Czech cybersecurity company Avast is known for its internet security and anti-virus software suites, especially Its subscription-based SecureLine VPN service. It ensures protection for your online privacy, and users get reasonably fast VPN connections.
However, it’s not as popular as NordVPN, which often shows up as a sponsor on many YouTube videos nowadays. The company is based in Panama, where NordVPN doesn’t have to comply with any data archival requirements from the government. Hence, users can safely browse the web without the fear of data logging.
Then again, a VPN is more than just providing the best online security for the users. It also has to support all the popular VPN protocols, plus unblock geo-restricted websites and services reliably. There are other factors as well, but more on that later.
If you are trying to make a purchase decision for a VPN plan, then this comparison guide to Avast SecureLine VPN vs NordVPN will help you decide which of the two is the befitting VPN provider.
Choosing a VPN: What should you Look out for?
There are several features that you should look out for when choosing a VPN. Alongside having privacy and security policies audited, a VPN needs to have a vast catalog of servers, so you can connect to anywhere in the world. It should also provide reliable connections and fast internet speeds, as well as flexible subscription plans for the masses.
This detailed comparison between Avast VPN vs NordVPN will highlight all the essential factors of a VPN service one by one. Be sure to go through all of them so that you can decide on your own.
User Privacy and Security
If you give your privacy the utmost importance, then it’s crucial to use a VPN, whether it’s just your casual browsing sessions or about getting your sensitive work done on the internet.
Most of the premium VPN providers more or less respect the privacy of their users. Avast as a cybersecurity company has been following the same formula for almost three decades now, and its SecureLine VPN has adopted it too.
With Avast SecureLine, you can encrypt your network traffic using the AES-256 GCM standard over the secure OpenVPN protocol. It also passes DNS and WebRTC leak tests, while it firewalls all the IPv4 traffic. Its servers are configured to log none of your browsing activities or personal info.
While we can appreciate Avast’s inclusion of a detailed VPN policy, some of its data logging is questionable, including connection timestamps, data usage, and the IP addresses of the servers you connect to. However, all of the data gets purged after a month or so.
Similar to SecureLine, NordVPN also uses AES-256 encryption to safeguard your network traffic from being snooped. Along with OpenVPN, NordVPN also supports the IKEv2/IPSec VPN protocol, providing a top-notch secure connection to its servers.
It also gracefully passes DNS and IP leak tests, so there are no privacy concerns on the technical side of things.
NordVPN’s guaranteed no-log policy has been verified by several cybersecurity auditors, including PwC (Price Waterhouse Coopers). Unlike SecureLine, it doesn’t log your VPN sessions or any details regarding traffic logs, bandwidth usage, or IP addresses of the servers you connect to.
Overall, there aren’t many differences between Avast SecureLine and NordVPN in terms of user privacy features and policies. However, NordVPN edges out by just a bit for its minimal session logging and robust VPN protocols.
VPN Server Coverage
As previously mentioned, a VPN should have an ever-expanding list of servers in different countries across the continents, so users can connect to a VPN server anywhere they want. Although it isn’t the most important factor for privacy-concerned users, cord-cutters find it much more beneficial as it gives them access to geo-restricted streaming services in different countries.
Avast SecureLine VPN has servers scattered across 55 locations in only 34 countries, which is average-sized compared to most other industry-leading VPN providers.
While it covers dozens of European countries, Canada and the United States are two of the only options in North America.
NordVPN takes its VPN coverage seriously, offering over 5200 servers in 59 countries. In the Americas and Europe, you get to connect to 2350 and 2050 servers, respectively.
NordVPN also provides extensive coverage in the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent, as well as in the Asia Pacific countries.
At first glance, NordVPN’s offerings are much more appealing compared to SecureLine in terms of the VPN server coverage.
You definitely will have a better time bypassing geographical boundaries on different websites and streaming services, and you will get to connect to the fastest local VPN server nearby.
Its “Quick Connect” feature automatically finds the best server for you so that you get the fastest speeds while maintaining anonymity on the internet.
VPN Performance – NordVpn vs Avast VPN
Being secure on the open web isn’t the only thing you should expect from a VPN service. Your experience with VPN won’t be good if you get bad network speeds, which is especially a major drawback of many VPN services.
Avast SecureLine’s VPN servers run on UDP, offering a maximum throughput of 2Gbps. Its VPN servers claim to be optimized for the best streaming experience, which is the best use-case for testing the network performance.
Assuming that you have access to high-speed internet, you can expect to have enough headroom for smooth stream playback on different on-demand video streaming services, such as Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, Disney+, etc.
SecureLine’s American and European servers are quite capable in that regard. However, there’s a significant increase in latency, which can create problems for some users.
Alongside security and privacy, NordVPN prioritizes VPN performance as well. While the enforced layer of encryption does impact the network speed by a bit, NordVPN has done its best to minimize latency and bandwidth issues.
Whether you are connecting to a server in either the United States or the United Kingdom, you can rely on NordVPN for the best uplink and downlink speeds.
In our testing phase, we only saw a mere 8-10% drop from the speed advertised by our ISP when connected to a NordVPN server.
If you are looking for the best VPN performance, then NordVPN is your best bet. SecureLine simply can’t compete with its small network of servers.
Peer-to-Peer VPN Connections
Peer-to-Peer connections are used mainly for sharing large files from one client to another. However, it also exposes your IP address to the public, hampering your anonymity in the process.
In case you are downloading copyrighted material, your internet service provider might fine you for breaking the copyright laws or send you a legal notice at worst.
Avast SecureLine does offer peer-to-peer VPN connections, but it’s limited to select servers only. Only 8 out of the 34 supported countries have P2P servers, which isn’t enough for most users. Also, the limited number of servers means that you will get below average torrenting speeds.
NordVPN has hundreds of P2P servers at its disposal, spread across 46 countries including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, India, Netherlands, Singapore, etc. The servers are labeled under a dedicated “P2P” section so that you can connect to the nearest server over a peer-to-peer connection and get the best possible torrenting speeds over a VPN.
It’s worth mentioning that NordVPN offers SOCKS5 proxies, which you can set up with your preferred BitTorrent client.
Additional Features
Ideal VPN services should come with many tools and features for the user to discover. It gives power users more flexibility over the VPN connection, but it shouldn’t hamper the user experience for novice users.
Avast SecureLine doesn’t have many features to write home about. As it’s limited to OpenVPN only, there’s no option to change the VPN protocol.
However, you can activate SecureLine’s advanced kill switch, which blocks access to the internet in case your connection to the VPN drops, and restores it after the VPN connection is re-established.
Its Connection Rules feature can auto-connect you to the fastest SecureLine server nearby when you connect to an insecure Wi-Fi hotspot. It even supports split tunneling, which lets you choose apps that you don’t want to use with or without a VPN connection.
NordVPN has a plethora of server-centric features. With Dedicated IP, you get allotted to a unique IP address on a NordVPN server, which is helpful for avoiding heavy network traffic usage restrictions on particular websites.
Double VPN reroutes your network traffic through two different VPN servers, making you basically invisible on the internet. You can also connect to “Onion Over VPN” servers for Tor protection on your device.
In addition, NordVPN has integrated an internet kill switch for almost all supported platforms, and you can choose between OpenVPN TCP/UDP and NordLynx VPN protocol.
For those who are wondering, NordLynx is based on the open-source WireGuard protocol, which claims to offer better VPN security compared to the OpenVPN standard. You can also set a custom DNS server address for your VPN connections.
One of the best features of NordVPN is its Obfuscated Servers, which are capable of bypassing government-enforced network firewalls by camouflaging OpenVPN traffic to standard HTTPS traffic.
In countries like China where VPN connections are restricted, you can connect to one of NordVPN’s obfuscated servers and access blocked websites.
The CyberSec feature also blocks malware, web trackers, keyloggers, and advertisements on the websites you visit. It even protects from phishing scams.
As you can see, NordVPN offers more features than Avast SecureLine. While SecureLine is also packed with essentials, NordVPN is a better option in terms of useful features.
Device Support
Now that dozens of devices can connect to the internet, it’s essential to use a VPN for secure and private internet access. Device support is something you should look out for when choosing a VPN, especially when you want to use it with a particular device.
Unfortunately, Avast SecureLine supports only a handful of operating systems, which includes Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS. While there is an Avast SecureLine browser extension for Chromium-based browsers (e.g., Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge) and Mozilla Firefox, it lacks the options in terms of advanced VPN configuration.
On the other hand, NordVPN covers Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Fire OS, Chrome OS, etc.
It is also available as an extension for modern web browsers.
You can also set up NordVPN on a VPN-compatible router so that you can have a VPN connection on incompatible devices running proprietary software, such as game consoles (PlayStation/Xbox/Nintendo Switch), streaming devices (Apple TV/Roku), and smart TVs (LG/Samsung/Hisense/VIZIO).
Subscription Pricing & Simultaneous Connections
When choosing a VPN service, it all boils down to the pricing, an important factor that depends on your budget. Also, the number of simultaneous VPN connections should be considered as well.
You can get an Avast SecureLine subscription for as low as $2.99/month, only if you choose to sacrifice on simultaneous connections and agree to pay on a yearly basis. For VPN connections on five devices at the same time, it adds an extra $1/month on 1 year, 2 years, and 3 years subscription plans.
However, SecureLine’s plans are secured by a 30-day money-back guarantee, and new users can sign up for a 7-day free trial.
All of NordVPN’s subscription plans cover simultaneous VPN connections for up to six devices. You can choose to pay on a monthly or yearly basis, unlike Avast SecureLine’s convoluted subscription scheme that forces you for a one-time payment.
NordVPN also offers heavy discounts on its long-term plans, and it effectively saves you a lot of money. Similar to SecureLine, NordVPN plans come with a risk-free, 30-day money-back policy.
While NordVPN plans are priced relatively higher than SecureLine’s affordable offerings, you get loads of features to play with, and thousands of VPN servers to connect to.
Customer support
If you encounter connection problems with a VPN service and aren’t experienced enough for troubleshooting such issues, the customer support is your best bet.
Avast SecureLine does have well-trained support staff with a decent amount of expertise in network troubleshooting. You can either use the support ticket system or make a phone call to the SecureLine customer helpline number. However, the absence of live chat support is a major drawback.
NordVPN offers a 24/7 live chat support option, as well as exceptionally fast email customer support. They will help you fix your connection issues in less than half an hour. Alternatively, you can visit support.nordvpn.com and follow their detailed troubleshooting guides.
Verdict: NordVpn vs Avast
Avast SecureLine is a decent VPN service, albeit with limited server coverage and VPN protocols. Despite the fact that it only supports a few devices, you can trust it for fast and unthrottled VPN connections. It’s also quite affordable and provides great customer support.
However, NordVPN outranks SecureLine in almost every factor, whether it’s about the top-tier privacy and security features, extensive server coverage, or reliable peer-to-peer connections. It also supports a wide variety of operating systems.
If you can pay the premium, then NordVPN is clearly the better option here. It’s considered to be an industry-standard for VPN services, and there’s no doubt about its commitment to the zero-logs policy.
