Can a VPN help you protect your online privacy?

It's got oodles of pros you cannot ignore!
Atharva Gosavi
how to protect online privacy with a VPN.jpg
How to protect online privacy with a VPN

In a world where it’s becoming increasingly easier for people to get into cybercrime, the essential need for data protection has never been greater. The alarming fact that cybercrime now has an industry all of its own (known as CCaaS - Cybercrime as a Service) should be enough to underline why cybersecurity is crucial in the days to come. 

A VPN is one of the best services to help safeguard your browsing data from prying eyes on the internet. Atlas VPN is one such service that’ll allow you to keep your data private and offers robust security. Here’s an Atlas VPN review that’ll tell you if it’s worth investing in. 

How good is Atlas VPN?

Can a VPN help you protect your online privacy?

In case you’re wondering if Atlas VPN is a trustworthy tool, rest assured. It is owned by Nord Security, the provider of the market-leading NordVPN. So, you can be certain Atlas VPN will follow in the footsteps of the leading VPN provider in the near future. 

Atlas VPN is a mixture of essential as well as additional useful features that makes it a steal for the price it’s available at. For starters, it has all the essential features you’d expect of a typical VPN tool: no logs policy, AES encryption, and a reliable kill switch. 

It also offers two trustworthy tunneling protocols – IKEv2 and WireGuard. With Atlas VPN, you have 750 servers across 45 locations around the globe at your disposal. If you opt for a free version, you have access to three servers - Amsterdam(Netherlands), Los Angeles(United States), and New York(United States). 

You can also make an unlimited number of connections simultaneously, and the protection will be available for all your devices.

Speaking briefly about cons, Atlas VPN uses fully-encrypted drives instead of using RAM-only servers. Secondly, their no-logs policy hasn’t gone through independent audits. When pitted against some of the best VPNs on the market, the Atlas VPN has a relatively small server fleet. 

Features

Let’s take a look at some of the best features this VPN tool has to offer. 

1. Media streaming

If you’re looking for a way to binge-watching TV shows unavailable in your country, Atlas VPN is one of the best choices out there. You can easily access content libraries on streaming platforms that are not available in your location by using any VPN connection specially meant for streaming on Atlas VPN. 

On our end, we tried using HBO Max and Netflix, and it seemed to work perfectly. The streaming quality was impressive, and we didn’t face any lags or interruptions. So, it’s safe to say Atlas VPN is one of the best tools for streaming content from other countries. 

2. Encryption and tunneling protocols

Can a VPN help you protect your online privacy?
Encryption

Encryption means safeguarding your internet activities so no one can check what you’re doing online. Atlas VPN offers 256-bit AES encryption, which is the standard for all VPN tools on the market. They also have a ChaCha20 cipher with the Poly1305 authenticator that offers additional security. 

Atlas VPN offers two tunneling protocols – IKEv2 and WireGuard. Wireguard is the standard tunneling protocol that ensures lightening fast speeds with lower ping while using VPN. 

It’s available on Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android operating systems. 

3. Logging

Atlas VPN is headquartered in Delaware, USA; that happens to be a point of concern from a privacy point of view. The U.S. is one of the members of the 5-Eyes alliance, which isn’t exactly a privacy-friendly jurisdiction. 

However, Atlas VPN does have a no-logs policy, meaning it doesn’t record your private information. This facility is also available for the free version. The policy also states that you can contact the company to have your account permanently deleted. Also, if you’re based in California, you can ask for a copy of the data they have regarding your account.

4. Kill Switch

Can a VPN help you protect your online privacy?
Security

The kill switch is a useful feature designed to block data leaks. It causes a shutdown of your internet traffic if a link to the VPN is interrupted. The only drawback is that you aren’t notified when the kill switch is triggered. 

5. SafeBrowse

SafeBrowse is an additional security feature by Atlas VPN that blocks malicious websites whenever you visit one. If that website is included in the blacklist, you’ll be denied access to it. This feature is only available for the premium version.

6. SafeSwap

The SafeSwap feature mitigates the hassle of disconnecting and reconnecting a VPN every time you want to change a server. With this feature enabled, your IP address is rotated automatically while you’re browsing the internet. 

Can a VPN help you protect your online privacy?
Extra features

Each SafeSwap has multiple IP addresses, and these are shared between different users. Unless you check manually, you’ll never know your IP address has changed. Also, the change of IP address doesn’t cause any speed drop, so you don't have to worry about any lagging issues when you’re browsing the internet. 

At present, you can choose SafeSwap locations from any one of the three countries available – the Netherlands, Singapore, and the United States. 

7. Data Breach Monitor

The Data Breach Monitor will let you know if your data has appeared in any data breaches. If there is a data breach, you will get bullet points about which type of data was exposed in the breach. So, whether it’s your email address or passwords on target, you can easily decode where the security holes lie and patch them up accordingly. 

8. Customer support

Atlas VPN offers a customer support section in the application itself, so you can easily ask for help. Apart from 24/7 live chat and email support, the tool also offers FAQs and a Knowledge Base to ensure your issues are well-attended to. 

There’s no phone line available for speaking to executives on the phone, but that hardly makes a difference. The available means of communication will suffice in terms of resolving issues. 

Pricing

The best part about Atlas VPN’s pricing plans is you have an unlimited freemium plan at your disposal, unlike other VPNs, which you can use free of cost only for a specified time period. However, in parity, the freemium plan does come with a lot of limitations. If you wish to upgrade, here are the pricing plans you can opt for:

1. 2-year plan(83% OFF): $1.83 per month billed $71.49 for the first three years. 

2. 1-year plan(63% OFF): $4.08 per month billed $49.08 annually for the first year. 

3. 1-month plan: $10.99 per month.

Should you buy Atlas VPN Premium?

Atlas VPN offers three premium plans, and based on a bird’s eye view of how it fares in comparison to its competitors, you’ll see it currently offers the lowest price per month

Also, you get a 30-day money-back guarantee if you aren’t satisfied with the premium version. 

Coming to its featured offers, Atlas VPN gives you all the basic ones that you'd expect in a VPN tool, plus a slew of additional features that’ll make your browsing experience and data safer and harder to crack for cyber attacks. 

Also, for streaming and downloads, Atlas VPN offers commendable speeds. So, if you’re an avid binge-watcher who loves devouring shows, this VPN tool is your best bet. 

In terms of functionality, Atlas VPN works on Windows, Linux, Android, MacOS, iOS, Android TV, and Amazon Fire TV operating systems. You can use it on both PC and mobile devices without worrying about compatibility.