The VPN will then forward the request for you and forward the response from the website back through its secure connection. For more beginner-focused VPN help, we've demystified some of the jargon in our guide to all the VPN terms you need to know.
People who access the internet from a computer, tablet or smartphone will benefit from VPN usage. A VPN service will almost always boost your privacy by encrypting your online activity. Communications that happen between the VPN server and your device are encrypted, so an internet service provider or someone on your Wi-Fi network spying on you wouldn't know which webpages you access.
They also won't be able to see private information like passwords, usernames and bank or shopping details and so on. Anyone who wants to protect their privacy and security online should use a VPN. Let's look at each of our VPN vendors below in more depth. Keep in mind that this is an evolving list: It's constantly being updated. We're actively working on more VPN testing and research, so expect this guide to change throughout the year as our VPN use continues and we put each option through its paces.
The list below presents our favorites in an overall ranking; if you want to see each top VPN judged by more specific criteria, check out the links below. You'll mostly find the same names you see here, but we'll call out when and where specific traits make for a better choice in a more narrow evaluation.
The VPN provider tells us its network is powered by TrustedServer technology, which ExpressVPN built to ensure that there are never any logs of users' online activities. In the privacy world, ExpressVPN has a strong track record, having experienced a server seizure by authorities which proved its zero-log policy true at the time. Unlike the others, though, ExpressVPN gained points from us for its support of Bitcoin as a payment method -- something not all of our favorites offer, but which adds an additional layer of privacy during checkout.
Read our ExpressVPN review. While Surfshark's network is smaller than some, the VPN service makes it up on features and speed. Let's start off with the biggest win it offers: unlimited device support. If you want to run your entire home or office on Surfshark's VPN, you don't have to worry about how many devices you have on or connected. It also offers antimalware, ad-blocking and tracker-blocking as part of its software.
And it's fast. Surfshark received generally high marks when its Chrome and Firefox extensions were audited for privacy by German security firm Cure 53 PDF link of full report -- though that audit was commissioned by Surfshark. Additional devices such as game consoles can be configured for Surfshark via DNS settings. We particularly like the feature that allows you to whitelist certain apps and websites to automatically bypass the VPN.
For some business uses, this can be critically important. Surfshark also offers three special modes designed for those who want to get around restrictions and more carefully hide their online footsteps.
Multihop jumps your connection through multiple countries to hide your trail. Finally, NoBorders Mode "allows [you] to successfully use Surfshark in restrictive regions.
Doing any of these three things could be illegal in your country and could result in severe penalties. Unlike many of the other VPN providers, Surfshark doesn't offer a one-year plan. Definitely take advantage of its generous day trial to decide if you like this service and if you choose the two-year plan, maybe set a reminder in 23 months to see if you can talk it into a continued discount rate.
Read our Surfshark VPN review. It offers a generous simultaneous connection count, with six simultaneous connections through its network, where nearly all other providers offer five or fewer.
We detected no privacy leaks during our tests. We found NordVPN's speeds were reliably fast. There were never any sudden dips or service interruptions, and where we expected the VPN to underperform, it proved itself up to the task. But it does have a full day refund policy. While NordVPN has lived on this list for a long time, we moved it to the penalty box in October to re-evaluate our recommendation after a report emerged that one of its rented servers was accessed without authorization in Nord's actions following the discovery included -- eventually -- multiple security audits, a bug bounty program and heavier investments in server security.
While we'd have preferred it if Nord had self-disclosed the issue much earlier, the fact that the breach was limited in nature and involved no user-identifying information served to further verify that NordVPN keeps no logs of user activity.
As a result, Nord remains on this list as a recommended vendor. Read our NordVPN review. When we speed-tested ProtonVPN, we saw an impressively small 9. Even more impressive is Proton's ability to reach those speeds despite a relatively small fleet of 1, servers in 55 countries.
Along with its options to send your traffic through a secure bunker of private servers, we love ProtonVPN's transparency policies: It's completely open-source with routinely published audits , and includes a built-in route to VPN into Tor servers.
On price, we'd like to see ProtonVPN come down a bit. Read our ProtonVPN review. A big win for IPVanish is its fun, configurable interface, which makes it an ideal client for those who are interested in learning how to understand what a VPN does under the hood.
Its multiplatform flexibility is also ideal for people focused on finding a Netflix-friendly VPN. We're a little disappointed that it only allows a seven-day trial, rather than a full 30 days, but it does offer a full money-back guarantee. That said, the company gets kudos for its recent increase from 10 to now-unlimited simultaneous connections. We also liked its connection kill-switch feature, a must for anyone serious about remaining anonymous while surfing.
Read our IPVanish review. Browse All Mac Articles Do I need one? Browse All Android Articles Browse All Smart Home Articles Customize the Taskbar in Windows Browse All Microsoft Office Articles What Is svchost. Browse All Privacy and Security Articles Browse All Linux Articles Browse All Buying Guides.
Best Portable Monitors. Best Gaming Keyboards. Best Drones. Best 4K TVs. Best iPhone 13 Cases. Best Tech Gifts for Kids Aged Best 8K TVs. Best VR Headsets. Best iPad Mini Cases. Best Gifts for Cutting the Cord. Best Bluetooth Speakers.
Awesome PC Accessories. Best Linux Laptops. Best Gaming Monitors. Best iPads. Best iPhones. Best External Hard Drives. Browse All News Articles. Smart TVs Ads. Team Comes to Workplace by Meta. Block People Spotify. That made it that much harder to track us online, from our personal emails to the items we bought on Etsy. No one needs to know about our obsession with vintage cookie jars, after all. After we downloaded the apps, we connected to nearby servers in seconds without any bugs or glitches.
Other Norton customers agree with us, as the Android app has a 4. Most of the above VPNs are on these lists, along with a few other options that we tested out and liked.
We made a video review so you can see the VPNs for yourself! People use VPNs all over the world, not just in the U. Other popular countries for VPN usage include:. Depending on your country, VPNs may or may not be legal, and countries also differ when it comes to net neutrality and blacklisting domains.
But as VPNs increase in popularity, we expect more international servers to be built than ever before. The entire point of downloading a VPN in the first place is to ensure your online anonymity, but some VPNs save more of your data than others.
For the large majority of VPNs, they will not track their users online in terms of the sites they visit, or any of their web traffic or activity. Another option? VPNs work by connecting the user to a private server as opposed to a public server. Most VPN companies have servers all around the world so users can connect as locally as possible; the closer the server, the faster the speeds while connected.
There are a number of reasons why anyone who uses the Internet needs a VPN, among them including:. VPNs are ideal for journalists, activists, whistleblowers, and anyone else that wants to be as anonymous as possible online. Of course, we recommend researching the VPN thoroughly before you connect, as not all are created equal.
A good place to start is our best VPN page; scroll up to see our favorite tried and tested picks. Sadly, not all VPN companies are trustworthy. Here are a few countries with complete or partial VPN bans:. While VPNs are certainly useful for millions of people, they also have their disadvantages, such as slower speeds. By having your data go through an additional server, you may experience decreases in download and upload speeds and increases in latency.
VPNs are a good example of undifferentiated products, 3 meaning that they are largely all similar in terms of their functionality, i. Want to learn more about how Security. Take a look at our methodology, which will truly make you an expert when it comes to Virtual Private Networks.
First, we start with the VPN itself, making sure it has all the features necessary to a VPN and putting it through speed and security tests. Like we say in individual reviews, we test all of our VPNs on a private Optimum network in our Brooklyn office.
Using only one device at a time, we make sure that our Internet speed without a VPN is an objective control to measure against. We also test everything on both a Macbook Air and a Windows Vivobook to give useful information to more readers. To test download speed, upload speed, and ping latency , we use the website SpeedTest. While download and upload speed are measured in megabits per second, latency is measured in milliseconds. After we determine these figures, we figure out the difference between the two measurements in terms of a percentage, as the natural speeds of Macs and Windows computers differ wildly.
So while we try to be as objective as possible, we also urge readers to take the speed test results with a grain of salt. Many people who use VPNs are doing so in order to protect their web traffic, composed of domain name servers names of websites and their respective IP addresses. Ideally, companies are based in countries that are non-members to Five Eyes, Nine Eyes, and 14 Eyes, international surveillance alliances that could legally force companies to hand over customer information.
We also look for private domain name servers and anonymous and dynamic IP addresses, as they are harder to track. Keep in mind that Netflix constantly updates its code to block any VPN connections, so there is no guarantee that it will ever work on a VPN. Another feature we look for is split tunneling, which allows users to access the VPN and the public network at the same time.
This allows for lower bandwidth, which can create faster speeds. We also prefer double or multi-hop VPNs, as they encrypt data multiple times through multiple servers. We prefer plans that offer monthly as well as annual options, to give users flexibility, and we also point out if they have a trial period or money-back guarantee, common for VPNs.
Finally, we outline what a subscription actually entails in terms of the numbers of server switches, simultaneous connections, and devices allowed. Typically, VPNs allow for unlimited server switches and devices and anywhere from one to unlimited simultaneous connections. Although VPN companies are not known for their customer support, ideally they have a live chat feature in addition to their online help center.
Finally, we review the app for both iPhone and Android, as well as its ratings. If an app has a rating below three stars, we cannot recommend the product to the device-owner which the app goes with. Compared to public Wi-Fi hotspots, our home networks are, for the most part, safer from hackers looking to steal our data. The U. Right this very moment, your internet provider could be sniffing through your browsing history, looking for data to sell.
VPNs have another useful application at home: entertainment. You can use some VPNs to access websites blocked in your country as well as digital content not available in your region. Watching shows from foreign Netflix libraries is a popular example, which brings us to the next question.
But in our testing, here are some VPNs that we used to Netflix and chill:. Before you open up Netflix, connect to your VPN so that no one will be able to see your web traffic and voila; you can binge privately. Breaking Bad , anyone? Think about the security standards of the web back in Did those even exist? It was developed by a consortium founded by Microsoft and was the standard for VPN connections back in the dial-up days.
PPTP, also known as point-to-point tunneling protocol, is over 20 years old by now. To establish a secure connection all you need is a username, password, and server address. For example, office buildings with older infrastructure, who need to internally secure data could use this connection. Or users who are running an older Windows operating system. When it was first released with Windows 95 there were a number of security weaknesses that were exploited.
This decryption also took place at the time when security experts considered PPTP secure. PPTP is usually only used today due to its high performance and stability. Think accessing geo-restricted content, or getting access to Netflix. It does have support for AES encryption algorithms, which are some of the most secure.
But, the stronger encryption protocols you use the slower your performance will be. This protocol is built into most desktop and mobile operating systems, which makes it easier to implement. So, additional configuration is needed if this is going to be used behind a firewall.
It does have an advantage in that this style of connection prevents the data from being accessed between the sender and receiver. So, this can help to prevent any middle-man hacking attempts.
IPSec encryption is secure. SoftEther is an open-source multi-protocol VPN software. Basically, you can set it up to run on your operating system of choice and use whichever VPN protocol you desire.
This unparalleled flexibility and support across multiple platforms have led to its insane growth. It utilizes bit AES encryption, which is one of the most secure forms of encryption available. It offers you a nice blend of performance and security. The implementation is small, making it a much more lightweight project in terms of the code base.
It only supports a single cryptographic suite, which keeps the design simple and leads to fewer security holes.
0コメント