Are you worried about your online privacy? If yes, then rest assured, you aren’t the only one looking for the best VPNs.
And you have every reason to be skeptical of your online security.
According to the Q2 2018 Threat Report, the number of distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks increased in size by 500%.
However, it can be alleviated using a VPN ‘virtual private network.’ A VPN provides an additional layer of security to your networks, whether public or private. As businesses are increasingly becoming digital and people are working remotely from home, everyone is turning to VPNs to protect their sensitive data.
One of the immediate benefits of using a VPN is that your IP address is changed immediately, from the incumbent to the address provided by the VPN. The updated IP address is usually generated from a different city or country because you log in from a different server.
For instance, you may log in from Kyoto, Japan, but your IP address says you’re in New York, New York.
VPN services provide a superior level of encryption that allows you to connect to public Wi-Fi and still engage in sending and receiving sensitive. Browsing privately, escaping internet censorship, and enjoying online privacy are some of the most prominent benefits a VPN provides.
There are many other advantages of using a VPN, including:
Much like using password managers, VPNs have been a necessity for online privacy and data management over the last decade.
However, as the popularity of VPN continues to spread, the number of providers is also growing exponentially.
With hundreds of VPN service providers (open-source or paid) available on the market, choosing the right one can be a daunting task. The task becomes even more taxing due to thousands of biased online reviews.
That’s why I scoured through the internet to curate this of VPN reviews.
Before selecting from these VPN companies, make sure to consider some essential VPN uses, such as:
After evaluating all of these factors, you can choose the VPN that best suits you.
This guide includes the best VPN services, ranked and reviewed based on their features, pricing, security features, streaming capabilities, and more.
Let’s get started.
Disclaimer: Please note that this article includes affiliate links which may provide me a small commission at no cost to you. However, these are the best VPNs to use this year. You can read my full affiliate disclosure in my privacy policy.
Here are my top picks for the best VPNs with free options to try as well.
Initially released in 2012, IPVanish is based in the USA. It started with 32 servers per client for Windows OS and further expanded into iOS, Android, macOS, Linux, and Fire TV. It has more than 40,000 shared IP addresses and over 1300 servers that are present in over 75 locations all across the world.
IPVanish VPN offers three basic pricing plans.
The payment options are extensive; you can pay by Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express, Delta, and PayPal.
CyberGhost VPN has been in the industry for over 15 years and provides fast and secure VPN services to stream and browse without any limitations.
With their suite of online privacy tools, you can unblock streaming services, stream sporting events, get better deals online, and access blocked websites. Additionally, their platform provides data security by hiding your IP address, securing bank transactions, and protecting your digital identity.
With a single subscription, you can protect up to 7 devices at the same time and mask your server with hundreds of options.
CyberGhost VPN has different pricing plans based on your term length. Their best value is the $2.75/month plan, which covers three years (and you get two extra months free).
Get started with CyberGhost VPN and get two extra months free.
Initially released in 2009, ExpressVPN is a virtual private network service offered by Express VPN International Ltd, which is registered in the British Virgin Islands.
The software is mostly sold as a privacy and security tool, which encrypts the web traffic of users, and masks their IP addresses.
Touted as one of the largest VPN services in the world, it runs more than 2500 remote servers all over the globe, spanning across 94 countries and more than 150 locations. The largest numbers of its servers are located in Brazil, Canada, the United States, France, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands.
The price is $12.95 for a one-month subscription to ExpressVPN, $8.32 per month for an annual subscription, and $9.99 per month for a subscription of 6 months.
A 100% money-back guarantee covers all plans for the first 30 days of service. Just select your plan, enter your email address, and choose your preferred mode of payment, and you’re up and running!
Initially released in 2012, NordVPN is one of the best VPN service providers available.
As of September 2019, it operates on more than 5500 servers spread across more than 60 countries. The most significant number of servers are located in the USA, UK, France, Netherlands, Australia, and Canada.
Apart from general VPN servers, it offers a diverse range of services, including P2P sharing, double encryption, and connection to the Tor anonymity network.
One of its advantages is its strategic location in Panama. Due to legal reasons, there are no mandatory data retention laws in Panama.
NordVPN offers four pricing plans as of now, including:
StrongVPN is one of the oldest VPN providers in the world, having started operations way back in 1994. Now, it is one of the market leaders and global VPN providing giants.
Currently, it is available in more than 25 cities, with more than 950 servers and 59000IP addresses. Backed by excellent infrastructure, it is one of the top choices when it comes to choosing a VPN service provider.
They also provide a dedicated IP address to cater to your needs. Moreover, it is quite easy to use and has two very cost-effective plans that provide optimum value for money.
However, its global presence is not as impressive, especially when you consider the amount of time it has been active in the market.
StrongVPN offers two plans to its users.
Both plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
PureVPN is another highly transparent VPN service provider, backed by GZ systems. It is based out of Hong Kong and has more than 2000 servers operating out of 180 server locations.
Moreover, it offers more than 300,000 IP addresses and is one of the best in the market right now. PureVPN is also the first VPN service provider that is fully compliant with the newly implemented GDPR.
PureVPN provides three pricing plans.
The paid plans start at $10.95/ month (billed every month). If you opt for an annual plan, you can save up to 47% at $5.81 per month. The third plan is a 2-year plan, where you have to pay $3.33/ month for 2 years. With this plan, you can save up to 71%. All the plans come with a 31-day money-back guarantee.
It also offers a wide range of payment options, including credit cards, Paypal, Alipay, Paymentwall, and BlueSnap. On top of that, you can gift 12 free monthly accounts to your near and dear ones.
Norton Secure VPN is a world leader in security products and solutions. One of the best parts about this VPN service provider is that we know about its ownership, unlike other VPN providers who avoid divulging any information regarding ownership. Its accountability and strong backing make it one of the top choices.
Moreover, with 1500 servers across more than 200 server locations and 30 countries, it offers a wide service area.
The monthly plans start at $4.99 for one device, $7.99 for 5 devices, and $9.99 for 10 devices.
Annual plans start at $39.99 for one device or five devices and $59.99 for 10 devices. However, the annual plans change after the first year. After 1 year, the pricing is $49.99 for one device per year, $79.99 for 5 devices per year, and $99.99 for 10 devices per year.
The monthly plans, on the other hand, do not change after the first year.
t of its clientele is across Europe. With 800 plus servers across more than 45 countries, it goes above and beyond to ensure the optimum service.
It is decidedly compatible with locations like Australia, Germany, Canada, India, Italy, Japan, and the Netherlands. Although its pricing plans are a little on the higher side, it more than makes up for it with features it provides.
Surfshark VPN offers three pricing plans.
With these plans, you also get a 7-day free trial on Google Play and Apple app store.
Hotspot Shield, operated by AnchorFree Inc, was catapulted into international prominence after it was used during the Arab Spring protests to bypass government censorship in Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia.
Hotspot Shield initially started operations in 2005 in California, USA, and later expanded its services to the parts of Eastern Europe, including Ukraine and Russia. It is currently available in more than 70 countries and has more than 2500 servers and 50,000 IP addresses.
You get three pricing plans with Hotspot Shield.
The payment method is secure and brisk. All you need to do is select your plan, enter your email address, and choose your method of payment. You can make the payment using debit cards, credit cards, and PayPal.
Launched in 2010, Private Internet Access (PIA) is one of the best VPN service providers in the market. Located in the USA, and based out of Colorado, it has servers located 37 locations and has more than 3200 servers worldwide.
It provides value for money, as the price is on par with or less than most of the competitors in the market. One of its advantages is that it has clear ownership, unlike many of its competitors. However, the company has not revealed the number of available IP addresses.
Private Internet Access provides three paid plans.
All the plans offer great value for money. Moreover, you get flexible payment methods, where you can make payments via PayPal, Bitcoin, Visa, Zcash, Litecoin, among others.