A VPN, or Virtual Private Network, is software that allows you to both change your location virtually & keep you online anonymously. The use of VPNs has recently increased in popularity- people use it to secure their sensitive information and bypass the region restrictions on video streaming providers like Amazon Prime, Netflix, Hulu, etc.
There are 2 primary reasons to use a VPN:
1) You don’t want your ISP, Google, and other companies tracking what you’re doing on the Internet (or you want to fool them into thinking you’re in a different country) or
2) You’re traveling and using Internet access provided by a hotel/coffee shop/airbnb.
These connections are convenient but NOT SECURE and malicious actors have the potential to not only see which sites you’re visiting, but actually access the content of your network traffic. A VPN will encrypt all of your traffic and prevent such snooping.
So there are some complicated reasons for using a VPN, but luckily you don’t need a lot of technical skills to explore its potential. Additionally, the best VPNs also provide apps for most mobile devices, allowing you to encrypt network traffic on your phone/ipad in addition to your PC.
With so many options available on the market, selecting the best VPN can be frustrating. We have curated a list of top recommended VPNs, having a balance between streaming, speed, security & value for money.
If you are looking for a winning combination of privacy & performance, then ExpressVPN is the best option. You can simultaneously use it on private and public networks, giving you the best option for working from home. This VPN even provides a 30-day money-back guarantee, allowing you to conduct a risk-free test drive.
The only downside of using Express VPN is that it is twice as expensive as other VPNs on the list.
2. NordVPN
With over eight million customers around the world, NordVPN is one of the most popular options. The unique feature of this software is that it uses a double-VPN, which makes your data more encrypted. So, if you are a journalist, blogger, activist or anyone who is super-concerned about privacy, then NordVPN is ideal for you. Their subscriptions start at $3.30 a month.
The drawbacks of using NordVPN are that it uses a static address, and their customer support is hard to reach.
3. Surfshark
Surfshark is perfect for you if you are on a tight budget but still want premium service. For as little as $2.49 a month, it provides unlimited connections, covering all your devices. It uses a different IP address whenever you connect, making it difficult to trace. If you want to use the same IP address every time, you can change it in settings anytime.
The drawback of using Surfshark is that it does not provide phone support & is not the fastest.
CyberGhost is a company that is not a member of international surveillance networks. Additionally, it is based in Romania, which has almost no data retention laws of its own, making CyberGhost an excellent choice for privacy. The best feature of this software is that they have incredible customer support & you can subscribe to it for only $1.99 a month.
The disadvantage of using this VPN is that its performance is not the best & the apps are unstable sometimes. Also, it has slow performance on Windows.
Conclusion
Although there are many free & paid VPNs available in the market, you’ll find that some do not support your favorite apps like Netflix. Some of them (especially “free” ones) will sell your usage history to advertisers secretly & earn commissions on it. Paid VPN services are usually more reliable and much faster. If you’re going to use a VPN, it’s necessary to invest in a premium quality VPN that provides you with fast speed, seamless experience, good security and strong encryption.
Reach out to us if you need help finding the VPN that is right for you.