TorGuard
A US-based, power-user-oriented VPN with a large server network and broad protocol/obfuscation support, but no independent audit and US-server torrenting restrictions.
torguard.net ↗- Jurisdiction
- United States (five eyes)
- Founded
- 2012
- Owner
- VPNetworks LLC
- Best price
- $4.27/mo
- Devices
- 8
- Free tier
- No
Best for
- · Torrenting/P2P users who connect to non-US servers
- · Technical/power users who want manual configs, port forwarding, dedicated IPs, and many protocols
- · People who want to pay anonymously with crypto, gift cards, or cash
- · Users who want to test the service first via a free 7-day trial
Not ideal for
- · Users who require an independently audited, proven no-logs provider
- · Those who want to torrent on US-based servers
- · Privacy maximalists who prefer a non-Five-Eyes jurisdiction or fully open-source consumer clients
- · Users wanting a reliable, plug-and-play WireGuard experience
Strengths
- ✓Large network (3,000+ servers in 50+ countries) with extensive protocol support (OpenVPN, WireGuard, IKEv2) plus strong obfuscation/Stealth options for restrictive networks
- ✓Power-user features: port forwarding, dedicated/static IPs, scriptable configs, app- and network-level kill switch, and own encrypted DNS
- ✓Privacy-friendly signup with anonymous payment options including cryptocurrency (Bitcoin, Litecoin, Monero via self-hosted BTCPay Server), 100+ gift cards (PayGarden), and cash by mail
- ✓RAM-based server infrastructure, and a real-world 2022 lawsuit in which no user activity logs were produced
- ✓Genuine no-credit-card 7-day free trial available in addition to the money-back guarantee
Weaknesses
- ✗US jurisdiction (Five Eyes) with no independent no-logs or security audit to back the privacy claims
- ✗BitTorrent/P2P is blocked on US servers following the 2022 studio settlement
- ✗Reported reliability problems, notably a WireGuard implementation that testers in 2026 found unstable or inoperable
- ✗Flagship desktop/mobile clients are not open source (only router/OpenWRT helper apps are); short 7-day refund window with case-by-case exceptions; streaming access often needs a paid add-on/dedicated IP
Protocols & encryption
The tunnelling protocols this service offers and the cryptography behind them.
WireGuard
ModernA modern, lean protocol (~4,000 lines of code) that is fast and easy to audit. Its cryptography is fixed and state-of-the-art, with no weak options to misconfigure.
- Data cipher
- ChaCha20-Poly1305
- Key exchange
- Curve25519 (ECDH)
- Integrity
- BLAKE2s
OpenVPN
TrustedThe mature, widely-trusted open-source standard. Flexible and heavily audited over two decades, though slower than WireGuard.
- Data cipher
- AES-256-GCM
- Key exchange
- RSA-4096 / ECDH
- Integrity
- SHA-256 / SHA-512 HMAC
IKEv2 / IPsec
TrustedA fast, stable protocol that reconnects quickly when you change networks, so it is popular on mobile. Built natively into most operating systems.
- Data cipher
- AES-256-GCM
- Key exchange
- Diffie-Hellman (ECP)
- Integrity
- SHA-256 / SHA-384
- Stated data cipher
- AES-256-GCM
- Stated handshake
- RSA-2048/4096
- Perfect forward secrecy
- Yes
- Post-quantum resistant
- No
- RAM-only servers
- Yes
- Kill switch
- Yes
- First-party DNS (leak protection)
- Yes
- IPv6
- Unknown
Full data sheet
Every attribute we track, coloured by whether it helps or hurts your privacy.
| Based in | United States |
| Eyes alliance | 5 Eyes |
| Enemy of the Internet | No |
| Owner | VPNetworks LLC |
| Conglomerate | Data Protection Services LLC |
| Founded | 2012 |
| Traffic / activity | None kept |
| DNS requests | None kept |
| Timestamps | None kept |
| Bandwidth | None kept |
| Source IP address | None kept |
TorGuard states it collects no VPN/proxy usage or connection logs (no traffic, DNS, timestamps, bandwidth, or IP logging). It does keep regularly-purged Apache web-server logs and uses analytics (Google Analytics) on its website. No independent audit verifies the no-logs claim.
| Anonymous signup | Yes |
| Accepts cash | Yes |
| Accepts crypto | Yes |
| PGP key | Unknown |
| OpenVPN | Yes |
| WireGuard | Yes |
| Proprietary protocol | Stealth VPN (OpenVPN Scramble / Shadowsocks / Stunnel obfuscation) |
| Multi-hop | No |
| Obfuscation | Yes |
| Kill switch | Yes |
| First-party DNS | Yes |
| RAM-only servers | Yes |
| Port forwarding | Yes |
| P2P / torrenting | Yes |
| IPv6 | Unknown |
| Data cipher | AES-256-GCM |
| Handshake | RSA-2048/4096 |
| Open-source clients | Partial |
| Independent audits | None |
| Transparency report | Unknown |
| Court / seizure-tested | Untested |
In a March 2022 US civil copyright suit brought by independent film studios, TorGuard reached a confidential settlement and agreed to use commercially reasonable efforts to block BitTorrent on its US servers; no money changed hands and no user activity logs were produced or demanded, but this was a pre-ruling settlement rather than a server seizure or raid that demonstrably yielded no data.
| Simultaneous devices | 8 |
| Countries | 50 |
| Servers | 3000 |
| Linux support | GUI app |
| Month-to-month | $10.99 |
| Best $/mo | $4.27 |
| On plan | 3-year |
| Free trial | 7 days |
| Refund window | 7 days |
| Free tier | No |
| Logging policy | Consistent |
| Marketing honesty | No overclaiming |
Parent entity is VPNetworks LLC, under the Data Protection Services LLC holding structure (which also owns Private-Email and PrivateRouter); not part of a large VPN conglomerate (e.g., Kape/Gen/Ziff Davis). HQ in Orlando, Florida; the company briefly used a Nevis offshore structure (~2013) before moving back to the US. Pricing has three tiers (Standard/Pro/Premium) with simultaneous connections of 8/12/30 respectively; the figure given here is for the base Standard plan. Cheapest effective rate (~$4.27–$4.28/mo) is on the 3-year Standard plan at regular pricing; frequent promo codes push this lower. A 7-day free trial (no credit card required) is offered at torguard.net/free-trial/ alongside a 7-day money-back guarantee. Streaming/dedicated-IP features typically cost extra (~$7.99/mo add-on). WireGuard, IKEv2, and OpenVPN are supported in-app; additional protocols (L2TP/IPsec, Stunnel, Shadowsocks, OpenConnect, V2Ray) are available. Official open-source code (github.com/torguardvpn) covers OpenWRT/router client apps and server tooling, but the main consumer GUI apps are closed-source. No National Security Letter or FISA order has been reported received per the company.
Sources
- TorGuard official 7-day free-trial page ↗
- TorGuard official site (buy/pricing) ↗
- TorGuard official GitHub org (open-source router/server apps) ↗
- CyberInsider, TorGuard VPN Review 2026 (ownership, logging, no audit, WireGuard issues) ↗
- Security.org, TorGuard Review & Pricing 2026 (tiers, 7-day refund, connections) ↗
- vpnMentor, TorGuard Review 2026 (RAM-only, $4.27 3-year, free trial, payments) ↗
- Cloudwards, TorGuard Review 2026 ($4.28 3-year, 7-day trial/guarantee, no audit) ↗
- AllAboutCookies, TorGuard Review 2026 (7-day trial, $4.28, tiers/connections, no audit) ↗
- SafetyDetectives, TorGuard Review 2026 (no audit) ↗
- TorrentFreak, TorGuard settles piracy lawsuit, blocks US torrent traffic (2022); no logs produced/demanded ↗
- GreyCoder, VPNs with public audits (TorGuard: none) ↗
- GreyCoder, VPNs with anonymous payments (TorGuard crypto/gift cards/cash, Monero via BTCPay) ↗
Last verified 2026-06-17. Point-in-time data, so always confirm on the provider's own site.