Top 5 Best VPN Services for

The internet is a dangerous place, but you can make your stay there significantly safer using one of the best VPN services for listed in this article. Besides enhanced online security, VPN services offer many other attractive benefits:

  • The freedom to change your IP address as many times as you like.
  • The ability to circumvent geographic restrictions and access restricted online content.
  • Improved performance when playing online games.
  • Avoid bandwidth-throttling by your internet service provider.
  • Gain access to region-specific discounts and special promotions.

The only problem is that there are so many VPN services to choose from that narrowing them to just one can be a real challenge. But fear not! We’ve done the research for you to save you both time and money.

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VPN Service Features Score
№1 Winner

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NordVPN is arguably the most well-recognized VPN service in the world. That’s in part thanks to its marketing efforts but mostly because the service excels in every way possible, offering impressive speeds, state-of-the-art privacy features, and support for all common and not-so-common devices without being expensive.

  • Excellent torrenting support
  • Over 5,400 servers located in nearly 60 countries
  • Obfuscated servers to bypass firewalls
  • Helpful and friendly customer support staff
  • Affordable prices and huge discounts
  • Doesn’t log any activity of its users
  • Based in Panama

9.6
2

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While not nearly as widely recognized as NordVPN, Private Internet Access is a reliable and trustworthy provider of VPN services that lets you test everything it has to offer free of charge for up to two months. That’s great news because there’s a lot to test.

  • Offers a two-month free trial
  • Proactively block ads, trackers, and malware
  • Has servers in nearly 80 countries
  • Compatible with DD-WRT routers
  • Accepts cryptocurrency payments
8.6
3

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For over 15 years, CyberGhost has been offering VPN services to customers from around the world from its home country of Romania. But make no mistake: CyberGhost has servers in every major region, so using it to bypass geographic restrictions is a piece of cake. If only there was more effective VPN obfuscation going it, the service could also help users in countries where VPNs are not welcome.

  • Located in Romania
  • NoSpy servers with 256-bit AES encryption
  • 45-day money-back guarantee
  • Works on up to 7 devices simultaneously
  • 24/7 live customer support service
8.3
4

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IPVanish goes beyond what most VPN services offer with its integration of SugarSync file storage. For one price, you can sync and secure up to 500 GB of data to access important files from any device, paired with reliable VPN protection that secures your files in transit.

  • Integration of SugarSync file storage
  • Great geographic diversity of servers
  • Unlimited simultaneous devices
  • Fully refundable for 30 days
  • Apps for just about all major devices
8.1
5

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Based in the British Virgin Islands, Surfshark is one of the youngest VPN companies that deserve a place on a list like this. It was founded in 2018, and it has since then convinced thousands and thousands of users to give it a try.

  • 3,200+ servers located in 65 countries
  • Support for unlimited connections
  • Strict no-logs policy
  • Camouflage Mode that hides VPN use
  • Industry-leading AES-256-GCM encryption
7.8

Legal Warning

Keep in mind that using a VPN when downloading copyrighted content from the internet doesn’t make it legal. In fact, the use of a VPN service would most likely be seen as an aggravating circumstance by a judge because it implies a willing attempt to hide illegal activity from your internet service provider and copyright watchdogs.

That said, VPN services themselves are completely legal in almost all countries. The only countries that have banned or blocked their use are China, Russia, Iran, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Turkey, Iraq, Turkmenistan, Belarus, and North Korea.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What Is a VPN and How Does It Work?

    A VPN is basically an encrypted tunnel that extends between you and your VPN service provider. Your internet traffic is then channeled through this tunnel, which makes it impossible for anyone to analyze your online activity and snoop on you. While VPNs are technically complicated, the best VPN service providers make it exceptionally easy to establish a secure connection, so you definitely don’t need to be an expert to secure your online activity.

  • Do I Really Need a VPN?

    That’s something only you can answer, but here are several compelling reasons to use a VPN:

    Improved security: The biggest benefit of a VPN is its ability to hide your online activity against everyone from your neighbor to your internet service provider.

    Freedom to use the internet: Because most VPN services let you choose from thousands of servers, you can effortlessly bypass geographical restrictions by obtaining an IP address located in any country.

    Better speeds and latency: It’s often faster and more efficient to establish a remote connection through a VPN server located in the same country than it is to connect to the server directly.

  • Which Devices Support a VPN?

    These days, you can easily use a VPN on just about any device, including desktop computers, laptops, smartphones and tablets, as well as smart TVs and home routers. The best VPN services have polished apps that make it extremely easy to establish a secure connection and change all important settings.

  • Are Paid VPNs Better Than Free VPNs?

    Yes, paid VPNs are generally better than free VPNs because they don’t restrict the amount of data you can transfer, don’t throttle your download/upload speeds, and don’t compromise your security with outdated technology. What’s more, paid VPNs can afford to have fast servers in all major geographic locations and hire only the best cybersecurity experts to maintain them.

A VPN is basically an encrypted tunnel that extends between you and your VPN service provider. Your internet traffic is then channeled through this tunnel, which makes it impossible for anyone to analyze your online activity and snoop on you. While VPNs are technically complicated, the best VPN service providers make it exceptionally easy to establish a secure connection, so you definitely don’t need to be an expert to secure your online activity.

That’s something only you can answer, but here are several compelling reasons to use a VPN:

Improved security: The biggest benefit of a VPN is its ability to hide your online activity against everyone from your neighbor to your internet service provider.

Freedom to use the internet: Because most VPN services let you choose from thousands of servers, you can effortlessly bypass geographical restrictions by obtaining an IP address located in any country.

Better speeds and latency: It’s often faster and more efficient to establish a remote connection through a VPN server located in the same country than it is to connect to the server directly.

These days, you can easily use a VPN on just about any device, including desktop computers, laptops, smartphones and tablets, as well as smart TVs and home routers. The best VPN services have polished apps that make it extremely easy to establish a secure connection and change all important settings.

Yes, paid VPNs are generally better than free VPNs because they don’t restrict the amount of data you can transfer, don’t throttle your download/upload speeds, and don’t compromise your security with outdated technology. What’s more, paid VPNs can afford to have fast servers in all major geographic locations and hire only the best cybersecurity experts to maintain them.

 

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