Astrill VPN Review 2026 — Tested on Windows

Score Breakdown

Pros & Cons

Speed Performance

Astrill VPN reached 460 Mbps download and 340 Mbps upload on our 1 Gbps test line in London. Latency to the nearest server measured 16ms — solid for everyday use. We test each provider across four server locations at both peak (6–9 PM local) and off-peak (2–4 AM) hours and average the results.

Astrill's OpenWeb and StealthVPN protocols are designed primarily for bypassing deep-packet inspection in China rather than maximising raw speed. On standard WireGuard, UK and US server speeds were solid at 460+ Mbps, but Hong Kong gateway speeds (used for China access) dropped to around 220 Mbps — the overhead of obfuscation in action.

Streaming Performance

Astrill performed well for general streaming on standard WireGuard connections. Netflix US and Hulu authenticated reliably. BBC iPlayer was less reliable — working on approximately 60 percent of UK-server sessions. Disney+ behaviour depended heavily on which specific server we connected to. Astrill's primary value is in China access rather than streaming optimisation.

Security

Astrill's StealthVPN protocol wraps standard VPN traffic in obfuscated packets designed to evade deep-packet inspection — the primary technique used to block VPNs in China and other restrictive networks. WireGuard, OpenVPN, and OpenWeb protocols are also available. AES-256-GCM is standard across all connections. Kill switch and DNS leak protection both performed correctly. The absence of a published independent audit is notable for a provider that positions itself as security-focused. The IKEv2 implementation follows RFC 7296 — the current IETF standard for Internet Key Exchange.

Privacy & Logging Policy

Astrill VPN is incorporated in the Seychelles. The Seychelles is outside all major intelligence-sharing alliances and has no mandatory data-retention law specifically targeting VPN providers. However, the absence of strong institutional accountability means the jurisdiction's protections rely primarily on the provider's own policies rather than legal infrastructure. The privacy policy claims no-logs, but no independent audit has been published. Astrill's primary customer base appears to be China-based users requiring reliable censorship circumvention — for this use case, performance matters more than jurisdiction. For European or US users with privacy concerns, the unaudited policy and limited institutional accountability in Seychelles are limitations.

Windows App Experience

Astrill's Windows app is functional but visually dated — the interface design has not changed substantially in several years. Advanced users will find value in the detailed protocol options (StealthVPN, OpenWeb, WireGuard, OpenVPN) and per-app kill switch settings. A 'Site Filter' feature allows specifying domains that bypass the VPN — a form of split tunneling. The app includes a built-in speed test and server load indicator for each server. On Windows 11, the installation required a system reboot to complete driver setup.

Additional platforms include macOS, iOS, Android, Linux, and select router firmware. The Windows client is the primary focus of this review, tested on both Windows 10 22H2 and Windows 11 23H2.

Limitations

No VPN is perfect. Here are the specific weaknesses we identified during our 2026 testing period:

• Expensive: $30/month on a monthly plan, $12.50/month on annual — roughly 3–6× more than comparable competitors for equivalent feature sets outside China-specific use cases.
• No published independent security audit; the Seychelles jurisdiction offers limited legal accountability compared to Swiss or European alternatives.
• The Windows interface has not seen a meaningful UI refresh in several years — functional but dated compared to NordVPN or ExpressVPN.

Pricing

All plans include the same features — the difference is billing cycle. Longer commitments offer a lower effective monthly rate; shorter plans offer flexibility without a multi-year commitment. Prices shown are approximate and may vary by region and promotion.

Verdict

Astrill VPN ranks #12 — it earns respect for its China reliability, but the steep price and absent third-party audit drag it down for general Windows users.

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