As our digital lives rapidly evolve, our personal data becomes increasingly exposed, making the protection of our online privacy and security more critical than ever.
A virtual private network, or VPN, has emerged as an essential tool for achieving these goals. By encrypting your data, masking your online activity, and providing an anonymous IP address, a VPN shields you from cyber threats and intrusive surveillance.
However, with a multitude of VPN services available today, selecting the right one can be overwhelming. The best VPN for you depends on your specific needs and circumstances.
VPNs are not just for security; they also offer benefits for SEO and bypassing geo-blocking, allowing access to content restricted to specific geographical locations.
What is a good encryption protocol?
Before diving into the details, it’s important to understand what makes encryption strong. A reliable and highly secure VPN typically uses AES-256 encryption.
The Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) with a 256-bit key is a highly secure encryption method that converts readable text or data into an unreadable code. AES-256 is currently considered one of the strongest encryption protocols, making it virtually impenetrable.
With this in mind, let’s explore the key factors to consider when choosing the right VPN for you.
Primary reasons why people use VPN
Anonymity for privacy
Data encryption for security
Bypass internet censorship
Key features of a good VPN
Security and privacy
Look for a VPN with robust encryption, a strict no-logs policy, and additional security features like a kill switch. For a brief explanation of what a kill switch is, check this short description.
Server network and locations
A wide network of servers in multiple locations ensures better performance and access to geographically restricted content.
Speed and performance
Choose a VPN known for high-speed connections and minimal impact on your internet speed.
Compatibility and device support
Ensure the VPN supports all your devices and operating systems.
User-friendly interface and features
A VPN should be easy to use, with intuitive apps and helpful features like split tunneling. For a brief explanation of what a split tunneling is, check this short description.
Customer support and reputation
Reliable customer support and a good reputation are indicators of a trustworthy VPN service.
Pricing and plans
Compare pricing and subscription plans to find one that offers the best value for your needs.
Trial periods and money-back guarantees
Opt for services that provide a trial period or a money-back guarantee to test the service risk-free.
Top VPNs with strong encryption
Surfshark
Surfshark offers nearly everything you could ask for in a VPN, but what we love most is its ability to connect multiple devices with a single subscription. You can use it simultaneously on over 10 devices, a feature not commonly offered by all premium VPN providers.
Features:
- No-logs policy
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- 24/7 live chat or email support
- 3200+ servers in 110+ countries
- Fast servers
- Easy install to all devices
- Unlimited bandwidth with no restrictions
- Two-factor authentication
And more:
- Single subscription can be used simultaneously in unlimited devices
- Uses AES-GCM-256 encryption
- Uses OpenVPN (UPD/TCP), IKEv2, and WireGuard® as communication protocols
- Audited by Cure53 (German cybersecurity firm)
- With AV-Test seal of approval
- Uses Nexus technology with IP Rotator
- Alternative ID
- Bypasser (Split tunneling)
- Kill switch
- Private DNS & leak protection
- MultiHop (Double VPN)
- Camouflage mode (Obfuscation)
- Built-in GPS spoofing feature
- CleanWeb
Another standout feature of Surfshark is its CleanWeb ad blocker, which effectively blocks annoying ads and pop-ups, providing a great online viewing experience.
Additionally, Surfshark offers a nifty feature that can override your GPS location. With its built-in GPS spoofing capability, you can change your device’s location to match your VPN location. This is useful for apps that detect your location; simply enable this feature to hide your GPS location.
In 2020, Surfshark won the Mobile VPN Solution of the Year at the Cybersecurity Breakthrough Awards. Its application boasts an easy-to-navigate interface and is simple to install on all major platforms. For movie buffs who travel frequently, Surfshark is perfect for streaming your favorite movies and TV shows on major services like Netflix, Amazon Video, Hulu, and Disney+.
These excellent features mentioned above are included in every one of their subscription plans. If you’re a VPN newbie, Surfshark is your friendly co-pilot, navigating you towards a secure and uninterrupted online browsing and streaming.
Other products and add-ons offered by Surfshark:
- Antivirus – Protect and scan your device in real-time from malware, unauthorized access, or other cyber threats.
- Alert – Check if any of your information has been leaked on the web and notifies you.
- Search – Search the web anonymously.
- Incogni – Remove personal information off the web. This feature is only available to some countries like USA, Canada, Europe, UK, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein.
- Dedicated IP – Get a unique ID exclusive to you
Did you know that Surfshark offers a plan that combines VPN, antivirus, alerts, and search features all in one? This comprehensive bundle provides overall protection, and what’s particularly impressive about this plan is that you can use it on multiple devices — Surfshark claims unlimited devices.
VPN + Antivirus + Alert + Search
Save more with this pricing plans
$2.19 - $4.29 monthly for a 2-year plan + 3 EXTRA months
For the latest pricing, please visit the official website.
What is a VPN kill switch?
A VPN kill switch is a security feature that automatically cuts off your internet connection if your VPN connection fails. This prevents your real IP address and unencrypted data from being exposed, ensuring continuous privacy and protection online.
What is a VPN split tunneling?
VPN split tunneling allows you to route some of your device’s traffic through the encrypted VPN tunnel while letting other traffic use your regular internet connection. This way, you can secure sensitive data while still accessing local or non-sensitive content without encryption.
IPVanish
IPVanish is a well-established VPN provider. From our experience, aside from a single installation issue caused by an upgrade maintenance—which their customer support promptly resolved—we encountered no problems connecting to their VPN servers, even when using multiple devices simultaneously.
Features:
- No-traffic-logs policy
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- 24/7 live chat or email support
- 2,400+ Servers in 90+ Locations
- 40,000+ IP addresses
- Unmetered device connections
- Kill switch
- Split tunneling
And more:
- Threat Protection including ad blocker, anti-tracker, malicious site filter, DDoS attack protection
- Advanced-standard encryption (AES-256)
- WireGuard® and IKEv2 connection protocols
- DNS leak protection
IPVanish is accredited by the VPN Trust Initiative (VTI), an organization founded by major VPN providers. VPI’s mission is to enhance digital safety for consumers by promoting understanding, fostering trust, and reducing risks for VPN users.
Pricing plans: $2.79 - $10.99 monthly
For the latest pricing, please visit the official website.
What is WireGuard?
WireGuard® is a modern, open-source VPN protocol designed for simplicity, speed, and security. It uses advanced encryption to create a secure, high-performance connection for protecting your online data.
ExpressVPN
Features:
- No activity and connection logs
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- 24/7 live chat or email support
- Servers in 105 countries
- Easy install to all devices
And more:
- Use on up to 8 devices
- Uses TrustedServer technology (In-house technology)
- TrustedServer technology is audited by Cure53 (German cybersecurity firm) and PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers)
- Network lock kill switch
- VPN split tunneling
- Lightway protocol – a pioneering protocol engineered by ExpressVPN for faster, secure, and more reliable VPN connection
Pricing plans: $8.32 - $12.95 monthly
For the latest pricing, please visit the official website.
NordVPN
NordVPN is a prominent name in the VPN industry, offering comprehensive services along with innovative features like Meshnet and Dark Web Monitor.
According to the AV-TEST VPN Comparative Test 2020, NordVPN’s download speeds range from 200 to 527.1 Mbps, and upload speeds range from 300 to 541.9 Mbps, depending on the region. To watch High Definition (HD) videos (1080p), you need at least 3 Mbps, and for Ultra High Definition (UHD) videos (4K), you need 15 Mbps. With these impressive speeds, NordVPN offers blazing-fast connections, more than sufficient for streaming media content.
Features:
- No-logs policy
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- 24/7 live chat or email support
- 6405+ servers in 111 countries
- Super fast VPN speed
- Easy install to all devices
- Multi-factor authentication
And more:
- Single subscription can run up to 10 devices
- Uses AES-256-GCM encryption algorithm with a 4096-bit DH key
- Uses OpenVPN, IKEv2/IPsec, and NordLynx encryption protocols
- NordLynx is a network address translation system developed by NordVPN that ensures complete user privacy
- Specialty servers: Double VPN, Onion Over VPN, Obfuscated servers, and P2P servers
- Threat protection from malicious and phising domains, and some ads
- SmartPlay is a built-in NordVPN feature that allows you to stream your favorite shows and movies safely
- MeshNet
- Dark Web Monitor
- Automatic kill switch
- VPN split tunneling
Private DNS
NordVPN’s Meshnet offers a unique way to connect your devices securely. Unlike a traditional VPN, which routes your traffic through a VPN server, Meshnet allows devices to connect directly to each other, even if they’re spread around the world. This direct connection makes Meshnet ideal for securely sharing files between your devices while traveling.
While Meshnet offers convenient file sharing, it’s important to consider security. Since any device within range can potentially connect to your Meshnet network, it’s crucial to grant access only to trusted devices. That’s why NordVPN provides robust user control to prevent unauthorized access.
Another notable feature is Dark Web Monitor, which scans dark web sites to detect any leaked credentials, adding an extra layer of security to your online presence.
All these fantastic features above are included with every NordVPN subscription plan.
Other add-ons offered by NordVPN:
- Threat Protection Pro
- Dedicated IP
Unlock even greater security and privacy online with the help of NordVPN’s add-on features. Threat Protection Pro functions like an antivirus, boosting your security by protecting you from malicious websites, web trackers, and risky apps. It also scans downloaded files and removes any infected ones. Unlike the standard Threat Protection, which only works through browser extensions, the Pro version operates on your devices (Windows and macOS) and can run even without a VPN connection.
Dedicated IP offers the benefits of a static IP address. With this service, NordVPN provides you with an exclusive IP address, avoiding the shared IPs used by other NordVPN subscribers.
Save more with this pricing plans
$3.39 - $5.39 monthly for a 2-year plan
For the latest pricing, please visit the official website.
ProtonVPN
Features:
- No-logs policy
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- 24/7 live chat or email support
- 4500+ servers in 90+ countries
- Easy install to all devices
And more:
- Open source
- Can be used up to 10 devices at a time
- AES-256 with 4096-bit RSA exchange keys
- HMAC with SHA384 for message authentication
- Split tunneling
- Kill switch
- NetShield (Ad-blocker)
- Double hop
- VPN Accelerator
- DNS leak protection
- Tor over VPN
Pricing plans: $4.49 - $9.99 monthly
For the latest pricing, please visit the official website.
Private Internet Access
Features:
- No-logs policy
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- 24/7 live chat or email support
- Servers in 91 countries
- Easy install to all devices
And more:
- One subscription for unlimited device connections
- Open-source transparency
- WireGuard® protocol
- Advanced split-tunneling
- Kill switch
- Block ads, trackers, and malware
- Email breach scanner
- Multi-hop
- DNS leak protection
Pricing plans: $2.03 - $11.95 monthly
For the latest pricing, please visit the official website.
CyberGhost VPN
Features:
- No-logs policy
- 45-day money-back guarantee
- 24/7 live chat or email support
- Servers in 100 countries
- Easy install to all devices
And more:
- Up to 7 devices protected simultaneously
- AES 256-bit encryption
- DNS and IP leak protection
- Content Blocker
- Automatic kill switch
- VPN Split Tunneling
- OpenVPN, IKEv2, WireGuard® protocols
Pricing plans: $2.19 - $12.99 monthly
For the latest pricing, please visit the official website.
These VPNs are renowned for their strong encryption, reliability, and feature-rich offerings, making them excellent choices for enhancing your online security and privacy.
Want to explore more VPN providers? Check out these top picks by users:
User-favorite VPN providers
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Mullvad VPN
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AirVPN
-
Mysterium VPN
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Windscribe
