Is AVG Secure VPN safe? Logging policy, audits and jurisdiction
Privacy and jurisdiction 3.7/10 and security 2.5/10 (segment medians 1.3 and 2.5). No red flag in our data. Independent no-logs audit: ✕ No.
In 10 seconds
- Warrant canary
- Kill switch
- Stores session times
- Jurisdiction in 5 Eyes
Privacy
- Jurisdiction
- USA, 5 Eyes
- Legal entity
- Gen Digital Inc. (AVG)
- No-logs policy
- Yes no websites, transferred data or originating IP logged
- Data retention
- connection events 12 mo; server/app data 18 mo; crash 90 days; account lifetime+2y
- Shared with third parties
- Google Firebase/Crashlytics; Singular; AppsFlyer; payment providers
- Trackers on the website
- Yes cookie settings; Do Not Sell
What the privacy policy says is collected
Red ✕: collected. Green ✓: not collected. Grey: the policy does not say.
- Email✕ Yes
- IP at sign-upNot stated
- Connection IP✓ No
- Session times✕ Yes
- Bandwidth✕ Yes
- Device info✕ Yes
- App analytics✕ Yes
- Crash reports✕ Yes
Security
- Kill switch
- Yes
- DNS leak protection
- Not stated
- Encryption
- 256-bit (bank-grade)
- Open-source apps
- No
- Two-factor sign-in
- Not stated
What is actually stored
AVG promises not to log the websites you visit, the data you transfer, or your original IP address. At the same time, the VPN policy honestly lists what stays on the servers: connection events are kept for 12 months, total traffic volume in megabytes for 18 months, crash reports you submit for 90 days, and your email lasts for the entire life of the account plus two more years. From session times and volumes, it is possible to reconstruct when and how much you used the VPN, although the content is not there. The apps run third-party analytics SDKs: Google Firebase and Crashlytics, AppsFlyer and Singular. The browser extension collects your operating system, browser and language.
Audits and jurisdiction
This is the weak spot. AVG has no independent no-logs audit, and the service does not report any security testing of its apps either. The owner, Gen Digital Inc., is registered in the US, which is a 5 Eyes alliance member. The VPN policy says nothing about how the company responds to police and court requests. According to reviews, AVG has a warrant canary and a transparency report. Our privacy score is 3.7 out of 10, and security is 2.5 out of 10. If you need a verified no-logs policy, it is better to look at a VPN with a no-logs audit. You can read more about the company on the page who owns AVG Secure VPN.
Protection in the apps
There is a kill switch, encryption is 256-bit, and the protocols are WireGuard, OpenVPN, and the company's own Mimic. The app source code is closed. AVG does not say whether it protects against DNS leaks or whether two-factor login is available.
Can AVG see which sites I open?
According to the policy, no: website addresses are not logged.
Can I turn off analytics?
Yes, analytics collection in the apps can be disabled.