VPN.ac may not be a household name in the VPN industry, but it competes with larger premium services in terms of features, convenience, and performance.
VPN.ac is run by Netsec Interactive Solutions, a Romanian IT security firm that specializes in data protection software. The VPN.ac team is made up of online security professionals that have worked in military organizations, banks, and public and commercial IT security in the past.
Encryption and customer happiness are two of VPN.ac’s main priorities. It argues on its website that having a smaller number of loyal clients and keeping them satisfied is preferable to a broad marketing strategy. Its business concept is to constantly improve the speed, security, and dependability of its VPN service.
In this VPN.ac review, we’ll see if VPN.ac delivers on its promises.
VPN.ac Review
Security is a crucial aspect of any VPN service. VPN.ac is a service that utilizes advanced encryption technology. OpenVPN, L2TP/IKEv2 (IPsec), PPTP, TLS, and WireGuard are all supported. You can also use SecureProxy, which is a browser add-on that allows you to split-tunnel your traffic and encrypt data.
VPN.ac operates admirably in terms of privacy. It’s in Romania, and because Romania isn’t a member of the 14 Eyes coalition, your information is unlikely to fall into the hands of foreign authorities. The service has a no-logs policy, yet when in session, connection logs are preserved (though they are automatically erased right after).
VPN.ac offers Double-Hop and China-optimized servers, despite its tiny server network. It also provides clients for Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android, as well as other major operating systems. Its software is simple to set up and looks beautiful.
The connection remains fast and stable during normal use, allowing us to browse and stream without interruption. Although there is no live chat option, customer care is helpful and quick to answer.
Specifications:
- Price: From $3.75 a month
- Operating systems: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux
- Simultaneous connections: 12
- Torrent: Torrenting allowed
- Netflix: Works with Netflix
- Protocols: OpenVPN, IKEv2, Wireguard, L2TP/IPsec, PPTP
- Payment methods: Paypal, Credit card, Cryptocurrency
- Money-back guarantee: Yes
Speed – How Fast is VPN.ac?
It’s critical to have a fast VPN provider, especially whether you’re watching, downloading, or gaming. Thankfully, all VPN.ac servers are connected to gigabit ports, and transfer speeds are unrestricted. The company also claims to be continually increasing its broadband capacity.
We tested the provider’s capabilities for this VPN.ac review by running a routine speed test on its servers and then manually testing the speed.
Here’s what we discovered:
- Good upload and download speeds, almost as fast as our regular connection.
- When it comes to browsing, streaming, and watching YouTube videos, there are no complications.
- It is possible to play games and download torrents.
- Netflix is functional, but unblocking stuff is difficult.
Safety – How Secure is VPN.ac?
A virtual private network (VPN) is a secure internet connection that hides your real IP address. One of the most common reasons individuals use a VPN is for this reason. As a result, we evaluate a VPN’s protocols, logging policy, and privacy precautions when it comes to security.
The following security characteristics are particularly noteworthy:
- VPN.ac uses the OpenVPN protocol, L2TP/IKEv2 (IPsec), PPTP, TLS, and WireGuard (in beta) protocols. This is in part because Romania considers data retention to be unlawful.
- For troubleshooting purposes, the provider saves temporary connection logs, which are automatically deleted when you disconnect.
- The kill switch must be manually engaged.
- It is possible to create an account without revealing your identity.
Logging and Privacy
“We don’t give/transfer any personal data to any 3rd parties unless obliged by law,” VPNac states in its privacy statement, which was last updated in 2018. Because data retention was declared unconstitutional by the Romanian Constitutional Court in 2014, your personal information is unlikely to be compromised.
We discovered that VPN.ac stored connection logs, as well as timestamps and data, in our prior evaluation. VPN.ac, on the other hand, altered its policy in 2021.
VPN.ac now says that it does not monitor any VPN traffic and does not maintain any logs, including standard Linux daemon logs. Connection logs are preserved for troubleshooting purposes while a session is active, but they are immediately destroyed after the session is terminated.
VPN.ac presumably keeps track of bandwidth usage as well, though they don’t say how or what constitutes excessive usage. This is because “excessive/abusive bandwidth utilization that may result in service disruption is not allowed,” according to its Terms of Service. To establish what is excessive, the provider will most likely need to know how much bandwidth an account consumes.
The firm also declares unequivocally that it does not employ any third-party statistic tracking software, such as Google Analytics. While VPN.ac is not a true no-logs service in the strictest sense, it is at least open about its policy.
Kill Switch
A kill switch is available on VPN.ac. This function will stop all internet traffic, preventing DNS leaks, if the VPN.ac connection drops unexpectedly.
Unfortunately, you must manually engage the kill switch. To do so, go to the dashboard’s “Advanced” tab and move the kill switch bar (which is only visible if you’re using the OpenVPN protocol). Activating the kill switch caused some connectivity troubles at first, however, this was rectified after resuming the VPN.
What Information Does VPN.ac Need?
We investigated what information VPN.ac requires when you create an account. Here’s what it boils down to:
- An email address is required to access the Client Area and will be used for correspondence such as payment confirmations, payment reminders, and support questions.
- Your credit card information will be used for service orders, renewals, cancellations, and fraud prevention.
If you could utilize VPNac without giving out your email address, it would be better for your anonymity. Of course, another option is to create a separate email address for VPNac alone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Watch Netflix With VPN.ac?
We attempted to gain access to the Netflix USA library using VPN.ac. We were able to access the site, but only the ‘original’ collection, not any of the exclusives from the United States.
How Much Does VPN.ac Cost?
VPN.ac has four different plans, with all of them having the same features: A 1-month plan for $9.00, a three-month plan for $24.00 ($8.00 a month), a one-year plan for $58.00 ($4.80 a month), a two-year plan for $90.00 ($3.75 a month).
Does VPN.ac Keep Logs?
Theoretically, No VPN.ac doesn’t keep logs.
Is VPN.ac Secure?
OpenVPN and AES-256 are among the protocol and encryption options available with VPN.AC. This combo is quite safe and performs well.
Our Experience with VPN.AC
VPN.ac is a more compact VPN service. With its excellent features and fast speeds, it’s not a company to disregard while looking for a VPN.
VPN.ac’s tiny size allows it to concentrate on its consumers. Although it is not the most affordable option, the program is simple to install. Furthermore, it has recently updated its logging policy to further protect the privacy of its clients.
