Avira Phantom VPN Review: Is It Good Enough in 2023?

Avira Phantom VPN has good security features, is good for torrenting, and allows an unlimited number of simultaneous connections.

Avira Phantom VPN protects your data with industry-standard VPN security features like 256-bit AES encryption, a kill switch (available only on Windows), and a strict no-logs policy.

But there are a few issues with Avira Phantom VPN — unlike top competitors like ExpressVPN, Private Internet Access, and ProtonVPN, it lacks advanced security features like perfect forward secrecy, doesn’t have extras like split-tunneling, and can’t access top streaming sites like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime.

Avira Phantom VPN has a very limited free version, but the Pro plan offers a decent value. You can also get full access to Avira Phantom VPN with the Avira Prime antivirus suite, which is one of the best internet security packages on the market. Avira offers a 30-day money-back guarantee for all plans.

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Avira Phantom VPN Full Review

I spent a few weeks researching and testing Avira Phantom VPN to see how it compares to other top VPNs on the market.

Avira Phantom VPN has good security features, decent speeds, intuitive apps, and it supports torrenting on every server. But its biggest drawback is that it doesn’t work with top streaming platforms (competitors like ExpressVPN and Private Internet Access are able to access Netflix and all of the popular streaming services 100% of the time).

While Avira’s Phantom VPN is one of the few VPNs that allows unlimited simultaneous connections, it’s missing extra features like split-tunneling and perfect forward secrecy that the best VPNs offer.

Overall, Avira Phantom VPN is a decent VPN that provides good support for torrenting but is unable to access streaming sites. Its native apps are easy to use, but they don’t all include the same security features and connection protocols.

Avira Phantom VPN Features

Avira Phantom VPN includes industry-standard security features:

• 256-bit AES encryption — Avira Phantom VPN protects your data with the same encryption used by banks and governments.
• No-logs policy — Avira Phantom VPN doesn’t collect or record your personal data or internet activity (the websites you visit and files you download).
• Kill switch — If your connection to a VPN server disconnects, a kill switch disconnects you from the internet to prevent data leaks (only available on Windows).

Avira Phantom VPN uses the OpenVPN protocol on all of its apps, and WireGuard is also available on Android devices. WireGuard is one of the fastest protocols out there and I really like that it comes with the Android app, but I’d like to see WireGuard added to all of the apps.

Avira Phantom VPN comes built-in with DNS and IPv6 leak protection. It would be nice to see full leak protection (including WebRTC leak protection) that’s offered by VPN providers like ExpressVPN and CyberGhost VPN. But I ran a dozen leak tests while connected to various servers both nearby and distant, and I didn’t experience any leaks whatsoever.

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Avira Phantom VPN Privacy & Security

Avira Phantom VPN has a strict no-logs policy — it doesn’t collect or store any personal data that can be traced back to you about the websites you visit or the files you download. During the account creation process, your email is recorded so the VPN service can be provided to you. It also collects information about the amount of bandwidth you use in order to gauge the costs for providing the infrastructure.

I would like to see an independent audit of Avira Phantom VPN’s no-logs policy like those that have been done with ExpressVPN and VyprVPN. A third-party verification would go far to establish trust instead of having to take the company’s word for it.

Avira Phantom VPN is headquartered in Germany, which is a member of the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliances (a group of countries that share security data). That said, if a government ever requests data, Avira can only report what it has — if the VPN isn’t collecting user data, then Avira will have nothing to report.

Overall, Avira Phantom VPN has a strict no-logs policy, but it hasn’t been independently audited. It is based in a 5/9/14 Eyes Alliance member country, but even if governments request data about users, Avira won’t have any personally identifiable data to provide.

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Avira Phantom VPN Speed & Performance

I ran speed tests on my Windows PC on servers in all 35+ countries where Avira Phantom VPN has a server. I had the fastest speeds when connected to a local VPN server (in the US), but the drop in speed was only slightly more when I connected to distant servers in countries like Belgium, Japan, Australia, and Hong Kong.

First I ran a speed test without being connected to a VPN server to determine my baseline speeds:

I then connected to the nearest server to my true location and ran another test. Here are my speeds.

Finally, I connected to a server in Belgium to test my speed when connected to a distant server:

When I connected to a nearby VPN server, my speeds dropped by about 51%. Websites still loaded quickly, but I experienced 2-3 seconds of buffering when I tried to skip through HD videos.

When I connected to a distant server, my speed dropped 68%. Websites took 2 or 3 seconds to load and I had trouble trying to watch HD video — I had to frequently pause for 5-10 seconds to let the video buffer.

Overall, using Avira Phantom VPN slowed my connection speeds by as much as 68% — this is much worse than brands like ExpressVPN and Private Internet Access. That said, I was still able to smoothly browse the web, but I had to wait a bit for videos to load.

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Avira Phantom VPN Servers & IP Addresses

Avira Phantom VPN has 1,400+ servers in 37 countries. This is a smaller network of servers than other top VPNs — CyberGhost VPN has 7,000+ servers in 90+ countries and ExpressVPN has 3,000+ servers in 90+ countries. But Avira Phantom VPN’s server network is also not the smallest network around — it has far more servers than VPN providers like VyprVPN, which has 700+ servers.

I like that the desktop version of Avira Phantom VPN shows ping data (the amount of time for a query to reach the server and come back) for each server, giving you an idea of how fast your connection speeds will be before connecting. I tested this feature and servers with a low ping established a connection faster and offered smoother browsing than those with a high ping.

Avira Phantom VPN allows torrenting on all of its servers. I was able to use top torrenting apps like BitTorrent regardless of where in the world I was connected to.

Overall, Avira Phantom VPN has an average-sized server network and allows torrenting on all its servers. Its native desktop apps also display the ping for each server in the list of available servers.

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Avira Phantom VPN Streaming & Torrenting

Avira Phantom VPN isn’t a good streaming VPN. Avira is unable to access any of the top streaming platforms like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime — all of them detected that I was using a VPN. I was, however, able to stream content on less popular streaming sites like Crunchyroll and Peacock.

To access content on all top streaming sites, I recommend ExpressVPN.

Avira Phantom VPN is good for torrenting — it allows P2P traffic on all of its servers and works with popular torrenting apps like BitTorrent, uTorrent, and Vuze. Despite my decreased speeds when connected to a VPN server, I was still able to download a 5 GB file in about 30 minutes.

Overall, Avira Phantom VPN is pretty bad for streaming, but it’s good for torrenting. It can’t get around restrictions imposed by top streaming sites like Hulu and Amazon Prime, but it does allow P2P traffic on all its servers.

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Avira Phantom VPN Plans & Pricing

Avira Phantom VPN has 3 separate plans — in addition to a free plan and a premium plan for the standalone VPN, you can get it as part of Avira Prime, Avira’s complete internet security suite.

The Free plan limits you to only 500 MB of data usage per month without creating an Avira account (1 GB if you register an account), but it doesn’t include a kill switch, access to all servers, and customer support.

Priced at $4.26 / month, the premium Pro plan includes all of the VPN’s features, plus several customer support options. But it’s pretty expensive for a VPN that can’t access streaming sites and doesn’t include features like split-tunneling and a kill switch for all devices, which are offered by other top VPN providers like ExpressVPN and Private Internet Access.

However, Avira’s VPN is a good value if it’s purchased as part of the Avira Prime antivirus suite, which costs $59.99 / year and includes the full version of Avira Phantom VPN, as well as antivirus protection, web security, a password manager, firewall, system cleanup and speedup tools, and more.

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Avira Phantom VPN Ease of Use: Mobile & Desktop Apps

Avira Phantom VPN has easy-to-use apps with intuitive designs for Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS. All of its native apps use OpenVPN and have a quick connect feature that will automatically connect you to the nearest server for optimized connection speeds.

However, only the Windows app includes a kill switch, and the desktop apps have more functionality options than the mobile apps, like the ability to automatically connect to a VPN server when your device connects to a specific network.

The Avira Phantom VPN mobile apps are fairly limited when compared to the desktop version — the desktop version includes ping data for each server and the Windows app includes a kill switch. Its Android app is the only version of Avira Phantom VPN that supports WireGuard.

Overall, Avira Phantom VPN’s desktop and mobile apps are ok. However, there are much better apps on the market for Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS, such as ExpressVPN and Private Internet Access. That said, all of Avira’s apps offer some decent functionality and are easy to set up and use.

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Avira Customer Support

Avira offers some good support options. There are video tutorials, support guides, and community forums available to everyone, but access to a customer support representative via email, live chat, or phone is only available to paid customers.

Avira’s support videos (hosted on YouTube) can help answer basic questions about installation and setup. Its support articles cover a much wider range of topics, but they aren’t organized all that well and they don’t cover much about the VPN.

That said, the Avira Community page allows users to post their own questions or find answers through conversations with others, which is better for more technical issues.

Phone support is available from 9 am to 11 pm MET. When I contacted phone support, I was put on hold for 10 minutes before a representative was available to take my call.

When I contacted an email customer service rep, it took a minimum of 12 hours to get a response, but it was often vague or incomplete. I had to usually make 2–3 requests to customer service over the course of 3–4 days before I could get a clear answer to my questions.

Other top VPNs like ExpressVPN and VyprVPN have great customer support that responds within a few hours and are able to answer questions more thoroughly.

I tested the live chat a few times and got a much better experience despite it only being available during certain hours.

Overall, Avira Phantom VPN’s customer support isn’t the best, but it’s ok. Email support response times aren’t great, but if you’re looking for much faster response times, it’s best to call Avira’s phone support.

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Is Avira Phantom VPN Safe + Worth the Cost?

Avira Phantom VPN is secure, offers a decent set of features, and allows an unlimited number of simultaneous connections.

Avira has industry-standard VPN security features like 256-bit AES encryption and a no-logs policy, but its kill switch feature is only available on the Windows app.

However, Avira Phantom VPN is only good for general web browsing and sharing files. It doesn’t work with top streaming sites like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime, it has slow speeds, and it’s missing advanced security features.

Overall, Avira Phantom VPN is pretty expensive when compared to the features and functionality of top competitors like ExpressVPN and CyberGhost VPN. However, it’s a good value when bundled with the Avira Prime internet security suite. Avira Phantom VPN plans and the Avira Prime plan come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is Avira Phantom VPN safe?

Yes, Avira Phantom VPN is a safe VPN — it protects your data with industry-standard security features like 256-bit AES encryption, full leak protection, and a no-logs policy. Its Windows app also includes a kill switch to protect you from data leaks by disconnecting you from the internet if your connection to the VPN server is ever lost.

However, Avira Phantom VPN doesn’t have advanced security features like perfect forward secrecy, RAM memory servers, or disk encryption. Also, it’s missing extra features like split-tunneling and an ad blocker. Top VPNs like ExpressVPN, Private Internet Access, and ProtonVPN offer many of these advanced security features as well as extra features.

Does Avira Phantom VPN support Linux?

No, Avira Phantom VPN is not available on Linux devices. It only has native apps for Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS. If you’re looking for a good VPN for Linux, I recommend ExpressVPN or CyberGhost VPN.

Can Avira Phantom VPN users access Netflix?

No, Avira Phantom VPN users are unable to access Netflix content. In my tests, Netflix detected that I was using a VPN. In fact, all of the popular streaming services (Hulu, Amazon Prime, etc.) blocked me from viewing content on their sites. However, I was able to watch content on lesser-known apps like Crunchyroll and Peacock. If you’re looking for the best VPNs for streaming Netflix (and other streaming services), I recommend ExpressVPN.

Does Avira Phantom VPN support torrenting?

Yes, Avira Phantom VPN works with top torrenting apps like BitTorrent, uTorrent, and Vuze on all of its servers. I never experienced any data leaks, and I maintained fast speeds while torrenting. However, there are much better VPNs out there for torrenting like ExpressVPN and Private Internet Access that include a kill switch on all devices and have independently audited no-logs policies to ensure user privacy.