Astrill VPN Review 2026: Built for China, Priced Like It
Astrill VPN review: $30 a month or $12.50 on two years, OpenWeb and StealthVPN for censored networks, a new 30-day cancellation right, logging and no audit.
Astrill VPN is one of the most expensive consumer VPNs you can buy: $30 for a single month, and still $12.50 a month on the two-year plan. It asks that price because it built its reputation on one hard job - keeping a connection alive inside China and other heavily filtered networks - with two proprietary protocols, OpenWeb and StealthVPN, and a Smart Mode that routes only foreign traffic through the tunnel.
Its paperwork changed in 2026. The Terms of Service updated in January 2026 add a 30-day cancellation right that contradicts Astrill's own 2019 refund page, and the Privacy Policy was rewritten in September 2026. At the same time Astrill still publishes no independent no-logs audit, labels its own WireGuard as experimental, and gives three different server-network figures on three different pages. This review sets out what the premium buys and where Astrill's own documents disagree. Prices were checked on September 27, 2026.
Astrill VPN at a glance
- Price: $30.00 a month, $15.00 a month billed $180 a year, or $12.50 a month billed $300 every two years. No six-month plan and no free trial.
- Company: Veloxee Corp., Vaduz, Liechtenstein. Founded in 2009.
- Protocols: OpenWeb and StealthVPN (proprietary, Astrill apps only), OpenVPN, and WireGuard that Astrill itself calls experimental.
- Devices: install on unlimited devices in one household, up to 5 connected at the same time.
- Network: 56 to 58 countries and 119 to 142 cities depending on which Astrill page you read. No total server count.
- Extras cost more: a Private IP is about $5 a month per IP, and VIP servers plus multi-hop start at $10 a month for 100 GB.
- Audit: none published.
Short verdict
Astrill is a specialist tool for people who need a VPN that keeps working behind aggressive firewalls, and for them the price can be worth it. For streaming, torrenting or general privacy outside censored countries, you pay two to three times the market rate for features you will not use, with weaker privacy assurances than audited rivals.
Pricing and plans
Astrill sells one tier of service on three billing lengths. The pricing page lists them in US dollars:
- 1 month: $30.00 per month, billed $30.00 every month.
- 1 year: $15.00 per month, billed $180.00 every year (shown against a struck-through $360, a 50% saving).
- 2 years: $12.50 per month, billed $300.00 every two years (against a struck-through $720, a 58% saving). This is the plan badged Most popular.
Even the two-year rate is well above what most large VPNs charge on their longest plans. The monthly price is the one Astrill's refund page tells new users to buy if they want to try the service, since there is no free trial.
Add-ons
- Private IP: a static, dedicated IP on selected servers that only you use, kept for the length of your membership. The checkout calculator on the pricing page puts it at about $5 per IP per month.
- VIP: from $10 a month for 100 GB of traffic on VIP servers, in bundles up to 1,000 GB. VIP servers are in Hong Kong, Taiwan, the USA, Japan, Singapore, Korea and China, and the traffic allowance resets on the 1st of every calendar month.
- Multi-hop: configure up to 3 hops and use them with OpenWeb on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS. It is available only to VIP users, so it is not part of the base plan.
Renewals and currency
Astrill does not state a renewal price anywhere. Its Terms say services and prices are subject to change without any notice, and that you may be charged in a different currency than the one shown on the website. Budget for the possibility that a renewal will not match the introductory figure.
Payment
Astrill accepts Bitcoin, Ethereum and privacy coins such as Monero, Dash and PIVX. Card payments go through third-party processors, and the Privacy Policy says no card data is ever saved on Astrill servers.
Protocols: OpenWeb, StealthVPN and an experimental WireGuard
The protocols are the real product. Astrill's apps offer four, and they are not equal.
- OpenWeb: Astrill's own TCP-based protocol from 2009, encrypted with AES-256. Astrill says it is very lightweight, performs well in countries with elevated censorship, and looks like ordinary HTTPS to an ISP or government observer.
- StealthVPN: a second proprietary protocol, inspired by OpenVPN, that adds obfuscation so automated firewall systems cannot detect it. It runs over UDP or TCP and uses RSA-2048 certificates with AES-256 encryption.
- OpenVPN: usable with third-party clients, but Astrill warns that it is easily detected, frequently blocked and throttled, and often blocked in China.
- WireGuard: offered, but with a warning from Astrill itself.
Astrill on its own WireGuard
"The WireGuard protocol is currently under heavy development and should be considered experimental. At this time we do not recommend using WireGuard except for testing or in situations where security is not critical." Most competitors treat WireGuard as their default. At Astrill, treat OpenWeb or StealthVPN as the default and WireGuard as a test option.
The catch with proprietary protocols is that they tie you to Astrill's apps. OpenWeb and StealthVPN are only available with official Astrill software, so a router or device that needs a standard client falls back to OpenVPN, which is the protocol most likely to be blocked where you need Astrill most.
Smart Mode and use in China
Smart Mode lets you keep using the internet with local IP addresses while foreign sites go through the VPN. Astrill describes it as a fantastic feature for Chinese internet users, and it solves a practical problem: domestic banking, delivery and video services keep working at full speed while blocked foreign services go through the tunnel.
Two limits apply. Smart Mode is available only in some locations, and Astrill says you have to contact support to get the full list. The related Unblock sites filter is likewise available only in some countries, China being the example Astrill gives.
Getting the app can be the harder part. Astrill's iOS download page warns that the app is not available in some countries' App Stores and that there are multiple fake apps on the App Store. The genuine iPhone app is Astrill VPN Client, sold by Veloxee Corp. Install and sign in before you travel rather than after you arrive.
No refund if your ISP blocks it
Astrill's refund page says that if the VPN is not working because your ISP blocks it, no refund will be provided. The protocols are built to avoid blocks, but nothing guarantees they will work on every network every day.
Server network
Astrill does not publish a total server count, and its location figures do not agree with each other. The homepage claims 142 cities across 56 countries, the server page claims 119 cities across 58 countries, and the pricing page says servers in 50+ countries. The safest reading is a network in roughly 56 to 58 countries.
Astrill says it runs powerful bare-metal hardware rather than cheap VPS servers. It does not claim RAM-only (diskless) servers, which several competitors now advertise.
Apps, devices and features
Astrill has apps for Windows, macOS, iOS, Android and Linux, plus router support for DD-WRT, Tomato and ASUS Merlin firmware. There are no browser extensions. The iOS app was last updated in September 2025 (version 2.3.8) and holds a 3.71 rating from 671 App Store ratings; the Android app was last updated on November 22, 2025.
How many devices
Astrill's wording is inconsistent. The homepage says every plan includes 5 simultaneous connections in one household, the pricing page says you can connect unlimited devices in your household, and the multiple-devices page separates installation from connection: unlimited installs within one household, with simultaneous connections depending on the plan. In practice, expect to install everywhere and keep up to 5 connected at once. The Terms also say the number of devices and routers per account is restricted, and every version of the wording limits use to one household.
Kill switch and App Guard are desktop features
The kill switch, which stops traffic if the VPN drops, is implemented in the desktop application. App Guard, which cuts internet access for specific apps or all apps when the connection fails, is also a desktop feature. Do not count on either on a phone.
Split tunnelling
The app filter has three modes: tunnel all apps, tunnel only selected apps, or exclude selected apps. There is also a Tunnel Only International Sites option, which is the website-level version of the same idea as Smart Mode.
Port forwarding
On a shared IP, Astrill forwards one pre-selected port. With a dedicated Private IP you can forward all ports or turn on a NAT firewall instead. Port forwarding only works on selected servers, marked with a star, and in the desktop apps.
Routers
Router support covers the whole household, including devices that cannot run a VPN app. Remember that routers use standard protocols such as OpenVPN rather than OpenWeb, so they are a weaker option inside China. Astrill also sells pre-configured routers with free standard shipping or $50 express shipping, covered by a 6-month warranty from the shipping date.
Logging, privacy and jurisdiction
Astrill is a brand of Veloxee Corp., registered in Vaduz, Liechtenstein, and its Terms are governed by Liechtenstein law. Many older reviews still list Seychelles; Astrill's current Terms and Privacy Policy name Liechtenstein. The Privacy Policy says personal data is processed and stored mainly in the European Economic Area but may be disclosed worldwide.
The Privacy Policy, last updated in September 2026, describes three kinds of records:
- Active sessions: connection time, IP address, device type and app version, kept while you are connected. Astrill says this is generally removed permanently once you disconnect and is used only to enforce the simultaneous-device limit.
- Traffic totals: only the total number of bytes transferred per account. Astrill says its server design does not let it see which websites users visit.
- Connection history: the last 20 connection records per account, with connection time, duration, country, device type and app version. Source IP is not on that list.
That is more than the strict no-logs VPNs keep. A rolling history of your last 20 sessions, with timestamps and countries, is metadata that some privacy-focused users will not accept. The policy also says that in case of irregularities, such as suspected misuse, this information can be stored for as long as required.
No published audit
Astrill does not publish an independent no-logs or security audit anywhere on its site. For a service charging premium prices, that is a notable gap: you are taking the Privacy Policy on trust.
Refunds and cancellation
Astrill's two documents on refunds disagree.
- Refund page (last updated February 2019): all sales are final and refunds are not possible once a purchase is made. It tells you to buy the shortest plan if you want to try Astrill.
- Terms of Service (last updated January 2026), clause 12.4: on first registration and purchase you may cancel your order for unused services within 30 days, without giving reasons, by writing to [email protected] by registered letter or email with confirmation of receipt. It applies only to orders placed on Astrill's website and not to purchases from resellers.
The newer Terms are the stronger basis for a claim, but they are narrower than a money-back guarantee, and Astrill does not call it one. The right covers unused services on a first purchase only, and other clauses say no refund is offered for missing technical requirements on your side and that previously paid fees will not be refunded.
If you want to cancel
Buy directly from astrill.com, send your cancellation to [email protected] well inside 30 days, cite Terms clause 12.4, and keep written confirmation that Astrill received it.
Who should buy Astrill
Astrill makes sense if you live in or travel regularly to a country with heavy internet censorship, need a connection that stays up where standard VPN protocols are blocked, and value features like Smart Mode that are built for that setting. The dedicated IP and VIP routes also target that audience.
It is a poor fit if you mainly want streaming, torrenting or everyday privacy on an open network. Mainstream competitors charge much less, use audited no-logs policies, and treat WireGuard as a stable default. Compare it with our ExpressVPN pricing and NordVPN pricing breakdowns, or with the VyprVPN and TorGuard reviews, both of which also sell obfuscation for restrictive networks. If privacy is the priority, our Mullvad review covers a VPN built around minimal data collection.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Astrill VPN cost?
Astrill costs $30.00 for one month, $180.00 a year ($15.00 a month) or $300.00 for two years ($12.50 a month). Private IPs are about $5 per IP per month and VIP traffic starts at $10 a month for 100 GB. Renewal prices are not published.
Does Astrill VPN have a free trial or a money-back guarantee?
No free trial, and Astrill does not advertise a money-back guarantee. Its January 2026 Terms do give a 30-day right to cancel unused services on a first purchase made on its website, even though its 2019 refund page still says all sales are final.
How many devices can I use with Astrill?
You can install Astrill on unlimited devices within one household and connect up to 5 at the same time. Astrill's pages word this inconsistently, and the Terms say devices and routers per account are restricted.
Does Astrill work in China?
China is the market Astrill designs for, with OpenWeb, StealthVPN and Smart Mode, but it does not guarantee access. Its refund page says no refund is given if your ISP blocks the service, and OpenVPN is often blocked in China, so use OpenWeb or StealthVPN in the official apps and install before you travel.
Does Astrill keep logs?
Yes, some. Astrill keeps the last 20 connection records per account (time, duration, country, device type and app version) and total bytes used, and holds your IP address only during an active session. It says it cannot see which websites you visit, but it does not publish an independent audit.
Where is Astrill based?
Liechtenstein. Astrill is a brand of Veloxee Corp. in Vaduz and its Terms are governed by Liechtenstein law. Older reviews that say Seychelles are out of date.
Should I use WireGuard on Astrill?
Only for testing. Astrill says its WireGuard is experimental and does not recommend it where security is critical. OpenWeb or StealthVPN are the protocols Astrill is built around.
Key takeaways
- Astrill costs $30 a month or $12.50 a month on a two-year plan, well above most VPNs, with no free trial and no published renewal price.
- Its value is OpenWeb, StealthVPN and Smart Mode for censored networks such as China; its own WireGuard is labelled experimental.
- The January 2026 Terms grant a 30-day cancellation right on first website purchases, contradicting the 2019 all-sales-final refund page. Get written confirmation.
- Astrill keeps the last 20 connection records per account and publishes no independent audit.
- Install on unlimited household devices, with up to 5 connected at once; kill switch and App Guard are desktop-only.
- Multi-hop and VIP servers cost extra, from $10 a month for 100 GB.
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