The Best 10 VPNs for Private and Safe Internet Usage

A VPN (virtual private network) is a tool that people can use to get the anonymity and online privacy that they want, especially when using a public connection.

These tools work by masking your IP (internet protocol) address, which allows you to practically cover up everything that you do on the internet. 

What’s probably most important about these tools is that they can offer an encrypted and secure connections, even more secure than what most private Wi-Fi connections can offer.

People think that if they aren’t doing anything illegal that there’s no need to use a VPN. However whenever you do anything on the internet, even something as simple as checking your email or paying bills, your information is at risk for being stolen.

Using a VPN service ensures that you are always protected whenever you are using a device that is internet connected. We have put together the best VPN options that you can choose from.

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What Is A Private Internet Access VPN?

This is a VPN option that frequents “Best of VPN” lists and there’s a reason for that. It offers a wide variety of great features and is one of the more affordable options. There are over 3,000 VPN servers that this company uses, along with 10 simultaneous connections.

Private Internet Access VPN

With Private Internet Access VPN, you have 3 different billing options to consider and the prices start at $9.95 a month. In addition to having multiple simultaneous connections, you are also able to purchase a router that has this VPN already installed on it.

There are some downsides that you should consider with this option. One downside is that you won’t find a lot of different options for add-ons. You also cannot purchase additional connections nor can you get a static IP address like you can with other options.

It also does allow people to use P2P file-sharing networks or using programs like BitTorrent on their VPN servers, without limitations.

Surf Shark

Surf Shark is a VPN that is offered to users with a subscription fee of $12.95 a month. While this is more expensive than most of the other options, you also don’t have any limits as to how many devices can use each individual account. This alone makes it more than worth the extra money.

You do get a decent reduction in price is you pay for long-term use, with the annual subscription costing $59.76 or the 6-month subscription fee of $38.94.

There are a few things to note about this VPN. First of all, this is one of the few VPNs that offer unlimited simultaneous devices. It will also let users, depending on the server, utilize BitTorrent or P2P. Another very appealing thing about this option is that you get incredible features, such as Whitelister and Multihop.

Whitelister allows you to route traffic from websites or apps outside of the VPN tunnel. Multihop creates a connection to a VPN server, then bounces the traffic off of another VPN server. This is great because it offers more privacy.

CyberGhost

Cyber Ghost costs $12.99 per month, which is pretty pricy when compared to other VPN options. You could save a little money by paying the upfront costs by paying for a 6-month subscription ($47.94) or the 18-month subscription ($49.50). With this price, you can have up to 7 devices using this VPN simultaneously.

You also get very clear instructions on how you can install this VPN directly onto your router. CyberGhost does allow for use of P2P and BitTorrent and does list the server options that allow for this.

CyberGhost has servers across the globe in around 90 countries. It also offers No-Spy servers, which are essentially multihop servers, but these will cost you an extra $59.88 a year in addition to your subscription fee.

The VPN services here are great, but there are also excellent add-ons that you can enjoy with this option as well. In this case, you can get the ability to block malicious content, ad blocking through the VPN, and dedicated IP addresses.

CyberGhost is a company that is dedicated to offering the privacy and security that users are looking for. It is easy-to-use and has a lot of great features for you to enjoy.

ProtonVPN

ProtonVPN is a basic VPN option, but it’s not the cheapest of the VPNs either. Still, it is considered a top choice for VPNs. This is a VPN that puts a high value on things like user privacy and security, which is why this is such a popular choice for users. It’s also incredibly easy to use.

You can choose from a wide variety of advanced privacy tools that you would normally find in far more expensive options on the market. It also has a free VPN subscription that you can use, which is another appealing feature of this VPN.

There are different tiers for the subscription price, which are separated based on their speed classifications. This isn’t as a result of the company throttling speeds; rather it depends on the servers available and the number of subscribers using those servers.

For instance, the free tier does have “low” speed listed but this is because of the limited free servers and the expected large number of users. The higher paid subscriptions do have “high” speeds listed, but there are more servers available and fewer subscribers.

NordVPN

NordVPN has one of the most recognizable names in the industry. In fact, you have probably seen a commercial at one time or another about this VPN service.

It’s not only popular because you have seen it on television, it’s also widely considered to be one of the leading VPN services that you can get. This VPN service is another service that heavily focuses on providing its users with the highest level of security and privacy as they possibly can.

Prices for NordVPN start at $11.95 a month. However, if you pay for a year it comes out to $4.92 a month and $3.71 a month for a 2-year subscription. This may seem like a hefty price tag, but with it you get encryption levels that rival that of the government.

There are plenty of features that you can enjoy thanks to this service, such as having an excellent amount of choices of VPN protocols too choose from depending on whether you want more security or faster speeds.

As great as this VPN sounds, it is important to know that there was a breach on this service back in 2018, but this company has worked hard to prevent this issue in the future to much success.

IPVanish

IPVanish is a U.S.-based VPN service, which has over 75 server locations across 52 countries. There are over 1,500 servers owned and managed by this company.

All of this sounds great, but the biggest selling point for IPVanish is that it has unlimited simultaneous connections. IPVanish works on most devices, including iOS, Windows, Mac, and Android. Since it works on most devices, having the unlimited simultaneous connections can be a great benefit to you.

This is also an affordable option. IPVanish costs $5 a month when you pay on a monthly basis. Like with most services, you can save money in the long-term with the quarterly fees coming out to $4.50 a month and the yearly fee costing about $3.25 a month.

A downside with this VPN service is that it can be a little techy, which may be a turnoff for some users. However despite how techy it seems, IPVanish is actually pretty simple to use.

If you like torrents, those are supposed by these servers. Another selling point for this VPN service is that they do have decent speeds according to speed tests when compared to other options in this price range.

Best of all, if you are unhappy with this service, they do offer a 30-day money back guarantee. This means that this is essentially risk-free to try.

VyprVPN

In the past, VyprVPN offered tier subscriptions but there was a recent change where they decided to open up all of their features to all users. There are 3 plans that people can choose: a monthly plan ($12.95), a one-year plan ($45), or a two-year plan ($60).

You won’t have access to a free version, but there is a 30-day money-back guarantee that can help you feel better about spending this money.

VyprVPN does support a variety of different VPN protocols including OpenVPN, WireGuard, and L2TP/IPsec.

VyprVPN has servers across 64 countries. Having servers across these many countries benefits the user because this means that you can not only get more options for spoofing your location but you can also have a better chance at finding a server when you are traveling.

If you are closer to a spoof location, you benefit from getting better speeds. Additionally, this VPN service also offers high level of security and privacy so that you can feel better when using this VPN service.

ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN is another VPN option that is considered to be one of the best VPN service options available. There are 160 server locations across 94 countries, which is more countries than most VPN services offer. There are also over 3,000 servers, which is a major selling point for this company.

You have 3 different subscription options: a monthly fee of $12.95, a 6-month subscription of $59.95, and a yearly subscription of $99.95.

Like other options, you can pay for your subscription with credit cards and PayPal. You can also use Bitcoin to pay for your subscription. There is no free version of ExpressVPN.

You do get 5 simultaneous connections with this option, which is much better than the 3 connections users were formerly limited to. However, this is still fewer connections than other VPN companies offer for their services.

When you subscribe to ExpressVPN, you get features like split tunneling, military-grade encryption, a kill switch, and DNS leak protection.

You can watch regional Netflix shows that you may not otherwise have access to. You get all of the benefits that you are likely looking for with a VPN when you use ExpressVPN.

HotSpot Shield VPN

HotSpot Shield VPN has over 3,200 VPN servers across over 80 countries. This is a VPN service that has made a name for themselves thanks to their free VPN offering. However if their free service is great, imagine how great their paid versions are.

You have three options for subscription plans: pay $12.99 a month, pay for the year and pay the equivalent of $7.99, or pay for 3 years and pay the equivalent of $2.99 a month. These fair prices are in addition to the free version that you can get.

This option does only use one VPN protocol: Catapult Hydra, their proprietary protocol. It also lacks features and flexibility that you could find in other options. What you do get is an excellent VPN that does offer you the services that you need.

Norton Secure VPN

Norton is a brand that you are likely already very familiar with. While you may know them for their antivirus protection, this company also offers the Norton Secure VPN.

This VPN has over 1,500 servers, 1,200 of which are virtual servers. These servers are only found across 29 countries, which means that it doesn’t have the server distribution that you can find with other options.

The VPN is very limited in comparison to other options as far as it doesn’t support P2P, BitTorrent, routers, set top boxes, or Linux.

Norton claims that they offer “bank-grade encryption” as well as a kill switch. What this means is that you still get protection, but you may not get the level of protection that you are looking for.

Norton Secure VPN is a reliable and affordable, with the service only costing around $40 per year.

Choosing The Best VPN For Your Own Needs

These are all great options for when you are choosing a VPN service for your needs. Each of these options have their own pros and cons for you to consider, which is why you should carefully consider what you want from your VPN.

Once you understand your needs and expectations for VPN, you can select one of these options that best meet your needs.