Best VPN Service 2023: Tested by Experts

Today the internet has become a necessity in the world, and internet security is equally essential. You may use a Wi-Fi router with a firewall and antivirus software to keep viruses away for securing your home network. However, this combination can be strengthened by subscribing to a VPN service.

A VPN or a Virtual Private Network conceals your original IP address and then encrypts your entire data that leaves or returns to your computer. This makes it impossible for cybercriminals to track your system and hack it. Also check Best VPN for College Students.

Now you might think, what about the VPN? Where can we find it, and how can we opt for the best one? There are several brands in the market, so deciding which one can be the best option can be tricky. But don’t you worry, because we‘ve got all the information sorted out for you.

Best VPN Service of 2022

When we think about VPNs, we can’t just opt for the one that has a massive marketing budget. There are some well-performing and affordable VPNs too, that can quickly leave high-end brands behind. Here we have lined up the top VPNs for your that will be suitable for your internet security.

Surfshark – Best VPN for Torrenting

Surfshark offers its users to run multiple connections simultaneously. Due to unique features, it has achieved the top spot in VPNs, which is too affordable. Even if you connect all your devices, you’ll still be covered.

Its network of servers is constantly growing, with around 1041 servers in 61 countries across the world that has fast speeds. It offers features like Camouflage mode, NoBorders mode, Kills switch, split tunneling, double encryption, and a built-in security suite that makes your experience more safe and secure than your expectations.

Moreover, along with premium value for money, it offers incredible discounts for long-term plans and provides a 30-days money-back guarantee if you are not satisfied.

Features

• Number of servers: 3,200-plus
• Number of server locations: 65
• Jurisdiction: British Virgin Islands
• $2.49 a month (81% discount) for a two-year plan

ExpressVPN – Editor’s Choice for Best VPN Overall

We all want speed, reliability, and safety when we come to VPNs; in this case, ExpressVPN has got all of this in its package. They have 1005 assurance on their service that they even offer you a 30-days money-back guarantee. Also, ExpressVPN has made it to the top rank in various online tests. It has been providing over 3000 servers, with a span of 160 locations. The speed offered is incredible and is an excellent option for streamers.

Moreover, ExpressVPN enables you to choose the data that you want to be encrypted, and it allows you to leave some information if needed. The Media Streamer feature will allow you to pass through robust geo-blocks while traveling, and its P2P connections make your torrent experience hassle-free.

Features

• Number of IP addresses: 30,000
• Number of servers: 3,000-plus in 160 locations
• Number of simultaneous connections: 5
• Country/jurisdiction: British Virgin Islands
• 94-plus countries
• 3 months free with a 1-year plan, plus a free year of Backblaze cloud backup (limited time offer)

NordVPN – Best for Encryption

NordVPN strikes a balance between price and performance. If you want an overall value for your investment, then this is an option for you. It is registered in Panama and utilizes AES-256 encryption and IKEv2/IPSec protocols for keeping your data safe and secure. Moreover, all privacy-conscious users may love this VPN as it doesn’t log any sensitive information.

You may also look at How to Download a VPN and Watch Netflix

Other features of NordVPN include two kill switches, adblocking, customizable DNS settings, and malware. This network has servers that span over 55 countries, including 5390 servers, to reroute the traffic. This network enables users to have exceptional geo-unblocking and the highest speeds possible. Its SmartPlay DNS settings allow you to stream without hassle and providers 24/7 chat support to its customers in case of any problem.

Features

• Number of IP addresses: 5,000
• Number of servers: 5,200-plus servers
• Number of server locations: 62
• Country/jurisdiction: Panama
• 62 countries
• $3.75 a month (68% discount) for a 2-year plan

Private Internet Access – The Best VPN for Windows

Private Internet Access has gained popularity due to its highly secure network, affordable pricing, and high-end security. It is simple to use with no fancy interface and provides military-grade encryption with supporting multiple VPN protocols. This VPN has a network of around 3200 servers in 46 countries, enabling the VPN to deal with the high-speed needs of the users.

The VPN offers other features like geo-blocking buster, malware blocker, around ten simultaneous connections, a vast range of device compatibility, live chat support, and a vast collection of tutorials, guides, and FAQs. Like all other VPNs, it offers a 30-day money-back guarantee to its new subscribers.

Features

• 24/7 support: Yes
• Trial period: 30 days
• Number of servers: 35,000+
• Server locations: 100
• Countries: 78
• Maximum devices supported: 10

ProtonVPN – Good VPN for Torrenting

Located in Geneva, Switzerland, the ProtonVPN company. The rules protecting personal privacy in Schweiz are recognized to be robust. While not a Five Eyes Alliance member, they do collaborate on law enforcement requests in the Five Eyes Partner Countries. On the other hand, Swiss legislation does not compel VPNs to maintain user data logs, so that ProtonVPN does not have a rigid policy of no data logging.

ProtonVPN provides a transparency report on its website, which reveals user information every time a third party requests it. In their latest transparency report, only one application, authorized by Swiss authorities, was received in 2019.

Features

• Number of servers: 1,259
• 55 countries
• Country/jurisdiction: Switzerland
• 30-day money-back guarantee
• Plus Package: $8 per month ($96 charged yearly)

Hotspot Shield – Well Suited VPN for Netflix

Hotspot Shield proved us with the fastest speed on both Mac and Windows machines when it came to Netflix-watching parties. Also, when using the app on our Android smartphones that proved useful on commutes, we had no major delays or glitches in Netflix. In addition, Hotspot Shield offers a free solution for people who don’t want to spend money on VPNs, but it is limited to a daily data maximum of 500 MB, which can make it Netflix and other streaming services difficult to watch movies and TV episodes.

You say there is no free lunch, yet there is a free option on Android with Hotspot Shield. This option works for many customers and has a bandwidth cap of 500MB per day, which means that it is not appropriate for Netflix and for torrenting files.

Also check Best Free VPNs for iPhone

Features

• Servers: 3,200-plus in 82 locations
• Country/Jurisdiction: US (Five Eyes member)
• Platforms: Windows, Android, macOS, iOS, Linux, Amazon Fire TV ($40 at Amazon)
• Price: $8 per month or $95.88 billed annually. Month-to-month plan at $13

IPVanish – Best VPN for Android

IPVanish performed really well with the powerful encryption technology, amazing download speeds, and split-tunneling on Android devices. Moreover, IPVanish offers great customer support, available 24/7 by email, telephone, and live chat, as opposed to many other VPN enterprises in the industry.

Connecting was really simple and intuitive and users had no issues or crashes. We appeared to agree with other iPhone users since the app had a 4.5 grade from more than 42,000 reviews.

Features

• Number of IP addresses: 40,000-plus
• Number of servers: 1,600-plus
• Number of server locations: 75-plus
• Number of simultaneous connections: Unlimited
• Country/jurisdiction: US
• $5.20 a month (57% discount) for a one-year plan

CyberGhost – A Great VPN for Mac

CyberGhost is equipped with more than 5,500 servers in 90 countries. You probably won’t have problems connecting wherever you are on the globe. The company is located in Romania and has essentially no data retention rules in its own right, making it not a privacy concern.

CyberGhost is a powerful, feature-packed, but still user-friendly VPN service with great Mac support. The mobile app is not at all at that level but is nice enough to unblock Netflix and other services.

Features

• Number of servers: Over 6,800 worldwide in 89-plus countries
• Number of server locations: 111
• Jurisdiction: Romania, with UK parent company
• Number of simultaneous connections: five
• $2.25 a month for a three-year plan, or $3.49 a month for a two-year plan

Encrypt.me – Best VPN With Unlimited Devices

Encrypt.me uses the open-sourced VPN software OpenVPN on Macs and Androids. This established safe tunnels to conceal our online traffic, combining speed with security and encryption of 256-bit. Moreover, you might use the L2TP, the PPTP, IKEv2/IPSec, or SSTP protocols to set Encrypt.me as we wanted to.

The only drawback is poor speeds and their data logging policy.

Features

• Allows 5+ Simultaneous Connections: Yes
• 500+ Servers: No
• Geographically Diverse Servers: No
• Blocks Ads: No
• Free Version: No
• Server Locations: 75 Countries

Norton Secure VPN – Bundled With Great VPN Features

Norton allows you to pick a monthly or yearly membership that will renew for a longer period of both. It is also possible to pick a plan for one, five, or ten devices. Five represents the average industry for the number of simultaneous subscription connections allowed. This flexibility is appreciated by everyone since it allows clients to adjust the supply to their needs.

Although Norton Secure VPN gives all VPN promises, competing providers provide greater privacy options. Certain VPNs provide multi-hop connections to ensure that communication is not intercepted through two VPN servers. Others offer split-tunneling to indicate what traffic is and does not pass over the VPN, while some offer access to the Tor network.

Features

• Number of countries: 29
• Number of servers: 1,500 (1,200 virtual)
• Number of server locations: 200 in 73 cities
• Country/jurisdiction: US
• $40 for the first 12 months

TunnelBear – Good Free VPN

Tunnelbear will offer 500 MB of data on 5 different devices with the free membership option. Although this was not enough to watch TV or listen to music, it surely was our main task for web surfing and there were reasonable monthly and annual plans when we wished to improve. Tunnelbear shows that they have no logging policy.

TunnelBear is excellent enough to mask your ordinary traffic but not good if you want to play and download films and series. TunnelBear is not a good VPN for streaming.

Features

• Average speed loss: 63%
• Number of servers: 1,800 in 23 countries
• Jurisdiction: Canada, with US parent company
• Price: $3.33 per month, or $120, for a three-year plan

FastestVPN – Best VPN for Fire TV Stick

If FastestVPN doesn’t have high speeds, it would be absurd, and though they weren’t the quickest, it was up there. On our Mac, we have really seen no increase in FastestVPN latency, a rareness, and the VPN has also been successful on Windows. So you should not expect major downs while connected with FastestVPN whether you have a Mac or Windows OS.

Their Strict Logging Policy is great. FastestVPN totally erases your e-mail address from their databases once you have disabled the account.

Features

• P2P Optimized Servers.
• Unlimited Server Switching.
• Malware Protection.
• Adblocker.
• NAT Firewall.
• 256-bit AES Encryption.
• No-Log Policy.
• 10 Simultaneous Logins.

Conclusion

The VPNs mentioned above are some of the top ones that have had good reviews and performance compatibility. However, when it is about your digital security, whatever precautions you take, you can’t be cautious enough as there is no foolproof plan that you can follow. All that can be done is to try our best and taking the necessary precautions that we can.

Frequently Asked Questions