Touch VPN Review

We live in a world where VPNs (virtual private networks) are no longer an enigma, owing to how deeply the internet has penetrated our lives. However, is a VPN worth the money? Many users ask this question as they shy away from paying for a VPN service. They are in search of a quality service that is also free. We do not have anything against free VPN security, as there are a few who care for their customers. But not all free VPNs are to be trusted. Touch VPN, which we’ll review, is one such service that demonstrates this phenomenon.

At one glance, Touch VPN looks decent enough, with fair speed and a selection of servers. However, the service is missing what we call the core of a VPN. What is it? You will find that out in our Touch VPN review.

Disclaimer — The following is only a subjective representation from the author. VPNWired.com strives to remain unbiased towards any particular service/product. For further information, kindly visit the official Touch VPN website.

Overview of Touch VPN

When introducing Touch VPN, we must explain that it is a free service. The vendor doesn’t charge you a single cent for using its VPN network, which it rents from Aura. To clarify, Aura is a company that outsources VPN infrastructure to many small and mid-tier VPNs. That includes Hotspot Shield, which we reviewed, and Bitdefender Premium we studied. However, is the VPN safe for use? Although we do not claim every free VPN as a potential threat, Touch VPN doesn’t make us feel safe. Be it the privacy policy, security features, logging practices, or the involvement of Aura, it has a lot of red flags. Hence, while free, it can be costly if you are unlucky enough.

While reviewing the service, we witnessed numerous shortcomings, such as intrusive data logging, lacking customer support, bare-bones encryption, questionable VPN protocol selection, and DNS leaks VPNs should prevent. The vendor started as a mobile-only VPN and has recently ventured into other platforms, including web browsers. But it hasn’t seen any growth in quality. Even if you do not mind the privacy aspect and try to turn a blind eye to the encryption blunder, you still can’t do much with the service in play. It can’t bypass geo-blocks, nor does it support torrenting. Since there are no tools for obfuscation, forget undermining VPN blocking.

Rundown — Although it has spent almost 8 years in the market, Touch VPN doesn’t offer anything substantial. If not for being free, we do not think it would have garnered any attention. But being based in the US, even the price factor can’t help it.

Touch VPN specs

Specification	Touch VPN
Bandwidth capacity	Unlimited
VPN connection speed	Up to 90 Mbps
Logging policy	Has an intrusive logging policy
IP, DNS data leaks	Yes
Jurisdiction	United States
VPN servers	5900+
IP addresses available	5900+
Server location	90+
Streaming	No
Torrenting	No
Obfuscation	No
Customer Support	Only email

Features of Touch VPN

To better understand Touch VPN in our review, we analyzed its perks, such as:

Privacy and logging policy

There is no suspense that it is not a private VPN service. First, the company hails from the United States, infamous for some of the strictest data retention laws. Second, the company doesn’t operate its VPN network. As the ownership lies with Aura, the company shares its infrastructure with other services, and any data it collects gets preserved at Aura. The third and final is the intrusive logging policy. The vendor unnecessarily logs too much data, which also contains PII (Personally Identifiable Information).

Even if the above aren’t justified reasons, the vendor itself claims to employ cookies to track your online activities. It does so in the name of customer service; to provide a better, well-tailored experience, the exact thing VPN users shun. Here’s what the VPN logs:

• Originating IP address
• Session duration
• Bandwidth used per session
• DNS queries made
• Information on connected devices
• Approximate geolocation
• ISP information
• Timestamps and URLs
• Web requests

Security and other features

The security optimization on Touch VPN is a far cry. It feels like the vendor tries its best to remain a basic service, and even that is done incorrectly. Our general concern was the inclusion of PPTP, an obsolete VPN protocol. The app automatically uses this protocol on mobile platforms. Although with the Aura buyout, it can now access Catapult Hydra, which is a far better option, it can still employ WireGuard, which is arguably the best protocol for VPNs.

We couldn’t get exact information on the encryption profile, and it is a huge question whether the service even uses one, as it is prevalent with leaks. As one can guess, there are no extra features, basic or advanced. The kill switch is absent on most platforms, and the DNS leak is another issue altogether.

• VPN protocols — Catapult Hydra, PPTP, OpenVPN
• Encryption — Unknown, presumably AES, but unconfirmed
• Security — WebRTC leak blocking
• Advanced features — Adblocker

VPN server locations

Owing to Aura, the VPN has enough VPN servers and coverage. It has around 5900+ servers in 90+ countries. However, the infrastructure gets shared among different VPN services. The network is not exclusive to Touch VPN, which is crucial to convey.

Speed and connectivity

The VPN is decently fast. It enjoys good speed on local connections and is stable. However, international connections can be troublesome as the speed loss can be as high as 49%, even though it goes up to 90 Mbps.

Torrents

Although the VPN servers do not appear to be welcoming to P2P traffic, we advise against using the service for torrenting nonetheless. The jurisdiction combined with the logging policy and the absence of a kill switch makes it a very unlikely VPN for torrenting.

Streaming, VPN blocking, obfuscation

The service is unreliable when it comes to streaming. Although it is capable of bypassing some geo-blocks, it is inconsistent. Unsurprisingly, the VPN isn’t capable of circumventing VPN blocking. Since it lacks any obfuscation tools, it is a lot to expect from the service.

Customer Support

We failed to find any relevant online material on the official website, and there is no live chat. The only recourse available is via email. Their paid service would have supported employees, but it’s a bad sign regardless.

Platform support for Touch VPN

While the VPN started as a mobile-only service, it has since expanded. Now, it covers macOS and Windows other than Android and iOS. There is no manual installation and no firmware or software for VPN routers. Also, you won’t find apps for IoT (Internet of Things) devices. However, it has browser extensions for Firefox, Chrome, and Edge.

Touch VPN pricing and subscription plans

Touch VPN is free, hence the vendor doesn’t charge anything as a subscription. You can even use it without creating an account, with no obligations or time-wasting. This is one of its rare advantages.

Verdict

In good faith, we can’t recommend this VPN to anyone, be it beginners or advanced users. While the VPN places itself as a user-friendly and easy-to-use product, it severely lacks in almost everything. There are security flaws and leaks, and it logs data and compromises privacy. There are no additional services like streaming or torrenting, and the only saving grace is its gratis use. However, if that’s all you want, there are far better free VPNs like Windscribe and ProtonVPN, and we reviewed both.