TorGuard Review
TorGuard Review – Fast and Anonymous VPN Service
Short Information | |
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Number of servers | 3000+ |
Server locations | 50+ |
Maximum devices supported | 8 |
Logs | No Logs |
Support | 24/7 Live Chat |
Supported Client Software | Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, Windows |
Block Ads | Yes |
TorGuard is a popular and highly reputable VPN provider, ideal for both novice and experienced users. The company has over 3000 servers in more than 50 locations worldwide. The VPN provider presents itself as the best VPN for torrents or bypassing access restrictions to streaming services, such as Netflix and Hulu. The software also provides a blocker for malware and advertisements.
The TorGuard VPN is based in the United States. This means that authorities can ask TorGuard to pass on information about users. The fact that TorGuard is located in the US puts your privacy at risk. TorGuard is one of the fastest VPN services.
In tests, the speed was fast and stable, especially on servers in the Netherlands and the UK. If you want to connect to more remote servers, for example in Australia, the speed will be much slower. That’s why you should connect to the nearest server to get the maximum connection speed.
The VPN is compatible with Windows, Linux and Mac, and can also be used with other operating systems such as Android, iOS and Ubuntu, provided that manual configuration is done. The company sells routers with VPNs installed, which is very convenient for the user. Just connect a router and use a secure and anonymous connection.
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Key Features of TorGuard
The TorGuard VPN has servers in 50 countries. A large number of servers in many countries allow users to actually access any content they want. Wherever you are, TorGuard will have VPN servers close to where you live to give you the fastest connection speed.
The VPN service allows you to use 8 devices simultaneously. Stealth mode to bypass firewalls, as the Great China Firewall is available in all TorGuard subscriptions.
Server Network
Because it has a large network of servers, TorGuard seems to be a reasonable VPN choice. You already know that a VPN provider with a wide distribution of servers offers better services than one without. The reasoning is that a VPN with a wide distribution of servers will experience less congestion around its servers. In other words, despite the number of subscribers trying to access its services, there will be no congestion at all.
This means that the VPN that boasts more servers will have better speed because the bandwidth will not be shared. On the other hand, when the number of servers is limited, the provider may have to limit the number of users to be able to serve all nodes.
Another factor that affects the speed of a VPN is the location of the server. Simply put, your actual location will always affect your speed every time you access a VPN server. Of course, the closer you are to a VPN server, the better your connection speed.
For example, if you’re based in Paris, France, and want to access a TorGuard server in Germany. You are more likely to get better speed than another user trying to connect to the same server from Canada. Well, TorGuard is no exception to this rule.
With a presence in more than 50 countries, TorGuard is present in North America, South America, Europe, Australia, Asia and Africa. However, there are more high-end VPN services in the United States, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Canada, Hong Kong (Stealth VPN), and so on. The company is increasingly extending the coverage of its servers worldwide.
In fact, it invites users to suggest new locations where they would like the TorGuard server to be hosted. It’s amazing! This is a concerted effort to better serve its users.
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Security & Privacy
In the VPN space, security and privacy are the watchwords of all major VPNs. This is simply because many VPN users consider this to be the main reason to get a VPN in the first place. We will now find out what measures this VPN has put in place in this regard.
- Kill Switch
In case you don’t know, a kill switch is a device that shuts down your data flow when a VPN connection starts to be established. Usually a built-in feature in most top-notch VPN services, a kill switch automatically terminates your traffic when something goes wrong with your VPN connection.
By suspending it, your traffic will stop, preventing your data and IP address from being exposed to prying eyes. As far as TorGuard is concerned, it is provided by default and works perfectly. This means that you don’t have to worry about your identity being exposed when your VPN is interrupted.
- Encryption protocol
The most commonly used VPN encryption standard in the industry today is 256-bit AES encryption. Also known as military-grade encryption, 256-bit AES ensures that your data is masked so that no one can intercept and crack its contents.
For example, the U.S. military uses it to encrypt its data before it is sent securely over communication channels. That being said, we’re moving to the VPN protocol.
Of course, TorGuard supports a lot of VPN protocols. While most users are increasingly encouraged to use OpenVPN, there are other options available to them. These alternatives include PPTP, SSTP, L2TP/IPsec, IKEv2, and so on.
As you already know, these protocols allow your smart device to communicate effectively with the encrypted service via a secure channel. OpenVPN is by far the most popular VPN protocol in the industry because it offers unbreakable security.
- Leak protection
Here’s another measure used in the industry to keep your identity sealed. We have conducted two major leak tests. These are the DNS and IPv6 leak tests. The DNS leak test verifies whether your DNS requests are actually routed securely or leak-free.
On the other hand, IPv6 leak testing is a process of determining whether IPv6 traffic is exposed to eavesdropping even though it is connected to a VPN for privacy reasons. When we used relevant web-based tools to perform these tests, we confirmed that TorGuard was watertight. Yes, TorGuard gets our seal of approval for these tests.
- Ads blocker
If you surf the Internet all the time, you will always notice unusual ads that appear from time to time. Sometimes these ads make promises that are too good to be true. As a regular Internet user, you already know that these can be scams, malware, spyware, etc. The good thing is that TorGuard blocks them all, allowing you to enjoy the Internet without seeing those horrible popups.
- Wi-Fi protection
Most of the time at a gas station, airport or hotel, your smart device will detect a free Wi-Fi network. Wi-Fi often attracts a lot of people in public places. You see many users in these places using it with you, including hackers with criminal tendencies. Indeed, when you share such Wi-Fi with them, you are putting yourself in virtual danger.
That’s simply because cybercriminals generally linger on these facilities looking for unsuspecting Internet users from whom they can steal. They scour the network looking for victims and attack them when they realize that users are vulnerable.
With their sophisticated phishing tools, they steal the connection settings, causing incalculable damage to users’ smart devices. However, TorGuard has Wi-Fi protection to ensure that you are not exposed to cybercrime.
- Other features
At this point, we should mention that the TorGuard VPN offers many breathtaking security features. While it offers a wide range of privacy features, some are missing. These include Tor compatibility and fractional tunneling.
While many VPN users can actually do without these features, it’s clear that they play a crucial role. On the other hand, we can’t completely rule out the possibility that TorGuard may integrate them in the near future.
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Logging Policy
In the global cybersecurity community, security is more important than anything else for many users. In other words, a VPN must be truthful in detailing what it does with your logs. In fact, every good VPN should have a logging policy. Logging policies describe how a VPN company manages its subscriber data and what it does with it if anything. Industry best practice is that no VPN provider should keep your logs.
As a VPN user, what your VPN provider does with your data should matter to you, as you deserve a high level of security, anonymity and privacy. Specifically, if the VPN provider stores your data, there is cause for concern because it is likely that it will sell your private information to advertising companies or give it to government authorities when such requests are legally initiated.
Looking at the relationship between the government and VPN companies, there are countries where VPN companies are required to keep their records open to government scrutiny. This is how serious the situation is! To avoid this, any effective VPN must have a no records policy.
This simply means that it does not keep user log details. This means that when the government requests data, the cybersecurity company has no records to share with the government.
Overall, we can summarize the following:
- Every good VPN provider must fully implement its zero-logs policy
- Some VPN companies can compromise your logs by handing them over to law enforcement officials or selling them to the highest bidders (advertising companies )
- The jurisdiction of a VPN provider might affect how it manages your logs
As far as TorGuard is concerned, the company has clearly stated on its website that it does not store user data. Although this practice is common among premium VPNs, we should point out here that even some VPN providers that notoriously sell user information to their subscribers still have a no-login policy.
Nevertheless, it is normal to give TorGuard the benefit of the doubt as it has not yet been found to be faulty. However, what we found really disturbing is that it is based in Florida, USA.
Yes, every VPN provider generally complies with the local laws of their operating bases, and TorGuard is no exception. The United States is a member of the 5-Eyes Alliance, which is a five-member nation bound by a common intelligence-sharing treaty.
This is a clear source of concern because TorGuard will have to comply with the laws of the land. However, TorGuard has repeatedly allayed this fear by continually reassuring users that it does not keep their logs.
TorGuard VPN Speed
Server Location | Download Speed | Upload Speed |
New York | 31 Mbps | 31 Mbps |
Amsterdam | 53 Mbps | 49 Mbps |
London | 38 Mbps | 47 Mbps |
Hong Kong | 9 Mbps | 12 Mbps |
One of the critical factors to watch out for in a VPN provider is speed. That’s simply because you need speed to do everything online. From streaming to chatting, uploading to downloading, audio to video calls, all of these activities require speed. In order to put this VPN to the test, we performed a speed test on it using 4 different server locations. We compiled and explained our findings.
We started with the TorGuard server in New York. After performing the speed tests, we recorded download and upload speeds at 31 Mbps each. These speeds are undoubtedly very good because you can do anything you want online with them. But we have to point out that it could be better.
Well, things speeded up a bit when we switched to the server in Amsterdam. Our download speed was stable at 53 Mbps, while the upload speed was 49 Mbps. That’s obviously an improvement over our previous results. In addition, it shows that you are more likely to enjoy TorGuard when you connect to its Amsterdam server – thanks to its excellent speed.
On the London server, it has become quite fast, but we have noticed a drop in speed. According to the table, the download speed was 38 Mbps while the upload speed was 47 Mbps. While the download speed showed a significant variation from the server we tested before it, the disparity between the upload speed in Amsterdam and London was insignificant. This clearly shows that TorGuard is cool for anyone who wants to use European servers a lot.
Our last test was the Hong Kong server. The result showed a download speed of 9 Mbps and the upload speed stabilized at 12 Mbps. In our experience, Hong Kong servers rarely show impressive performance. This actually means that the server has a quite high upload and download speeds.
- Summary of Speed
In our test, we used servers in New York, Amsterdam, London and Hong Kong for sampling. These servers cover the main continents where VPN services are in high demand. Indeed, it can be deduced that users based in Europe will benefit the most from these VPN services as their servers showed a significant speed during our test of the Amsterdam and London servers.
Well, those in North America are not to be outdone, as TorGuard kept up the speed when we tested the New York server. On the other hand, we saw a massive drop in speed when we tested the Hong Kong server.
On the other hand, you will probably notice a reduction in speed when you connect to a Virtual Private Network (VPN) rather than to the Internet through your ISP. This is actually quite normal, as VPNs usually slow down the speed of your entire connection as soon as a connection is established.
However, what makes one VPN better than another is that the difference between the speed before and after the connection should be infinitesimal. In general, other factors that can affect the speed of a network are the speed of your Internet Service Provider, your location, and the processing speed of your computer. In summary, TorGuard can be said to have solid speed.
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TorGuard Customer Service
Customer Service | |
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24-hour support | Yes |
Type of support | Live Chat |
Free trial period | No |
Money-back guarantee | 7-day |
If you experience any technical problems while using your VPN, you will certainly need help. In this case, the first thing that comes to your mind is to contact customer service.
You know, the helpdesk team puts a human face on the VPN because it allows you to interact in real time with real people who offer solutions to your mind-boggling problems. So it makes perfect sense to choose a VPN that offers exceptional customer service. The good thing is that every good VPN service has customer service.
However, the question you may ask yourself now is how effective the helpdesk is. It’s funny that many VPN providers claim to have good customer service. While many do, there are a few that do not. To separate the wheat from the chaff, there is a yardstick by which to measure good customer service. The criteria are listed below:
- Multiple communication channels (email, live chat, contact form, social media, etc.)
- Working 24/7
- Quick response to messages (questions and complaints).
You see, we used these factors to evaluate TorGuard in the area of customer service effectiveness. We have compiled our results. On top of that, we’ve provided some explanations.
On its website, TorGuard has indicated that it has 24-hour support, which means that you can contact the helpdesk at any time and get an answer. Well, we put the team to the test by starting a discussion late at night. Keep in mind that this VPN is based in the US, so we started a live chat with the VPN and waited to see how fast or slow they responded to messages.
About 6 minutes later we received a reply to the message. Yes, that’s a plus! During the chat, we tried to confirm if they offer a free trial period, just to check if the customer service agent is well anchored in their services. He gave us an answer, saying “No”.
In the same vein, we sent them an email to see how quickly the team responded. As you already know, there are a lot of support teams that suck. The question was, how long does it take the team to honour their money-back guarantee policy? About 9 hours later, they responded to the email saying “7 days”. In fact, this is quite commendable since some established VPNs refund dissatisfied users in 30 days, but TorGuard does it in a week.
Regarding other customer service features, Toraguard has an FAQ page that answers many questions about its terms of service. Other channels you can reach are the call center and support tickets. All these channels operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It is fascinating to see that VPN centers have a functional call center. This was rare in the past.
Today, however, the industry is starting to evolve, so these VPN providers are starting to adopt this communication channel. We should not fail to mention that this VPN does not have a glorified support ticketing system because the support is monitored. In conclusion, as far as customer service is concerned, TorGuard has an A+ team!
Supported Client Software
Since potential users of TorGuard have different features, it makes sense that TorGuard supports a wide range of operating systems. Now let’s find out which operating systems it supports.
- Windows
If you belong to the Windows family, you can follow a simple installation process for this client on your computer and get it up and running in no time. Then you start enjoying all the benefits it offers. We tried it with our Windows 10 operating system using PPTP VPN and it worked without any problems.
Apart from this version, it also works with other versions of the Windows operating system. When you install the software, select the server of your choice, and then you can log in. You can visit its website for detailed instructions.
- Linux
If you are using Ubuntu (a distribution of Linux OS), you can configure the command line clients on your system. It is stable and works optimally. The application runs on OpenVPN and has some very interesting features.
You can easily navigate through the server selection menu with the recently updated user interface. To get started, you should visit the TorGuard website and follow its step-by-step installation instructions. You can install the Debian 32-bit or 64-bit package.
- macOS
If you belong to the macOS family, you are not left out since there is a client for your computer. It works well with macOS x Lion and other versions. However, it offers a high level of stability and security. The interface has been updated for easier navigation.
Basically, you will have to navigate through the VPN server selection menu. It has a graphical user interface, so the installation process is fun and easy. You can choose between L2TP over IPsec or PPTP depending on your preferred VPN protocol. After installation you can connect to a server of your choice and start exploring the internet.
- Android
Android remains the most widely used mobile operating system in the world. As a result, TorGuard has an application for its users around the world. You can visit the Google Play store from your mobile device to install this application. You will then enjoy many benefits, including access to over 3,000 servers in 55 countries for first-class unlocking capabilities.
Launched in November 2012, the TorGuard client for Android has recorded over 100,000 downloads to date. Indeed, the number of downloads shows that the application remains one of the most popular VPNs on the market.
- iOS
The iOS client is specifically designed to integrate with the iDevice family. Thanks to an easy installation guide, you can get this application up and running immediately. However, you may find the installation a bit difficult if you haven’t already done so.
In this case, you will need to hire someone to help you install it. That said, the installation guide is available on the TorGuard website. Just go to your local Apple Store to download the application to get started. Don’t forget that it works for the iPhone and iPad.
- Router
TorGuard also allows you to protect your router by connecting to the Internet through the encrypted network. In addition, you can connect devices that are not Virtual Private Network (VPN) compatible via the router. You must first register to download the TorGuard VPN application for your router.
Then you can install it with OpenVPN. The steps are detailed on the TorGuard website. It is compatible with Netgear, Asus Merlin, Linksys, Tomato, DD-WRT, etc. Once the router installation is complete, you can then connect your Apple TV, Roku, Smart TV, Xbox, Amazon Fire Stick, PlayStation, etc.
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Browser Extensions
Not to beat around the bush, there are TorGuard browser extensions for Google Chrome, Opera and Firebox. Keep in mind that the browser extensions protect your online activities while the application secures your computer or smart device. So you need to run both at the same time. In addition to protecting your online activities, these browser extensions give you access to an SSL proxy and also unlock geoblocked websites.
In addition, you have access to servers deployed around the world. The installation guide is available on the Commission’s official website. Note that browser extensions work with HTTPS. To successfully use TorGuard browser extensions, you are advised to disable certain plugins, in particular Avast Mail Shield. If Avast Mail Shield is running in the background, you will not be able to connect to the browser extensions using SSL ports.
Torrenting with TorGuard
As a torrent aficionado, TorGuard is one of the best VPNs that offers you maximum privacy while you torrent. In fact, this VPN has been specially developed for this purpose. If you don’t know what torrent means, it’s simply a term used to describe peer-to-peer file sharing via the BitTorrent protocol.
TorGuard allows you to use the SOCKSS5 proxy option to plug VPN credentials into the BitTorrent application of your choice. When you do this, you have automatically hidden your IP address and replaced it with a shared anonymous address.
In addition, as you know, the torrent is gaining more and more followers because it is secure and allows you to easily download large files. These files include music, movies, TV series and software. However, there is a growing concern that people are also downloading copyrighted P2P files without the consent of content developers. This is considered illegal in many countries.
As a result, officials and production companies are closely monitoring torrent sites for the sole purpose of prosecuting or fining trolls in some countries. This explains why you need TorGuard for the torrent. You should be aware that the VPN is compatible with all major torrent applications.
You can use TorGuard with any BitTorrent application of your choice, as long as it works with the BitTorrent protocol. For example, this VPN works with uTorrent, Vuze, qBitTorrent, and a host of others. When you access BitTorrent sites, you can be sure that TorGuard keeps your IP address hidden.
Plus, you’ll enjoy torrent activity because this VPN gives you unlimited bandwidth and you can make torrents at no extra cost. With good speed and no logs, you’ll enjoy the torrent without having to look over your shoulders. Yes, TorGuard has made it clear that its servers are fully optimized for the torrent. Warning: if you’re not sure what the torrent laws are in your jurisdiction, make sure you find out before you get into this business!
Netflix Access with TorGuard
One of the advantages of using a VPN to access the internet is that you can bypass and view geoblocked streaming sites. The US streaming giant Netflix is one such streaming site that offers geoblocked streaming services on demand. When you subscribe to US Netflix, you can watch the latest movies and TV series. It offers high-definition quality and can be watched via a 4K TV and other smart devices.
However, there is a caveat: you must be a US resident to watch American Netflix, which has the largest Netflix catalog in the world. If you live outside the United States, you cannot watch US Netflix because each country has a dedicated library. But there is a way out of the doldrums.
If you’re not based in the US, you can use TorGuard to bypass Netflix firewalls and explore its amazingly rich content. To bypass the streaming site, you need to connect to the TorGuard servers in the US and start exploring its catalog. You’ll appreciate the fact that the viewing experience is unbuffered.
Note that TorGuard has dedicated IP addresses for Netflix streaming. This means that you will have to pay a little more to enjoy this service. As of this writing, the dedicated IP address attracts an additional $6. In other words, if you have a problem with paying a little more just to access Netflix and other leading streaming sites, you may want to consider other VPNs. So it’s up to you!
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TorGuard Cons
In this segment, we will look at some of the shortcomings of this VPN.
- Jurisdiction
We should not forget to mention that TorGuard is based in Florida, USA. This gives many potential users a cause for concern. We have explained in detail how the US government interferes with the operations of US-based VPN companies.
- Defective browser extension
Although TorGuard has many attractive features that are generally expected from a VPN, it also has some flaws. In 2015, VPN.ac, another VPN provider, accused TorGuard of copying its browser extension.
VPN.ac alleged that TorGuard browser extensions had bugs that did not exist in its browser, noting that such vulnerabilities could lead to serious data breaches. Although TorGuard was quick to make some fixes to the program, it did not issue a public apology.
- Third party apps
To use the mobile versions of TorGuard on your smart devices, you will need a third party application called OpenVPN Connect. Many users do not appreciate the fact that they need a third party application before the VPN can work on their mobile devices.
Conclusion
This guide has undoubtedly touched on all the essential details you need to know about TorGuard. At this point, we firmly believe that you understand the measures the TorGuard team has put in place to provide one of the most sought after VPNs in the industry.
From security to site unlocking, from torrent to customer service, from speed to browser extensions, from a wide distribution of servers to support for extended platforms, TorGuard remains one of the best VPNs on the market.
Although the choice of its U.S. headquarters remains a major concern, TorGuard has explicitly explained how it implements its zero-block policy to the letter. You may only have problems with this service if you can’t afford it. Yes, it is a bit expensive.
Now, do we recommend TorGuard VPN? No ifs and buts, we recommend that you get this VPN because it doesn’t just make empty promises like other VPNs, but it has also taken steps to deliver on the promises it has made to its global user community.