Avast is a household name in the cybersecurity scene, thanks to its premium quality products. Avast SecureLine VPN, in particular, is one security product that lives up to the company’s reputation.
Avast SecureLine VPN stands out for its responsive customer support. Plus, the VPN comes loaded with mentionable speeds and an affordable annual subscription plan.
NordVPN, on the other hand, is equally a reasonably priced VPN, with advanced security features. Owing to its extensive collection of servers, the service is also associated with high connection speeds. This makes it ideal for sharing P2P files and streaming geo-blocked content.
With all their bells and whistles, it’s quite intimidating trying to choose one of the two VPNs. So, here’s a simple guide to help you decide which of the two is the fitting VPN service provider.
How to Choose a VPN
There are several crucial features you should consider before deciding on a VPN service. Connection speeds and security standards often top the list of things to keep in mind before parting ways with your money. While these two aspects carry a lot of weight, they’re not the only ones that matter.
In this article, we’ll look into details 8 more VPN features that should influence your purchasing decision. In each of these category features, we’ll explain how Avast SecureLine VPN and NordVPN perform. Then, the winner in each category will be declared, and the score tallied to help decide upon the overall winner.
Connection Speed
Whether you’re browsing, streaming content, or gaming online, fast connection speeds are paramount.
As it’s often the case, when using a VPN, your connection speeds decline. But, you don’t have to suffer slow speeds to secure your connection. As such, you shouldn’t notice any difference in connection speed when connected to your favorite VPN
To test the connection speeds of both Avast SecureLine VPN and NordVPN, we first established the speed of our unsecured connection.
We then installed each VPN on our device and tested the speeds using Speedtest.net, an online third-party service that measures internet speeds.
We tested speeds for two different locations; locally (the US) and internationally (the UK). And to be as empirical as possible, we ran the tests for 3 days at different times, before averaging the results.
Local Connection Speeds (US)
In this test, we connected to the VPNs’ servers located in the US. As for NordVPN, its fastest US servers averaged a speed of 66.78 Mbps. Avast SecureLine VPN, on the other hand, competed well, posting an average speed of 57.34 Mbps.
Local Connection (U.S) Speed Winner: NordVPN
International Connection Speeds (US to the UK)
With the high latency associated with international connections, internet speeds are bound to reduce significantly. This explains why our connection speed reduced to 50.99 Mbps when connected to NordVPN’s UK servers. However, Avast SecureLine posted higher speeds on the tested UK servers, averaging 59.83 Mbps.
International Connection Speed Winner: Avast SecureLine VPN
Pricing
Ideally, you should choose a VPN whose pricing falls within your budget. The good thing, most VPNs have several subscription plans depending on users’ frequency of use.
Avast SecureLine VPN subscription plans are a bit more intricate compared to those of NordVPN. This is so since for each type of device connected, Avast charges differently. That is, you pay $5.00 per month (billed $59.99 annually), for a single Mac/Windows device connected.
Avast SecureLine further charges $19.99 per year per single iOS or Android device and tariffs $79.99 annually to protect up to 5 different devices. Despite this, the VPN provider doesn’t offer monthly plans for Android and iOS devices.
NordVPN offers a simple subscription plan regardless of the device you use. Their monthly plan sets you back $11.95/month, which is brought down to $6.99/month, payable as $83.88 annually. It gets even cheaper with the provider’s 3-year subscription plan, which goes for only $3.49 per month.
Pricing Winner: NordVPN
Privacy
In an ideal world, a VPN committed to protecting its users’ privacy shouldn’t log any data. While most VPNs promise to follow this policy, some still record bits of your sensitive data. For this reason, ensure you read a VPN’s finer details of its terms of operation.
While Avast SecureLine VPN doesn’t record users’ online activities, the provider does collect some connection logs. These include timestamps, the amount of data transmitted, and the IP address of the server you use; when connected to the service. Although they only store this data for 30 days. Worse still, the provider is located in the Czech Republic, which is part of the EU; thus, it’s not a friendly VPN jurisdiction.
NordVPN comes in as a better choice for those concerned about their online privacy. The VPN is based in Panama, where providers aren’t required to keep logs of their customers’ online activities.
The VPN provider also clearly states that they don’t store any user data. To further enhance users’ privacy, NordVPN accepts Bitcoin payments so you can pay anonymously. In contrast, Avast SecureLine doesn’t accept cryptocurrency or any other privacy-friendly payments.
Privacy Winner: NordVPN
Features
There’s always a close relationship between the features and functionality of a VPN. Typically, the more the features, the better a VPN’s functionality.
At the same time, a VPN with numerous features may be intimidating to new users. A good VPN, therefore, should strike a balance between ease of use and the number of features.
Fortunately, both Avast SecureLine and NordVPN aren’t thronged with features, so users can have it easy using either service.
Despite the minimal features, the two VPNs pack several valuable aspects that improve their performance. For instance, they both have a kill switch that prevents privacy leaks if your connection drops.
Plus, you can also set an automatic connection when using suspicious networks. This means, if you’re connected to your home Wi-Fi, the VPN inactivates. But, if you decide to use your local coffee shop Wi-Fi, the VPN’s protection kicks in.
Although the two VPNs score well in this category, NordVPN has an upper-hand owing to its unique features, including split-tunneling.
The split tunneling feature allows users to route some of their traffic through encrypted VPN tunnel while the other goes unprotected (for faster speeds). It’s a simple feature, but useful in supporting bandwidth since internet traffic doesn’t have to pass through the VPN’s servers.
Features Winner: NordVPN
Encryption
It’s a no brainer that high levels of security are an accurate measure of a good VPN. The number of bit-keys the provider uses for encryption is a good measure. Generally, the longer the encryption keys, the safer a VPN.
Avast SecrureLine VPN describes its security standards as ‘bank-grade.’ On a light note, though, big banks nowadays are falling victim to hackers. So, such a description may not be confidence-inspiring. Nonetheless, the provider uses AES 256-bit key encryption with OpenVPN, just like NordVPN.
While both VPNs encompass various protocols, such as IKEv2/IPSec and L2TP/IPSec, only NordVPN gives you the freedom to switch to your desired protocol.
NordVPN takes security standards a notch higher by offering double data encryption. This means that your traffic is routed through two VPN servers, proving an extra layer of protection.
While Avast SecureLine does have a DNS leak prevention feature, it’s only available if you’re using the company’s antivirus. Worse, there’s no working WebRTC leak protection. In comparison, NordVPN offers absolute DNS, IPV4/IPv6, and WebRTC leak protection.
NordVPN also uses Onion over VPN technology to secure your connections when using the Tor browser. The provider’s specialized obfuscated servers as well come in handy, particularly for users in countries with strict internet censorship.
Encryption Winner: NordVPN
Simultaneous Connections
No matter your plan to use a VPN, the number of simultaneous connections should be a concern. Let’s say; you want to secure connections to your company’s servers. In such a case, you might want a VPN that allows a large number of simultaneous connections.
But, if you’re purchasing a VPN for home use, then you’d probably won’t need a large number of simultaneous connections.
A single NordVPN account allows you to connect up to 6 devices simultaneously, which you can increase with a router. For this reason, NordVPN is one of the ideal choices for small businesses. Plus, it comes with handy tutorials for setting up the service.
Avast SecureLine allows you to protect up to 5 devices at the same time, which you only get by paying for the multi-device subscription plan. This makes the VPN a worthy consideration for mid-size families.
Simultaneous Connections Winner: NordVPN
Torrent Support
A lot of people connect to a VPN while sharing large torrent files. These files are sometimes copyrighted content, such as music and movies. Although we don’t encourage users to share copyrighted material, you certainly need a highly secured VPN for P2P file sharing.
Avast SecureLine VPN supports P2P file sharing. Plus, servers that support torrenting are clearly marked. But, it might not be your best choice when it comes to P2P file sharing. And here’s why.
To start with, the provider collects some connection logs, including the amount of data transmitted in each session. Luckily, this data is only retained for up to 30 days.
Also, the provider supports torrenting on 8 servers spread across 6 countries. With such a limited number of servers, a little heavy traffic might affect your torrenting speeds.
NordVPN features high-security standards, making it an ideal provider for P2P file sharing. Even more, NordVPN provides SOCKS5 proxies. So, you can easily set up a torrent client with one of the proxies for faster speeds.
Additionally, the VPN provider allows torrenting on all its servers stationed in 42 countries. What’s good, NordVPN is equipped with a server recommendation picker—on the provider’s website/app—so you can connect to the best server for torrenting.
Torrent Support Winner: NordVPN
Global Server Coverage
A VPN with an extensive collection of servers usually offers fast connection speeds. For improved performance, worldwide, the servers should be evenly distributed.
While server coverage is not the most critical feature, its significance often boils down to a user’s preferences and needs. For instance, if you intend to access geo-blocked content, you’d want a VPN with a comprehensive server coverage.
Although Avast SecureLine VPN doesn’t spell out the actual number of its servers, we know that their servers are spread across 55 locations in 34 countries.
NordVPN has excellent global server coverage, with more than 5100 servers in 59 countries. Of these servers, some are optimized for extra security, streaming, and torrenting. And since they’re distributed across many nations, you’ll most likely find a server nearby.
Not to mention, the NordVPN features a “quick connect” option that automatically connects you to a suitable server, making it an ideal choice for first-time users.
Global Server Coverage Winner: NordVPN
Multi-Platform Support
You probably have several devices for accessing the Internet. There’s also a good chance that each of your devices has a different operating system. For efficient connection, you’d want to ensure your favorite VPN is compatible with your devices’ OS.
Avast SecureLine VPN is compatible with a limited number of platforms. The service only works best on iOS, Android, macOS, and Windows platforms.
So much better, you can install the VPN as a browser extension for Firefox and Chrome. Even so, Avast SecureLine doesn’t provide options for manual configuration, so you can’t install the VPN on other devices.
As for NordVPN, you can use it on virtually any device. Whether you are using an iPhone, Android device, Linux, or Windows PC, you won’t have problems connecting to the service.
The service is also available as a browser extension for Firefox and Chrome browsers. For advanced users, the VPN can be configured to work on Raspberry Pi, router firmware, Blackberry devices, and even pfSense.
Multi-platform Support Winner: NordVPN
Customer Support
Customer support may not seem like an essential feature, but it comes in handy when you need your VPN issues solved fast and efficiently.
Most importantly, the quality of support offered by a VPN is an excellent way to establish how much a provider values its clients.
Avast SecureLine VPN scores well in offering customer support. Their service consists of a trouble ticket system, user community, and a support library. But the service stands out for its phone call support, which most VPNs don’t offer. And more, these consultations are free. Perhaps, this is the right move to make up for its lacking in live chat support.
NordVPN responded to our question in about 20 seconds after clicking the “send” button. Thanks to their 24/7 live chat support. As well, their email support is responsive.
We also liked their professional response, which was precise and easy to understand. Oh yeah! Users can also find help in NordVPN’s FAQ section, which is informative enough and easy to navigate.
Customer Support Winner: Tie
NordVPN Wins!
Avast VPN may seem not to offer much, but you can rely on it for fast international connection speeds. Plus, it has a user-friendly interface and above-average customer support.
Even though it competes reasonably well with NordVPN on all other categories, its biggest drawback is privacy. So if privacy is your main concern, you might want to cross out Avast SecureLine of your choice list.
NordVPN takes the lead in almost all categories, except for international connection speeds. But still, NordVPN has better speeds than most of its competitors.
Considering this battle, NordVPN clearly wins by a considerable margin. Not only does the VPN win in heavy-weight categories (encryption and security) but also in what others consider essential, like torrenting and multi-platform support.
