Based in the United States, AceVPN is a provider that focuses on affordability and advanced functionality. They have been providing VPN services since 2009 and have been chosen by many users due to the convenient price of their plans and the efficiency of their customer service. The service does very well in terms of compatibility and it has options that will appeal to experienced VPN users. The downside is that those who haven’t used a VPN before, may feel confused by the excessive amount of information that AceVPN tends to present. However, since the customer service is pretty good, there is a chance that you can quickly resolve any doubts with their help. Let’s take a closer look at what AceVPN offers.
Privacy and Security
One of the reasons why AceVPN can be a good option for users with advanced needs, is the fact that it offers more protocols than the average VPN provider. It supports widely used options such as PPTP, L2TP/IPsec and PPTP, but it also gives you the possibility of using IKEv2 on Android and Windows. In OpenVPN, which is highly secure, AceVPN uses RSA 4096 bit and AES 256-bit encryption. Furthermore, you can opt for their Stealth VPN, a solution specially designed to help users to bypass the VPN blocks implemented by countries like China. The Stealth VPN makes your VPN traffic look like HTTPS traffic, making it very difficult to block it since it can’t be identified.
AceVPN promises not to keep logs or monitor the online activities of its customers. They regularly publish a transparency report to keep their customers updated in case they have received a request from the government. They also accept Bitcoin as a method of payment. However, the fact that the company is based in the United States may concern the most paranoid users. Being a US company, makes AceVPN more vulnerable to the intervention of government agencies like the NSA. Additionally, during sign up, they ask for information like your full name and address, which is not something that inspires trust on a VPN, given that it is meant to be a solution to protect your privacy.
Features and Plans
AceVPN is compatible with an array of operating systems and devices including Windows, Linux, macOS, iOS, Android, Windows Phone, as well as Tomato and DD-WRT routers. There are instructions to set up the service on different platforms, but the process can be challenging, particularly for new VPN users. To assist customers who are struggling with the process, AceVPN includes free remote installation service with its Ultimate Plan. Overall, AceVPN allows you to enjoy fast speeds to stream content that is blocked in your country due to censorship, or to geographical restrictions, but you can choose the package that better suits your needs. The free installation is not the only advantage of the most expensive plan. In fact, the features that you can access will depend on the plan you choose.
If you have a website, a blog, thousands of followers in Twitter, or if you are a top member of an online community, you can get AceVPN’s free solution, which is ideal for bypassing restrictions. With the Unblock TV/ Smart DNS plan, you will be able to change your IP address in order to get access to content that is not available in your country. In order to get this free service, you will need to write a short review about the service to promote it to your followers. While the free plan is convenient for accessing websites or watch videos that are blocked in your country, it doesn’t support P2P/Torrents and since it is Smart DNS, your data won’t be encrypted. It is not a secure or comprehensive solution, but it lets you test the service.
If you don’t meet the criteria required for the free Smart DNS service, or simply need a better selection of features, you can subscribe to the Premium plan for $55 for a full year, which is less than $5 per month. The monthly cots of this plan is $5.95 and it is also possible to opt for 3 or 6 months, or 2, or 3 years. These last two options allow you to reduce the monthly cost even further. For instance with a plan for three years, you would end up paying just $3.88 per month. This plan includes Smart DNS, but has a limited selection of VPN servers and P2P is not allowed.
The Ultimate Plan is the most complete option as it gives you access to all the servers and Torrents and P2P are allowed in certain servers. Currently, AceVPN has servers in 26 countries including United States, Norway, Australia, Mexico, South Africa, United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, Romania, Japan and Sweden. This plan also comes with the Smart DNS service and it includes the free remote installation option, which we previously mentioned. If you are struggling with the installation process, this could be a life saver. The Ultimate plan costs $15 per month, but if you extend the length of the subscription, the monthly price can be reduced. One year of service costs $165 per year ($13.75 per month), and there are also plans for 3, 6 months, or 2 or 3 years. Three years of the Ultimate plan cost $420, making the monthly price $11.66. AceVPN offers a 7-day money back guarantee.
Customer Support
Customer support is one of the best aspects about AceVPN. You can expect fast and helpful responses. While they can only be contacted via email, it is great to see that they handle contacts so efficiently. You can also get assistance via the forum, knowledge base and FAQ. There are also helpful installation guides.
Conclusion
AceVPN offers plans and a selection of protocols that will suit different needs. The Smart DNS option that is included, is ideal for streaming and bypassing restrictions without experiencing significant speed loss. However, setting up the service is not exactly simple and the website can be confusing at times, which may put off new customers who are looking for a simple solution. In terms of price, AceVPN is not the cheapest option available, but it is not the most expensive either, but there are options that offer better quality and technology for the same or even less. On the bright side, the customer service is very good and it is likely that many customers opt for AceVPN due to this fact alone.