If you’re no stranger to browsing the web, scrolling social media, or shopping online, then you should be using a VPN. 

A VPN – short for Virtual Private Network – is a tool that allows you to establish an internet connection without revealing your IP address. This makes it possible to browse privately without worrying about websites, internet providers, and third parties spying on your location or any other personal data, such as your identity and browsing history. 

They work by connecting you to a remote server via an encrypted tunnel to assign you a new IP address. These servers can be located in your region or abroad, with the latter making it possible to access location-specific content on streaming services. For example, with a VPN you can catch up on your latest BBC iPlayer series while on holiday outside of the UK. 

VPNs are especially crucial when browsing on public Wi-Fi networks, such as the ones at airports, coffee shops, and shopping centres. Bad actors rely on these networks to harvest your data, so it’s important to disguise your IP address and protect your data. 

They’re also ideal for preventing travel comparison sites from tracking your searches and thus increasing their prices in line with demand. 

Of course, there are some drawbacks to using a VPN. For one, connecting to a remote server creates an additional step when connecting to any website. This can have a toll on your internet speed, resulting in slower browsing depending on your VPN. Servers and bandwidth can be more limited on free VPNs, meaning you’ll generally need to opt for a paid service to access the fastest speeds. 

Thankfully, VPN companies are often advertising fantastic deals and fixed and rolling plans, meaning you should be able to catch a discount if you shop around enough.

Keep reading to find a list of the best VPNs we’ve tested here at Trusted Reviews, including pros, cons, and links to our full, in-depth reviews. We recommend checking out our guides to the best free VPNs, best antivirus, best free antivirus, and best password manager if you’re looking to upgrade your online security in 2024.

Which is the best VPN?

• Best overall – Surfshark – Check Price
• Best for features and performance – NordVPN – Check Price
• Best Free VPN – ProtonVPN – Check Price
• Best for multiple countries – ExpressVPN – Check Price
• Best for security – Perfect Privacy – Check Price
• Best monthly subscription – Mullvad VPN – Check Price

NordVPN

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Pros

• Large number of servers
• Wide range of security features and endpoints
• Clear, audited no-logging policy
• Great for streaming

Cons

• Relatively expensive
• Subscriptions renew at a higher rate

£2.99
$4.19

ProtonVPN

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Pros

• Unlimited-bandwidth free tier
• Wide range of endpoint countries
• Paid version is great for streaming
• Quick download speeds

Cons

• Subscriptions renew at a higher rate

£7.98
$9.99

Surfshark

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Pros

• Blisteringly fast
• Good for streaming
• Unlimited devices
• Great value subscriptions

Cons

• Subscriptions renew at a higher rate
• You have to interact with a human being if you wish to cancel your subscription

£14.79
$12.95

Perfect Privacy

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Pros

• No-logging policy, proven by server seizure
• Unlimited devices
• Extensive security features

Cons

• Generally slow transfer speeds
• Unsuitable for video streaming
• Expensive

£10.77
$12.99

Mullvad VPN

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Pros

• Fast speeds
• Low, consistent price of €5 a month
• Great range of cross-platform clients

Cons

• Not reliable for streaming

£4.29
$5.43

ExpressVPN

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Pros

• Fast HTTPS transfer speeds
• Wide range of endpoint countries
• No price increase on renewal

Cons

• More expensive than many rivals

£10.19
$12.95

Surfshark

Best VPN overall

Trusted Score

Pros

• Blisteringly fast
• Good for streaming
• Unlimited devices
• Great value subscriptions

Cons

• Subscriptions renew at a higher rate
• You have to interact with a human being if you wish to cancel your subscription

Surfshark VPN has regained its place at the top of our rankings following the latest round of VPN testing. Its move to RAMdisk servers has addressed our concerns with the VPN’s security, as users can be rest assured that their data cannot be permanently stored.

Surfshark can be connected to an unlimited number of devices simultaneously, which we found very useful if you have multiple phones, tablets and laptops or are looking for a VPN for the whole family.

The VPN also saw some of the fastest speeds in our group performance test and proved effective when streaming video. We were impressed with its competitive pricing, with a two-year subscription working out to be as little as $2.30/£2,40 per month and undercutting the majority of its rivals, giving it the edge over NordVPN.

We think Surfshark has the best balance of performance, security and price of all of the VPNs we’ve tested, and so deserves a place at the top of our list.

Reviewer: K.G. Orphanides
Full Review: Surfshark Review

Save 81% on a VPN with SurfShark

Surfshark has dropped the price of its VPN to £1.94 a month. Head over to Surfshark now to pay a one time price of £46.44 for 24 months of Surfshark and save 81%.

• Surfshark
• 81% off
• £1.94 a month

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NordVPN

Best VPN for features and performance

Trusted Score

Pros

• Large number of servers
• Wide range of security features and endpoints
• Clear, audited no-logging policy
• Great for streaming

Cons

• Relatively expensive
• Subscriptions renew at a higher rate

NordVPN is one of the best VPNs you can subscribe to, with incredible speeds and a plethora of security features, but we think its high renewal fees mean you can find slightly better value with Surfshark.

There are still plenty of great reasons to subscribe to NordVPN though. During testing, we were impressed with the large number of available endpoints, a huge range of security features and its ability to keep your data private even when streaming video. Our research shows NordVPN has a clear no-logging policy, which has been verified by independent audits.

You can also connect up to six devices simultaneously, working across an impressive range of platforms including Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Linux and Android TV.

Besides the high cost and harsh renewal rates, it’s difficult to find a flaw with NordVPN, as it offers such a great all-rounder experience. ProtonVPN and Surfshark are both worth checking out if you’re happy to sacrifice a few features for a more affordable subscription.

Reviewer: K.G. Orphanides
Full Review: NordVPN Review

NordVPN – Save 57%

NordVPN have slashed the monthly subscription fee by 57% on their 2 year plan . No Logs or hidden fees and all plans come with a 30-day money back guarantee.

• NordVPN
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• £2.79 per month

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ProtonVPN

Best free VPN

Trusted Score

Pros

• Unlimited-bandwidth free tier
• Wide range of endpoint countries
• Paid version is great for streaming
• Quick download speeds

Cons

• Subscriptions renew at a higher rate

ProtonVPN ranks number one in our best free VPN list since it offers unlimited bandwidth, allowing you to use it as much as you want every month as long as you’re happy to be restricted to three countries’ endpoints.

But focusing solely on the free tier would be doing ProtonVPN a disservice, as its Plus Tier is excellent too. During the review process, we were impressed with having servers in 63 different countries, as well as additional features such as P2P/BitTorrent support and an AdBlocker.

Our performance test demonstrated that both the free and paid-for tiers offer incredible speeds, with only NordVPN and Surfshark beating ProtonVPN in a 15-VPN group test.

But while ProtonVPN’s Plus tier is undoubtedly excellent, we weren’t impressed by the steep renewal fees. The free tier is arguably the most compelling option, and is well worth checking out due to its unlimited bandwidth. And if you want a free VPN that offers even more endpoints, check out Windscribe too.

Reviewer: K.G. Orphanides
Full Review: ProtonVPN Review

Up to 50% off on ProtonVPN

Save 50% on  ProtonVPN, now just £4.25  per month.

• ProtonVPN
• up to 50% off
• £34.25

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ExpressVPN

Greatest range of countries

Trusted Score

Pros

• Fast HTTPS transfer speeds
• Wide range of endpoint countries
• No price increase on renewal

Cons

• More expensive than many rivals

If you want a VPN that can connect to a server in a specific country, then ExpressVPN is our top recommendation. It has high-speed servers across 94 different countries, giving you the most flexibility of all of the VPNs on this list.

Our tests showed it to offer above-average performance speeds too, while also supporting a wide variety of different devices. It has a no-logging policy to please those concerned with security, although it hasn’t been tested under the new ownership just yet, making Perfect Privacy a more appealing option for such use cases.

ExpressVPN also offers plenty of features, including a kill switch, split tunnelling and browser extensions. It is admittedly a little more expensive than other options, but there’s at least no price increase on renewal, making it a great long-term VPN.

Reviewer: K.G. Orphanides
Full Review: ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN – Save 49%

Save 35% with ExpressVPN, now from just £5.43 per month for 12 months + 3 months free with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

• ExpressVPN
• Save 49%
• £5.43 per month

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Perfect Privacy

Best VPN for security

Trusted Score

Pros

• No-logging policy, proven by server seizure
• Unlimited devices
• Extensive security features

Cons

• Generally slow transfer speeds
• Unsuitable for video streaming
• Expensive

We found Perfect Privacy to be one of the leading VPNs for security. It has a no-logging policy that has been proven by a real-life server seizure and a huge selection of security features, including Multi-Hop connections, a Stealth VPN mode to hide the fact you’re using a VPN and flexible kill-switch settings.

Just like Surfshark, it can be loaded up on an unlimited number of devices simultaneously, making it ideal for families and those with loads and loads of gadgets.

However, Perfect Privacy does have a major flaw in that its server speeds are downright sluggish compared to rival VPNs – the United States endpoint was barely usable during our tests. We suggest looking at NordVPN or Surfshark if you crave fast server speeds.

Perfect Privacy is also relatively expensive, although we think that’s a price worth paying if you want the most reliable VPN currently available. Still, it’s a shame there’s no free tier, with ProtonVPN being a superb alternative if you’re not willing to spend any money.

Reviewer: K.G. Orphanides
Full Review: Perfect Privacy Review

Perfect Privacy VPN – Save 23%

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• Perfect Privacy
• Save 23%
• £8.55 p/m

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Mullvad VPN

Best VPN for month-to-month subscription

Trusted Score

Pros

• Fast speeds
• Low, consistent price of €5 a month
• Great range of cross-platform clients

Cons

• Not reliable for streaming

Most VPNS offer the best value when you sign up to a long-term contract spanning between one and two years. Mullvad VPN takes a different approach, offering the same great value but on a month-to-month basis. This means you can easily change your mind at any point without having to pay a penalty.

Our performance tests showed Mullvad offers above-average speeds on average, and while our tests show it’s not hugely effective for streaming TV, the split-tunnelling feature means you don’t have to deactivate your VPN for browsing the web while watching the likes of Netflix.

Mullvad also uses RAMdisk servers throughout its infrastructure, which means it’s impossible for the company to permanently store your browsing data, making it a great option for the privacy conscious.

NordVPN is admittedly faster, while Perfect Privacy offers a greater wealth of security features, but Mullvad VPN remains a solid option if you want a great-value VPN without committing to a long-term subscription.

Reviewer: K.G. Orphanides
Full Review: Mullvad VPN Review

We also considered…

VperVPN

A reliable VPN with a high monthly fee

Windscribe

One of the best free VPN options

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The post Best VPN 2024: Stay protected online with these top services appeared first on Trusted Reviews.

Staying protected online shouldn’t cost you a fortune, and with our collection of the best free VPNs, you don’t have to spend a penny.

In 2024, the importance of having a dedicated VPN as you surf the web cannot be understated. As word of hacks and ongoing cyber attacks pop up in the newscycle on a near weekly basis, the need for a substantial barrier around your personal information has never felt more necessary.

For those who don’t know, a VPN (virtual private network) lets you browse the internet via a different IP address to the one natively allocated to the device you’re using. This means that when you’re connected to the Wi-Fi, bad actors can’t accurately track down your location or infiltrate your device via an IP route, keeping you and your data safe.

If you want the most robust VPN service out there then you’re better off checking out our rundown of the best VPN around. That guide features paid subscriptions, and within that, a wider array of security features on top of the VPN itself. If your budget doesn’t quite cover that however then this article is the place to be.

Just like how we test paid VPNs, free VPNs are subject to the same level of scrutiny, conducting a variety speed tests as well as unearthing whether a particular company employs a no-logging policy, a lack of which means said company is storing your browsing history. These are the types of things that are tough to know upfront but are essential when it comes to deciding which free VPN to sign up for.

You can rest assured that all of the services that feature in this list have done so off the back of a positive review from one of our writers. If you want to expand your online security beyond a free VPN, we also have a breakdown of the best free antivirus.

ProtonVPN

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Pros

• Unlimited-bandwidth free tier
• Wide range of endpoint countries
• Paid version is great for streaming
• Quick download speeds

Cons

• Subscriptions renew at a higher rate

£7.98
$9.99

Windscribe

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Pros

• Generous 10GB free tier
• Wide range of endpoint countries
• Unlimited simultaneous connections

Cons

• Some rivals are faster
• Only five WireGuard connections can be registered at any given time

£6.98
$9

TunnelBear VPN

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Pros

• Free version available
• Clear no-logging policy
• Fast speeds
• Inexpensive annual subscription

Cons

• Free service provides a relatively small data allowance

£7.75
$9.99

ProtonVPN

Best overall free VPN

Trusted Score

Pros

• Unlimited-bandwidth free tier
• Wide range of endpoint countries
• Paid version is great for streaming
• Quick download speeds

Cons

• Subscriptions renew at a higher rate

ProtonVPN remains our top recommended free VPN, following a new performance group test at the end of 2022. Despite being available for free, it posted some of the very best speeds we’ve seen from a VPN.

The unlimited bandwidth is the best reason to use ProtonVPN though, allowing you to surf the web for as long as you want each month without worry of running out of data. Most other free VPNs, such as TunnelBear and Windscribe, cap your bandwidth for each month, which we found to be very restrictive. This is especially true if you want to watch a video while your VPN is activated in the background.

Of course, there are limitations with free VPNs, as ProtonVPN limits you to just three country endpoints – the US, the Netherlands and Japan. That could be an issue if you want to use a server in a specific location, and is dwarfed by other VPN services, such as ExpressVPN with endpoints in a whopping 94 countries.

We also found out that you won’t get access to the P2P, Tor, secure streaming and Secure Core servers which are exclusive to paying subscribers.

Our extensive research shows that ProtonVPN is very transparent about how it operates. It clearly details any requests it gets from law enforcement agencies. As a no-logging service, it notes that it has no data to provide. Although it can’t be ignored that ProtonVPN is based in Switzerland, which isn’t the best location for cast-iron privacy guarantees.

ProtonVPN’s wide range of supported platforms and unlimited bandwidth makes this VPN a must-have in your free privacy arsenal, although you should fire up rival Windscribe or TunnelBear if you want access to more endpoints.

Reviewer: K.G. Orphanides
Full Review: ProtonVPN Review

Up to 50% off on ProtonVPN

Save 50% on  ProtonVPN, now just £4.25  per month.

• ProtonVPN
• up to 50% off
• £34.25

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Windscribe

Best jack-of-all trades free VPN

Trusted Score

Pros

• Generous 10GB free tier
• Wide range of endpoint countries
• Unlimited simultaneous connections

Cons

• Some rivals are faster
• Only five WireGuard connections can be registered at any given time

Windscribe is an excellent all-rounder free VPN, coming with a generous 10GB monthly bandwidth which we found to be sufficient for casual use. That may pale in comparison to ProtonVPN’s unlimited bandwidth, but to make up for that, you’re given access to a greater number of endpoints. 

Free users get access to endpoints in 10 countries – the U.S., Canada, United Kingdom, Hong Kong, France, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, Norway and Romania. We were really impressed with this amount of flexibility, although the likes of TunnelBear proves to be even better in this area, with endpoints in 49 different countries. 

After testing the VPN for an extended period, we found Windscribe to offer a wide range of useful security features, as well as a clear no-logging policy and regular updates for a transparency report showing how many data requests it receives from law enforcement. Windscribe notes that: “Exactly zero requests were complied with due to lack of relevant data.”

It may not have a killer feature, but Windscribe’s generous offering for both the number of endpoints and amount of monthly bandwidth make it one of the most versatile free VPNs available – but ProtonVPN is still worth checking out since our tests showed it to have substantially faster speeds.

Reviewer: K.G. Orphanides
Full Review: Windscribe Review

TunnelBear VPN

Best for multiple endpoints

Trusted Score

Pros

• Free version available
• Clear no-logging policy
• Fast speeds
• Inexpensive annual subscription

Cons

• Free service provides a relatively small data allowance

TunnelBear allows access to a whipping 49 different countries via its free tier, showing a far greater deal of flexibility than ProtonVPN’s three country endpoints. During the review process, we found the app to be easy to use, letting you use a digital world map to select an endpoint in the country of your choice. This makes TunnelBear very useful if you want to use an endpoint in a specific location. 

However, the biggest issue with TunnelBear VPN is that its free tier only provides 500MB of bandwidth, preventing you from keeping it activated 24/7 as you browse the web. Windscribe offers a far more generous 10GB of monthly bandwidth, while ProtonVPN boasts unlimited usage, making them more appealing if you need to use a VPN frequently. 

That said, TunnelBear performed very well in our speed tests, with our benchmark data showing it to be quicker than Windscribe, and even some paid-for options such as Perfect Privacy and HMA VPN. 

But while this is a great VPN for the security conscious due to its explicit no-logging policy and speedy performance, you’ll need to look elsewhere if you want to stream, torrent or simply crave more data allowance.

Reviewer: K.G. Orphanides
Full Review: TunnelBear Review

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VyprVPN has a solid focus on security, wide OS support, plenty of features and has become one of the fastest services around. A deal with Giganews makes it a particularly good service for Usenet enthusiasts.

Introduction

Golden Frog’s VyprVPN is a virtual private network service based in Switzerland, with endpoints in more than 70 countries.

It’s also the VPN that comes with the company’s famous and venerable Giganews Usenet service, and although easy to use, VyprVPN includes a range of features that also satisfy people who are comfortable with more than just email and the web.

It has a good range of security options and clients, a solid track record for uninterrupted streaming, plus support and documentation for plenty of devices and operating systems.

It was one of the first VPN providers to back its no-logging promise with an independent audit.

Pricing and Subscriptions

VyprVPN costs $10/£8.09 per month or $60/£48.51 per year. Those UK prices fluctuate based on exchange rate, but it’s a solid deal that puts VyprVPN towards the lower end of current pricing of similarly reputable VPN services. A 30-day money-back guarantee is available to help you decide whether VyprVPN is the service for you.

If you’re interested in using Usenet as well, it’s definitely worth looking at a Giganews + VyprVPN subscription, priced at $10 (£8) a month or $100 (£81) a year – you basically get one service free, especially on a monthly subscription.

Privacy and Protection

• Has a no-logging policy, but ideally needs new audit
• Recently found to install expired Trusted Root Certificate

VyprVPN has been a no-logging VPN since 2018, when it had itself audited by Leviathan Security to prove that no personally identifiable information on the service’s users is collected. It’s probably about time for a new audit, though, to reflect any upgrades to clients or infrastructure. The company said it will carry out audits on a regular basis.

Like ProtonVPN and Perfect Privacy, the company is bound by Swiss law – which, although more privacy-friendly than most of Europe, requires online service providers to comply with valid international warrants.

In 2022, VyprVPN was found by AppEsteem to install an expired Trusted Root Certificate on Windows in order to make some legacy protocols work. The company promptly issued an updated certificate, and its IKEv2 protocol support currently required manual configuration and certificate installation. I would have liked a clear public statement from VyprVPN on the subject, but its remediation actions are adequate.

Features and Usability

• Simply and polished layout
• Features include kill switch and auto connection

The VyprVPN client is simple and polished, showing uptime, connection and disconnection buttons and the endpoint country you’re in.

You can easily connect to your choice of geographical endpoint location and save favourite endpoints. Click the Customize button and you’ll find a full range of advanced options to help you tweak the VPN to your precise needs, including protocol selection, automatic connection on start-up, automatic reconnection, automatic connection on public Wi-Fi networks, and a kill switch to prevent any traffic from being sent over an unsecured internet connection.

In Vypr’s protocols list, you’ll also find the obfuscated Chameleon protocol, which tries to hide telltale signs that might reveal that you’re using a VPN to outside observers. This is for use in countries with restrictive internet connections such as China, or simply on local networks that attempt to deter their users from concealing their traffic.

VyprVPN has dedicated apps for a huge range of platforms, from Windows, macOS and Linux desktop PCs to smartphones, routers and NAS devices. Golden Frog also provides extensive documentation for correctly using its VPN service in a variety of scenarios.

Performance

• Consistently good performance in speed tests
• Fine for most streaming services

All of my testing was carried out on a virtual desktop physically located at a data centre with a high-speed internet connection in London. This testing setup produces results under optimal connection conditions. VPN clients are tested on their default settings.

VyprVPN uses the fast WireGuard protocol by default, and exceeded the group average for the Netherlands. It’s regularly ranked among the top performers in my tests over the past year, but its US throughput appears to have been affected by a networking issue that limited performance on a number of VPN providers during my brief testing window – I’d usually expect to see speeds of over 100 Mbps via endpoints in the Eastern US.

VyprVPN is generally fine for watching streamed video content, and split tunnelling is available so that you can watch local streaming services without having to disconnect from your VPN.

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VyprVPN is available for £54/$54 per year

Final Thoughts

VyprVPN is reliable and fast, offering plenty of features, and it’s a particularly good deal if you’re already in the market for a Usenet provider.

But similarly-priced rival Surfshark is generally faster, as well as being more reliable for streaming content. For the security-minded, Perfect Privacy is currently my top recommendation, if you’re not in a position to run your own VPN server. Otherwise, check out our Best VPN list for even more options.

Trusted Score

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The post VperVPN appeared first on Trusted Reviews.

Windscribe’s free tier is excellent, and its streaming-friendly subscription service is also worth a look.

Introduction

Windscribe is a Canadian VPN service that’s gained popularity as a result of its free service, low prices and reliable performance.

It’s consistently reliable for streaming, and although it lacks long-term subscription options, its annual and monthly subscriptions are both very cost-effective. They’re not the cheapest by any means, but they come in around the middle of the pack in most of my group tests, which makes it a worthwhile upgrade fee if you already use and like the company’s free tier.

Windscribe has previously ranked top in our best VPN group test, but has now dropped down our recommendations following disappointing performance in our latest speed test results. Note that, although Windscribe allows you to connect an unlimited number of devices, only five of those can be using the fast WireGuard protocol. If you need to connect a sixth, you’ll be asked if you want to remove the oldest registered device.

Pricing and Subscriptions

Windscribe offers a generous 10GB-per-month free tier. Free users get access to locations in 10 countries, not including any of the Windflix video-streaming endpoints. Pay for the full service and you get access to endpoints in 65 countries.

If you like the service enough to pay for it, you can either pay for the $9/£7.33 monthly plan or spend $69/£56.19 upfront for the yearly plan, which works out cheaper in the long run.

Note that the annual fee has increased by $20 since my last full review of this product, and the current GBP to dollar exchange rate isn’t doing UK customers many favours. However, there are no hidden renewal fees waiting to surprise you. You can even pay using cryptocurrency, if you feel that will help keep you anonymous (although it won’t on its own).

Features and Usability

• Transparent on which data it logs
• Features include kill switch and ad blocker

Windscribe’s privacy and logging policy clearly indicates what data it does and does not keep, with only total bandwidth consumption and the time your account was last used stored in the long term. The service supports anonymous payment via Bitcoin, and you don’t have to provide an email address to sign up.

The Canada-based firm is transparent about its privacy policies and, although it keeps some logs to help manage its service, it says that it doesn’t keep any identifying information. Windscribe maintains a live transparency report, showing both DMCA and law enforcement data requests. None have ever been complied with because Windscribe doesn’t log any identifiable user data.

In 2021, Windscribe – to its credit – admitted that a pair of older servers seized by Ukrainian authorities in the course of an investigation were unencrypted, although the company says that no users data was at risk due to the service’s no-logging policy. Windscribe has since taken measures to update the security across its server fleet and depreciated older, less secure client protocols that it previously supported.

I’m not a fan of the company’s use of the opportunity to knock industry peers who’ve suffered similar seizures, but at least its claims about not keeping any identifying logs appear to be solid. Windscribe publishes source code for much of its software but has not commissioned and published results of a third-party audit of its security and logging claims.

I found the Windows desktop client simple to use, including a solid range of extra security features. By default, Windscribe activates its integrated firewall feature, which includes a kill switch that prevents any internet traffic from being transferred if you lose your connection to the VPN for any reason. You can also share your encrypted connection as a secure wireless hotspot, if your router supports the feature.

Windscribe’s powerful integrated ad-blocker is handy, but I found that it entirely blocked access to some ad-gated websites and services. Options in your online account management interface allow you to instantly apply features including ad- and tracker-blocking, as well as an anti-malware filter. These settings are also available via the app.

Performance

• Below-average speeds for select endpoints
• Impressive speeds for free tier

All of my testing was carried out on a virtual desktop physically located at a data centre with a high-speed internet connection in London. This testing setup produces results under optimal connection conditions. VPN clients are tested on their default settings.

This month’s tests saw a bit of a drop-off compared to my last rest of Windscribe, particularly for tunnels from Europe to North America. Overall performance improved when I forced the service to always use the WireGuard protocol, as you’ll see from the results table above, but throughput via US endpoints remained slow in the face of repeat tests. This can safely be regarded as an atypical issue on the day of testing, rather than representative performance. Connection speeds to the US are usually well over 150 Mbit/s.

Windscribe’s free users benefit from the same blistering speeds as paying customers, although they have access to a restricted range of endpoints, which can – but usually does not – result in contention.

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Final Thoughts

Windscribe has a lot of strengths, and is generally reliable for both reasonably fluid day-to-day web browsing and streaming.

The service supports a wide range of devices and is generally easy to use. It’s generally fast, provides a technically unlimited number of simultaneous connections, and its pricing is super-competitive. Windscribe isn’t just one of the best free VPN providers around, it’s also one of the best paid-for services, and its subscriptions are very reasonably priced.

It isn’t the fastest in my latest tests (that honour goes to NordVPN, Surfshark and ProtonVPN), but Windscribe is one of the best general-purpose VPN services around. However, if security is a priority then Perfect Privacy has established its privacy credentials through unfortunate government equipment seizures, which Windscribe hasn’t been unlucky enough to suffer thus far.

Trusted Score

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TunnelBear is generally fast and its popular free tier has been upgraded to a more generous 2GB monthly allowance.

Introduction

TunnelBear has been owned by US online security firm McAfee since 2018. 2023 has already seen some exciting changes for the service, most notably an increase in the monthly data allowance for free users from 500MB to 2GB.

While this still isn’t as generous as Windscribe’s 10GB and ProtonVPN’s unlimited-bandwidth free services, the Canada-based service’s free VPN has a specific killer feature that’s unmatched by its free rivals.

TunnelBear allows free users access to any endpoint location accessible to paying users, without speed restrictions. It also has an endearing ursine mascot, reasonably priced paid-for subscriptions, and recently changed its no-torrenting policy.

Pricing and subscriptions

TunnelBear’s upgraded 2GB free allowance still isn’t as generous as our favourite alternative free VPNs, but it’s a definite improvement.

If you need more than that, TunnelBear currently costs $9.99/£8.14 for a monthly subscription, $49.88/£39.90 per year, or $120/£97.73 for three years. It’s a bargain, with only Private Internet Access’s one-year subscription coming in cheaper among those I’ve recently reviewed.

That currently-listed $49.88 subscription renews at $59.88, the latter being a figure I regularly see TunnelBear charging for annual subscriptions. However, at a difference of $10, you’re not in danger of being stung by an unexpectedly massive payment when renewal rolls around.

Privacy and Protection

• Features a no-logging policy
• Has been independently audited

TunnelBear has an explicit no-logging policy and is independently audited for security, which will reassure the privacy-conscious, although the audit doesn’t specifically focus on logging. It’s also published the source code for many of its applications. It does not, however, publish a warrant canary or up-to-date transparency page detailing government data requests – the last time this information was published was in 2021.

TunnelBear used to block standard BitTorrent ports so that it wasn’t put in the position of having to log user activity in accordance with Canadian copyright law, but has now enabled torrenting via its tunnels in Canada, the US, UK, Romania, Netherlands, Germany, and Sweden. This is helpful for anyone who uses software that’s distributed via torrents, such as many Linux distros.

Features and usability

• Supports wide range of platforms
• Can hide the fact you’re using a VPN

TunnelBear provides both free and paid-for VPN services across a wide variety of platforms, with clients for Windows, macOS, Android and iOS, browser plugins for Opera and Chrome, and OpenVPN profiles available for Linux users.

Its Windows client opens on a world map that you can use to select an endpoint in the country of your choice, while a pull-down menu at the top of the window lets you select an endpoint location from a list if you prefer. There’s also a button that lets you quickly connect and disconnect from your VPN.

A settings tab lets you configure the client’s behaviour, with options for users who want extra security. Features include VigilantBear, a kill switch that temporarily halts all your internet traffic if you become disconnected from the VPN, and GhostBear, an experimental feature that attempts to hide the fact you’re using an encrypted VPN connection at all – useful if you’re visiting a country or even just an office building where VPNs are forbidden, , at the possible cost of reduced performance.

Performance

• Slower than group average in recent tests
• Performs poorly with streaming video

TunnelBear is always a reliably fast performer in data transfer speed tests, across years worth of results. Although not among the very fastest VPN providers, its speeds tend to be consistently above average. You’ll notice that this is not the case in the Netherlands and US throughput results in the table below.

This appears to be a performance blip caused by network conditions on the day of testing, rather than a representative example of TunnelBear’s speeds. I’d usually expect to see throughput of over 250 Mbps via the Netherlands and over 150 Mbps via the Eastern US.

Don’t expect to be able to watch streaming video while connected to the VPN, though. If a streaming service puts any effort into spotting proxies and VPNs, you can be fairly confident it’ll spot a connection from one of TunnelBear’s endpoints.

Split tunnelling for both specific applications and websites is available on TunnelBear’s Windows client, however. If you add something to this exempted list, it’ll be routed via your ISP-provided internet connection, rather than over TunnelBear, so, for example, BBC iPlayer won’t complain that you’re using a VPN. The MacOS and iOS clients can split tunnel websites, but not applications, and the Android client provides split tunnelling for apps, but not websites.

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Final Thoughts

TunnelBear’s overall performance is generally good, and its free tier is still useful enough. However, streaming media fans should look to Surfshark or NordVPN. Similarly, Canadian compatriot Windscribe is cheaper, while Perfect Privacy has proved its no-logging claims the hard way.

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Private Internet Access is a decent budget choice for everything except streaming.

Private Internet Access is available from £1.69 per month – buy it now

Introduction

Private Internet Access (PIA) is a US-based virtual private network provider that competes heavily on price.

The service had a well-founded reputation for security under previous ownership and it continues to operate in the same spirit. It’s currently owned by Kape Technologies, which also owns rivals CyberGhost and ExpressVPN, among VPN services, as well as review sites such as vpnMentor.

However, PIA has recently adopted a policy of regular audits of its security and no-logging policy, mostly recently in August 2022, which I very much applaud. PIA supports up to 10 simultaneous connections from a wide variety of devices and operating systems, and has a good range of international endpoints.

Pricing and Subscriptions

Private Internet Access is currently among the cheapest privacy-oriented consumer VPN providers. Subscriptions currently cost $11.95/£9.99 per month, $39.95/£32.49 per year, $79/£65 per three years. New two-year subscribers also receive an extra three months’ subscription for free, but these two-year subs renew as a one-year subscription at whatever the annual fee is at the time of renewal.

This fee has been consistently inexpensive for years, though, making PIA a good bet if you don’t want to be surprised by unexpectedly high renewal costs.

If you don’t want payment cards and accounts in your name to be associated with your subscription, you can pay using a variety of cryptocurrencies if you feel that will help you maintain anonymity.

Privacy and Protection

• No-logging policy
• Supports less common operating systems such as Linux

PIA has a clear and explicit no-logging policy, which it’s committed to have independently audited on a regular basis. It also publishes source code for much of its software.

The US doesn’t currently have any mandatory data retention laws in place and encrypted traffic passing through a VPN isn’t accessible to logging devices in data centres.

When served with an FBI warrant to hand over VPN logs, PIA didn’t have anything to give investigators, making it one of the few VPN providers whose no-logging claim is known to have been tested. However, since PIA hasn’t been publicly dragged into court since it was bought by Kape Technologies, we don’t have proof that it has continued its no-logging policy under new ownership, although I have no reason to suspect that anything would change here.

PIA also publishes bi-annual transparency reports, which, as of March 2023, inform us that the firm has received nine court orders, 68 subpoenas and six warrants, among other notices and demands for data. It has handed over logs for none of them, because it doesn’t keep logs in the first place.

Features and Usability

• Simple to use, even for novices
• Features include kill switch and ad-tracker blockers

There are graphical clients for Windows, Linux and macOS, and detailed instructions are provided for setting up connections on other operating systems and devices, including routers and other network appliances.

PIA’s Windows desktop app has all the advanced configuration options you’re likely to need, but is simple enough even for novices to easily get to grips with. A single button allows you to connect to the last VPN server you used, with an arrow that takes you to a full, searchable list of endpoint locations. This displays their current latency and allows you to add favourites.

A separate Settings window lets you configure the client’s behaviour, allowing actions such as launching on system startup and connecting automatically. You can even switch between the client’s default dark theme and a lighter colour palette.

There’s a VPN kill switch that can be set to automatically cut off all internet traffic if the VPN is disconnected, the PIA MACE tool that blocks ad-trackers, custom DNS and port forwarding on endpoints that support it. There’s also an option to block LAN traffic, plus an extremely flexible range of customisable settings for your VPN connection, including your preferred encryption settings.

Private Internet Access has endpoints in 77 countries, across more than 20,000 servers. These now include geo-located servers – physically located in another country, but effectively masquerading as endpoints in geographically or politically challenging countries. These can be disabled if you want to stick with physical endpoint servers.

Performance

• Not among the fastest VPNs in recent tests
• Poor option for streaming video

VPN clients are tested on their default connection settings except where specifically stated. All of my testing is carried out across a high-speed fibre connection providing optimal performance conditions – this months’ fastest performance was throughput of over 500 Mbps from Surfshark, although most services were a little slower than usual in this test. You’ll notice that PIA was more severely affected than most.

PIA had a pretty poor month in my tests this time around, which prompted me to check the performance of both its OpenVPN and WireGuard protocols, which you’ll see in the table above. Generally, you’ll want to opt for WireGuard where available, and switch to it if the client’s auto-selected protocol and endpoint server under-perform for you.

Private Internet Access’s performance from endpoints in the UK and the Netherlands was reasonable, but it isn’t the best for the US, as shown by throughput from endpoints in New York. Streaming has never been PIA’s strong suit, and you can’t always rely on it to provide access to your favourite service when you’re connected, although it now has some streaming optimised endpoints that you can use in a pinch.

You can always add a browser to use in your country for streaming only to PIA’s split tunnelling settings, so you don’t get locked out for being on a VPN. However, you’ll have to make sure you don’t accidentally send any data you wanted to keep private via said application.

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Final Thoughts

Private Internet Access is a perfectly fine VPN, although you should check out NordVPN, ExpressVPN or Surfshark if you need fast US connection speeds. Although Private Internet Access isn’t brilliant for video streaming, it’s generally proven itself to be reliable, cheap and secure.

If security is your primary interest, then also consider Perfect Privacy, which is slower and more expensive, but very specifically focused on security and online privacy, with an unmarred track record.

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Both the paid and free services from ProtonVPN are top-notch, making it one of the best VPN providers you can choose.

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Key Features

• Both free and paid-for tiers available:The free tier has unlimited bandwidth, while paying a monthly fee will unlock more endpoints and features.
• Multi-platform support:Supports a wide range of devices, including Windows and Linux PCs, Macs, smartphones, and even routers.

Introduction

ProtonVPN is a privacy-focused VPN from the same firm responsible for encrypted email provider ProtonMail. It has an excellent free tier and paid-for subscriptions that justify their price.

It’s reliably fast, the paid subscription endpoints are great for streaming while you’re securely connected, and Proton Technologies has finally introduced its own implementation of the efficient WireGuard protocol, which is fast becoming a new industry standard.

Dedicated GUI clients are available for Windows, Linux, macOS, Android and iOS. The Linux client also includes a command line tool, and instructions are provided for using the service on other hardware, such as routers.

ProtonVPN is consistently among the best-performing VPNs that I put through tests. It’s also easy to use and has an excellent range of features.

Pricing and Subscriptions

ProtonVPN’s recently simplified pricing structure means that it’s finally easier to work out what you’re paying and getting in comparison with rival services.

The unlimited-bandwidth free tier is still free and still brilliant. ProtonVPN Plus, once converted to GBP, costs about £8.80 per month, £68.22 for your first year, or £105.5 for your first two years, before renewing at whatever the full annual or biannual rate is at the time – currently £105.64 annually and £211.27 every two years. That’s quite a price hike, and is very much something you should be aware of when subscribing for the first time.

You can also get a Proton Unlimited account that bundles the VPN with secure storage and email. Proton Technologies recommends using ProtonVPN when connecting to your ProtonMail account for extra security if you intend to use it anonymously.

You can pay anonymously using Bitcoin, but you’ll need to create a free account and contact support to do so. You can also pay using cash, which might take a little longer, but is both more secure and significantly more environmentally friendly.

Privacy and Protection

• Has a clear no-logging policy
• The company has proven to be transparent

ProtonVPN has a clear no-logging policy, which – as its transparency report reveals – means that there’s no data to hand over to the authorities if a warrant is enforced against the company. In 2021, Proton AG successfully overturned a ruling that it had to collect additional data.

However, Swiss authorities have the right to order internet service providers to collect data in specific criminal cases, including in response to international warrants. The company’s ProtonMail service has done this on a number of occasions, with notifications going to the individuals whose accounts were concerned.

While Proton is very transparent about all of this, fighting orders and laws that it suspects may expose whistleblowers or contravene its users’ rights, it’s still potentially less secure than a no-logging service based somewhere that doesn’t have laws or back doors that allow authorities to force data collection.

Features and Usability

• Plenty of features, including Secure Core and P2P Traffic graph, help to monitor connection
• Obfuscated connections try to hide that you’re using a VPN

ProtonVPN’s clients are attractive and easy to use – I’m a fan of the current purple and grey colour scheme. The Windows client’s main display allows you to select countries from a list or a map, or use a pre-generated fastest or random connection profile to pick an endpoint based on those criteria. You can even create your own profile, with options including connection type, country and specific server.

The main endpoint list allows you to select specific servers, displaying how busy each one is and which connection features they provide. When contention for the service is high, you can get better performance by manually selecting a low-traffic server than allowing the client to select one for you.

Special features offered by ProtonVPN endpoints include Secure Core, which provides additional protection against external network attacks; P2P for the benefit of torrent users; and Tor, which uses The Onion Router network to help further anonymise your activity.

I found the traffic graph helpful for monitoring my connection’s performance and the amount of data I was sending across it. Open the client’s Settings interface, and you can enable features including a VPN kill switch to cut off all internet traffic if your VPN connection goes down, as well as split tunnelling in order to allow specific applications or IP addresses to connect outside the VPN.

You can also have ProtonVPN load at boot, connect at launch, switch protocol, and opt into an Early Access programme for new versions of the VPN client.

Performance

• Above-average speeds
• Great for streaming TV

I tested both the paid and free services from ProtonVPN. Although free users only get three endpoint locations to choose from, you’ll notice from the table below that this has very little impact on performance.

As ever, raw performance numbers from a single point in time can’t give you the entire picture. ProtonVPN’s free endpoint servers have, in the past, become heavily congested to the point where I was barely able to use – let alone consistently test – the US endpoint, but it’s been a few months since I last encountered that issue. The large pool of available endpoints for paid users means that this is never a problem you’ll run into if you’re a paying subscriber.

Because the free tier only offers three endpoint locations, the ProtonVPN free UK test tier is carried out from the Netherlands endpoint.

Over the past couple of years, ProtonVPN has consistently been a high performer in my tests. It’s genuinely effective when it comes to improving connection speeds to other countries. I didn’t even have to disconnect or use split tunnelling to watch streaming TV while connected, allowing me to keep my internet traffic optimally secure.

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Final Thoughts

ProtonVPN has an outstanding unlimited-bandwidth free tier and an excellent paid-for tier. It’s packed with features and provides clients and configuration instructions for a wide range of devices and operating systems, although I’d like to see WireGuard support rolled out to the Linux client. Currently, you’ll need to set it up manually with a configuration file supplied by ProtonVPN.

If you’re looking for the best free VPN, ProtonVPN is definitely the one to get. Its paid subscription is among the more expensive, but it certainly does a lot.

Although relatively expensive, this VPN provider is extremely capable, and pairs well with ProtonMail to help further anonymise its sibling mail service. If you’d like to spend a bit less and get a similarly excellent range of features and performance, consider Surfshark.

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The performance of Surfshark VPN knocks the socks off many of its more expensive rivals. Check out the two-year subscription for the best value.

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Key Features

• Connect unlimited devices:Surfshark puts no limits on the number of devices you can use with the VPN service. So, if you’re somebody with a lot of gadgets, this could be one of the best VPNs to go for.
• Clients for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS:Surrfshark supports a wide range of operating systems, so you can use it on Apple and Windows laptops, tablets, smartphones and more.

Introduction

Surfshark is a fast, media-focused VPN service with a solid emphasis on privacy. Users may connect an unlimited number of devices simultaneously; it uses RAM-disk servers throughout its infrastructure and supports torrenting across all its servers.

Although it’s headquartered in the Netherlands, having moved from the more famously privacy-friendly British Virgin Islands, Surfshark has a clear no-logging policy, and the security of its software and systems is independently audited. Most recently, its no-logging policy was audited in January 2023.

Pricing and subscriptions

Surfshark is cheap, but not quite as cheap as its main pricing page would have you believe. All prices exclude VAT until you get to the payment stage. This means that a monthly subscription to Surfshark listed as costing £10.72/$12.95 actually costs £12.60 every month if you’re in the UK. For new subscribers, an annual subscription listed at £39.63/$47.88 costs £46.61 and a two-year subscription listed at £44.10 costs £58.18 including VAT. Both of these renew as an annual subscription priced at £58.17. Currently, the two-year subscription comes with an extra free month, taking it up to 25 months.

Not automatically listing VAT for the regional pricing you’re displaying is not normal for VPN providers – I’ve only seen it lately from Surfshark and its sibling VPN provider, NordVPN, and I can’t say I’m particularly happy with this approach to pricing.

Meanwhile, while I’m not a fan of renewal price increases, this is still cheaper than most of Surfshark’s comparable rivals. You can pay using cryptocurrency if you feel that would help to protect your anonymity.

It’s also worth noting that Surfshark requires you to contact its representatives via its live chat service if you wish to cancel a recurring subscription, as opposed to simply allowing you to do this from your account page.

Privacy and Protection

• Recent move to the Netherlands could have legal implications
• Now maintains a transparency document
• Retirement of IKEv2 for Windows closes potential security risk

Surfshark’s 2021 move from the British Virgin Islands to the Netherlands disconcerted a number of users. Although it remains less than clear what the practical legal implications of this are for a VPN that keeps no logs, it’s worth noting that the Netherlands is one of the “Nine Eyes” international government intelligence information sharing cooperative.

I’m pleased to note that Surfshark now publishes a warrant canary and has, at the time of writing, received no US national security letters or gag orders, nor warrants from any government organisation.

Surfshark has ended support for the IKEv2/IPsec protocol on Windows, thus resolving potential issues surrounding its use of self-signed certificates. IKEv2 support is retained for mobile users.

Features and usability

• Supports a wide range of platforms
• Features include a kill switch, NoBorders Mode and an ad blocker

There are official Surfshark clients for the expected major platforms: Windows, Linux – now with a glossy GUI app alongside its command-line connection tool – macOS, iOS and Android. It also has clients for Amazon’s FireTV stick, and Chrome and Firefox browsers. You get detailed connection information for setting up your VPN on other devices, including routers and servers, and on sharing a connection from your PC to a games console.

Features include multi-hop connections (which go through two VPN endpoints in an attempt to further obfuscate your point of origin), an on-by-default NoBorders Mode (which attempts to evade national-level firewalls), endpoints with static IP addresses, a whitelist for applications/IP addresses that you want to use with your un-VPN’d internet connection, and an ad blocker that’s disabled by default.

As you’d expect, there’s a kill switch to prevent data leakage if the VPN disconnects (you’ll need to manually enable this), optional local network invisibility and auto-connect on login.

Performance

• One of the fastest VPNs in our group test
• Great for TV streaming

The service’s HTTPS speed test results exceeded all rivals by a long margin in my latest tests, becoming our best-performing VPN providers in my latest round of tests. It’s always quick, but improved on its previous results by over 200 Mbps in some cases. Surfshark was one of the few services I tested that didn’t experience any speed reductions from US endpoints

The performance data speaks for itself here, but even though it’s not always been quite this quick, Surfshark is one of the most consistently fast consumer VPNs – particularly if you’re a UK customer using UK endpoints.

Surfshark uses the fast WireGuard protocol by default, and clearly has the infrastructure to match, evidenced by some of this month’s fastest speed test results. It’s also a popular choice with those who don’t want to shut down their VPN whenever they watch a streaming video service.

Repeated speed tests over the course of the past year have shown that Surfshark persistently places among the top scorers, and it does a consistently good job of hiding the fact that you’re actually connected to a VPN.

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Final Thoughts

Surfshark is one of the best VPN services you can subscribe to right now, competing aggressively on both price and performance, although those UK prices cost a little more once you’ve added VAT. Cancelling a subscription is also unnecessarily involved. Despite this, it’s an excellent choice alongside sibling company NordVPN and highly capable rivals ProtonVPN and ExpressVPN. I’m also impressed by the wide range of supported platforms and use cases and the fact that there’s no limit to the number of devices you can connect to it.

Surfshark has proven its track record when it comes to performance, but for those who value security above all else, Perfect Privacy remains your best bet despite its cost and comparatively slow speeds.

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NordVPN is a great choice for any everyday VPN use case. It’s fast, flexible and security-audited – but it isn’t cheap.

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Key Features

• Connect up to six devicesNordVPN can be used on up to six devices simultaneously, with apps for Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Linux and Android TV.
• Sixty countries to choose as endpointNordVPN has more than 5,400 servers in 60 different countries, including the UK, Canada and Australia.

Introduction

NordVPN is one of the most recognisable VPNs on the planet, thanks to a strong advert campaign. It’s also well known for an infamous breach in 2018, which is badly mishandled.

But Nord has done a lot of work to restore its reputation, with one of the very best performances you can find, as well as a generous suite of features. I still find its YouTube-led advertising bombastic and excessive, but there’s a genuinely good service beneath all the hype.

Its warrant canary page has recently been updated to clarify that the company is committed to its no-logging policy and that it “will only comply with requests from foreign governments and law enforcement agencies if these requests are delivered according to laws and regulations”.

To back up its no-logging claims, NordVPN has had independent audits carried out by PwC that are made available for all subscribers to read.

Pricing and Subscriptions

NordVPN’s subscriptions are more costly than those of its rivals. You’ll also find that VAT is not included in the prices listed on Nord’s website, and only applied when you get the payment screen. For UK users, this means that a monthly subscription listed at £10.98 costs 20% more, at £13.07 – the most expensive monthly fee in my 11 VPN group test.

NordVPN is increasingly expensive, as you’d expect from one of the fastest and most widely promoted VPN services around. Its subscription deals get better the longer you sign up for, although you have to watch out for a price hike on renewal. Renewing subscribers are charged the current full price, without the introductory discount that first-time subscribers benefit from.

So, a new subscriber will pay £68.22 (including VAT) for their first year and receive an extra three months free on top of that, but their subscription will renew at the standard rate, currently £124 per year. Similarly, a two-year introductory subscription costs £109.84 – again with an extra free three months on top of that – but renews at £223.24 for two years.

On NordVPN’s subscription page, you can also select more expensive subscription options which include the NordPass password manager and 1TB of secure cloud storage. Both are actually good things to have, but make sure you know what you want and what you’re getting: Iif all you need is a VPN, make sure you choose the NordVPN Essential tier.

No free tier or trial is available, but there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee, and those in search of extra anonymity can pay using a selection of cryptocurrencies.

Features and Usability

• Supports a wide range of devices
• Lots of security features included
• Map-like interface is simple to use

NordVPN provides clients and connection instructions for a massive range of devices and platforms. These range from desktop computing platforms and smartphones to routers, servers and one of the best proxying browser plugins I’ve seen from a VPN service, making it easy to move your web browser traffic around the world at a whim.

On Windows, the client’s main display shows a map of endpoint locations, alongside a searchable list of available servers, categorised by features and geographic location. It also provides shortcuts to endpoints with specific extra security features, including double VPN, DDoS protection, onion routing via the Tor network, and support for peer-to-peer torrenting.

In its advanced settings, NordVPN offers a wide range of features, including auto-connection, ad and malware protection, invisibility to your local network, split tunneling to exclude certain applications from the VPN, and both internet and app-specific kill switches to block traffic if your VPN connection goes down. You can also set a custom DNS provider and attempt to avoid VPN blocking in places where it’s restricted by using some of NordVPN’s obfuscated servers.

Like a number of its peers, NordVPN is currently in the process of upgrading its integrated defences against malware and malicious websites to provide a more comprehensive security solution. It switched over to a fully RAM-disk-based infrastructure in 2021.

Performance

• Ranked in the top three during the latest performance group test
• Great support for video streaming

NordVPN’s performance is always good, and while it wasn’t as quick as stablemate Surfshark in my latest tests, it comfortably claimed the number two position, just ahead of ExpressVPN.

NordVPN uses its NordLynx protocol by default for its desktop clients, and its performance is consistently impressive. NordLynx is an implementation of WireGuard protocol with extra security customisations. Performance is excellent – credit to Nord’s high-quality network infrastructure.

This VPN service’s video streaming is as good as ever. You don’t need to use any kind of specialist endpoints, which is convenient for anyone who wants to keep their VPN connected at all times without having to use split tunneling to get access to iPlayer or Sky.

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Final Thoughts

After its mishandled 2018 security breach, NordVPN has put its money where its mouth is when it comes to doing better, opening a bug bounty programme, continuing to commission independent audits and introducing new security measures. Do watch out for those subscription fees increasing on renewal, though.

NordVPN has a solid claim on being one of the best VPN services around, but it’s expensive. Surfshark, owned by the same company, is better if you’re on a budget, while Private Internet Access is an absolute bargain by comparison. ProtonVPN Plus is comparably priced and similarly feature-packed, while Perfect Privacy should be your first choice if you need proven security.

If your VPN requirements are modest, then ProtonVPN Free and Windscribe are both excellent free alternatives.

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HMA VPN has a particularly wide range of endpoint countries, which makes it a good choice for anyone who needs to appear to be in lots of different places.

Introduction

Based in the UK but owned by Czech online security firm Avast, HMA (formerly HideMyAss!) is, of all the many VPN services reviewed, the one with the widest range of endpoint locations covering most of the planet, with servers in more than 190 countries and territories.

It’s reasonably priced, but neither as fast nor as good at streaming as its rivals, and note that there’s no monthly subscription tier available.

Security firm NortonLifeLock has been attempting to acquire Avast and its subsidiaries, but this has been held up by national regulators. It’s thus impossible to predict how HMA may be impacted by this in the future.

Pricing and Subscriptions

HMA’s price has become more reasonable looking over the year, mostly due to changes in the rest of the market. A five-device account costs $59.99/£39.48 per year, $95.76/£69.36 for two years and $107.64/£86.04 for three years.

There’s also a seven-day free trial available. This is limited to 10GB of throughput, requires your payment information upfront, and automatically renews to become a one-year subscription if you fail to cancel it.

Privacy and Protection

• Improved transparency in recent months
• Has a no-logging policy, but previously handed over logs

HMA VPN is headquartered in the UK, so it’s subject to Britain’s stringent data retention laws, and famously provided data that confirmed the identities of individuals involved in the LulzSec hacking case.

However, since April 2020, the company’s present privacy and logging policy makes it clear that no identifying browsing or originating IP address data is stored. Parent firm Avast has public transparency and warrant canary pages for all its services.

This new policy is far more in keeping with HMA’s promotion of its services as a means of bypassing internet censorship under oppressive regimes, which is something its huge number of endpoint locations very much lends itself to.

In early 2020, Avast came under fire for its sale of anonymised user data for marketing purposes via its Jumpshot subsidiary. However, the company has confirmed to Trusted Reviews that none of its VPN brands, including HMA, have ever logged user data for this purpose, and Jumpshot has now been shut down.

Features and Usability

• Features a ‘Freedom’ mode
• Supports Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS and more

HMA’s glossy client includes a Freedom mode that lets you “access the web via the closest free-speech country”. Other settings enable automatic connection to the VPN as soon as Windows launches, SOCKS5 proxying, and a Secure IP Bond feature that allows you to specify applications that you want to allow online-only when the encrypted VPN connection is up and running.

As well as Windows, macOS, Android and iOS clients, HMA provides plenty of information on setting up its service on a wide range of other platforms. It regularly releases scripts to help Linux users connect using OpenVPN, rather than having to do a fully manual configuration.

Performance

• Slow speeds in the United States
• Not a good option for streaming video

All of my testing was carried out on a virtual desktop physically located at a data centre with a high-speed internet connection in London. This testing setup produces results under optimal connection conditions. VPN clients are tested on their default settings.

While HMA’s UK endpoint is quick, and its Netherlands one perfectly usable, things started getting rather slow when I connected to the US. Unfortunately, this state of affairs has been more or less the same for the past year, making HMA hard to recommend on performance grounds.

HMA has never been been particularly good for being able to watch video while connected, even though it has a handful of dedicated endpoints for video streaming – in the US, UK and Germany. You can always use split tunnelling to set up a browser to stream video outside your VPN connection, although this has potential privacy risks if you’re not careful.

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Final Thoughts

Beyond the fact it has previously handed data over to the authorities, HMA’s biggest problem is that its offering is rather costly. Nevertheless, if you need to be in a specific location virtually to access a given service, or ensure your websites and services are accessible – and media streaming isn’t a priority – then HMA is the provider to choose, as a result of its massive range of endpoint countries.

But unless you specifically need an endpoint that its rivals don’t offer, ProtonVPN and NordVPN perform better and cost less, while Perfect Privacy’s no-logging policies have been demonstrated by server seizures. For more information, check out our Best VPN ranking.

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VPNhub is a virtual private network (VPN) service from AppAtomic, a subsidiary of MindGeek, the company behind the Pornhub online adult entertainment empire.

Privacy is, in online culture terms, a logical extension of the desire to get your rocks off without someone peering over your virtual shoulder, so it’s a fairly logical business move, particularly as MindGeek is a developer and proponent of geo-locking age verification systems for use in the UK, campaigning for their introduction even after the government cancelled its plans for such a system.

Pricing and subscriptions

While you can often expect to pay for performance, VPNhub is conspicuously expensive. Even though the dollar has weakened since it launched, subscriptions work out at £10.32/$13.99 per month or £61.89/$83.99 per year, going down to a more competitive average of £2.58/$3.49 if you spend £92.70/$125.64 on a three-year subscription. Surfshark is faster, cheaper, provides more features and is better at streaming.

A seven-day free trial is available but VPNhub demands your payment information upfront and will automatically bill you after seven days if you don’t cancel your subscription, so it’s got more in common with services that offer a money-back guarantee. There’s also an unlimited free tier, but this is, disappointingly, only available on smartphones

Features and usability

Although VPNhub has been around for a couple of years now, it still has a very bare-bones website and online user interface. Fortunately, I found its desktop client easy to use, and it offers a decent range of features.

AppAtomic states that it connects no traffic logs of user activity when connected to its VPN, although it’s neither been put to the test in court or had an independent audit carried out to confirm its privacy credentials.

You can choose from a selection of endpoints in over 60 territories, although some of the less commonly found locations that it used to support have disappeared since launch. By default, the VPN tunnel will automatically attempt to reconnect if it goes down for any reason. You can also enable a kill switch to prevent any traffic from being sent when the VPN connection goes down. This is particularly important for the privacy-conscious and those on insecure public internet hotspots.

The application can be configured to start and connect when you log in to your computer, while more unusual options include a Scramble feature that attempts to hide the fact you’re using a VPN from your ISP or anyone else who might be looking at your traffic.

You can also view logs and switch between the default IKEv2 protocol and my preferred, highly secure OpenVPN protocol – I typically stick with defaults for testing and have done so in this case.

Performance

All of my testing was carried out on a virtual desktop physically located at a data centre in London with a high-speed internet connection. This testing setup produces results under optimal connection conditions. VPN clients are tested on their default settings.

I can’t fault VPNhub on its connection speeds. It’s easily among the top three services I’ve tested in this group. Its slowest result, 124Mbps HTTP from the US, is nonetheless fast enough for even 4K streaming. Unfortunately, although it was initially a reliable option for streaming region-specific video content or remaining secure while watching your local services, that’s no longer the case when it comes to services that carry out any kind of serious checks for VPN or proxy traffic.

Should you buy VPNhub?

VPHhub has a great unlimited free tier, but it’s unfortunately only available on smartphones. Desktop users have to subscribe to VPNhub Premium, and even that only works under Windows and macOS, so if you want a VPN to use on your router, NAS or Linux desktop PC, this isn’t it. No OpenVPN profiles or configuration instructions are available for other devices, making VPNhub an option strictly for mainstream customers.

If you are one of those mainstream customers and want raw speed, you can still do better. VPNhub’s performance, features and service are all good, within certain limitations, but it’s clear at this stage we’re unlikely to see much innovation from this service. Go for Surfshark or ProtonVPN Plus instead if you have this kind of budget for a VPN, or check out our best VPN list for more recommendations.

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Buy Norton Secure VPN from £19.99/$39.99 for the first year

Previously named Norton WiFi Privacy, Norton Secure VPN is Symantec’s virtual private network (VPN) service.

It’s primarily marketed as a means of ensuring that your traffic isn’t snooped on when you go online via poorly secured public Wi-Fi networks. However, its features in this department are much the same as any other VPN service. Plus, it provides a slightly less secure connection than many of its rivals due to its lack of a kill switch.

Pricing and subscriptions

One of the most compelling arguments for using Norton Secure VPN is its price. A one-year subscription – albeit for only one connection at a time – costs just £19.99/$39.99 for the first year, and a five-connection account costs £34.99/$39.99 per year. However, the price jumps steeply after the first year to £39.99/$49.99 for one device and £84.99/$79.99 for five devices. You’ll want to avoid setting an automatic renewal and, if you don’t get a renewal discount of any kind, switch to another service after your first year.

Even then, you can do better on average monthly pricing with a three-year VyprVPN subscription or a two-year subscription from Surfshark, both of which have a lot more going for them in general.

Features and usability

With endpoints in 29 countries, Norton Secure VPN shares its back-end infrastructure with SurfEasy, a Canadian VPN provider, previously owned by Opera, but acquired by Symantec in 2017. This creates a slightly ambiguous situation when it comes to legal jurisdiction, but it’s best to assume that the service is answerable to both US and Canadian law.

Secure VPN is a no-logging service, which means that no connection information at all should be stored when you use it. However, this has neither been demonstrated in court nor independently audited. It also has an optional ad tracker blocking feature for a bit of extra privacy.

By default, the Norton Secure VPN client starts at boot time and automatically connects to a VPN endpoint with the best connection speed available to you. The client is accessible as a docked pop-up from the notification area, so you can’t move it around the screen. Its main screen shows your connection status, endpoint IP address and apparent location. A Virtual Locations tab allows you to select an endpoint in any of the 29 countries on offer.

Norton Secure VPN uses the industry-standard OpenVPN protocol for its connections, with clients available for Windows, macOS, Android and iOS. However, Symantec doesn’t provide the information required to use the service on devices such as Linux PCs, NAS boxes or routers.

Note that there are very few advanced features here. Most conspicuously – and the greatest potential risk to your privacy here – there’s no kind of kill switch to automatically block internet traffic if the VPN gets disconnected while in use.

Norton Secure VPN – Performance

All of my testing was carried out on a virtual desktop physically located at a data centre in London with a high-speed internet connection. This testing setup produces results under optimal connection conditions. VPN clients are tested on their default settings.

Norton Secure VPN’s performance in the speed tests was fantastic in the UK, very healthy in the US, but poor in the Netherlands. Via my particularly fast internet connection, it was always quick enough for even the highest-quality streaming, but it doesn’t have the region-shifting capabilities to support that; this isn’t a service aimed at streaming media enthusiasts.

Should you buy Norton Secure VPN?

Symantec’s home VPN offering is cheap, but it only works on the most common platforms, with few advanced options, no support for unusual operating systems or appliances such as routers, and lacks basic security features such as a kill switch. However, its UK connection speeds are very fast. I’m not a fan of its unexpectedly high renewal costs, though.

For VPN users on a budget, Windscribe’s annual subscription costs a little more but it’s also a much better, more fully featured service – and you can make a good start with its free tier. Meanwhile, ExpressVPN remains your best choice for privacy, and NordVPN and Surfshark are great for speed and streaming. Check out our best VPN list for even more options.

Buy Norton Secure VPN from £19.99/$39.99 for the first year

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Steganos operates two VPN brands, both of which use the same infrastructure and have the same basic security policies: mySteganos Online Shield VPN and OkayFreedom.

MySteganos Online Shield allows five simultaneous connections from a variety of devices, while OkayFreedom is a free single-device VPN service for Windows PCs, which is also available as an ad-supported, 2GB per month free service. (See our roundup of the best free VPNs.)

Pricing and subscriptions

An annual mySteganos Online Shield subscription costs £40.62, with a two-year subscription at £73.12 and a monthly option for £6.49.

OkayFreedom provides only 2GB per month in exchange for displaying some adverts in your browser, but you can use it whenever you like. You can also subscribe for £29.95 per year for a single device. That’s not an awful price, but you can subscribe to Private Internet Access for a much faster multi-device service for just a couple of quid more.

Steganos is one of only a handful of reputable VPN providers that still offers a full, unlimited seven-day free trial without registration. This is particularly worthwhile if you’re setting up a system and need a VPN in a hurry, since you can simply download Steganos’s installer, run it and you’re immediately ready to go.

Features and usability

The mySteganos Online Shield client is reasonably polished and easy to use, with 23 endpoint locations and a variety of useful security features. Sliders allow you to quickly enable and disable ad-blocking, tracking, automatic cookie erasure and browser ID string anonymisation.

A handful of advanced settings allows you to control whether the client connects at log-on time, add exceptions to the cookie-clearing tools, add VPN exceptions for outgoing email. You also have the ability to disable the on-by-default VPN kill switch to prevent unencrypted traffic from being sent across your standard internet connection if the link to the VPN endpoint drops.

Although it uses OpenVPN as standard, you’re limited to using Steganos’s official Windows, macOS, Android and iOS apps on up to five computers, tablets or smartphones, with no support for other operating systems or devices.

Germany isn’t the best country for a company to be headquartered in legislative terms, but mySteganos and OkayFreedom advertise themselves as privacy-focused and have a no-logging policy. The company states that “both services interweave metadata of a huge number of users in a way that cannot be untangled. Therefore, an individual user cannot be identified with one IP address and personal data can neither be determined nor passed to state or police.” German law requires ISPs to retain traffic metadata for 10 weeks, but the implication here is that no useful metadata can be extracted.

Performance

All of my testing was carried out on a virtual desktop physically located at a data centre in London with a high-speed internet connection. This testing setup produces results under optimal connection conditions. VPN clients are tested on their default settings.

Steganos has always been one of the slower VPN services around and, as the above results so, that hasn’t changed. To its credit, my test history with this one indicate that you’re likely to get the same speeds over a slow home ADSL connection as I did from a data centre. It’s fast enough for web browsing and 1080p video streaming, but downloads will be rather slow, and more challenging streaming tasks may not perform adequately.

Although it’s by no means a service aimed at region-shifting video streaming, I’ve been able to watch UK TV when connected – although it isn’t consistently reliable for this.

Should you buy mySteganos Online Shield or OkayFreedom?

OkayFreedom’s free service is handy, but its premium version isn’t worth the upgrade; Windscribe and ProtonVPN’s free services are much more generous.

And while mySteganos Online Shield has a brilliant free trial, it’s sluggish performance, limited platform support, and lack of streaming capabilities mean that it offers little appeal to power users who prioritise either speed or streaming. In addition, German data retention law will unnerve serious privacy enthusiasts.

While it’s easy to use and clear in its intentions, and offers great free trials and tiers, Steganos’ VPN deals are reliable but unremarkable. You’ll find better value by grabbing a two-year Surfshark subscription instead. Check out our best VPN list for even more options.

The post MySteganos Online Shield VPN & OkayFreedom VPN appeared first on Trusted Reviews.

Buy CyberGhost for £10.89 per month

The CyberGhost virtual private network (VPN) service aims to cater to privacy-conscious users and those who want to watch streaming video services in other countries.

Since 2017, CyberGhost has been owned by malware-maker-turned-cybersecurity firm Kape Technologies, which also bought rival Private Internet Access in 2019. Both subsidiaries continue to operate independently.

Pricing

CyberGhost is rather expensive if you opt for the £10.89-per-month subscription online, and its £41.40-per-year annual pricing is also somewhat pricey. However, if you buy a two-year subscription for £69.36, it works out at a competitive £2.89 a month. There’s also a one-day free trial, if you want to try out the service at no cost.

If you need an extra layer of anonymity, you can pay for your CyberGhost subscription using cryptocurrencies. Sadly, more environmentally friendly methods of anonymous payment, including money orders code cards from physical retailers, are no longer available.

Features and usability

The CyberGhost client opens docked just above the notification area, but you can drag it wherever you like. A panel on the left expands to reveal a searchable list of endpoints in 89 countries, further categorised by function. These include high-security NoSpy servers running on hardware physically located at the company’s head office in Romania, as well as endpoints optimised for streaming, torrenting and gaming. You can also rent your own dedicated IP address in the country of your choice.

A Privacy Settings tab lets you enable DNS-level ad tracker and malware blocking, disable CyberGhost’s dedicated DNS servers (used to reduce the risk of DNS leaks) and turn off its automatic kill switch, which stops all internet traffic if your VPN connection fails.

A Smart Rules tab allows you to define the behaviour of the client. You can customise whether it starts and connects when you log into Windows, whether it automatically launches selected applications upon connection, or how it behaves when it detects that you’ve connected to an unknown Wi-Fi network. You can also choose any programs you want to treat as exceptions, with their traffic routed outside the VPN connection.

You can configure it to automatically launch when you open specific apps, too. Further options can be found in a Settings tab at the bottom left of the window. These include VPN protocol and OpenVPN connection protocol, and the ability to disable CyberGhost’s on-by-default random port selection and IPV6 disabling.

Performance

All of my testing was carried out on a virtual desktop physically located at a data centre in London with a high-speed internet connection. This testing setup produces results under optimal connection conditions. VPN clients are tested on their default settings.

CyberGhost’s performance was below average all round, but only its US throughput was slow enough to be particularly noticeable during day-to-day online activity. Like an increasing number of notable VPN providers, CyberGhost supports the fast new WireGuard protocol, but defaults to auto-selecting a protocol based on network conditions. Forcing the client to use WireGuard didn’t produce any noticeable improvement in US connection speeds.

CyberGhost’s dedicated streaming endpoints generally work well, and can be handy if you want to stream TV without interruption while securely connected to internet via your VPN.

Should you buy CyberGhost?

CyberGhost’s interface is clear and easy to use, and dedicated endpoints cater to streaming media enthusiasts. It’s based in Romania, where EU data retention laws have been declared unconstitutional, and it doesn’t log or store identifying data such as your IP address.

The accuracy of CyberGhost’s no-logging policy hasn’t been proven in court or by an independent audit, so those who need evidence-backed security should consider some of its rivals, notably ExpressVPN. If you’d just like a faster and cheaper service, Surfshark costs the same for two years as CyberGhost costs for one. Otherwise, check out our Best VPN round-up for more options.

Buy CyberGhost for £10.89 per month

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Buy Avast SecureLine for £6.99/$8.99 per month

Produced by anti-malware firm Avast, SecureLine is a reliable, no-frills virtual private network (VPN) service with clear logging policies.

Following the revelation that user data from some Avast products – not including any of its VPN services – was sold by its now-closed marketing and analysis subsidiary Jumpshot, Avast has upped its game in the transparency stakes with a regularly updated transparency report and warrant canary.

SecureLine keeps connection logs but doesn’t track user activity while connected – and has a limited but useful selection of endpoint locations. It uses the same backend network as AVG Secure VPN, which is also owned and run by Avast.

Pricing and subscriptions

The five-device subscription costs £47.88/$47.88 per year, £71.76/$71.76 for two years, £107.64/$107.64 everything three years. Although those prices have dropped slightly since my last review of SecureLine, it really is expensive compared to aggressively priced rivals like Windscribe and Surfshark, both of which have a lot more features.

A monthly subscription is available at £6.99/$8.99 per month, while a free seven-day trial is also available without registration, so you can see if SecureLine meets your needs before you pay for it. This is also very handy if you need to get a new computer connected to the internet with a bit of extra security and have no time to faff around with subscriptions. AVG Secure VPN is also owned by Avast, uses the same backend infrastructure and costs the same for UK/US users.

Features and usability

SecureLine’s standalone client is attractive and reasonably simple to use. Buttons on the front page allowed me to enable it and select an endpoint location from among 34 countries, including options for streaming video and P2P traffic.

You’ll have to go digging if you want to configure anything else, via the menu and then settings. Here, you can configure conditions under which the VPN will either automatically connect or prompt you to connect, enable a kill switch to prevent data leakage if the VPN disconnects unexpectedly, and enable access to devices on your local network.

Clients are available for Windows, macOS, Android and iOS, but no connection instructions are provided for other operating systems or embedded systems such as NAS devices and routers, even though Avast uses the broadly supported OpenVPN protocol.

SecureLine is also available as an optional upgrade to Avast Antivirus, with the same features and an integrated interface.

Performance

All testing was carried out on a virtual desktop physically located at a data centre in London with a high-speed internet connection. This testing setup produces results under optimal connection conditions. VPN clients are tested on their default settings.

Avast’s speed test performance came in below average in every one of the locations I test, but only the US endpoint was slow enough to really have much impact on day-to-day use, and even then, 30Mbps is okay for watching HD videos, for example.

Avast has introduced some streaming video servers in the UK, US and Germany, which mean that, if you’re in one of those countries, you’re more likely to be able to watch local streaming services without having to disconnect from your VPN.

Should you buy Avast SecureLine?

Avast is headquartered in the Czech Republic and has a clear logging policy across its VPN service, which explicitly states that, although network performance and connection logs are retained, it does not log activity “such as the websites you visit, what data is transferred, and which IP addresses are accessed.”

Avast SecureLine’s performance is adequate for undemanding users, but its relatively high cost and unremarkable performance make it a poor choice when compared to more capable rivals, including Avast’s own HMA VPN. If you’re after security without having to deploy your own endpoints, ExpressVPN is my current favourite, while and NordVPN and Surfshark are both faster and cost less. Check out our Best VPN list for more options.

Buy Avast SecureLine for £6.99/$8.99 per month

The post Avast SecureLine VPN Review appeared first on Trusted Reviews.

Buy F-Secure Freedome VPN from £24.99/$37.88/€31.53 per year

Cybersecurity firm F-Secure has built its own VPN, F-Secure Freedome, from the ground up and makes a headline feature of its tracker and malware blocking.

That’s a fairly common feature among VPN providers, but F-Secure has the benefit of being able to leverage its impressive threat detection network to help block malicious sites.

Unlike some VPNs produced by cybersecurity companies, Freedome isn’t a white label version of a better established VPN service, and it isn’t missing significant features. For example, there’s a kill switch you can enable to prevent accidental data leakage, if your VPN disconnects unexpectedly.

Pricing and subscriptions

Freedome’s pricing structure feels old-fashioned. There are two tiers, providing three and seven device connections respectively, and priced at £24.99/$37.88/€31.53 per year, £49.99/$75.77/€63.08 per year (and £69.99/$106.07/€88.32 for two years).

There’s no monthly subscription option, but there is an unlimited five-day free trial that doesn’t require registration to use. I’m always a fan of these, as they mean you can quickly set up a VPN connection on a newly installed system without fuss, and deal with account creation and password management later.

Features and usability

The Freedome client is pretty simple, but has a couple of unusual features. Its main interface displays buttons to connect and to select your endpoint location; you can choose from 22 countries. It also shows the number of malicious sites and trackers blocked by the service.

Note that some websites and services will not work at all if their ad trackers are blocked. However, it’s easy to disable and re-enable as and when you need to via the tracking protection tab on the left-hand side of the client. Similarly, you can disable browser protection, which guards against malware, although you’re less likely to need to ever do this. An interesting bonus feature is the tracker mapper, which, for 24 hours, records a local log of all trackers your device encounters.

F-Secure Freedome uses OpenVPN for its connections, except for its iOS client, which lacks a kill switch and uses IKEv2. However, with support limited to Windows, macOS, Android and iOS, F-Secure’s claim that you can use it on all your devices is somewhat overstating. I’d like to see OpenVPN profiles made available, so more advanced users can install them manually on whatever compatible hardware they please, such as Linux PCs or a router to send an entire network’s traffic across the VPN.

Performance

All of my testing was carried out on a virtual desktop physically located at a data centre in London with a high-speed internet connection. This testing setup produces results under optimal connection conditions. VPN clients are tested on their default settings.

Freedome comfortably exceeded the test group’s average performance for the US and Netherlands endpoints, and only just fell short of the UK average. Still, you’re unlikely to experience any performance problems for even bandwith-intensive applications.

However, F-Secure doesn’t target region-shifting streaming video enthusiasts. If you can load up a local streaming service while connected, that’s fortunate, but don’t depend on Freedome for this. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have any kind of whitelisting for either applications or domains, which means you have to disconnect your VPN if you want to watch iPlayer.

Should you buy F-Secure Freedome?

F-Secure has a policy of not logging any identifying data, and is a company that’s proved itself worthy of trust in other fields. When Freedome servers were illegally seized by the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation in 2019, it was proved that no logs were kept of which sites subscribers visited, although the agency hoped to piece together some evidence on a suspect based on how long they remained connected to the service. F-Secure vigorously and successfully fought against the log seizure.

Freedome’s pricing just can’t compare with better-value propositions such as Surfshark‘s two-year, ultra-fast and streaming-friendly subscription for an unlimited number of devices. And if it’s security you’re after, ExpressVPN is always a good bet, even if it is more expensive. Check out our Best VPN list for even more options.

Buy now: F-Secure Freedome VPN from £24.99/$37.88/€31.53 per year

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