TorGuard VPN Review: Is it Worth Getting?

A good VPN service must perform two essential functions for every user. First, it must hide the user’s original IP address. Second, it must encrypt all the incoming and outgoing data from the user’s device so that no external user can see anything but the nearly white noise that good encryption makes of traffic.

Additionally, a VPN that cares about user privacy and anonymity should not keep any logs on the user activity it mediates. That’s just the basics.

Torguard VPN has always been beyond the basics. Its server network is solid; it has several advanced network options, a fantastic variety of account options that allow you to customize your VPN experience, and many other advantages. But, on the other hand, all that flexibility comes in exchange for a lack of transparency that could turn off the staunchest privacy enthusiasts.

Overall, TorGuard is a strong VPN that offers lots of security options. For instance, the WireGuard tunneling protocol is available in the network. In addition, it’s safe against IPv6 leaks; it features a Stealth proxy, and it’s good for BitTorrent. A widespread and vital question is, will TorGuard VPN work in China? The answer is that, yes, even in the hyper-restrictive digital Chinese environment, TorGuard could work.

This brutally honest review of TorGuard will explore the network’s features in full detail, focusing on streaming, pricing, connection speeds, security, and additional features.

TorGuard VPN key features at a glance

Server	3,000+ servers in 50 countries
No-log policy	Yes
Kill switch	Yes
Price	4.99 USD/month for one year-plan
Country-based	United States
Torrenting allowed	Yes
Simultaneous connections	5 simultaneous devices
Customer Support	24/7 support available
Money-back guarantee	30 days

The TorGuard general overview

I will go into several details about different aspects of the TorGuard network, but let’s start with the general panorama.

TorGuard has robust security features, and it’s good against IPv6 leaks; it uses the WireGuard tunneling protocol, has lots of DNS options, gives you a chance to run scripts, works well with torrents, has a Stealth proxy, has a free trial version and the transfer speeds are good.

On the other hand, split tunneling is only available for Android devices. The connections are prone to freeze. Connecting to a server can be a struggle. The user interface is not the friendliest in the industry and won’t work with Netflix.

Connection speeds in TorGuard VPN

Using a VPN means paying for its advantages with decreased speeds. In a VPN, your traffic gets routed through one or more servers in the network and gets encrypted. That extra work needs computing and bandwidth resources, thus bringing connection speeds down. But the best VPNs in the business will do all the work in the background, so you will hardly notice it, especially if your internet service is fast for a start.

TorGuard VPN’s speeds are good enough under most conditions. If you pick the WireGuard tunneling protocol, they will be even better. And, if geolocation-related concerns are irrelevant to you, you can get the VPN to give you its best performance by choosing a server that is physically near to you.

As I tried several servers in the network for their speeds, I found that the fastest one (one base in Switzerland, if you must know) would decrease my transfer speeds by only 2.6%. This is a significant feature because, in my experience, even the best VPNs have higher velocity losses – granted, nothing you can notice in everyday use, but it shows when you measure it.

Another server (in Japan) caused my speeds to drop by half. This is not a problem because that server is very far from me; it’s a typical result of the data mechanics on the Internet.

As I mentioned, the best speeds appear when using the WireGuard protocol. But if you choose a different tunneling protocol, some extra problems that have nothing to do with reduced speed pop up. For instance, I had a hard time connecting to any server in the network without WireGuard. I kept being told to “check my firewall settings.” As far as we can tell, this experience is unique to TorGuard VPN, and it devalues the overall service quality.

If sheer speed were all that mattered, TorGuard would be the best service on the Internet by far. However, high-speed VPN connections are useful only when the network can sustain them in a reliable, stable way.

And TorGuard fails at that. we found many connections to be unreliable, and that, again, is a point against TorGuard VPN. Connections that freeze or break down are particularly harmful if you intend to use this VPN to play streaming videos, which brings us to the next section.

Location	Latency (ms)	Download speed (Mbps)	Upload speed (Mbps)
Poland	43	205	267
UK	37	216	273
Switzerland	44	291	269
US (New York)	Didn’t connect	Didn’t connect	Didn’t connect
US (Florida)	131	271	236
US (Los Angeles)	159	184	42
India	184	177	122
Brazil	236	231	95
Japan	186	151	206
Australia	316	254	104

TorGuard and streaming services: Does it work with Netflix and others?

Unblocking Netflix and other video streaming platforms is the leading use case for VPNs nowadays – yes, even more than privacy issues. As a result, there is an ongoing war between the video streaming industry and the VPN industry. Streaming sites are investing plenty of resources and energy in blocking VPN users. But on the other hand, VPNs are looking to keep a step ahead by finding and exploiting loopholes, rotating IP addresses, and different strategies.

So, what does TorGuard do to unlock websites such as Netflix, BB iPlayer, Hulu, DAZN, YouTube, or Disney+?

Well, we have good news and bad news for you in this department. The good news is that TorGuard works well with YouTube, as it can unblock geo-blocked content. The bad news is that it won’t work with any other online streaming site.

If you absolutely must have TorGuard unblocking streaming websites, you will need to buy a dedicated IP address to improve your chances of bypassing the restrictions. This could work if the dedicated IP address you get has not been unblocked (yet) by the streaming website you have in mind.

So yes, there is a chance to get TorGuard to unblock Netflix if you insist. But it’s pointless to be stubborn since so many premium VPNs in the market (NordVPN) will perform this trick for you out-of-the-box without any additional cost or requirement.

Streaming platform	Status
YouTube	Yes
Netflix	No
BBC iPlayer	No
Hulu	No
DAZN	No
Disney+	No

TorGuard features

Split tunneling

Split tunneling is available only on Android under “Restricted Apps.” This is a helpful feature when you don’t want all your traffic to go through the VPN but you want to pick and choose the programs that will enjoy encrypted traffic.

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Scripts

Every app in the TorGuard tech platform offers “Scripts.” The feature will be handy for the most seasoned users, though beginners could find it intimidating.

The Scripts feature lets you customize your VPN connection to your personal taste by running a script – plenty of example scripts to choose from at the website.

For instance, you can make the app automatically open a website of your choice whenever you join the VPN network, close a program, or map a network drive. The possibilities are endless.

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DNS options

This option, like most of the best in TorGuard VPN, is for the most advanced users. It lets you manage your DNS options.

Suppose that a website locks your VPN’s provider DNS. With this feature, you can pick a different DNS and bypass that restriction—the options include Cloudflare, OpenDNS, Google, and Level 3. Cloudflare is of particular importance as it’s known to work in China.

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Safety and security in TorGuard

TorGuard makes an effort to keep your online activities as private as possible. That’s a good thing, but it’s the least you could expect from any decent VPN, so I’m not sure I can give it extra points for that.

Some of the best security features include intelligence-grade encryption, WireGuard tunneling, WebRTC and IPv6 leak prevention, and a kill switch. Again, this is all very good, but also the least I should expect. So, let’s see these features in a little more detail.

Encryption

The encryption algorithm is AES-256, which comes as no surprise. Every reliable VPN in the industry uses AES by default. AES has been audited and studied to the highest possible degree, and no attack has been found so far that could crack it by any method other than brute force – and then, cracking it in that way takes longer than the universe’s age. This is why AES has been adopted by every industry and governmental agency in the US and most of the world.

The OpenVPN tunneling protocol allows you to change to AES-128 if you wish. It’s a quicker method, of course, and it could seem weaker at first glance. However, the truth is that nobody has been able to crack the 128-bit version either, so it’s a safe bet.

You can also choose to use Blowfish instead of AES (it could be faster in those devices that do not support AES as a hardware instruction) or do away with encryption completely. But these advanced features are available only through manual configuration, not from the app.

Last but not least, authentication is managed with an SHA-512 hash, which is exceedingly safe – it’s the exact security mechanism in charge of the Bitcoin blockchain network.

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Tunneling protocols

TorGuard excels when it comes to VPN tunneling protocols. WireGuard is the star in this network (and sometimes a necessity), but plenty of other great options are available. Let’s see.

• WireGuard: A relatively new option on the apps for the last eleven months. It has a huge fan base because it allows for very high speeds within a VPN without sacrificing security.
• OpenVPN: This open-source protocol is the mother of all VPN tunneling protocols. It’s the best-audited one, and its name spells unparalleled reliability. With TorGuard, you can choose between 128 or 256-bit encryption with this protocol.
• OpenConnect: This protocol is better for speed than OpenVPN but lacks a high-security level. 

And there’s even more. PPTP, L2TP, and IKEv2/IPSec are also in the mix but not on the apps. If you want one of those, you’ll have to set them up manually, so these are toys for the most advanced users only.

And then there’s Stealth VPN. This protocol makes your VPN traffic as if it were regular internet traffic. Again, keeping your ISP’s nose out of your way is good. It’s also helpful to get around firewalls that block VPN protocols.

Privacy- is TorGuard private?

Your online privacy is at risk more than ever as cybercriminals, advertisers, and other third parties are becoming thirsty for data. Thankfully, TorGuard will maintain your privacy by not collecting, storing, or sharing your personal information. Also, it enhances your privacy further with features like DNS/IPv6/WebRTC leak protection and a kill switch.

Logging

TorGuard VPN is headquartered in Florida. Unfortunately, this is usually not great news for VPNs because the USA is notoriously hostile towards user privacy, and its government has a penchant for spying on its citizens. The legislation could force TorGuard VPN’s parent company to spill the beans on you if need be.

So, how can you join TorGuard as a user and keep your peace of mind? The answer is its privacy policy. The website assures users that it doesn’t collect any user activity logs. So, nothing you do online is either tracked or recorded anywhere in the network. This is why, at least in principle, you can still trust US-based VPNs.

If they keep no logs on you, they have nothing they can pass on to the government if they should be required to do so. That being said, the most paranoid users among us still prefer to choose no-logs VPNs located in countries with a well-known stance in favor of user privacy, but that’s up to you.

However, there is some data that TorGuard collects. Payment details, Google Analytics data (anonymized), Apache logs, email addresses, and anything you type on a live chat. This brings a degree of ambiguity to the VPN’s promise to keep your privacy safe.

And to finish this section, I have some bad news. Some of the best VPNs in the industry, like ExpressVPN, NordVPN, or SurfShark (my top three choices for any VPN-related task), have undergone thorough independent audits and lived to tell the tale. Unfortunately, TorGuard VPN hasn’t been audited so far, which doesn’t add to its credibility.

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Based on privacy-unfriendly US jurisdiction 

TorGuard is headquartered in Florida, USA, a country known for its limitation on user privacy. Also, it is part of the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance, which means intelligence agencies can request surveillance information from companies.

We asked TorGuard’s customer support about this, and they informed us that the company would only comply with official court orders. Even then, they would only provide ‘blank hard drives,’ indicating their commitment to a zero-logs policy.

This policy ensures that TorGuard does not retain any user weblogs that could be handed over to US authorities. Since the company does not record customer activity, it becomes practically impossible for authorities to identify specific users and their online actions.

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No-logs policy proven in court

Although TorGuard’s logging policy has not been independently audited, it has presented compelling evidence of its zero-logs stance through a court case. For instance, in March 2022, TorGuard faced a copyright infringement lawsuit by major Hollywood movie studios. They alleged that TorGuard actively facilitated users in circumventing restrictions on torrent sites.

Despite losing the case, TorGuard achieved a significant victory: no identifiable user logs were submitted during the trial. This outcome serves as the strongest reassurance for TorGuard subscribers, providing definitive proof that the company can be trusted to uphold its commitment to not keeping any logs. As a result of the lawsuit, TorGuard now blocks all torrenting traffic on its US servers.

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Kill switch

A kill switch is a feature that disconnects your system from the Internet when it detects that you have lost access to the secured encryption tunnel. This ensures that you will never broadcast any data to the world through an open connection.

There is also an “App Kill” option, which is highly customizable. With it, you can ensure that an application will be closed if you lose the VPN connection.

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The TorGuardVPN network

TorGuardVPN has an extensive server network covering North America, Europe, Asia, and various cities across the United States. However, it lacks servers in South America and offers only a single one in South Africa. The VPN has servers in the following continents:

Continent	Number of countries
North America	3
South America	3
Asia	7
Oceania	2
Africa	1
Europe	28

TorGuard has a decent-sized network with over 3,000 servers in 50 countries spread across 60 cities. While the provider hasn’t specified the exact number of IP addresses, we believe it’s over 3,000 IP addresses or one per server. 

The option is also to connect to US servers spread evenly across the country. They include:

• New York
• California 
• Florida
• Georgia
• Utah
• Nevada
• Illinois
• Texas
• Washington 
• New Jersey 

TorGuard VPN has reduced its server network by a significant margin. For instance, at the moment, only four countries support the SOCKS proxy, including Switzerland, Canada, Sweden, and the Netherlands. Furthermore, the VPN used to have several servers in Africa, but as of now, only one is remaining in South Africa. Additionally, TorGuard has two servers remaining in Dubai, the Middle East, and Israel.

Plans and pricing in TorGuard VPN

You’ll get the same features in whatever plan you choose to join TorGuard. We haven’t mentioned so far the number of concurrent connections allowed to a single account. It’s eight, which is higher than most but lower than some others that allow for unlimited devices simultaneously.

The monthly plan will set you back by 10 USD. That’s the exact average price you find across the VPN industry, so it’s neither cheap nor expensive. If you are not afraid of commitment, the 12-month and 6-month plans will cost you 4.99 per month and 6.66 for the Quarterly plan.

So, the pricing options are nothing extraordinary, but all the opposite. They are at the top of the average. So, this VPN is not a great deal in terms of price, but it’s not a waste of your money either.

Is there a free TorGuard VPN plan?

Yes, there is a 7-day free trial in TorGuard. And getting it is one of the most surrealistic experiences you can have in the VPN industry.

If you want to have your seven-day trial on TorGuard, you first need to subscribe to another VPN, and send a copy of your last bill to freshstart@torguard.net. Once your documentation is certified, you will have seven days of full TorGuard access.

And there’s more.

If you decide that you like TorGuard better than your previous VPN vendor, you can send proof of account cancelation to the customer support team and have a free 30-day trial.

Interface and friendliness 

TorGuard supports multiple platforms, including iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, Linux and router devices. 

Windows app

TorGuard’s Windows application may not rank as the best available on the market. Upon installation, we noticed a significant lag on our test device. 

To switch between protocols, simply click on the hamburger icon, and it will present you with options such as OpenVPN, WireGuard, and OpenConnect. Moreover, TorGuard offers a variety of port choices, including 443, 9201, 80, and 1198. 

For more advanced settings, click on the cog icon. This will bring up a neatly organized set of options presented in tabs: 

• General: Customize automatic connections and appearance settings. 
• App Kill: Select which applications should be closed if TorGuard disconnects. 
• Scripts: Incorporate custom scripts to be executed before or after connections. 
• Network: Enable TorGuard’s IPv6 leak protection, activate the automatic kill switch, utilize the ad blocker DNS, or set up protocol settings. 
• Proxy: Add your own custom proxy server. 
• Server: Configure your dedicated or residential IP address. 
• Debug: Identify and display any errors within TorGuard’s software code. 

If you buy a dedicated IP address, residential IP address, or a streaming bundle, it is essential to register your new IP address in the settings section under ‘Server.’

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MacOS client

TorGuard performs significantly better on macOS compared to Windows. It operates smoothly without causing any lag and establishes connections quickly. One drawback we found is the absence of a search bar, which can be disappointing. However, you can still filter servers alphabetically and by specialized types or regions, allowing for convenient server selection. 

Compared to the Windows client, the macOS version lacks a few options, such as installing TUN/TAP adapters, blocking outside DNS, and a few design features. However, unless you possess advanced technical skills, it is unlikely that you will miss these features. 

The setup process for TorGuard on macOS is more complex than other VPNs. During installation, we encountered more permission requests, which can be a bit uncomfortable. 

It is uncommon to see such a significant number of permission requests in macOS VPN clients, especially when requesting access to view System Events and perform actions within the app. While this may raise concerns, it’s important to note that VPNs require a certain level of permissions to function properly, and TorGuard may use this information to detect bugs or software failures for enhanced performance and stability.

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Android app

When using TorGuard on Android, you can select between WireGuard and OpenVPN protocols. Also, within the settings, you can enable the VPN to reconnect automatically in the event of a network drop and enable IPv6 leak protection. 

Additionally, you have the flexibility to configure your dedicated IP address, static DNS, or proxy settings. However, it’s worth noting that TorGuard does not offer a kill switch feature on Android devices. Nevertheless, Android devices have a split tunneling feature called Restricted Apps Available. This feature allows you to choose which apps connect to the VPN connection, enabling you to use your original IP address when necessary. 

Similar to desktop applications, the sorting option is available on Android, allowing you to arrange servers alphabetically, in reverse alphabetical order, or by proximity. Furthermore, you can apply additional filters to narrow down your server selection based on specialized types or regions.

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iOS app

Unlike other apps, the iOS application is far less customizable. However, you can choose from a different protocol than the Android counterpart. These include IKEv2, OpenVPN, IPSec, and WireGuard. 

One downside of the iOS app is that it lacks a functioning automatic kill switch. We attempted to restart the app and toggle it on and off, but the VPN didn’t stop working. 

Furthermore, network servers are organized alphabetically by favorites section or by proximity. It cannot filter servers by region or type, such as dedicated IP or stealth IP.

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Amazon Fire TV app

With the Amazon Fire TV app, you can select either the WireGuard or OpenVPN protocol. The app is also quite intuitive and easy to easy. However, the basic subscription plan doesn’t unlock geo-restricted Netflix libraries. We also found that there was no automatic kill switch.

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Gaming consoles and streaming devices

TorGuard offers a custom VPN app specifically designed for Amazon Fire TV Stick. While it may not be optimized for streaming popular platforms, it is particularly well-suited for anonymous streaming of Kodi content. 

Moreover, TorGuard can be used with a wide range of gaming consoles and streaming devices by connecting them to a router running the VPN software. This enables comprehensive VPN coverage for these devices. 

However, it’s worth noting that TorGuard does not provide a Smart DNS tool, unlike some other VPN services. Smart DNS allows you to change the DNS settings of devices such as Apple TV, Roku, Xbox, and PlayStation, aligning them with the DNS of a VPN server.

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Browser extensions 

The TorGuard subscription also includes extensions for the Chrome and Firefox browsers. Both extensions share the same layout, settings, and number of available server locations. With an impressive selection of 43 countries, including city-level servers, the browser extensions pleasantly surprised us with their full traffic encryption using SSL.

This provides a higher security level than other browser extensions that function merely as proxies. You can also enable ad block and DNS filtering features in the settings and selectively exclude specific sites from the proxy connection. In our latest tests, all these features performed well. We recommend using TorGuard’s VPN service to benefit from greater protocol selection and customizable settings to suit your specific needs.

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Customer support

The website says that it has 24/7 support available. That could make you think about a live chat service that is always online. Well, you’d be wrong. There’s no live chat option available at all.

What you can do instead is to create a service ticket at any time of the day. Issuing a ticket will, of course, need you to present your network credentials. I found this process to be unreliable and cumbersome.

On the other hand, you can also request help by sending an email to helpdesk@torguard.net. I found this option to be better, and it doesn’t need that you provide any additional information.

Customer support is active during weekends, and it’s quick. Their answers were excellent, with all the relevant information needed to be included, and with a high degree of politeness.

TorGuard alternatives 

• ExpressVPN – Undeniably one of the best VPNs in the market right now. It provides you with the best features needed for your privacy and security. The provider boasts plenty of servers and locations amounting to 3,000+ in 94 countries, a world-class support team, supports multiple platforms, split tunneling, Lightway (WireGuard), OpenVPN, IKEv2, L2TP/IPSec and OpenVPN protocols, strong encryption and more. Also, it unblocks most streaming platforms and hosts tons of apps for various devices. 
• Private Internet Access (PIA) – There are only a handful of VPN providers that tower above PIA. If money is your main concern, then PIA is just the right for you. The VPN combines competitively-priced subscription plans with top-level security features, earning it significant public attention. Moreover, PIA has excellent customer support, supports AES 256-bit encryption, an automatic kill switch, a strict no-logs policy, and a variety of other security features.
• NordVPN- The security features that NordVPN offers are bliss. Only a few VPNs match up to this VPN’s standards. It is known for its commitment to protecting your privacy and security. To achieve this, NordVPN offers a variety of features, including double VPN for added encryption, split tunneling, private DNS, SmartDNS, kill switch, AES 256-bit encryption, and more. For added security, you can choose from extra security features such as Onion over VPN, MFA protection, and obfuscated servers.

Conclusion

So it’s time to address the big question: should you not pick TorGuard as your VPN provider?

TorGuard is a robust service. The security is impeccable, and the speeds are probably the best in the industry. In addition, it allows for a very high degree of customization, and the most advanced users among us will have a field day setting up their accounts. Finally, it’s excellent for torrents.

On the other hand, it’s useless for unblocking video stream sites, which has become a significant use case for VPNs. The connections are unreliable, and if you are not using WireGuard, you can have a hard time even connecting to a server. The platform is not friendly toward VPN newbies.

So when we put all that information together, we concluded that you should not pick TorGuard. Why? NordVPN will give you all the advantages of TorGuard for the same price, SurfShark will do the same for a fraction of the cost, and in ExpressVPN, you will pay a couple more dollars, but you will get a better service overall.

In addition, all three VPNs we mentioned as better options will unblock Netflix and many other streaming services. Moreover, all those three VPNs are located in privacy-friendly jurisdictions and have passed independent audits with flying colors.

With all that in mind, is there still a case to be made to join TorGuard? Yes. If you try this service and you find that it’s just right for you because of the speeds and performance in the BitTorrent network or because you don’t use Netflix at all, then you’ve found your perfect match, and you will lose nothing by joining in.

So yes, you should pick TorGuard VPN if you find that it suits your needs perfectly. But as a general-purpose VPN, this is not the best choice in the market, and you will be better off choosing several better VPN networks that charge you the same monthly fee for higher-quality service.

TorGuard VPN is a good VPN. But it’s not good enough just yet. You’d be better off choosing any of the three alternatives, especially ExpressVPN.

FAQs