AirVPN Review
People have numerous uses for the internet, but there is a common concern that everyone should have, no matter what: their privacy and security. Many websites integrate security and encryption into their web experience, but that doesn’t always hold—and even if it does, plenty of other risks exist that can put your privacy in danger.
Accessing the web while using a virtual private network (VPN) client can help keep these risks at way. A good VPN will help keep your web connections safe and private by making it appear as if your computer is connecting through a different IP address other than your own and incorporating security protocols. Aside from safety, a VPN can also help you access region-locked content.
Air VPN is one such service that can help keep your network connection safe. This Italian based company offers the essential services that you can expect from a VPN, but is it worth your money? Find out in our comprehensive Air VPN review!
What Does Air VPN Have to Offer?
As with other virtual private networks, Air VPN will allow you to access the internet through their system, adding additional safety encryption while also making your computer appear that it’s using an alternate IP address. However, it takes more than that to make an excellent VPN, so let’s break it down.
Getting Started
The entirety of using any program or client should be smooth for top-notch user experience, and that includes the installation process. Once you download Air VPN, you’ll be able to start the install, though take note—the actual client’s name is “Eddie,” so you’ll need to search for that, rather than “Air VPN” to get started.
Once you start up the installer, you’ll be able to input your device’s specs and begin the installation. You even have the option to save the .exe file as a portable .zip if you need to do so. When installing, the process is quick, and you’re ready to start using the VPN client as you like.
Logging and Privacy
As mentioned, anonymity is often the reason why someone will seek out a VPN, but achieving true privacy can be harder than it needs to be. While virtual private networks can protect you from outside sources reading your data, they can still create a security issue by tracking or logging your activity, leaving you vulnerable.
One of the most significant benefits of Air VPN is that it doesn’t log any of your information whatsoever, be it your contact info or your browsing history. Their complete privacy policy does indicate that you can provide your email information for support, but it’s an optional process. Otherwise, Air VPN won’t track any of your activity or information at all.
This policy is also excellent since the company is located in Italy, which is part of the 14 Eyes alliance. If you’re not familiar, this alliance exists between fourteen different countries, which share information between their governments. Since Air VPN doesn’t gather any information, there’s no risk of your data becoming accessible to this risk.
Device Compatibility
Like any other program, VPNs can have variations in which devices they function on. When it comes to Air VPN, you’ll have a harder time seeing which devices it doesn’t work on, as it has an impressive amount on its side. Air VPN is compatible with:
- Windows, Linux, and Mac computers
- Android, iOS, and Chrome OS devices
- Multiple routers
- SSH and SSL tunnel
- TOR anonymous browser
One of the biggest highlights of this list is the VPN’s compatibility with routers. Through this ability, you’ll be able to protect all devices that connect to that router, including others that Air VPN cannot work directly on, such as streaming devices and gaming systems.
It’s also excellent that Air VPN allows the use of the TOR anonymous browser, as many other virtual private networks don’t. Overall, this variety will enable you to get excellent mileage out of the five device connections per license.
Security
On the security front, Air VPN knows what it’s doing. This service makes use of the industry standard OpenVPN protocol, which allows for it to stay on the top of the best technology around. Air VPN also makes use of advanced encryption types, such as AES encryption, which is just one of the choices you have to ensure your anonymity online.
The VPN itself is also overall leak-proof, so it can stand up to any threats you may potentially face.
Payment
When it comes to paying for your Air VPN license, you have a multitude of options available to you. As you’d expect, major credit cards and PayPal are part of the accepted payment list, so you can fall back on those trusted and secure options if you like.
Cryptocurrency users can also help further ensure their anonymity by using Bitcoin and other options to pay for their VPN license. Air VPN regularly updates its list of popular cryptocurrencies to include others as well, widening its variety of payment options.
Using the VPN
Starting up the VPN gives you immediate access to the server of your choice. It’s incredibly straightforward to tell which servers are working the best at any time, so you can connect to one without a lot of heavy traffic to slow you down. If you want, you can also organize the servers by other criteria, such as location.
You can tell your status right at the top of the client, and Air VPN will let you know whenever you’ve logged in successfully and when you’ve connected to a server. On the sidebar, you can easily see options for the different countries in the network, the speed of your connection, and other helpful information if you want to access it.
It may not be the prettiest VPN design out there, but the overall layout isn’t confusing at all and makes it very straightforward to find what you need to use it.
Speed
No matter VPN you decide to use, you will see a change in your speed, and unfortunately in the downward direction. After all, the VPN client needs to reroute your data, which will slow down your connection. When selecting a VPN, then, the question then becomes a matter of how much the client will slow down your speed.
With Air VPN, the speed of your connection will vary between servers. Some are slower than others, but overall you shouldn’t have an issue finding one that will allow you to connect to the internet without frustration. If you see that one connection is too slow, the use of the sort by speed feature will help you continue your browsing at a reasonable pace.
Simultaneous Use of Devices
Whenever you pay for a VPN, you want to get your money’s worth out of it. One of the best ways to know that you’re receiving value is in the number of devices you’re allowed to connect on one license.
With Air VPN, that number of devices is five. This amount gives you plenty of leeway for your various devices without having to pick and choose which ones you’ll leave open to risk. Five is the industry standard, so Air VPN is right where it needs to be.
Servers and Locations
Air VPN’s server network involves 222 servers located across twenty countries around the world. No matter how you look at it, that’s a smaller number, especially when compared to other VPN networks out there that have thousands of servers on their side to help ensure you can always find a reliable connection in the region you wish.
This aspect is one of the most unfortunate parts about Air VPN, as it has many other things going for it. The service has been working on expanding their network, and they have boosted their numbers, but there are still different VPNs that far outclass them in this regard.
Network Lock
Most VPNs have a “kill switch” feature, which will cut off your connection if it detects that your device is under threat. Air VPN has a similar feature that it refers to as a “network lock,” which will provide you with the same effect. Anything that helps to boost your security while online is an excellent thing to have.
Netflix Use
Netflix has a multitude of content available, and some of it happens to be behind geo-locks. Since VPNs can allow you to appear as if your connection is coming from a different part of the globe, it is possible to get around these blocks. However, Netflix is aware of this way to access its content, and it has started to crack down on VPNs in the recent past.
Even with these efforts, some VPN services can allow you to access Netflix content—and Air VPN is one of them. Not all of its servers will always work with Netflix, but it does make it possible. The Air VPN forums regularly update with information on which servers can connect to Netflix for streaming, which makes the process even smoother.
Torrenting
Torrenting is another aspect where VPNs can be useful, as it’s a potential risk to open up your computer to a P2P connection. Additionally, your IP address can see the transfer of large files and limit your bandwidth as a result. To help you get around these challenges, Air VPN does allow torrenting on all servers.
Customer Support
Customer service is another place where Air VPN falls short. To start with, you only have one option when it comes to how you contact the support team for assistance: a contact form. That’s right; there’s no live chat or email support. Instead, you must fill out the support ticket for help. This approach can be a minor setback, but it doesn’t have to dismiss a support team completely.
Unfortunately, there are still issues within the contact form setup. First, not all messages always get through to the team. You can tell because you’ll receive a confirmation email of your submission ticket once you fill out the form, but it’s still Air VPN’s responsibility to take any bugs out of their system to help serve customers.
Even when you do get your request through, the support team isn’t the most helpful. The members can send dismissive responses to tell you where to check on the site for your answer, instead of providing you with the information you’ve asked to know. Yes, they do have a lot of information in their FAQs, but that doesn’t mean the support team shouldn’t help.
Pros and Cons at a Glance
Pros:
- Allows up to five devices per license
- Doesn’t log any user activity
- Virus and leak free
- Allows torrenting
- Straightforward user experience
- Quick and easy installation
Cons:
- Overall poor customer support
- One subscription option
- Has only about 220 available servers
How It Compares
With so many different VPNs available, it can be tricky to tell just how any service compares against the others. When it comes down to the lack of user activity logging, ease of installation and use, and its emphasis on security, Air VPN matches up with some of the bare minimum effects that you should expect from any virtual private network.
In other areas, Air VPN has some bonuses. The use of five different devices at once matches up to the industry standard, so you’ll see that across many other VPNs. However, not all services will allow for client compatibility with routers, so that’s an excellent feature to have on your side. The torrenting and Netflix streaming capability are also capabilities that not all VPNs have.
However, Air VPN is significantly lagging behind other VPNs due to its small server network, with top VPN providers having over a thousand servers on its side. Many different VPNs also have different plans to accommodate users’ needs.
The place where Air VPN falls the most behind is in its customer service. Not only is there only one way to contact the support team, but your submission tickets also don’t always get through. Even when they do, the team’s unwillingness to provide answers to questions sets Air VPN back, especially in comparison to other top VPN services.
Pricing
While it’s not a consistent effect, many VPNs out there do provide multiple pricing tiers so you can match what you pay for to your needs. Air VPN doesn’t give that option, instead only letting you select how long you want to subscribe to their Premium plan. While it’s rather nice that no matter what one you have it will have the same features, it’s nice to see some flexibility.
The default prices on the Air VPN website are in pounds, but you can toggle them to see their value in USD. If you only want to use the service for a few days, you can pay the cost of one pound (about $1.32) for a three-day access pass. From there, you can then choose to subscribe per month, with different lengths available.
- One month for seven pounds/$9.27
- Three months for fifteen pounds/$19.86
- Six months for thirty pounds/$39.72
- One year for fifty-four pounds/$71.49
- Two years for eighty-four pounds/$111.21
These prices are about the average that you can expect for a VPN network, and you’ll even find comparable costs when you choose a VPN with a broader server pool, better customer service, and otherwise similar features.
What We Think
On the surface, we think that Air VPN has a lot to offer. They employ up to date security protocol, additional protection through their network lock, plus they don’t log user activity. We also like the simplicity of using the application, and that it allows you to easily see which servers are performing the best at any given time.
The unlimited torrenting is also an excellent ability for users, as is the reliable network of users that can report on which servers to use at any given time for Netflix streaming. With the flexibility of activity on its system, users have plenty of opportunities to get a lot of use out of this VPN.
Unfortunately, the lower number of servers, the one subscription option, and the poor customer service cut down on the rating we can give to Air VPN. Yes, they’ve been working to improve the range of their servers, but it ultimately runs the risk of not having enough bandwidth to support their user base. But for us, it’s the lack of reliable customer service that sets this VPN back.
Our Air VPN review admits this virtual private network has a lot going for it—and it even has the potential to improve in the future. For now, though, its drawbacks hold it back. If you want to use it, it can serve you well, but there are other VPNs with the same benefits that can give you the customer service you should expect when you pay for the use of a client.
Our Final Score: 2.5/5.0
Deals
To wrap up out Air VPN review, you won’t often find any sales or exclusive offers on their service. The most you can get in terms of deals is to subscribe for a longer license term. The best deal is the two-year term, which cuts the monthly cost from around $9.27 down to $4.63, which is entirely in half.