9 Best VPN To Be Used in 2023

VPN (Virtual Private Network) provides users fast, easy, and safer browsing. It ensures safety by hiding your IP address, spoofing your location, bypassing geo-blocks, and ensures zero logs of your internet traffic, thereby ensuring your online anomaly and security. Enabling a VPN connection automatically connects you to a VPN server in the desired location, hence assigning you its corresponding IP address. This makes your online activities appear to be generated from the server’s location.

Most VPN comes with a Kill Switch, which makes sure your online activities are undercover by cutting the net connection or closing a set of programs whenever a breach happens, just like a fuse. While some VPNs require intensive technical set up, others come with cross-platform suites that can run on most OS. The advanced software features include server locations, encryption protocols, privacy policies, encryption speeds, DNS leak protection, and our trusty little Kill Switch. All these are very important because it indicates whether our VPN leaks and can also affect speed and performance.

WHY YOU NEED A VPN?

Having a VPN connection provides the following:

1. Privacy

Most Western countries are part of the 14 Eyes Alliance, which means that you are never alone on your web travels. The ISPs have the privilege of snooping on your internet traffic, which gives them a record of your personal information such as name, gender, location, and even your social footprint. Advertisers use this to their advantage. From a business point of view, this can lead to a lot of issues, especially when you are transmitting financial records, credit card information, coordinating business projects, and plans online. Having a VPN connection can solve all of this as it makes it impossible for anyone to track your location, thus protecting your privacy and anonymity.

2. Steaming and gaming

There is a wealth of resources for streaming movies and series on the internet like Netflix, Disney Plus, HBO Max and Amazon Prime, and even gaming, but most of them are geo sensitive. For example, Netflix has a catalog of contents allocated for each country. But what if you want to “watch them all”? Having a VPN connection helps bypass Geo blocks by allowing you to change the IP address to a country of your choice. Therefore, it is very important to know the right VPN for streaming region-strict context, and this article gives you just that!

3. P2P

Many ISPs keep restrictions on internet bandwidth when the use exceeds the available network capacity. But with VPN, the ISP can’t detect your online traffic, hence avoiding the chances of throttling.

Top 9 VPN To Be Used In 2020

Now that you know the sweet side of the VPN, it is important to be updated on the different types of VPN to know which best suits your requirements. In this article, I’ll be listing out for you 9 of the best VPNs that you should be looking out for this year to help you have a safe and happy browsing experience. So, without further ado, let’s dive into it!

1. ExpressVPN

This VPN service is ranked number 1 in this year’s market. It provides extremely fast connection speeds, top-notch security, and unlimited access to streaming services and torrenting. ExpressVPN is highly secure, with its high-end protocols and security standards like OpenVPN(TCP and UDP), AES-256 encryption, and RSA-4096 key with SHA-512-HMAC authentication. It can excellently bypass geo-blocks and even invade the censorship blocks in China. It doesn’t keep any logs that would record the sites you have visited, thereby providing you with high end online security.

ExpressVPN has its home location in the British Virgin Islands and has impressive server coverage in 94 countries. They offer software for all platforms and its flexibility gives you the option to toggle through any feature with ease. The only back draw is that it lets you have only 3 simultaneous connections and is quite expensive.

They offer a monthly subscription of  $13, a reasonable bi-annual cost of $60, and an annual plan of $99.95, all subscriptions come with a generous 30 – day money back policy.

So, if you are an avid fan of Netflix or a gaming freak, you might want this to be on the top of your checklist.

PROS CONS
·         Unblocks Netflix  

·         Only 3 simultaneous connections

·         Great speeds for gaming and streaming ·         Doesn’t block ads
·         Unlimited bandwidth ideal for P2P torrenting ·         Logs metadata
·         Accepts bitcoins ·         No, Kill Switch on iOS
·         Doesn’t log online traffic ·         No LINUX GUI
·         Open VPN ·         Dated Amazon Fire TV Stick app
·         Kill switch ·         Expensive
·         30-day refund

 

2. NordonVPN

This VPN is a little bundle of joy for all those who are strict on their privacy. Its additional feature of DoubleVPN and Onion Over VPN makes your online traffic untraceable and has its advanced built-in ad-blocker. It is also one of the fastest VPNs and has a network of 830 self-managed server locations and a Panama-based headquarters. It can surpass Netflix’s VPN blocks and provides high-speed gaming experience.

NordonVPN allows up to 6 simultaneous connections but it can be a bit slow because of its double encryption standard. And it comes with an affordable annual plan of $70, a $42 bi-annual plan, and a $12 monthly plan, all subscriptions backed by a generous 30-day refund policy.

PROS CONS
 

·         6 simultaneous connections

 

·         Poor response to a server breach

·         Panama based ·         Manual set-up required to work in China
·         Solid encryption ·         Fire TV Stick app doesn’t work with Netflix
·         Unlimited bandwidth
·         Excellent customer support
·         P2P
·         30-day money-back policy

 

3. IPVanish

The software is self-explanatory, flexible, and easy to use for both amateurs and advanced users. It is a US-based provider and has self-managed servers in 60+ countries. It provides excellent speeds, unlimited bandwidth, HD Streaming, P2P file-sharing, and unblocking of geo-restrictions.

The IPVanish suite comes with a Kill Switch, DNS leak protection, SOCKS5 Web Proxy, 256-AES Protection, and an OpenVPN Protocol. You can enjoy its customized settings or go with the default one, both ensured to give you safe browsing experience. And though it is cross-platform, you’ll have to download an additional OpenVPN Connect App for Android during installation.

It offers a $10 monthly and $ 78 annual subscription plan with a 7-day refund policy.

PROS

 

CONS
·         5 simultaneous connections ·         US-based
·         P2P ·         No port forwarding
·         Unlimited Bandwidth
·         Fast speeds
·         SOCKS5, OPENVPN, AES-256
·         DPI Protection, Kill Switch

4. PureVPN

Ideal for households as it supports 50+ operating systems such as Routers, Smart TVs, ROKU, and more. It allows 5 simultaneous connections and has the largest connection of 750+ servers around 141 countries to provide you with high-speed HD streaming and gaming experience.

The software is self-explanatory and provides you with the option of choosing between protocols and servers to achieve special services like stealth browsing and online banking. Though it does not keep any activity logs, they do hold session logs for troubleshooting and might leak DNS.

They offer the most affordable price of $12 monthly, $54 bi-annually, and $72 for a 2-year subscription plan, backed up by a 3-day free trial and a 7-day refund policy.

PROS CONS
 

·         Hong-Kong-based

 

·         Speeds can drop at peak hours

·         Very affordable ·         DNS leak
·         Great server coverage ·         No perfect forward secrecy
·         Numerous add-ons
·         Accepts payments with gift cards
·         5 simultaneous connections

5. Private Internet Access(PIA)

Cheap and clean, this VPN helps you customize your settings with minimum effort. It allows up to 5 simultaneous connections and supports almost 34 platforms including desktop and mobile. It offers a Kill Switch, unlimited P2P torrenting, high-speed streaming and gaming, DNS leak protection, and a lot more.

Although PIA is based on the US, it has extensive coverage of 3250 servers around 25 countries and can spoof into your desired Netflix content.

PIA has an attractive package of $7 monthly, $37 bi-annual, and $40 annual subscription plans backed up by a guaranteed 7-day refund policy.

PROS

 

CONS
·         5 simultaneous connections ·         US-based
·         Solid encryption
·         No logs
·         Unlimited bandwidth
·         Blocks ads, malware, and trackers
·         Accepts bitcoins and gift cards.

6. VPNArea

Like the other VPN services, VPNArea has many features to talk about, one of them being DNS leak protection, Kill Switch, port forwarding, and amazing customer service.

They offer up to 6 simultaneous connections, based in Bulgaria and have their servers hosted in Switzerland. With their servers set up in 60+ countries, VPNArea is guaranteed to offer speed, privacy, and performance.

It comes with a very affordable package of $10 monthly, $50 bi-annual, and a $59 annual subscription plan, which makes them one of the most affordable in the market.

PROS

 

CONS
·         Plenty of advanced features ·         Outdated installation instructions
·         Zero logs, P2P ·         Customer service only at office hours
·         6 connections ·         DNS leak
·         Great speeds, affordable
·         Solid 256-AES encryption

7. Buffered

The Buffered VPN is based in Hungary and has 37 servers across the globe. It provides reliable and consistent speeds for HD streaming and gaming and lets you install its apps on as many devices as you need, as long as you retain the limit of 5 simultaneous connections. That’s not all! You even get an Auto-refund if you don’t use their VPN within the first week.

The BufferedVPN comes with many features to protect your privacy and a Port-Discovery Mode, that lets you use the public Wi-Fi without a password.

With a monthly plan of $12.5, a bi-annual plan of $57, and an annual plan of $93, BufferedVPN provides you safe and affordable browsing. Top that off with a 30-day refund policy!

PROS CONS
·         Can access Netflix and another geo sensitive content ·         Expensive monthly plan
·         Zero logs, 5 connections ·         No Kill Switch
·         Port Discovery Mode
·         Affordable

8. CyberGhost

This VPN service is a killer when it comes to short-distance connections, with 83 Mbps download speeds on a 93 Mbps broadband line. CyberGhost is great for movie lovers as they have 46 streaming optimized servers with different locations labeled for different services including Netflix and YouTube.

CyberGhost lets you connect up to 7 simultaneous connections and also have Fire TV Stick, Android TV, Linux, and router. It is based in Romania and since it is an EU nation, might not give you privacy like the above VPNs, yet it keeps you safe from the Five Eyes and other such organizations.

It has a monthly subscription plan of $2.75 over 3 years and provides both a 1-day free trial and a 45-day money-back policy.

PROS CONS
 

·         Affordable and easy to use

 

·         Not suitable for long distances

·         Only logs metadata ·         Doesn’t work in China, Turkey, and UAE
·         Can unblock Netflix, iPlayer, and more. ·         Won’t work on Chromebook
·         6400 servers around 89 countries ·         Missing features on mobile and MacOS
·         24/7 customer support

9. PrivateVPN

This VPN is best known for its good streaming at a very affordable price. Despite its small server network of 150 servers in 60 countries, it is a speed killer in short distance connections. PrivateVPN has dedicated servers in 32 countries for Netflix alone and has access to other services like Amazon Prime TV, Hulu, and much more.

PrivateVPN provides the cheapest service ever, with a $1.89/month over 24 months. It also comes with a money-back policy of 30 days, provided you use only 100GB data in that period.

PROS CONS
 

·         Fast local speeds

 

·         Free trials no longer available

·         No logging ·         Slow speeds on long-distance
·         Great new app design ·         Live chats not always available

Conclusion

So, there you have it, the 9 best VPN to look out for this year. I hope this helps you clear out your confusion on the many VPNs out there.

Happy browsing!

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