As time goes, it’s getting harder and harder to find the best VPN provider for personal and business-related tasks. As of 2021, there’s so many different VPN offers out there, so it’s getting even more confusing when you are trying to choose the right one. This article is going to be your primary comprehensive guide on how to choose the best VPN for your needs in 2021.
Every year, several new VPNs appear out of nowhere. Some of them look really promising, others are just disappointing right from the start.
In this post, we are going to check the 10 best VPN services that are worth to be considered in 2021 and later.
This article is an update of all the other reviews and ratings for VPNs, previously posted on this site.
Before we begin, let me explain, why did I pick specifically these VPNs. Are they the most reliable or just the most affordable ones?
Why don’t I include more providers in this review? Let me try and explain this in the following section…
A summary of VPN providers and their features
Prior to diving deep into a detailed review. I thought it would be convenient to have a comparison table for all the VPNs listed in this article. So, here you are. 8 best VPNs for 2021 compared by features and pricing:
CyberGhost
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VyprVPN
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FastestVPN
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IvacyVPN
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IPVanish
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PureVPN
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ZenMate
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NordVPN
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ProtonVPN
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ExpressVPN
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Why should you consider one of the 9 VPNs listed here?
It is virtually impossible to create an article that would review all the VPN services that are currently available. Even if someone would write such an article, it would be boring-long and hard to read. At the moment, there are hundreds of VPN companies already. New ones keep on launching every one or two years.
Given the immense amount of different VPN providers these days, I took the liberty to compile the list of the most worthy ones, based on my experience. I’ve been testing several VPN providers (about 40-50 during 2 years) and selected 9 companies I can actually recommend.
Based on the speed and latency test results, DNS leak protection levels, streaming services unblocking capabilities, security protocols, pricing, and more, I’ve created a list of the most satisfying VPN providers for 2021 and later.
What are the 10 best VPN service suppliers to consider in 2021?
After having a brief preface, it’s time to showcase the 10 best VPNs that are going to help you achieve any kind of goals that require a stable and secure VPN connection.
The best price/quality VPNs to buy in 2021 are the following:
CyberGhost VPN
One of the best VPN providers for those who care about their privacy. CyberGhost was founded in 2011 in Romania. This country is not obliged by any of (5, 9, 14 eyes) surveillance alliances, and will never share your data with any third-party. They do even publish a Transparency report every quarter. In those reports, they share the cases of third-party requesting them to expose their client’s data. None of the requests have been satisfied so far, and never will be.
You are also going to enjoy the fast speeds of this provider. On average – they only slow your connection down to 10-15%, and never more than 30%. Even though it’s not the fastest result (compared to Express or Nord VPN), these speeds are still quite impressive for the price.
They do also unblock lots of streaming services like Netflix US, Hulu, HBO Now, NBC…
Speed
CyberGhost is one of the fastest VPN services and is officially in the top 10. You’re going to have above-average speeds across all their servers around the world. Considering the long list of available servers and locations, there’s always be the fastest one available for you to connect.
Features
CyberGhost is among the most modern VPN providers. They always strive to stick up to the trend. At the moment, they’ve got the following features that worth the attention:
- WebRTC leak protection
- Internet Kill-Switch
- perfect forward secrecy via the ECDH-4096 key exchange
- Adblocker
- Malware blocker
- Data compression
- Automated HTTPS redirect
- Smart rules
- App protection (VPN launches itself as soon as an app of your choice is started)
Special features
CyberGhost offers some nice custom features:
- streaming unblocking for a huge list of services
- smart rules
- malware and ad blocker
- highest security (RSA 4096-bit with AES-256, and the perfect forward secrecy with ECDH-4096 key exchange
- 7 simultaneous connections
Money-back guarantee
CyberGhost offers a very generous 45-days money-back guarantee. No questions asked – just get your refund if not satisfied.
Amount of servers
CyberGhost provides you with a whopping list of 5740+ servers in 90+ countries and 110+ locations!
Steaming services unblocking
CyberGhost is the best choice for streaming. You can easily unblock Netflix US, Hulu, HBO Now, BBC iPlayer, NBC, Disney, and more…
Security features
CyberGhost is a highly secured VPN provider with best in class security technologies like AES 256-bit, perfect forward secrecy via the ECDH-4096 key exchange, and the RSA 4096-bit. Add the malware and ad blocker they offer, and you are getting one of the most secured VPN providers.
Pricing plans
CyberGhost is not the cheapest but is far from being expensive.
With that said, monthly plans are not that cheap. If you choose to be billed every month, you will have to pay $12.99.
3-Year plan – is the most valuable deal and costs only $99 with a one-time payment.
The 1-Year plan comes with a small discount and is available for $71.88.
There is also a 2-Year plan for $88.56 which equals $3.69 per month. Don’t hesitate to check the links in this article to get the latest available deals.
VyprVPN
This one is another great zero-logging VPN that has actually been audited and is confirmed to not keep any logs via independent tests.
VyprVPN is a very respected VPN provider that takes equally good care of both private and corporate users.
The brand is owned by Golden Frog and is incorporated in Switzerland. This gives you a promising guarantee of your privacy. They have a lot of experience in providing their customers with a highly secured VPN service since 2009. By highly secured, I mean – they offer only the most trusted VPN protocols, including WireGuard and Chameleon.
A lot of servers and server locations not only result in fast speed but also make sure you will get access to your favorite Geo-restricted content.
Another great fact about VyprVPN is they use their own server hardware. They don’t rent servers from other providers so they have full control over both software and hardware parts of VPN service.
Speed
As I’ve mentioned already, VyprVPN is among the top 5 fastest VPN providers, staying on par with ExpressVPN and NordVPN. This is all due to a professional approach to building the server software, and also the server infrastructure built on top of cluster architecture.
Features
VyprVPN offers only the best and modern features. Some of the main perks of this provider are:
- VyprDNS – owned by VyprVPN
- Public Wi-Fi protection
- Kill-Switch
- A no-Logging policy that has been independently audited and confirmed
- WireGuard and Chameleon VPN protocols
- NAT Firewall
- VyprVPN Cloud
- VPN apps for most modern platforms (Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, iOS, TVs, and Routers)
Special features
VyprVPN offers some nice custom features:
- Proprietary Chameleon VPN protocol
- VyprDNS
- VyprVPN Cloud for Enterprise customers
- NAT Firewall
- Own VPN server clusters
Money-back guarantee
VyprVPN offers a standard 30-day money-back guarantee.
Amount of servers
You are getting 700+ servers in 70+ locations.
Steaming services unblocking
Thanks to a big set of servers and locations, along with 300K+ IPs, VyprVPN is a great choice if you want to watch Netflix USA, HBO Go, BBC, and others.
Security features
VyprVPN encrypts all your traffic with the highest possible AES 256-bit encryption. Along with that, your DNS requests are tunneled through their own DNS server. You can choose one of the highly-secured VPN protocols, or VyprVPN will choose the best for you automatically.
Pricing plans
VyprVPN is surprisingly affordable given the amount of advanced features, security, and speed.
The monthly plan is the most expensive and is available for $12.95.
A 3-Year plan – is the best deal and will end up costing you as little as $1.66 per month, or $60 per 3 years.
The 1-Year plan comes with 71% discount and is available for just $45 or $3.75 per month.
Check VyprVPN deals and pricing
FastestVPN
This provider claims with its name to be the fastest over the competitors. I’ve spent a few days testing this VPN to see if this sounding can be confirmed.
Now, I can finally share what I’ve experienced when using this provider for a week.
The FastestVPN company is a pretty young player in the industry. The company itself is based in Cayman Island jurisdiction. This gives us some confidence in not being exposed to any government control actions.
FastestVPN claims to always protect your privacy, provide the best possible speeds, and give you priority support and care. These are pretty good claims for such a budget VPN provider.
Speed
This VPN is fast enough if you put the price they ask into the equation. During my tests, I’ve experienced some visible speed drops, but they are forgivable for this price range. You can check the article here, to see what were the speed test results for me in 2019.
Features
FastestVPN offers not too many special features. They offer a standard set of protocols for you to choose the one you like the most.
Here is a brief list of what they offer:
- protocol selection: L2TP, SSTP, and TCP/UDP.
- Internet Kill-Switch
- NAT Firewall
- DNS leak protection
Special features
The most distinguishing feature offered by the FastestVPN is the number of simultaneous connections. You are allowed to connect up to 10 devices at the same time, using one VPN account only. Currently, this is the only budget VPN that allows such a huge amount of simultaneous connections.
Also, I really enjoyed that FastestVPN offers a custom-built Wi-Fi router for purchase from their site. The router is set-up and ready to be used with the FastestVPN at no additional cost. You are getting a router with a lifetime VPN plan included for less than $300. This feature is pretty unique in a VPN market.
Money-back guarantee
FastestVPN offers one of the shortest refund among different VPN providers. At the moment, the refund period is only within 15 days.
Amount of servers
This VPN offers 30+ servers in 30+ countries. Not too much, but enough for most cases. Just make sure your country of choice is available in FastestVPN’s server list.
Steaming services unblocking
Unfortunately, at the moment FastestVPN would not unblock Netflix, HBO, or other popular streaming services. I hope this young VPN provider would keep growing and adding more server locations, to enable streaming unblocking in the future.
Security features
FastestVPN offers a standard 256-Bit AES security algorithm to encrypt all the incoming and outgoing traffic.
Pricing plans
FastestVPN is among the cheapest VPNs. One month costs less than $1 in case you pay for 5 years in advance.
The monthly plan is significantly more expensive and costs $10 per month.
The most valuable deal from FastestVPN is a lifetime subscription for $80 only! You can hardly find such a cheap VPN offer anywhere else.
Get FastestVPN 5 Year for $1 per month
Get FastestVPN Lifetime for $80
Ivacy VPN
This VPN is protecting their customer’s privacy beginning from the year 2007. The company is pretty mature and stands behind some of the modern VPN features. IvacyVPN is not known for scamming or cheating and is having a very strong reputation in the VPN market.
In my opinion – this VPN provider is choice #1 if you are looking for a decent VPN for as low as possible price.
It is really hard to find something similar to the features they provide, security levels, and speed test results. In the price range below $3, it’s the most well-balanced VPN provider.
Speed
Ivacy scored pretty well in all of my speed tests. US and Europe server locations only dropped my speed about 10-30% on average (which is really really good for the budget VPN).
Of course, when trying to use distant VPN locations like Australia, or Japan, you will most likely experience lower speeds, but this is expected.
Ivacy features a decent speed and latency, suitable for everyday anonymous usage as well as for streaming movies. I will provide some additional details on streaming in the following subsections.
Features
Ivacy VPN was the first provider who added the “Split-Tunneling” feature. In fact, they were the ones who first designed and implemented it.
Split-Tunneling allows you to decide which programs you want to be using a VPN connection, and which ones are communicating directly via the Internet.
Here is a brief list of what’s supported by IvacyVPN:
- Internet Kill-Switch
- protocol selection available: TCP, UDP, L2TP, and IKEV
- 5 multi logins
- wide range of supported devices
- OpenVPN for routers
- split-tunneling
Special features
Ivacy VPN offers secure DNS servers, DDoS attacks protection, and features a 5 devices simultaneous connection.
One of the best features offered by Ivacy is multi-device support. IvacyVPN supports all major platforms, including Windows, Linux, macOS, Raspberry Pi, Blackberry, iOS, Android, Xbox, PS4, and more.
Money-back guarantee
Ivacy clearly states to provide a 30-days money-back guarantee. In case you pay for one month only, you are still backed with 7 days refund policy for your protection. This is something not available with other providers. Usually, they would limit your refund rights when you purchase a one month only plan.
Amount of servers
IvacyVPN is one of the top VPN providers that offer a lot of server locations. Currently, Ivacy provides you with a network of over 1000 servers in 100+ locations. And they keep adding new locations every year.
Steaming services unblocking
I’ve been testing Ivacy VPN with Netflix during September 2019. I was surprised to find out, they now offer an amazing Netflix US unblocking feature. With this VPN you can easily access geo-restricted services. In fact, it’s one of the strongest points of this VPN, and this is something they work on and keep on improving.
Security features
Ivacy protects all your traffic with the industry-standard AES 256-bit synchronous encryption. There is also an Internet Kill-Switch to protect you from being exposed. They also don’t store any logs of your activity, hence you are never going to be busted by your government, or the Internet Service Provider.
Pricing plans
Ivacy offers really tasty pricing options. Depending on what period you choose to prepay for (while being backed with a 30-days refund policy), you are going to get from 66% up to 77% of discount.
One month plan would cost you $9.99 and you are covered with 7 days refund period.
The 2-Year plan costs as little as $2.25 per month.
The 5-Year plan is even more valuable. You are only paying $1.33 for each month when prepaying for 5 years in advance.
IPVanish
If you’re looking for a bit more premium VPN service, for a little bit cheaper than top-rated ExpressVPN, have a look at IPVanish. It’s a very honest, US-based company that simply delivers what they claim to, and a little bit more.
IPVanish owns all its servers and never rents them from other VPN companies. What does this mean? This means they always have complete control over their VPN servers. In case there is any technical issue, they can’t blame any third party partners for that. Since they have full access to their VPN server locations, they would fix any issue in a flash.
Speed
Unlike many cheapest VPN providers, IPVanish offers a constant speed on most of their server locations.
Features
For the extra price (IPVanish costs significantly more compared to previously mentioned VPNs), you are getting a full-fledged VPN features package:
- Internet Kill-Switch
- Split-Tunneling
- DNS and IPv6 leak protection
- top-grade AES 256-bit encryption of your traffic
- protocols supported are: IKEv2, OpenVPN, and L2TP/IPsec
Device support is very diverse. Currently, the following platforms are supported by IPVanish: Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Linux, Fire TV, Chrome OS, and routers.
Special features
IPVanish is one of those not so many VPNs to allow you to connect up to 10 devices via a single account. Isn’t it a great money-saver for the entire family?
If you want more nice additions – IPVanish exclusively provides the SOCKS5 web proxy to mask your IP when using P2P or VoIP apps.
Money-back guarantee
Something disappointing about this VPN is its money-back period. It is only for 7 days. This may sound scary, but the good thing is they do not limit your refund policy by the number of connections you made and the bandwidth you’ve consumed.
If you don’t like this VPN, simply let them know within 7 days, and you are going to get your money back with no questions asked. If you are still unsure if you want to take chances – feel free to try another VPN with a longer refund policy period.
Amount of servers
IPVanish simply shines here. They provide you with 40,000+ shared IPs, and 1,300+ VPN servers in 75+ locations. This should be more than enough for personal entertainment as well as for business-related needs.
Steaming services unblocking
Unlike many other VPNs, IPVanish does not claim to support geo-restricted services unblocking.
With that said, it works very well for US-based streaming services.
Since the company itself is based in the US and actually owns its US server equipment, you will get Netflix US unblocked with most of the server locations from IPVanish.
Security features
IPVanish encrypts your traffic with a standard AES 256-bit encryption algorithm. You are also backed with the Internet Kill-Switch and all the possible leak protection features (DNS, IPv6, and more).
The company clearly states its zero-logging policy. No worries about having your data exposed to third-party. Since IPVanish does not store your logs, they can not share them with anyone.
Pricing plans
IPVanish is a good choice if you are ready to spend about $7 per month and prepay for 1 year to get this price.
Otherwise, when paying monthly, you will have to spend $10 for this VPN.
There is also a medium-tier plan for $8.99 per month if you choose to prepay for 3 months. Unfortunately, there is no option to prepay for 2, 3, or 5 years like with other VPNs (e.g. Ivacy).
PureVPN
Let’s say you are really on a budget, but you badly need a VPN that provides a lot of server locations. Look no more. PureVPN will most likely be the best fit for your goals.
This provider is on the market for well over 12 years. They offer a nicely balanced price/value VPN service.
For something like $3 per month, you are going to get access to more than 2000 server locations spread all over the world.
PureVPN has servers in North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania. I wouldn’t look for something else, given the affordable pricing plans and freedom of server locations.
Speed
This VPN delivers an upload and download speed with no complaints. Latency is also acceptable.
Features
PureVPN is truly a feature-reach modern VPN provider. This company would always exceed your expectations in terms of the newest VPN technical achievements. At the moment, PureVPN offers the following stuff in every plan:
- Port-Forwarding add-on
- dedicated IP
- split tunneling
- 5 multi logins
- P2P protection
- protocol selection (PPTP, L2TP, SSTP, OpenVPN)
Special features
All PureVPN servers are equipped with a reliable antivirus to provide you with a safer web experience.
This provider is no-log certified and verified by a US-based VPN auditor.
PureVPN is based in Hong Kong, so it is not obligated to share your data with whatever third-party would request it.
PureVPN has an incredible variety of supported platforms, among them, are Windows, Linux, iOS, macOS, Android, Raspberry Pi, Google Chrome, Firefox, Android TV, Amazon FireStick, Play Station, and more…
Money-back guarantee
PureVPN comes with an unusual, 31-day money-back guaranty. It is a very interesting approach. Let’s say, you’ve spent 30 days testing this VPN, and now you accidentally decide it is not for you – you still have 1 day left to request a refund. This is just so nice.
Amount of servers
PureVPN shines when it comes to a list of server locations. Currently, they cover 180+ server locations. They provide you with over 2,000+ servers and 300,000+ IPs. This should be enough for any type of VPN related activity you have in mind.
Steaming services unblocking
Can you watch Netflix US with PureVPN? Absolutely yes! It is confirmed by numerous tests.
Streaming the Netflix US is a breeze with the PureVPN. More on that, since PureVPN supports a split-tunneling – you can simply let your browser to work over the VPN to enjoy your favorite TV shows while keeping your other apps connected directly to the Internet.
Security features
PureVPN does not lag behind its competitors when it comes to your security. All the traffic between you and the VPN server is encrypted using the AES 256-bit encryption.
Internet Kill-Switch would steer you clear from being exposed. IPv6 and DNS leak protections are here to make your online identity impossible to guess.
PureVPN is not based in the jurisdiction of 5 or 14 eyes, so they would never provider your traffic logs to any third-party. In fact, they are even confirmed to not store any traffic data that travels between the VPN and your device. This means, even if they were made to, they couldn’t really expose you to any third-party.
Pricing plans
PureVPN currently offers a nice discount of 70%, which makes the one month price just a tiny bit more than $3. This discount is available if you pre-pay for 2 years.
The 1-Year plan provides a smaller discount, resulting in one month price to cost $5.88.
One month plan would cost you about $11.
As you can see PureVPN is slightly more expensive than other budget VPNs in this review. Having that said, the price is not too high for having 2K+ server locations, and all the modern VPN technologies included.
ZenMate VPN
Is a German-based user-friendly, budget VPN provider. ZenMate delivers easy to use standalone apps for lots of various platforms.
Currently, you can download a VPN app for Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Google Chrome, Opera, and Firefox.
They also support OpenVPN, so you can use it on any modern device that supports OpenVPN technology.
ZenMate’s official site contains various tutorials on how to install and run a VPN client on any of the supported platforms.
In case you encounter any issue, or something is missing from the online wiki, you can always reach out to ZenMate’s support team.
Speed
ZenMate has all of its servers optimized for speed and unlimited bandwidth. This allows you to keep this VPN always enabled, without noticing much speed difference.
Of course, some percentage of your speed would drop as with any other VPN, compared to a direct Internet connection. With that said, ZenMate’s servers are pretty fast and sustain a stable latency.
Features
ZenMate is not too verbose about its features. This provider is designed for non-tech users, to allow for fast and easy installation, without diving deep into complex details. Anyways, here is what you’re getting with ZenMate VPN:
- malware blocking
- NAT Firewall
- IPv6 leak protection
- VPN protocol selection: OpenVPN, TCP/UDP, IKEv2, or L2TP
- DNS leak protection
- Internet Kill-Switch
Special features
There’s not much special about ZenMate VPN. With that said, this VPN offers a 7-day free trial. This is something you might enjoy.
Money-back guarantee
ZenMate VPN offers a standard 30-day money-back guarantee. This is the most common refund policy strategy.
Amount of servers
ZenMate offers a medium-sized server selection list. You are getting access to 30+ server locations in different countries.
Steaming services unblocking
At the moment, ZenMate doesn’t claim to unblock streaming services like Netflix, or Hulu. There is no plan to support these features in the nearest future. So, in case you are looking for a VPN for streaming, kindly check other options below.
Security features
ZenMate offers a standard set of security mechanisms. It offers an AES 256-bit encryption for all the traffic. There is a built-in malware blocking, and anti-TCP/IP fingerprinting feature.
ZenMate is a strict no-logging VPN provider, so you can feel relaxed, as nobody can access your browsing history or traffic data, since they do not store it.
Pricing plans
ZenMate is a rather cheap VPN provider. One month costs only $2.05 if you purchase a 2-year plan.
The monthly plan is $9.99 per month.
The 1-Year plan is $3.99 per month. They also provide a free 7-day trial.
NordVPN
One of the most popular and top-rated VPN providers.
NordVPN has a very long history in a VPN arena. It is really one of the best VPNs you can get without spending a lot of money for staying private.
NordVPN is a Panama based company. This alone gives you a lot of confidence for being completely anonymous when using this VPN.
In fact, NordVPN is the only VPN I know, to provide a Double VPN feature. An awesome choice for those looking to become completely hidden online.
Features
NordVPN is literally stuffed with the newest VPN features. It provides all the latest upgrades to make it one of the top tier providers. Along with that, it offers some extra add-ons not present in other VPNs. Here is what included in every NordVPN plan:
- up to 6 simultaneous connections
- AES 256-bit encryption upgraded with an extra layer of security
- P2P sharing capabilities
- 5500+ servers around the globe (in 60 countries)
- ISP throttling removal
- automatic Internet Kill-Switch
- protocol selection (OpenVPN, IKEv2/IPsec, SSTP)
- dedicated IP address
- DNS leak protection
Special features
What I like most about the NordVPN is the formidable quantity of unique features no other VPN can offer:
- CyberSec (built-in anti-malware that works on a server-side: blocks dangerous sites, removes annoying ads, protects against botnet attacks)
- Onion Over VPN (provides direct access to the Onion network for the highest possible anonymity)
- Double VPN (connects you to one VPN server, then to one more, to offer even more anonymity)
Money-back guarantee
NordVPN backs you with a standard 30-day refund period.
Amount of servers
NordVPN provides you with instant access to a large network of 5500+ servers spread across 60 countries around the world.
Steaming services unblocking
Luckily, NordVPN is one of the top VPNs for unblocking geo-restricted streaming services. If you plan on watching Netflix US – NordVPN is a proper VPN for that.
Security features
NordVPN is a seriously secured VPN provider. First of all, it features a standard AES 256-bit encryption. In addition to that, NordVPN makes your connection even more secure by adding an extra layer of encryption.
NordVPN is a strict no-logging VPN company. It is based in Panama, meaning it would not share any data with any third party, as it is located outside of the 5 or 14 eyes area.
Add an Internet Kill-Switch, Double VPN, and Onion over VPN, to finally get the most secure VPN provider you can dream about.
Pricing plans
NordVPN is significantly more expensive compared to the budget VPNs listed in this article. In fact, NordVPN can be considered a medium to top tier VPN provider in regards to pricing.
The one month plan costs almost $12, which is much more expensive compared to budget VPNs.
If after using this VPN for one month, you’ve finally decided to commit to a more cost-effective package, there are 3 choices for you.
A 3-year plan comes with a price of $3.40 per month.
The 2-Year plan offers a little bit smaller discount, resulting in a monthly cost of $4.99.
And finally, a 1-Year plan’s price is $6.99 per month.
Obviously, it is cheaper to simply get a 3-year plan. Especially, given that you are protected with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
ProtonVPN
Sometimes new VPN providers are bad, sometimes they are good. But, in some rare cases, they are just AMAZING right from the beginning. I am proud to introduce a young but very promising, and already reliable VPN which is called the ProtonVPN
The company that stands behind this provider, is very well known for its secure email messaging service called very similarly – ProtonMail. It’s something that should already bring a lot of attention and curiosity about what this VPN is capable of. Right from the beginning, these guys are taking over the VPN arena.
The best facts about this provider are: it is based in Switzerland, it is fast, it has a lot of servers and server locations, and the speeds are just shining.
The best part about ProtonVPN – it is based in Switzerland! They’ve got the best privacy protection laws you can get!
You are welcome to read a more complete review for the ProtonVPN, in case you feel like you want to know more details and get some nice pricing offers.
Features
ProtonVPN has quickly implemented all the must-have features for a modern VPN provider. Besides that it has something special to offer:
- up to 10 simultaneous connections
- Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Linux, and routers support (other devices may connect via OpenVPN)
- HMAC and SHA-384 for message authentication
- AES 256-bit encryption
- handshake is implemented using the RSA 4096-bit algorithm
- Internet Kill-Switch
- Profiles feature (create individual connection profiles, so the app would choose the desired country, and pick the best server from it)
- Split Tunneling
- 550+ server locations in 40+ countries (these keep growing)
- zero-logging policy
- P2P support
- free plan available
- high-speed servers in the “Plus” plan (check the speed test results in this article)
Special features
ProtonVPN is trying to do its best to be on top of VPN companies. Non-surprisingly, they offer some exclusive features, they develop in-house:
- VPN profiles
- Perfect-Forward Secrecy
- Forever free plan (with 3 countries available for connection)
- One of the best design for the VPN application
- Tor servers
Money-back guarantee
ProtonVPN comes with an industry-standard 30-day refund policy.
Amount of servers
This provider is so generous to offer you 526 servers and 42 countries on all paid plans starting from Basic. This is probably the longest list of servers I’ve seen so far. The only downside is the number of countries might be a bit shorter compared to ExpressVPN or NordVPN. But, anyway – the most popular countries are included.
Steaming services unblocking
Currently, I wasn’t able to consistently unblock Netflix US with ProtonVPN. Let’s wait for them to improve this in the future. After all, this provider was released only 2.5 years ago.
Security features
For the time being, I haven’t encountered a more secure VPN. First of all, the company is based in Switzerland (which is outside of 5, 9, and 15 eyes). Besides that, you are getting the bullet-proof privacy protection hull. Just think of it: key-exchange is encrypted with the RSA-4096, all the messages are encrypted with HMAC and SHA-384 algorithms.
All the incoming and outgoing data is encrypted with AES 256-bit. And the final layer of protection – is a Perfect Forward Secrecy (hackers wouldn’t be able to decrypt past and future data, even if they manage to guess one key, as the key is re-computed regularly).
Pricing plans
All the amazing features listed above come with a price. This provider is very far from being the cheapest. But they do offer a limited FREE plan!
Overall, they currently offer the following pricing options:
- Forever FREE plan with $0 per month (only 3 countries are available, no Plus servers, no Tor servers, and no other advanced features) – this plan is good if you want to thoroughly test this provider first
- The basic plan is available for just $4 per month in case you prepay $48 for one year (you are getting access to all the countries and servers, but no Plus servers available) – get this plan if you are really on a budget, and prepared to accept some limitations
- Plus plan comes for $8 per month (if you choose to prepay for one year), and allows you using the Plus servers, Tor Servers, connect up to 5 devices with a single VPN account (good for families), and basically all the most important features) – choose it if you want to have it all in
- Visionary – something that you want to get if you are really into privacy. You will get up to 10 simultaneously connected devices, and a ProtonMail account! This all would cost you $24 per month. – choose it if you want even more from ProtonVPN.
ExpressVPN
This VPN has always been the top choice for most users who can afford slightly higher pricing. When you are deciding to get the ExpressVPN, you are completely sure what you are paying for.
With lots of servers and the most advanced features, you can use this VPN for whatever purpose you want. Be it just for fun, or even business-related needs, you can always rely on this provider.
Features
ExpressVPN is always up to the trend. This provider delivers the most popular and modern VPN features. Among those are:
- 5 simultaneous connections
- multi-platform support
- AES 256-bit encryption
- Internet Kill-Switch
- Split Tunneling
- 160 server locations in 94 countries
- strict n0-logging policy
Special features
ExpressVPN might be lagging behind the NordVPN a bit. It does not provide the loud features offered by the latter. Yet, they’ve got some other nice stuff to offer. ExpressVPN comes with the following unique features:
- split tunneling technology
- Zero-knowledge DNS
- TrustedServer technology
Money-back guarantee
ExpressVPN offers a common 30-day no questions asked money-back guarantee.
Amount of servers
This is where ExpressVPN beats all the other VPNs in this article. At the moment of writing, ExpressVPN supports 160 server locations in 94 countries. It may lag behind NordVPN with the number of servers, but the variety of countries offered by ExpressVPN is out of the competition.
Steaming services unblocking
It would be surprising if with such a high amount of servers you wouldn’t be able to watch Netflix US and other streaming services.
In case your main purpose for getting a VPN is to unblock the geo-restricted content – you’ve found a gem VPN (if you can agree to pay a little extra price compared to budget providers).
Security features
ExpressVPN encrypts all the incoming and outgoing traffic with a standard AES 256-bit encryption. A strict no-logging policy, and Internet Kill-Switch, brings even more security.
Pricing plans
This VPN is the most expensive in this review. Yet, it’s still considered a medium price range VPN provider.
The best plan you can get from ExpressVPN is currently a one year plan for $8.32 per month. You can also get 3-months for free sometimes (which means you are getting 15 months for the price of 12).
The most expensive plan is a one month package, which costs $12.95.
Medium pricing plan – is a half year package for $9.99 per month.
If the price of ExpressVPN does not fit into your budget, I suggest you take a look into a NordVPN or even the Ivacy. The latter offers about the same set of features as well as making geo-restricted services unblocked, for a much lower price.
Conclusion
This article was an attempt to bring diverse VPN providers that are receiving very positive reviews and featuring the best price/value ratios.
I’ve only listed 8 hand-picked VPNs here, to give you some choice, while not making the VPN selection list long and confusing.
Over time, there will be more detailed reviews for all the listed providers here. So, stay tuned, by subscribing to this blog.
Feel free to add your comments and remarks below. Which VPNs have you been using, and which ones you deem to be the best?
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