AdGuard VPN Review 2026: Is the Free Version Any Good?

If you need a VPN for everyday browsing, AdGuard VPN is a solid option. The interface is easy to use and even suggests several fast server locations, along with the ping rate for each.

AdGuard VPN has a no-logs policy, but it's never been audited. It's also limited to only 49 countries and only one protocol. Many of the best VPNs have audited no-logs policies as well as lots of options for servers and protocols.

Learn more about AdGuard VPN's pricing, features, and performance in our review.

Overview

Price	Starts at $2.40/mo
Free version	Yes
Max # of connected devices	10
# of servers	Unlisted in 49 countries
VPN protocol	AdGuard
Encryption	AES-256
No-logs policy	No logs
Headquarters	Cyprus
Netflix access	Yes
Learn more	Get AdGuard VPN

Star rating summary

We last tested AdGuard VPN on December 2, 2025.

Our experience

We tested AdGuard's virtual private network (VPN) for Windows on our laptop. Installing and using the client is simple, beginner-friendly, and easy to navigate.

Using the apps is as simple as picking a server and clicking the large Connect button. The home screen also gives several server recommendations for the fastest speeds based on your location. Most VPNs only recommend one server, so it was nice to see a few options.

We also like that AdGuard VPN lists the latency for all of its servers and provides multiple fastest server recommendations. Although it only offers a limited number of server locations, AdGuard helps you easily select the best option.

We have no problem recommending AdGuard VPN, especially if you already use AdGuard’s ad blocker.

AdGuard VPN prices and plans

AdGuard VPN is affordable, ranging from $2.40-$11.99/mo. Its feature set is decent but not rich enough to justify the current price tags. That's why we tested how competitive its free version is — could it outshine Proton VPN free, for example?

Here's a quick comparison of AdGuard's free and premium VPNs:

Feature	AdGuard VPN Unlimited	AdGuard VPN Free
Simultaneous connections	10	2
Bandwidth	Unlimited	3 GB/mo
Server locations	70+	10
Learn more	View plan	View plan

Paying for AdGuard VPN will remove the traffic limitations and increase your device count from two to 10. However, you won't get much else apart from a slew of DNS servers.

You can use them to block ads, adult content, malware, and phishing, but a bundled service like Surfshark One can do all this. We also recommend skipping content-filtering DNS servers for dedicated parental control apps.

All in all, AdGuard VPN isn't the best deal. If you want a free VPN with unlimited traffic, go with Proton VPN.

Plan	1-month plan	1-year plan	2-year plan
Price per month	$11.99/mo	$3.99/mo	$2.40/mo

Test AdGuard VPN for free before upgrading to its annual or two-year plan, which both come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

AdGuard VPN features

AdGuard VPN has a few decent features — from a proprietary stealthy protocol and split tunneling to its DNS service. However, it can’t rival the advanced options of the biggest VPNs on the market.

Server count and countries

• Serversx in 49 countries

AdGuard VPN operates servers in 49 countries and 70+ locations worldwide. It doesn't share the number of servers, though, which indicates a less-than-impressive network.

AdGuard’s free VPN offers servers in 10 locations:

• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Italy
• Netherlands
• Poland
• United Kingdom
• United States (Dallas, Miami, and New York)

AdGuard offers a variety of DNS servers. You’ll mostly use them for geo-unblocking, but they can also block ads and filter content. They’re not as robust as dedicated apps, but they performed well during our testing.

Using AdGuard DNS Family Protection will activate SafeSearch and Safe Mode in your browser. This can protect your children and other family members from explicit and disturbing content.

The client doesn't let you create a list of favorites for easier access. You also can't see real-time server loads to avoid crowding. However, the available pings will help you find the fastest server for your location.

No-logs policy and headquarters

• AdGuard VPN logs policy: No logs
• AdGuard VPN headquarters: Cyprus

AdGuard VPN operates from Cyprus, which puts it outside the Eyes alliance. Since we're talking about an EU country, the GDPR also applies to your data.

The company boasts a no-logs policy, so we've reviewed its privacy policy to see which user data it collects:

• Your email and password during registration
• Billing info through Paddle
• Your traffic volume and subscription duration
• If you're having problems with AdGuard VPN, you can allow it to log anonymized diagnostic data to help you.

AdGuard VPN also uses cookies on its website and records communication with customer support. Therefore, we never recommend sharing personal data with customer support agents.

After our investigation, we can say that AdGuard maintains a safe logging policy. It doesn't log your activity or any data that could identify you as an individual. That said, we'd like to see this confirmed by an independent audit in the future.

VPN protocols

AdGuard VPN uses a proprietary protocol with stealth capabilities and AES-256 encryption. This allows it to mask your VPN traffic while keeping you anonymous.

Kill switch

When enabled, a kill switch will cut your internet access the moment your VPN loses connection. This prevents your info from leaking out.

You can find AdGuard's kill switch in the Settings tab, under App settings.

DNS servers

AdGuard includes a number of DNS servers for the following purposes:

• AdGuard DNS: Blocks ads and trackers
• AdGuard DNS Family Protection: Blocks adult content and enables Safe Search and Safe Mode
• AdGuard DNS Non-filtering: Provides a secure and reliable connection
• OpenDNS: Blocks malware and phishing

Some of AdGuard's DNS servers can also block malicious websites. However, they only follow a list of known malware hotspots; they won't block new threats until they're updated to include them. So, DNS servers can never replace a reliable antivirus program.

Exclusions

AdGuard's split tunneling allows you to exempt apps and sites from VPN protection. It prevents speed drops caused by unnecessary encryption.

For example, you can watch YouTube unprotected while using a VPN to download torrents. You can also conserve your bandwidth with a free version.

AdGuard VPN test results

We test VPNs for speed, security, stability, and overall performance. Check the final results of our hands-on testing below.

Speed tests

• Speed test results: AdGuard VPN dropped our download speeds by an average of 26%.

We tested AdGuard VPN on a MacBook running macOS Tahoe from a physical location in the U.S. We first measured our benchmark download speed, upload speed, and latency without the VPN.

Then, we tested servers in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and Australia to determine how they would affect our original speed.

Test type	No VPN	US to US	US to CA	US to EU	US to AU
Download speed	483.72 Mbps	549.38 Mbps	315.25 Mbps	177.97 Mbps	382.39 Mbps
Upload speed	318.12 Mbps	266.36 Mbps	167.30 Mbps	80.97 Mbps	23.37 Mbps
Latency (ping)	21 ms	20 ms	59 ms	128 ms	293 ms
Download speed % difference	N/A	+13.57%	-34.83%	-63.21%	-20.95%
Upload speed % difference	N/A	-16.27%	-47.41%	-74.55%	-92.65%
Latency % difference	N/A	-4.76%	+180.95%	+509.52%	+1,295.24%

We love that AdGuard VPN lists three fastest location options, so you can select based on your VPN needs. We opted for the Dallas server because it had the lowest ping rate.

The Dallas server slightly increased our download speed, which is a great result. VPNs tend to slow down your speeds because they reroute your traffic down a longer (and more secure) path. We consider it a win whenever our speeds stay the same, or even improve, with a VPN.

But the international servers all decreased our download speeds and drastically increased our ping rates. According to the Speedtest by Ookla site, the Australian server was completely unsuitable for gaming and video calls.

Netflix tests

• Netflix test results: AdGuard VPN unblocked all the Netflix libraries we tested.

A good VPN lets you access Netflix libraries and avoid internet service provider (ISP) throttling. Your internet provider can see your streaming and might slow you down to conserve bandwidth. They can also see your VPN traffic but can't know what you're doing due to encryption.

	US to US	US to CA	US to UK	US to AU
Did it work with Netflix?

We tried to unblock Netflix with AdGuard VPN while connected to servers in the U.S., Canada, U.K., and Australia. The streams worked with every server too, but we were never able to improve the stream quality with Netflix Canada.

We've previously struggled with Netflix Australia, so it's nice to see AdGuard VPN successfully unblock Australia multiple times now. It appears to be a reliable option for streaming geo-blocked content.

DNS leak tests

• DNS leak test results: AdGuard VPN passed its DNS leak tests.

A Domain Name System (DNS) converts readable domain names into IP addresses. A DNS leak can reveal your IP address, location, or the sites you want to visit.

Our location and IP address remained anonymous, so it passed the DNS leak test.

WebRTC leak tests

• WebRTC leak test results: AdGuard VPN passed its WebRTC leak tests.

Web Real-Time Communication (WebRTC) allows web browsers and mobile apps to communicate in real-time and send voice, video, and generic data to each other. A WebRTC leak indicates the unwanted visibility of your IP address. During our AdGuard VPN testing, we didn’t experience any WebRTC leaks either.

Kill switch test

• Kill switch test results: AdGuard VPN passed its kill switch test.

AdGuard VPN includes a kill switch feature. If your connection drops, the kill switch will block access to the internet. This is particularly helpful if you're using public Wi-Fi, so you can keep your device and data safe from unwanted third parties.

We started with a server in Mexico, then switched to a server in Canada. Although AdGuard VPN previously leaked our location and internet service provider, this time it kept that information private.

AdGuard VPN compatibility

	Compatibility
Windows
macOS
Linux	Yes — Debian, Ubuntu, Elementary OS, Linux Mint, RPM
Android
iOS
Routers
Browser extensions	Yes — Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Opera
Smart TVs	Yes — Android TV, Apple TV

We want our VPNs to cover as many popular platforms as possible, so we appreciate AdGuard VPN's coverage. Beyond the standard desktop and mobile apps, it can also be installed on browsers, routers, and smart TVs.  

AdGuard VPN customer support

Support type	AdGuard VPN
Email or live chat	Yes — support@adguard-vpn.com
Phone
Online guides or forums

AdGuard's official website offers a support center where you can:

• Read the FAQs
• Access the knowledge base with setup manuals
• Discuss problems with its community on Reddit and Telegram
• Report issues and suggest new features on GitHub
• Get the latest news from the AdGuard blog

We would still prefer a 24/7 live chat with knowledgeable support agents. The only "real" way to contact the AdGuard support team is through email, and the wait times are very long. Customer support is another aspect where AdGuard fails to live up to more popular VPNs.

AdGuard user reviews

• Apple App Store rating: 4.6 
• Google Play Store rating: 4.5
• Trustpilot star rating: 4.4

AdGuard VPN is a well-regarded app for both iOS and Android. However, all the featured reviews on the Apple App Store mention that the app has gone downhill, with issues connecting and staying connected. But most Google Play Store reviews are positive and state that the app works well. 

AdGuard is also considered excellent by Trustpilot, with 86% of reviewers giving the company a five-star rating. AdGuard is praised for its professional and quick customer service and for its effective apps. 

Top alternatives

AdGuard VPN is a mid-tier service that can't compete with more popular providers. That's why we wanted to recommend some alternatives with better price-to-value ratios.

Bottom line: Is AdGuard VPN good?

AdGuard VPN is fast, protects against data leaks, and includes the core features you'd expect from a VPN, but you can find better options for the price.

It does have an impressive collection of DNS servers that can also hide your IP and block ads, malware, and unwanted content. The AdGuard VPN protocol is secure and stealthy, allowing you to hide your VPN traffic. The company doesn't log any dangerous info, and it's located in Cyprus.

Note that AdGuard’s free VPN is severely limited by its 3 GB monthly cap. As such, you can use it to stream for a few hours or browse a bit longer. You can just opt for one of our alternatives to get everything AdGuard VPN provides and more.

FAQs