The best VPN for anonymity and privacy
Overview
This content originally appeared on Mashable for a US audience and has been adapted for the UK audience.
If you’re totally unfamiliar with virtual private networks, or VPNs, this is probably a good time to get to know the increasingly popular cybersecurity services.
There are a number of reasons why you might want to use a VPN, including but not limited to masking all of your internet traffic or accessing services that may be blocked in a particular location. If you want to get the most out of the internet these days, a VPN is absolutely essential.
What is a VPN?VPNs provide protection for your data and identity when you’re online. They offer this online privacy and anonymity by creating a private network that hides your real IP address, meaning that all of your activity is untraceable and secure.
VPNs act like encrypted tunnels through which all of your online traffic passes through. Nobody can see into the tunnel, and everything inside the tunnel is protected against online threats like viruses, hackers, and malware.
Should you use free VPNs?There are plenty of free versions of popular VPNs, plus free trials of VPNs with full access to everything you get with a premium plan. However, as with most things in life, you get what you pay for with VPNs.
There tends to always be a catch with free versions, and it’s normally in the form of limited data usage. If you’re just an occasional user, these plans will work fine. But if you’re going to be streaming or downloading, this isn’t going to work. Free trials are a little bit different: they come with everything you get in a paid plan, but obviously they don’t tend to last very long. Trials are great for testing out a service before committing, but this isn’t a long-term solution.
The best option for streaming securely and accessing the online world without restrictions is with a paid subscription to a VPN. To gain access to advanced security features without limitations on usage, you need to pay up.
What is the best VPN for privacy and anonymity?Deciding that you need a VPN is the easy part, but which VPN should you pick, and which ones can you trust? Search for a VPN online and dozens of results appear, so choosing the best service can be tricky. It requires a lot of research, and you should absolutely do your homework before committing to anything.
The good news is that we have done a lot of the hard work to help you in your search for a VPN, and tracked down examples of great services that secure your data, hide your activity, and bypass online restrictions. You can pick from leading services like PureVPN, NordVPN, TunnelBear, and more.
These are the best VPNs for online privacy in 2024.
ExpressVPN is always found near the top of roundups of the best VPNs, and it’s easy to see why. It’s one of the best services for speed, security, and streaming, with a wide range of premium features that should suit beginners and advanced users alike.
It is one of the priciest VPNs out there, but it makes sense when you consider everything that users get with ExpressVPN. Subscribers get strong connection speeds, powerful encryption, and access to a diverse network of servers located all around the world.
It’s also one of the best services for unblocking top streaming sites like Netflix. If you’re investing in a VPN for streaming, ExpressVPN should be at the top of your list.
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NordVPN is one of easiest VPNs to set up across all of your devices. It works on a variety of platforms including Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, and more. It’s also one of the better-designed VPNs out there.
Connecting to NordVPN’s various servers is easy — just click on the country you want to connect with on the map. We also like that NordVPN comes with a built-in ad blocker that also shields your device from malware and phishing.
NordVPN comes with a number of useful advanced features power users will appreciate. There’s a kill switch that lets your device access the internet only when it’s connected to a VPN, an app kill switch that can force quit apps you’ve pre-selected, and a Double VPN function that encrypts your traffic twice for extra protection.
It bears mentioning that in March 2018, NordVPN suffered a breach when an attacker exploited an insecure remote management system at a Finnish data centre from which the company was renting servers. Fortunately, this isolated attack affected just one NordVPN server, which reportedly had only 50 to 200 users, and didn’t compromise any user traffic logs.
NordVPN claimed to be unaware of this vulnerability in a statement, but conceded that it “should have done more to filter out unreliable server providers and ensure the security of our customers.” It has since terminated its contract with said data centre and taken active measures to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future. It plans to launch an independent external audit of its entire infrastructure next year.
We still think NordVPN is a strong contender in the VPN space, because at the end of the day, this incident had very limited repercussions. Granted, the company should have alerted its users sooner than a year and a half after the whole thing went down — no question about it. But there’s no evidence that user data or activities were affected whatsoever.
If you want to give NordVPN’s service a try and see how the whole situation shakes out, you can do so risk-free for 30 days; you’ll get a full refund if you decide it’s not right for you.
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Private Internet Access (PIA) installs quickly and comes with loads of impressive features for all types of users, no matter if you’re a beginner or an advanced user who likes fiddling around with settings.
You get your standard secure VPN account, encrypted WiFi, P2P, IPv6 leak protection, kill switch, plus a whole lot more. PIA isn’t a particularly sexy app, but what it lacks in aesthetics it makes up for with a long list of features. It also has a solid backbone, with thousands of servers in countries all around the world.
It’s also relatively speedy. We noticed our “naked” download and upload speeds dropped by only about a half or two-thirds (common for most VPNs). It may not be the fastest VPN around, but it’s definitely not the slowest, either.
PIA has apps for Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, and an extension for Chrome.
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PureVPN is probably the best service if you really care about your download and upload speeds. Download speeds still drop by about a third, and upload speeds dropped by about the same, but that’s decent.
This VPN has a good number and spread of servers worldwide. Whether you want to stream content, unblock geo-restricted websites, or share files, the app makes it really simple to switch between modes. Advanced users also have access to features like split-tunnelling, which lets you choose where to route your data through (either through your ISP or VPN).
It works with Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Chrome, and Firefox. PureVPN even has apps for media streaming boxes such as Android TV, Amazon Fire TV Stick, and Kodi.
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If you’re new to VPNs and maybe find computer interfaces intimidating, TunnelBear is the VPN for you. You won’t find a simpler or more adorable VPN out there.
The app consists of a world map that shows you where your server is connected. To connect to a server in another country, you click on a tunnel and, er, tunnel to it. It’s easy and looks great.
TunnelBear doesn’t have as many features as the other VPNs we’ve tested. The number of countries in which it has servers is on the low end, and it doesn’t support P2P, but if these omissions don’t bother you, TunnelBear is as straightforward as it gets.
There are three plans for TunnelBear. The free option gives you access to all of its features, but will limit your browsing through the VPN to 500MB of data per month.
TunnelBear is available for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and the Chrome and Opera web browsers.
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Joseph joined Mashable as the UK Shopping Editor in 2018. He worked for a number of print publications before making the switch to the glittery world of digital media, and now writes about everything from coffee machines to VPNs.
Haley Henschel is a Chicago-based Senior Shopping Reporter at Mashable who reviews and finds deals on popular tech, from laptops to gaming consoles and VPNs. She has years of experience covering shopping holidays and can tell you what’s actually worth buying on Black Friday and Amazon Prime Day. Her work has also explored the driving forces behind digital trends within the shopping sphere, from dupes to 12-foot skeletons.
Haley received a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and honed her sifting and winnowing skills at The Daily Cardinal. She previously covered politics for The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, investigated exotic pet ownership for Wisconsin Watch, and blogged for some of your favorite reality stars.
In her free time, Haley enjoys playing video games, drawing, taking walks on Lake Michigan, and spending time with her parrot (Melon) and dog (Pierogi). She really, really wants to get back into horseback riding. You can follow her on X at @haleyhenschel or reach her via email at [email protected].
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