What is a VPN? Connecting to a Virtual Private Network means you’re connecting to a remote server in another location, even another country. This allows you to hide your real IP address and encrypt the data transferred between them. That means that anyone trying to spy will be led to believe you’re in that location. Another popular benefit of VPNs is the ability to watch Netflix and its alternatives outside the US, Australia, and the UK. This isn’t limited to streaming movies and TV shows, you can also watch British TV channels live. Here’s our pick of the 12 best VPN services.
1. ExpressVPN
If you need to unblock Disney+, Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, or HBO Max, ExpressVPN is the go-to choice. They have more than 3000 servers in 94 countries across the globe you can connect to. The company also offers a no-log policy, and a DNS and IP leak protection. This ensures that no one, including them, will ever be able to track your browsing history. Furthermore, thanks to their high-quality servers, the reduction in speed will be minimal, allowing you to stream 4K videos without a hitch with VPN enabled. Oh, and ExpressVPN is available for all major platforms – Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS, and even your home router. ExpressVPN is one of the best free mobile VPN services.
2. NordVPN
A strong contender to ExpressVPN is a service you must’ve seen by now, thanks to their relentless marketing campaign. And rightly so, because they support multiple connections, never keep a log of your activity, and encrypt all your traffic. They also offer access to 5500 high-quality servers in 59 countries, which are stable and support 4K streaming on Hulu, Disney+, and similar services. Second of all, NordVPN is a saving grace to anyone living in China or staying there. NordVPN’s obfuscated servers are able to bypass the so-called Great Firewall of China. Without it, you wouldn’t be able to use any Google services, Facebook, Instagram, Flickr, Twitter, Microsoft, and many others.
If you are a hard-core gamer, you might find NordVPN extremely useful because of its low-latency and better ping rates compared to other services in this list. So, it is easily one of the top gaming VPNs out there.
3. CyberGhost
The third spot is taken by CyberGhost, a unique VPN service because they’re based in Romania. This is an unusual choice at first glance, but the country has strict privacy-protecting laws for its citizens. CyberGhost is also the cheapest VPN service for what it offers – access to 6200 servers in 90 countries. Using dedicated servers, you can enjoy browsing internet without fear of getting hacked or your privacy being compromized, thanks to their 256-bit AES encryption and solid download/upload speed. They also have a 24/7 customer support chat, should you have any inquiries or questions.
4. Surfshark
Another great choice is Surfshark. They justify their powerful (or annoying) marketing campaign by offering 256-Bit encryption, and solid speed and stable connection across 1700 servers in 63 countries. Surfshark, alongside all of the services we already mentioned, supports a Kill Switch. Should an Internet connection drop for any reason, the VPN can automatically kill all the apps in use. This prevents your real IP and DNS servers from leaking, which would expose your true identity. Surfshark also unblocks Disney+, Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, and other streaming services. That’s why we included it in our list of the best VPN services for Netflix.
5. Hide.me
Hide.me has strong privacy-oriented terms of service, one of which is that they never keep logs. Their company is based in Malaysia, which is very VPN-friendly. As if that wasn’t an assurance, Hide.me has more than 1800 servers in 72 locations. When we tested it, it unblocked Disney+ and HBO Go, but not Netflix, BBC iPlayer, or Hulu. Luckily, this can change on a daily basis, and you can have 10 devices simultaneously connected to their VPN. Hide.me also offers 2 GB of VPN traffic per month for free, and a 30-day money-back service should you dislike their paid subscription. If you are concerned about your privacy, you should start using Hide.me. We explained the reasons to use a VPN in one of our articles.
6. IPVanish
IPVanish has over 1300 VPN servers in more than 75 countries, available at a moment’s notice. The loss is speed will be minimal, and the connection stable. And, should a connection drop for even a second, the Kill Switch is there to save the day. Furthermore, the data transferred between your computer, smartphone, or even your home network through a router is encrypted with a 256-Bit cipher. This means that even if somehow stolen, the log will be a jumbled mess to anyone without a decryption key. What’s also unique to IPVanish is that they own every single device in their VPN infrastructure, which provides ultimate security.
7. VyprVPN
VyprVPN is available for Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS, and offers access to 200,000+ IP addresses in 70 countries. This allows you to override government restrictions, geo-locked websites, and access streaming services and apps on your phone. VyprVPN also offers a VPN for TV service, benefitting your TV directly. There is also a VPN for your router feature, allowing you to cloak the entire household in a shroud of anonymity. Military-grade encryption and zero-data log policy is already an industry standard by this point. A unique feature is the VyprVPN Cloud, which is to be used when accessing cloud servers.
8. VPNArea
With VPNArea, you won’t have to worry about unblocking all the major streaming platforms. Plus, the price of a monthly subscription with a 2-year plan is as cheap as a cup of coffee! And, although they have a smaller number of servers, they are spread in 65 countries and 100+ locations. All of them support torrenting, and offer a zero-log policy. You can consider VPNArea as one of the best VPNs for torrenting. VPNArea also comes with a built-in ad-blocker, preventing ads from not only annoying you, but also from tracking your browsing habits. The company also has a 24/7 customer service, and we found them to be very responsive.
9. PrivateVPN
PrivateVPN is usually chosen for their magical ability to bypass the Great Firewall of China we already talked about. They also allow up to 6 simultaneous VPN connections, allowing you to protect your privacy on multiple devices or for multiple users. Their server base is smaller, about 150 across 60 countries. On the other hand, PrivateVPN supports P2P transfer (torrenting) and is able to unblock Netflix geo-block measures, allowing you to watch your favorite shows and movies. It’s also very affordable, but we found the speed to be inconsistent.
10. Windscribe
Windscribe is generally chosen for their free VPN service. You get 2 GB of data for free at first, but this can be extended to up to 10 GB. The paid version unblocks Netflix without breaking a sweat and has a built-in ad, malware, and tracker blocker named R.O.B.E.R.T. Windscribe is capable of bypassing government restrictions on the Internet in China, but the results are inconsistent. They have servers in 110 cities and 63 countries, but the number of servers isn’t too great in our experience. Even worse, Windscribe is based in Canada, a country not known for being privacy-friendly.
11. TunnelBear
TunnelBear offers both free and paid versions of its VPN service. You can use their free plan to unblock websites and browse the Internet anonymously. The free plan is very limited, as it only gives you 500 MB of data per month. Their paid plans are much more generous, starting at just $4.99 per month for unlimited data. TunnelBear is based in Canada and is subject to Canadian law, but gives you easy access to VPN servers in more than 48 countries. This means the company may be required to hand over user data to the government if requested.
TunnelBear respects your privacy, which is why it never monitors, logs, or sells your browsing activity. It’s also one of the few VPNs in the industry to perform annual, independent security audits – so you can ensure your connection is secure. The advantages and disadvantages of a VPN is beyond just security. TunnelBear luckily has it all.
12. PureVPN
With PureVPN, you have access to approximately, 6500+ active servers worldwide at no extra cost. You also receive unlimited bandwidth for streaming and downloading, so you don’t have to worry about overage fees or data caps. In addition, the company offers competitive pricing that covers various payment types, including online methods and cryptocurrencies. Plus, all services come with a 7-day money-back guarantee. While most of their servers are in Asia, they have a few in North America and Europe. They offer value-for-money deals and also have some exciting offers for Black Friday sale. The current monthly plan for users are for 60-days at $1.41 a month and $10.95 /mo.