We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info
Looking for the best VPN service money can buy? There are a mind-boggling number of Virtual Private Networks – or VPNs – out there, which can make finding the best provider complicated. Whether you want a VPN to keep your web browsing data safe, or unlock shows, films and sports fixtures that aren’t available to stream in your country …you’ll want to sign-up for the fastest VPN with a myriad of server locations to unlock streaming from across the globe, a user friendly app for all of your devices and low monthly bills.
Ticking all of these boxes (and a few more) – NordVPN is our best Virtual Private Network in May 2022. It strikes the perfect balance between advanced features, ease of use, dedicated apps for every platform, and low monthly bills. NordVPN even boasts a no quibbles 30 days money-back guarantee, so signing up is risk-free! And it doesn’t store any user data, so your web browsing habits will be completely private (unlike going online without a VPN!).
1/ NordVPN
NordVPN is our pick for the best VPN provider on the planet. With its beautifully designed apps, NordVPN makes it simple to protect yourself online and unlock streaming catalogues from around the world. It has software for iOS and Android, Windows and Mac, Fire TV Stick, and even your Wi-Fi router. The company is so committed to privacy that it’s headquartered in Panama, which has no data retention laws – so NordVPN isn’t required to keep any data about you on record
24/7 Customer Support: Yes | One-Month, One-Year, and Two-Year Plans Available | 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee: Yes
View Deal
2/ ExpressVPN
Closely behind NordVPN is ExpressVPN, which is one of the pricier options on the market. However, ExpressVPN offers a premium service to its subscribers, with servers in more countries than any other provider on this list. For those who need to switch their IP address to somewhere off the beaten track, ExpressVPN is a must-buy. Like NordVPN, you can expect 24/7 customer support
24/7 Customer Support: Yes | One-Month, Six-Months, and One-Year Plans Available | 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee: Yes
View Deal
3/ Surfshark VPN
Surfshark VPN is the final VPN provider to nab a place on our podium. Surfshark provides some of the best value bundles available of any VPN – with monthly subscriptions dropping below £2 with some deals. Despite that low price, Surfshark offers something that neither NordVPN or ExpressVPN can match: an unlimited number of devices connected to the same account. Yes, that means you can use your login on any number of iOS, Android, Windows, games consoles, streaming dongles, or Wi-Fi routers
24/7 Customer Support: Yes | One-Month, Six-Months, and Two-Year Plans Available | 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee: Yes
View Deal
4/ CyberGhost VPN
CyberGhost VPN is clearly confident about its offering, the VPN provider not only includes the longest money-back guarantee period of any firm in this list (a whopping 45-days compared to the standard 30-day refund period) but it also offers a free seven-day trial when you download its mobile app on iOS or Android. With 91 countries and more than 7,500 servers available, there’s no shortage of choice with this nifty VPN
24/7 Customer Support: Yes | One-Month, One-Year, Two Years, Three Year Plans Available | 45-Day Money-Back Guarantee: Yes
View Deal
5/ Private Internet Access (PIA) VPN
If you’re willing to sign-up to a longer contract, PIA has some mind-boggling savings available. And with 24/7 customer service and a 30-day money-back guarantee, there’s no reason to be nervous about a three-year deal with this great VPN provider. With features like a dedicated IP address and split-tunnelling, there’s a lot to like
24/7 Customer Support: Yes | One-Month, One-Year, Three Year Plans Available | 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee: Yes
View Deal
6/ ProtonVPN
If you’re unsure whether subscribing to a Virtual Private Network, VPN, will boost your video streaming habits – why not try a free subscription to dip your toe in the water? Unlike most free providers, ProtonVPN doesn’t limit the amount of data that you can use, which is perfect for streaming. Your download speeds might be a little lacklustre compared to paid options in this article, including from ProtonVPN itself, but that’s not an issue if you’re using this provider as a trial
24/7 Customer Support: No | One-Month, One-Year, and Two-Year Plans Available | 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee: Yes
View Deal
What Is A VPN?
A Virtual Private Network – or VPN – is software that crafts a secure, encrypted tunnel for your internet connection. If you’re using a busy public Wi-Fi network, like those available in coffee shops and airports, a VPN will shield your online activity and prevent bad actors from intercepting any of your data. Back at home, a VPN will also stop your Internet Service Provider (ISP) from keeping tabs on your online activity too.
It also allows you to manually switch to VPN servers around the world, changing your IP address.
Think of it as a supercharged version of the Incognito Mode found in the Google Chrome web browser. You might also want to rely on a VPN to keep your internet history from your Government too, with these apps particularly crucial to whistleblowers and sources helping journalists uncover wrongdoing, for example.
Why Do I Need A VPN?
Once upon a time, VPNs were pretty niche and were only used by enterprise users. But the explosion in streaming services, such as Netflix, Disney+, Paramount+, and HBO Max, has catapulted VPNs into the mainstream.
While encryption is an essential aspect of a Virtual Private Network (and the reason that your workplace likely requires you to turn on a VPN before working from home), it’s the ability to manually change your IP addresses using the hundreds of server locations around the world that makes these apps so exciting.
For those who don’t know, an IP address is assigned to your device whenever you connect to the internet and contains information on your location. It’s the reason you’re able to see your current address on Google Maps or the way that retailers enable features like Find Your Nearest Store on their websites.
Some of the most popular streaming services place geographic restrictions on their content, usually due to different licensing agreements in each country. For example, while Tina Fey’s seminal sit-com 30 Rock is available to watch in its entirety on Netflix in the United States …however, the show is only available via Sky Comedy in the UK due to different licensing agreements agreed upon by the broadcasters.
It’s well known that UK subscribers have access to a smaller catalogue of shows, documentaries and movies than their US counterparts, despite paying the same monthly fee. And some streaming services, like HBO Max, Paramount+ and more, are not available to access in the UK.
VPNs can manually tweak your IP address – making it appear as if you’re on holiday in the United States for the evening. Just like when you’re visiting on holiday, your existing UK login credentials will work on all of the Netflix apps, but the catalogue of shows, documentaries, and movies will be completely different.
And it’s not just for Netflix either. VPNs can be used to unlock a bevy of shows and films across a wide range of streaming services, unlock sporting events that aren’t broadcast in your current location, and subscribe to new services that haven’t yet launched where you’re based.
Likewise, if you’re away on holiday and some of the online services that you subscribe to aren’t yet available in the country you’re staying in – the ability to change your IP address with a VPN can help.
You can use a VPN on a number of devices, including a mobile device – like a smartphone or tablet, a laptop or desktop computer, video game console, or streaming devices like Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV or Roku.
In some countries, like Turkey or China, a number of the globe’s biggest internet services have been banned due to tough censorship laws. If you’re visiting and want to use Twitter or Google, you’ll need access to a VPN.
And don’t forget the encryption and privacy benefits too. If you’re concerned about the amount of data that internet providers, social networks, and other online services are collecting on you, VPNs can help. Features like multi hop will bounce your internet connection via multiple VPN servers around the world, making it impossible to trace the original location and preventing trackers from storing data on your location, internet history, data from online forms and more used to keep tabs on your activity.
Better yet, these services are a powerful way to block any attempts to steal your data, especially when making payments or checking your bank balance on a public Wi-Fi network, like those in Starbucks or other coffee shops.
Kill switches, which are included in all of the Virtual Private Networks recommended in this guide, provide an extra layer of security by automatically “killing” the connection if the link to the VPN server drops. This prevents any data from being exposed with an unsecured connection.
Which VPN Service Is The Best?
NordVPN has been crowned as our best VPN service in 2022. There are a number of reasons for this, including its stellar apps for iOS, Android, Windows and Amazon Fire TV Stick, as well as its affordable prices. Find our complete breakdown of why NordVPN is our favourite VPN provider on the market below…
NordVPN – The Best VPN Service You Can Buy Today
NordVPN is a stellar VPN service that boasts the best mobile apps of any VPNs on this list. Available on iOS and Android, the mobile app makes it ludicrously easy for newcomers to get connected for the first time. If you’re a little unsure about VPNs, NordVPN makes it ludicrously simple to find a server from around the world and change your location. Your frequently-visited countries will always appear at the top of the app – so it’s simple to jump back into your favourite series on US-only Netflix, for example.
And it’s not just iPhone and Android, either. NordVPN allows subscribers to connect a generous 6 different devices at the same time. That’s especially handy since NordVPN has apps for almost every device you could think of, including smartphones, to tablets, games consoles, Chromebooks, Fire TV Stick dongles, Windows and Mac. You can even install NordVPN directly on your Wi-Fi router, so that every device that connects to your home Wi-Fi network will be automatically routed via the VPN and shielded by encryption, or (if you want) re-routed via a different country to appear as if you’re abroad. Handy!
When it comes to the number of countries available, NordVPN offers a pretty impressive selection – with a choice of 60 nations worldwide. That said, it’s not quite as many options are ExpressVPN, which boasts 94 possible countries. So, those who want to appear in more exotic locations might want to look elsewhere.
However, NordVPN covers the most popular destinations, including the United States. And for most of us, NordVPN more than makes up for this shortfall with the dizzying number of servers worldwide (more than 5,000 available worldwide compared to just 160 for ExpressVPN), which ensures you’re always able to find a solid connection – even at peak times when some servers could become congested with a flood of users.
When it comes to speed testing, NordVPN only marginally impacted download speeds, which makes it great for streaming video. Without NordVPN enabled, we clocked up 130Mbps and a few moments later, with its VPN enabled and shielding our data, we recorded a download speed of 100Mbps. Sure, that is a hit.
But that’s still more than enough to stream in crisp 4K Ultra HD in multiple rooms around the house. And with features like split-tunnelling included with NordVPN, you only need to take the hit to your speeds on devices that need to be tapping into a server on the other side of the globe.
For those who don’t know, split-tunnelling allows you to pick multiple servers for your online traffic. So, while it might be an advantage for certain devices, like an Amazon Fire TV Stick, to think that it’s in the United States to unlock more boxsets, sports, and movies on streaming services, you might not want that for your iPhone, which needs to know your approximate location for Google Maps, for example.
Picking a server closer to home should also reduce the impact on your download speeds. So, it’s possible to stay connected via a Virtual Private Network in the UK, without sacrificing any download speed on devices where you don’t need to appear abroad.
Where NordVPN really shines compared to its closest rival, ExpressVPN, is the difference in price. This provider offers a number of stellar deals, with prices regularly dropping below £3 a month for a subscription. At the moment, NordVPN is celebrating its tenth birthday with a guaranteed freebie for everyone who signs up. Taking out a new subscription will put you in a ballot where you’ll win either one-month, one-year or two years extra subscription time for free.
NordVPN offers a number of possible payment options, including all major credit card providers (Mastercard, VISA, AMEX, and Discovery). PayPal and Amazon Pay are also accepted too. Unlike most of the other providers on this list, you can also pay for NordVPN using Apple Pay and Google Pay. This will allow you to breeze through the checkout process, with your iPhone or Android filling in all of the payment details (and keeping your credit card details stashed away).
You can also subscribe to NordVPN using a number of the most popular cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin and Ethereum.
NordVPN
NordVPN is discounted more by than 70% to new subscribers right now. Paying upfront for a two-year plan means your bills will drop to a mind-blowing £2.89 a month. Of course, you’ll still be subject to the same 30-day money-back guarantee if you run into any trouble with the service. To celebrate its tenth birthday, NordVPN is offering a guaranteed freebie – when you checkout, you’ll unlock either one-month, one-year or two years of extra subscription time for free!
24/7 Customer Support: Yes | 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee: Yes
View Deal
ExpressVPN – Brilliant VPN For Streaming Video From Around The World
ExpressVPN is a brilliant VPN provider that could’ve easily pipped NordVPN to our Gold Medal position. With the same 24/7 customer support and 30-day money-back guarantee as our top pick, ExpressVPN is clearly just as confident about its product as NordVPN.
Of course, that’s hardly surprising – in our testing, ExpressVPN performed amazingly with only a marginal impact on download speeds. On top of that, ExpressVPN works hard to ensure that it has a steady stream of new servers coming online to escape Netflix’s recent crackdown on VPNs. So while some providers struggle to unlock the full catalogue available in the United States, ExpressVPN never runs into an issue. That’s the reason that ExpressVPN was named our Best VPN for streaming.
If you’ve got a truckload of gadgets, the 5 device limit with each ExpressVPN subscription might put you off. However, just like NordVPN, the company offers dedicated apps to install on your Wi-Fi router – ensuring that every device that connects to your home Wi-Fi network is protected by the VPN. Of course, that means you can ensure your online browsing is shielded on every device from your internet provider, as well as bad actors online.
And if you want to use ExpressVPN to manually change your location around the globe, you’ll be able to use this feature on devices without dedicated apps from the firm, like your Smart TV, smartwatch, and more.
Express VPN pledges to never collect identifying information about its customers, including IP address, online activity, traffic destination, or even the length of each session. Given that one of the main benefits of using a VPN is the boost to privacy, this is a reassuring step. Actions speak louder than words, and ExpressVPN has taken a number of steps to show its dedication to privacy. The company has based itself in the British Virgin Islands because there are no data retention laws there. That means ExpressVPN isn’t legally obliged to keep tabs on the browsing habits of its customers.
As one of the market leaders, ExpressVPN charges a little more than the competition. As such, if you’re looking for a truly competitive deal, it might be worth looking elsewhere than ExpressVPN. However, those who want to subscribe to the service should look at the 6-month and 15-month options, which offer some huge savings compared to a monthly rolling contract. With one of these promotions, you’ll be able to drop your monthly bills as low as £5.20 or so.
ExpressVPN accepts a number of payment methods, including the biggest credit and debit card providers, like Mastercard, VISA, American Express, and Discover. Paypal and Bitcoin are also options. If you don’t want to pay everything upfront, there’s even Klarna support now – so you can break up the payment into smaller instalments (helpful if you want to buy a one-year subscription upfront to benefit from the biggest saving).
Unfortunately, unlike NordVPN, there’s no Google Pay or Apple Pay for a one-tap checkout.
ExpressVPN
If you sign up to ExpressVPN right now, the company will throw in three months of access for free. Opting for the one-year plan will unlock 15-months with ExpressVPN, dropping the monthly cost down to just £5.60. There’s also 24/7 customer support if you’re struggling to get up-and-running on a certain device, and a 30-day money-back guarantee if you’re not happy with your purchase!
24/7 Customer Support: Yes | 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee: Yes
View Deal
Surfshark VPN – Great VPN With Impossibly Low Prices
The one advantage of picking Surfshark VPN over any of the other services in this list is the ability to login with an unlimited number of devices. That’s not something we’re used to seeing from VPN providers and means you’ll be able to login from any number of gadgets that you want – from anywhere in the world. That’s what really sets Surfshark apart from almost every other VPN in this article and is a huge advantage for those who aren’t confident enough to install a VPN onto their router (both NordVPN and Express VPN offer software for the router, which ensures that all devices that connect via your home Wi-Fi network are protected by the VPN – bypassing the device limit).
Like the providers above, Surfshark boasts a wide variety of apps, including iOS, iPadOS, Mac, Windows, Linux, Android, Amazon Fire TV Stick, and more.
Elsewhere, you’ll find the same 30-day money-back guarantee and 24/7 customer support as NordVPN and ExpressVPN, so there’s no risk when signing up for the first time and seeing how Surfshark performs for you.
It’s also based in the British Virgin Islands, just like NordVPN and ExpressVPN, to avoid any data retention laws forcing it to store information on its customers about what they’re doing with the service, how long they’re connected, their real IP address, and more.
Surfshark is incredibly competitively priced. With the right deal, you can drop the monthly cost down to a criminally low £1.70 a month. That’s ludicrously cheap for a service that’s so useful. There are always new deals and promotions available, so check below for the latest offers.
Surfshark VPN accepts all credit cards, from VISA to Mastercard, AMEX and Discover. There’s also Paypal, Apple Pay and Google Pay – handy if you don’t want to manually fill-out all of your details at the checkout. You can also pay for your VPN subscription with cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum.
Surfshark VPN
If you want an incredible deal, look no further than Surfshark VPN. It offers the same encryption and privacy as other VPNs, but does so at a much lower monthly cost. For less than £2 a month, you can keep your data hidden from prying eyes and virtually switch to locations from across the globe. Surfshark also lets subscribers sign-in to their account on any unlimited number of devices, compared to the 5 or 6 device limit imposed by ExpressVPN and NordVPN, respectively.
24/7 Customer Support: Yes | 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee: Yes
View Deal
CyberGhost VPN – Great VPN With Best Money-Back Guarantee On The Market
If you’re still a little uncertain about how a Virtual Private Network is going to fit into your (digital) life, it might be worth taking a look at CyberGhost. This well-respected provider has hands-down the best money-back guarantee policy of any VPN on this list. While our top pick NordVPN (and most of its competitors) offer a 30-day money-back guarantee for those who don’t get on with its product, CyberGhost extends this to a whopping 45-days.
Of course, you could sign-up for a free VPN account with ProtonVPN above, but as we’ve already explained, there are a number of limitations applied to these cost-free accounts that means you won’t quite be experiencing the full potential offered by a Virtual Private Network.
In contrast, with CyberGhost, you’ll be able to enjoy a full-featured account for more than a month safe in the knowledge that if it doesn’t work for you, you’ll be able to apply for a refund from the company in minutes.
Like NordVPN and Express VPN, CyberGhost offers 24/7 live chat with its customer service team so no matter what time it is – you’ll be able to get your problem resolved.
CyberGhost also offers a free tier, if you want to use that to dip your toes in the water, before signing-up to one of its best value bundles (these arrive with the 45-day money-back guarantee, as the pricier rolling one-month subscription only has a 14-day refund period).
Elsewhere, CyberGhost offers a pretty competitive package compared to its rivals. You’ll be able to manually change your location to some 91 different countries around the world – that’s the second-highest number, falling behind only Express VPN in our definitive list of VPNs. For those who need to travel virtually to far-flung destinations, CyberGhost is a brilliant choice.
It also has more than 7,700 servers across those 91 countries – the highest of any provider on this list – so you should always be able to find a server that’s free from congestion, even during peak times.
Just as you’d expect from a service that encrypts your online traffic and keeps your web browsing safe from prying eyes, CyberGhost makes some lofty promises about data security. “When using the CyberGhost VPN, we have no idea about your traffic data such as browsing history, traffic destination, data content, and search preferences. These are not monitored, recorded, logged or stored by us,” CyberGhost says.
Better yet, it doesn’t store your credit card information (VISA, Mastercard, AMEX, and Discover are all supported), either. Everything is processed by a third-party payment processor. Of course, there are a number of other ways to pay for your VPN subscription, including PayPal, Bitcoin, and Apple Pay for a one-tap checkout process. Unfortunately, Android users lose out as there’s no support for Google Pay right now.
CyberGhost VPN
CyberGhost VPN is clearly confident about its offering, the VPN provider not only includes the longest money-back guarantee period of any firm in this list (a whopping 45-days compared to the standard 30-day refund period) but it also offers a free seven-day trial when you download its mobile app on iOS or Android. With 91 countries and more than 7,500 servers available, there’s no shortage of choice with this nifty VPN
24/7 Customer Support: Yes | 45-Day Money-Back Guarantee
View Deal
PIA (Private Internet Access) VPN – A Secure VPN With Huge Discounts Available
Private Internet Access VPN might not have the snappiest name, but it does have some very exciting features at a low cost. Like the other VPN providers in this article, Private Internet Access (PIA) offers a 30-day money-back guarantee and 24/7 access to customer service if you need to take them up on that offer. That means you should feel confident signing up for a longer contract …handy, as that’s the best way to secure the biggest discounts from PIA.
PIA never keeps any usage logs – it doesn’t store any details on its customers. That’s important as one of the key reasons to install a Virtual Private Network onto your machine is to protect your privacy. Unlike a number of the other providers in this list, PIA is headquartered in a country where law enforcement can request access to data logs.
Based in the United States, PIA circumvents this issue by never storing any information on customers’ browsing history. There have been a number of real-life cases where law enforcement requested data on its customers, but PIA was unable to provide any information on the cases.
Used by 15 million customers worldwide, PIA not only encrypts and secures your online activity. Like the other VPNs in the list, PIA makes it easy to manually change your IP address to make it appear as if you’re based abroad. That means you can access streaming services, sports fixtures as well as boxsets and films not available in your current location. PIA doesn’t place any limits on the amount of bandwidth that can be routed via its secure VPN – perfect for those who want to binge hours of content.
One clever feature that PIA offers to customers is a dedicated IP address. This offers all of the benefits of a VPN – accessing restricted content, stream boxsets from overseas, hide your online activity from your ISP and other prying eyes – but swerves some of the headaches that can crop-up with other VPNs. For example, if you’re using a different IP address each time you login online, you might find yourself confronted with CAPTCHAs and other security checks as your favourite sites think you’re logging in from an unknown location (a possible sign of fraud). A dedicated IP address resolves this in the same way as logging in without a VPN prevents these headaches.
PIA has dedicated apps for all of the usual platforms – Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS, games consoles and Smart TVs, as well as Chrome, Opera and FireFox web browser extensions too. If there isn’t a dedicated app for the device you’re using, PIA offers software for Wi-Fi routers. If you install this, it’ll ensure that every device that connects to your Wi-Fi network will be tunnelled through a secure VPN connection.
When it comes to payment, there is a truckload of options available.
Like most of the providers in this list, PIA accepts all major credit cards, including Visa, Mastercard and AMEX. Paypal and Amazon Pay are also available, which should make the checkout process frictionless if you already have an account with these providers. Anonymous payment methods, such as cryptocurrencies are also accepted.
PIA accepts a wider variety of cryptocurrencies compared with some of the other suppliers in this list, with Bitcoin, Ethereum, Bitpay, Litecoin and Bitcoin Cash all payment options. Uniquely, PIA accepts third-party gift cards from Starbucks, Walmart, Best Buy, and more as payment too.
Private Internet Access (PIA) VPN
If you’re willing to sign-up to a longer contract, PIA has some mind-boggling savings available. And with 24/7 customer service and a 30-day money-back guarantee, there’s no reason to be nervous about a three-year deal with this great VPN provider. With features like a dedicated IP address and split-tunnelling, there’s a lot to like
24/7 Customer Support: Yes | 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee: Yes
View Deal
ProtonVPN – Solid VPN With Free Subscription Available
Unlike the other VPNs we’ve covered so far in this article, ProtonVPN boasts an entirely free subscription. If you’re unsure about how a Virtual Private Network will work for you, this is a great way to dip your toe into the water. While there are a number of free VPNs available, as you might expect, these usually arrive with a long, long list of limitations in a bid to push people to the paid subscription tiers (for example, companies will restrict the amount of data that can be accessed via the VPN, limits to the number of devices that can be signed-in with your account, a limited number of servers available… the list goes on and on) but ProtonVPN is a rare exception.
Of course, there are limitations on the free account, but these are manageable.
When using the free account, ProtonVPN only offers three locations around the world: the United States, Japan and Netherlands. So, if you’re abroad and want to spoof your location back in the UK to access services not available outside of the country, you’re out of luck. Likewise, if you’re looking to connect to services only available in nations outside of the USA, Japan and Netherlands …you’d be better opting for one of the other providers mentioned in this article.
However, when it comes to streaming video, the United States is one of the most popular locations for VPN users. So, the fact that ProtonVPN includes the USA as part of its free subscription is a huge win.
Speaking of streaming video, ProtonVPN doesn’t limit the amount of data available to free subscribers. So, you can stream gigabytes of data via its encrypted connection without any penalty. This is the most common limitation placed on free subscriptions. With ProtonVPN, you’ll be able to binge a few boxsets, stream sports fixtures in crisp High Definition, and more without worrying about being forced to upgrade to a paid tier.
That said, free ProtonVPN subscribers won’t get quite the same experience as those with the paid suppliers listed above. That’s because the single biggest drawback with opting for the free subscription tier from ProtonVPN is that your online traffic will be de-prioritised compared to paying customers.
As such, during peak times, you can expect to see your download speeds dwindle as ProtonVPN ensures its paid subscribers enjoy a buffer-free experience. That’s understandable. After all, this won’t cost you anything – so you can’t really complain.
Like the other companies in this article, ProtonVPN has a number of apps available, including iOS and Android, Windows and Mac, and popular streaming gadgets, like the Fire TV Stick. So you should be able to get its VPN up-and-running on all of your gadgets without hassle.
ProtonVPN has strict data protection policies, with pledges not to log any information about your online activity. And if you do want to switch to its paid subscription tiers, there are some solid deals available for those willing to sign-up to longer contracts.
If you do want to upgrade to one of the paid subscriptions, there are a number of payment plans available. Those who sign-up for the longer contracts will unlock the best discounts. You can pay for your membership with Paypal, all major credit card providers, and Bitcoin.
ProtonVPN Free
If you’re unsure whether subscribing to a Virtual Private Network, VPN, will boost your video streaming habits – why not try a free subscription to dip your toe in the water? Unlike most free providers, ProtonVPN doesn’t limit the amount of data that you can use, which is perfect for streaming. Your download speeds might be a little lacklustre compared to paid options in this article, including from ProtonVPN itself, but that’s not an issue if you’re using this provider as a trial
24/7 Customer Support: No | One-Month, One-Year, and Two-Year Plans Available | 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee: Yes
View Deal
ProtonVPN Plus
If you’re willing to pay its subscription fee, ProtonVPN unlocks a bevvy of brilliant features, including up to 10 devices signed-up with your account, download speeds of up to 10Gbps (that’s 140x faster than the average home broadband in the UK), 1,000 servers in 63 countries, and a dedicated “secure streaming” feature
24/7 Customer Support: No | One-Month, One-Year, and Two-Year Plans Available | 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee: Yes
View Deal
Which VPN Is The Safest?
Given that one of the main selling points of connecting to the web with a VPN is that it shields your activity from outside eyes, it’s important to question the security of the Virtual Private Network provider. Our top pick – NordVPN – is incredibly safe to use. It doesn’t record any data from your activity, which includes connection timestamps, the amount of bandwidth used during your most recent session, or the IP addresses used to connect.
As mentioned above, NordVPN limits the number of devices that subscribers can connect to at any one time. Of course, in order to determine how many devices you’re using at any one time, NordVPN has to collect some data when you connect. According to the firm, “an algorithm keeps their username and the timestamp of the last session status while the session is active. This data is wiped within 15 minutes after the session is terminated”.
If that makes you a little nervous, NordVPN has proven how committed it is to security by basing the company in the British Virgin Islands. That location isn’t a coincidence, the British Virgin Islands have no data retention laws, so it’s not legally required to collect information about its customers and their habits.
It’s worth remembering that without a Virtual Private Network, your Internet Service Provider (ISP) can see everything you do online – every website, the amount of time spent on each site, and the frequency that you head online. So, even with the small amount of data collected to ensure that you’re not signed into too many devices, you’re still much safer online with a VPN installed.
Does Using A VPN Change My Internet Speed?
Yes, most likely. Encrypting all of your internet traffic adds an extra step in the process, which impacts the amount of time that passes between clicking a button in your web browser and your request being received by the website itself. On top of this, the further that your data has to travel, the slower the connection will be. If everything you’re doing online is being routed via Missouri in the United States, that’s going to slow things down even further.
One of the biggest differentiators between VPNs is how much they alter your internet speed. In our testing, NordVPN and ExpressVPN provided the fastest connections, with SurfShark – which, admittedly, has both of the two others in this list beaten when it comes to pricing – resulting in slightly slower connections.
Most VPNs will allow you to customise which apps use their services when connecting online. For example, you might want your social media accounts to connect to the internet without a VPN. After all, this means you’ll be able to refresh your social feed much faster and can easily tag yourself in specific locations. However, you might want all of your video streaming services, like Prime Video and Netflix, to default to the VPN.
Can I Get A Free Trial With A VPN?
NordVPN, ExpressVPN and SurfShark VPN all offer a 30-day money-back guarantee, so if there are any issues with the VPN within the first month, you’ll be able to get a refund. While that’s not quite a free trial, it does mean you should feel peace of mind when signing up to a longer contract, like a one-year or two-year plan. That’s good because it’s only when agreeing to these longer contracts that you’ll unlock the biggest discounts available. You can save up to 80 percent compared to a monthly rolling contract.
NordVPN, ExpressVPN and SurfShark VPN all offer 24/7 customer service too, so no matter where you’re located in the world, you’ll be able to get hold of someone to help fix your issue. Sure, it’s not quite as good as a week of free access to the VPN, but it’s a good compromise that should ensure you feel confident at checkout.
CyberGhost VPN does offer a free trial for seven days. It’s available on desktop and mobile, including the iOS and Android app. Unlike some providers, including Proton VPN, which offer a free subscription tier, CyberGhost VPN includes everything that you’d get with a paid subscription. With no limitations, that means you’ll be able to enjoy the same experience as paid subscribers. It means you’ll be able to really test how a Virtual Private Network fits with your devices and habits.
What Is Split-Tunnelling?
Split-Tunnelling is an advanced feature built into most top-tier VPNs that allow you to pick and choose which websites and streaming apps are re-routed via the encrypted Virtual Private Network. This is especially useful if you want to leverage the VPN to manually change your IP address. For example, while you might want to change the IP address for some streaming services – like Netflix, which offers different catalogues of boxsets and movies in different countries – there could be others that don’t play nice with the new location – BBC iPlayer doesn’t work when you’re outside of the UK. Split-Tunnelling allows you to do exactly that.
Our top pick, NordVPN, supports Split-Tunnelling in a number of its most popular apps, including iPhone, Android and Fire TV Stick. However, all of the other VPN providers in this article also support the feature.
What Is The Best VPN In 2021?
We’ve been testing VPNs for a little while now, and our top pick in 2021 was the brilliant NordVPN (that’s the same VPN service we’re recommending in 2022).
If you’re new to Virtual Private Networks, NordVPN is a brilliant starting point, with its gorgeous mobile apps for Android, iOS, Mac, Windows, iPadOS, Amazon Fire TV, and more. Encrypting all of the data transmitted over your Wi-Fi connection takes a single tap and you’ll be able to quickly change your location to anywhere on the map, thanks to the 5,000 available servers worldwide. NordVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee if you’re not completely satisfied and there is a team of customer service representatives available 24-hours a day to help you out with any issues that crop up.
NordVPN also offers a great balance between low monthly prices, a brilliant service, and feature-packed software. While it’s not the cheapest on the market, it’s more affordable than its nearest rival: ExpressVPN. And you’ll also benefit from split-tunnelling (so you can set a location for some applications, like Netflix, while keeping another IP address for others, like Google Maps, where it makes sense to remain in your current location), fast video streaming speeds, and built-in malware protection to shield you from computer viruses.
What Is The Best Free VPN?
There are a number of free VPNs out there, which offer many of the best features of a Virtual Private Network without costing you a penny. We’ve rounded up the best picks in our best free VPNs guide. However, it’s worth noting that many of these free VPNs restrict functionality to prompt users to upgrade to the paid plans. As such, you might struggle with these free services – leaving you unable to watch your favourite show due to the limited bandwidth, or be unable to watch unblocked Netflix due to the limited locations available when manually changing your IP address. Since a number of the most popular VPNs offer a 30-day money-back guarantee (and 24/7 customer service to help refund you), then there’s no risk signing up for a paid plan with the complete suite of features. Find the latest VPN prices below…
1/ NordVPN
NordVPN is our pick for the best VPN provider on the planet. With its beautifully designed apps, NordVPN makes it simple to protect yourself online and unlock streaming catalogues from around the world. It has software for iOS and Android, Windows and Mac, Fire TV Stick, and even your Wi-Fi router. The company is so committed to privacy that it’s headquartered in Panama, which has no data retention laws – so NordVPN isn’t required to keep any data about you on record
24/7 Customer Support: Yes | One-Month, One-Year, and Two-Year Plans Available | 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee: Yes
View Deal
2/ ExpressVPN
Closely behind NordVPN is ExpressVPN, which is one of the pricier options on the market. However, ExpressVPN offers a premium service to its subscribers, with servers in more countries than any other provider on this list. For those who need to switch their IP address to somewhere off the beaten track, ExpressVPN is a must-buy. Like NordVPN, you can expect 24/7 customer support
24/7 Customer Support: Yes | One-Month, Six-Months, and One-Year Plans Available | 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee: Yes
View Deal
3/ Surfshark VPN
Surfshark VPN is the final VPN provider to nab a place on our podium. Surfshark provides some of the best value bundles available of any VPN – with monthly subscriptions dropping below £2 with some deals. Despite that low price, Surfshark offers something that neither NordVPN or ExpressVPN can match: an unlimited number of devices connected to the same account. Yes, that means you can use your login on any number of iOS, Android, Windows, games consoles, streaming dongles, or Wi-Fi routers
24/7 Customer Support: Yes | One-Month, Six-Months, and Two-Year Plans Available | 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee: Yes
View Deal
4/ CyberGhost VPN
CyberGhost VPN is clearly confident about its offering, the VPN provider not only includes the longest money-back guarantee period of any firm in this list (a whopping 45-days compared to the standard 30-day refund period) but it also offers a free seven-day trial when you download its mobile app on iOS or Android. With 91 countries and more than 7,500 servers available, there’s no shortage of choice with this nifty VPN
24/7 Customer Support: Yes | One-Month, One-Year, Two Years, Three Year Plans Available | 45-Day Money-Back Guarantee: Yes
View Deal
5/ Private Internet Access (PIA) VPN
If you’re willing to sign-up to a longer contract, PIA has some mind-boggling savings available. And with 24/7 customer service and a 30-day money-back guarantee, there’s no reason to be nervous about a three-year deal with this great VPN provider. With features like a dedicated IP address and split-tunnelling, there’s a lot to like
24/7 Customer Support: Yes | One-Month, One-Year, Three Year Plans Available | 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee: Yes
View Deal
6/ ProtonVPN
If you’re unsure whether subscribing to a Virtual Private Network, VPN, will boost your video streaming habits – why not try a free subscription to dip your toe in the water? Unlike most free providers, ProtonVPN doesn’t limit the amount of data that you can use, which is perfect for streaming. Your download speeds might be a little lacklustre compared to paid options in this article, including from ProtonVPN itself, but that’s not an issue if you’re using this provider as a trial
24/7 Customer Support: No | One-Month, One-Year, and Two-Year Plans Available | 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee: Yes
Source: Read Full Article