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Privacy & Logging Policy
Is Avira VPN safe?
Data Type | Logged by Avira Phantom VPN |
---|---|
Browsing Activity | No |
Device Information | Yes |
DNS Queries | No |
Individual Bandwidth Usage | Yes |
Individual Connection Timestamps | No |
ISP | No |
Number of Simultaneous Connections | No |
Originating IP Address | Yes |
Account Information | No |
VPN Server IP | No |
VPN Server Location | No |
Date of Last Connection | No |
Avira VPN logs your IP address, the amount of bandwidth you use, and details about your device.
None of this is necessary to maintain a VPN service and we advise against using Avira Phantom if you want to protect your online privacy.
Who Is Behind Avira?
Avira was founded in 2006, but its anti-virus software was developed back in 1986 by its predecessor, H+BEDV Datentechnik GmbH. Avira launched Avira Phantom VPN in 2016.
It isn’t the only security software company to create a VPN product: McAfee, Kaspersky VPN and other antivirus services have launched their own VPNs.
Avira’s headquarters are located in Tettnang, Germany. It also has offices in China, the Netherlands, Romania, and the US.
Germany isn’t the ideal jurisdiction for a VPN service. It falls under EU data retention laws and is also part of the 14 Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance. However, Avira Phantom’s very minimal logging policy means this isn’t too much of a concern.
Avira also states in its privacy policy that it will comply with data requests from public authorities, but it can’t hand over any personally-identifiable information as it doesn’t store any.
In December 2020 NortonLifeLock, which operates Norton VPN, acquired Avira.
Speed
Fast Local Connections
We tested Avira Phantom VPN’s speeds on servers in six continents, assessing impact that the VPN has on our 100Mbps internet connection. Here are the full results:
As you can see, Avira Phantom is fast on local connections, but it’s long-distances speeds are slower than we reasonably expect.
For example, we lost 49% of our normal speed connecting to Australia. ExpressVPN, on the other hand, only lost 17% on on the same distance.
To put these speed results in more context, you can use the bar chart below to compare Avira’s average local and international speeds with some of the best VPNs on the market, like ExpressVPN and Hotspot Shield:
Good Ping Score
Avira VPN’s latency was surprisingly low, making it a solid choice for keen gamers — we recorded a 6ms latency connecting to a local New York server. Fast same-country upload speeds mean it’s not too bad for torrenting either.
Avira isn’t the fastest VPN we’ve tested, but it’s speeds are the most reliable VPN service we’ve seen — we still experienced very few connection drops and speeds did vary more between tests.
Server Locations
49 city locations over 36 countries
Avira VPN has a mid-sized server network covering 36 countries.
We were unable to find out exactly how many individual servers and IP addresses Avira maintains. We asked Avira for more information, but they refused to disclose any specific details. This likely means the overall number of servers and IP addresses is small, which can lead to slower speeds at busy times.
Avira VPN’s server coverage is best in Europe, which accounts for 24 of its total locations. There’s four server locations in Asia (Hong Kong, Japan, and Singapore), but only one in South America (Chile), and none at all in Africa.
The only two countries with city-level choice are Australia (Melbourne and Sydney) and the US. US-based users can choose from Avira Phantom servers in 12 different cities, including:
- Atlanta
- Chicago
- Dallas
- Las Vegas
- Los Angeles
- Miami
- New York City
- Newark
- Phoenix
- San Francisco
- Seattle
- Washington DC
12 US cities is impressive considering Avira’s small server network. However, we would have traded this to see Avira Phantom Pro serve a wider range of countries.
Streaming
Avira works with US Netflix on mobile only
If you’re looking for quick, one-click access to major streaming services, Avira Phantom isn’t the right VPN for you.
The VPN service seems to only be capable of streaming the US Netflix library, and then only from iOS and Android devices (this works in the free mobile apps too). It’s a big one, and we’re glad that it can at least do that, but we want to see more.
Unfortunately Avira’s sole UK VPN server has never unblocked BBC iPlayer, either.
Torrenting
Supports P2P traffic
Avira Phantom VPN Pro is a decent choice for torrenting and P2P file sharing.
While Avira’s website confirms that its VPN can be used for torrenting, there’s no additional information about this.
Nevertheless, Avira’s minimal logging policy, decent same-country speeds, and its VPN kill switch are good features for anonymous P2P activity.

Avira VPN supports P2P traffic on all of its servers.
Avira has done well in our torrenting benchmark tests, too, but it isn’t the fastest available. For a faster and more secure file-sharing experience, use one of these VPNs for torrenting, instead.
Avira Free on the other hand is by far the fastest free VPN we’ve tested for torrenting, although its 500MB data cap will hold you back significantly.
Bypassing Web Censorship
Won’t work in China or Turkey
Avira Phantom VPN doesn’t work to bypass censorship in China and most other highly-censored countries.
We also can’t recommend Avira Phantom for use in Turkey, Russia, the UAE or Iran.
The service doesn’t have any obfuscation tools to hide your VPN connection. Also, the apps use the OpenVPN protocol, which is very easy for censors to detect and block.
Security & Technical Features
Secure VPN but lacks advanced settings
Protocols | Available in Avira Phantom VPN |
---|---|
IKEv2/IPSec | Yes |
OpenVPN (TCP/UDP) | Yes |
SSL VPN | Yes |
TLS VPN | Yes |
WireGuard | No |
Encryption | Available in Avira Phantom VPN |
---|---|
AES-128 | No |
AES-192 | No |
AES-256 | Yes |
Blowfish | No |
ChaCha20 | No |
Security | Available in Avira Phantom VPN |
---|---|
DNS Leak Blocking | Yes |
First-party DNS | Yes |
IPv6 Leak Blocking | No |
Supports TCP Port 443 | No |
VPN Kill Switch | Yes |
WebRTC Leak Blocking | No |
Advanced Features | Available in Avira Phantom VPN |
---|---|
Ad Blocker | No |
Dedicated IP | No |
Double VPN | No |
Smart DNS | No |
Static IP | No |
SOCKS | No |
Split Tunneling | No |
Tor over VPN Server | No |
Tracker Blocker | No |
Although Avira Phantom doesn’t have as many advanced privacy settings as other top-tier services, it will keep you safe online.
All the native VPN software runs on OpenVPN, the most secure connection protocol, apart from the iOS app, which uses IKEv2. Encryption is ensured via the ‘unhackable’ cipher AES-256.
The VPN kill switch is a very useful feature, as it protects your IP address in the event of a sudden VPN connection drop.
The VPN service also operates its own DNS servers rather than renting them from third parties, and protects you against DNS leaks, too.

Results from browserleaks.com when connected to one of Avira’s US servers
If you still want more advanced settings to play with, head over to our IPVanish VPN review.
Device & OS Compatibility
Works with major platforms, but not routers
Apps
Windows
Mac
iOS
Android
Avira Phantom provides the usual range of custom VPN apps for various devices, including Windows, macOS, iOS and Android.
Unlike many other VPN services, Avira isn’t compatible with any routers, meaning you have to download the VPN software onto each of your devices.
At least, Avira allows you to use the VPN on an unlimited number of devices at the same time.
No Firestick App and No Smart DNS
Avira VPN doesn’t offer any dedicated app for Fire TV devices.
It also doesn’t have a Smart DNS solution. Combined with the lack of router support, this means you can’t easily use Avira VPN on devices that don’t support native VPN apps.
If you want a VPN service for Apple TV or a VPN for gaming, there are far better choices out there than Avira Phantom. See our review of Surfshark for example, a VPN with a great Smart DNS tool.
Browser Extensions
Chrome
Avira Phantom has recently introduced a browser extension for Google Chrome.
Unlike the proxy extensions many other VPN services provide, this is a true VPN extension that uses the same level of encryption (AES-256) as the desktop client.
It’s great for masking your IP address but it’s not a complete substitute for the desktop VPN app, as it only secures your browser connections.
There is no Firefox add-on, sadly. If you’re a Firefox user, consider using one of these recommended VPN addons, instead.
Ease of Use
Cluttered apps with some usability flaws
How to Install & Set Up Avira Phantom VPN
Avira Phantom is a very simple one-button VPN that’s almost identical on both desktop and mobile. Avira’s main screen only displays an on/off button and your current virtual location – we would like to see some more connection information here.
Avira really falls down when it comes to advanced features – or rather its lack of them.
Aside from a VPN kill switch and the option to automatically secure untrusted WiFi networks, there are no advanced settings at all, putting Avira well behind its rivals in terms of configurable options.
The Avira Phantom apps also lack any protocol options, and even fails to inform you what protocol you are using. If we didn’t know that Phantom was based on OpenVPN, which Avira confirmed to us, we wouldn’t feel very confident in its security.
If you’re looking for a VPN with uncluttered and accessible software, Avira is a great choice. However if you like having lots of advanced features to choose from, you’re better off looking elsewhere.
Customer Support
24/7 live chat makes up for limited resources
Customer Support | Available in Avira Phantom VPN |
---|---|
24/7 Live Chat Support | No |
24/7 Email Support | No |
Chatbot | Yes |
Live Chat Support | Yes |
Yes | |
Email Support via Online Form | No |
Tutorial Videos | No |
Online Resources | Yes |
Sadly, Avira Phantom limits personalized customer support to paying users only, meaning free users or potential customers won’t be able to take advantage.
Thankfully email responses were quick and professional, although clearly it’s company policy not to reveal too many details about Avira’s VPN server network.
The knowledge base on Avira’s website is pretty limited, with the main feature being a list of a few simple FAQs.
However we have to admit that when a product is this simple, there’s a limit to the amount of resources that can be created.
The company has recently introduced a handful of video tutorials to the site, which are very helpful and informative.
The ‘chat bot’ is another recent addition by Avira, but all it ever seemed to do was redirect us to the FAQs or prompt us to leave a message for the customer support team.
Price & Value
The longest plan is decent value
Avira Phantom offers three different pricing plans. They all offer the same features, but the longer you sign up for, the less you pay each month.
A single month is the most expensive option at $10.00 and is reduced by 35% to a reasonable $6.50 if you commit to a 12-month plan. That will cost you $78.00 upfront.
Additionally, you can opt for a mobile-only plan, which costs $5.99 per month, but you’ll be limited to VPN access only on your smartphone.
Avira Phantom Free
There’s also a free version of Avira Phantom available.
For a free service, it offers a reliable service and a strong privacy policy (just like the paid version). It isn’t great for streaming, comes with a 1GB monthly data cap, and is restricted to one server only. But it does allow P2P traffic.
It offers a good service for privacy oriented users who don’t use too much data. Because of this it holds a place in our top five free VPN services.
Payment & refund options
American Express
Mastercard
PayPal
Visa
Avira offers a 30-day money-back guarantee for those who aren’t satisfied with their purchase, or 14 days for monthly subscribers. This is a genuine ‘no questions asked’ guarantee with no restrictions or fair usage policies, simply contact cleverbridge (Avira’s billing partner) and it will process your refund.
If you don’t want to commit to a paid plan right away, Avira Phantom also offers a free trial that you can use for as long as you like. This does give you an idea of what Avira is like, but you are limited to a monthly data limit of 500MB and miss out on some key privacy features.
We love that you don’t have to provide any personal details to access the free service, however Avira offers to double your monthly data allowance if you provide your email address.
Avira Phantom doesn’t offer a very large range of payment options, particularly in comparison to top-tier VPN providers. It does accept most major credit and debit cards, as well as PayPal, but there is no option to pay using cryptocurrencies or international methods.
The Bottom Line
Much better VPNs are available
It’s difficult to recommend Avira VPN when there are much better VPN services available.
It certainly beats out most other “antivirus VPNs”, but that’s more or less all it has going for it.
Its speeds are only ‘ok’ and it won’t unblock niche Netflix libraries or BBC iPlayer. It also won’t work in high censorship nations like China or Turkey.
Overall, Avira VPN is an ok VPN, built for beginners keen to protect their online privacy. It is also a decent choice for torrenting.
But, it’s certainly not a good VPN for streaming, though, and it’s more expensive than we would expect for a VPN with its limitations.
Alternatives to Avira Phantom VPN
Private Internet Access
PIA VPN is an extremely fast VPN. If speed is important to you, then this VPN is for you. It's cheaper than Avira, but it works with Netflix and BBC iPlayer, and it's one of the best VPNs for torrenting. Read Private Internet Access review
NordVPN
NordVPN is also a very good alternative to Avira VPN. It's one of the best VPNs for streaming, with access to Netflix and Disney+. It allows torrenting on most servers, and it generally bypasses the strictest of web blocks. Read NordVPN review