NordVPN: The best VPN overall Surfshark: The VPN with the best bang for your buck ExpressVPN: The best VPN when money isn’t an issue CyberGhost: Good VPN with the most extensive money-back-guarantee Private Internet Access: Great VPN with the largest server network
These services are compatible with Windows, Mac, Android, iOS (iPhone), and Linux. This allows you to secure all your internet traffic with just one VPN subscription. However, the best VPN for you depends on your needs. Of course, our top five offer the best features for almost any user. With these VPNs, you can:
Browse anonymously using secure servers Stream Netflix and other content from almost anywhere in the world Download torrents with high speed Protect your personal data
If you prefer a free VPN, our top recommendations are ProtonVPN, Hide.me, and TunnelBear. However, free VPNs have limits in terms of features and security. We advise you invest in your security with a premium VPN like NordVPN: We tested dozens of VPNs and picked the top five for the following factors:
Security & reliability Privacy & logging Number of servers Cost Speed User-friendliness Customer support
All the VPNs in our top 5 list work with Netflix, allow torrenting or P2P traffic, support the safest encryption protocols, are compatible with all major operating systems, and have headquarters in countries that have beneficial privacy regulations. As providers occasionally change their policies, server availability, price, or features, we continually update our top 5 VPN providers, as well as our top 3 free VPNs, which you’ll also find below. Want to learn more about these specific providers and other VPNs we’ve tested? Check out our VPN review page.
Best VPN Discount Deals (March 2023)
VPN providers regularly offer special discounts on their packages. Each month, we look at the most attractive discount deals among the best VPNs. Currently, there are some great deals available at NordVPN and Surfshark, among others.
1. NordVPN discount: 57% off
This fantastic deal will give you the best VPN at a very affordable price. Grab the discount below, or keep reading about NordVPN.
2. Surfshark discount: 82% off
Surfshark also has a sharp offer. You can try SurfShark for just $2.30 per month for two years, plus two months free, making it one of the cheapest premium VPNs around. It’s discounted by up to 82%, so claim this discount today by clicking below. With 3,200 servers in over 100 countries and a malware blocker, you can get top-notch security for only a couple of dollars per month. Click the button to grab Surfshark at a discount, or keep reading about Surfshark.
Best VPN Services: The Best VPNs Compared
Looking for a quick overview of how our top 3 VPNs stack up against one another? Explore their essential features in the table below. Keep scrolling down for an in-depth comparison of these VPN providers.
What is the Best VPN in 2023?
The best VPN right now is NordVPN. Other services that deserve a place among our top 5 best VPN providers are Surfshark, ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, and PIA. Each VPN has its own unique advantages, such as specialized servers or high levels of encryption. We’ll shortly explain why each of these VPNs performed so well in our vigorous tests.
1. NordVPN: The best VPN overall
NordVPN is the best VPN of 2023 and provides the best security a VPN can offer at a very reasonable price.
5,400+ servers in 60 countries Online safety for up to six devices at once Threat Protection and Dark Web Monitor 30-day money-back guarantee on all subscriptions Strict no-logs policy Unblocks Netflix and other streaming providers
Why should you choose NordVPN?
NordVPN is an extremely reliable VPN provider with an extensive global server network (5,500+ servers in 59 countries), military-grade encryption (AES-256), and competitive pricing. It’s no wonder that Google Trends has listed NordVPN as the most-used VPN in the world. NordVPN works really well, whether you want to unblock streaming services or need to hide your IP address. It has dedicated P2P and torrenting servers, and even supports Onion over VPN if you want to connect to Tor. If you need a reliable VPN that’s packed with good features, go with NordVPN.
Is NordVPN suitable for streaming and downloading torrents?
NordVPN allows you to download torrents anonymously through dedicated P2P servers, so it’s great for streaming and downloading torrents. These are easily accessible in the NordVPN apps and provide you with excellent speeds. Within the app, you can even select individual optimized torrenting servers based on their server load, so you’ll always have the fastest and safest experience. When it comes to streaming, NordVPN is one of the best VPN services for Hulu, BBC iPlayer, Crunchyroll, HBO Max, and Netflix. With NordVPN, you can watch American Netflix from anywhere in the world. Their special feature, SmartPlay, allows you to unblock Netflix US from random servers (even non-US ones). This way, you’ll always have access to the largest selection of movies and TV shows on Netflix.
What operating systems and devices are compatible with NordVPN?
One NordVPN account allows you to secure up to six devices at the same time. The most popular supported platforms include Windows, Android, Mac, iOS, and Linux.
Safety and privacy
NordVPN is an incredibly safe and secure VPN and has undergone multiple security audits by independent auditors, passing with flying colors. It uses military-grade AES 256-bit encryption, thus keeping your activity secure. NordVPN doesn’t keep any logs, and it uses the OpenVPN protocol, which is known for its reliability and robust privacy. They also offer a proprietary protocol built on WireGuard, known as NordLynx, which is faster than OpenVPN and more secure. We also tested NordVPN for DNS and webRTC leaks, and there were none. All in all, NordVPN is a fantastic choice if you want to remain anonymous when browsing online.
Customer support
NordVPN offers fantastic customer support. They have a responsive live chat option, and you can also reach them via email if it’s not an urgent concern. Based on our experiences, the NordVPN support team was quick to respond. Our queries were answered promptly, and we found their agents quite knowledgeable.
Room for improvement
NordVPN is easily one of the best VPNs on the market. However, one thing we’d like to see are annual transparency reports, as well as more information about the company’s partnerships, in general. While it’s a certified no-logs VPN that’s been independently audited and verified, a transparency report can further boost user confidence in the VPN.
NordVPN final verdict: 9.3
NordVPN is still at the top of the VPN market, despite some vulnerabilities in the past. In fact, NordVPN is currently the largest VPN provider in the world. The company has invested heavily to prove that user safety is guaranteed. It’s a top-notch VPN with good software, which offers a lot of possibilities. NordVPN offers plenty of advanced security features. Many VPN beginners won’t even need these. Nevertheless, NordVPN remains accessible to all users, regardless of technical skills. NordVPN has a 30-day money-back guarantee. This means you can use NordVPN risk-free for a trial period of about a month to determine whether you’re as satisfied with the service as we are.
2. Surfshark: The VPN with the best bang for your buck
Surfshark is a lightning-fast VPN with an excellent price-to-value ratio.
3,200 servers in 100 countries Unlimited simultaneous connections Ad & malware blocker No-logs VPN 30-day money-back guarantee Unblocks all major streaming services
Why should you choose Surfshark?
Surfshark is a great and affordable VPN that quickly went from a newcomer to one of the best VPNs out there. Despite its low price, Surfshark offers a robust set of features, including military-grade encryption, a respectable global server network, and support for virtually all platforms. Surfshark can be used simultaneously on an unlimited number of devices, with just one account. It also comes with a dedicated ad and malware blocker, and a cookie popup blocker. They also offer 24/7 support in case you run into issues.
Is Surfshark suitable for streaming and downloading torrents?
Surfshark works great with Netflix and other streaming services. In fact, it gave us access to over 30 regional Netflix libraries, including Netflix US. The servers work flawlessly through the Surfshark VPN client (just connect to a server!). Even if you run into an issue and Netflix won’t give you access, you can simply fire up the free Surfshark browser extension and use that instead to access streaming services through your browser. For those of us who like to download torrents, Surfshark allows you P2P traffic without sacrificing your security and anonymity. Like NordVPN, it has specialized P2P servers, but Surfshark will automatically connect you to one of those servers when it notices you’re torrenting. This is a nifty feature in case you forget to switch servers.
What operating systems and devices are compatible with Surfshark?
Surfshark is the only provider in our top 5 that doesn’t impose any limits on the number of devices you can connect it on. This means you can use Surfshark on unlimited devices with a single account. What’s more, Surfshark works on all major operating systems. They have native apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and Linux and offer browser extensions for Chrome, Edge, and Firefox.
Safety and privacy
Surfshark uses AES 256-bit encryption, just like NordVPN. It also supports numerous protocols, including OpenVPN, IKEv2, and WireGuard. The MultiHop feature in Surfshark lets you route your traffic through two VPN servers instead of one, offering another layer of protection. If you want to browse the web anonymously, this is as good as it gets.
Customer support
Surfshark has a dedicated support section, featuring VPN guides and including answers to various questions that you may have. You can also contact customer support via email or live chat.
Room for improvement
Although Surfshark works well with streaming, its regular software isn’t always able to unblock services like Netflix. When that doesn’t work, you can download the Surfshark browser extension, which should be able to get you past VPN blocks without any trouble. This is a decent solution, but it would be ideal if this would also work without the extension. Moreover, we noticed big speed discrepancies between different servers. Ideally, all their servers would offer the same standard of speed for your convenience.
Surfshark final verdict: 9.0
Surfshark offers great value for the money. It’s a recognized name in the industry now, and if you’re looking for an affordable VPN that helps you unblock streaming services and offers great security features, you can’t go wrong with it. If you’d like to, you can use their money-back guarantee as a free trial period. It’s a great way to try out Surfshark first without committing to a long-term plan.
3. ExpressVPN: The best VPN when money isn’t an issue
One of the best VPNs when money isn’t an issue. This premium VPN service is beginner-friendly, fast, and secure.
3,000 servers in 94 countries Five simultaneous connections Automatic kill switch and split tunneling No-logs VPN 30-day money-back guarantee Dedicated Lightway protocol
Why should you choose ExpressVPN?
ExpressVPN is one of the largest and most popular VPN providers in the world. It’s renowned for its commitment to privacy and security, offering VPN apps for all major platforms, and even letting you configure the VPN on your router. You’ll have access to a vast VPN server network of 3,000+ stable servers in 94 countries. It’s one of the fastest VPNs right now and has been through multiple independent audits, so there are no privacy concerns you need to worry about.
Is ExpressVPN suitable for streaming and downloading torrents?
ExpressVPN allows anonymous downloads via torrent networks. We tested this with different P2P applications, like uTorrent and BitTorrent, and found that it always worked very well, with no speed throttling detected at all. In addition, you can access all kinds of streaming services worldwide with ExpressVPN. This means you’ll be able to enjoy American Netflix as well as other streaming services, such as Disney Plus and Hulu outside of the US. Simply connect to the right server in the ExpressVPN app, and head over to the streaming platform of your choice!
What operating systems and devices are compatible with ExpressVPN?
You can use your ExpressVPN subscription on up to five different devices at the same time. It offers simple and well-functioning applications for Android, Windows, iPhone, Mac, and Linux. Moreover, if English isn’t your first language, ExpressVPN also offers its app in over ten other languages.
Safety and privacy
ExpressVPN is quite safe, offering a choice of different protocols, including OpenVPN, IKEv2, and its proprietary Lightway protocol. It also uses AES 256-bit encryption like all the top VPNs. This VPN uses “diskless servers,” which means that even the provider itself cannot see your browsing history. For these reasons, this provider has built a good reputation over the years.
Customer support
ExpressVPN customer service has a 24/7 live chat function maintained by a quick and forthcoming support team. They can provide adequate answers to some basic questions but will struggle with more technical problems. If you prefer, you can also send an email.
Room for improvement
ExpressVPN is relatively expensive compared to other providers on this list. Many people end up with NordVPN or Surfshark because they are similar in quality (or better) but cheaper. A small problem you’ll encounter when using ExpressVPN on your smartphone is that the kill switch sometimes kicks in when you change networks. You don’t receive any notifications, which means your connection is lost without you knowing why. You won’t receive notifications from incoming emails, WhatsApp chats, and other social media, which can be quite annoying. ExpressVPN also has to work on the expertise of its support team. As it stands, some of the operators clearly struggle with the more complicated problems you might have with ExpressVPN.
Good to know about ExpressVPN
There’s been a lot of commotion surrounding ExpressVPN in 2021. In September, they were acquired by Kape Technologies for almost $1 billion. Kape also owns VPNs like CyberGhost, PIA, and ZenMate. In addition, there also was a disturbing event involving their CIO Daniel Gericke. He has been ordered by the US Department of Justice to pay a hefty fine for his involvement in Project Raven. Specifically, he was accused of performing hack attacks against American citizens and human rights activists on behalf of the UAE. He was not an ExpressVPN employee at the time. Our team at VPNOverview is investigating the potential security repercussions of these developments. There currently is no definitive proof that the security of ExpressVPN has worsened.
ExpressVPN final verdict: 8.9
ExpressVPN is an easy-to-use VPN with many useful options and functions. This VPN service is perfect for people who want to surf, download, and stream anonymously (including Netflix). One of its main downsides is its hefty price tag, especially with a monthly subscription. The support team members are also out of their depth when it comes to resolving complicated technical issues. Every subscription comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee that can be used as a trial period, so you can try ExpressVPN 100% risk-free.
4. CyberGhost: Good VPN with the most extensive money-back-guarantee
An excellent choice for your first VPN that includes a longer money-back guarantee.
7,000+ servers in 90 countries 7 simultaneous connections DNS & IP leak protection Works with Netflix and other streaming services 45-day money-back guarantee Dedicated gaming services
Why should you choose CyberGhost?
Are you looking for a good, cheap, and user-friendly VPN with a large server network? Then CyberGhost is the right VPN for you. This VPN has a wide range of servers (with over 7000+ servers in 90+ countries) and offers a slew of excellent features. CyberGhost offers dedicated gaming servers, unlimited bandwidth, a kill switch, and split tunneling. There are dedicated VPN clients available for Windows, macOS, and both Android and iOS platforms. And, it also works really well if you want to unblock Netflix!
Is CyberGhost suitable for streaming and downloading torrents?
CyberGhost is a great VPN for all your streaming purposes. Apart from Netflix, it gives you worldwide access to streaming services such as Hulu, HBO Max, Crunchyroll, and BBC iPlayer, among many others. In fact, CyberGhost offers special streaming servers that are optimized for all these streaming platforms. This is very handy and a major plus for movie and tv-show enthusiasts. Aside from that, CyberGhost’s special P2P servers support downloading with BitTorrent and uTorrent, as well as other P2P tools. All in all, CyberGhost is a great VPN that’s more than suitable for streaming and for downloading torrents.
What operating systems and devices are compatible with CyberGhost?
You can connect to CyberGhost servers with up to seven different devices at the same time using just one account. This is especially useful when you’re looking for a VPN to use for your whole family. It’s even possible to request a dedicated IP address. This can help you avoid blacklisting by services like Netflix. CyberGhost offers dedicated apps for Windows, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android, and Linux. This means you can use it to protect all your devices in just a few clicks.
Safety and privacy
CyberGhost also uses AES 256-bit encryption and offers a choice of different protocols, including OpenVPN, IKEv2, and WireGuard. It’s a certified no-logs VPN, so it doesn’t keep any user data. However, they do keep some anonymized logs about how you use their app. This is only for improving the software experience, and no identifiable logs are stored.
Customer support
CyberGhost’s customer service is easy to reach through their 24/7 live chat. Their customer support is available in English, French, and German.
Room for improvement
CyberGhost has continued to improve its services, but there’s a lot they can do more. For starters, service is often inconsistent, with speeds dipping now and then. In our experience, there’s lots of room to improve the live chat support as well. Sometimes, agents aren’t able to answer our queries, instead just pasting generic answers that were already available on their support page.
CyberGhost final verdict: 8.8
CyberGhost is a high-quality VPN offered at a competitive price. All this makes CyberGhost an excellent VPN for torrenting and Netflix. They have a large server network located all over the world. While the extensive features of other providers landed CyberGhost in fourth place, this service remains an excellent option. Would you like to try out CyberGhost? Take advantage of their 45-day trial period!
5. Private Internet Access: Great VPN with the largest server network
PIA offers great security, competitive pricing, and the largest server network.
33,000 servers in 84 countries 10 simultaneous connections Dedicated IPs available No-logs VPN 30-day money-back guarantee Open-source transparency
Why should you choose PIA?
Private Internet Access (PIA) is a VPN that consistently performs well. This provider focuses mainly on security and privacy. If you choose PIA, you can count on solid security and a large global network of VPN servers. In 2019, PIA was acquired by the company that also owns CyberGhost and ExpressVPN, which led to further improvements. Despite its low and affordable price, Private Internet Access offers everything that you’d expect from the best VPN providers, including full transparency (you can inspect the source code), a global server network, excellent encryption protocols, and a zero-logs policy.
Is PIA suitable for streaming and downloading torrents?
However, our testing has shown that Netflix won’t always work as consistently with PIA as with other VPNs on this list, though that’s not to say it doesn’t work at all. Once you connect and start streaming, you shouldn’t have any issues. Since PIA is so good at maintaining your privacy, you can also use it to download torrents safely and anonymously. Other VPNs might be slightly faster or more optimized, but PIA will ensure a secure torrenting experience.
What operating systems and devices are compatible with PIA?
PIA software works on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android. Moreover, they offer browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Opera. PIA doesn’t work on Chromebooks, since it officially doesn’t support ChromeOS. PIA supports up to 10 simultaneous connections on a single account.
Safety and privacy
As mentioned earlier, PIA puts great emphasis on online security and privacy. PIA supports different protocols, including OpenVPN and the new WireGuard. Furthermore, PIA has a strict no-logs policy, which means they won’t store any information about how you use the VPN. PIA prevents potential data leaks with an automatic kill switch. Moreover, it can help you block ads, trackers, and malware with its PIA MACE function. This returns IP addresses of unwanted domain names as an address that can’t be routed on the public web.
Customer support
PIA has an extensive knowledge base, offering detailed guides and support on a wide range of questions. There’s also a form that you can fill out if you have a specific query and submit a ticket. They also offer a live chat option (introduced in 2020), so you can get immediate assistance in case you have an urgent query.
Room for improvement
There are lots of things that PIA can do better. Despite offering a massive server network, we’ve noticed that speeds are often inconsistent, and dip sharply when you connect to distant networks. The VPN apps can also do with better design since the current one looks a bit dated. The user interface could be improved, and we’d like to see easy access to key features and settings.
Private Internet Access final verdict: 8.5
We like a bit of competition in the VPN market. It would worry us if all major VPN providers were owned by the same company. But even though CyberGhost, ExpressVPN, and PIA are now a part of the same company, they all still deserve a spot in our best VPN overview. Private Internet Access has been around for a long time and has built a good reputation. Hopefully, they will continue to innovate in the coming years.
The 3 Best Free VPN Services
In addition to the premium VPNs mentioned above, there are also some decent free VPN providers. Of course, these free VPNs come with some restrictions, but these options are still more than decent for temporary or limited use. Our three favorite free VPN providers of the moment are ProtonVPN, Hide.me, and TunnelBear. You can also view our complete overview of the best free VPNs and what they offer.
1. Proton VPN (Free)
Proton VPN is currently one of the most widely used free VPN services in the world. In our view, Proton VPN is the best free VPN in 2023. The biggest advantage of Proton VPN is that there are no data limits. However, the number of servers for free users is very limited. That means that when there are a lot of Proton VPN users online at the same time, speeds will suffer. The result is that speeds may drop suddenly. This can cause problems with streaming, gaming, and even browsing. Fortunately, for a free VPN service, Proton VPN is a great choice, as it offers many excellent features. The Proton VPN app is very intuitive and user-friendly. Besides the speed drops, we have few complaints about the free version of Proton VPN. We also tested the paid version of Proton VPN, which obviously performs significantly better. Check out the free version of Proton VPN below.
2. hide.me (Free)
hide.me is another good free VPN that has been around for a long time. It offers great speeds for everyday use. However, the biggest downside to their free version is the 10 GB data limit. While hide.me is fine for checking your email or safe online banking, know that torrents are blocked with the free version. If you want to check out the benefits that a VPN offers, hide.me is a great place to start. However, be aware that streaming is difficult due to the data limit. When you visit the hide.me site, make sure to click “Pricing” in the menu. The free plan is listed as one of the options.
3. TunnelBear (Free)
TunnelBear has a very user-friendly application with a nice interface. When you get started with TunnelBear, it’s all very intuitive. In addition to the user-friendliness, the free version has good server availability. Sadly, the free version of TunnelBear has a strict data limit, and downloading torrents and streaming Netflix isn’t possible. But for those who want to unlock more options, TunnelBear also has a decent paid VPN.
Free VPN vs. Paid VPN
A majority of the VPNs out there offer some form of a paid subscription. However, there are some that market their services as free. There’s no such thing as ‘free’ in the world (of VPNs). In other words, even the best free VPNs will cost you something, although not in the way you might expect. After all, companies want to make money, so they’ll have crafty revenue models hiding behind their free VPNs. Most of the time, these companies attempt to acquire your personal data as part of this revenue model — so they can use it for commercial purposes (selling it to third parties). Past studies of over 300 free VPN apps have shown that many of these free VPN providers often request access to all kinds of unnecessary information, such as your contacts, media files, and even social media information. On top of that, the encryption and security features of many free services were quite poor, exposing your IP address and information in the process. A substantial share of free VPN services (about 35%) have even been purported to install malware on your device, endangering your online safety. In other words, free VPNs are inherently dangerous to use. Many free VPNs limit their users in all kinds of ways, including data limits, speed restrictions, download caps, showing ads, and long waiting times when connecting to a server. For that reason, it’s usually a better idea to choose a paid VPN. Over the last few years, the prices of these services have gone down considerably, as illustrated by Surfshark, which is one of the best cheap VPNs out there. For just a small price, you’ll have a fast, reliable, and high-quality VPN service that you can use on unlimited devices. If you’re looking for the best VPN services on the market, a free version will inevitably let you down.
How to Choose a VPN Provider
There are many VPN providers out there that claim to be the best. Therefore, most people have considerable difficulty picking a good service. To make things a bit easier, we’ve summed up some of the most important considerations we made when creating this list. You might want to take the following factors into account when choosing a VPN for yourself.
Speed
We check the speed of every VPN we test. We connect to different servers and do speed tests to determine the speed drop-off. There is always a risk of speed loss, but with a good VPN provider with good servers, this will be marginal. However, there are also VPN services where you may end up losing up to 80% of your connection speed, which can be very frustrating. Free VPN providers often limit the speed of your connection. Fortunately, this is usually not the case with paid VPN services. In any case, our ideal VPN provider has no data limits or speed limits.
Security and reliability
It is generally a good sign if a VPN service offers multiple VPN protocols. This provides you with more options for unblocking and security. Though it’s also important to look at the quality of the protocol. Some VPN providers only focus on one or two protocols, but they make sure they’re the safest they can be. Others might opt for a wider variety of protocols, to aid with unblocking the internet in certain regions. We make sure to look at both of these aspects when determining whether a VPN is safe or not. If a provider has a kill switch, it also earns extra points. If you have an activated kill switch, your internet activities will automatically be interrupted if the connection to the VPN server is lost. This means you never accidentally lose your secure connection without realizing it.
Privacy and logging
VPN providers don’t all have to abide by the same laws and regulations. Some providers are obligated to keep certain logs by alliances like the 5, 19, and 14 Eyes Alliance. These logs concern user activities and sometimes certain types of online traffic (such as torrenting). Among other factors, the country in which a VPN’s head offices are located determines the laws that a provider must comply with. After all, local laws, rights, and obligations regarding the internet and privacy vary per country. Privacy is a key concern for VPN users. In these cases, mandatory logging of all user data makes a VPN pretty much useless. Luckily, not all VPN providers are obligated to follow such laws. NordVPN, for example, scores some extra points because it’s based in Panama, where the legislature benefits consumers and companies when it comes to internet privacy. NordVPN isn’t obligated to keep logs, whereas some providers in other countries are. When it comes to logging, it’s important to consider exactly which information is being logged about you. None of the providers in our top 5 keep any logs (they’re certified zero logs VPNs). We have made this a requirement to qualify for a place in our top 5 VPN providers of 2023. You can be sure that your online behavior and browsing history won’t be saved as long as you use their servers correctly.
Price
While compiling our top 5 VPNs list, we also asked ourselves: is the price a VPN is asking reasonable considering its features? VPNs aren’t super expensive, but you still want to find the best deal. It’s important to check if you are getting value for money. We believe that a higher price doesn’t always equal better quality. The general rule with most VPN providers is that the longer the subscription you choose, the cheaper the price per month. It’s therefore often smart to protect your devices with the same VPN for a longer period of time. As a result, it becomes even more important to choose the best VPN provider for your situation right from the start, if you really want to save money. One of the cheapest plans you can get right now with a premium VPN is from Surfshark. You can connect unlimited devices to Surfshark for only $2.30 a month (minimum of a two-year plan).
Device compatibility
Almost all VPN services we’ve tested offer support for multiple simultaneous connections. This means you can activate and use the VPN connection on multiple devices at the same time. Having this possibility is very useful. After all, you don’t want your phone to suddenly be unprotected the moment you turn on your VPN on your laptop. An extra factor to keep in mind, however, is the compatibility of the VPN you choose. Of course, it’d be convenient if your VPN actually works on all your different devices. When we made our selections for our top 5, we awarded extra points to VPN providers that work well with multiple operating systems, most importantly Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and even Linux when possible.
Server network
When assessing the different providers, we paid special attention to the server network and the number of servers every VPN provider had to offer. How many servers and server locations does a VPN provider offer? A server network with good coverage around the world is important for good connection speed and for ultimate freedom. If you want to view specific streaming services or unblock sites from a specific country, it is often necessary to connect to a VPN server from that specific country. That is why it is also important that all VPN providers have enough servers in the right places.
User-friendliness and customer support
How easy is the VPN to install and set up? Is the information on the website of the VPN provider easy to understand? VPNOverview tests the apps of every VPN provider on various devices and operating systems. It is important that everything works intuitively and easily, even for inexperienced users. The user-friendliness and quality of customer support are also important. If you can’t quite figure out your VPN, it’s essential that you can turn to customer service. It’s why we approach the customer support of every VPN we test. We look at how quickly and adequately they help us with our questions. We also check what kind of support they have: will you have to wait days for an email to arrive, or do they provide a 24/7 live chat?
Ability to unblock Netflix and torrents
Our ideal VPN provider allows you to download torrents safely. You can also watch shows and movies on the American version of Netflix when they’re not in the USA. For these people, we’ve prepared a useful step-by-step guide to help them get started with Netflix while using a VPN. A VPN provider gets extra points when they work with Netflix and other streaming sites such as BBC iPlayer.
What is a Virtual Private Network?
A VPN, or virtual private network, provides a secure connection between you and the internet. If you use a VPN, you’ll be able to surf the web much more anonymously and safely. It works just like any other piece of software: you download a program and turn it on when you need it. A VPN creates an encrypted tunnel between your device and the internet, meaning it’ll be much harder for strangers to find out who you are and what you’re doing online.
Why would you need a VPN?
You might be wondering why you’d bother using a VPN at all. Isn’t going online without a VPN just as good? Not quite. When you browse the internet without the protection of a VPN, you’re unknowingly leaving behind many virtual traces of personal information. Your internet service provider (ISP), for example, can see exactly which websites you visit and what data you transfer and receive on your smartphone, tablet, computer, or other devices. The IP address you have been assigned by your ISP allows companies, governments, marketing agencies, websites, and hackers to track you. People using the same Wi-Fi network as you are often also able to see which websites you’ve visited. Your location, browsing habits, and browser history can all be traced by others. Using a VPN makes it much harder for intelligence services, websites you visit, Google, Facebook, your ISP, your housemates, your employer, and other parties to keep track of your online activities. The VPN encrypts your internet traffic and hides it from these external parties. A VPN service also provides additional protection against cybercriminals who are looking to steal your data or get access to personal information, such as your bank transactions or emails. If you use a VPN, you’ll be more anonymous on public Wi-Fi as well.
More freedom with a VPN
Aside from added online security and privacy, a VPN can also give you increased internet freedom. Sometimes, certain content or websites are only accessible when you’re in a specific country, such as different news platforms and media on services like Spotify, YouTube, and Netflix. With a good VPN, you’ll get access to these websites and services regardless of where you are in the world. A VPN service allows you to artificially change your location and online identity, meaning you can use it to bypass geographic restrictions on the internet. It does so by changing your IP address, giving you access to parts of the internet you wouldn’t normally be able to reach. For many people, these possibilities to unblock online content are a huge reason to start using a VPN. Want to learn more about VPNs, how they work, and what they can do? Our “VPN Explained” article will tell you all of this and more.
In Conclusion: The Best VPNs of 2023
We have tested dozens of popular VPN services and eventually arrived at our top 5 best VPN providers of 2023. Which of these five is the best choice for you depends on your personal needs and preferences. Even so, rest assured that, whichever one you choose, all five are as reliable and secure as can be. Using a reliable VPN service will protect your online privacy and security. The VPN services in our overview are compatible with almost all devices and operating systems: Mac, Windows, Android, iOS (iPhone), and even Linux. This allows you to secure all your internet traffic with one account. Here’s a short summary of our top 5 of the best VPNs in the world right now:
