AdGuard VPN Review Australia
Reviewed by Laurence Deer, founder and reviewer in Melbourne, testing VPNs since 2019
On this page
- What stood out
- Who should buy AdGuard VPN?
- AdGuard VPN tested from Melbourne: October 2026 results
- AdGuard VPN price in Australia
- Is AdGuard VPN safe? Privacy and audits
- AdGuard VPN apps and features
- Using AdGuard VPN in Australia
- Alternatives to AdGuard VPN
- AdGuard VPN FAQ
- How we keep this review current
- Sources
AdGuard VPN
Number 7 of 19 in our calculated orderBestVPN score 7.6 out of 10
- Speed7.3
- Streaming6.0
- Security8.0
- Value8.8
- Australia8.8
From our own tests and published figures, newest 12 Nov 2026. How we score
Our verdict
Good for watching BBC iPlayer, Channel 4 and ITVX from Australia
AdGuard VPN suits Australians who want British TV and protection without fiddling. In October 2026 BBC iPlayer, Channel 4 and ITVX all played on its London server, and Sydney kept close to full speed. The catch is Netflix, which blocked us in the US, the UK and Japan. Despite the name, the app did not block ads by default.
From A$4.35 a month
AdGuard VPN plan, paying for 2 years. Renewal price not shown on its pricing page. Lowest plan of each VPN we track: A$1.63 to A$18.33.
Price and plan details read from adguard-vpn.com.
Choose it if
- You want BBC iPlayer, Channel 4 and ITVX
- You want SBS On Demand, ABC iview and 9Now while travelling
- You want a VPN that barely slows you at home
- You want protection on from the start
Skip it if
- You want Netflix from any country (all blocked, October 2026)
- You want Prime Video Australia or UK, or ABEMA
- You want a Melbourne server (Sydney only)
- You want a server really in India (Mumbai exits in Singapore)
AdGuard VPN: key facts
- Money-back
- 30 daysVPNs we track: 7 to 45 days
- Free trial
- Not checkedCompare VPN free trials
- Devices at once
- 10VPNs we track: 2 to unlimited
- Server countries
- Not publishedAdGuard VPN does not publish this; we checked 24 Oct 2026
- Australian cities
- Not checked
AdGuard VPN test results
- Speed, Australian server
- 95% keptOf our download speed with the VPN off. Tested 24 Oct 2026
- DNS leaks
- None foundTested 24 Oct 2026
- Streaming
- 9 of 15 played
SBS On Demand✓ played9Now✓ played
ABC iview✓ played
Pluto TV✓ played
Tubi✓ played
Prime Video US✓ played
BBC iPlayer✓ played
Channel 4✓ played
ITVX✓ playedPrime Video✕ blocked
Netflix US✕ blockedNetflix UK✕ blockedPrime Video UK✕ blockedNetflix Japan✕ blocked
ABEMA✕ blocked3 more opened but we did not play them. Tested 24 Oct 2026
Speed kept by the VPNs we have tested (2021 to 2026 rounds): 44% to 100% or more.
Tested on an account AdGuard VPN gave us free of charge (24 Oct 2026).
AdGuard VPN: what has changed
- Review text last edited
- Our latest test round: local speed, overseas speed, streaming, leaks, kill switch settings (drop test not run) and torrenting
No price or plan changes seen between 13 Oct 2026 and 12 Nov 2026.
We check AdGuard VPN's prices by hand every week (last checked 12 Nov 2026) and record every change we see.
Our three picks
NordVPNOne of our picksBestVPN score 8.3/10From A$4.79 a monthBlack Friday deal ends soonVisit NordVPNNordVPN review
SurfsharkMost popular with our readersMost clicks from readers in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore in the last 30 daysBestVPN score 7.2/10From A$3.49 a monthBlack Friday deal ends soonVisit SurfsharkSurfshark review
Proton VPNFastest on Australian servers in our testsKept 99% of our download speed on a Melbourne server, 21 Oct 2026BestVPN score 8.7/10From US$2.99 (about A$4.38) a monthBlack Friday deal ends soonVisit Proton VPNProton VPN review
Each pick is chosen for one strength, shown on its card with our evidence. For the full order by our tests, see each VPN's score and how we score.
What stood out
AdGuard is a VPN for British TV, not Netflix. On one London connection in October 2026, iPlayer, ITVX and Channel 4 let us in while Netflix and Prime Video named the VPN and refused, minutes apart.
Only Intego VPN matched it on all three UK channels in our October round. For Netflix US and UK, Proton VPN played both.
The name sets up an expectation the app does not meet. An ad test page loaded its ads normally with the VPN on, so the VPN app alone will not block ads for you.
Pros
- BBC iPlayer, Channel 4 and ITVX all played
- Sydney kept close to full speed
- Kill switch on by default
- Real IP never showed when switching servers
- No DNS or WebRTC leaks
- SBS, iview and 9Now played
Cons
- Netflix blocked in the US, UK and Japan
- Prime Video and ABEMA blocked too
- Sydney only: no Melbourne server
- Overseas speeds uneven; one Tokyo run stalled
- India is virtual: it exits in Singapore
- No ad blocking by default
From our tests in Melbourne, October 2026.
Who should buy AdGuard VPN?
Buy it if British free-to-air TV is why you want a VPN: iPlayer, Channel 4 and ITVX all played in October 2026. It also suits you if you want a VPN that stays out of the way at home, with the kill switch on from the start.
Skip it if Netflix from another country is the point, because all three libraries we tried blocked us. Skip it too for Prime Video, a Melbourne server or a real Indian address; the alternatives cover those.
AdGuard VPN tested from Melbourne: October 2026 results
AdGuard got us British TV and barely slowed our line in Sydney, but no Netflix. I tested on the Mac mini in Melbourne on the evening of 24 October 2026, on the app’s default protocol.
Leaks and server switching: nothing showed
AdGuard kept our real address hidden in every check in October 2026, with the kill switch on before you touch a setting.
Leaks and kill switch
| DNS | ✓ No leak24 Oct 2026 |
|---|---|
| IPv6 | Could not test24 Oct 2026 |
| WebRTC | ✓ No leak24 Oct 2026 |
| Kill switch | Whole device, on by default; drop test not run24 Oct 2026 |
| Switching servers, kill switch on | ✓ No leak 1 s offline24 Oct 2026 |
"Could not test" means our line had no IPv6 to leak; it is not a failure.
- Switching servers: my Melbourne address never appeared in a Los Angeles to London switch on default settings. One check found no connection, then London took over.
- DNS: no leak on Sydney, Los Angeles, London, Tokyo, Mumbai (Virtual), São Paulo or Johannesburg. Lookups went to AdGuard’s own DNS servers, so your internet provider could not see which sites you looked up.
- WebRTC: BrowserLeaks showed only the VPN’s addresses on the Sydney server. WebRTC powers video calls in the browser, and a leak there reveals your address.
- IPv6: our line has no IPv6, so we could not test it.
The kill switch blocks all internet access if the VPN drops, and it is on by default. Many VPNs ship with it off.
Speed: near full speed in Sydney, uneven overseas
At home, AdGuard is about as fast as having no VPN. Its Sydney server kept 95% of our download speed in October 2026, the second-highest of the seven VPNs in our current round. Proton VPN kept 99%.
On a typical NBN plan you would not notice it for streaming, video calls or big downloads.
Speed kept
 Australian server | 95% |
|---|---|
 Japan | 58% |
 United States | 51% |
 United Kingdom | 39% |
 India virtual location, server in  Singapore | 34% |
 Brazil | 34% |
 South Africa | 30% |
Download, upload and ping in Mbps, and how we measured
From our test bench Melbourne, October 2026
| Connection | Download | Upload | Ping |
|---|---|---|---|
| No VPN | 46.8 Mbps | 18.1 Mbps | 21.2 ms |
| AdGuard VPN, Australian server | 44.5 Mbps −4.8% | 17.5 Mbps −2.8% | 30.3 ms |
| Server in | Download | Upload |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 23.9 Mbps −49.0% | 3.10 Mbps −82.8% |
| United Kingdom | 18.3 Mbps −61.0% | 6.30 Mbps −65.4% |
| Japan | 27 Mbps −42.2% | 14.2 Mbps −21.3% |
| India virtual location, server in Singapore | 16 Mbps −65.8% | 8.10 Mbps −55.4% |
| Brazil | 15.9 Mbps −66.0% | 4.90 Mbps −72.9% |
| South Africa | 14 Mbps −70.1% | 4.40 Mbps −75.9% |
A virtual location is a server the app lists under one country that actually sits in another; its speed is the speed to that other place.
Our own measurements on a Melbourne home connection of about 47 Mbps at the time, October 2026. Changes are against the speed of the same line with the VPN off, measured the same day.
Share of our download speed kept with AdGuard VPN on, against the same line with the VPN off, measured the same day.
Overseas was patchier. Los Angeles kept 51%, London 39% and Tokyo 58%, and each swung between runs.
One Tokyo run stalled and the connection dropped out briefly before the next run went through. Every other run left enough for HD video by Netflix’s own guidance.
Locations: Sydney only, and India is virtual
Outside Sydney, there is no home-city server: Sydney is AdGuard’s only Australian location. It geolocates to Victoria, so 9Now asked “Not in VIC?” and served the Melbourne feed.
India is not in India. The app lists “Mumbai (Virtual)”, and our IP checks placed it in Singapore, so Indian services that check your location will see Singapore. It kept 34%.
Brazil and South Africa are real local servers in São Paulo and Johannesburg. Brazil kept 34% and South Africa 30%, enough for local streaming.
Australian TV and banking
Most Australian TV works on the Sydney server. SBS On Demand, ABC iview and 9Now played in October 2026; Prime Video named the VPN and would not play.
Stan’s site loaded, but we have no Stan account to press play. For Prime Video, you would need to switch the VPN off.
Everyday use in Australia
| ABC iview | ✓ Played24 Oct 2026 |
|---|---|
| SBS On Demand | ✓ Played24 Oct 2026 |
| 9Now | ✓ PlayedIt served the VIC feed: 9Now placed the server in VIC.24 Oct 2026 |
| Prime Video | ✕ Blocked24 Oct 2026 |
 Stan | Site opened, not playedNo account, so we could not press play.24 Oct 2026 |
| Banking and myGov | ✓ Opened normallyCommBank NetBank, NAB Internet Banking, myGov: log-on pages only; we did not sign in24 Oct 2026 |
| Connection to Sydney (games) | 49 ms with the VPN, 28 ms withouttime to connect to an AWS Sydney server, one sitting; not an in-game ping24 Oct 2026 |
"Site opened, not played" means the service's site loaded through the VPN but we had no account to play anything.
CommBank NetBank, NAB Internet Banking and myGov all opened their log-on pages normally with the VPN on, though NAB’s form was slow to appear. I did not sign in, so I cannot say whether a bank asks for more.
Gaming: a short delay to Sydney, too far overseas
AdGuard adds a short delay to Sydney game servers, small enough for most games. In October 2026, Amazon’s Sydney data centre took 49 ms to reach through it, against 28 ms with the VPN off.
Los Angeles averaged 491 ms, swinging between samples, and London 337 ms. Both rule out fast online games, and the swings would make a video call stutter. Our VPN for gaming guide compares ping across every VPN we have tested.
Overseas streaming: British TV played; Netflix did not
AdGuard got us the BBC, Channel 4 and ITV in October 2026, but no Netflix in any of three countries.
What played
| Netflix US | ✕ Blocked24 Oct 2026 |
|---|---|
| Netflix UK | ✕ Blocked24 Oct 2026 |
| Netflix Japan | ✕ Blocked24 Oct 2026 |
| BBC iPlayer | ✓ Played24 Oct 2026 |
| Channel 4 | ✓ Played24 Oct 2026 |
| ITVX | ✓ Played24 Oct 2026 |
| Prime Video | ✕ Blocked24 Oct 2026 |
| Pluto TV | ✓ Played24 Oct 2026 |
| Tubi | ✓ Played24 Oct 2026 |
| ABEMA | ✕ Blocked24 Oct 2026 |
"Site opened, not played" means the service's site loaded through the VPN but we did not play anything.
- United Kingdom (London): BBC iPlayer played BBC One live, Channel 4 played its live channel, and ITVX played The Party after UK adverts. Netflix UK and Prime Video UK named the VPN.
- United States (Los Angeles): Netflix showed its VPN or proxy error. Pluto TV, Tubi and Prime Video played, the last on our Australian account.
- Japan (Tokyo): Netflix and ABEMA blocked us. TVer showed no region block, but its viewer survey stopped us before playback.
Streaming services block VPN servers and let them back in, so each result holds for the evening we tested (24 October 2026).
Torrenting: allowed, at about half speed
Torrenting is allowed and runs at about half speed. On the Sydney server in October 2026, the official Debian torrent ran at about half its speed with the VPN off.
| VPN | Our torrent speed | P2P policy | Kill switch | Port forwarding | Audited by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AdGuard VPN | 2.48 MiB/s tested October 2026 | Allowed in our test tested October 2026 | Not checked | Not checked | – |
Torrent speed is the average download rate we measured on an Australian server, with its date. Features and auditors are as each provider lists them; "Not checked" means we have not recorded it yet.
For a big download that means a longer wait, not a failed one.
Setting it up: nothing to change for protection
You have nothing to fix before your first connection. In October 2026 the kill switch was on, data sharing was off, and there was no protocol to choose.
Auto-connect and launch at login both start off. Turn them on if you want the VPN running whenever the Mac is.
Still to test
We have tested AdGuard only in the evening; a morning sitting is next. A forced connection drop, the phone apps and 7plus, which shows an HDCP error on our Mac with or without a VPN, are still to come.
AdGuard VPN price in Australia
AdGuard shows prices in Australian dollars, but before GST: checkout adds 10%. The table shows what our checker read on AdGuard’s licence page, with the date.
| Plan | Term | Per month | Paid upfront | Renews at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AdGuard VPN | 2 years billed every two years; plus GST; '-75%' against AU$17.46/month; upfront total not read (checkout not opened) | A$4.35 | – | – |
| AdGuard VPN | 1 year billed annually; plus GST; '-67%'; upfront total not read (checkout not opened) | A$5.81 | – | – |
| AdGuard VPN | 1 month monthly; no refund on monthly plans; plus GST | A$17.46 | A$17.46 | – |
Plus 10% GST at checkout.
Checked 12 Nov 2026 Price and plan details read from adguard-vpn.com.
The lowest price is A$4.35 a month, before GST, when you pay for 2 years upfront. AdGuard VPN's pricing page does not show what the plan renews at.
Every plan covers up to 10 devices at once. AdGuard says it has “over 75 locations” but does not publish how many countries that covers.
| First payment | Not shown | AdGuard VPN's pricing page gives A$4.35 a month for 2 years but not the upfront total; check it at checkout |
|---|
AdGuard VPN's pricing page does not show a renewal price for this plan. Check the renewal terms at checkout.
Of the 19 VPNs we price, 9 have a lower advertised monthly price than AdGuard VPN.
Calculated from the AdGuard VPN plan as published on 12 Nov 2026. Prices and renewal terms can change.
Refunds: none on the monthly plan
Avoid the monthly plan if you want a way out. The one- and two-year plans give you 30 days to ask for your money back; the monthly plan has none, per the FAQ on AdGuard’s licence page, read in October 2026.
Is AdGuard VPN safe? Privacy and audits
We have not yet read AdGuard’s privacy policy or checked for audits. Until we have, judge it on the tests above: no leaks, a kill switch on by default, and data sharing off from the start.
AdGuard VPN apps and features
We have tested only the Mac app. In October 2026 it had these settings:
- Kill switch: on by default.
- Ad blocking: none by default; an ad test page showed its ads with the VPN on.
- Exclusions: split tunnelling, which lets chosen sites skip the VPN. We have not tested it, so we cannot say whether it gets Prime Video playing.
- Data sharing: “Help improve AdGuard VPN” is off by default.
- Updates and start-up: auto-update is on; auto-connect is off, and launch at login is an option.
- Virtual locations: labelled in the list, as with “Mumbai (Virtual)”.
Using AdGuard VPN in Australia
- Australian servers: see AdGuard VPN's server list for current Australian locations.
- Billing: priced in Australian dollars.
- Refund period: 30 days.
Australian law requires internet providers to keep customers' metadata for two years. A VPN encrypts the connection between your device and the VPN server, so your internet provider can see that you are using a VPN but not which sites you visit. It does not make you anonymous to the VPN provider itself, which is why the provider's logging policy and audits matter.
Alternatives to AdGuard VPN
If Netflix is why you want a VPN, Proton VPN played Netflix US and UK in October 2026, and Mysterium VPN played Netflix UK and Japan.
To compare more results from our Melbourne round, see NordVPN, Surfshark and Intego VPN. These are our three picks; each card shows the fact from our tests or data behind its label, with its BestVPN score.
- NordVPNOne of our picksBestVPN score 8.3/10From A$4.79 a monthBlack Friday deal ends soonVisit NordVPNNordVPN review
- SurfsharkMost popular with our readersMost clicks from readers in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore in the last 30 daysBestVPN score 7.2/10From A$3.49 a monthBlack Friday deal ends soonVisit SurfsharkSurfshark review
- Proton VPNFastest on Australian servers in our testsKept 99% of our download speed on a Melbourne server, 21 Oct 2026BestVPN score 8.7/10From US$2.99 (about A$4.38) a monthBlack Friday deal ends soonVisit Proton VPNProton VPN review
Guides for AdGuard VPN users
AdGuard VPN FAQ
How much does AdGuard VPN cost in Australia?
AdGuard VPN's lowest advertised price is A$4.35 a month on the AdGuard VPN plan, over 2 years. Prices were last checked on 12 Nov 2026.
Can I get a refund from AdGuard VPN?
AdGuard VPN advertises a 30-day money-back guarantee. Purchases made through an app store are usually refunded by Apple or Google under their own rules, so check the provider's refund terms before you buy.
How many devices can I use with AdGuard VPN?
One AdGuard VPN account covers 10 devices at the same time on the plan we track.
Is it legal to use AdGuard VPN in Australia?
Yes. Using a VPN is legal in Australia. What you do while connected is still subject to Australian law and to the terms of the services you use.
Is AdGuard VPN better than NordVPN?
For British TV, yes; for Australian TV and a choice of cities, no, going by our October 2026 tests. AdGuard played BBC iPlayer, Channel 4 and ITVX on its first London server, while iPlayer refused five NordVPN UK servers before playing a few days later. AdGuard's kill switch is on by default and covers the whole Mac. But Prime Video refused on AdGuard's Sydney server and played on NordVPN's Melbourne server, and NordVPN lists servers in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.
Is AdGuard VPN safe and trustworthy?
In our tests it kept our address private. In October 2026 we found no DNS or WebRTC leak, and our home IP never showed in a server switch, with the kill switch on by default. We have not yet read AdGuard's privacy policy, logging promises or audits, so we cannot tell you what it records.
What are the downsides of AdGuard VPN?
Netflix, above all: Netflix US, UK and Japan all blocked us in October 2026, and so did Prime Video in Australia and the UK. Australia means Sydney only, India is a virtual location that exits in Singapore, and the app did not block ads by default. The monthly plan has no refund.
How we keep this review current
Every test result carries its date, and each retest is added here with its own. Our price checker reads AdGuard’s licence page, and the price table shows the date of the last check.
Sources
Our results are from the evening of 24 October 2026, 7.26 pm to 8.20 pm, on the Mac in Melbourne. The location list, settings and defaults are from the app that evening.
Prices, plans, device limits, the location count and the refund rules are from AdGuard’s licence page, read by our price checker on 24 October 2026.