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Our Verdict
Avira's free VPN is one of our top free VPNs. It's a simple VPN that uses the OpenVPN protocol, AES-256 encryption, and doesn't store user web logs. It can access US Netflix on mobile but monthly data is limited to just 1GB.
Overall Rating: 5.6/10
Avira’s free VPN service promises to turn you into an “online phantom,” but is this really possible when you’re not paying a dime for it?
Many free VPNs can actually put your privacy at risk, so we had to put the free version of Avira Phantom VPN to the test. In this review, you’ll find out all there is to know about this VPN including: how safe it is, if it keeps logs and if it works with Netflix.
Don’t forget, Avira also operates a better-performing paid VPN service. You can read our review of Avira Phantom VPN Pro here.
Before fully diving into this Avira free VPN review, here’s a summary of this VPN’s benefits and drawbacks.
Avira Phantom Free VPN Pros & Cons
Pros
ConsAvira Phantom Free VPN Key Data
| Data Cap | Speed | Logging Policy | Data Leaks | Jurisdiction | Servers | IP Addresses | Countries | US Netflix | Torrenting | Works in China | Support | Cheapest Price | Official Website | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premium | Free | |||||||||||||
| None | 1GB | |||||||||||||
| 73Mbps | 51Mbps | |||||||||||||
| Anonymous Server Usage Data | Anonymous Server Usage Data | |||||||||||||
| No | No | |||||||||||||
| Germany (14-Eyes Member) | Germany (14-Eyes Member) | |||||||||||||
| 52+ | 52+ | |||||||||||||
| 52+ | 52+ | |||||||||||||
| 38 | 38 | |||||||||||||
| No | No | |||||||||||||
| Restricted | Restricted | |||||||||||||
| No | No | |||||||||||||
| 24/7 Live Chat | Online Resources Only | |||||||||||||
| $6.50/mo over 12 months | N/A | |||||||||||||
| Avira.com | ||||||||||||||
Avira Phantom VPN Free Category Ratings
We test and review every VPN in eight key areas. Here’s how Avira Phantom VPN Free performs in each category:
- Privacy & Logging Policy: 9.0/10
- Encryption & Security: 7.2/10
- Speed & Reliability: 5.8/10
- Streaming & Torrenting: 3.8/10
- Bypassing Censorship: 2.5/10
- Ease of Use: 7.5/10
- Customer Support: 1.7/10
To learn more about our methodology, read our full VPN testing process.
Who is Avira Phantom Free VPN?
Logging Policy
Privacy & Logging Policy Rating: 9.0/10
Avira launched Avira Phantom VPN in 2016, but the company itself has been around since 2006.
Even before then, Avira’s antivirus software was developed back in 1986 by its predecessor, H+BEDV Datentechnik GmbH, so the company has been around for a long time.
Avira currently has its headquarters “by the shores of Lake Constance” in Tettnang, Germany, but it also has offices in China, the Netherlands, Romania, and the US.
Normally we’d advise steering clear of VPN services based in Germany. It’s part of the 14 Eyes data-sharing alliance, and is also subject to EU data retention laws.
Avira’s minimal logging policy means its jurisdiction isn’t an issue, though.
Even better, Avira states in its privacy policy that although it will comply with data requests from public authorities, it can’t hand over personally-identifiable data as it doesn’t collect any.
Logging Policy
We were a little disappointed at how difficult it was to find Avira Phantom’s privacy policy on its website. We eventually located it after a long period of trial and error.
We discovered that Avira VPN only logs a very minimal amount of anonymous connection metadata.
The only information Avira Phantom Free collects is:
- Total amount of bandwidth consumed while connected
- Amount of time a user spends online
- Whether a user’s account is Free or Premium
We really like that Avira Phantom Free doesn’t log or monitor any websites you visit, your true IP address, or the VPN server location you connect to.
In other words, Avira has no way of tracing your online activity back to you.
There is an optional setting which sends your diagnostic data back to Avira to help with product improvements, however, you can switch this off at any time within the VPN app.
Same-country speed loss of 47%
Speed Performance
Speed & Reliability Rating: 5.8/10
Avira Phantom is by no means the quickest free VPN we’ve seen.
Connecting to the ‘Nearest location’ server option gave us speeds of just over 50Mbps (on a 100Mbps test line).
Local Speed Test Results
Before using Avira Phantom Free VPN:
- Download96.63Mbps
- Upload97.93Mbps
- Ping2ms
When connected to Avira Phantom Free VPN:
- Download51.03Mbps
- Upload72.87Mbps
- Ping19ms
Download speed without Avira Phantom Free VPN: 96.63Mbps
Download speed with Avira Phantom Free VPN: 51.03Mbps
Our download speed loss when Avira Phantom Free VPN is running: 47%
A speed percentage loss of 47% may seem a lot, but as far as free VPNs go, it’s not too bad. Avira’s upload speeds were very quick, too, at over 70Mbps.
Avira’s latency isn’t the lowest we’ve seen at just under 20ms, but unless you’re a serious gamer this shouldn’t affect you too much.
Overall, Avira Phantom’s speeds are satisfactory enough for the everyday user. See our review
Lots of server available on mobile but not on desktop
Server Locations
Avira used to offer as many locations on its free version as it did on its paid version, before removing choice of servers for free users altogether.
However, our recent testing has found that Avira has reverted that decision on mobile. Free iOS and Android users once again have access to the full array of Avira servers – that’s a choice of 38 countries and 52 cities.
While there are premium VPNs which offer a far greater number, this is a terrific choice for a free VPN.
For Windows or MacOS users, though, you can only connect to the nearest server.
Won’t work for streaming, rules unclear on torrenting
Streaming & Torrenting
Streaming & Torrenting Rating: 3.8/10
The free version of Avira Phantom isn’t brilliant for streaming, however we were able to access US Netflix.
We consider that to be the most important streaming library. That does appear to be the limit of its abilities, though, as it wouldn’t work with the Germany, Japan, or France libraries.
This only works on mobile, though, as on Windows and MacOS it isn’t possible to select the US server.
Torrenting
There are no clear rules on torrenting with Avira Phantom, and there’s actually no mention of it on the website.
From what we can see, it looks like P2P activity is permitted on some of Avira’s servers, but it depends on the laws of the country in which the server is located.
For a better torrenting experience, take a look at our list of the best free VPNs for torrenting. Or, read our Windscribe review, our favorite free P2P VPN.
Not a good VPN service for China
Bypassing Censorship
Bypassing Censorship Rating: 2.8/10
The free version of Avira Phantom is not a good VPN service for users in China, and it looks like that has unfortunately been the case for quite some time now.
One user took to Avira’s customer forums to let others know that they’d tested Avira Phantom with various ISPs such as China Mobile and China Unicom, and the VPN wouldn’t work while connected to any of them.
This is most likely due to the fact that Avira uses OpenVPN, which is very easily detected and blocked by government censors, and it has no additional obfuscation tools to hide your VPN connection in any way.
Take a look at our Best VPN Services for China for a comprehensive overview if you’re planning on connecting out from that country.
Works with most devices but not routers
Platforms & Devices
Apps
![Windows Logo]()
Windows ![Mac Logo]()
Mac ![iOS Logo]()
iOS ![Android Logo]()
Android
There are free Avira Phantom VPN apps for most popular devices, including:
- Microsoft Windows
- MacOS
- iOS
- Android
Sadly, it isn’t possible to install Avira Phantom at router level, so you the only way to use it is to individually download and install it onto all of the devices you wish to protect.
The good news is that you can use Avira Phantom on as many devices as you want at the same time. Remember, however, that these all use data from the same stingy allowance of just 1GB per month, so be careful.
Games Consoles & Streaming Devices
Due to its lack of router compatibility, the only way to use Avira’s free VPN on games consoles and streaming devices is by sharing the VPN connection with another device running the Avira app, such as a laptop or smartphone.
Browser Extensions
![Chrome Logo]()
Chrome
Avira Phantom currently provides a free browser extension for Google Chrome users.
It’s really easy to install and add this to your browser, and it works in exactly the same way as the desktop and mobile apps.
Unlike the proxy extensions most VPN services offer, Avira Phantom provides a VPN extension, which encrypts all your browser traffic.
Offers a basic level of security with no kill switch
Encryption & Security
| Protocols |
|
|---|---|
| Encryption |
|
| Security |
|
| Advanced features |
Encryption & Security Rating: 7.2/10
Avira Phantom does the bare minimum to ensure your online safety while you’re connected to the VPN service. It uses top-class encryption (AES-256) and the most secure VPN protocol (OpenVPN), but there are no advanced settings at all.
As a bare minimum we’d expect to see a VPN kill switch, but Avira Phantom Free doesn’t even provide one of these. This means that if the VPN connection were to drop without you noticing, your true physical location could be exposed.
One very good feature of Avira Phantom Free is that it operates its own VPN servers, and there’s also built-in protection against DNS leaks, which we found to be 100% effective in our latest tests.
The results we saw while connected to Avira Phantom’s free UK server
If you’re looking for loads of configurable settings to fiddle with, Avira Phantom isn’t for you, but it does a decent job at protecting you online – we really would insist on seeing a kill switch in the future, though. iOS users should also note that the iPhone and iPad app uses IKEv2 rather than OpenVPN.
Simple apps lack advanced features
Ease of Use
How to Install & Set Up Avira Phantom Free VPN
![Screenshot of the download button for the Windows app on Avira Phantom's website]()
Download the relevant software from Avira’s website.
![Screenshot of the installation wizard for Avira Phantom Free's Windows app download]()
Follow the simple installation prompts and accept the terms and conditions.
![Screenshot of the completed Avira Phantom Free Windows install]()
Once the installation is complete click ‘Open Avira’.
![Screenshot of the data cap from the Avira Phantom Free app]()
When you open the app for the first time you’ll have 500MB to use each month. If you want to double the monthly data cap, click ‘Register’ in the top right and fill in some basic personal details.
![Screenshot of what the Avira Phantom Free Windows app looks like when you're connected]()
The main screen turns green when successfully connected and clearly shows how much data you’ve used.
![Screenshot of the server locations list in Avira Phantom's free VPN app]()
You can only connect to your nearest location, all other servers are clearly labeled 'Pro'
![Screenshot of Avira Phantom Free's settings page in its Windows app]()
The minimal settings menu is located behind the cog symbol in the top right. Unfortunately, the VPN kill switch function is blocked as it’s reserved for paying customers.
Ease of Use Rating: 7.5/10
Avira Phantom’s free VPN apps couldn’t really be any easier to use, regardless of whether you’re on mobile or desktop. Avira’s home screen is limited to an on/off button, your VPN server location, and the amount of data you’ve consumed so far.
You can view Avira Phantom’s full list of VPN server locations by clicking on ‘Nearest location’, but they are all labeled as ‘Pro’ and you won’t be able to connect to them. Clicking the ‘On’ button will connect you to Avira’s closest free VPN server.
Avira’s settings are behind the cog icon in the top right-hand corner. These are very minimal, though, and are pretty much limited to whether or not you consent to sending your diagnostic data to Avira.
Avira Phantom is a great free VPN solution if you’re just looking to click-and-forget, but it’s not a good choice for those who want a ton of configurable settings.
No personalized support for free users
Customer Support
| Online Resources | Yes |
|---|
Customer Support Rating: 1.7/10
Avira Phantom’s free users are currently unable to access any personalized customer support. This means users with free VPN accounts can’t email or call Avira support agents unless they upgrade to premium subscriptions, which we unfortunately see all too often from free VPN services.
Avira Free users are only able to access the FAQs and ‘Educational Videos’ on the website – thankfully, these are fairly comprehensive and should cover most problems.
You’re also able to view questions and answers on the user forums, although these aren’t updated very frequently.
