HotDeal:NordVPN,ourtop-pickVPNof2024,iscurrentlyrunningaholidaysalethataddsthreebonusmonthstoitsone-yearandtwo-yearsubscriptions.Thisdealbringstheaveragemonthlycostofthetwo-yearBasicplandowntoonly$2.99–70-percentlessthantheregularmonthlyplanrate.
AVPNisadigitaltoolforimprovingonlineanonymityandprivacy.VPNscreateanencryptedtunnelthroughwhichallofyourinternettrafficisrouted.ItbypassesmonitoringtoolssuchastheonesusedbyISPs,governmentagencies,andhackers.SowhenyouuseaVPN,noonebesidesyouwillknowwhatyou’redoingonline.
AswediscussourrecommendedVPNs,we’llgiveyouanoverviewandratehoweachofthemdidinthosethreeareas(Excellent,VeryGood,Good,Fair,Bad).We’llalsorelayouruserexperienceanddetailwhywepickedeachoption.Tostartwith,checkoutthecomparisonchartbelow.
ProTip:WeencourageyoutopaycloseattentiontothenumberofserverlocationsaVPNhas.WhileitmightsoundgreattologintoserversinAustraliaandJapan,itcansignificantlyreduceyourinternetspeeds.Youwanttofindaserverclosetoyouractuallocationtoreducetheimpactontheconnection.
FYI:NordProtectincludesidentityandcreditmonitoring,upto$1millioncoverageforidentitytheftinsurance,andevencyber-extortionprotection.Thosefeaturestypicallycostabout$15to$20permonthfromdedicatedidentitytheftprotectionservices,sothe$7.89packagefromNordVPNisasweetdeal.
Justliketheprivacyfeatures,wedidn’thavetotinkerwithNordVPN’ssettingstoenjoyfastspeeds.Almostalltheserversweconnectedtowerefast,eventhemoredistantones.
FYI:TheoneexceptionwaswhenweusedDoubleVPN.Multi-hoppingreducedourspeedbyasmuchas80-percent,whichisstillnotbadconsideringour250Mbpsconnection.Butyeah,onlyuseDoubleVPNwhennecessary.
NordVPNisaVPN,butithassecurityfeaturesakintowhatweseefromsomeantivirussoftware.Ifyoutrytoconnecttoamaliciouswebsiteordownloadafilecontainingmalware,forexample,ThreatProtectionwillblockit.That’snotsomethingwe’veseenfrommostVPNs.
NordVPN’ssecurityfeaturesalsoworkinthebackground,soallyouneedtodoisturnontheVPN.Itwillthenencryptyouronlinetrafficusing256-bitAESorChaCha20(twoofthetopVPNencryptionstandardstoday).ItwillalsopatchyouthroughaprivateDNSserver,preventingIPaddressleakage.That’swhywhenwetestedNordVPNforDNSleaks,wedidn’tfindany.
ProTip:YoucancheckifaVPNhasaprivateDNSserverusingaDNSleaktesttool.ThosetoolswilltrytoretrieveyourIPaddressfromyourDNSqueries.IfthedetectedIPaddressmatchesyourrealIPaddress,yourVPNdoesn’thaveaprivateDNS.Thatalsomeansyourconnectionisnotsecure.NordVPNpassedourDNSleaktest.
WeusedOpenVPNmostlyforprivacy-sensitivetasksbecauseofitsmorerobustencryption.Ontheotherhand,weusedNordLynxmostlyonmobiledevices.It’smorelightweight,soourphone’sbatterycouldlastawholedaywhileconnected.Itwasalsoaboutfive-percentfasterthanOpenVPN,perfectformobiledatabrowsing.
FYI:KeepingamobiledeviceconnectedtoaVPNwilldrainyourbatteriesfasterthannormal.That’smoretruewithOpenVPNthananyotherVPNprotocolsbecauseithastokeepsomenetworkportsopentomaintainaVPNconnection.
NordVPNisn’texactlycheap.ItcostsaboutadollarmorepermonththanSurfsharkifwecomparetheirbestprices.However,NordVPNoffersabetterprice-to-featureratiobecauseithasmorefeatures–someofwhicharerareintheindustrylikeDoubleVPNandOnionoverVPN.Somepeople(likeus!)wouldgladlypaytheextrabuckpermonthforthose.
TakealookatNordVPN’spricing:
NordVPNdoesn’texcelinjustoneparticulararea–it’sgreatallaround.Thespeedswerefastandstable;intermsofprivacy,itusesrecommendedencryptionstandardsandhasanironcladprivacyprotocol;andforsecurity,ithasbonusfeaturessuchasThreatProtectionthatblocksdownloadswithmalwareandmalicioussitesandaDarkWebMonitortocheckforcompromisedinformation.
Ontopofallthat,NordVPNperformedreallywell.Weexperiencedprettyfastspeedswhereverwewerethankstoithavingover6,000serversin111countriesaroundtheglobe.
Withitsfeature-set,werecommendNordVPNtouserswhoarelookingtoimprovetheiroveralldigitalsecurityposture.It’snotjustaVPN,especiallyifyousignupforthemid-tierortop-tierplans.Thatsaid,evenifyou’relookingforjustaVPN,theBasicplanisanexcellentoptionthatcangiveyouarichselectionofsecurityandprivacyfeaturesfordailyuse.
Weweren’tthrilledaboutthefactthatSurfsharkrecordsIPaddressesatthebeginningofsessions,eventhoughitdeletesthemwithin15minutesafteryoudisconnect.ItsNetherlandslocation–acountrywithlawsthatcanundermineVPNconfidentiality–addedtoourdoubts.
Overall,though,westillthinkSurfsharkoffersgoodprivacytousers.Ithasbeenauditednumeroustimesbythird-partyfirms,includingCure53.ItalsohasRAM-onlyserversthatensurealldataiswipedaftereveryserverreboot.Andofcourse,ithasourrecommendedfeaturessuchasanautomatickillswitchandmultihopping.Wedon’tthinkit’sthebestoptionifyou’resuper-concernedaboutyourprivacy,butforprotectingyourdataasyoudoyourdailybrowsing,Surfsharkismorethanadequate.
Surfshark’sperformancewasinconsistent.Ourdownloadspeedsonlysawa7.76percentdropinperformance.Butouruploadspeedswereabouthalfofwhatweareusedto.Sowedon’trecommendSurfsharkforuploadinglargefilesorvideos.
WelikedSurfshark’seaseofuse,evenwithitsextensivefeatureset.ConnectingtoaVPNwasstraightforward.TheFastestServeroptionautomaticallyfoundthequickestservernearby(usuallyinthesamestateasours),whiletheNearestCountryoptionconnectedustothefastestserveroutsideyourlocationforunblockingwebsites.
Surfsharkoffersalonglistofsecurityfeaturesthatarereadilyavailabletoanyuser.CleanWebblocksmalicioussitesandpeskyadsjustlikeNordVPNdoes;there’sanIProtatorfeaturethatchangestheVPNaddresseveryfiveto10minutesforextrasecurity;youcanmakeyourdeviceinvisibletootherdevicesinyournetworks(usefulonpublicWi-Fi);youcanevenoverrideyourdevice’sGPSlocationifyou’reusinganAndroid,afeatureuniqueonlytoSurfshark.
Ifyou’rewillingtosplurgealittlemoreonSurfsharkOne,youcanalsogetafull-featuredantivirussoftwareplusadditionalpremiumfeatureslikewebcamprotectionandasecuresearchengine.
Surfsharkisanaffordablebutwell-stackedVPNintermsoffeatures.Werecommenditifyou’relookingforaVPNtouseday-to-day,butitsSurfsharkOnesubscriptionsareparticularlyhandytothoselookingforaVPNandantivirussoftware.Asanaddedbenefit,Surfshark’santivirusisoneofourtopantivirussoftwarerightnow.
PrivateInternetAccessisbasedintheU.S..That’sarguablyworsethanSurfshark’slocationintheNetherlands.TheU.S.isfarfromprivacy-friendly.UnlikeSurfshark,though,PIAdoesn’tlogIPaddresses.
FYI:VPNscollectusagemetricstogatherdatalikepeakVPNusagehoursandamountofbandwidthusedinacertaintimeframe.Thatinformationhelpsthemimprovetheirservices,sowe’renotcompletelyagainstloggingusagemetricsaslongasIPaddressesandwebsitesvisitedarenotlogged.
PrivateInternetAccess’speedswerefastduringourtests,regardlessofthedevicewewereusing.WeknoweveryVPNisgoingtoreduceournormalspeeds.Butthebestonesminimizetheimpact.Withthatinmind,here’sourPIAspeedtestresults:
PrivateInternetAccessusedMACEtohelpenhanceouronlinesecurity.ItworkedprettymuchlikeNordVPN’sThreatProtection,butitwasnotablybetteratblockingads.We’dsayit’saboutasgoodastheAdBlockerextensionweuseonChrome,butitworksfasterbecauseMACEisbuiltintothePIAapp.Thatmeantourbrowserwasn’tusingextramemorytocheckeachURL.
BesidesMACE,PrivateInternetAccessoffersanoptionalSecureSocketLayer(SSL)feature.EnablingitobfuscatedourVPNconnection,muchlikeSurfshark’sCamouflageMode.It’sanextralayerofsecurityifyouwanttohideyourVPNusefromyournetworkadminorthegovernment.
128-bitAESislesssecurethan256-bitAES,butittendstobefaster.Accordingtoourmeasurements,it’saboutfour-percentfaster.That’swhyweprefer128-bitAESforlessprivacy-demandingtaskslikestreamingNetflixandonlinegaming.There’salsoanoptiontoturnoffencryptionaltogether(proxymode),whichcameinhandywhenwejustwantedtochangeourIPaddresslocationtotheNetherlands.
PrivateInternetAccess’appishands-downoneofthemostuser-friendlyoutthere.It’seasytolearntouse.EvenourofficeinternwhowasnewtoVPNswhenhestartedlearnedtouseitinnotime.Andtheapp’sratingsbackupitsuser-friendliness.
PrivateInternetAccess’advancedcustomizabilitywasonfulldisplayduringourtests.Theadjustableencryptionandthestandardandinversesplittunnelingoptionswerethemainhighlights.Therewereotherconvenientfeaturestoo.Forexample,youcanautomatetheapp.Youcansetittoconnecttothefastestserveroraspecificserverassoonasyouturnonyourdesktop.YoucanalsosetittoconnecttotheVPNwhenyou’reonapublicorunrecognizedWi-Finetwork.MinorbutthoughtfulfeatureslikethatmakePIAoneofthemostuser-friendlyVPNs.
WerecommendPrivateInternetAccesstofolkswhomostlyusedesktops,eitherforworkorplay.Youcantailorittohowyouuseyourdesktop,especiallyifyou’reaWindowsuser.
AlotofVPNssaytheyhavea“no-logs”policybutwithnodatatobackitup.HotspotShieldactuallyhasproofintheformofatransparencyreport.ThatreportshowshowmanysubpoenasandgovernmentrequestsHotspotShieldreceives.Itreceived56in2018,forexample.Thereportalsosayshowmanytimesitreleasedrequesteddata.Forthe56requestsin2018,itreleasednone.Thatbecause,again,itdoesn’tlogVPNusageandIPaddressinformation.
HotspotShieldwasthefastestVPNwetested,withjusta3.17percentreductionfromourusualspeeds.That’swhatweliketocallanearloss-lessVPNspeed,asthedropwaskepttoaroundthreepercent.Thatsaid,HotspotShield’suploadspeeddidn’tdothatwell.Welostabout80percentofouruploadspeed.SoHotspotShieldisgreatfordownloadinglargefilesandstreamingvideos,butskipitifyou’rearegularuploader.
HotspotShielddeliverssecuritythroughanumberofbuilt-inappfeatures.Forone,ithasIPleakprotectionthatpreventsDNSandWebRTCleaksbyofferingaprivateDNS.Thiswasenabledbydefault.AssoonasweconnectedtoHotspotShield,itkeptourIPaddressprivate.
TheprotocolalsoplaysabigroleinHotspotShield’ssecurity.ItoffersHydratoallplatforms(Windows,macOS,iOS,Android),butitalsooffersWireGuardtoAndroidusers.We’dstillrecommendHydrainthiscasethough.WhileWireGuardissecure,itdoesn’tsupport256-bitAESencryption(itusesthenot-as-provenChaCha20).Hydradoes.
Hydraisalsoplentysecure.It’sbasedonOpenVPN,oneofthemostsecureVPNprotocols.Withafewtweaks,HotspotShieldmadeitintoaspeedyprotocolwithoutcompromisingsecurity.
HotspotShieldprovidesusefulsecurityandprivacyfeaturesviaitsapps.IthasIPleakprotection,auto-connect,andtheAlways-OnfeatureoniOS.IPleakprotectionpreventsIPaddressleakageduetoDNSorWebRTCleaks.ThisensuresyourIPaddressisalwaysprivatewhenconnectedtotheVPN.Auto-connectletsyouestablishrulesthat,whentriggered,willforcetheVPNtoconnect.Forexample,whenyouconnecttoapublicWi-Fiorwhenyouconnecttomobiledata.Lastly,theAlways-OnfeatureoniOSisonewe’verarelyseen.ItpromptstheVPNtoreconnectautomaticallywhendisconnectedunexpectedly.
HotspotShieldhasstrongstreamingpotential.Plus,HotspotShieldisaffordable.It’sbestforfolkslookingtoexpandtheirentertainmentoptionswithoutspendingmuch.
Diggingdeeperthough,wefoundNortonSecureVPN’sloggingpolicy.WefoundthatitcollectsmoreinformationfromuserscomparedtootherVPNs.Forexample,itlogsmobiledevicedataandaggregatebandwidthusage.It’sstilla“no-logs”VPN.Itdoesn’tlogIPaddressesandwebsites,butitcollectsaggregatedata.
NortonSecureVPNranked12thinourVPNspeedcomparison,whichisstilldecentconsideringwetestedover50VPNs.Thedownloadspeedwasimpressive.Itkeptthespeedlosstolessthan10percent.However,theuploadspeed(averaged11Mbps)andlatency(averaged125.5ms)wereabysmal.Wewouldn’trecommendNortonSecureforactivitiesthatrequireafastandsteadyupstreamofdata,likevideoconferencingandonlinegaming.
Norton’sappimprovedourdigitalsecurityinmorewaysthanone,butwelikedoneniftysecurityfeatureinparticular.Theappautomaticallydetectsifwe’reconnectedtoasuspiciousWi-Finetwork,suchaspassword-lesscoffeeshopWi-Fi.ItthenautomaticallyconnectstheVPNtothefastestavailableserver.
WedohavetopointoutthatNortonSecureVPNdoesn’tofferasmanyserversasotherVPNs.Ithasserversinonly29countries.That’slessthanathirdofExpressVPN’s105countriesandSurfshark’s100countries.Justsomethingtokeepinmind.
YoucanalsobuyasubscriptiontojusttheVPN,butitcanbepricey.Weirdly,itcostsmoretobuyjusttheVPNthantobundleitwithotherNortonproducts.OnemonthofNortonSecureforonedevicecosts$4.99.Westronglyrecommendgoingforthe10-deviceplanforoneyearthough.Itcosts$59.99intotalorabout$5permonth.
YougetthemostbenefitfromNortonSecureVPNifyougetitasapartofNorton’santivirusbundles.Thatway,youenjoyall-arounddigitalprotections.Andreally,that’stheonlywaywerecommendusingNortonSecure.Byitself,it’snotafeature-richVPN.Itofferssplittunnelingandakillswitch(WindowsandAndroidonly),butnotmuchelse.IfyouuseitthroughanAntivirussubscription,youcanalsokeepyourdevicesmalware-free.
NortonSecureisbestforthosewhoarejuststartingtoutilizecybersecuritytoolstoprotectthemselvesonline.Besidesbeingeasytouse,NortonSecureisfromabrandmostfamousforitsantivirussoftware.
IPVanishhasahistoryofsharingcustomerdatawithlawenforcement,butthat’sinthepast.Itseemsthatthey’veturnedanewleafandarenowofferingprettygoodprivacyfeatures.Recently,forexample,wetestedtheSecureBrowserfeatureincludedintheAdvancedplan.Insteadofusingourownbrowsertobrowse,whichcanopenusuptotrackers,drive-bymalwaredownloads,andotherrisks,itletusbrowseviaalivefeedstreamingfromaremoteserver.Itworkedprettywell,too,withminimaldelaytothefeed.
Ofcourse,IPVanishalsohasano-logspolicynowand–here’stherealgoodnews–thatpolicyhasnowbeenauditedbyathird-partyfirm.It’salwayseasiertotrustaVPNifthecompanyiswillingtobetransparentbyinvitinganauditingfirmtolookattheVPN’sinnerworkings.
IPVanishwasthesecondfastestVPNwe’vetestedoverall.Ithadimpressiveuploadanddownloadspeedsplusaverylowlatencythatwaskeptbelow80ms.Wemeasuredadecreaseofonlyfourtofive-percentindownloadanduploadspeeds.WetestedIPVanishonaWindowslaptopandsubsequentlynameditoneofthebestWindowsVPNbecauseofitsspeed.
IPVanishsecuritydoesn’tstandoutinanyparticularway,butit’sadmirablethatitcomescompletewithallthefeatureswe’relookingforinasecureVPN.Ithasakillswitch,itoffersseveralVPNprotocoloptions,ituses256-bitAESencryption,anditpassedourDNSandWebRTCleaktests.Itnowalsooffersmulti-hopping,whichifused,willrouteyourtrafficthroughtwoserverlocationsforextraprivacyandsecurity.Allthingsconsidered,it’sasolidandsecureVPN.
AllVPNscanfailatanytimewithoutwarning;that’sjustthereality.That’salsowhywerecommendlookingforaVPNwithakillswitchjustlikeIPVanish.It’snotthatIPVanishisunreliable.Itonlyevergotdisconnectedunexpectedlyonceduetoservermaintenance.Butthankstothat,wesawthekillswitchinaction.
OurinternetstoppedworkingrightaftertheVPNgotdisconnected.Thatalertedusthatsomethingwaswrong,soweimmediatelycheckedandreconnectedIPVanish.Ifourinternethadcontinuedworking,wewouldn’thaveknownwe’renolongersecure.
MostVPNshaveprivacypoliciesthatoutlinethetypesofdatatheycollect,whytheycollectthem,andhowtheyusethem.NotallVPNs,though,havebeenauditedlikeIPVanish.
TheLeviathanSecurityGrouphasauditedIPVanish’sprivacyandsecuritypractices.They’vefoundthatIPVanish’sclaimthatitdoesn’tlogbrowsingandusagedataistrue.ThefirmalsodeterminedthatIPVanishisnon-invasivetoitsusers’privacy,makingitasolidVPNforprivacy-conscioususers.
IPVanishincludesthoughtfulfeaturesthatmaketheappeasyandconvenienttouse.Forexample,theservermenuonWindowsshowsthespeed(measuredinlatency)ofeachserverlocation.Thatcanmakeiteasiertopickafastserverwhenyou’regamingorstreaming.Speakingofstreaming,youcanalsoconnecttostreaming-optimizedservers,liketoaccessadifferentNetflixregion.Youwon’tseealotoffeaturesfromIPVanish,butthosethatitdoesincludearedesignedwithuserexperienceinmind.
PrivacyisExpressVPN’smainfocus.Ithasinvestedinstate-of-the-arttechnology,likeRAM-basedserversthatofferbetterprivacythantraditionalVPNservers.VeryfewVPNsofferRAM-basedservers,NordVPNandSurfsharkbeingtwoofthem.ThatputsExpressVPNinanelitegroup.
FYI:RAM-basedserversarephysicalVPNserversthatrunpurelyonRAM,unliketraditionalserversthatuseharddrives.RAM-basedserversdon’tstorelong-termmemory.Theyarewipedaftereveryreboot,whichiswhatmakesthemmoreprivate.
ExpressVPNwasmiddle-of-the-packintermsofspeed.Itwasn’tgreat,butitalsowasn’tbad.Itwasspeedyenoughtoletusstreammoviesin4Kresolution.Ourdownloadspeedwasreducedby7.57percent,anduploadswere24.12percentslower.
ExpressVPN’sbalanceduploadanddownloadspeedmadeitagreatoptionforvideoconferencing.ItkeptourZoommeetingsflowingsmoothly,unlikeHotspotShield,whichhaslightning-fastdownloadspeedbutveryslowuploadspeed.
ExpressVPNcombinesits256-bitAESencryptionwithitsfastandlightweightprotocolcalledLightway.It’sasolidpairing.WefoundnoIPaddressleakswhenwedidDNSandWebRTCleaktests.TheLightwayprotocolwasalsoquicktoestablishVPNtunnels.IttakesExpressVPNlessthanfivesecondstoconnect,whichmeansyoucanconnecttoitanytimewithouthassle.It’sourfavoriteVPNtousewhencommutingbecauseofitsconvenientquick-connectfunction.
We’veencounteredmorethanafewVPNsthathavean“IPleakprotection”feature,andforsomereason,youcanturnitoff.We’renotsurewhythat’sevenanoption.IPleakissomethingyou’dwanttoavoidatallcost.
WithExpressVPN,though,allconnectionscomewithIPleakprotection.ItefficientlyblocksDNSandWebRTCleaks.Infact,onceyou’reconnectedtoExpressVPN,youcangotoitswebsitetocheckifthereareanyWebRTCleaks.Wedidthat,andfoundnoleakswhatsoever–justtheresultwewerehopingfor.
ExpressVPNoffersserversin105countries.Thataloneisahugebenefittousers.Itgivesyouaccesstonumerouslocations,makingiteasiertoaccesscontentfromallovertheworld.Withitsimpressivespeed,privacyfeatures(RAM-basedservers,LightWayandOpenVPNprotocols,etc.),andencryption,youcanuseExpressVPNforprettymuchanytask.Andofcourse,ExpressVPNiseasytouse.Theappworksfreshoffinstallationandyouneednotmakeanyadjustmentstomakeitsecure.
ExpressVPNoffersagiledataprotection,whichisparticularlyidealforfrequenttravelers.Ithasstrongprivacyfeatures.ItslightweightproprietaryVPNprotocolalsomakesitagoodtravelcompanion,asitrunsfastonmostmobiledevicesandcomputers.
CyberGhostprovidedfastdownloadspeedsbutsignificantlysloweruploadspeeds.It’sjustlikeHotspotShieldandNortoninthatregard.Ouruploadspeedwentdownby70-percent.Fortunately,thedownloadspeedwasonlyreducedbyaboutfivepercent.Bothuploadanddownloadspeedsareimportant,butthelatterusuallymattersforstreaminganddownloading.
CyberGhostprovidedfastdownloadspeedsbutsignificantlysloweruploadspeeds.It’sjustlikeHotspotShieldandNortoninthatregard.Ouruploadspeedwentdownby70-percent,whichmeantweonlygotabout75Mbpsfromour250Mbpsnetwork.Fortunately,thedownloadspeedremainedhighwithanaveragereadingof223Mbps.Bothuploadanddownloadspeedsareimportant,butthelatterusuallymattersforforstreaminganddownloading.
CyberGhostoffersawidearrayofsubscriptionstochoosefrom,andthismakestheVPNveryflexible.Youcansignupforamonthsubscriptiontotrythingsout,orgoall-inonaone-,two-,orthree-yearsubscription.Thebestpartis,you’llgetadiscountdependingonthelengthofyourplan.
Thehighestdiscountisover80-percentoff,whichyoucangetbysigningathree-yearsubscription.Allinall,you’llpayonly$56.94everythreeyears,whichbreaksdowntojustover$2permonth.
CyberGhostoffersseveralfeaturesdesignedtobenefitusers.IthasRAM-basedserverslikeExpressVPN.ItalsoprovidesNoSpyservers,asdetailedabove.It’salsoworthnotingthatCyberGhosthasadeepnetwork.Ithasserversin100countries,almostthesameasExpressVPN105locations,butthetotalnumberofCyberGhost’sserversisover10,000.AnetworkthatlargegivesCyberGhostusersaccesstocontent,webpages,andservicesallaroundtheglobe.
It’struethatthelongersubscriptionsofferthebestprices,butCyberGhost’sflexibilitymakesitagreat-valueVPNforprettymuchanyone.
ThecompanyProtonisalsobasedinSwitzerland.It’saprivacy-friendlycountrywithnomandatorydataretention.ThatmeansProtoncanlegallymaintaina“no-logs”policynotjustforitsVPN,butallitsprivacytoolsandproducts.
We’veseenafairshareofVPNswithgooddownloadspeedbutdisappointinguploadspeed.Ifyou’relookingforaVPNwithfastuploadspeeds,though,wecanrecommendProton.Ittoppedourrankingintermsofuploadspeed,notchingjustafour-percentdecreasecomparedtoourbaselinespeed.That’swhyweuseditalotforZoommeetingsandotherworktasksthatrequiregooduploadanddownloadspeeds.
Thoughfast,ProtonVPNwasplentysecureaswell.Notably,wediscoveredthatitusesperfectforwardsecrecyencryption.VPNsusekeystodecipherencryptedtrafficasitpassesthroughaserver.Ifnotsecured,thesekeyscanbestolentodecryptsubsequenttraffic.WithProtonVPN,itgeneratedadifferentcipherkeyforeverysession.It’sunlikely,butevenIfakeyisstolen,itcan’tbeusedtodecryptfutureencryptedtraffic.AnotherVPNthatoffersperfectforwardsecrecyisNordVPN,whichasyoumightrecall,isourtop-pickforprivacy.
ProtonrecentlyjoinedthegrowingnumberofVPNswiththeirproprietaryVPNprotocols.Proton’sVPNprotocoliscalledStealth,andithasonespecialfeature:obfuscation.Basically,itencryptsyourtraffic,butitalsomakesitlooklikeregulartraffic,hidingitfromnetwork,ISP,andgovernmentfilters.ObfuscationisparticularlyusefulincountrieswheretheuseofVPNsishighlycontrolledormonitored.
Atwork,weneedfastuploadspeedsandlowlatencysoourmeetingsoftwareworkssmoothly.There’snothingmoreembarrassingthanwhenyoulaughatsomeone’sjokebuttheydon’thearituntiltwominuteslater.ProtonVPNwasoneofthefastestVPNswetestedonourWindowsandMaccomputerswhenitcametobothuploadspeedsandlatency.
Proton’smainadvantageforusersisitbeinganall-aroundprivacysolution.TheVPNisjustoneofthemanyprivacy-focusedproductsfromProton.ItalsooffersProtonMail,ProtonDrive,andProtonPass.FocusingonjusttheVPN,Protonoffersrarely-seenfeaturessuchasNetShield(ad-blocker),privateDNS,andToroverVPN.ProtonisoneoftheonlytwoVPNswetestedwithToroverVPN,theotherbeingNordVPN(our#1pick).
UltraVPN’sprivacypolicydiscusseshowitdoesn’tlogdata,butwithoutthird-partyauditslikewesawfromSurfshark,there’snowaytoconcretelyproveordisproveit.However,wenoticedonethingthatseemstoindicateUltraVPN’scommitmenttoprivacy.WhenIndiapassedalawrequiringVPNstocollectuserdata,UltraVPNwasamongthefirsttopulloutfromthecountry.ItstilloffersIndiaIPaddresseslasttimewechecked,butthosearefromvirtualserverslocatedinSingapore.
UltraVPNunderdeliveredinthisarea.ItshouldhavebeenfastbecauseitusesHydra,theproprietaryVPNprotocolofHotspotShield(#3onthislist).Andaswesawearlier,Hydraiscapableofnearlyloss-lessdownloadspeed.Unfortunately,wecan’tsaythesameaboutUltraVPN.
Ourdownloadspeeddroppedbyaround40percentcomparedtoourrealnetworkspeed.Thisisfineforbrowsingactivitiesbutforgetaboutdownloadinglargeattachmentsandstreamingvideos.You’rebetteroffstickingwithHotspotShield.
DespiteitspooruseofHydra’sspeed,UltraVPNusedtheprotocolwelltoprovideonlinesecurity.Itcheckedforandblockedmalware-riddenwebsites.Italsoencryptedtrafficusing256-bitAESandprotectedusfromIPaddressleaks.Andlikeourtop-pickNordVPN,UltraVPNletusaccessaprivateDNSserver.
EvenjustthefactthatitusesHydramakesUltraVPNasecureoption.Cyberattackersaremorelikelytotrytotargetwidely-usedprotocolslikeOpenVPNandWireGuard.UsingaproprietaryprotocolusedbyonlyahandfulofVPNsisagoodmovebyUltraVPN.
We’vementionedHydraseveraltimesalready,butwhatreallyisitHydraisaVPNprotocolmuchlikeOpenVPN,butitwasdevelopedbyHotspotShield.Hydrapromisestodeliverfastspeeds,agileconnections,andgoodsecurity.It’sactuallyoneofthebestVPNprotocolsafterOpenVPNandWireGuard.
UltraVPNcanbequiteaffordableintermsofpricing.Evenitsmonthlysubscriptioncostsonly$7.99.Forcomparison,mostVPNscostmorethan$10permonth.NordVPNcosts$12.99withamonthlysubscriptionandSurfsharkcosts$10.99.
Ifyou’relookingforaVPNforlong-termuse,UltraVPN’spricinggetsevenbetter.You’llpayonly$47.76tosignupfortwoyears.That’sanaverageofjust$2permonth.Seethepricingbreakdownbelow.
Thebottomlineis,whetheryou’relookingforashort-termorlong-termVPN,UltraVPNisapracticalchoice.
Featuresaren’ttheonlybenefitsyoucangetfromaVPN.Astreamlineduserexperienceisalsoanadvantage,andit’scertainlyUltraVPN’sbiggestflex.Theappiseasytouse;it’snotfeature-rich,butit’snotlackinganythingcriticaleither.Ithassplittunneling,akillswitchforWindows(andamakeshiftkillswitchforAndroid),andoneofthebestVPNprotocolsinHydra.Bestofall,it’saffordable.Withpricesstartingat$2permonthandwitha30-daymoney-backguarantee,UltraVPNoffersgoodvalueifyou’relookingforsomethingmorestraightforwardthanNordVPNandourothertoppicks.
Withitsaffordablepricinganduser-friendlyapps,werecommendUltraVPNtostudentsandcasualinternetuserslookingforaday-to-dayVPN.It’snotthefastest,butit’sreliablefordailyuse.
VPNsprovideonlinesafetybyconnectingyoutoaprivateserver.Normalnetworksaresubjecttomonitoringbytheinternetproviderorsomeonewithadministrativeaccesstothenetwork.Incontrast,aprivatenetworkoffersencryptionthatobscuresthecontentofonlinetraffic.Thismakesyouronlineactivityhardertotrack.
ThetopVPNsintheindustry(i.e.theoneswetestedandrankedabove!)offertriedandtestedencryptionstandards.Manyofthemoffer256-bitAESencryption,whileothersusetheequallysecureChaCha20.
Inaddition,VPNshideusers’IPaddresses.AnywebsiteyouvisitcanseeyourIPaddress.That’snotveryprivate.WhenyouconnecttoaVPN,they’llseeonlytheIPaddressoftheVPNserver.Itactsasastand-inforyou,makingsurewebsitescan’teasilytrackyourinformation.
MostVPNcompanieshaveserversallaroundtheworldsouserscanconnectaslocallyaspossible.Theclosertheserver,thefasterthespeedswhileconnected.SomeVPNsevenencryptusers’trafficmultipletimesthroughmultipleservers,aprocesscalled“multi-hop”.1
TheprotectionthatVPNsprovidedoesn’tcomewithouttradeoffs,mostnotablyofwhichisreducednetworkspeeds.Encryptingyournetworktrafficandroutingitthroughaservercancauseyourinternetspeedtodipalittle.That’swhywemakeitapointtotestandcomparethespeedofeachVPNwerecommend.
“Speed”issuchabroadterm.Objectively,it’smeasuredusingthreemetrics:Thedownloadspeed,uploadspeed,andpingorlatency.Andwedomeasurethose.However,reliabilityandconsistencyalsofactorin.AfastVPNshouldbeabletoproducegoodspeedreadingsandloadwebsites,downloaddata,orstreamvideosataconsistentspeed.
ThesewerethemostconsistentlyfastVPNswetested:
Youdon’tneedmuchtogetaccesstoatopVPN,oranyotherVPNforthatmatter.YousimplyneedanaccountfromtheVPNproviderandtheVPNapponyourdevices.
First,gototheVPNprovider’swebsiteandcreateanaccount.MostVPNsrequireapaidsubscription,somakesuretochooseaplanthatworksforyou.Theytypicallyoffermonthlyandannualplans.
Lastly,installtheappandconnect.ThebestVPNsreallymakeitthateasy,butbeforeyoubuyjustanyVPNsubscriptionyoucouldfind,takeaquickpauseandconsiderthisnextsection.
VPNsaremeanttohideusers’webtraffic,butwhatiftheVPNitselfisn’ttrustworthySadly,notallVPNcompaniesaretrustworthy.Rememberthattheyhaveaccesstoyourtraffic.Whiletheyshieldyoufromexternalthreats,VPNscanactuallymonitoryourtrafficiftheychooseto.YoushouldstayasfarawayaspossiblefromVPNsthatdothat.
Here’showwedetermineifwecantrustaVPNserviceornot:
FYI:There’salsoaninfluentialsurveillanceallianceofcountriescalledtheFiveEyes,NineEyes,and14Eyes.Thesealliancesgivemembercountriesdeepaccesstodigitalcommunicationsmonitoring.ButwhileVPNcompaniesbasedinmembercountriesareriskier,itdoesn’tnecessarilymeanthey’renottrustworthy.Aslongastheyhaveaverified“no-logs”policy,VPNsinFiveEyes,NineEyes,and14Eyescountriescanbetrusted.
There’salotmoretoconsiderbesidesaVPN’strustworthiness,though.FormoreinformationonhowwerankedVPNs,checkouttheMethodologysectionbelow.
Don’tseeyourcountryinthelistNoworries;inourexperience,youcaneasilyfindagoodVPNforyourlocalitybylookingatthreekeyfactors:
Lookingatthosefactorswillhelpyounarrowdownyouroptions,butifyouwanttofindthebestVPNforyou,youcanuseourmethodologybelowasaguide.
Testing,comparing,andrankingVPNsisanarduoustask,butevenifyou’renotaVPNexpert,it’snotimpossibletodotestsonyourown.Takealookatourmethodology,andyou’llbetestingVPNslikeaproinnotime.
Todothat,wedoasimplecomparisonofouroriginalinternetspeedandourinternetspeedwhenconnectedtoaVPN.Wedoallourtestsusingour250Mbpsofficenetworkasthecontrol.First,wetestourcurrentinternetspeed,andthenweconnecttotheVPNandcheckourspeedagain.WeuseOokla’sspeedtesttoolforbothtests.3WethencompareVPNspeedsbyconvertingtherateofthedropintopercentagepointsusingthisformula:
FYI:Thelowertherateofthespeeddrop,thefastertheVPN.
Securityisanothercrucialfactor,especiallyifyou’reusingaVPNtohideyourbrowsingactivity.ToseehowsecureaVPNis,wedovariousIPaddressleaktestsandchecktheprivacypolicyofeachVPN.
VPNsaresimpletousebutthey’reacomplextechnology,soit’svitaltoknowyouhaveaccesstotechnicalsupportwhenyouneedit.Forthis,wecheckwhichcustomersupportchannelsareavailable.Someofferphonesupportorlivechatsupportthatisavailableinstantly.Othersofferemailsupportthatusuallytakesdaystorespond.Weprefertheformer.
Finally,wereviewtheuserexperiencebytestingtheVPNapps.Thisisallsubjectivetotheuser,sowetrytodetailourappexperienceineveryVPNreviewthatwemake.Essentially,though,whatyouwanttoseeisaVPNappwithintuitivecontrols,easyaccesstoconnectionoptions,andallthenecessaryappfeaturessuchasakillswitchandsplittunneling.WealsotakealookatuserreviewsfromtheGooglePlayStoreandAppStoretoseewhatothersthinkabouttheapps.
ProTip:ConnectingtoaVPNonyourmobiledeviceiseasy.JustgototheAppleorGooglePlaystore,dependingonthemakeofyourphone,anddownloadtheVPN’sapp.Fromthere,youjusthavetosigninandclickconnectforprivatebrowsing.