Our verdict

This TotalVPN review covers Total VPN, the virtual private network sold by the company behind TotalAV antivirus. It is a deliberately simple product: one-click apps for Windows, macOS, Android and iOS, AES-256 encryption, a kill switch and DNS leak protection, and a short list of settings that a non-technical user can understand in a minute. For someone who wants their connection encrypted on public Wi-Fi and does not want to learn what a VPN protocol is, that simplicity is the main selling point, and it is why we rate it highly for ease of use and value.

The trade-off is depth and proof. Total VPN has a smaller feature set than the leading privacy-focused VPNs, its no-logs claims have not been checked by an independent auditor, and the details that reviewers report (protocols, server counts, extra features) vary more than they should. It is a sensible choice for everyday privacy at home and on the move. It is not the VPN to pick if you need audited privacy guarantees or advanced controls.

NerdBible did not run its own speed or leak tests for this review. It is an editorial assessment based on Total VPN's own pages, its privacy policy and terms, and independent reviews from Safety Detectives, All About Cookies, SoftwareLab and vpnMentor, each credited where used.

What is Total VPN and who is it for?

Total VPN belongs to the Total Security family of products alongside TotalAV, Total Adblock and Total Password. Its privacy policy names the operators as Total Security Limited, with an office in Fareham in the United Kingdom, and Total Security US LLC in Boston, and says the group is part of Point Wild (formerly known as Pango). SoftwareLab reports that Point Wild was formed when Total Security merged with Pango Group, whose brands include Hotspot Shield.

The Total VPN homepage pitches the product as one-click encryption for everyday tasks such as shopping, paying bills and checking email, with an emphasis on public Wi-Fi. That framing is accurate. Total VPN suits:

  • Beginners. People who want a VPN that works without configuration and has a big connect button.
  • Existing TotalAV customers. Plans from the Total Security brands can appear under one login when bought with the same email address, which keeps account management in one place.
  • Travellers and café workers. The core job, encrypting traffic on untrusted networks, is covered on every major platform.

It suits less well privacy specialists who want independently verified no-logs claims, users in countries that restrict VPNs, and power users who want multi-hop routes, obfuscation or deep protocol settings.

Key features

Total VPN's own pages list a compact feature set:

  • AES-256 encryption. The pricing page and homepage both describe AES-256 encryption for traffic in transit.
  • Kill switch and leak protection. The site says a kill switch and DNS and IP leak protection are included, to keep traffic from leaking if the connection drops.
  • Protocols. The homepage lists OpenVPN and IKEv2, letting you choose between more privacy and more speed.
  • Apps. The pricing page lists Windows, macOS, Android, iOS and browser extensions on a single subscription, with a note that feature availability varies by platform.
  • Server network. The pricing page describes thousands of servers across more than 50 countries, and the homepage lists locations across Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa and Australia.

Reviewers fill in some of the gaps. Safety Detectives found split tunnelling on Windows, Android and iOS, with different options on each platform, and noted that Total VPN has no obfuscation, no multi-hop servers and no dedicated IP option. vpnMentor found the apps almost entirely pre-configured apart from the kill switch toggle.

How much does Total VPN cost? Plans and structure

Prices on this page come from our own data, so this section covers how the plans work. According to the pricing page, Total VPN Premium is sold on monthly, quarterly, biannual and annual terms, all of which renew automatically at the regular rate unless you cancel. Introductory pricing may be available to first-time customers, and renewals are billed at the standard rate, so the second-year cost is usually higher than the first. The site says advance notice is sent at least 15 days before an annual plan renews.

The refund rules are specific and worth reading before you buy:

  • Annual and biannual plans carry a 30-day money-back guarantee.
  • Monthly, quarterly and add-on purchases carry a 14-day window.
  • You must fully terminate the subscription before requesting a refund. Turning off auto-renewal alone does not trigger one.
  • If the refund is approved, access ends immediately.

The terms of service also say each Total Security product is a separate subscription, so if you bought TotalAV and Total VPN together, each must be cancelled and refunded on its own. Total VPN is also available inside some TotalAV antivirus bundles.

Is Total VPN safe and private?

Total VPN uses well-established encryption and protocols, and the independent reviewers who checked for leaks largely reported none: All About Cookies recorded passes on DNS and WebRTC leak tests, SoftwareLab found no IP, WebRTC or DNS leaks, and vpnMentor reported passing more than ten leak tests. On the basic job of hiding your traffic from the local network, it does what a VPN should.

The weaker area is verification. Every independent outlet consulted for this review notes that Total VPN's no-logs claims have not been independently audited. Safety Detectives reads the policy as not logging browsing or downloads but storing the IP address, SoftwareLab calls the logging policy unclear, and All About Cookies also describes it as unclear on metadata. The privacy policy linked from the Total VPN site is a single document covering all Total Security websites and services. It describes website analytics, advertising cookies and sharing of website data with advertising partners, and it addresses VPN users mainly in a section on international data transfers. We could not find a VPN-specific statement in it that lists exactly which connection data is kept and for how long. For most everyday users this is not a reason to avoid the service, but people with higher privacy needs should prefer a provider with a published audit.

Jurisdiction is the other point reviewers raise. The company has offices in the United Kingdom and the United States, which several outlets mention as a consideration for privacy-focused users. Safety Detectives also notes that, without obfuscation, the service does not work in countries that restrict VPNs.

Customer support

The Total VPN help centre covers getting started, account and billing questions, and shares space with the other Total Security products. Reviewers disagree on the human side: vpnMentor found the 24/7 live chat responsive and knowledgeable, All About Cookies found the chat knowledgeable but surprisingly hard to locate, and Safety Detectives rated support poorly.

What could be better?

  • No independent audit. The single biggest gap compared with the privacy-first leaders.
  • Clearer logging disclosure. A VPN-specific privacy statement would answer the questions reviewers keep asking.
  • Fewer extras. No obfuscation, multi-hop, dedicated IPs or deep settings.
  • Inconsistent published details. The homepage mentions both more than 35 country locations and servers in more than 90 countries, while the pricing page says more than 50. A buyer should not have to reconcile three figures.
  • Speed on distant servers. Several reviewers saw larger slowdowns on long-distance connections.

Who should choose something else?

Choose a different VPN if you need a no-logs policy that an auditor has checked, if you live in or travel to a country that blocks VPN traffic, or if you want advanced controls such as multi-hop routing and per-app rules on every platform. Journalists, activists and anyone facing targeted surveillance should use a provider with published audits and a documented history of handling legal requests. And if you only need encryption on the occasional hotel network, check first whether a VPN already comes with your antivirus, router or browser before paying for another subscription.

TotalVPN review bottom line: is Total VPN worth it?

For the right buyer, yes. Total VPN does the core job of a consumer VPN with modern encryption, a kill switch and leak protection, wrapped in some of the simplest apps in the category, and it slots neatly next to TotalAV if you already use it. What you give up is independent proof of its privacy claims and the advanced tools that heavier users expect. Treat it as an easy, low-friction privacy layer for everyday browsing and public Wi-Fi, and use the money-back window on an annual plan to confirm the speeds suit you.

What other reviewers found

  • Safety Detectives called it a reasonable add-on for TotalAV users but criticised the very basic apps and support, and pointed out the missing obfuscation, multi-hop and ad-blocking extras.
  • All About Cookies rated it well as a budget option, recorded clean leak tests and an average download slowdown of roughly a quarter, but flagged the absence of an audit and an unclear privacy policy.
  • SoftwareLab found no leaks and solid AES-256 encryption with OpenVPN and IKEv2, but described a modest server network and a vague logging policy, and noted the kill switch options were on Windows only.
  • vpnMentor, which discloses common ownership with several rival VPN brands, praised the responsive support and clean leak results but recorded a large speed loss on very distant servers and wished for WireGuard.

Where they agree: Total VPN is easy to use, it protects against leaks in testing, its feature set is basic, and its no-logs claims have never been audited.

Where they disagree: almost every specification. Two outlets report WireGuard and a proprietary protocol called Hydra while two others, and Total VPN's own homepage, list only OpenVPN and IKEv2. Server coverage ranges from 30-odd countries to more than 80 depending on the review. Support is rated anywhere from poor to excellent. The likely explanation is that the apps differ by platform and have changed over time, so reviews written months apart describe different builds. For a buyer, the practical advice is to rely on the vendor's current pricing page for what you are paying for, and to treat any feature you depend on as something to confirm during the refund window.

Frequently asked questions

Is Total VPN safe to use?

For everyday use, yes. Total VPN uses AES-256 encryption, includes a kill switch and DNS and IP leak protection, and independent reviewers including All About Cookies, SoftwareLab and vpnMentor reported no leaks in their checks. The main caveat is that its no-logs claims have not been independently audited, so users with high privacy needs may prefer a provider with a published audit.

Who owns Total VPN?

Total VPN is run by Total Security Limited, based in Fareham in the United Kingdom, and Total Security US LLC in Boston, the same group that makes TotalAV antivirus. Its privacy policy says the group is part of Point Wild, formerly known as Pango, which SoftwareLab reports was formed through a merger with Pango Group, the owner of Hotspot Shield.

Does Total VPN keep logs?

Reviewers read the policy differently. Safety Detectives says it does not log browsing or downloads but does store IP addresses, while SoftwareLab and All About Cookies describe the logging policy as unclear. The privacy policy on the Total VPN site is shared across all Total Security products, and no independent audit has verified the no-logs claims.

Can I get a refund from Total VPN?

Yes, within limits. Annual and biannual plans have a 30-day money-back guarantee, while monthly and quarterly plans and add-ons have 14 days. You must fully end the subscription before asking for a refund, because turning off auto-renewal alone does not trigger one, and access stops as soon as a refund is approved.

Which devices does Total VPN work on?

Total VPN's pricing page lists apps for Windows, macOS, Android and iOS, plus browser extensions, all on a single subscription. The site notes that features vary by platform; reviewers found, for example, that some kill switch and split tunnelling options are available on Windows or mobile but not everywhere, so check the platform you rely on.

Sources