Atlas VPN Review – Pros & Cons in 2021

Atlas VPN is one of the best freemium VPNs available. The free version offers strong security features, zero ads, and a solid no-logs policy. Meanwhile, the premium plans are quite affordable, making this an excellent budget-friendly VPN.

Furthermore, it’s based in the USA and uses the next-gen WireGuard tunneling protocol. It has over 700 servers in 27 countries and comes with a kill switch feature.

In this Atlas VPN review, I’ll overview its connection speeds, privacy and security features, supported platforms, how effective it is at unblocking streaming services, and much more.

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Overview

Speed – is Atlas VPN fast?

AtlasVPN offers fast speeds, thanks to the WireGuard tunneling protocol. Currently, it’s available on Windows and Android only, but we expect the provider to add it on macOS and iOS soon. Below are some of our Atlas VPN speed test results using WireGuard, with the baseline download at 94 Mbps and upload at 95 Mbps.

Overall, the results are pretty good. There were no significant download drop-offs until we moved to Asia Pacific. Upload speeds remained very high until we bumped into Australia. In contrast, when using IKEv2 protocol, upload numbers dropped considerably, leaving 13% of the original speed at best.

As always, these tests shouldn’t be taken very seriously as the results depend on many factors. But I can make some general conclusions about Atlas VPN – download and upload speeds won’t slow down a lot.

Atlas VPN privacy and security test

Security and privacy are some of the most important aspects of a VPN. Thus, they should be tested and scrutinized thoroughly before making judgments about how good or bad it is. Let’s take a closer look at how Atlas VPN fares against the competition.

Encryption and tunneling protocols

The Atlas VPN official website and Google Play Store page don’t list the level of encryption. However, after contacting customer support, I found out that it uses AES-256 – the same encryption standard we find in the military and financial institutions. This is practically unbreakable and should make Atlas VPN users feel very safe indeed.

When it comes to tunneling protocols, Atlas VPN offers WireGuard, which is both very fast and secure. It’s not available on macOS and iOS yet, so these users are left with IKEv2, which is not too shabby by itself. More protocol options will be coming soon, so OpenVPN fans should get something eventually.

Kill switch

Atlas VPN has a kill switch for all apps. Fortunately, it’s also available in the free version. Alternatively, Android owners can also turn on the native “Always-on VPN” feature.

No IP or DNS leaks

Atlas VPN has no IPv6, DNS, or WebRTC leaks. It’s difficult to say how sophisticated their leak protection it is, but my real location didn’t pop up during any of the tests.

I connected to a server in Canada and saw only this country as the assigned IP location wherever I went. DNS servers are also in Canada so everything seems to be in order.

Where is Atlas VPN based?

Atlas VPN is located in the United States, and its Terms of Service are in accordance with the laws of the state of Delaware. First, the company behind this service was Peakstar Technologies Inc., which registered the Atlas VPN trademark in 2019. Since October 2021, it’s part of Nord Security, known for NordVPN and NordLayer products.

In its press release, the team behind this VPN states that it aims for “transparent ownership, a clear privacy policy, and adherence to the highest privacy standards.” It remains to be seen if these words are true, but one thing is certain – a founding Five Eyes country is not the best place for the privacy-minded.

Does Atlas VPN support torrenting?

Yes, you can download torrents using Atlas VPN. At the moment, there aren’t many countries and servers to connect to, so you shouldn’t expect fast speeds in every corner of the planet. Also, SOCKS5 proxy or port forwarding features are missing, so it’s probably not the best for your P2P activities. With that said, for complimentary service, this VPN is a great proposition if you want to torrent anonymously.

Does Atlas VPN keep logs?

Having a true no-logs policy is not that common among VPNs and finding an unpaid service with one is a tough task. As a result, Atlas VPN stands out from the crowd by doing minimal logging, which is needed to provide the service and comply with applicable laws. The fact that there’s no account creation in the unpaid version speaks volumes.

The Privacy Policy states that the company doesn’t collect any information that could trace internet usage to you. Also, all information is encrypted, making it impossible to know what exactly you are doing while connected. Premium users will only have to share their email, but the payments made via Google Play or Apple Store won’t be anonymous.

Further in the Privacy Policy, it’s stated that Atlas VPN may collect application data, IP address, device data (including approximate location based on the IP), and the device ID for marketing purposes.

So is there anything you can do about the data that’s being collected? Well, California residents may ask for a copy of their data once a year. As for the others, they can write to customer support and request an edit or full deletion of their data. Finally, as per Nord Security policies, Atlas VPN should get a third-party audit in the near future.

Is Atlas VPN safe?

This provider has a solid foundation for becoming a truly safe-to-use VPN. It all starts with military-grade encryption, a kill switch, safe tunneling protocols, and a strict no-logs policy. However, at this stage of development, Atlas VPN still lacks other security features, such as an ad & malware blocker, a stealth protocol, or multi-hop.

Does Atlas VPN support my device?

Currently, Atlas VPN supports Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS. Also, a browser extension for Chrome is currently under development. Unfortunately, there’s no support for Linux. I personally would expect some more app and device support in the nearby future, for example, Atlas VPN for Amazon Fire Stick, Kodi, routers, and various smart TVs.

Atlas VPN for Android

The mobile version of Atlas VPN has received a fair amount of updates over the years. The UI has stayed the same while new features have been added. It’s simple, easy to use, and similar in look and feel to the desktop version. Additionally, Android users get access to some exclusive features, for example, split tunneling.

The app’s bottom panel has four buttons – Home, Assistant, Invite Friends, and Settings. Plus, a fifth one appears in the middle if you’re using the free version of the app, urging you to upgrade.

The Home option is where you will control the VPN connection. You can click the huge button in the middle to connect to the optimal location or choose a server location below. All the countries will appear, and you’ll be able to scroll through them and choose the right one.

Next comes the Assistant. Here you can try out the mobile-exclusive Data Breach Monitoring feature. Simply enter an email address, and the app will scan for it in various databases. You’ll see all the data leaks that have affected you and what exact information has been leaked.

After that, you have the option to Invite Friends via the referral program. Get someone to register using your link, and both of you will be gifted bonus premium time.

Finally, you have Settings. From here, you can enable Safebrowse and the kill switch. Safebrowse is a still-in-development feature that protects you from entering malicious websites by using special DNS servers that don’t resolve malware-containing addresses.

Additionally, you can check your account settings, how much premium you have left, and redeem Atlas VPN promotional codes. Furthermore, under the Help menu, you can find links to customer support, online guides, terms of service, and the privacy policy.

Atlas VPN for iOS

The iOS version has few differences from the Android one. The apps are virtually the same, but this one has slicker and more rounded icons. The App Store doesn’t show how many times apps have been downloaded, but the rating of Atlas VPN of iOS is the same as Android’s – 4.5 out of 5.

The only thing that’s exclusive to iOS is under the settings dashboard. Once you click security options, you’re able to toggle Improve me. Additionally, Atlas VPN premium accounts gain access to Safebrowse Plus, an extension of Safebrowse that also blocks ads.

Atlas VPN for Desktop: Windows and Mac

Atlas VPN for PC is visually very similar to the Android and iOS interfaces. That wouldn’t be a problem if it wasn’t lacking in some other areas. For example, data breach monitoring and friend referral are not available. Plus, there is no difference between the Windows and Mac versions.

Overall, the desktop version hasn’t changed much over the years, as opposed to the mobile version. It delivers only if you’re fine with the bare minimum of what an on-the-house VPN service can provide. This isn’t that evident on mobile, but on desktop, it pales in comparison to the market leaders. Mind you, some of them have superb unpaid versions.

Right now, it appears that Atlas VPN is more focused on the mobile version of the app, rather than desktop. This discrepancy could be excused for a newcomer, but this VPN has been around for about two years now. Well, at least the kill switch and geo-unblocking features are available on desktop.

Pricing: Premium and free plans

Atlas Premium has three subscription deals for Black Friday 2021:

• Monthly plan for $9.99
• 1-year plan for $2.49/month
• 3-year plan for $1.39/month

All plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee and unlimited simultaneous connections. With Premium, you also gain more locations, better connection speeds, 24/7 customer support, UHD streaming, and no ads.

Keep in mind that you can also try out Atlas Premium without spending any money. Your trial period may vary between 3 to 7 days – depending on what promotion you come across. You can extend your trial even further with the new referral program – convince your friends to register using your link, and you will receive 7 extra days of premium for your account.

And if you’re looking for a better deal on the premium plan, you can find a multitude of coupon codes online.

Finally, you can simply download the app for free by going to their website and choosing your preferred platform. You don’t even need an account to try it out.

Atlas VPN customer support overview

At the moment, Atlas VPN has only a few customer support options:

• FAQ
• 24/7 Email
• Submitting a ticket

The FAQ can be found on the main website and also in your app. It covers some basics but is far from being named helpful. In fact, FAQ acts more like an introduction to the new provider that still holds the majority of its tricks in its proverbial sleeve.

The FAQ page is still pretty barren and doesn’t even provide an easy way back to the home page. And on mobile, the “support” option doesn’t really do much, merely telling your device and app information. Unfortunately, finding the necessary email address for submitting your issue is up to you.

Regardless, I submitted an email to test the support. Although it took some time to receive a response, the agents were clear and informative. Still, Atlas VPN has been in the market for a while now, and I’m expecting to see better customer support options like 24/7 live chat sooner rather than later.

Atlas VPN server list

Atlas VPN offers 700+ servers in 27 countries. Choosing the US will give you 7 available cities: New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Dallas, New Jersey, Pheonix, and Las Vegas.

The unpaid version of Atlas VPN will unlock only two countries for you – the Netherlands and the USA (New York and LA).

Atlas VPN for Netflix

Glancing at the non-premium versions of the app, I couldn’t help but notice that there is no “Optimized for streaming” caption under the three available servers, while all the premium servers have it. After running some tests, I concluded that you shouldn’t expect the unpaid version of the app to unblock geo-restrictions of Netflix and other streaming services.

Surely that means that at least the premium version works with Netflix, right? I tested that theory once again and it was true – I was able to unblock geo-restrictions of Netflix, including Netflix US, UK, and CA (in the screenshot below I’m connected to a Canadian server through Atlas VPN and watching Doctor Strange – a Canada exclusive at the time of writing this review).

Naturally, other streaming services, such as HBO Max, BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime, Hulu, worked splendidly with the premium version as well. Overall, it doesn’t matter what countries’ content you want to unblock – Atlas VPN is reliable and an excellent choice for streaming enthusiasts.

Atlas VPN video review

If you’d like to know how Atlas VPN compares against ProtonVPN, another excellent VPN with a worthwhile free version, check out the first video below. Alternatively, take a look at the second video for an in-depth video review of Atlas VPN.

How Atlas VPN compares to other VPNs

There’s no shortage of options when you’re looking for a reliable freemium VPN. Here’s how Atlas VPN fares against the free versions of some of the most recognizable names in the industry.

• ProtonVPN review – unlimited data and one more country to choose from
• Hotspot Shield review – 500MB of data per day, quite fast
• TunnelBear review – 500MB of data per month, no limits on available features
• Hide.me VPN review –10GB of data per month and a wide array of features

Should you get Atlas VPN?

Atlas VPN is definitely worth a shot if you are looking for a cheap, fast, and simple VPN to try out. First off, it’s available on Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS. The apps are simple to install and easy to use. Additionally, the desktop version has a kill switch and works well at getting around geo-restrictions, including those by streaming services.

Meanwhile, the mobile version has extra features, such as ad-blocking, breach monitoring, and friend referral. Atlas VPN has servers in 27 countries and pricing starts at $1.39/month.

The best is yet to come for this provider if you’re an Android or iOS user. If you’re not at this point in time, their desktop version is something that you should probably skip. However, teaming up with NordVPN probably means a bright future for Atlas VPN.

Is there something that you feel is missing from Atlas VPN? Share your opinion by leaving a comment.

FAQ

Is Atlas VPN safe?

Yes, Atlas VPN is safe because they have a strict no-logs policy and military-grade encryption.

Does Atlas VPN work with Netflix?

The unpaid version of Atlas VPN does not work with Netflix while the premium version does work.

Is Atlas VPN free?

Atlas VPN can be used without a subscription for an unlimited time. However, they do have a paid version as well.

How do I use and install Atlas VPN?

First, you have to sign up for an account. Then you have to download and install the VPN on your device. Once installed, simply log in and connect to any of the available countries.