VPN.ac

The service and where to buy it

VPN.ac is a paid VPN service described as "Secure, Fast, Reliable VPN Service" and operated by Netsec Interactive Solutions, a Romania-based IT security company established in 2009. The company provides VPN alongside pentesting, security audits, and consulting services. VPN.ac is available for Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and Linux (in beta), and is compatible with third-party applications including OpenVPN Connect, Tunnelblick, WireGuard, and StrongSwan. The site lists pricing in US dollars and shows an entry price starting from $3.75 per month. Specific plan details (such as which plan duration carries that rate) are not provided on the homepage. The site accepts Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, PayPal, credit and debit cards, voucher and prepaid cards, and "lots of region-based payment methods (UnionPay, iDeal, WebMoney, SEPA Direct Debit etc.)." The site offers a 1-week trial for $2.

Trust and privacy policy

The site does not name an independent audit of its logging policy. VPN.ac's privacy claims are based on its operational design and company certifications rather than third-party audit reports. The site states: "There is no activity logging or monitoring of our users' Internet activity" and "No logs, not even common Linux daemons, are kept on VPN servers." The company is ISO/IEC 27001:2005 and ISO 9001:2008 certified by URS (United Registrar of Systems), an independent UK-based certification body accredited by UKAS. These certifications cover information security management and quality management systems respectively, not VPN logging practices specifically.

The company emphasizes that its team comprises security professionals with over 14 years of experience each in IT security, and that the infrastructure is implemented in-house rather than outsourced. The site claims this gives the company "an edge in keeping our infrastructure secure, because it is often the infrastructure implementation which is the weakest link of a VPN service." The company states it does not use third-party tracking services on its website (no Google Analytics or similar).

VPN.ac uses its own DNS resolvers rather than relying on third parties. The site states: "We use our own private DNS resolvers for all DNS queries" and "All DNS queries are encrypted (AES 128-bit)." The site claims that DNS resolvers do not log DNS queries and that millions of DNS queries per day are mixed among VPN users' queries "to make sure that potential monitoring of our DNS resolvers is ineffective."

The about page says VPN.AC is operated by Netsec Interactive Solutions, "an IT security company established in Romania, in 2009", and the site footer now names the operator as Cryptolayer (formerly Netsec Interactive Solutions). The site does not discuss intelligence-sharing alliances.

Product and network

VPN.ac operates servers in 20+ countries with the following named locations: Switzerland (3 Gbit gateways), Italy (1 Gbit), Belgium (1 Gbit), Norway (1 Gbit), Sweden (4 Gbit), Poland (2 Gbit), Lithuania (1 Gbit), Finland (2 Gbit), Germany (7 Gbit), Netherlands (16 Gbit), Romania (5 Gbit), France (4 Gbit), Portugal (1 Gbit), Spain (1 Gbit), United Kingdom (6 Gbit), US Midwest Chicago (3 Gbit), US East New York (3 Gbit), US East Ashburn (2 Gbit), US East Atlanta (1 Gbit), US East Miami (1 Gbit), US Central Dallas (3 Gbit), US West California (12 Gbit), US West Seattle (2 Gbit), Canada (10 Gbit in Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver combined), Mexico (1 Gbit), Australia Melbourne (2 Gbit), Australia Sydney (2 Gbit), Japan (1 Gbit), Singapore (4 Gbit), Hong Kong (3 Gbit). The site lists both VPN gateways and "SecureProxy" gateways at each location; the site does not explain what SecureProxy is.

All VPN nodes are connected to gigabit ports (1000 Mb/s). The site emphasizes no speed limit per user connection and states that "available bandwidth speed greatly exceeds our users' needs, usually at least 10-fold." The site reports that "speed and reliability tests being done before their deployment" verify server performance.

VPN.ac supports multiple protocols: OpenVPN, IPsec (with IKEv2 and L2TP options), pure TLS (via browser addon), and WireGuard. The site offers "up to 12 simultaneous connections: 6 using OpenVPN/IPsec + 6 using WireGuard." Encryption options include AES-GCM 256-bit with Elliptic Curve and/or 4096-bit RSA authentication, plus perfect forward secrecy (PFS). The service includes a kill switch and supports double-hop connections "for improved privacy and connection speed overseas." The site does not detail speed benchmarks, streaming support, or torrenting policies on the site.

Plans, pricing, and support

Pricing starts at $3.75 per month, though the site does not specify which plan duration or billing period carries this rate (monthly, annual, etc.). The site does not publish individual plan prices or a renewal price. A trial is available for $2 for 1 week, allowing "up to 3 simultaneous connections, compared to 6 with a regular account." Full accounts allow 12 simultaneous connections.

The site offers a 7-day money-back refund policy, stating: "If you can't use our VPN service for technical reasons or you are not satisfied with it, we offer a 7-days full refund policy." The site encourages customers to contact support before requesting a refund to explore troubleshooting.

Technical support is described as direct and hands-on: "There is no externalized support or ticket escalation, and no predefined copy-&-paste answers to your queries. You talk directly to those who implemented the entire VPN infrastructure, and who have the required technical skills to assist you in any problem." The site does not describe support hours or response times.

What remains unsettled

The specific pricing beyond the starting rate is not detailed on the site. The $3.75/month figure is not attributed to a specific plan (monthly subscription, annual commitment, etc.), renewal terms, or billing basis. The FAQ mentions a 7-day trial for $2, but does not clarify whether active customers renew at the advertised $3.75 rate or if renewal pricing differs. The site does not explain the difference between "VPN gateways" and "SecureProxy" gateways or how the latter is used.

The company's certifications (ISO 27001 and ISO 9001) relate to management systems, not to VPN logging practices. No independent audit of the no-logs claim or the privacy infrastructure is named. The site's claim that millions of DNS queries are mixed together lacks specific details on retention periods, query matching techniques, or how effectiveness is measured.

The site mentions obfuscation technology but does not detail its implementation, the protocols it masks, or which countries' firewalls it can bypass. The phrase "Bandwidth capacity is increased regularly" suggests ongoing expansion but provides no concrete numbers or timeline.

VPN.ac suits a reader who wants double-hop routing, a choice of payment methods that includes cryptocurrency and regional options, and a provider that says every VPN node is connected to a gigabit port, and who can try it for a week for $2 before paying more. It suits less well anyone who wants to see every plan's price and renewal terms before buying, an outside audit of the no-logs claim, or clear answers on anti-censorship, streaming and torrenting.