TorGuard VPN Review

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Review

TorGuard VPN is one of the cleanest VPN providers on the internet. By that, I mean they have a dirt-free reputation. The company has no history of giving up logs, being hacked, lying about features, or fudging their base of location. Yet, they still don’t top too many “review” sites out there. But why is that? Today, in this TorGuard VPN review, I’ll be listing the pros and cons of TorGuard VPN to give you a real first-time unbiased look at what the VPN service has to offer.

TorGuard Video Review 2019


Rated #1 out of 50 VPNs

  • Speed test: Extremely fast
  • Netflix: Yes
  • Torrenting: Yes
  • Customer Service live chat : Yes
  • Logging policy: No logging policy
  • Cost: Cheapest VPN we’ve found ($2.08/mo and up) Use code “Best10VPN” for 50% off!

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TorGuard Review Pros+

#1 Cheapest VPN Deal?

TorGuard VPN is probably the cheapest VPN we’ve been able to find. The reason? Well, TorGuard is insanely generous with their discount codes. No other VPN gives out codes like TorGuard.

The best part is that they don’t go away! They have a permanent 50% off lifetime discount. You can pretty much ALWAYS get 50% off TorGuard VPN. If you sign up with a year for $60, and divide that by 50%, you get 30.

Divide 30 by 12 months, and it’s only around $2.50 a month. Not only that, but TorGuard offers a 2 year plan for $100, which is 50$ with the code. Divide that by 24 months, and you can get it for $2.08 a month. This is by FAR the cheapest VPN out there.

TorGuard’s standard pricing is just a bit standard, but really shines with the code”Best10VPN” for 50% off.

Here is what the pricing looks like:

  • Monthly VPN plan: $9.99 ($5 with 50% off code)
  • Quarterly VPN plan: $19.99 ($10 with 50% off code)
  • Semi-annual VPN plan: $29.99 ($15 with 50% off code)
  • Annual VPN plan: $59.99 ($30 with with 50% off code)
  • Biennial VPN plan: $99.99 ($50 with 50% off code)

Other VPNs out there have promos and discounts and so on, but most are limited time, or require three year commitments to get the good deals. TorGuard’s plans are ALL cheap, from $5 a month for a 1 month commitment to as low as $2 a month for 2 years.

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#2 Tons of Security Options and Configurations

Review

TorGuard is jam packed with some killer features. To be honest, a few of them, I don’t even plan to ever use, but the fact that they provide script support for example, is pretty dang cool. For me, I think of TorGuard as the “power VPN”. But it’s also easy enough to use just as a basic VPN service as well.

TorGuard has all of the mandatory VPN features you’d need, and then some.

Review

For starters, they have these must-have features:

  • Network kill switch (Most VPN apps only have app kill switch)
  • Application kill switch
  • Auto-connect features
  • Application appearance customization
  • IP leak and DNS leak protection
  • Additional proxy support
  • Dedicated IP server integration (hardly any VPNs have this feature which lets you input a purchased unique dedicated IP for streaming)

The main TorGuard page is laid out simply with servers to choose from and a connect button. Simply pick a server, connect, and you’re good to go! But if you want to customize your experience, you can do that too.

  • Openconnect?

TorGuard offers two tunnel types between OpenConnect and OpenVPN. Openconnect works automatically with the preferred TCP protocol type. TorGuard describes it as “SSL VPN technology and an open source port of Cisco’s AnyConnect SSL VPN project“. OpenConnect is a  cool option to pick if you want the easy way to connect, or want to take advantage of OpenConnect’s ability to hide VPN traffic since TorGuard specifies that “OpenConnect users cannot be blocked through firewalls such as the “Golden Shield Project” active in China. All traffic is encrypted with AES-256-GCM.”

  • Advanced OpenVPN Customization

OpenVPN is the more standard and common VPN type, and its cool to see that TorGuard offers so much OpenVPN customization. With OpenVPN, you can customize the port/authentication between various SHA rates which decrease or lower encryption, and you can also customize the actual cipher. With the ability to change ciphers, in the main client page, you can further decrease encryption and thus increase your speeds. The same applies for the Port/Auth. You can pick low rates like AES-128 encryption and SHA-1, or high encryption with AES-256 and SHA-256 respectively.

  • Stealth VPN Options

TorGuard is also probably the most secure “Stealth VPN” on the market. The reason is that they include so many different options to choose from. With internet connections in censored countries, users are often battling more than one type of firewall or censorship. So TorGuard provides a few options between Openconnect which is very automatic, or OpenVPN with what is called “Stunnel” enabled. TorGuard describes Stunnel in their forums as “optional if you want a second SSL layer then, by all means use it, it is not “needed” in a sense to bypass blocks when using tls-crypt.”

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#3 High Speeds On Multiple Servers

Review

TorGuard has some of the best speeds in the industry. They are super fast for torrenting, streaming, and gaming. We tested several locations and the best locations close by gave us very good results with low ping and high download rates. Normal download is around 170 Mbps for me, and 12 MS. So with TorGuard on, with the highest OpenConnect encryption connected, it was still VERY fast.

Review

Even PCMag, someone who we don’t necessarily consider an amazing source for accurate and unbiased VPN reviews (their reason for rating TorGuard low is that it feels “clunky”, had to admit TorGuard is way faster than other VPN services.

Take a look at the table diagram they made below that shows TorGuard has the fastest download, and lowest latency change (an actual speed increase), as well as the second highest Upload speed. Showing the fastest VPN. So as you can see, with the actual data, TorGuard is the FASTEST VPN.

Review

In this article with this image, PCMag lists TorGuard at the bottom of the page under every other slower VPN, LOL. Clearly bought out!

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#4 Best Customer Service from VPN

Review

TorGuard is one of the only VPNs we’ve found to actually have 24/7 live chat coverage. This is HUGE. When a company values customer service as much as their product, it’s a good indicator of how they view the consumer. TorGuard is very pro-consumer, with easy refunds and clear pricing models. And it shows.

Not only that, but their employees are top notch and not dicks. We’ve even found them on Reddit and Twitter reasoning and keeping clear heads with customers who are obvious trolls. I would challenge you to find someone complaining about TorGuard online in an internet forum–whether Twitter or Reddit, without a TorGuard employee personally being there trying to fix the issue.

But in terms of the live chat, they have a good rotating shift of employees and there’s always someone available to chat with for questions about refunds, or just troubleshooting. Just go to the site, and a box will popup immediately!

Some other VPNs like ExpressVPN have decent live chat as well, but its usually only available during UK hours. TorGuard is available whenever! Other VPNs like PIA, or VyprVPN, or other companies out there have a good amount of complaints that I’ve encountered.

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#5 Tons of Extra Services

Review

TorGuard is one of the only VPN providers that provides encrypted email! They have a FULL email website with pretty much every feature you’d need like calendar support, unlimited mail storage, G/PGP encryption, MITM protection, two factor auth, and more.

Besides the encrypted email, TorGuard also sells proxy credentials, which is AWESOME for torrenting. They also have a VPN router store, which sells pre-flashed VPN routers if you want a household VPN connection.

They regularly have really generous campaigns that even include free VPN routers. Right now, they have a deal if you switch over and use some of your pro-rated credit, you can basically get a free VPN router.

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#6 100% Unblocked Netflix Access

Review

TorGuard is the ONLY VPN that sells dedicated IPs. Now, some people might see this as a “con” since you do have to pay extra. But I consider it a pro since it pretty much guarantees 100% unblocked Netflix access.

Some other VPNs do work with Netflix, but they used shared servers that are often blocked or blacklisted by Netflix. We’ve all seen the Netflix proxy error, right? With TorGuard, you buy a unique IP that only YOU use which means it won’t ever get blocked. No more Netflix Proxy Error again! Thank god.

For me, this is worth the cost, since it’s so reliable. Not only that, but you can bundle TorGuard with the dedicated IP for around $7 a month or so, which is still cheaper than other VPN options that include Netflix. You can get a dedicated IP + VPN access for only $90 for 2 years, which is still only $3.75 a month. Or you could do the one month sub for around $9 a month–which is cheaper than competitors which cost around $12 or $13 a month.

So you can see why it’s still the best VPN for Netflix right? We can even look at a comparison chart, from our subreddit at Reddit.com/r/Netflixproxyerror, in which we compare the “Netflix Pricing” between Torguard and other paid VPNs that work.

 

Review

As you can see from the chart, TorGuard is by far the cheapest option in most categories.

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#7 No Logs and No Leaks

Review

TorGuard is a strict no log VPN, which means they don’t collect ANY logs on  your VPN usage. This is not as “normal” as you might think. We also ran TorGuard through some DNS and IP leak tests, and we found nothing leaking out about our connection while connected to their VPN servers.

Some other companies like HideMyAss,PureVPN, and other companies have been caught giving out logs. But TorGuard is neither here nor there, and they are airtight with your information.

#8 Clean Reputation and Transparency

Review

TorGuard has an excellent score on Trustpilot

We touched on this briefly in the last bullet point, but one reason we’ve rated Torguard so high is that they are one of the only “clean” VPNs left. A lot of VPNs like NordVPN, ExpressVPN, Private Internet Access, IPVanish, and more have all come under suspicion at one point or another. You can find these claims on plenty of other blogs, forums, and so on.

ExpressVPN is rumored to be based in Hong Kong, NordVPN might have ties to data-mining company Tesonet, IPVanish might give out logs, PureVPN has given up logs, Private Internet Access has Roger Ver on the advisory board (and is rumored to be downgrading every year), HolaVPN has been suspect of data mining and creating a botnet, and while companies like Windscribe (for example) might seem decent–their Twitter account is so troll and inflammatory towards other VPNs, that we have a hard time taking them seriously.

The VPN industry is often a very dirty and corrupt business, but TorGuard seems unscathed.

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TorGuard Review Cons? True or Not?

We’ve discussed what we’ve liked about TorGuard, and now we can discuss some cons. The only thing is, that I don’t really have much MAJOR complaints with TorGuard. Sometimes after I have the app open a bit, like if my computer comes back from sleeping, the app will require a restart to connect properly. That’s about it.

But there are a few websites out there, (namely websites I suspect are owned by competitor VPNs) that have complaints about TorGuard. Since I don’t share these complaints, I thought I could discuss them here.

#1 Based in 5 Eyes? Big Deal or Not?

Review

It’s true. TorGuard is based within the USA. A lot of people say this is a “bad” thing, and it’s one of the most common complaints I’ve seen leveraged at TorGuard VPN as a “valid” complaint. However, I disagree with this line of thought. If you’re torrenting content, streaming, or doing most of what people do 99% of the time with a VPN (or hell, even going on TOR and buying some weed), jurisdiction doesn’t matter 100%. That’s because the FBI doesn’t give a shit about you. They want to catch terrorists, child pron spreaders, and general creeps.

But, TorGuard doesn’t collect logs, so they can’t reveal any information about what you did while on their servers. Not only that, but the FBI itself would have a hard time isolating your within TorGuard. Let’s say they find your using an anonymous TorGuard IP. They tell TorGuard they have that specific IP logged. So TorGuard can see that IP, but they would only know that some hundreds of users have been using said IP. Since they don’t collect logs on specific users, there is no way to isolate and give out information.

Another reason I have problem with people dissing TorGuard, or any other US-based VPN, is that every single VPN is based somewhere. If you’re in the US for example, and you’re planting bombs or spreading terrorism chaos online, and you’re using a Switzerland based VPN, or a Panama based VPN, do you really think you’re safe from these authorities? Nope. The Swiss government or whatever government / spy agency within that VPNs home base of location is going to give up your information and help authorities find you, whether you like it or not.

Suffice to say, 14 eyes, and 5 eyes marketing has taken the VPN World by storm, and it’s one of the most misleading propaganda marketing campaigns I’ve ever seen. The #1 thing you should consider when PURCHASING A VPN is the payment method itself. Take a look at the payment provider your VPN is using, and consider if you trust THEM.

Trust me, if you pick a VPN because it’s based in “Panama” or any other location like “Switzerland”, then perhaps you need to do some more research into history. Like how Panama willingly worked with the CIA to bust drug trades. Or perhaps how Panama is a popular spot for shell companies.

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#2 Did TorGuard Really Steal Source Code?

Another common tactic fake TorGuard reviews use is to smear TorGuard for stealing source code from a VPN called VPN.ac, back in 2015. Taken from another review site, they mention that “Back in 2015, VPN.ac posted a detailed blog about the similarities between their own browser extension and TorGuard’s extension. The code was almost exactly the same, suggesting that TorGuard may have copied it. TorGuard quickly made some changes to their extension, but never made any satisfying public comment to explain their actions or apologize.”

So I decided to PERSONALLY reach out to TorGuard to see what they had to say on the matter. Since other blogs and posts didn’t seem interested enough to. I went onto TorGuard Live chat, and asked if I could speak to some form of management. Within a few minutes, I was talking to someone who knew about the issue. The employee explained the issue as follows:

“A third party developer was used to create the very first version of TorGuard’s proxy app, and the developer mistakenly uploaded a version that used an open IP check website owned by vpn.ac. The mistake was corrected by TorGuard management within hours.”

There you have it. Not a big deal right?

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#3 Third Party Apps Needed?

Review

Some reviews claim that TorGuard doesn’t have a native iOS or Android app. But if you search on the app store, you can easily find them with good reviews on each. I think some “reviews” are confused, since TorGuard released an update that allows users to use OpenVPN within the app (which is not possible due to OpenVPN license restrictions).

Taken from their blog, TorGuard explains the issue:

“The reason full OpenVPN integration is restricted on the app store is due to the technology company, OpenVPN, owning the license for the open source software and protocol. Only the OpenVPN Connect iOS app can use the license for the software on the app store. But now, TorGuard has developed an easy way for using the OpenVPN protocol without infringing on the rights of the OpenVPN software or violating the rules on the Apple App Store.”

TorGuard explains how to add OpenVPN To the app, which is quite cool. Now remember, most other VPN apps don’t have this feature–as well!

“Go give the new OpenVPN update on the TorGuard iOS app a spin. Just navigate to the settings, and select OpenVPN to install the Standard iOS OpenVPN Connect app. Then, choose the iOS OpenVPN UDP or TCP config link from the settings menu and download the servers you wish to connect to. Open these ovpn files in the OpenVPN Connect app, enter your TorGuard VPN user/pass and tap connect!”


Do I Recommend TorGuard?

TorGuard is the #1 rated VPN here. Would I recommend it? YES! It’s the only VPN out there that I think really has no considerable cons. It’s the cheapest VPN with the promo code, but also the best in terms of feature and speed. It works with Netflix, torrenting, and they even have live chat.

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Good

  • Easy to use VPN apps
  • Good customer service
  • Fast Download speeds
  • Tons of extra services and features
  • Incredibly solid encryption and privacy

Bad

  • Nothing!
9.9

Amazing

Pricing - 9
Software - 10
Mobile Software - 10
Extra Services - 10
Website - 10
Servers - 10
Privacy - 10
Speeds - 10
Support - 10
Spark has a simple mission to help you chose the best VPN without any bias. Which VPN do I use? See it here!

16 Comments

  1. Worked great for me thanks, best vpn service i have had for a while.

    Reply
  2. Hi Spark,
    Most of the time I use my Samsung & Sony SmartTV and Playstation 3 console to stream movies from Netflix and Amazon rather than my computer or laptop. Which type of VPN service do I need to get?
    1)Anonymous proxy
    2)VPN Pro service
    3)Smart DNS

    Reply
    • VPN Pro service. Keep in mind that you will need to utilize computer sharing with the VPN connection, or even purchase a VPN router to have VPN active on all Wi-Fi. Check out this guide on how to share VPN with Xbox or Playstation. The best surefire way to unlocking Netflix is to buy a dedicated IP. What’s the difference between dedicated and non-dedicated?

      Reply
  3. Thanks for the detailed review Tom. Purchased TG with the discount for cheap! I’m coming from ExpressVPN, but TG seems like it has everything but cheaper and faster so far.

    Reply
  4. Decent VPN. Not shit like PureVPN hahahahaha

    Reply
  5. Torguard is the fastest VPN I’ve used so far and it’s not even close. 300+Mbps down/200+Mbps up all while on a dedicated IP using access to their 10gbit premium network. I also have my connection set up with a pfsense box so all devices on my connection are encrypted. Torguard is dirt cheap if you use the 25% off recurring coupon here.

    Reply
  6. I stopped using TorGuard after receiving this after signing up, June 2017….
    “Thank you for contacting us.
    At the moment all of our shared servers have been blocked by BBC.”

    Reply
    • Unfortunately this is the case with most VPN providers. TorGuard is useful, however, since you can buy dedicated IPs which can often work quite well.

      Reply
  7. Thanks for the information. My requirement was to use a dedicated VPN router for the whole house since I did not want to run a VPN application on the Personal Computer and smart devices. I tried all the top VPN providers and was extremely frustrated with them luckily it was easy to cancel the services with in 30 days . If they supported streaming which most don’t, they only had 1 or 2 servers in the US dedicated to streaming which would stop working after a few days due to the streaming providers blocking all VPN users due to licensing agreements they have with the studios.
    Then I gave up on the idea of always on VPN at home for a month. Then recently out of trial and error I tried TorGuard and as I was ordering I thought maybe I need a dedicated IP address. I ordered both 1 year $54ish and 1 USA dedicated IP address $50ish. I also found a coupon for 50% reoccurring so that was a great deal.

    That seemed to do the trick, I use DD-WRT on my router and setup my TOR account, selected to entered a randomly generated username and password, and the standard VPN Client information they send you.

    I tested the smart TV and Roku with the various streaming services that would never work and they worked just like VPN was not running.

    Thanks again,

    Reply
  8. Well, I have been on for one week, and the two times I have tried to talk with live person on chat, they just say “see faq’s.
    With that kind of responses, what is the purpose of live chat.
    I figured my issue out with help of a tech net rep I know from microsoft.
    How helpful is having chat if all you get is “SEE FAQS”

    Reply
  9. I have TorGuard for two years….works great for me, never had a serious problem, and sometimes I asked for Help for something (I am not a expert anyway)…the Agents were awesome, kind and they know their job…and the price for 6 months are the best…I recommend it…Tks…

    Reply
  10. Hi ive used Torguard for 2 years never had a oroblem can’t comment on the technical supportnot needed
    contacted support about billing and issue resolved money refunded
    I get a big discount just renewed my sub for 2 years for $45
    no other vpn will offer you 2 years for $45

    Reply
  11. tor guard is absolutely amazing .
    i use it to access blocked games .
    i feel hapy with it.low ping time and 0% packet loss.

    Reply
  12. Have had Torguard for a little over 2 years now. No probs, live chat works, had a bitch about shit, he fixed it then and there, lol it was my dumb arse that screwed shit up. Good $ value good service.

    Reply
  13. Solid service, can’t fault it in any way.

    Reply
  14. Any comments on the exposed ports of TorGuard VPN servers? When I run a port scan like GRC ShieldsUP the ports are reporting closed/open. The preference would be to stealth the ports. Other services like ExpressVPN will stealth their ports.

    Reply

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