The TorGuard VPN was first conceived as a torrent-based VPN, but has since expanded into wider markets and started offering more services and features. If you’re looking for a thorough and experience-based TorGuard review, congratulations - you’ve just found one!
Today, we’ll take a look at TorGuard and answer some questions around the VPN provider - namely, is TorGuard safe and is it worth your money? I can tell you right now, though - there are better options out there (i.e. ExpressVPN).
TL;DR: While TorGuard isn’t a bad VPN per se, it may cause some security concerns to those who value absolute and undisputed data safety. Even though the provider offers many different features (i.e. torrenting), you should really look into TorGuard’s privacy policies before going ahead and purchasing the VPN.
Pros
- Doesn't leak DNS, IP or WebRTC
- Good data encryption
- Torrenting allowed
Cons
- 3rd party interferance
- Located in a 14-Eyes territory
- Not the best speed
Table of Contents
- 1. TorGuard Review: PROS
- 1.1. Was Created Exclusively for Torrenting Purposes
- 1.2. No Leaks (DNS, IP or WebRTC)
- 1.3. No Information Logging
- 1.4. OpenVPN and AES 256-bit - Approved!
- 1.5. 27/7 Customer Support
- 2. TorGuard Review: CONS
- 2.1. Located in the US - BAD!
- 2.2. 3rd Party Involvement on Mobile
- 2.3. Mediocre Speed
- 2.4. What is TorGuard VPN speed for US server?
- 2.5. What is TorGuard VPN speed for EU server?
- 2.6. What is TorGuard VPN speed for Asia server?
- 3. Price
- 3.1. What is the TorGuard VPN price?
- 4. Conclusion
TorGuard Review: PROS
Now, since this is a TorGuard review, let’s first address the elephant in the room before moving forward - no, TorGuard does not support the Tor browser. It does, however, support the next best thing - torrenting.
Was Created Exclusively for Torrenting Purposes
Just as the title states, the original purpose of this VPN was to provide the best possible service when it comes to the torrenting processess that one might engage in.
It’s a funny thing, too. If you’ve read other reviews (not TorGuard reviews - other VPN ones), you might have noticed that VPN providers aren’t too keen on disclosing publicly whether or not they support torrenting with their services. This is due to a few different reasons, but the main one is the various different copyright infringement lawsuits that are constantly thrown around.
Well, this isn’t the case in this TorGuard review.
The company, apparently, doesn’t give a single damn about all of that - they openly advertise the fact that they support torrenting. More than that, TorGuard has special servers that are “the best in the market” when it comes to downloading torrents in full speed and security. Additionally, they offer a proxy to keep your torrenting experience even safer.
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No Leaks (DNS, IP or WebRTC)
IP and DNS leaks are one of the most prominent problems when it comes to VPN providers worldwide. Some TorGuard reviews mention this, but I’d like to emphasize it even more - if a VPN leaks your information, there’s something very wrong with its overall security OR there are some fishy things going on on the inside.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let me explain.
A DNS / IP leak happens when there is a breach of security on your VPN. In these situations, third parties (usually that would be your ISP) can see your activities on the web, even if your VPN is active at that time.
Many different VPNs seem to have this problem. And this ranges from completely unknown ones all the way to some of the industry veterans! This is why I’ve stated at the beginning of this section that it’s an industry-wide problem.
TorGuard, however, does not have this problem. I took the courtesy to test the company myself - I’ve performed some DNS leakage tests, and the results were all (as you can probably see for yourself) negative.
All of the DNS, IP and WebRTC leakage tests performed on TorGuard VPN came out negative. Honestly, this is great news for anyone thinking about trying this VPN out - if everything else fails, at least you’ll be able to rest assured that your information won’t leak to third parties.
No Information Logging
Well, if we’re going to talk about the huge security topics, why not get them all out of the way first, eh?
Information logging is probably the most serious offense that a VPN provider can commit. The term itself refers to VPNs storing your personal, classified information in their systems. This information can include anything from the domains that you access, all the way to your personal messages and bank information.
Later, the information is often sold out to third parties, namely - advertising corporations. These corporations can then target their ads in accordance with the data provided. An even worse scenario, though, would be if the VPN provider would hand over that same information to the government of the country. These things happen quite often, believe it or not!
However, I’m happy to inform you that, while doing research for this TorGuard review, I have found zero evidence that this VPN provider would log your information. The company admits to keeping track of some of your personal information, but all of it revolves around granting you with the best customer experience possible.
When it comes to the things that you do while the VPN is active, though, that’s where the line is drawn. So, if you were wondering is TorGuard safe, you can remain calm.
OpenVPN and AES 256-bit - Approved!
More good news in this TorGuard review - the company employs OpenVPN and AES 256, both of which are used as the industry standard!
OpenVPN is an open-source secure connection-providing software. It is used to establish a top-tier connection between you and a corresponding party that you are trying to access.
Table: TorGuard VPN features
AES 256 is a type of data encryption. Make no mistake, though, for it’s not “yet another type of encryption” - AES 256 is the strongest way of encrypting your data to date. As of writing this TorGuard review, it is still yet to be cracked. Furthermore, it is also used by the biggest intelligence agencies around the world!
Think of it this way - your information will be guarded by the same tool that the FBI or the CIA uses to protect their data. If that isn’t reassuring, then I don’t know what is.
27/7 Customer Support
Stepping away from the security side of things, there is one more topic that most VPN providers (especially the less known ones) can’t seem to fathom - customer support.
Ideally, you would want to be able to receive live customer support at any given time, right? Well, that is not the case with most VPNs out there. Instead, the best-case scenario is that you’ll have to fill out a ticket and wait for who-knows-how-long until you actually receive a response.
Worst case scenario? No customer support, whatsoever. You’d be surprised how many of the VPN providers that I have used didn’t offer any support at all.
Thankfully, though, this is yet another pro in this TorGuard VPN review. The VPN offers users 27/7 customer support. The system is very simple - there’s a pop-up at the bottom of the page, which you just click and type out your query. The staff is responsive and knowledgeable, which is always nice.
TorGuard Review: CONS
Now, to continue our TorGuard VPN review, let’s see what are some of the most prominent cons and shortcomings that this VPN provider has. Honestly, even though I was really excited at first, some of this information made me hesitate on the thought of using this VPN full-time.
Located in the US - BAD!
This might be a huge issue for the people who are wondering “is TorGuard safe?”.
The VPN provider is based out in the United States of America. To the unsuspecting, this might not raise any red flags - “so what?”, you might say.
Well, the US belongs to the 14-Eyes jurisdiction. That’s really bad.
The 14-Eye agreement, as the name probably reveals, involves 14 countries around the world. The agreement? Sharing any and all gathered intelligence. This includes everything from ISP provided data, all the way to - you’ve guessed it - VPNs.
While some VPN providers state that they are a private entity and the rule only affects public institutions, this thought process is rather faulty because the government can always take the VPN to court.
That said, it is worth mentioning in this TorGuard review that, since the company does not log any of your private information, they wouldn’t really have what to show to the authorities, even if they were forced to.
However, even in this scenario, there’s always that feeling of “what if..?” - especially when security is your number one priority.
3rd Party Involvement on Mobile
If you want to use TorGuard on mobile, there’s a slight problem - you will need two different applications to do so.
You’ll require the TorGuard app itself, and then an additional app called “OpenVPN Connect”.
Surely, this might not be a problem in of itself, but, in my humble experience, anything that requires the interference of a 3rd party (whatever that party might be) smells really bad.
And it’s not like it’s impossible, either! As some other customer TorGuard reviews have stated, there are a whole lot of VPN providers out there that have found a way to offer their services on mobile with a single app!
Remember - if TorGuard VPN isn’t really up-to-speed with what you’re looking for, check out our best VPN list. Who knows - maybe you’ll find something of your liking there?
Mediocre Speed
Speed is a very important part of a VPN. When the speed is slow, well… That doesn’t really boost the reputation of the VPN provider.
Honestly, I was rather surprised when I tested out the speed that TorGuard’s servers provide. While it wasn’t a complete tragedy (especially when compared to some other VPNs out there), it was still rather underwhelming.
But talk is cheap. Let’s take a look at the numbers.
On an average day, my download speed without a connected VPN ranges around the 70 Mbps mark. For the sake of being transparent in this TorGuard review, the tests were performed from the very middle of the EU.
What is TorGuard VPN speed for US server?
TorGuard's US server speed looks a little something like this:
- Ping: 142 ms
- Download Speed: 28,22 Mbps
- Upload Speed: 27,91 Mbps
So ya - the numbers talk for themselves. High ping? Well, that’s to be expected. Low upload speed? Bah, who cares about upload speed, anyway? But the main culprit, as you can probably see for yourself, is the download speed. Even though the server is quite far away (on the other side of the globe, to be exact), those numbers are still stupendously low.
Now, let’s take a look at the server based out in Amsterdam (EU).
What is TorGuard VPN speed for EU server?
EU server speed test results:
- Ping: 49 ms
- Download Speed: 52,38 Mbps
- Upload Speed: 51,54 Mbps
These numbers are much more acceptable than the ones from the server based out in the US, but that’s little to no condolence. Why? Because this is the EU server, and since we’re performing the test from the middle of the EU, well… Better results are to be expected.
What is TorGuard VPN speed for Asia server?
Finally, the server in Asia faired the worst.
- Ping: 309 ms
- Download Speed: 7,23 Mbps
- Upload Speed: 9,01 Mbps
So, as you can see for yourself, speed isn’t something that can be referred to positively in this TorGuard review.
Price
To finish off the TorGuard VPN review, let’s take a look at the company’s plans and their prices. Surprising or not, they are pretty good!
TorGuard has 4 different bundles to choose from. I actually rather liked this model - you are able to not only choose the services that would suit your wants and needs best, but the huge lists of features that these bundles include are also quite informative.
Table: TorGuard pricing information
To conduct this review, I had purchased their highlighted plan - the “Anonymous VPN” bundle for $9,99 per month. Honestly, all things considered, the price does make sense - with everything that I received, I didn’t feel like I had overpaid.
What is the TorGuard VPN price?
The 4 bundles are:
- Anonymous VPN - from $9,99 per month
- Monthly Bundle - $11,54 per month
- Quarterly Bundle - $20,97 every 3 months
- Annual Bundle - $64,00 per year
Some interesting choices, for sure!
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Conclusion
The only question left to answer in this TorGuard review is simple - is it worth using this VPN provider?
That’s a tough question to answer. It all depends on what you need from your VPN.
If you're looking for a VPN for the solemn purpose to torrent files and you don't really care about the security aspect of things - TorGuard might suit you pretty well.
That being said, if you have a single care in the world for the security of your data, there are definitely better VPN options to choose from. ExpressVPN, Surfshark, etc. If you'd like, you can check out our reviews of the above-mentioned VPN providers.
Best of luck choosing the best VPN for yourself, whether it be TorGuard or any other!