AtlasVPN

AtlasVPN Crypto Trading in 2023: Top Features 

Atlas VPN was launched in 2019. That makes it relatively new to the market compared to industry veterans like Express VPN and NordVPN. But despite that, AtlasVPN has been able to match up to industry standards with excellent features. 

That includes the shield feature for malware, a kill switch, data breach monitoring and an IP rotator. I’ll give you more in-depth information about each feature in the section below. 

• Shield 

Shield is an additional safety feature on AtlasVPN that I found to be quite useful. It enables you to block malicious websites. So anytime you are browsing and the VPN is on, you are denied access to the blacklisted sites. If you’ve used NordVPN, you’ve probably come across this feature. But it’s worth noting that it’s only available with the paid version. 

• Kill Switch 

AtlasVPN has another additional feature that prevents data leaks, and that’s the kill switch. This feature shuts down your internet traffic if a link to the VPN is interrupted. When I ran tests on the kill switch, I found it was pretty effective in killing the connection when access to the server was blocked. Although it won’t notify you the kill switch has been triggered, you can restore the internet simply by disabling and enabling the kill switch. 

• Data Breach Monitor

The data breach monitor is a premium feature that checks whether your data has appeared in any data breaches. And if any data has appeared in a data breach, the monitor gives you a list of information that could have been revealed. For instance, your passwords or your credit card information. So, with this, you can easily patch up any security holes. 

• Safe Swap 

SafeSwap is another feature that gives you an extra layer of security. You can find Safe Swap in the Privacy Pro tab. It helps to rotate your IP address when you’re connected. The best part is that SafeSwap happens automatically every 10 minutes, unlike with other VPN services. 

I read more into this and figured they assigned multiple IP addresses to each safe swap server. Therefore, the IPs are shared and rotated among the users, making the rotations unpredictable. In fact, unless you check manually, you won’t even know if the IP addresses have changed. 

• MultiHop+

MultiHop+ is another security feature that’s an improved alternative to SafeSwap. MultiHop+ also helps with rotating the IP addresses. But as the name suggests, MultiHop+ routes your internet connection through multiple servers. 

While this is a more secure alternative, it has one major downside. Your connection speed is severely impacted as your traffic takes several detours. But if you want impenetrable security, this is the small price you have to pay. 

• Encryption and Tunneling Protocols 

Atlas VPN servers offer encryption, meaning no one can see what you’re doing online. It uses an AES-256 cipher, which is the current standard for data encryption. This one is so good that most governments and financial institutions use it. 

On top of that, Atlas also uses a ChaCha20 Cipher with a Poly1305 authenticator to offer more security. When it comes to the tunneling protocols, Atlas uses WireGuard and IPSec/IKEv2, which ensure faster speeds and low ping. 

What I Liked

• Atlas has one of the best free VPN service versions. I especially loved the fact that it doesn’t compel you to upgrade to the paid version to get more service benefits.
• Unlike most free VPN services, Atlas offers unlimited connections and doesn’t restrict your internet speed. 
• You get multiple advanced VPN security features with the premium version. For instance, the SafeSwap feature that rotates your internet connection across multiple IP addresses.
• Atlas strongly emphasizes user privacy. Therefore, it doesn’t keep any logs that could potentially link your internet usage back to you. 
• The VPN service is reasonably priced, especially if you commit to the three-year plan. 

What I Didn’t Like 

• While AtlasVPN is marketed as a freemium service, it’s more worthwhile only if you go premium.
• As a new user, you must provide your email address and payments through Apple Store or Google Play, which do not offer anonymity. 
• The fact that AtlasVPN is based in the US raises eyebrows. The US is part of the Five Eyes Alliance, which could impact how AtlasVPN collects and stores specific user data.