Avira Phantom VPN Review 2024: Disappointing Features, But Perfect for Netflix UK

We tested Avira's virtual private network (VPN) and found it to be an unimpressive choice for those looking to protect their data and hide their identity online. With its strong encryption and a decent server network, it can securely get your internet traffic from point A to point B, but it lacked important features.

Avira Phantom VPN's limited features and sluggish performance make it fall short of the best free VPNs we have tested. Those looking for robust protection, with features such as split tunneling, double VPN, and a kill switch for operating systems other than Windows should look elsewhere. 

Read our Avira Phantom VPN review to learn more about its pros and cons, pricing plans, performance tests, misleading no-logs policy, and why we felt it lacked the “wow factor.”

Overview

Price	$5.99–$10.00/mo (for paid plans)
Free version	Yes
Max # of connected devices	Unlimited
# of servers	1,400 servers in 37 countries
VPN protocol	OpenVPN, IPsec
Encryption	AES-256
No-logs policy	Some logs
Headquarters	Germany
Netflix access	Yes

Our experience

Avira Phantom VPN was simple enough to install. After purchasing a subscription, we hit the download button to add it to our laptop. 

Avira Phantom VPN is also a bare bones VPN, so there aren't many features. Once it's downloaded, the only option it really shows is the ability to swap server locations. The settings have options for the kill switch and to block malicious sites and content, but that's about it.

Unfortunately, Avira became a nuisance as soon as we started getting into testing. We were testing our speeds with faraway servers when the VPN blocked us from using the Australian server because of the data limit. The Pro plan has unlimited data, but Avira kept switching us to the free version for some reason. 

We uninstalled and reinstalled Avira Phantom VPN but this proceeded to happen three more times, making it practically unusable. Considering Avira's price point, lack of features, and struggles with speed and security, we wouldn't recommend this VPN. We also thought its user interface had a “cheap” appearance and could use some help in the design department.

Who is Avira Phantom VPN best for?

• Recommended for anyone an antivirus bundle with an included VPN.

Avira Phantom VPN is a decent choice if you're already purchasing Avira Prime, which is the antivirus's premium plan. It can hide your IP address and location while securing your private data with AES-256 encryption. For example, it’s useful if you want to access your banking information or purchase items over the internet while using an unsecured public Wi-Fi hotspot at a coffee shop or airport.

Unfortunately, it lacks a lot of features and the ability to maintain decent speeds. It also failed our kill switch tests, which could be an issue while on public Wi-Fi if your VPN connection drops. We think the service is pricey on its own, so we'd only consider using it if we were already going all in on Avira.

Avira Phantom VPN prices and subscriptions

Avira Phantom VPN offers a free plan, as well as two paid plans. The Avira Phantom VPN Pro plan costs $10.00/mo or $6.50/mo (billed annually). The Avira Phantom VPN Mobile plan costs $5.99/mo and is available only for mobile devices running iOS or Android. 

Compared with some of the best VPNs, Avira is charging a lot for a limited service. For instance, NordVPN starts at $2.99/mo (billed every two years) and it includes a kill switch across devices, split tunneling, an ad blocker, and more. Surfshark also offers unlimited devices, and its starting price is $1.99/mo (billed every two years). 

We believe that for the value provided by Avira Phantom VPN's features and performance, you're better off looking elsewhere.

Plan	1-month cost	Best Value 1-year cost
Avira Phantom VPN Pro	$10.00/mo	$6.50/mo (billed annually)

Avira accepts credit cards and PayPal as payment methods.

Avira Phantom VPN plan comparison

You can also use Avira Phantom VPN for free, which has limited capabilities. Avira Phantom VPN free has a data limit

Features	Avira Phantom VPN Free	Avira Phantom VPN Pro
Compatibility	Windows, macOS, Android, iOS	Windows, macOS, Android, iOS
Data limit	500 MB/mo	Unlimited
# of devices	Unlimited	Unlimited
Access to all servers
Kill switch
Live support

Avira Phantom VPN features

Avira Phantom VPN offers basic VPN features, including a kill switch (Windows only) and DNS leak prevention. It also has a decent server network with countries in South America and Europe. 

We wish Avira offered extra features, though, like split tunneling and dedicated IP addresses. Even though we felt Avira Phantom VPN is easy to use and gets the job done, its features are lackluster. 

Server count and countries

• 1,400 servers in 37 countries

Having many VPN servers in different locations can improve connection speeds, give you more server options to get around geo-restrictions, and make the VPN more reliable and easy to use.

Avira states that its Phantom VPN has 1,400 servers in 37 countries. If you opt for the free plan, it only allows you to connect to the nearest location. 

No-logs policy and headquarters

• Avira Phantom logs policy: Some logs
• Avira Phantom headquarters: Tettnang, Germany

A VPN may have a type of privacy policy called a “no-logs policy,” which states that it doesn’t collect or store any logs of their online activity and details. These details can be your IP address, websites you’ve visited, files you’ve downloaded, and more. 

A no-logs policy is important for anyone who values their privacy. It makes sure that third parties, such as your internet service provider (ISP), the police, or the government can't find out about your online activities or personal information.

Avira Phantom VPN claims it has a strict no-logs policy and abides by Germany’s privacy standards because it's headquartered in Tettnang, Germany. It says it doesn't share data with third parties, such as the government, “Big Tech,” or advertising networks. 

However, Avira is a German company, and Germany is part of the 14 Eyes alliance. This means Avira is obligated to share any intelligence it collects from you if requested by other governments that belong to the alliance.

Unfortunately, we couldn't locate Avira's no-logs policy on its website or on the VPN app. It was also difficult to find its privacy policy, which didn't specify details about its no-logs policy. This is ironic considering how Avira’s privacy policy states it’s committed to providing you with transparency. 

However, we found an FAQ about what customer data Avira stores when using Phantom VPN. It claims it doesn't store or log any customer data, only data for connection setup and diagnostic data. This can be turned off in the settings, but we weren't happy about it being automatically turned on.

Kill switch

With the Pro version of Avira Phantom, you can use the kill switch. It can be enabled to make sure your online traffic stops and remains encrypted if your VPN connection drops for any reason or length of time. This helps ensure no data is leaked and that your IP address remains hidden. 

A kill switch is important for protecting your privacy from cybercriminals who may try to sniff and intercept your data, such as passwords or banking information for nefarious purposes. They can violate your privacy by using this information to access your accounts and pay for things online without your permission.

Encryption

Avira Phantom VPN uses the same highly secure encryption algorithm, called AES-256, that banks and the military use to keep your data and online traffic safe from prying eyes. 

Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) 256 is a symmetric encryption algorithm that uses a 256-bit key to secure your VPN traffic and data with end-to-end encryption. The higher the number, the more combinations of digits, which protects against brute-force attacks and provides higher levels of security.

VPN protocol

Avira Phantom VPN uses both OpenVPN and IPsec protocols. OpenVPN’s tunneling protocol establishes secure connections over the internet through a custom security protocol that uses the SSL/TLS encryption protocol, and AES-256 for end-to-end encryption of data. OpenVPN can also work over TCP and UDP protocols for transmitting data, but it works best over UDP.

IPsec, which stands for “Internet Protocol” and “secure,” establishes a secure tunnel through which data can be transmitted by authenticating and encrypting data packets sent over both IPv4- and IPv6-based networks. 

People often use OpenVPN and IPsec as VPN protocols to secure connections over the internet and prevent malicious actors from snooping on their internet traffic. Today, there are more modern and arguably more secure tunneling protocols such as WireGuard and IPsec/IKeV2.

Avira Phantom VPN test results

We ran a series of tests to assess whether Avira Phantom VPN met our expectations for online privacy and security. We evaluated its speed, ability to stream Netflix in various regions, as well as its leak protection capabilities.

Speed tests

• Speed test results: Avira Phantom VPN provided decent speeds with nearby server locations location but tanked with further locations.
  

Before we tested Avira Phantom VPN's speed, we tested our baseline internet speeds first. We tested Avira Phantom VPN with a Lenovo laptop using Windows 11 from a physical location in the U.S.

Test type	No VPN	US to US	US to CA	US to UK	US to AU
Download speed	94.42 Mbps	86.50 Mbps	75.69 Mbps	37.21 Mbps	28.05 Mbps
Upload speed	94.19 Mbps	89.17 Mbps	88.39 Mbps	89.90 Mbps	65.60 Mbps
Latency (ping)	4 ms	40 ms	50 ms	123 ms	183 ms
Download speed % difference	N/A	-8.39%	-19.84%	-60.59%	-70.29%
Upload speed % difference	N/A	-5.33%	-6.16%	-4.55%	-30.35%
Latency % difference	N/A	900%	1,150%	2,975%	4,475%

After testing, we found that Avira performed decently with the servers from the U.S. and Canada. It only dropped our speeds by less than 10% with the U.S. server and less than 20% with the Canadian server. 

However, we were disappointed that its speeds were painfully slow once we selected servers in the U.K. and Australia. There was noticeable lag and buffering as we did some casual browsing. 

Our ping also increased significantly with each server. High latency can lead to streaming buffers and lag while gaming.

Netflix tests

• Netflix test results: Avira Phantom VPN passed its Netflix tests.

We tested Avira Phantom VPN’s ability to stream Netflix content from various locations and were pleasantly surprised that there were no buffering or lagging issues, despite the subpar download and upload speeds we observed. This raised the question of how it performed so well with streaming. 

To further evaluate the VPN's performance, we tested its abilty to unblock regional libraries from following countries: the U.S., Canada, Australia, and the U.K. 

	US to US	US to UK	US to CA	US to AU
Did it work with Netflix?

We were surprised to find that Avira Phantom VPN could unblock Netflix libraries across all the locations we tested. There were no errors or pop-ups from Netflix nagging us to turn off our VPN.

And although our speeds were significantly slower with the Australian server, the stream still worked. It was just much lower quality.

DNS leak tests

• DNS leak test results: Avira Phantom VPN passed its DNS leak tests.

Avira Phantom VPN successfully passed our DNS leak test. DNS stands for Domain Name System, which is a crucial part of networking that translates domain names into IP addresses. It works like a giant address book that directs internet traffic to the correct destination and associates domain names (such as avira.com) with their corresponding IP addresses (such as 122.0.5.21).

A DNS leak test is used to identify when a user’s internet traffic is being routed through a DNS server where it was not intended to be routed. This can be the result of a VPN connection failure, or worse, a malicious service provider. 

Fortunately, Avira Phantom VPN passed the DNS leak test, which means its connection security is good and users can browse the web with peace of mind.

WebRTC leak tests

• WebRTC leak test results: Avira Phantom VPN passed its WebRTC leak tests.

WebRTC stands for Web Real-Time Communication, which is a free and open-source project that allows web browsers and mobile applications to conduct real-time communication (RTC) via simple APIs. WebRTC enables features such as voice and video calls, file transfers, and screen sharing without the need for browser plug-ins or other additional software.

A WebRTC leak test is performed to determine whether a user’s real IP address is leaked even while connected to a VPN service. A WebRTC leak can occur when WebRTC APIs are being used to bypass the VPN tunnel, exposing your real IP address and location to the websites you are visiting.

Fortunately, Avira Phantom VPN also successfully passed our WebRTC leak test. 

Kill switch test

• Kill switch test results: Avira Phantom VPN failed its kill switch tests.

We believe all VPNs should have access to a kill switch for maximum security. A kill switch will block all internet traffic if your VPN connection drops. This can protect your internet connection. 

Avira Phantom VPN comes with a kill switch, but it's only available for Windows and it only comes with the Pro version. To test the kill switch, we turned the toggle on while connected to a server. Unfortunately, we swapped servers and our true location leaked, so Avira Phantom VPN is lacking at full security. 

Avira Phantom VPN compatibility

Avira Phantom VPN has cross-platform compatibility with the following operating systems:

• Windows
• macOS
• Android
• iOS

Avira Phantom VPN doesn't support smart TVs, routers, or Linux at this time.

Avira Phantom VPN customer support

Avira tech support is available by live chat, phone, or email; it's not available for the free version. Avira’s knowledge base is also available for frequently asked questions.

Although we haven't contacted anyone for Avira tech support, we're convinced it isn't excellent based on the number of complaints customers have made about the slow-to-nonexistent response times and inadequate answers to basic technical questions. 

Live chat

We decided to test Avira's live chat while we were having issues with the Pro version. We hit the chat option at the bottom-right of our screen and briefly described the issue with the chatbot.

Unfortunately, the chatbot responded to let us know that no agents were available to answer our questions. There was the option to receive an option via email later, at least. 

Phone

Avira provides phone numbers for the U.S./Canada, the U.K., and one number for other countries. Its phone support is available Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Central European Time.

Here are Avira's support numbers: 

• United States/ Canada: +1 (833) 475-0320
• United Kingdom: +44 808 196 5402
• Other countries: 0049 7542 500 4065

Email

Pro plan users can also reach out via email, which is the online option if live chat is unavailable. To send an email, you'll have to fill out a form regarding what kind of issues you're having and what product you need help with, along with your personal details. 

Knowledge base

Free plan users can opt for the knowledge base for troubleshooting. You can view articles based on your operating system, look into the latest updates, read about account and subscription issues, and more.

Top alternatives

After evaluating Avira Phantom VPN, we think most would be better off purchasing other VPN services. We've compiled some of our top options for your review, with better starting prices, features, and more:

Avira Phantom VPN FAQs

Bottom line: Is Avira Phantom VPN good?

Avira Phantom VPN successfully hid our IP address and location for basic privacy and security and it worked well for streaming Netflix in the U.S., U.K., and Australia. However, its global VPN speeds were disappointingly slow and it lacks important features, such as split tunneling, dedicated IP addresses, and a kill switch for operating systems other than Windows.

Both the free and paid versions offer support for unlimited devices and it passed the DNS leak and WebRTC leak tests. However, Avira Phantom VPN’s misleading no-logs policy, poorly designed user interface, and a high number of customer complaints regarding its customer support make us hesitant to recommend this VPN.

Do we think Avira Phantom VPN is worth it? Honestly, we think you can save your money for a better VPN that has better features for the same price, if not less. Give our alternatives another look to find one that's right for you.