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The 12 Best VPN Service Providers
NordVPN
Express VPN
Private Internet Access
Cyber Ghost
Atlas VPN
Surfshark
Vypr VPN
IP Vanish
Fastest VPN
Pure VPN
Tor Guard
TunnelBear
Who Has the Best VPN Service?
A VPN is a virtual private network that allows you to browse the Internet securely. It makes a private network for you that is encrypted (scrambled) so that all the data coming to or leaving your computer is unreadable to anyone trying to peek at your browsing habits. But if you have nothing to hide, why would you want to use a VPN?
The reality is that there are plenty of people in the world who would love to access your private information such as passwords and bank account numbers. For example, a hacker might want to steal your password as you submit it from your computer to your email provider to log in. There are also people who want to know what you're looking for on the Internet. Marketers want to see your exposed data about what you like to shop for. Governments desire to know at every moment what their citizens are discussing, searching, and browsing.
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Friday, April 12th
2024 VPN Service Provider Reviews
NordVPN
NordVPN is one of the most popular and well-regarded VPN services on the market today. It has a cost-conscious pricing scheme and good customer service. The double encryption and kill switch features are pluses as well. We highly recommend NordVPN for your VPN needs.
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Express VPN
Express VPN has a great reputation for being an easy-to-use VPN that supports lots of devices. They are hyper-focused on making the VPN experience the best in the industry. The price is higher than we would like, but it seems to synchronize with the good value the software and platform offer.
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Private Internet Access
Private Internet Access has a number of advanced features other VPNs do not. For a low price, it has a lot of users and a strong network with 24/7 customer support. Be aware that it is headquartered in the United States which has anti-privacy laws that can cause problems for some subscribers. But, so far the company has been able to prove this isn't an issue. The low long-term price has us recommending this VPN for cost-conscious customers.
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Cyber Ghost
Cyber Ghost enjoys a good reputation with the vast majority of its users and has a lot of great features. It's easy to use and offers a free trial in addition to a 14-day or 45-day money-back guarantee depending on the duration of your purchased subscription. With the unique free trial option, you can try it confidently without risk and decide whether it meets your specific needs. It did have a bit of trouble with slower Wi-Fi connections abroad, however. Still, we can recommend it if you are looking for a low cost VPN with a true free trial option.
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Atlas VPN
Atlas VPN offers a secure virtual private network for a low cost that includes unlimited devices, 4k streaming, fast speed, and support for peer-to-peer networking. It's in a great pricing position for a VPN but frequently-mentioned issues with customer service and installation issues keep it from ranking well among its competitors.
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Surfshark
A decent mid-range-priced VPN, Surfshark has all the features you'd expect from a VPN service with strong encryption, no logs kept on your use, an ad blocker, anti-virus software, and a 30-day money-back guarantee. A strength includes its offer of an unlimited number of devices per customer. However, be aware that there are some reputation and customer service issues to consider first before choosing Surfshark.
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Vypr VPN
VyprVPN has created its own proprietary services and technologies to help you navigate the Internet with fewer worries about which sites you visit from which countries. Their private DNS and cloaking tech ensures nobody can track what you see and do online. However, their customer support and the reliability of the software are very lacking, with too many unhappy reviewers to recommend it at this time.
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IP Vanish
IP Vanish has just enough features to do what most people need it for. However, it suffers from confusing pricing selection interfaces, dated software, and confusing mismatches between what individual and professional reviewers feel about it as a service. It's an average VPN service that we can't directly recommend. Other higher-ranked services are a better bet than committing to IP Vanish.
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Fastest VPN
Fastest VPN has good pricing going for it. It also seems to have some features that some other companies lack. There is a 15-day money-back guarantee, which falls short of several companies' 30-day guarantees. Unfortunately, some IT expert reviewers found that this VPN service really lacks in speed, unblocking of streaming, and configuration options. That, together with too many bad reviews, leads us to advise you to consider all the other higher-rated options before settling for Fastest VPN.
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Pure VPN
Pure VPN is a VPN service that has some questionable business practices and origins. Its connections are unstable, slow, and insecure. While its user reviews are very positive, experts who have tested very specific features find it not to be reliable.
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Tor Guard
TorGuard appears to be a VPN system for the technologically fearless individual who doesn't mind being shouted down on review sites if something goes wrong. It has some confusing pricing plans and limited support options. We cannot recommend it as a useful VPN solution for average users.
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TunnelBear
Confusing pricing plans, and the worst customer reviews out of all the VPN companies. In a crowded VPN provider field, what's left to like about TunnelBear? Maybe the cute bear mascot on the website? We think that's about it.
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Continued from above...
Your credit card information is particularly important to protect. Most websites these days have end-to-end encryption to protect sensitive purchase information. But for the ones that don't, or for when that technology fails, a VPN adds a layer of protection to keep hackers from "sniffing" out your credit card information.
Another bonus? If you want access to streaming media that is only available in certain countries, a VPN can make it look to the streaming services in those countries as if you're a resident, and therefore you'll have no restrictions on accessing your favorite TV shows and movies.
Do you browse the Internet from public Wi-Fi connections in places such as airports, coffee shops, or shopping malls? If you do this without a VPN, your data is openly exposed to hackers who make a habit of monitoring unsecured Wi-Fi signals for data to steal.
You can't even trust your own internet service provider (ISP) with sensitive information about your browsing habits. They are often looking for additional revenue streams, including selling information about which websites your IP address has been accessing. A VPN hides that information from your ISP.
For people living in countries where the government has little or no respect for the right to privacy, a VPN is absolutely necessary. Otherwise, government bureaus, agencies, and leaders could have full access to everything you say or do online, including planning protests, criticizing laws and policies, or donating money to political organizations.
Therefore, it's critically important that you research the features, reputation, security, performance, customer service, and cost of various VPN services before you decide which one to subscribe to. Here are some factors to consider.
- Features: What does the VPN offer that makes it better than any other VPN service? What is the purpose of those features?
- Cost: How much does the VPN subscription cost? Is there a free trial? What about a money-back guarantee? Does the VPN service offer a lower cost per month if you pay annually?
- Reputation: Does the VPN company enjoy a good reputation among its customers? If not, why not, and can you live with that? If others had a bad experience, how long had they been customers, and what was done, if anything, to resolve their concerns?
- Security: What features does the VPN system include to keep you protected at all times from people snooping into your data stream? Do they log your activities? Do they have enough IP addresses for you to connect through so that it's harder for government officials, marketers, and hackers to deduce a pattern around your browsing? What's in place in terms of automatic cutoff in case the VPN service fails without your knowledge?
- Performance: How fast is the VPN connection while you browse? Does it connect and disconnect quickly?
- Customer Service: What are the options for contacting support if needed? Do they have live chat, email, and telephone support? Are they courteous and quick when answering questions?
TopConsumerReviews.com has compiled a report of the best VPN services available and ranked them in the order of quality and reliability. We hope these reviews will help you find the right VPN service to make browsing the Web 100% secure!
VPN Service Provider FAQ
A Virtual Private Network is security software that hides your personal identity and information from hackers, businesses, and government agencies. You will want to use a VPN if you're concerned about a person or entity finding out which websites you've visited and when or monitoring your general activities online.
Nothing in technology is 100% secure. You should research which VPNs offer the best security and choose from among those options. Every VPN provider is operated by human beings who can make mistakes. But there are several that have strict policies, protocols, processes, and procedures for ensuring that user data is protected.
VPNs give you an alternative IP address to the one your hometown internet service provider will give you. The alternative IP address can be located in another town, region, or a whole other country entirely. It's usually up to you. When you browse with a VPN, it's harder if not impossible for a hacker, business, or government agency to trace your web activity to your precise location. Another thing a VPN does is fully encrypt or scramble your data transfers so that anyone trying to peek at your data stream will not be able to interpret what they see.
In most cases using a VPN is very simple. You sign up for a pricing plan and then download the VPN software to your computer. Once you install the software, it may ask you for some information so it can configure your services. After it's done, every time you start your computer the VPN software can immediately begin hiding your activity online.
A VPN can be useful if you want to access websites, watch videos, or transfer file content to or from other countries that ban foreign IP addresses. For example, if you want to watch a streaming movie that is only available in the Netherlands, simply open your VPN software and choose an IP address location in the Netherlands. The VPN will make it appear to the movie streaming service as if you're online in that country. However, be aware that streaming video service providers are becoming increasingly sophisticated at detecting VPN use and blocking you. Be sure to research what you can and cannot do with a specific VPN.
It could be, so definitely do your research. With some VPN providers, your IP address is fully logged or tracked. In that case, you are not 100% protected from inquiries by businesses or law enforcement organizations in the event that your connection is compromised or comes under suspicion of illegal activities. Even if a VPN provider says they don't log your IP address, it's not necessarily a good idea to take them at their word. Many VPN companies want to protect themselves first in the case of a court order or law enforcement action against any users on their service.
Most democratic countries do not have laws against using a VPN. In some countries, however, it is highly illegal to use a VPN. Be sure to read the terms of service of the VPN provider as well as research the laws in your country before buying, installing, or using a VPN solution.
You don't need to use a VPN at home if your connection is protected from intrusion by a properly-configured router and Wi-Fi access point. VPNs are most useful when you're connecting from a public hotspot such as at a cafe or library. But, home use still has the advantage of helping to further secure your data and hide your location from outside entities that try to watch what you're doing online.
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