VPN.ac
Product Name: VPN.ac
Brand: VPN.ac
Offer price: 3.75
Currency: $
Availability: OnlineOnly
Overall
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Price
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Service
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Apps
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Speed
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Policy
Summary
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Pros
- Super fast speeds.
- High levels of encryption.
- Apps for all major devices.
- 6 concurrent connections.
- Works with US Netflix & iPlayer.
Cons
- Some minor connection logs.
- Fewer server locations.
VPN.ac has been one of my go-to Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) for many years and in my testing they’ve always excelled in their VPN provision.
I’d go as far to say they’re one of my favourite providers because they’re completely different to the competition.
This is backed up by the excellent user reviews they have enjoyed from review sites and subscribers alike.
It’s also why sites like vpnMentor scored them 8.5/10, Top10VPN gave them 7.6/10 and a Reddit review 4.4 / 5.
Surprisingly their Trustpilot page, gives them just 3.7 / 5, although there are only 11 reviews which goes a good way to answer this.
But with so many VPN service options available these days and a fast-moving industry, has this provider kept pace with the competition? It’s one I’ve been using since 2013, is it still good enough?
In this all new and updated VPN.ac review, I aimed to find out so have been putting their product through its paces.
Don’t have time to read the full review? Check out our VPN.ac video review:
1. Service
Speeds
VPN.ac is a VPN service provider that I use on a regular basis because of their speeds. In my experience, they have been some of the best in the industry.
Everything from browsing websites, to emails and video calls, using streaming sites, the kinds of stuff you do every day is effortless with VPN.ac whether you are using a nearby server or one further afield.
It’s one of few VPN provider options where you don’t even notice you’re connected to a VPN.
In my tests, there is no noticeable slowdown in download or upload speeds carrying out regular everyday tasks, this is because of their smaller subscriber base so their servers are clearly not over-subscribed.
As with all VPN reviews we do, I ran some speed tests to see how this VPN provider performed.
For these speed tests, I used a Windows computer and with a UK residential internet connection downloaded a test VPN file. My connection speed without being connected to a VPN was: 402.18 Mbps
We then connected to a random selection of VPN.ac’s server network and ran the same speed test. Below are our results:
- UK – 109.43 Mbps
- France – 89.61 Mbps
- Netherlands – 102.97 Mbps
- Switzerland – 84.35 Mbps
- Sweden – 82.02 Mbps
- New York, US – 45.44 Mbps
- Australia – 34.67 Mbps
Since my last review I’ve upgraded my internet speed but sadly, the results I achieved this time haven’t lived up to prior occassions.
Overall, speeds were down across the entire range of servers and in comparison with other leading providers they were also slower too. These results surprised me a little as VPN.ac has always excelled on the speed stakes.
In comparison to ExpressVPN, VPN.ac’s UK Speeds were 109.44 Mbps whereas ExpressVPN achieved 361.4 Mbps. The same for NordVPN that acheived 314.6 Mbps and IPVanish registering 295.3 Mbps.
That’s a 69%, 65% and 62% lower speed.
This continued across the board. VPN.ac’s New York speed was 45.44 Mbps, compared to ExpressVPN at 204.7 Mbps, NordVPN at 196.8 Mbps and IPVanish at 102.8 Mbps.
Again in percentage terms that’s 77%, 76% and 55% slower.
However, the speeds weren’t terrible and I had no trouble streaming high-quality video or carrying out any other speed-intensive tasks from any country they support.
Saying that, I would hope to see an improvement next time because I’ve become accustomed to their service being a speedy one.
Logging
Much is made about logging these days and rightly so. With many services claiming to retain no logs of what you do while connected yet getting caught out at a later date so it pays to take an interest in the logging policy of the VPN you use.
VPN.ac is one provider that is clear on their website; they don’t claim to be a “no-logging” VPN. However, that doesn’t mean they keep all logs, nor do they keep them long.
Any of your internet activity during your VPN session such as your personal data, while connected to their severs, isn’t logged.
This policy means there’s no record of what websites you visited, who you chatted to, what you streamed or the files you downloaded.
Not recording these types of details is an essential requirement for most VPN users and VPN.ac delivers on this.
In my testing and research, it became clear that VPN.ac does store ‘Connection Logs’.
Connection logs include data such as your real IP address, the time and date you connected and disconnected and how much data you transferred.
While this may sound alarming it’s worth noting that VPN.ac only store this information for 24 hours and it’s stored in encrypted form in an undisclosed location. It is not stored as part of their VPN server network so your IP address should be safe.
However, it is not ideal that your VPN is logging IP addresses at all and this is certainly a practice we would prefer to see VPN.ac phase out sooner rather than later.
There really is no reason for any VPN to be keeping any records of your real IP address. However, this has been the case for over 10 years so you’ve been warned.
Simultaneous Connections
VPN.ac allows up to six simultaneous connections with each account using the standard OpenVPN or IPSec protocols.
But in a welcome addition, they extended this offering to now provide a further six simultaneous device connections using the WireGuard protocol as well.
That makes a total of twelve simultaneous connections, bring VPN.ac in line with many other providers on the VPN market.
Even though you are required to use different protocols to get all twelve simultaneous device connections up and running, which is a little odd, this will still be more than enough for most people to protect all their devices and even some of their family’s too.
In Comparison:
- ExpressVPN – 8 connections
- NordVPN – 6 connections
- Surfshark – Unlimited connections
- IPVanish – Unlimited Connections
- VyprVPN – 5 connections
Jurisdiction
VPN.ac is located in Romania.
While this isn’t part of the five-eyes alliance, or even the nine or fourteen-eyes, it is an EU country and so follows some EU wide laws.
As far as I’m aware there are no mandatory data retention laws in Romania, but I’m not a lawyer so you’d need to do your own research on this.
In Comparison:
- ExpressVPN – British Virgin Islands
- NordVPN – Panama
- Surfshark – Netherlands
- IPVanish – United States
- VyprVPN – United States
- CyberGhost VPN – Romania
Customer Support
While there is no 24/7 live chat customer support, which I do miss, there is a helpful and responsive support ticket customer service, which responded to me in no time at all, and a huge selection of guides and tutorials.
The absence of live chat support service is a shame and one area where VPN.ac could definitely improve. But for security and privacy features, they tick plenty of boxes even without live chat support.
Overall my dealings with the VPN.ac support team have been swift and positive. Their customer support offers detailed responses and they don’t shy away from the techie questions either.
There’s no cookie cutter responses here and that’s something I hugely value.
2. Server Locations
Server numbers have dropped this year, from 150 in my last review to 130 servers this year. That’s not a huge drop and there isn’t any loss of server locations as far as I’m aware.
While server numbers have gone down, actual locations are up. I previously counted servers in 21 countries across the globe, but now this stands at 26 countries, a decent improvement.
All of VPN.ac’s servers are bare-metal servers and physically located in the countries they claim. There are no virtual servers here (those that offer fake server locations) which is great as these secure servers are ideal for enhancing user privacy and security.
While the server network size is modest, its reach is broad, with Europe, the US and North America still very well catered for, a good selection in the Indo-Pacific and Australasia as well.
I’m a little sad to see a drop in server numbers but most importantly, countries covered us up.
While it’s certainly the case that other providers offer many more locations, it’s worth remembering that many use virtual locations that appear to be in one location but are in reality in another.
In Comparison:
- ExpressVPN – 105 countries
- NordVPN – 61 countries
- Surfshark – 100 countries
- IPVanish – 52 countries
- VyprVPN – 64 countries
- CyberGhost VPN – 100 countries
Does VPN.ac offer any Specialist Servers?
Yes. They offer double-hop VPN servers which are located around the world including in the US.
There are now over 30 different locations available which is more than most providers.
Some of the more notable ones include US East -> Netherlands, UK -> Romania, Hong Kong -> US West, France -> Canada, Australia -> US West and many others.
Double-hop servers offer an extra layer of protections by sending your internet connection via two differently located servers.
VPN.ac is one of the few VPNs to offer double-hop servers and I found them to actually be pretty useable. I personally don’t make use of them on a daily basis but there are certainly times when I want that added layer of security so I find the extensive options available here are a real bonus.
They also make a virtue of their use of dedicated servers which, while not huge in number, they argue ensures user security and privacy is far better protected. These are used across their network and is definitely something we endorse.
There are also a selection of dedicated P2P servers available too so if you’re still a torrent freak then you’ll find highlighted servers for this use.
Does VPN.ac work in China?
For Chinese users or those travelling there, VPN.ac works well with a whole range of specialised servers accessible providing good speeds.
These are labeled in the VPN.ac client as China Optimized servers and include ones based in nearby Hong Kong.
If you’re looking for a VPN for China, then VPN.ac is one of the stand-out options and in tests by our team and dedicated helpers in Shanghai and Beijing found that it still works extremely well behind the Great Firewall in China.
You’ll find this selection easily labelled so it’s nice and simple to find the servers you need for use in China.
3. Security and Safety
Protocols and Encryption
VPN.ac offers a broad range of protocols including Wireguard, OpenVPN, IKEv2, and L2TP IPSEC.
Using the OpenVPN protocol is the default option and has a few encryption choices including 128-bit, 256-bit, OpenVPN ECC and OpenVPN XOR.
If you’re after increased security then it’s worth using the ECC mode. I found that OpenVPN XOR is useful for users in China and should help disguise the usage of OpenVPN allowing you to bypass the Great Firewall more easily.
It’s also highlighted specifically for this usage on some servers.
If you’re interested in reading up on these lesser offered modes, take a look at this guide.
A 4096-bit RSA key is used for handshaking and while not all VPNs offer this, it’s been available at VPN.ac for many years.
Frankly it is the strongest I have seen from VPN provider and while VPN.ac is no longer unique in their usage of it I think it says something about them that they’ve been utilising it much longer than the competition.
L2TP uses either 256-bit or 128-bit encryption but is dependent on the type of device you’re using.
In addition to these standard protocols, VPN.ac now offers WireGuard protocol too.
Sadly, Wireguard isn’t available directly from within the VPN.ac apps and you’ll need to follow their knowledgebase articles to make use of it. I personally find this a negative and would love them to be integrated into their apps.
A lot of VPNs providers these days (especially the large ones) like to hire out reputable security or auditing companies to back up their no-log claims.
By signing up an independent IT security company to conduct security tests and confirm that their claims are true, VPN.ac could attract a legion of additional subscribers.
However, as a smaller VPN provider this is unlikely. Mostly only the large multi-national VPN providers carry these out and it isn’t without good reason. You would need big pockets to employ the services of an auditing firm.
In our tests, we have no reason to doubt what VPN.ac says about its security features. But it’s up to you whether you are content with what they say and if not having an audit is acceptable given the fact they’re a smaller VPN provider.
VPN.ac haven’t changed their privacy policy much over the years although they were simplified in the middle of 2018 most likely to comply with GDPR. You can find the privacy policy easily on their website.
It hasn’t changed since this date.
On the face of it, they are the same policies and terms of usage they’ve been offering for many years.
While I’m not a qualified lawyer, there is nothing unusual that I could see. VPN.ac will hide your IP Address and not log the websites you visit.
They are a Romania-based VPN service.
Romania is a members of the EU and so subject to the European Data Retention directive. But even though it is an EU country, Romania still has decent local privacy laws and no concerning data retention laws.
However, if you’re thinking of signing up then you’ll want to give them the once over to ensure they’re compatible with your needs.
As I have already noted, VPN.ac does state they retain connection logs but these are only stored for 24 hours and deleted afterwards.
They also claim these are stored in an encrypted form. They don’t, however, log details of what you do while connected.
Where the VPN.ac service stands out is their encryption and policies. They’re one of the most privacy-focused VPNs I’ve seen.
There’s no flashy marketing and no bullshit claims about what the service can and can’t do. In fact, you’ve probably never really heard of them due to the fact they don’t advertise.
The privacy and security features they offer aren’t there for show, they are really beneficial to users.
They even make a point of stressing that they don’t use tracking services like Google Analytics on their website. So, there is no doubt that VPN.ac takes its user privacy and security seriously. You’ll be hard pushed to find many other providers who match this level of thought.
VPN.ac uses both Shared IP Addresses and Custom DNS Server options and its little features like this that enhance the overall security. Having a shared IP address makes it much harder for any site to recognise you as an individual user too.
Another great feature I enjoyed while testing VPN.ac is the kill switch which ensures that if you connection drops for any reason, you real IP address will not be exposed.
There is also DNS leaks protection features. I have run a DNS leak test and an IP leak test and the results of the DNS leak test were impressive. The IP leak test too gave positive results meaning I am confident in VPN.ac’s ability to protect your connection and ensure DNS and IP leak protection.
In addition, there is also a nifty DNS filtering feature to help blocks adverts, malware, and trackers.
4. Apps
Mobile Apps
VPN.ac offers mobile VPN apps for both Android and iOS devices that bring neat design and ease of use.
So whether you’ve got a Samsung, Huawei, Sony, Google Pixel like me or any other Android device or an Apple iPhone or iPad, you’ll be able to make use of their dedicated apps to handle your VPN connection.
I tested the VPN.ac app for Android devices but the iOS app is much the same in terms of both appearance and functionality and both offer excellent ease of use.
You can make connection from the main app window. A link to server selection provides locations broken down into regions.
VPN.ac on my Google Pixel Android phone.
Behind the scenes you’re able to select from VPN.ac’s range of OpenVPN connections, enable and disable port selection from the home screen, enable ‘China Optimized’ modes and select a variety of other connection-based options including the kill switch and split tunneling.
VPN.ac Android app
I appreciate the ‘Exclude apps’ feature which allows split tunneling because you can select certain apps like your banking app to fall outside the VPN connection. I’ve found this useful as my bank can get a little fussy when I’m using overseas connections.
I’m also a big fan of accessing sites like Super 6 overseas but still being able to access local apps without the VPN.
If for example you wanted a social media app to fall outside the VPN connection but everything else to remain inside then this is possible on an app by app basis.
Overall I found that the mobile apps are both functional, easy to use and user friendly. They’re well designed with all the most essential features accessible while retaining advanced options tucked away neatly.
Desktop Apps
VPN.ac’s desktop apps are available for Windows, Mac OS, and (via manual installation, Linux). They’re uniform in appearance across their entire range. If you’ve learnt their mobile apps then their desktop apps will look familiar.
Again, the main window deals with connection and server selection. The layout makes it quick and easy if you want to connect to your favourite VPN server and then forget about it.
VPN.ac on my Windows desktop.
How the desktop apps differ from their mobile counterparts is in added security features. The ‘Advanced’ setting area is feature rich and includes options such as a Kill Switch, IPv6 Leak protection, China-related options and other numerous changeable settings.
The full range of VPN protocols, including OpenVPN XOR protocol is available on the desktop apps as is a greater variety of port options.
However, as I mentioned earlier in the protocol section, sadly Wireguard isn’t able to be accessed from within the app. This is a huge negative as most other providers offer this within their app.
If you’re a beginner and want to use the lastest protocol then setting it up manually will likely be out of your reach.
When I last reviewed VPN.ac they had recent redesigned their kill switch to be more effective. I’ve tested this out over the past year and haven’t had any problems with it.
However, my main concern is it only works with OpenVPN, if you’re using another one of their protocols then you’re out of luck.
Overall the desktop apps work well whether for Windows Mac or Linux and are well thought out. Connection can be made quickly and there’s a whole host of added options hidden away.
Sadly, there are a couple of options that are missing and if these were added the apps would be almost perfect. They’re good as they are but there could be improvements.
As well as offering apps for Windows, Mac and mobile devices, VPN.ac offers a Linux client which requires a manual installation. Full details for this can be found on the website and the installation process is pretty simple to follow if you are familiar with how Linux works already.
There are also manual installation guides online for various different VPN-enabled routers too.
There is also an Amazon Fire TV available in the Amazon app store too. The Amazon Fire TV app which works with the Fire TV, Fire TV Stick and Fire TV Cube is an excellent addition to the service.
I’ve used this with both my older Fire TV Stick and my Fire TV Cube and found it to be straightforward to use and easy to navigate which I find is important using on the big screen.
Even though the Fire TV is wildly popular, it’s still not that common to find a smaller VPN provider that offers a dedicated app, it’s a serious thumbs up for a security-first focused VPN provider.
Top Tip
Compare the Top 5 VPNs for Amazon Fire TV devices.
They were one of the first to market with a dedicated Amazon app and unlike other providers, their interface hasn’t been dogged with navigation issues.
If you’re after unblocking apps or services on your Amazon Fire TV device or you want to protect your Kodi, IPTV or other streaming habits then this will undoubtedly come in useful.
Unfortunately there are no VPN.ac browser extension offer available at the moment.
Browser extension use is generally less preferable than setting up VPN connections through apps so the absence of browser extensions from the VPN.ac offering will not be keenly felt by many users.
I’m not a huge fan of browser extensions personally so it’s not something I miss, but if you require them then you’ll need to look to other providers like ExpressVPN which covers Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Brave & Vivaldi browsers and NordVPN which offers Chrome, Firefox and Edge options.
5. Streaming
A large proportion of VPN users use their VPN to unblock streaming services from different countries and I’m no different, especially when travelling for extended periods wanting to access my favourite home services.
If you’re also some0ne who makes use of these features, to do this you’ll need fast connection speeds, including download and upload speed. These are key. I also helps if the apps are easy to use, quick to connect and there’s a large range of server locations.
VPN.ac ticks all the boxes when it comes to the features that you need to use a VPN successfully with streaming services. But how does it actually perform when streaming specifically?
Does VPN.ac work with Netflix?
Yes, both the US and UK versions of Netflix work with VPN.ac
I tested both with movies that are only available on each respective service and had no trouble streaming. I also didn’t experience any buffering or playback issues which is always a bonus.
US Netflix is accessible from any location that doesn’t have a region specific service accessible with VPN.ac so you can often connect more local to your location and access all the US catalogue.
Does VPN.ac work with BBC iPlayer?
Yes, BBC iPlayer works well with VPN.ac
The first London based server I connected to worked without issue and continuing to rotate through their UK locations caused no issues.
I tested this both from Asia and in the UK and had no trouble streaming.
Does VPN.ac work with Amazon Prime Video?
If you want to watch Amazon Prime video in different countries around the world then VPN.ac isn’t the VPN for you.
When I tested it with Prime I wasn’t able to access the service.
While this isn’t ideal, it’s not uncommon. Most VPN providers struggle to unblock Amazon Prime and those that do can be hit and miss, working sometimes and others, not.
Does VPN.ac work with other streaming services?
VPN.ac does’t market itself as a service to access streaming services, they’re a privacy-first service.
While I had no trouble accessing Netflix and BBC iPlayer, other services were more problematic.
I wasn’t able to watch Disney+ at all, even connecting to their UK server while being in the UK, for example.
They do work with some free streaming services like ITVX in the UK but I imagine this is more good luck than them actively working to unblock those services.
For other subscription services you’re more likely to find them inaccessible. I did have more luck when using their double-hop servers to access some streaming services, but I found these to sometimes be slow as it’s not their intended use.
6. Prices
VPN.ac package have stayed the same for a long time now and price wise they haven’t changed all that much.
I find that quite refreshing because many of the larger providers and always moving the goalposts when it comes to price and introducing ‘discounts’ that sometimes don’t always add up.
There’s none of this fluff at VPN.ac so you know exactly what you’re getting and paying.
This makes their current range of price plan as follows:
- 1-Month: $9 per month (~£7.12)
- 3-Months: $8 per month (~£6.33)
- 1-Year: $4.80 per month (~ £3.79)
- 2-Years: $3.75 per month (~ £2.96)
Top Tip
Get VPN.ac for $3 /mo using code ‘VPNCOMPARE20‘ and this link.
The monthly plan used to be considered quite highly priced but as most VPN service providers these days are pushing more extended subscription periods and it’s not uncommon to see prices in the range of $10-$14.
The $9 plan actually makes VPN.ac’s monthly cost lower than most and means I am happy to classify this as an affordable VPN provider. They’re one of the cheaper providers if you just need a single month.
There are a good range of payment methods too. Payment methods include credit cards, a wide range of cryptocurrencies including
- Bitcoin
- Bitcoin Cash
- Litecoin
- Ethereum
- Dash
- XRP
- And many more
You can also pay for a VPN.ac subscription using Gift Cards, iDEAL, Giropay, and mobile/SMS payments too.
The 2-year package is the best price wise, but it’s always worth considering that smaller VPN providers can and do close down without warning. VPN.ac has been around well over 10 years so while it’s unlikely, it’s still a consideration.
I don’t usually advocate signing up for periods over 1-year because the quality of VPN services can change too.
However, VPN.ac has been consistently one of the top service providers over the years so I can see little reason why signing up to their 2-year package would be risky.
In Comparison:
- ExpressVPN – $6.67 / month (1-year)
- NordVPN – $6.99 / month (1-year)
- Surfshark – $6.49 / month (1-year)
- IPVanish – $4.33 / month (1-year)
- VyprVPN – $5.00 / month (1-year)
- CyberGhost VPN – $2.37 / month (1-year)
Yes, VPN.ac offers a 7-day money back guarantee. With most VPN service providers now offering a 30 day money-back guarantee and over this is somewhat shorter than what else is available.
That said a full week should be enough time for you to make your mind up about the quality of the service and their refund policy works very well in practice. Any problems and VPN.ac offers a decent customer support provision too.
You can also take a 1-week trial for $2 which is hidden away in the FAQ section if you don’t want to risk too much cash in advance.
7. Verdict
After testing VPN.ac consistently over this year I’ve come to the conclusion that they are still one of the better VPN providers.
This provider is not entirely as well known as some of the more prominent VPN services and they put privacy-first rather than flashing advertising.
I was a little disappointed in the speeds achieved this year as they’ve always been one of the faster providers. However, it’s worth remembering this is just a snapshot in time and could have been an anomaly.
The service is great for streaming Netflix and BBC iPlayer but outside of that I found their ability to unblock streaming services a little lacklustre.
What are the drawbacks of VPN.ac?
I am overall happy with the refund policy of VPN.ac even if it is a little shorter than a lot of other rival VPN providers.
The logging policy of VPN.ac is definitely a notable drawback. While they’re completely honest about logging connection data, and it is only retained for 24 hours, the practice is still far from ideal.
Being based in Romania means they can offer decent privacy policies thanks to relaxed local data retention laws, but the fact that any data is retained will put some users off completely.
Sadly, at the time of writing, VPN.ac shows no sign of shifting its position on this issue, instead preferring to question the no logging IP addresses and data claims of other VPN providers.
Other services claim to log nothing and while this may be true, there have been plenty of occasions where providers have been caught out lying.
It’s a toss-up between VPN.ac’s honestly about minor logs versus services that are often unproven “no-logs” services.
I miss Wireguard being integrated into their apps but they assure me that this will come in the future. If it’s something you need now, you’ll either need to manually set it up or look elsewhere.
What are the best points of VPN.ac?
In my review, we found that VPN.ac’s apps are available for all major devices and work well.
You get six simultaneous connections too, which goes up to twelve if you make six connections on the OpenVPN protocol and the other six on WireGuard.
There’s a good selection of servers although this is smaller than many other providers and if you’re in certain countries or regions you’ll need to check that they offer server support nearby. It’s again one of the only minor negatives of the service.
Overall privacy and security provisions are excellent with some great bonus features like double-hop servers and a kill switch available too. Their China optimised servers are a real bonus too.
To conclude our VPN.ac review, I would say that this is a service we wouldn’t hesitate to recommend for the most part.
If you can live with minor logs and a lesser but still substantial server location selection then there is very little else to fault this service on.
They’ve been one of my favourite providers over the years and although there are a handful of minor negatives, much of this is outweighed by the professionalism of the team behind the service and their dedication to offering a privacy-first VPN.
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