Online security is more important today than ever before. One common method for protecting yourself online is the use of a Virtual Private Network — or VPN for short. It allows you to safely send information when using public networks via a group of networked computers and faraway servers. Not all VPNs are the same, however, so we took some time to find the best VPN services.

Further reading

That said, signing up for free VPN services — especially those dedicated to mobile apps — can be a risky business. Know that all “free” services are making money off of you somehow, whether it be from advertisements or something less innocuous, such as selling user activity data. The best VPNs typically promise no activity or user logs … but they come with fees.

We’ve scoured the web for reviews, testimonials, and statistics on which are the best VPN choices. Then we tried out the services for ourselves, taking notes on ease of use and testing network speeds. Keeping all of these factors in mind, these are the services that stood out.

Private Internet Access

Private Internet Access does everything you could want from a good VPN. It hides your IP address, protects your information, and scrambles your browsing activity using a variety of encryption methods. It also tends to have one of the best VPN sales for Black Friday and similar events.

We tested Private Internet Access using its Windows installer, which configures the VPN protocols and provides a simple utility in the taskbar to turn the VPN connection on and off. While the interface was spartan, the performance was excellent. Our test system consistently maintained over 110 Mb/s download and 19 Mb/s upload speeds with the VPN connection turned on, very close to our usual 125 Mb/s download and 20 Mb/s upload speeds.

On the downside, Netflix complained about a proxy and Amazon Prime Video wouldn’t play due to a geographical restriction. These errors occurred whether we used the automatic setting or selected a local U.S.-based server. However, Private Internet Access claims that users can get “unrestricted access to all the content you want” since their VPN service supports Netflix and “all other major streaming services.”

• Cost: $12 on a monthly basis, $40 for an annual subscription ($3 monthly), $79 for three years ($2 monthly)
• Number of servers: 32,839
• Number of server locations: 101 locations among 78 countries
• Clients supported: Windows, MacOS, Linux, iOS, Android — several browser extensions
• Number of simultaneous connections: Up to 10

TorGuard

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With a name like TorGuard, the software better offer strong protection. The software’s hallmarks lie in its ability to connect to a melange of services for different activities, with four different packages available based on various needs. The VPN service will run you $10 each month, which includes port forwarding, OpenVPN obfuscation, malware blocking, and no activity logs. Like most VPN services, the program will prevent websites from viewing your personal IP address, thus preventing others from identifying you or your geographic location.

The TorGuard Windows client was easy to install and made quick work of connecting to a VPN server, including the ability to choose a server location prior to connecting. The internet speed on our test system dropped from our usual 125 Mb/s download to 53 Mb/s, and our upload ran at 17 Mb/s compared to our usual 20 Mb/s. That’s not the best performance in our testing, but all internet services that we tested worked without a hitch, including Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.

• Cost: $10/month for Anonymous VPN ($60 for the annual package); Anonymous Email service plans start at $9 per month; Business VPN plans usually start at $32 per month (when not on sale); Streaming Bundle plans are $22 per month ($121 annually)
• Number of servers: 3,000+
• Number of server locations: 50+ countries
• Clients supported: Windows, MacOS, Linux, iOS, Android
• Number of simultaneous connections: Up to eight for Anonymous VPN (non-business) users

NordVPN

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With three different VPN protocols (IKEv2/IPsec, OpenVPN, and NordLynx), it’s easy to see that NordVPN values your privacy. But the company has also worked hard to build up its server network to include more than 5,400 servers in 59 countries around the world. The service also comes with split tunneling, a kill switch feature for when you lose your connection, and you can use up to six devices simultaneously. If you’re not familiar, split tunneling is the ability to whitelist some activities to bypass the VPN for better performance.

From protected DNS queries to automatic kill switches, NordVPN wants you to know that your information won’t fall into the wrong hands: It’s also one of the most open VPNs about exactly what servers it offers in what countries, and provides 24/7 live chat support for questions. The company has recently improved its platform support, adding in iOS and Android and thus overcoming its one weakness.

The NordVPN client provided one of the most attractive interfaces, and connecting to a VPN server was straightforward and very quick. We found performance to be somewhat spotty, however, with our fastest connection running at 53 Mb/s down and 26 Mb/s up, compared to 125 Mb/s down and 20 Mb/s with the VPN connection turned off. We did have an issue connecting to Netflix, but Amazon Prime Video ran without issue. Our other internet tests went without a hitch.

• Cost: $12 per month; $59 for the first year; $99 for the first two years of service
• Number of servers: 5,410
• Number of server locations: 59 countries
• Clients supported: Windows, MacOS, Linux, iOS, Android (including Android TV), a few browser extensions, and a whole host of other devices
• Number of simultaneous connections: Up to six

ExpressVPN

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ExpressVPN’s “#1 Trusted Leader in VPN” claim may be a bit difficult to prove, but the service offers a compelling list of features nonetheless. It also constantly tries to make consistent improvements in speed and simultaneous streaming capabilities, and with support for all major platforms (Windows, MacOS, Android, etc.), you won’t need to worry about compatibility. ExpressVPN shows up on a number of “best VPN” lists, and so its relatively high prices seem justified.

The more than 3,000 servers are all well placed throughout common travel destinations and urban centers. Any package will land you high-speed unlimited bandwidth and 24-hour customer service. With so many features, including bypassing ISP throttling and split tunneling, it’s no wonder this vendor is considered among the best — although you should note that ExpressVPN only supports up to five simultaneous connections with a single subscription, which is the least of the services on our list. But they also provide a workaround of sorts for that: If you install ExpressVPN on your router, your router can protect all of your devices and the router only counts as one device towards your subscription, regardless of how many other devices are connected to that router. This way, you can have more than five devices protected at once.

Setting up ExpressVPN and connecting to a VPN server was easy enough. Performance, when connected to the VPN server, was average at 49 Mb/s down and 16 Mb/s up, compared to our usual speeds of 125 Mb/s down and 20 Mb/s up. Netflix complained about a proxy being in use when we used the automatic configuration option, but it worked fine when we manually selected a local U.S. server. Amazon Prime Video played just fine, and our other internet tests completed without issue.

• Cost: $8/month when billed annually; $10/month when billed every six months; $13/month when billed monthly
• Number of servers: 3,000+
• Number of server locations: 160 locations across 94 countries
• Clients supported: Windows, MacOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Consoles, Wi-Fi Routers, smart TVs, browser extensions
• Number of simultaneous connections: Up to five (but you can have more if you install ExpressVPN on your router)

ProtonVPN

Mark Coppock/Digital Trends

ProtonVPN is one of the newest VPN services, and it boasts some star-studded founding members. The company was founded at CERN, the birthplace of the internet, and grew out of the ProtonMail service that’s been protecting the email of activists and journalists for years. The service acts as a Swiss company and is thus free from the laws of the U.S. and the European Union. It’s also not a member of the “fourteen eyes surveillance network,” so user traffic isn’t logged and passes through privacy-friendly countries, so you needn’t worry about your true IP address being revealed.

Rather than the standard inexpensive-to-operate PPTP and L2TP/IPSec protocols, ProtonVPN only uses OpenVPN and IKEv2/IPSec protocols. You can use the service for free, but you’ll have to settle for a limit of three countries, one device, and medium speeds. Naturally, there are more robust paid plans available as well.

The recent introduction of Linux, iOS, and MacOS clients has significantly enhanced the service, making it compatible with the full suite of popular operating systems and platforms.

Installing and configuring ProtonVPN’s Windows client is simple enough to do, and it provides some of the best in-use statistics. At 39 Mb/s down and 18 Mb/s up (compared to the usual 125 Mb/s down and 18 Mb/s up), its performance was at the lower end of our comparison group. Amazon Prime Video and most of our other test services (except for Netflix) connected without a hitch.

• Cost: Free for a limited plan, you pay $4/month when billed annually for the Basic plan (two devices and high speeds, 43 countries). Next, you can pay $8/month when billed annually for the Plus plan (10 devices and the highest speeds, 55 countries). Lastly is the Visionary Plan, coming in at $24/month when billed annually (10 devices, mail account, all other Plus features)
• Number of servers: Depends on plan (up to 1,240)
• Number of server locations: Depends on plan (up to 55 countries)
• Clients supported: Windows, MacOS, iOS, Android, Linux
• Number of simultaneous connections: Up to 10 (only one with the free plan)

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