Total VPN Review 2025: Safe and Simple

Total VPN is basic and affordable, but it's best if you've already purchased a TotalAV subscription. Total VPN has a server count below 100, which is much lower than other top providers like Surfshark and NordVPN with servers in the thousands. Its features are also limited, with a kill switch across devices and split tunneling for mobile. 

However, Total VPN unblocked most of the Netflix libraries we tested and our speeds were still manageable. The Ultimate VPN plan comes with TotalAV antivirus and Total Adblock at a great introductory price. 

We'll explore Total VPN's features and functionality so you can determine if they're what you need in a VPN. 

At a glance

Price	$1.59/mo
Free version	No
Max # of connected devices	5
Number of servers	50 servers in 30+ countries
VPN protocol	OpenVPN, IKEv2
Encryption	AES-256
No-logs policy	No logs
Headquarters	United Kingdom
Netflix access	No
Learn more	Get Total VPN

We last tested Total VPN on April 28, 2025.

Our experience

We tested TotalAV's virtual private network (VPN) on our laptop running Windows 11. From TotalAV's lefthand menu, all you have to do is select the Total VPN tab under the Privacy section. 

The Total VPN dashboard is pretty basic, featuring just a giant connect button, the current server location, and an option to change locations. Although we didn't receive a tutorial from TotalAV this time around, its simple interface makes it easy to pick up for beginners.

Another issue we ran into was trying to find information on the VPN and its features. TotalAV isn’t forthcoming with any of its offerings and we wish it offered more VPN-specific language.

There isn’t much to Total VPN, but we were glad it mostly worked. We could unblock a couple Netflix libraries and our speeds decreased but largely unnoticeably. 

Mobile experience

We also downloaded the Total VPN app on our Android. The mobile dashboard is basically identical to the desktop app, so we didn't have any trouble switching from one device to the next. 

On Android, Total VPN dropped our download speeds by an average of 52% but we didn't notice any difference while browsing. It also worked to unblock a couple of Netflix libraries. 

It was also surprising to find more features on the mobile app. You'll receive additional protocol, like WireGuard and Hydra, as well as a split tunneling feature on Android. 

Who is Total VPN best for?

• Recommended for anyone who wants a no-frills VPN wrapped into their antivirus.

Formerly known as the Safe Browsing VPN, TotalAV’s VPN is wrapped into its antivirus software. If you want to use it, you can purchase Total VPN, which includes TotalAV antivirus as well as Total Adblock, or you can opt for one of TotalAV's premium tiers. 

If you're looking to simply protect your device from malware, hackers, invasive ads, and other cyberthreats, Total VPN's got you covered. However, it may not be best for other activities, like streaming and gaming. Netflix detected and blocked Total VPN regardless of the server location we used. Its server options are limited, but at least the ones we used worked well.

Total VPN prices and subscriptions

Total VPN only has one plan, which costs $1.59/mo. It comes with TotalAV antivirus and Total Adblock included. You can also opt for one of TotalAV's antivirus plans, but only the Internet Security and Total Security plans include the VPN. 

The best deal is to either purchase the Total VPN package or the Total Security plan. Both come at a decent price for the first year, but Total Security costs a bit extra and comes with extras like a password manager. Total Security also allows for double the amount of devices.

As far as pricing goes, if you’re comparing antivirus software to see which one offers the best VPN, this is definitely one of the better options we’ve seen. And the yearly pricing model is great for the first year.

Additionally, you’ll receive the ad blocker that’s included with TotalAV. That means you’ll have antivirus, ad blocking, and a VPN, all at your fingertips for one price and in one dashboard. 

Plan	Total VPN	TotalAV Internet Security	TotalAV Total Security
Price per year	$19.00/first yr	$39.00/first yr	$49.00/first yr
Max # of connected devices	5	6	8
Learn more	View plan	View plan	View plan

You can purchase any of these plans with a credit card or PayPal.

Total VPN features

Because this VPN began as part of an antivirus package, it doesn’t have as many features as a standalone VPN providers, like Surfshark or CyberGhost. What it does offer is strong encryption and a nice list of servers as well as a user-friendly dashboard, where you can toggle quickly between TotalAV features.

Server count and countries

• 50 servers in 30+ countries

TotalAV doesn’t offer a lot of servers, but that’s okay as long as the ones available work well, which they do. The number and locations of the servers offered are pretty good. We'd love to see additional servers added across Asia, Europe, and Africa, but Total VPN has a good spread of countries so far.

If you’re looking to access content from different countries, you’ll have plenty to choose from with this VPN. Total VPN offers server locations in Canada, Germany, Japan, and more. It also offers servers in major U.S. cities including Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York City.

No-logs policy and headquarters

• Total VPN logs policy: No logs
• Total VPN headquarters: United Kingdom

There isn’t a ton of information on Total VPN’s no-logging policy and the language in the privacy policy dances around a little bit. The most we know is that the VPN claims to not log your metadata, but there may be IP information logged. We also know that TotalAV has been tested, at least with its antivirus product, by independent testing labs.

Unfortunately, VPNs aren’t checked for logging, so the most information we have is that the privacy policy is unclear, but it doesn’t really log your data.

Making sure your VPN doesn’t log your data is important when choosing a VPN. Data logs can be traced back to you. Since TotalAV’s headquarters is in the U.K., and England is a Five Eyes alliance country, there’s always a chance that the government can demand any logged data that any company within its borders has on you.

Kill switch

A kill switch severs your internet connection in the event your VPN connection drops. This keeps your IP address hidden even if the VPN isn’t active.

Previously, Total VPN had two kill switch options: the VPN Circuit Breaker and the VPN-Only Connection. Now there's only Killswitch (Advanced), which blocks the internet unless you're connected to Total VPN. 

Split tunneling

There are several features that are useful in any VPN. Total VPN offers split tunneling, but only on Android as far as we could tell. 

Split tunneling routes traffic through multiple VPN servers or no server at all, depending on what you choose. You would need split tunneling when you log in to your mobile banking app, for example. 

Most mobile banking sites don’t like VPN-encrypted traffic, so split tunneling allows you to encrypt all your traffic while also logging in to your bank quickly.

VPN protocol

VPN protocols are what power the encryption. There are old ones and new ones. Some VPNs build their own. What matters is that it’s secure. It’s even better if you have some options, so you can choose which one you want, as they do have some benefits in various situations. 

OpenVPN is an excellent protocol to enhance your online privacy while IKEv2 is a solid backup.

Total VPN test results

Most people use VPNs for safety, security, and the ability to unblock geo-restricted content on streaming sites. Of course, none of those matter if the VPN slows your internet connection down past the ability to be viable. 

That’s why we test for speed, the ability to unblock streaming, and IP address leaks. Total VPN passed two out of the three with flying colors.

Speed tests

• Speed test results: Total VPN dropped our download speeds by an average of 42%. 

When testing your VPN for speed, you'll need to look for download speed, which determines how fast you can view things on your end, like streaming video or webpage loading. You also need to keep an eye on your ping number: the higher it is, the more likely you’ll notice a lag. 

Finally, upload speed is important if you’re working and need to do things like add screenshots to your VPN review. If it takes forever to upload a piece of media, it can slow down your workday a lot.

We tested Total VPN on our laptop running Windows 11 from a physical location in the U.S.

Test type	No VPN	US to US	US to CA	US to EU	US to AU
Download speed	424.68 Mbps	282.77 Mbps	292.72 Mbps	147.69 Mbps	266.04 Mbps
Upload speed	426.97 Mbps	116.51 Mbps	60.39 Mbps	40.08 Mbps	22.64 Mbps
Latency (ping)	16 ms	28 ms	57 ms	125 ms	185 ms
Download speed % difference	N/A	-33.42%	-31.07%	-65.22%	-37.36%
Upload speed % difference	N/A	-72.71%	-85.86%	-90.61%	-94.70%
Latency % difference	N/A	+75.00%	+256.25%	+681.25%	+1,056.25%

We start testing by select the fastest/optimal location option, if there is one. However, Total VPN's would connect us to servers outside of the U.S. like Austria and Finland for some reason.

Then, we tried to select the Dallas server, what would be the closest location to us, but repeatedly got connection errors. After selecting the Atlanta server, we were finally able to get a U.S. test result. 

Total VPN still slowed our speeds by about 33% with a server in the same country. It may take some trial and error to find the fastest server for you.  

Although Total VPN slowed down our connection with every server location, there were only noticeable slow downs with the Australia server. This is the norm, as your connection is expected to slow the further your server is from your physical location.

Netflix tests

• Netflix test results: Total VPN unblocked Netflix U.S., Canada, and U.K.

Although it's struggled in the past, Total VPN has been on a good streak of unblocking Netflix during our most recent tests. This time, it unblocked Netflix U.S., Canada, U.K. 

We're happy that you can now watch Netflix with Total VPN and enjoy all the benefits of global content.

	US to US	US to CA	US to UK	US to AU
Did it work with Netflix?

The only library we had issues with was Netflix Australia, but the issues seemed to be due to our download speeds. Several Netflix shows would load for a while but then time out. 

DNS leak tests

• DNS leak test results: Total VPN failed its DNS leak tests.

Domain Name System (DNS) is the internet’s phonebook. It translates the language we speak into computer language and back again, so what we type into our web browsers takes us to the page we’re looking for online. This also means that personal information like your IP address is shared in these online interactions.

When you use a VPN to encrypt your traffic, it hides that personal information so anyone spying can’t see what you’re doing. 

Unfortunately, Total VPN failed its DNS leak test. We were connected to a server in the Australia, but several U.S. servers with our real internet service provider (ISP) fell through the cracks.

WebRTC leak tests

• WebRTC leak test results: Total VPN passed its WebRTC leak tests.

Web Real-Time Communication (WebRTC) communicates similarly to DNS by trading information, but when you’re establishing a phone or video connection. In this capacity, there’s also the potential that your IP address is leaked, so making sure your VPN masks it is essential for privacy.

Since so much of the internet uses video and audio now, WebRTC is not just for Zoom meetings and Signal calls. Total VPN was able to successfully encrypt data when tested for WebRTC leaks. 

Kill switch test

• Kill switch test results: Total VPN passed its kill switch tests.

Another security factor we test on VPNs is the kill switch test. If you have the kill switch enabled, your VPN should stop your IP address from being detected if you switch servers or lose your VPN connection. 

We started from a server in Quebec and switched to a server in Finland. There were no leaks as we changed from one server to the other.

Total VPN compatibility

TotalAV is compatible with The Big Four: Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS. The site says it has downloads for Windows and Mac as well as apps available in Apple’s App Store and the Google Play Store, so you can also get an iPhone or Android app to protect your smart phone.

Since you can connect up to 5 devices simultaneously, Total VPN is good for a single person or couple who have a few devices each, or a family who each are using it only on one device. 

If you need a VPN that covers more, we suggest one like Surfshark or Private Internet Access (PIA), which offer unlimited simultaneous connections.

Total VPN customer support

Total VPN offers live chat support and online guides, but it's not the most intuitive about finding those. The only phone number we found was in reference to billing support (833-201-8681).

We'll go over each customer support option below. 

Live chat

We found a note in TotalAV's terms of service that it offers 24/7 chat support, but when we clicked on the link, it just led us to the same Support page. We explored the Help Center thoroughly, and all we could find were self-help guides. 

It took a Google search for "total av support chat" for us to find the TotalAV chat. We doujble-checked that the link was secure and actually from the TotalAV site before going through with the chat, but this could be dangerous for anyone who isn't savvy to cyberthreats.

Despite the trouble finding the chat, it was quick and easy to use. It starts with a chatbot, but as soon as we requested to speaking with a human, it immediately connected us.

The TotalAV support team was fast to respond and knowledgeable. We just wish TotalAV would make it easier to find the chat.

Online guides

For the VPN, you need to visit Total VPN site and select the Support button. From there, you can select categories for technical product support, account support, and billing support for further information. 

If your issue doesn’t fall within one of the three categories on the support page, you'll need to hunt for the live chat. 

Top alternatives

Whether you’re looking for a clearer privacy policy or a VPN that can let you watch content from all over the world, we've listed some VPNs that are proven to be safe and effective.

FAQs

Bottom line: Is Total VPN good?

Total VPN is good as an add-on for TotalAV’s antivirus offering. We liked that it provide reliable speeds and unblocked most Netflix libraries that we tested. 

Overall, we wouldn’t purchase TotalAV just for the added VPN, but we would definitely use it bundled  into our TotalAV product. VPNs that are wrapped into another product are extremely useful to switch on in a pinch.

If you need to encrypt your Wi-Fi connection in a hurry and prevent your data from leaking, Total VPN does the trick. But if you’re looking for a large server network or features like split tunneling and optimized servers, we'd recommend a top-tested VPN alternative. 

See how Total VPN compares in our Total VPN vs. NordVPN review.