The best VPN services of 2021
[ad_1]
7 minutes to read
Disclosure: Our goal is to showcase products and services that we think you will find interesting and useful. If you buy them, Entrepreneur can get a small share of the revenue from the sale of our business partners.
No one wants strangers digging into their internet history, no matter how benign. Since your data may be leaked by your ISP (Internet Service Provider) or even the companies behind the websites you visit at any given time, you will want to have the best VPN service on hand to ensure a connection. really private.
A VPN, or Virtual Private Network, aims to keep your online identity anonymous by directing all Internet activity through a secure âtunnelâ from your device to the global web. It also hides your IP address so that no one can trace traffic data back to you. Other benefits of using a VPN include preventing DDoS attacks, protecting against third parties trying to sell your browsing history to advertisers, and breaking content restrictions like region-locked streaming services. . At this point, the question is not whether you need a VPN but rather which VPN you should be using.
VPN support is ubiquitous these days, with support for a wide range of devices. Most VPNs are compatible with desktops, laptops, smartphones, and tablets, in some cases at the same time. Especially since many of us continue to work from home, signing up for the best VPN service is imperative to keep your daily (virtual) life private. Even if you have nothing to hide, the sense of security a VPN offers is transformative.
Best overall: CyberGhost ($ 13 / month)
Best value: NordVPN ($ 12 / month)
Best No-Log for Privacy: Private Internet Access ($ 10 / month)
Ideal for torrenting: IPVanish ($ 11 / month)
Ideal for ease of use: Tunnel Bear ($ 10 / month)
Best with most countries: ExpressVPN ($ 13 / month)
Best overall: CyberGhost ($ 13 / mo)
A complaint you’ll often see about most VPN services is how much they limit your internet speeds. Since every page you load should be sent to the VPN host server before returning to your device, infrastructure is of the utmost importance. And CyberGhost, more than any other VPN on the market, has the infrastructure, facilitating over 6,100 servers in over 90 countries and up to seven connections at a time from the same user.
The user interface is easy to navigate. You can watch geo-protected content from streaming services including Disney +, Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon Prime. Internet speeds remain fast.
Device support is excellent with a plethora of installers for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Apple TV, Fire TV, and Chrome OS. Dedicated streaming and torrent servers are easy to find. And CyberGhost maintains a no-logging policy. It costs more than average, but you can save 83% by committing over three years.
Best value for money: NordVPN ($ 12 / month)
NordVPN is an extremely popular VPN, and for good reason. Boasting exceptional security, fast connection speeds, and rock-solid reliability, NordVPN is a great all-around VPN solution. As CyberGhost, it has over 5,000 servers in more than 59 countries, but only supports six devices at a time, up from seven.
You will be able to geo-unblock content from streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, and BBC iPlayer. There is a strict no-check-in policy for your peace of mind. And great device support ranges from Windows, macOS, and Linux devices to Android, iOS, and Chrome OS gadgets.
However, it makes up for this security service shortcoming, with a feature called Double VPN, which can route traffic through not one but two Nord servers at a time, for twice the relief. A recently passed security audit in 2020 proves NordVPN’s prowess. Military-grade 256-bit AES encryption, a kill switch, and several different VPN protocols to choose from make it a highly secure, stable, and fast VPN.
Best No-Log for Privacy: Private Internet Access ($ 10 / month)
As the name suggests, Private Internet Access (PIA) is a security-focused VPN. He is unique in that he is one of a small handful of VPN companies whose no-logging policy has been approved by a national security organization, namely the FBI.
PIA supplies 32,000 servers based in more than 70 countries. You get support for up to 10 devices. As you would expect with a name like Private Internet Access, security features, including a kill switch, are standard. The apps are available for Windows, Linux, macOS, Chrome OS, Android, and iOS, among others. In addition, the PIA mobile application has even been certified by the ioXt Alliance.
Geo unblocking for sites like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu works well. And there is the unrestricted torrent. For $ 10 per month, or about $ 3 per year, you can rest assured with PIA that a VPN company does not store your data the same way your ISP does.
Best for torrenting: IPVanish ($ 11 / month)
For multitasking, or simply those who are not afraid to share their subscription with the whole household, IPVanish might be the best VPN service to buy. With unlimited simultaneous connections, it is one of the few companies to have completely removed this constraint.
While some VPN services place heavy limitations on P2P file sharing, BitTorrent users will be happy to hear that IPVanish does nothing of the sort. Actually, there are no BT download restrictions with IPVanish, so torrent.
With over 1,600 servers in over 75 different locations, IPVanish is a fantastic all-around VPN. Due to its unlimited connections and no torrent restrictions, IPVanish is a wonderful VPN for torrents. It sports military-grade 256-bit AES encryption, a reliable kill switch, and a no-log policy.
Best for ease of use: Tunnelbear ($ 10 / month)
Benefiting from plug-and-play simplicity, Tunnel Bear eschews a complicated user interface in favor of a dynamic carnivore-themed design that illustrates how VPN systems work surprisingly well. Just click on the country you want your bear to cross, turn on the encryption switch, and you’re ready to start surfing the web privately.
But don’t be fooled by its cutesy appearance – TunnelBear takes privacy seriously, to the point of conducting annual independent audits, to assure its users that they are in good health.
To further sweeten the deal, TunnelBear includes a free tier. There is a data limit of 500MB / month on the free version. We highly recommend that you shell out some cash for a paid subscription to TunnelBear, but the free plan is nice to run. Alternatively, the unlimited premium plan costs $ 10 / month and gives you unlimited safe browsing for up to five connected devices.
With 256-bit AES encryption, macOS, Windows, Android, and iOS installers, there is good cross-platform compatibility. If you want an easy-to-use yet high-performing VPN, TunnelBear is a smart choice.
Best with most countries: ExpressVPN ($ 13 / month)
ExpressVPNThe 3,000 s servers are well distributed over 160 sites in 94 countries. A large number of server locations to traverse is a major advantage of ExpressVPN. Another is its support for OpenVPN, an open source VPN system that has been widely reviewed for weak spots.
Impressively, EspressVPN has created the open source Lightway protocol for transparency. And Cybersecurity company Cure53 vouched for EspressVPN in a full audit. Although it is one of the more complex VPN services, ExpressVPN offers 24/7 support if something goes wrong, making it a reliable choice.
There is 256-bit AES encryption and a host of different client apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, game consoles, and smart TVs. Since it’s log-free, ExpressVPN is a solid choice for privacy-conscious users. It’s pretty simple to use but extremely customizable. For everything from torrenting to unblocking geo-protected content, ExpressVPN is more than up to the task.
[ad_2]