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Features
- Seven-day money-back guarantee
- Free version (valid for 7 days)
- 11 servers in eight countries (There are two servers each in Hungary, the UK, and the US.)
- Third-party OpenVPN app for Windows, Mac OS X, macOS, iOS, Android, Linux, and routers
- Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP) for manual setup on Windows, Mac OS X, iOS, Android, Linux, and routers
- Secure Shell (SSH) tunnel for Windows and Linux
- No activity logs
- Allowance of up to 20 simultaneous connections
- No data throughput limits on some paid plans
- P2P allowed on Premium accounts
- Multilingual website
- Multilingual app
Speed and Performance
I conducted speed tests with the protocol set to OpenVPN using User Datagram Protocol (UDP). In each case, I performed five tests using testmy.net in the UK (with a Virgin Media residential internet service). I used IPLocation.net to check the location of the TorVPN servers as I went along. The Paris server was in Roubaix, up near Lille - quite a distance from Paris. The London server was in Whitstable, Kent, which is close to London. The Miami server was in Miami.
I tested the London and Paris servers on a test server located in London. I also compared the speeds on a connection to London without a VPN. The Miami server test ran to a test server in Miami and compared to tests to the same server without a VPN. The UK server fared best providing speeds of 37 Mbps. France was considerably slower averaging at around 20 Mbps.
Without a VPN my 50 Mbps internet connection was reduced to 32 Mbps on the Miami test server. With the VPN that went down to 12 Mbps. Although that is quite a big drop, 12 Mbps would admittedly permit users to stream anything but the highest quality HD.
I performed leak tests using ipleak.net. Sadly, I discovered a DNS leak that revealed my real location. My ISP doesn't use IPv6 addresses, so I couldn't test for these leaks. No other IP leaks or WebRTC leaks were discovered, but the DNS leak means I must rule this VPN out for privacy purposes.
Pricing
TorVPN provides the most varied and unique pricing structure I have ever encountered. A free plan is useful for getting a taster of the service but is limited to just one server (of your choice). The Custom VPN option enables users to adjust the features of the service in order to customize the service to your needs.
The main subscription plans cost £1.90 for a 30-day subscription that permits two simultaneous connections and 50 GB traffic on a choice of two servers. £5.50 to get 90 days with 3 simultaneous connections on all "basic" servers - with a download limit of 100 GB.
GoldVPN is valid for a year, it provides 4 simultaneous connections, access to all servers, and unlimited traffic. That is a very cheap price for what you get, and I am thoroughly impressed with the pricing structure.
Subscribers can pay for the service with PayPal, Bitcoin, and credit or debit cards processed by PayPal.
Privacy and Security
TorVPN is a UK based provider that keeps connection logs. Connection logs in the UK are concerning because they could be used to mount a time correlation attack.
TorVPN doesn't have its own app. Instead, you must download a third-party OpenVPN client. PPTP is available, but is insecure and must be set up manually, so we recommend staying away from it.
OpenVPN is implemented with a robust AES-256 cipher. Data authorization is handled with secure HMAC SHA1, and the handshake is secure RSA-4096. The VPN also provides Perfect Forward Secrecy via DHE-4096. The weakest part of the protocol is the SHA1 auth, but this is still considered secure meaning this VPN is good for privacy purposes.
Also good news: the third party OpenVPN app now includes a killswitch and DNS leak protection, so you will be secure using this app to connect.
Final thoughts
TorVPN is an incredibly cheap VPN. Being based in the UK and keeping connection logs rules it out for privacy purposes. However, due to the fact that the Miami server permitted me to watch US Netflix - it is an interesting proposition - especially at just $26 per year. Having said that, TorVPN does not unblock BBC iPlayer.
The free service is a great way to trial TorVPN. However, you'll probably run through the 2GB data allowance pretty quickly. Live chat customer support would be a superb feature - if it was ever attended. And, I found Email responses to support tickets is slow and take days to resolve. Overall, a good VPN at an even better price, which might be worth a test run depending on your personal needs.