If you are a firm believer in browsing the internet securely, then you know how crucial it is to have a reliable VPN service to safeguard your data and maintain your privacy online.
The internet is constantly swarming with snoopers, trackers, and other parties that might want to monitor your browsing activity, including the sites you visit, files downloaded, etc. In fact, your ISP is totally capable of doing this.
With countless VPN providers out there, it might be a little overwhelming trying to get the best pick. For that reason, we have outlined some of the best VPN providers that you might want to consider to give you a safe and secure browsing experience.
1. NordVPN
First on our list is NordVPN is a Lithuanian VPN service that is ranked one of the fastest and most reliable VPNs across the globe. With over 6200 servers in 60 countries, more than its competitors including Express VPN (more than 3000-plus in 64 countries), NordVPN is one of the most highly-ranked VPNs worldwide.
NordVPN uses AES 256-bit encryption technology to encrypt web traffic and shield it from your ISP and other parties that might want to spy on your web activities.
In addition, NordVPN offers a strict No-logs policy for increased online privacy. A “No-logs VPN” policy guarantees that no online activity logs are collected and stored.
Usage data usually has an abundance of sensitive personal information including, websites visited, connection date and duration, IP addresses, etc.
This data can be used to identify you and reveal your location and other confidential information. With the “No-logs VPN” policy, you can rest assured that your online activity is foolproof and safe from third-party entities.
While NordVPN is fundamentally a VPN in its own right, it goes a step further to offer a Double VPN feature, which is an advanced feature channels your traffic through two VPN servers, thereby encrypting your data twice.
Double encryption ensures more online privacy and that all your data is safeguarded using an added encryption layer.
Nord VPN is more than just a VPN. It adopts a 3-pronged threat protection approach through website and file protection as well as vulnerability detection.
Just like an AntiVirus, NordVPN inspects downloaded files for malware and quarantines them if they’re infected. When browsing, it blocks annoying ads and tracking apps that secretly prowl and collect personal and sensitive information, thereby improving your browsing experience.
NordVPN also offers AI-powered phishing detection tools to safeguard you from unintentionally visiting malicious websites.
A special feature offered by NordVPN is Onion over VPN, which combines the features of The Onion Router (Tor) with the added encryption that comes with using an encrypted VPN Tunnel.
Other features offered by NordVPN include:
- DNS leak protection.
- VPN apps for various devices including iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac.
- Automatic kill switch.
- Dark web monitor.
- Meshnet.
- Ability to secure up to 10 devices at the same time.
- Browser Extensions.
- Video streaming support with increased security.
- Dedicated IP addresses.
- 24/7 customer support.
Nord VPN has three distinct plans: monthly, 1-year, and 2-year plans. The monthly plan starts at $12.99, the yearly plan at $4.59 per month, and the 2-year plan at $3.69 per month. All subscriptions come with a 30-day money-back guarantee policy.
NordVPN is currently offering a special deal where you can get up to 69% off on their 2-year plans, plus an additional 3 months extra, which means you’ll get a significant discount on a 2-year subscription, along with three extra months of service added to your plan.
2. Express VPN
ExpressVPN is ranked as one of the fastest and most reliable VPNs used by millions of users worldwide. It boasts a wide coverage with over 3000 ultra-fast servers in 105 countries spread across the Americas, Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.
ExpressVPN offers lightning speeds of up to 300 Mbps ideal for 4K UHD video streaming. You can comfortably enjoy streaming your favorite movies or TV shows on platforms such as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime.
Like NordVPN, Express VPN offers AES 256-bit encryption technology, the standard trusted by industry security experts.
Just like a standard VPN, Express VPN lets you safely bypass geo-restricted websites and keep your browsing private and secure. You also get an Adblocker for blocking annoying distracting ads that impact your browsing history.
Its ‘Smart Location‘ feature automatically selects the best VPN server location for you to ensure that you can securely enjoy your content at impressive speeds.
You also get the split tunneling feature that lets you decide what traffic should be routed through the VPN’s encrypted connection and what should travel outside it.
Just like NordVPN, ExpressVPN offers a “No-logs VPN” policy which ensures that your browsing activity remains private and secure.
Additional features include a password manager that lets you securely store your passwords on an online vault and a threat blocker that prevents your device from visiting malicious sites and being spied on by trackers and third-party entities.
ExpressVPN works on Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, Fire TV, and Apple TV. You are guaranteed to get a wholesome experience across these platforms whether you are a beginner or expert VPN user.
Express VPN offers monthly, bi-annual, and annual plans. The one-month subscription starts at $12.95, six months at $9.99, and 12 months at $8.32. All subscriptions are subject to a 30-day money-back guarantee policy.
In case of any issue, you can count on their 24/7 live human support to resolve any issue that you may be facing.
ExpressVPN is currently offering a special deal: when you purchase 12 months of their service, you’ll receive an additional 3 months for free, which means you’ll get a total of 15 months of VPN service for the price of 12.
3. PureVPN
Founded in 2007 and owned by GZ Systems Limited, PureVPN is a fast and secure VPN that provides a cool and elegant client design. It offers users the ability to choose between 6000+ VPN servers across more than 65 countries. You can connect to your nearest VPN for optimized speed, security, and privacy.
PureVPN offers a wealth of protocols with versatile roles centered around encryption and authentication. These include OpenVPN, IPSec/IKEv2, and WireGuard. Different protocols offer varying degrees of encryption, speed, and stability. For example, WireGuard is significantly better than OpenVPN across all metrics.
Like other VPN vendors, PureVPN lets you hide your IP from your ISP and other trackers. You can stream and access geo-restricted content from anywhere in the world and keep your online activity private and safe.
In addition, you can upload and download files with confidentiality using a hidden IP address. Although PureVPN claims that it never logs its data, in 2017, it provided data to the FBI that led to the arrest of an individual for cyberstalking.
You can install PureVPN across most platforms including Windows, Linux, iOS, Mac, and other Apple devices. It provides 3 plans: Monthly, 1-year, and 2-year plans.
PureVPN is currently running a special deal where you can get up to 81% off, along with 4 extra months of service.
4. ProtonVPN
Proton VPN is a VPN service developed by Proton AG, a Swiss-based company, and has been around since 2017. It’s regarded as a fast, secure, and powerful VPN that you can use to encrypt your online activity and stay safe.
Proton VPN prides itself in having an extensive network with over 4,462 servers spread across 85 countries with a total of 5,221 Gbps capacity.
It offers advanced security and privacy features that guarantee privacy and anonymity while browsing. You can bypass sophisticated censorship and seamlessly access geo-restricted content with 10Gbps server speeds.
Proton VPN leverages ciphers that provide Perfect Forward Secrecy, which implies that encrypted traffic cannot be intercepted and decrypted by third parties for analysis.
In addition, it also integrates with the Tor Onion network, allowing you to route all your traffic through the Tor network for added security and anonymity.
Apart from just being a VPN, Proton VPN offers anti-virus features. For example, it provides Netshield Ad-blocker which protects you from annoying ads, and malware and keeps website trackers at bay as you enjoy your time browsing.
All the VPNs we have discussed so far only offer a free one-month trial upon which you will be billed once the trial period expires. With Proton, you get a free VPN plan that is free forever without any ads or collection of logs. However, you can only use it on one device.
The premium version (Proton VPN Plus) provides additional features including:
- Split tunneling
- Custom DNS
- Connection of up to 10 devices at a time
- VPN accelerator
- High-speed streaming across sites such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime etc
- P2P support
- 3600+ servers across 85+ countries
You can install Proton VPN apps across almost any platform including Windows, MacOS, Linux, ChromeOS, iOS, and Android.
5. Ivacy VPN
Compared to all of the VPNs we have discussed, Ivacy VPN is one of the most budget-friendly VPNs starting from as low as $9.95 for a monthly subscription.
With an expansive network of over 5700 servers in more than 100 countries, Ivacy VPN, offers standard VPN features including AES 256-bit encryption to secure your web traffic, access to geo-restricted websites, a ‘No-logs’ policy, split tunneling, and an internet kill-switch which halts your internet once your connection to the VPN suddenly drops.
In addition, you get advanced features such as IPv6 protection, DNS leak protection, and support for up to 10 devices simultaneously.
Ivacy VPN supports all major platforms including Windows, Linux, Android iOS, Kodi, PS4, and Roku.
Although a pretty secure, fast, and decent VPN, Ivacy VPN does not compare favorably when pitted against Nord VPN and Express VPN. There are numerous complaints about its speeds and it’s not the best for online gaming, torrenting, and streaming HD content.
Other limitations include a lack of WireGuard protocol and no VPN apps for Linux. With Linux, you have to manually configure the VPN.
Ivacy VPN is currently offering a fantastic deal, you can enjoy an 88% discount on Ivacy VPN’s services, along with access to a premium password manager.
Conclusion
That was a roundup of some best VPN vendors that you might want to try out to have a seamless and secure browsing experience. These VPNs will protect your browsing activity and secure you from malicious websites and apps that might look to eavesdrop on your data.
