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8 ways Avira Phantom VPN makes your life better
Music
Music
Music
Challenge
You want to listen to your favorite band's latest album, but the song is blocked on YouTube in your country of access.
Solution
Turn on Phantom VPN, select a virtual location of your choice, and shazam! You can now sing and tap along to your heart's content.
Social networks
Social networks
Social networks
Challenge
Your cousin just posted a picture of her baby, but since you’re on holiday in a place where Facebook is blocked, you can’t discover what the latest addition to your family even looks like!
Solution
Phantom VPN lets you circumvent internet censorship by routing your traffic through a secure and anonymous tunnel via an Avira server located in a different country. Through this proxy, you can now gaze at the face of the newborn baby.
Streaming
Streaming
Streaming
Challenge
You have a subscription to a popular streaming website, such as Hulu Plus, HBO Go, or Amazon Instant Video, but the service isn’t available when traveling abroad.
solution
Select your desired virtual location and then remotely connect to your streaming service using Phantom VPN. You will be able to watch your favorite shows as if you were back home.
Privacy
Privacy
Privacy
Challenge
You find it creepy that having googled for a new car, you now find yourself inundated with car-related ads.
Solution
A number of advertisers track your IP address, and use that to send you ads. That won’t happen to you with Phantom VPN, which assigns you different IP addresses with every connection, and none of them can be traced back to you.
P2P Sharing
P2P Sharing
P2P Sharing
Challenge
Your Internet Service Provider (ISP) doesn’t like P2P sharing, so when they see you using it, your ISP can slow down your internet speed down.
Solution
By encrypting your web traffic, your ISP can’t see which services you use, and so won’t throttle your speed.
Security
Security
Security
Challenge
You love working from your favorite coffee shop, or frequently travel and connect to public hotspots. But you know that whether at the cafe, airport, or hotel, none of these networks are secure, so even an amateur can access your private data.
Solution
Phantom VPN encrypts your web traffic, routing all your online activities via a secure tunnel, where hackers and eavesdroppers cannot access them.
Money-saver
Money-saver
Money-saver
Challenge
We’ve all been there, that moment we’re about to enter our credit card details to buy a plane ticket, and stop to wonder: is this really the best deal I can get?
Solution
Many companies price-discriminate based on a user’s country. So now, you can just check for better deals by selecting a different virtual location. Getting that plane ticket, knowing you got the best deal will feel so good!
Private by design: We don't sell your data.
Unlike most security vendors, Avira doesn't track what you do online; we don't sell your data and we never will. We have a strict no logs policy and abide by strongest Germany privacy standards. And unlike most VPN providers, we don't share data with 3rd parties such as government, Big Tech or advertising networks.
Avira has more than 35 years of online security experience
CNET
Rated 4.5/5 by the editor
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Learn more about VPNs
What is a VPN?
IP address. Geo-blocking. These are all terms you may have encountered when reading about virtual private networks. This short introduction to VPNs explains how they can make your life better.
How to use a VPN for anonymous browsing?
Surfing the net is fun, informative, and useful. But you leave traces, which are collected and sold by advertisers, search engines, and ISPs, usually without your knowledge. That’s where a VPN comes in handy...
How to bypass geo-restrictions with a VPN?
If you want to keep up to date with your favorite shows while on holiday, or watch a foreign movie unavailable in your region, Avira Phantom VPN Pro can help you bypass geo-restrictions to access the content you love.
What are the dangers of public Wi-Fi?
Hackers love public Wi-Fi – that’s because 75% of them are vulnerable. But there’s an easy way to stay safe – and that’s VPN. Find out how it helps you to avoid hacking attacks when surfing on public Wi-Fi.
Are VPNs truly safe?
Your privacy and data are under threat particularly when you use public Wi-Fi. Explore why VPN is the recommended choice for greater online security and freedom.
Learn more
Does a VPN make online banking more secure?
When using online banking services on the go, a VPN helps keep your data safe from hackers. With a VPN, your financial data is encrypted for maximum security.
Learn moreLaptop, smartphone or tablet?
Protect your privacy on all devices
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Why should you use a VPN?
Stay safe on public Wi-Fi networks
Surfing online is inherently insecure, especially when connected to a public Wi-Fi network. The reason: other people in this network can access and steal your data. Browse anonymously with an active VPN connection to encrypt all the data received and sent and protect yourself from hackers. This way, your passwords and personal data are safe. The encryption feature is important when you connect to Wi-Fi in a restaurant, cafe, hotel, the airport, or any other public network.
Protect your data and privacy
While surfing, you leave traces and companies track your activities for targeted advertising or to collect and sell information about you. Establish a free VPN connection to browse anonymously online, protect your privacy, and prevent advertisers from targeting you. The IP address of your device is hidden, and others cannot monitor your activities.
Use online banking securely
Online banking on the go is very convenient. When travelling, you might even use public Wi-Fi networks. The unfortunate truth is that sometimes these connections are less secure and may be exploited. The added security of a connection via VPN means that your sensitive data, such as bank or credit card information, passwords, and private e-mails are kept safe, at home or on the go.
Bypass geo-restrictions with Avira Phantom VPN Pro
Avira Phantom VPN Pro enables you to choose a custom location, giving you access to geo-restricted content. By picking one of our 150 servers in 37 countries around the world and hiding your real IP address, you can easily browse from a different virtual location, bypassing geo-restrictions and regional censorship.
Avira Phantom VPN: Free VPN for Mac and Windows devices as well as Android and iOS smartphones and tablets
In an age of increasing cybercrime, there’s a widespread risk of unauthorized people gaining access to your banking details, photos, or documents over public Wi-Fi hotspots — whether you’re checking your emails in your hotel room with your laptop, sharing photos with your family using your smartphone, or utilizing the time spent waiting at the airport shopping online. That’s because public Wi-Fi hotspots are often unsecured, acting as a gateway for hackers on the same network who can use them to perform dirty cyberdeeds like launching a man-in-the-middle attack. This makes it all the more important to use a free VPN when you’re out and about when banking online.
What actually is a VPN?
VPN is short for virtual private network — a type of network that allows you to surf the internet more securely and anonymously. To do this, the VPN or the app creates an encrypted tunnel on your computer, tablet, or smartphone to a VPN server that connects your device to the internet. We give a brief explanation below, but if you want more details, check out our blogpost to learn more about how a VPN works.
How does a VPN work?
A VPN redirects your online traffic through an external VPN server. This means that from this point on, all the data you send and receive is routed through this encrypted VPN tunnel. An encryption protocol prevents hackers, internet service providers (ISPs), and other companies from accessing your data. The VPN software also swaps your device’s IP address with the address of the VPN server, giving you a new virtual location. So when you now surf the internet, you do so cloaked behind the VPN server’s IP address. This makes it almost impossible to identify you and helps you better protect your online privacy.
What are the benefits of a free VPN?
Given the constant rise in cybercrime, you should take appropriate measures to protect any sensitive data you transmit online. This list is longer than you might think and includes such things as bank account and credit card details, access details for your various online user accounts, and your email communications. By encrypting everything you send and receive using our free VPN software or app, third parties can no longer snoop on your data. This prevents advertisers or other businesses from tracking what you get up to online.
Here’s why it’s worth downloading our free VPN:
- Protect your sensitive data from unauthorized access
If you're answering emails over a public hotspot, you'll obviously want to make sure no one else can read them. Avira Phantom VPN technology helps you encrypt your online data traffic and prevent unauthorized snooping. Check out our blog post for further security tips for using public Wi-Fi hotspots.
- Surf anonymously & prevent online tracking of your activities
Thanks to our free VPN, you can protect your online activities from tracking and monitoring. You can surf anonymously because you mask your true IP address and leave no trace on the internet.
- Greater online freedom when out and about
Using Avira Phantom VPN is a reliable and convenient way to access your favorite websites and streaming services more securely when on the move.
- Increased Wi-Fi security for online banking on public networks
A free VPN means your passwords and other confidential information cannot be intercepted, read, or manipulated on public Wi-Fi hotspots. By encrypting all your traffic, you can also surf more securely over public hotspots in restaurants or at airports.
Why you should choose Avira's free VPN
Avira is a pioneer in freemium security solutions with over 35 years of experience in online security. With Avira Phantom VPN, you get to enjoy an easy-to-use free VPN that allows you to reliably protect your incoming and outgoing data traffic thanks to highly secure encryption technology. Neither we nor your ISP can see which websites you visit or what you do online. We do not track your online activities or keep logs.
There are 1,400 VPN servers in 37 countries to choose from. With Avira Phantom VPN you have access to locations in Asia (China, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea), Europe (Germany, France, Great Britain, Spain), North and South America (Canada, USA, Mexico), Australia, and many more countries.
The VPN is free to download, and Avira Phantom VPN gives you 500 MB of data a month to surf anonymously. Register for a My Avira Account, and we’ll even double the amount of data to 1 GB per month for free. If you want unlimited data, simply subscribe to Avira Phantom VPN Pro for a low monthly or annual fee. And if you’re not entirely satisfied with our VPN, we'll give you a full refund within 60 days of purchase thanks to our money-back guarantee for annual subscriptions.
Which devices is our free VPN compatible with?
You’re pretty much covered on any device with Avira Phantom VPN, with our free VPN available for Windows and Mac devices as well as Android and iOS smartphones and tablets. Simply choose the correct VPN download option for your device and operating system.
Free VPN download: All VPN downloads
Avira Phantom VPN for Windows and Android devices
Windows notebooks and desktops
VPN app for Android smartphones and tablets
Avira Phantom VPN for Apple devices
MacBooks, iMacs, and Mac minis (running macOS)
VPN app for iPhone, iPad & iPod Touch (running iOS or iPadOS)
It’s this easy to surf the internet more securely and anonymously
Simply download our free VPN for Windows or Mac or the free VPN app for Android or iOS and increase your Wi-Fi security on public networks. After installing the software or app on your device, simply select your desired virtual location, establish your VPN connection by clicking Secure my connection or tapping Turn on VPN, and connect to one of our VPN servers. Download our free VPN now and protect your online data traffic with Avira Phantom VPN!
A free VPN like Avira Phantom VPN is a good choice for anyone who wants to surf anonymously and protect their sensitive information when on the internet. That’s because the VPN encrypts a device’s data traffic using bank-grade encryption and routes everything through a private tunnel. This allows you to protect your data from cybercriminals snooping on it even when banking or shopping online using unsecured public Wi-Fi hotspots. A VPN also changes your device’s IP address and assigns a new virtual location so your online activities can’t be traced.
Avira Phantom VPN uses AES 256 (Advanced Encryption Standard), which is currently the global norm. This is a symmetrical encryption scheme that’s one of the most widely used secure encryption methods. The number 256 refers to the key length in bits. The higher the number, the more possible combinations of digits there are — in this case 2^256. In the USA, for example, AES 256 is approved for government documents with the highest level of secrecy. Avira Phantom VPN Pro for Windows also has an emergency off or kill switch feature that automatically disconnects your device from the internet if the VPN connection is interrupted, providing even greater security.
A VPN connection is always a bit slower than a regular internet connection due to data traffic redirection, encryption, and the protocol. The speed of the VPN connection depends largely on the data transfer rate or bandwidth offered by the internet service provider. Your distance from the server you connect to (or the country in which the server is located) also plays a role. When using Avira Phantom VPN, however, this drop in speed shouldn’t impact your online experience.
VPN is short for virtual private network — a type of network that allows you to surf the internet more securely and anonymously. To do this, the VPN (such as the free Avira Phantom VPN) creates an encrypted tunnel on your computer, tablet, or smartphone to a VPN server that connects your device to the internet. In addition, your device’s assigned IP address is swapped with that of the VPN server, masking your true location.
Public Wi-Fi hotspots are often unprotected, meaning they’re not very secure. However, by downloading and turning on a free VPN, you can really strengthen your security when using these networks. A VPN program or app like Avira Phantom VPN encrypts all the data you send and receive on your device, so you can surf more securely and anonymously.