Privacy is a basic right that unfortunately is under continuous threat these days, particularly when you connect to internet. Our conversations, the websites we visit, the applications we use and everything else we do online, can be tracked by fraudsters or government organizations. Under these conditions, the importance of using a VPN service is clearer than ever and thankfully, we have many options to choose from. For many people, a good privacy policy is crucial and it is an aspect that should always be considered before subscribing to a VPN service.
The fact that VPN.ac offers one of the most transparent and solid privacy policies in the industry, makes this Romanian provider an appealing solution to protect your information and your anonymity. Netsec Interactive Solutions, the company that operates VPN.ac, was established in 2009 and it has an extensive experience in IT security. VPN.ac continues building a loyal customer base that relies on this high quality service. In this review, we will go through to the main details that you need to know about VPN.ac.
Features
VPN.ac works with a large variety of devices, including DD-WRT and Tomato routers. The service has evolved over time and it currently offers its own VPN client software for Windows and Mac OS X. This simplifies the setting up process for these platforms, but if you have to configure the VPN with other options like Linux, Android or iOS, there is nothing to worry about since VPN.ac provides detailed and clear tutorials to help you through the process. The software can be installed without any hassle and it offers a clean, simple interface that allows easy access to all the features available. It displays a list of connection ports and locations to choose from, as well as updates and connection status.
The protocols supported are PPTP, L2TP/IPsec and OpenVPN, which are the most popular and versatile options. While L2TP/IPsec and PPTP are not as secure as OpenVPN, they offer better speed. VPN.ac offers different encryption levels for OpenVPN, TCP and UDP on several ports. In order to provide a top level of security, VPN.ac uses OpenVPN with Elliptic Curve Cryptography for Key Exchange (ECDHE) (one of only a few vpn services in the industry that offer ECC). ECC keys (secp256k1) and RSA-4096, SHA256 and SHA512 for digest/HMAC are also supported. Your data is encrypted with AES-256 and AES-128 encryption. Plus, VPN.ac uses shared IP addresses, which helps to keep your identity protected as the same IP is assigned to multiple users.
Another convenient feature offered by VPN.ac is the Private DNS Resolvers, a solution that takes them ahead from many competitors. DNS queries are directed to the private resolvers, through secure tunnels, ensuring that they are protected against man-in-the-middle attacks, eavesdropping and wiretapping. DNS queries are encrypted with AES 128-bit and to prevent DNS query inspection, the resolver servers run over 10 million DNS queries to existing domains. This means that third-parties will not be able to monitor VPN.ac’s DNS resolvers effectively. By using the DNS servers assigned by VPN.ac, you can avoid DNS leaks effectively.
The speed supported by VPN.ac is also really good and even though you can expect slower performance while using OpenVPN, overall the service is fast and reliable. Keep in mind that the speeds also depend on the server chosen. Connecting to a server close to your location would typically offer a smoother performance, but with a good provider like VPN.ac you can get decent speeds across all the servers in their network. The VPN nodes status gives you useful information about each server and downtimes are practically non-existent. VPN.ac can provide a consistently good online browsing experience.
Although VPN.ac doesn’t offer unlimited traffic, they provide 2TB per month, which should be more than enough for most users. Some people may be put off by this, but it is important to keep in mind that claims of unlimited bandwidth should be taken with a pinch of salt. After all, many providers promise unlimited solutions because they know that in reality, most users would only transfer a small to medium amount of data each month. The fact that VPN.ac is being honest with their customers in every aspect of the service is something that should be appreciated. Besides, by establishing a monthly limit, VPN.ac can give all its customers an enjoyable experience.
That brings us to the privacy policy, that as we previously mentioned is one of the clearest and more transparent in the industry. Since VPN.ac is based in Romania, it is not subject to data retention laws. Last year, data retention laws were deemed unconstitutional by the Romanian Constitutional Court and even before then, the rules that were in place, were not affecting VPN services. This allows VPN.ac to offer a high standard of privacy protection.
While connection logs (including start/end time, IP, protocol used, etc.) are kept for one day in order to fix customer’s connection problems and detect attacks, they don’t monitor your online browsing, conversations, data transfers, or any other activity. The connection details collected are automatically deleted every day and don’t have an impact on VPN.ac’s commitment to defend their customer’s right to privacy. Furthermore, they accept anonymous payment methods like Bitcoin, pre-paid cards and vouchers.
You can subscribe to VPN.ac for $9 USD for one moth of service. If you set a 3-month subscription, you pay $24, which reduces the price per month to $8. By extending the subscription to six months, you can save even more as the total cost is $36, which means that the price per month is only $6. One year of VPN.ac will cost you $58, so you would end up paying just $4.80 per month.
All the plans give you access to all the servers in VPN.ac’s network and three simultaneous connections to enjoy the service in your computer, tablet and mobile (or any other combination of devices) at the same time. VPN.ac offers a 7-day money back guarantee and even though there is no free trial available, for just $2 you can test the service for one week.
Servers
Servers located in Romania are managed directly by VPN.ac and even though in other locations, they rent their hardware, they have implemented measures to maintain the security of their network across the world. Currently, VPN.ac has servers in the following 15 countries: Mexico, Australia, Canada, Japan, United States, Switzerland, Hong Kong, France, Singapore, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, Sweden and Romania. P2P is allowed in different locations including Netherlands and Romania.
The service is available even for users in countries like China as VPN.ac can bypass DPI and firewalls, offering an efficient and reliable service for customers anywhere in the planet. Users can switch between servers whenever needed and the variety of options allows you to access online content without issues.
Customer Support
Compared to other providers, VPN.ac has a simple website, but it is packed with a great deal of useful information. There is a comprehensive FAQ section that offers detailed answers to the most common queries about different aspects of the service. The tutorials are clear and they will guide you through every part of the setting up process. Overall, the site offers a hassle-free experience and it is a good introduction to the quality that VPN.ac’s service provides.
The customer support is one of the highlights of using VPN.ac. The strong knowledge and technical skills of their team are evident and when you reach out to them, you can expect professional and efficient assistance with any issue. You can contact the support team via email. live chat and ticketing system. Skype is also available for existing customers.
Conclusion
VPN.ac continues stepping up its game and its making its way to the top in the VPN industry. Although it doesn’t offer some of the advanced features that other providers support, VPN.ac is doing a good job at giving users a convenient, reliable and secure service. The price is not the lowest that you can get, but the service works really well and combined with great customer support, it ofers great value for your money. If you are looking for a strong VPN service to protect your privacy online, VPN.ac is a great solution.
