperate on intelligence sharing makes some people nervous.

We don’t have any evidence that Avast has been sharing data with Five Eyes countries. But we aren’t especially comforted by the Czech Republic’s cooperation with them.

Avast SecureLine Pricing Options and Plans

Rather than offering the standard one-month, three-month, six-month, or year package like almost every other VPN service I’ve reviewed, Avast’s pricing is based on the device you want to use it on.

Each package is the same as far as access to features go, though.

Access to 5 devices is $79.99 per year.

This comes out to $6.67 per month or about $16 per year for each device. This plan appears to be the best value.

Access to Avast SecureLine for your PC or Mac is $59.99 per year. This comes out to about $5 per month for access to only one device.

Access to this VPN for Android, iPhone, or iPad is $19.99 per year. This plan comes out to be $1.67 per month for access to one mobile device.

One of the great things about Avast SecureLine is that they offer a free 7-day trial with no strings attached.

You don’t have to enter your payment information to have full access to Avast SecureLine to decide if you want to use it.

The payment options, much like the pricing, are a bit lacking in comparison to other competitors who offer other payment methods such as Bitcoin, Perfect Money, etc.

Right now you can pay via:

• Credit Card
• PayPal

Avast’s refund policy reveals a standard 30-day money-back guarantee if you purchase through their “online retail stores” or through Google Play.

If you go through a reseller or iTunes, for example, you’ll have to go back to them for refunds (and the terms might differ).

The only potential catch with this refund comes down to your VPN usage during the thirty-day period.

If you upload/download over 10GB of data, or if you connect over 100 times, you will not be eligible for a refund. So make sure you don’t over-use the service during that initial month.

Do We Recommend Avast Secureline?

After reviewing all of the evidence, I don’t recommend using Avast’s VPN service.

The company provides a reasonably good free antivirus solution. Their VPN is incredibly easy to use. And the call-in customer service option was great!

But in the end, there are just too many issues to overlook.

The fact that it doesn’t work with Netflix is a big one. Not everyone wants to stream over a VPN, but it’s a very common use for private networks.

Czech jurisdiction, the lack of router support, and pricing that’s easy to beat all combine to make this a VPN that’s not at the top of my list.

Avast Secureline is certainly not a bad VPN. It’s very fast, supports torrenting, and only keeps connection logs. And we found that the connection was leak free for the most part.

But you can get those features without paying as much, and it’s easy to find a VPN that supports Netflix. All in all, Avast isn’t a bad choice, but it’s certainly not the best one.

For me, there are better alternatives for Avast VPN.

Add your own review

MJ 9/10

Works with Netflix

As of writing this, late September 2019, it works fine with Netflix. A torrent is loading also quite nicely, and they offer a 60 day trial - all platforms included, so I got a mobile VPN for just for fun and giggles.

Avast is also a known name in security, so their VPN doesn't seem sketchy at all to me. I recommend this.

Stu 4/10

No Netflix anymore

Just a quick review to say as of 10/07/19 it is near impossible to stream anything through this VPN using UK servers (required for local services such as BBC / Netflix). It used to work on Netflix but no longer does and only offers a paltry 4 IP's to switch through. Spend a bit more and get something with dedicated IP's.

Andrew 1/10

Go away

I don't even own this. I have never downloaded it, but I get pop ups every 10 minutes with no way to get rid of them. The pop ups themselves have no information. There is also no source of it on my PC. This just shows that they are not performing at proper standards.

John Miller 2/10

Product okay - company act like crooks

The product is okay.

The price has gone up every year and I have been charged the 2-year rate for two years in a row (i.e., paid twice). Most recently (today), Avast charged my *expired* card successfully. I did not authorize it.

Avast makes it *very* hard to manage your accounts/subscriptions. For this reason, I do not recommend *any* of its products. - that's after nearly a decade of being a customer.

Mark Black 7/10

Won't Be Renewing

The VPN is fine for most things. I got it because I was interested in watching the BBC iPlayer. However, just as with Netflix, it doesn't work. The pricing is expensive too, compared with other VPN services. I made the mistake of letting my ios subscription run on, so I'm tied in for another 12 months. I made sure the mistake wasn't repeated on my Android and Laptop (which have just expired). I'm free to switch provider 🙂

Keith Trott 10/10

Excellent VPN

I have used Avast Secureline on my android device for over 4 years and have always found it to be very good. I trust Avast totally and use many of their other products. Although it could be said that this VPN appears to be quite basic, it does what it's supposed to do and it does it well, with no gimmicks! I would say however that I do NOT consider the Czech Republic to be a 'BAD JURISDICTION' with regards to 5, 9 or 14 eyes as I've researched this independently and can find no mention of them being in the alliance ? I may be wrong but I'm slightly confused by this ! Some are saying they are ! Switching servers is incredibly fast and there are also a few that are optimised for streaming. All in all I consider this to be a very good and trustworthy VPN for the money. The version I use on Android does however have no kill switch. I've contacted Avast about this and apparently for technical running issues it cannot be done on a mobile app ? They did however explain that there is a work around within the settings, in which you can select the VPN to run with priority, basically that means if the signal goes, resulting in loss of VPN then it shuts down. This does mean however that you leave the VPN turned on all the time, obviously this will have an effect on battery life, the choice is yours. Personally I'm not bothered that much by the kill switch issue as it's very rare for a signal issue to cause me a problem in this area and you will know if the VPN disconnects as 'Avast is trying to protect you' will appear in your toolbar. 10 out of 10.

Dan 1/10

Avast Secureline VPN

Just bought this because I've had the paid anti-virus for years, but I'm disappointed after reading your review and their privacy policy which mentions something about Google tracking everything you do online. It seems to me this contradicts the very reason to have a VPN - privacy. I will not renew.

Pepe Perez 9/10

Does work with Netflix

I have used this VPN for the past 3 months and I can confirm it works with Netflix (at least US). The speed is normally about 70% of your connection speed, which is still decent. However their pricing is, in fact, strange and is expensive compared to other VPNs, so I wouldn't recommend it.

Mr. Fiddly 2/10

Avast Vpn Reviews

USELESS!

I was really disappointed with this service.

I cannot properly watch videos because of the low speed. Loading standard YT videos takes 15 minutes.

Don’t recommend.

polly chan 8/10

My experience with Avast SecureLine VPN

I mainly decided to use this VPN because it comes from a company that I already knew from it’s excellent computer security software. I started using the VPN and it’s simple and friendly. It’s quite useful when I want to surf safely on the network, only when I start it sometimes it takes a while to open the program but it doesn’t slow down the internet.

In particular I like the service, one of the features that I liked the most is that I can use one license on several devices of the same type at the same time. I sincerely recommend it as well as the antivirus of the same company (Avira).

Aurora Fernandes 7/10

Really liking the VPN

I think it’s a great VPN, I mean, the simplicity of the interface, the configuration and all the necessary. I’m not seeking an ultra anonymous VPN, just some security on my web surfing.

When I configure the VPN to automatically connect to wifi, sometimes it does not get online and just crashes. This has happened 4 times so far.

Besides that, I’m satisfied.

XianKian 5/10

There are better options for Avast

Avast secureline is a good vpn. And I would definitely recommend it to my friends. However I recently switched to FrootVPN. It is not the most known VPN but it is definitely one of the best out there (in my opinion)

FrootVPN is bit pricier than Avast but it totally worth very penny.

Summary :

Although Avast VPN is one of the most commonly used VPN systems, you will still encounter the problem - Avast VPN not working. In some cases, the connection could not be established. Read this post from MiniTool to get more information.

What Causes Avast VPN Not Working

If you need to block hackers on public Wi-Fi and advertisers tracking everything you do online, Avast SecureLine can help you. But sometimes, some Avast VPN problems will appear.

Here are some reasons for Avast VPN not working or Avast not responding.

Internet problems: If there are some problems with the network, the VPN service will not work properly.

Issues in Installation: The corruption and outdate of Avast application can also cause Avast VPN not working.

Third-party interference: Avast VPN problems are due to interference with third-party applications.

Location issues: Avast has the option to select your location manually when establishing a connection. You will not be able to connect if the VPN at this location is overloaded or full.

Should I Remove Avast Secureline Free

Subscription: Avast SecureLine VPN requires a valid subscription to work. The application won’t work as expected if the subscription is not provided.

Then, I will introduce some useful and powerful methods to fix the “Avast VPN not working on Windows” problem one by one.

How to disable (stop or close), remove (or uninstall) Avast antivirus in Windows and Mac? This post shows you multiple methods for this work.

How to Fix Avast VPN Not Working

1. Change the VPN Location
2. Check Internet Connection
3. Check Subscription
4. Turn off Windows Defender Firewall
5. Turn off Third-Party Antivirus Software
6. Clean Booting Computer
7. Reinstall the Application

How to Fix Avast VPN Not Working on Windows

Next, here is how to fix Avast VPN not working. I will introduce these methods one by one.

Solution 1: Change the VPN Location

AVG SecureLine provides a feature where you can choose the VPN location specifically. The location can be the USA or Australia, etc. It is a very common scenario that specific VPN locations are either overloaded or not working because you tend to select the same location when you use AVG SecureLine.

This solution is to change the location of Avast VPN and the following are the steps:

Step 1: Open the Avast VPN application and select the Privacy option on the left side of the screen.

Step 2: Then click the Change Location button and select another location that wasn’t selected before.

Step 3: Save your changes and exit. Then restart your computer.

Now you can see if it fixes the Avast VPN not working issue. If not, you can try the next solution.

Solution 2: Check Internet Connection

One of the reasons for Avast VPN not working is that your Internet is not working properly. In some cases, SecureLine VPN clients are not allowed to run on the network by the ISP itself. In addition, you should also check if all proxy servers should not be active.

You can also try restarting the router. You should wait for around 1 minute after you plug out the router’s main power cable and then you can plug everything back in. This way, all the temporary configurations will be cleared and everything will be reinitialized.

Now connect your computer to the Internet again and check if the Avast VPN problems still exist.

Solution 3: Check Subscription

You must keep a subscription in your account to use this application because this application has enabled subscriptions. You will not be able to use the VPN client if your access is revoked. Therefore, you should go to the official Avast account to see if you have enabled subscriptions.

In general, when you are unable to charge the entered account, the subscriptions will be canceled. So you should check your account & payment details and make sure that you have enabled subscription.

Solution 4: Turn off Windows Defender Firewall

The firewall may hinder the VPN connection and cause Avast not responding. The VPN client needs to be in the exclusion list of the Windows Defender firewall. Thus, turning off Windows Defender Firewall can be helpful to fix Avast not responding. You can try it with the following steps.

Step 1: Open the Run application on Windows and input firewall.cpl, then click OK to open Windows Defender Firewall.

Step 2: Click Turn Windows Defender Firewall on or off to open the Customize Settings.

Step 3: Check both the Turn off Windows Defender Firewall(not recommended) options and press the OK button.

Now you have many sensitive data, thus you need a reliable defense software to protect your data. This post gives information on Windows Defender vs Avast.

Solution 5: Turn off Third-Party Antivirus Software

Third-party antivirus software can also cause Avast VPN not working on Windows. So this issue can be fixed by turning off third-party antivirus software before you connect with the VPN.

You can right-click the antivirus utilities’ system tray icons and select the disable or turn off button to switch off third-party antivirus software. You can also set up exceptions to exclude your VPN clients from the antivirus software firewalls.

Solution 6: Clean Booting Computer

If you run other similar applications or services in the background, Avast SecureLine VPN doesn’t seem to work properly. You can clean boot your computer and determine which one is causing the issue in this solution.

Step 1: Press the Windows + R keys at the same time to launch the Run application, then type msconfig and click OK.

Step 2: Navigate to the Services tab and check the Hide all Microsoft services option.

Step 3: Now click the Disable all button to disable all of the third-party services.

Step 4: Then click Apply to save changes and exit. Then all of the Microsoft related services will be disabled and leave behind all of the third-party services.

Step 5: Now navigate to the Startup tab and click the Open Task Manager option. Then you will be redirected to the task manager.

Step 6: Select each service one by one and click the Disable button.

Now you can restart your computer and launch Avast VPN again to connect it. If it works properly, it means that the issue is caused by some service or application.

You can launch the Task Manager again and try enabling each application one by one and checking the behavior. Then you can find out the application that causes the issue.

Solution 7: Reinstall the Application

If all of the above methods don't work, it may mean that there is a problem with the installation of the application. After you manually move between drives or interrupt an application during an update, the installation usually goes bad.

Thus, the last solution is to reinstall the application.

Step 1: Press the Windows + R keys simultaneously, type appwiz.cpl and press Enter.

Step 2: Then search for the Avast SecureLine VPN entry and right-click it, then click Uninstall.

Step 3: Now restart your computer and navigate to the official Avast download page. Download a fresh installation copy to an accessible location and install it. Then launch it and enter your credentials.

Now run the Avast SecureLine VPN again and see if it connects properly without issues.

MiniTool ShdowMaker Can Protect Your Computer

As we all know, Avast can protect your computer and files against virus attacks effectively. But you can learn from this post that the Avast VPN may fail to work due to some reasons. Thus, you shouldn’t just use Avast to protect your computer.

Your data should be protected by other software. And you should back up your important data regularly to prevent file loss. I will introduce the free backup software - MiniTool ShadowMaker for you.

MiniTool ShadowMaker can satisfy any of your needs and it allows you to back up important data and systems in simple steps. It supports Windows 10/8/7, which can provide data protection & disaster recovery solution for you.

Additionally, this program supports you backing up disk, and partition to an external hard drive, flash drive, thumb drive, pen drive, NAS, etc. At the same time, it has a clone disk feature that allows you to clone your disk to another drive.

This backup software offers a Trial Edition that allows a 30-day free trial for all backup features. If you want to use it permanently, get its Pro Edition. Now you can download and try MiniTool ShadowMaker to back up your files.

Then I will show you how to back up files step by step:

Step 1: Decide a Backup Mode

1. Launch MiniTool ShadowMaker.

2. Click Keep Trial.

3. Choose Connect in This Computer to continue.

Step 2: What to Back up

1. Go to the Backup page after you enter its main interface.

2. Then click the Source module to choose the backup source.

3. Choose Folders and Files and choose the files you want to back up.

Step 3: Where to Store Your Files

1. Back to the Backup page.

2. Click the Destination module to select the destination path and save the backup image.

Step 4: Start to Back up

Then you can click Back up Now to perform the data backup process immediately. Or you can click Back up Later to delay the data backup process.

You have successfully backed up files and have provided protection for the data when the process is finished.

Further Reading:

The following information can provide you with a better file backup experience.

1. MiniTool ShadowMaker allows you to set an automatic file backup, read this post - 3 Ways to Create Automatic File Backup in Windows 10 Easily. And you can do it by going to the Scheme feature.

2. If you want to back up newly added files or changed files, there are three types of backup available: full backup, incremental backup, and differential backup. The Incremental backup scheme is chosen by default and you can click the Scheme feature to change.

3. In addition, you can go to the Options feature to set some advanced backup parameters.

Bottom Line

In conclusion, when you encounter the Avast VPN not working on Windows issue, don’t be angry and you can use the above solutions - one of them will undoubtedly fix your Avast SecureLine VPN. At the same time, you can use MiniTool ShadowMaker to protect your important data.

At last, if you have any questions and suggestions, please don’t hesitate to contact us via the email [email protected].

Avast VPN Not Working FAQ

1. VPN might actually be illegal in your country.
2. You might have performance issues when you using the private network.
3. The VPN service might monitor your activity and use your data.
4. It might be difficult to set up for business users.