TorGuard VPN Review: How Good Is It In 2024

TorGuard is best-known for its robust security and privacy features. But, does it uphold this standard across other important performance aspects? How does it perform for streaming and torrenting? Are its servers fast and reliable? Moreover, does the overall service offer you good value for your money?

We’ve tested TorGuard out and out to bring every detail worth knowing about this VPN service. So, if you want to learn how good this VPN is and whether it’s worth your subscription in 2024, read our sweeping TorGuard review.

TorGuard VPN Pros and Cros

Speed: How fast is TorGuard VPN?

Let’s start with the category most VPN users are interested in finding out. How fast is TorGuard? Overall, we’d say that TorGuard offers average to above-average connection speeds.

We’ve thoroughly tested TorGuard’s speeds, both on local and long-distance servers. For objective results, we used a dedicated network suitable for one to two users. We first tested the network without a VPN. Then, we tested it with TorGuard on. Here are the results of our TorGuard speed tests:

Connection Type	Ping	Download Speed	Upload Speed
Base Connection	24 ms	39.84 Mbps	19.56 Mbps
Local TorGuard Server	46 ms	31.45 Mbps	15.02 Mbps
Remote TorGuard Server	151 ms	29.58 Mbps	14.09 Mbps

While TorGuard offers WireGuard protocol support, we were disappointed to see that it’s slower than other VPNs that offer this protocol. Moreover, its connections weren’t very reliable. 

While a small speed dropdown is normal with every VPN, TorGuard’s speed was slower than what we usually expect from other, industry-leading VPNs. So, considering this and then occasionally unreliable connections, TorGuard isn’t the best pick if you need stable connections for high-speed activities like gaming or streaming. 

TorGuard Protocols

TorGuard supports several standard protocols and one that you don’t normally find in most established VPNs in the industry. Here’s an overview of the supported TorGuard protocols:

• WireGuard – the best protocol for most TorGuard users, WireGuard combines speed and privacy to create the optimal online experience suited to most users.
• OpenVPN – available in UDP and TCP, OpenVPN has been regarded as the standard VPN tunneling standard for years. If you opt for OpenVPN, you can also tailor between 128-bit and 256-bit encryption.
• OpenConnect – also available in UDP and TCP, this open-source protocol is a bit faster than OpenVPN but compromises some security features. It’s unusual to find in such a big-name VPN, as most VPNs don’t include this option.

In addition to these three options, you can also use other standard protocols like PPTP, IKEv2, and L2TP/IPSec. That said, these aren’t available natively in apps, meaning that you first need to manually set them up. For most users, this is too much hassle, as the three protocols we listed are more than enough for any type of online activity.

Privacy and Security

As some of TorGuard’s main selling points are how it can keep you anonymous and secure online, it’s to be expected that it comes with strong privacy-protection features. 

• DNS and IP Leak Protection – TorGuard comes with built-in DNS and IPv6 leak protection. These crucial features allow you peace of mind knowing that your real IP address and location won’t get leaked when using TorGuard.
• Robust Encryption – like many of the top VPNs, TorGuard uses 256-encryption by default. This means that its connections are impenetrable. You can also use 128-bit encryption if you have a weaker device or slower connection.
• Kill Switch – another must-have feature in all top-quality VPNs, this tool cuts off your network in case of any VPN connection drops. Moreover, it includes an App Kill setting that allows you to add apps that you want to automatically close in case you lose your connection to TorGard’s server.
• Stealth VPN Technology – in simpler terms, this is VPN server obfuscation that masks your VPN traffic as regular traffic. This is the perfect solution for bypassing Deep Packet Inspection and accessing highly restrictive regions. 
• Ad and Malware Blocking – TorGuard also protects you from malware and keeps all annoying ads away from your eyesight. Enabling it does require some digging, as you’ll find it under a random DNS tab in the Network section.
• Split Tunneling – although this feature is currently only available on Android devices, it’s a great tool to keep in mind. Split tunneling allows you to route only a part of your connection through TorGuard.

What’s TorGuard’s Logging Policy?

When signing up, you’re not required to divulge any personally identifiable information. TorGuard promises not to collect any data from its VPN or proxies when you use them. The service might collect payment details and contact information but states that this information will only be used for correspondence or troubleshooting.

In addition, it was good to see that TorGuard precisely lists all of the information that it does collect. This includes Apache Webserver logs, anonymized Matomo analytics, and emails and contact data it receives through its support service. In other words, anything other you do or the sites you visit using TorGuard isn’t collected or stored anywhere.

Having said this, TorGuard hasn’t been evaluated by any independent audit agencies. So, we can’t know all of the intricacies of its business and whether there are any inherent problems with its app clients or service. 

Until then, we can’t put TorGuard on the same level as NordVPN, Atlas VPN, or Surfshark. These are all top-industry services and have undergone at least one independent audit in the past.

Streaming 

Apart from using VPNs to stay safe and private online, many online users also employ these services to access streaming sites and platforms in other regions. Unfortunately, if you’re one of these users, you won’t like what we have to say about TorGuard in this regard. This is because TorGuard is one of the worst streaming performers we’ve reviewed to date. 

If you get a standard VPN subscription, you won’t be able to access any of the biggest streaming sites, no matter how many TorGuard servers you switch out. Try after try, we saw it fail to unblock Netflix in various locations, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, and Disney+.

That said, it isn’t all hopeless for TorGuard in this department. However, if you want to unblock streaming platforms, you’ll need to purchase a dedicated streaming server. And, one of these will cost a cool $7.99 per month. Currently, dedicated streaming IPs are available in the US, Canada, the UK, Spain, the Netherlands, and France.

To be fair, these dedicated IP addresses can access the biggest streaming services. But, seeing that you can almost get an additional entire VPN subscription for this money, using TorGuard for streaming just doesn’t seem like a viable solution.

Torrenting

Moving on from one of TorGuard’s biggest weaknesses to one of its biggest strengths. All TorGuard servers support P2P file sharing. Moreover, TorGuard claims that you can use its apps with any BitTorrent app that uses the BitTorrent protocol. This includes major apps like uTorrent, Vuze, qBittorrent, and more. 

After trying out a few of them, we can say that TorGuard is one of the best performers out of all VPNs we’ve tried to torrent with. To check this, firstly, we downloaded a 5GB file without a VPN connection. Immediately after, we connected to a nearby TorGuard server and downloaded the same file. Here’s a comparison table that shows how TorGuard performs for torrenting:

Connection Type	Download Speed	Upload Speed	5GB File Estimated D/L Time
Without TorGuard	2.3 MB/s	7.6 kB/s	~130 minutes
With TorGuard	1.8 MB/s	9.5 kB/s	~ 166 minutes

That said, the download speeds were a bit less stable with the VPN on than without it. So, while it is among the fastest torrenting VPNs in the market, there are occasional speed fluctuations worth mentioning. 

In addition, you can also ditch the encryption support and use the SOCKS5 proxy for even more streamlined torrenting. TorGuard enables you to specify a custom proxy server, allowing for great customizability for P2P file-sharing activities.

TorGuard also comes with port forwarding support. This feature is especially convenient for torrenting, as it allows you to communicate with other peers more efficiently.

Pricing

TorGuard offers interesting and unique subscription plans compared to what you’ll encounter with most other VPN services. This is because the subscription plans are divided into a Standard plan and a Pro plan.

Additionally, you can sign up for a monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, one-year, two-year, or three-year plan. At the time of writing this review, May 2024, the four most popular pricing options TorGuard offers you:

Certainly, when you compare the TorGuard price plans to what some other VPNs are available for, you’ll find that this VPN is a bit on the expensive side. This is especially true if you opt for the more steeply-priced Pro plan with some upgraded features. So, how does the higher-priced Pro plan offer that you won’t get in the Standard subscription? Here’s a table overview:

Features	Standard Plan	Pro Plan
Unlimited Speeds/Bandwidth	Yes	Yes
Ad and Malware Blocking	Yes	Yes
Number of Connections	8	12
Dedicated IP Options	No (Static IP pool)	1 Dedicated IP
Port Forwarding	Yes	Yes

But, TorGuard can get even more expensive if you choose to include one of the available add-ons. You can also purchase a VPN router plan, available at an annual subscription price of $129.99.

TorGuard offers a long list of accepted payment methods. You can use the following payment options when buying a TorGuard subscription:

• Credit cards
• Debit cards
• Cryptocurrencies
• CoinPayments
• Amazon Pay
• Paymentwall
• Gift cards

Lastly, TorGuard offers only a 7-day money-back guarantee on all of its subscription plans. This is a bit disappointing, as the widely-accepted industry average is 30-days. 

TorGuard Business VPN Subscription – What Are the Perks?

Besides its standard subscription plans for individual users, TorGuard also offers Business VPN packages that go from $32 a month to $169 a month. This is a great alternative for protecting corporate work environments. Every Business VPN subscription plan offers identical perks, just scaled according to the price. 

For example, TorGuard’s Starter Business VPN plan includes 5 coverage for 5 users, 5 email accounts, and one dedicated IP address. In comparison, the Large Business VPN plane covers 20 users, 20 email accounts, and offers 10 dedicated IPs. All plans are also HIPAA compliant. 

Servers and Locations

TorGuard offers an impressive global server network numbering more than 3,000 servers in over 50 countries. From the US to Hong Kong and South Africa to Sweden, TorGuard delivers access to every corner of the globe.

More important than server numbers alone, TorGuard is an excellent service to use if you want to access in countries with highly restrictive regulations. For example, TorGuard is one of the few VPNs that even work in China. This is thanks to its stealth VPN technology. The service even includes detailed blogs and instructions on how to use it within the country and bypass the Great Firewall of China.

The auto-recommend server option is a bit random, as TorGuard kept connecting us to a server in Dallas, even though we’re nowhere near it physically. So, using this feature is not recommended, as you likely won’t get the optimal connections and best speeds.

But, if you venture into the more comprehensive server menu, you’ll be presented with a number of options that allow you to precisely pick the best server for you. You can sort servers by proximity, in alphabetical order, and even overall usage. You can mark your favorite servers so that you always have convenient access to them.

What’s more, you can even filter specific servers by continent or specific use. For example, you can highlight dedicated IPs or get access to stealth servers with just one click. Speaking of the latter, these VPN servers appear as regular servers, making it impossible for anyone to detect that you’re using a VPN.

We did have some occasional issues when trying to connect to some TorGuard servers. More precisely, some connection attempts would take longer than they should and we would get prompts like “Check your firewall settings”. This was unusual, as switching servers immediately after would result in an instant connection. This and similar tiny bugs made it inconvenient to use TorGuard at times.

Customer Support

Customer support is often an overlooked aspect of VPNs. But, when push comes to shove, you’d like to know that you have a reliable service helping you out at any time of day and night. In this regard, we’ve found TorGuard’s customer support services very helpful, professional, and responsive. 

However, there is one hitch when it comes to the VPN’s support service. While TorGuard states that it offers 24/7/265 support, it seems like this is more of a marketing gimmick than a reality. We’ve tried reaching out to the support staff through live chat at various times of day and night. 

In most attempts, we were greeted by messages like “We are a little busy right now but we will get to you as fast as we can – thanks for your patience.” or “We are away at the moment”. This is a bit annoying, as there’s no clear information at what hours the live chat service is available.

If you don’t want to constantly message live chat in hopes you catch them online, you can also contact TorGuard support through email or by submitting a ticket. In all fairness, you can expect answers pretty quickly through these two support channels, sometimes even within minutes. So, both are fairly prompt in their replies. But, if you want to submit a ticket, you will need to use your TorGuard credentials to log in. 

If you want to solve any issues on your own, you can also count on pretty extensive literature. This includes a dedicated FAQ section, tons of articles, and a knowledge base numbering over 100 categories. 

There’s even a TorGuard forum, where you can find over 100 pages on different topics and read through user discussions, learn helpful tips, and find out the latest updates. The service also has several social media profiles but is only really active on Twitter. 

Reading TorGuard Reviews Online

When reviewing VPN services, we also like to evaluate the opinions of current or previous users to get a better picture of how a particular VPN fares on the market. In the case of Tor Guard reviews, it was pleasing to see that most customers agree with our sentiment and find this VPN reliable and trustworthy.

Looking into the specifics, TorGuard maintains a strong 4.5 out of 5 rating on Google Play with over 500,000 downloads and more than 5,100 user reviews. Moreover, this grade is even better on Apple’s App Store, where TorGuard has an impressive 4.8 grade, albeit with just over 900 user reviews. Lastly, it also has a 4.4 rating based on over 2,100 reviews on Trustpilot.

	Google Play	Apple App Store	Trustpilot
Grade	4.5/5	4.8/5	4.4/5
Number of Reviews	5,100+	900+	2,100+

Still, while TorGuard might not have the user base of some of the industry-leading VPNs, the majority of its users are satisfied with the service. Interestingly, many users confirm our positive and negative impressions, mostly praising TorGuard’s privacy and security traits, but criticizing that it’s sometimes buggy and not very user-friendly.

TorGuard Apps and Extensions

TorGuard offers excellent compatibility, as it provides apps for all major desktop and mobile software platforms, plus several browser extensions. We’ve downloaded and tested each of them. Here’s what TorGuard’s applications and extensions have to offer:

TorGuard for Desktop

As it’s the case with most VPN providers, TorGuard’s Windows app is the most comprehensive client that the service offers. Its Windows app works only on 64-bit Windows 7, 8.1, 10, and 11. 

TorGuard’s Windows VPN client includes comprehensive options that allow you to tailor your service down to the tiniest detail. You can adjust general options, kill switch settings, script, network, and proxy options, among many others. 

Besides the Windows app, TorGuard also offers apps for Mac and Linux. These are a bit more simplified but still include the core features that you’ll find in the Windows app. The Mac app supports macOS 10.12+, only in 64-bit. The Linux app supports REDHAT, Fedora 26+, CentOS 7+, Ubuntu 14+, Mint, Debian, and ARCH Linux, all only in 64-bit.

TorGuard for Android

The Android version is the most interesting one to highlight, as it’s also the only one to offer split tunneling support, which is available on Android 5.0 or better. Other than that, it’s also significantly more streamlined compared to TorGuard’s desktop clients. Still, it comes loaded with features. You can rely on a “LAN bypass” feature, STunnel, and IPv6 leak protection, among other tools.

TorGuard for iOS

The TorGuard iOS app is nearly identical to the Android one, with the exception that this app lacks a split tunneling protocol. Another difference between the two is that the iOS app allows you to natively use IKEv2 and IPSec but doesn’t support the WireGuard protocol.

TorGuard Browser Extensions

Lastly, TorGuard offers three browser extensions. These are available for Firefox, Chrome, and Microsoft Edge. These extensions allow you to conveniently connect just your browser on the VPN server while keeping the rest of your connection on your real IP address. 

How to Install TorGuard

You can install TorGuard on any device in just a few quick steps. To help you out, we’ve summed up a quick step-by-step guide on how to install TorGuard:

1. Go to TorGuard’s site and sign up.
2. Download the right TorGuard client for your device.
3. Once installed, open the app and log in.
4. Connect to the recommended server (alternatively expand the menu and manually pick your preferred server).
5. Wait for TorGuard to display a “connected” message.

Overall, we’d say that setting up TorGuard on your device is very simple. But, if you need additional help during this process, TorGuard offers helpful guides on its website. You can find detailed steps on how to set up TorGuard on any supported device or browser.

Final verdict: Is TorGuard a good choice?

To sum up our TorGuard review, we think that it is a solid VPN service, primarily suitable for online users who are looking for maximum privacy and security. It’s certainly not the best-polished service and does have some bugs from time to time. This is important to highlight because TorGuard might not be the most user-friendly VPN you can opt for if you’re a beginner. 

You can use the basic layout if you just want to connect and disconnect without tinkering with any other settings. But, once you open the Settings tab, you’ll be flooded with various options and parameters that can confuse even a more experienced VPN user. So, while it does allow you to customize a lot of aspects of your experience, a good deal of user-friendliness was sacrificed to make this happen.

All in all, it depends on what you’re looking for. If you want a hands-on experience and the option to adjust various performance, privacy, and security settings, TorGuard is a fantastic VPN. On the other hand, if you want a faster, more consistent, and more affordable VPN, you’ll probably be better off with one of our other top-rated VPN services.

TorGuard VPN FAQs

Is TorGuard VPN trustworthy? 

Yes, TorGuard maintains a trustworthy and respectable online reputation. It is generally considered a safe and reliable VPN service. It has a zero-logs data policy and has never released any user data to the public nor has it been a part of any similar privacy scandal.

The only notable security issue that TorGuard suffered occurred in 2018. TorGuard immediately announced this and stated that its VPN or proxy wasn’t compromised in the attack. Somehow, TorGuard accused NordVPN of being involved in this, but the lawsuit was dropped soon after.

Is TorGuard a free VPN?

No TorGuard isn’t a free VPN service, as it charges a subscription for its services. However, it does offer you the option of signing up for a free 7-day trial. This is one of the most underrated offers on the market, as you get a complete VPN service without any limitations, entirely cost-free.

To get the TorGuard free VPN offer, you will have to sign up and choose one of TorGuard’s pricing plans. You’ll also have to use a valid card with enough balance to authorize the transaction. If you cancel before the 7-day trial expires, you won’t be charged. Otherwise, you will be charged automatically.

Is TorGuard really anonymous?

TorGuard advertizes as the most secure anonymous VPN on the market. While complete anonymity is challenging to achieve even with a VPN, TorGuard does provide you with many advanced tools and protection features to get close to being as anonymous as possible. 

How is TorGuard VPN compared to other VPN providers?

Comparing TorGuard in the grand context of the entire VPN market, we’d say that it is an above-average VPN service. While it needs some fine-tuning before it could move up to the ranks of elite VPNs, it still comes with many tools and features the majority of average VPNs don’t have.

Is TorGuard better than NordVPN or ExpressVPN?

No, after reviewing and comparing all three services, we would say that TorGuard is undoubtedly not better than NordVPN and ExpressVPN. But, if we rephrase the question to: “is TorGuard a good VPN?”, the answer would be a resounding yes, as this VPN still has some excellent qualities.

Where is TorGuard based?

TorGuard is based in the US, which means that it falls under US data retention laws. This is a bit alarming, as the US is one of the founding members of the Five Eyes surveillance alliance. But, if you trust that TorGuard will stay true to its no-logs and privacy protection policies, this shouldn’t be worrying.