Alexander Carpenter 
On the official website, Touch VPN vows to protect your privacy and allow you to surf the web anonymously. But is Touch VPN safe? Is this a product that will turn you into a digital shadow and keep any third parties from monitoring your activity online? In our review, we’ll go over every single aspect of this Virtual Private Network to help you understand what to expect from it.
Our team of experts took its time with Touch VPN and put it through numerous tests. We tested its security, encryption protocols, logging policy, speed, stability, torrenting and streaming capabilities. Is Touch VPN a decent provider? Join us in our Touch VPN review to find out. Features
Coverage-wise, the number of supported servers is incredibly low compared to the industry leaders. With only 30+ servers around the globe, Touch VPN won’t be able to provide you with a stable and robust connection. While you will find servers in the US, the UK, Russia, and several other EU countries, you won’t have the same luck in Africa, or, say, New Zealand.
The good news is – there is no limit on the number of simultaneously protected devices. Since this is a 100% free product, you can use it to secure as many computers/mobile devices as you want.
The list of supported platforms includes Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and there’s even a browser extension for Chrome. The VPN requires Android 4.1 and iOS 9.0 or higher to work flawlessly. As for desktop computers, you’ll need Mac OS 10.12 and Windows 10 or higher (both 32- and 64-bit operating systems are supported). But, you can forget about using this VPN to protect your router, gaming console (like a PS4), or smart TV.
What Do You Get with Touch VPN?
- It is free
- Supports all four major platforms
- The apps are simple and friendly
- Unlimited number of simultaneous connections
- The users aren’t required to register
- OpenVPN protocol
- A very limited number of servers
- Connection speed is very unstable and slow
- The HQ is in the US; the company keeps logs
- P2P traffic (torrenting) isn’t allowed
- Not the best choice for unblocking Netflix
- DNS leaks and no kill switch
Privacy and Security
The #1 reason to use a VPN is to protect your privacy and to stay secure while browsing the web. Encryption protocols are at the core of any Virtual Private Network: they encrypt the traffic generated by your device so that nobody can take “sneak peeks.” As for privacy, it is vital to know where a specific company’s HQ is located and whether they keep any logs on the users or not.
The best providers value the privacy of their users and never share any personal data with the government/third-party companies. But is that true for Touch VPN – will your data be safe with it? Let us go ahead and see what protocols it has to offer and what kind of a logging policy this service follows.
Encryption and Protocols
The list of encryption protocols supported by Touch VPN includes OpenVPN (both UDP and TCP) and HydraVPN. It’s important to say that currently, OpenVPN is the most popular and easy-to-use protocol. It is open-source, meaning users from around the globe can study it and report any bugs and flaws to the developers. The bad news is – Touch VPN doesn’t support IKEv2, the most secure protocol on the market.
And, there is no Kill Switch or Split Tunneling – those features come standard with most services. A Kill Switch automatically shuts down your network connection the second the VPN goes offline. This way, it prevents hackers and other third-party eyes from monitoring your activity. Split Tunneling, in turn, allows you to hand-pick which apps should be protected by the VPN (for example, you can choose to only run the browser through it).
Touch VPN Logging Policy
As we just mentioned, privacy and security are what any VPN aims to provide. However, you should know that most free software, including Virtual Private Networks, sell your personal information to third parties. For them, this is the only way to stay afloat and to keep offering their products for free. On the official website, you’ll find a very open privacy policy document that clearly admits it: this VPN collects data.
Here is a full list of the personal info that Touch VPN collects:
- The IP address and browser
- Time Stamps (online session start/end)
- Websites you visit (and how long you stay there)
- Mobile number, if available
For a wide range of users, this is a big “turn off” and will make them reconsider using such a VPN. For others, it doesn’t matter whether they keep logs or not: what they do care about is this info making its way to the government. Well, Touch VPN is located in the US, a 5-Eyes country. That means they collect information and hand it out to other companies and the government agencies of multiple countries.
Performance
Along with security and privacy policy, performance is one of the most important aspects of any VPN. We are talking about connection speed and stability. This is especially important when you’re planning on downloading big files via P2P or watching content on streaming platforms. To see how Touch VPN performs in real life, we ran it through several tests.
As mentioned, this company only offers 30+ servers to pick from, which is a deficient number. For our test, we chose two servers: one in the US.
Touch VPN Speed
Upon running several speed tests, we were disappointed by this provider’s performance: it significantly reduces connection speeds. Compared to the best products on the market (ExpressVPN and CyberGhost, for example), its results are very poor. The following list contains detailed information on the Ping, Upload, and Download speeds we got with Touch VPN. As our office is located in Europe, the results from connecting to the EU server were much better compared to the US location.
EU:
Ping: 45
Download: 26Mbps
Upload: 33Mbps
US:
Ping: 250ms
Download: 25Mbps
Upload: 7-8Mbps
The bottom line is – if it’s high speeds that you’re looking for in a VPN, this is one of the worst picks for you. Lack of stability is another problem: you’ll constantly feel sudden drops in speed. And, since there aren’t many servers to connect to, it will take the service some time to give you access to, say, a US-based server.
Leaks Detected
To put it just, a DNS (Domain Name System) is a reference (or, rather, a directory) of domain names. It’s up to the servers to translate these names into IPs. This is how it works: whenever the user visits a particular website, the browser automatically sends a request to a DNS server. That request contains the URL you’re trying to access; the server, in turn, shares the right IP with your browser.
The ISP can easily see which URL you’re visiting by checking the DNS server request. With a VPN, this request is instead being routed through a secure (and anonymous) server. However, while most Virtual Private Networks make sure there are no DNS/IP leaks along the way, the same cannot be said about Touch VPN. Sadly, this VPN can’t protect the user from DNS leaks, which means your ISP will still be able to monitor your activity even with Touch VPN switched on.
Torrenting and Streaming
Let’s start by saying that torrenting websites are being shut down around the globe. And, it’s only natural for users to turn to VPNs for solving this problem. While we don’t support illegal downloading of copyrighted content, many users use P2P to share personal files. Touch VPN doesn’t support P2P traffic, which means you won’t be able to download torrent files with this VPN.
Streaming is another good reason to consider using a Virtual Private Network. Netflix and other popular streaming platforms are implementing new restrictions every month. Without a VPN, it is impossible to access geo-blocked content (for example, if you’re living outside of the US, Netflix won’t be available to you). Again, Touch VPN is not the right choice for this task, as it can’t unblock access to this or any other streaming services.
Out team tried connecting to Netflix through several US-based servers, but it was all in vain. It’s important to note that modern-day streaming services are continually blocking VPN servers, making it harder to access their content. Right now, ExpressVPN, NordVPN, VyprVPN, CyberGhost, and IPVanish offers the most stable and reliable connection to Netflix/other platforms.
Customer Support
Email-based support is the only support channel you’ll get with Touch VPN. This is the slowest type of support, and, on average, it takes a decent VPN’s team up to 4-5 hours to give you a reply. Unfortunately, that’s not the case with this company. Our experts sent three questions, and it took them more than 24 hours to answer. Phone calls aren’t available, which is a pity.
The fastest and most user-friendly support service is Live Chat. With it, you can get in contact with an agent immediately and find a solution to your problem within minutes. But, it’s not available with this VPN either. Yes, the slow and outdated email support system is the only way of communicating with Touch VPN’s team whenever you have a problem.
Summing up, customer service is one of the worst aspects of this product. For example, with ExpressVPN, you get a knowledge base, a FAQ section, fast email support, and a Live Chat. NordVPN also offers help via email, Live Chat, and features an extensive knowledge base that will help you fix a problem on your own. The same is true for most industry-leading VPNs.
Do We Recommend Touch VPN?
The short answer is No, we don’t. First of all, the company is logging user info and is known to share it with third parties. If you value your privacy, then this product isn’t really the best choice for you. Yes, it is 100% free, but that comes at a cost: you’ll never know who they’ll be selling your private data to.
Add slow connection speeds, lack of P2P support, and DNS leaks, and you’ll get a below-average product. Touch VPN isn’t capable of unblocking access to geo-restricted content (say goodbye to Netflix). If you’re looking for a free alternative, take a look at Hide.Me, Hotspot Shield, TunnelBear, and Windscribe. These services are a lot more reliable, have better performance, and don’t spy on the users.
Touch VPN Alternatives
Or, if you’re ready to commit to a commercial VPN, we highly recommend choosing between CyberGhost, NordVPN, and, of course, ExpressVPN. They all have open privacy policies and don’t keep any logs. Besides, their headquarters are located outside of any surveillance alliances.
NordVPN is considered to be the most secure and private Virtual Private Network on the market. An impressive line-up of servers (up to 5000 at your disposal) makes it an excellent choice for streaming and torrenting. CyberGhost, in turn, is one of the fastest services and also has an extensive server collection. And finally, ExpressVPN is the most flexible, feature-packed, and reliable choice. Yes, it’s also quite expensive, but, if you commit for a year, that will give you a nice discount.
Don’t forget that each one of these providers offers a 30-day MBG (Money-Back Guarantee). It allows the user to get a full refund within those 30 days (it is 45 days with CyberGhost). Furthermore, with CyberGhost and NordVPN, you can rely on a free trial. With any of the VPNs we just mentioned, you’ll be able to stay private online, watch your favorite shows, and enjoy stable, high speeds.
Alternatives for Touch VPN
Alternatives for Touch VPN
