When it comes to VPN, The most important thing about choosing a VPN is to know the purpose of you’re using it, the best one is the one that can meet your needs!
It’s Crucial to Personally Try Out VPNs!
Many VPN companies offer hefty commissions to reviewers to encourage them to write favorably about their products. As a result, many reviews are unreliable and should only be taken as reference. Personally trying out VPNs is more important.
What’s good to know is that most VPNs offer a 30-day money-back guarantee. You should make the most out of this and try out a VPN for yourself. 30 days is enough to evaluate whether a VPN can meet your needs.
Why not recommend ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, and Private Internet Access?
ExpressVPN and the more affordable CyberGhost & PIA are all owned by the known malware distributor Kape Technologies. Kape previously generated revenue through ad platforms. However, it shut these down in 2016.
Nonetheless, people are still wary of These brands. You can see a lot of criticism on Reddit with many people giving up using these brand because of this!
Even more concerning is that Kape Technologies laid off a significant portion of its global workforce a few months ago following a restructuring of the organization. Even ExpressVPN’s Chief Technology Officer for Privacy, Dan Gericke, announced his departure on LinkedIn.
It’s certainly possible that ExpressVPN (or other Kape-owned VPN’s) will suffer a noticeable blow to quality, especially with the engineering and QA departments have been hit heavily. However, all we can do for now is wait and see.
Additionally, ExpressVPN is too expensive. When I tested it, I didn’t find it faster than NordVPN considering its price is twice that of NordVPN. Unless you’re really not satisfied with the cheaper VPNs, then going for ExpressVPN is not the best option either.
In summary, it is currently not recommended to purchase VPN services from Kape. The reason is very simple, if there are more trustworthy options out there, why settle for one that may be risky?
What VPN Should I use in 2024?
Brands
| NordVPN | SurfShark | Proton VPN |
Rating
| |||
Best For? | Best for Browsing or streaming | Cheapst Choice for Browsing or streaming | Best For Privacy and Torrenting |
Location | Panama | Netherlands | Switzerland |
Servers | 6,300+ | 3,200+ | 1,800 |
Countries | 111 | 100 | 60 |
Logs | No logs (audited) | No logs (audited) | No logs (audited) |
Torrenting | All servers | All servers | Restricted |
Support | Knowledge Base; 24/7 live chat Knowledge Base; 24/7 live chat | Knowledge Base; 24/7 live chat | Knowledge Base; email (no chat) |
Price | $3.09 (with coupon below) | $1.99 (with coupon below) | $4.99 (with coupon below) |
Coupon |
Top choice for most people – NordVPN (For browsing, streaming)
NordVPN is a top-tier VPN provider that has consistently performed well in our tests over the years. Its pricing also aligns with my philosophy, most VPNs are pretty similar, unless your looking for something very specific (For example, pursuing absolute security in privacy protection, Torrenting, etc.), find a cheaper deal on a good rated VPN.
NordVPN currently has 6,300+ servers in 111 countries. All servers run on dedicated hardware in RAM-disk mode without hard drives. This improves security and also makes storing logs on the VPN server impossible. Another huge development is that NordVPN has begun rolling out high-speed colocated servers (self-owned hardware) with 10 Gbps bandwidth channels. These servers will provide NordVPN users with even faster speeds and replace all rented servers from third parties.
NordVPN stands out as an industry leader with new VPN innovations. It developed the NordLynx protocol, based on WireGuard, to give you the fastest speeds possible, without compromising on privacy. NordVPN is one of the fastest VPNs we’ve tested, consistently beating out other top-rated VPNs. Below is a recent speed test where we hit over 755 Mbps on our 1,000 Mbps test rig when downloading from a NordVPN server in Seattle.
NordVPN is a verified no-logs VPN service, having passed multiple third-party audits for verification. Utilizing AES-256 encryption and supporting both OpenVPN and WireGuard protocols, NordVPN safeguards your internet traffic from third parties.
This cheap VPN also offers an impressive list of features to keep your traffic private and secure, including: Strong encryption, Obfuscated servers, Double VPN servers, Dedicated IP servers, Onion Over VPN servers, P2P servers, Leak protection, Threat Protection, etc
Check out detailed information about these features >>
With its impressive performance, NordVPN is a top choice for users seeking a reliable and secure VPN solution.
NordVPN is my personal choice. I have been using it for more than two years already and have yet to find an issue with it. It meets my needs when it comes to privacy protection. It also offers a fast and stable connection which is excellent for streaming. And because it comes at a reasonable price, there is absolutely no reason not recommend it.
NordVPN offer a 30-day money-back guarantee. It’s a no-questions-asked policy, which essentially becomes a VPN free trial. You can make the most of the refund policy to effectively use NordVPN for Free. Especially today, NordVPN is offering a limited-time discount of up to 69% off + an extra 3 months for free. It’s worth a try!
(Limited Time Offer)
SurfShark – a more affordable option.
Surfshark is a perfect pick for those seeking an affordable yet feature-rich and secure VPN solution. With a starting price of just $2.30 per month, Surfshark comes loaded with features, great leak protection settings, access to numerous streaming services, and excellent performance.
Surfshark utilizes strong encryption with an AES 256 cipher. It supports both the OpenVPN and IKEv2 VPN protocols, as well as WireGuard. Similar to our other top VPN services, Surfshark runs all servers in RAM-disk mode for added security. It offers 14 double-VPN server configurations, allowing you to encrypt traffic over two servers at the same time.
Plus, there’s one big benefit with Surfshark that you don’t find with most other VPNs: Surfshark gives you an unlimited number of simultaneous connections.
See all Surfshark VPN features here >>
The only reason why I did not prioritize recommending SurfShark is because when I was testing it out, I encountered some problems. While it does provide a fast connection, it’s not as stable as NordVPN. As a result, you may experience occasional interruptions. I suspect this is because of its low price which means they made some cost reduction on the server. And because of this, when numerous people connect to the server at the same time, it’s easy to encounter problems associated with server overload. However, this kind of problem can easily be avoided by connecting to other servers with fewer users. NordVPN has also experienced such problems, but the frequency is less than that of SurfShark.
Overall, Surfshark strikes the perfect balance between affordability and performance. If you’re price-conscious, SurfShark is definitely a great choice!
To get the lowest price on Surfshark VPN, use the coupon below with the two-year subscription plan. Every Surfshark subscription comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee and 24/7 live chat support.
Best VPN for Privacy – Proton VPN
If you have real serious privacy concerns over your internet use or think you’re being targeted, I’d go with Proton absolutely.
Proton is located in Switzerland and has the strictest privacy protection laws. Since its establishment, Proton’s main focus has been on the field of privacy protection. Their Proton Email product, which was developed specifically for privacy protection, is very popular.
Proton VPN is one of their excellent product. It’s open source (meaning any researcher can verify there are no potential vulnerabilities), reputable and independently audited.
Proton VPN Plus subscribers also unlock multi-hop connections to Secure Core servers, and access to the Tor anonymization network via VPN—both rare features. You don’t need to pay or use a VPN to access Tor, but it’s nice to have.
Learn what a Secure Core Network is >>
Unsurprisingly, multi-hop connections tend to come at a hefty trade-off in terms of speed and performance, but they are a feature we rarely see and should put even the most paranoid mind to rest.
Proton VPN has long been a favorite for its strong privacy policies and collection of advanced VPN features. Simply put, it offers all the VPN features we want to see and is still a good value after a hefty price hike.
Importantly, Proton VPN remains committed to its reputation as a privacy-focused company, which is a refreshing change after seeing so many other VPNs emphasize speed and video streaming.
Best VPN for Torrenting – Proton VPN
If your main purpose of using a VPN is torrenting, be sure to choose a VPN with a port forwarding function. This can increase your download and upload speed and reduce the chances of a failed download. However, most websites that do not possess a port forwarding function will still shamelessly claim that their VPN is the best just to earn a commission.
Why is port forwarding so important?
Bittorrent relies on your connection working both ways: to accept incoming and outgoing connections. Without port-forwarding: you may will see slower speeds, slower speed ramp up and if a torrent has very few online seeders you may run into a situation where you cannot connect to anybody at all – no download! Seeding is very hard without port-forwarding. (More information on Reddit:Why you do need port-forwarding for Bittorrent)
Even without this port forwarding feature, you can still use a VPN for torrenting, but it’s definitely not the most recommended option.
After Mullvad and IPVN announced the cancellation of their port forwarding function a few months ago, only Proton VPN supports port forwarding among all the current mainstream VPNs. This is why it is also the most recommended VPN for torrenting.
We recommend that you take advantage of the 30-day money-back guarantee to try it out so you have an idea whether its speed is sufficient enough to meet your needs!
Which Is The Fastest VPN? Testing It Out For Yourself is the Key!
The speed of a VPN varies depending on your physical location, ISP, and the server you’re connecting to. For me, the fastest VPN is NordVPN, but you may get different results.
Everyone gets varying speeds from the same VPN, but the difference is unnoticeable. The speed of the current mainstream VPN can meet the needs of most people. However, if you’re in search of the fastest VPN, it’s wise to take advantage of the 30-day money-back guarantee and test it out for yourself.
I suggest giving NordVPN a try first as it’s nearly half the price of ExpressVPN. This is also the VPN I’ve been using for over two years. Its exceptional performance makes ExpressVPN’s exorbitant price tag a joke. Especially today, NordVPN is offering a limited-time discount of up to 69% off + an extra 3 months for free. It’s worth a try!
30-day money-back guarantee, no-questions-asked policy >>
If price and potential security concerns (The reasons are below) are not an issue, you can test out ExpressVPN. Although Surfshark is cheaper, its speed fluctuates greatly, especially during peak usage periods.
Conclusion:
While we like and recommend these VPN list above, we believe that NordVPN is the best option. It has made massive progress over the past few years and has overtaken ExpressVPN in most categories, especially in the areas of performance, privacy, and streaming.
It is for all of these reasons and more that we consider NordVPN to be the best all-around VPN service and give it our top recommendation.
At the end of the day, either of these VPNs may be the best service for you. It all depends on your needs and uses for the VPN. Whichever service you decide to go for, be sure to get the best price via the discounts below:
Try NordVPN Now – Get 69% Off + 3 Months FREE >> (Limited Time Offer)
Try NordVPN Now – Get 69% Off + 3 Months FREE >> (Limited Time Offer)
Try Proton VPN Now – Get 50% Off >>
If you are really still on the fence, keep in mind that all these VPN offer a 30-day money-back guarantee. Therefore you could purchase all them, test each service for a few weeks, and then cancel the one you don’t want for a full refund.