Is Avast VPN Safe for Torrenting?

Many people are familiar with Avast Antivirus and Internet Security programs. The company behind those programs now offers its own VPN service. A VPN is useful when you want to remain anonymous online or when downloading torrents.

Avast VPN offers the basic security features of a typical VPN provider. It encrypts and routes traffic. Unfortunately, Avast VPN may not be the best option for torrenting.

What Is Avast VPN?

Avast SecureLine VPN is a paid service that offers standard VPN solutions. With Avast VPN, you connect to a server in a different part of the country or world. Through this connection, you access websites or P2P connections. The VPN also hides your IP address and encrypts any traffic to or from your computer.

The program is available on Windows and Mac computers. Like other VPNs, it allows you to bypass geolocation restrictions and privately browse the web. It also offers a secure way to access sites when connected to a public network.

Avast uses IPSec and OpenVPN on UDP with an AES 256-bit encryption cipher, which is the standard nowadays.

Does Avast VPN Allow Torrenting?

Some VPN providers restrict or block P2P connections, but Avast allows them. The company maintains several data center locations that permit torrenting. Unfortunately, only eight server locations are available.

Besides the limited number of servers, Avast lacks the additional features needed for anonymous torrenting with peace of mind.

What Should Avast Improve to Be a Good Torrenting Option?

To safely download torrents without having your activity tracked, you need a VPN service that offers the following:

No logging policy
A kill switch
DNS leak protection
IP masking
Fast download speeds
Encryption protocols

Out of this list of features, Avast VPN provides IP masking, encryption, kill switch and DNS leak protection.

Does Avast VPN Have a No Logging Policy?

Avast VPN does not have specific logging policies. Encryption and IP spoofing are pointless if a VPN provider keeps track of your torrenting activity and can hand over the logs to government agencies.

When reviewing the Avast VPN website, the details of the privacy policy remain vague. The site claims that Avast only logs your name, zip code, email address, connection times, bandwidth, and server locations.

This is another disadvantage of this provider. A VPN that claims that allows torrent and P2P traffic should be very clear about what it logs and what it doesn’t. Ideally, they shouldn’t log anything at all.

The Location of the Company

The policy also states that Avast does not log websites visited. However, the company operates in countries with strict data retention laws. If a government agency were to request logs from Avast, the company would likely comply. Due to the vague privacy policy, it is hard to determine how much information the government may receive.

Avast is based in the Czech Republic. This country cooperates with the data retention laws of the Five Eyes countries.

The vagueness of the privacy policy makes Avast VPN an unsecured solution for torrenting. The VPN you choose should specifically state that it has a no logging policy. It also helps if the VPN provider operates in a country with no data retention laws.

Does Avast VPN Provide Fast Download Speeds?

Avast offers relatively fast download speeds for normal Internet browsing, despite only having a few dozens of servers. Unfortunately, you will experience much slower speeds when trying to download torrents through this VPN.

Avast VPN technically allows torrenting but limits P2P connections to a handful of servers. With fewer servers to choose from, you are more likely to experience slower speeds.

Taking longer to download files also increases the risk of overcrowded servers and dropped connections, as we discussed before.

Should You Use Avast SecureLine for Torrenting?

If you plan to download torrents through a VPN, there are more secure options than Avast VPN. While it offers a reliable service for secure connections, it is not suited for BitTorrent.

This VPN lacks the protection needed to safely download torrent files. The company’s policy on logging is unclear.

If you decide to use this service, you may also experience slower speeds, thanks to the limited number of servers.

Avast SecureLine Alternatives

In the end, there are many other VPN services with the features you need. Remember to look for a VPN provider that does not keep logs.