Virtual private networks (VPNs) provide an additional layer of privacy that enables you to access foreign websites and can provide a secure connection for the transmission of sensitive business information. While they are typically used by individuals, VPNs also provide businesses with the ability to manage multiple user accounts, block certain types of content and protect your data from snooping.
We’ve analyzed the key features you should consider in order to choose the Top VPN service that best fits your needs. This is our top pick for 2022.
ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN ranks #1 in our rating of the best VPNs for 2022, and while it’s not the cheapest at $12.95 per month or $8.32 per year, it’s not cheap at all. Among other things, users can access more than 3,000 servers in 94 countries-a larger network of servers than many of the VPNs in our ratings. Plus, since ExpressVPN is located in the British Virgin Islands, you don’t have to worry about intelligence sharing with the Five Eyes Alliance, which includes the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom and New Zealand. As with all top VPN providers, ExpressVPN is available for all major operating systems. You can also use it with many streaming services and social media platforms. Subscribers get many useful features that cheaper VPNs don’t offer, such as split tunnels. On the downside, only five simultaneous connections are allowed, which means that if you have a large family, you may want to look elsewhere. There is a 30-day free trial period.
North VPN
If you like the speed and features of ExpressVPN, but want something different, NordVPN is also a good option. Nord is arguably more feature-rich than ExpressVPN, and the service is just one part of a suite of products focused on privacy and security. The desktop application is very easy to use and offers a number of different features, including access to TOR networks via VPN, multi-hop VPNs, and ad trackers and malware blocking.
NordVPN has come a long way in terms of increasing user trust. After years of opacity, the company is now upfront about who runs the program, and it also accepts third-party audits, conducts vendor evaluations, and uses diskless servers.
Surfshark
If you’re looking for a cheap VPN that costs twice as much as the product, then Surfshark is the right choice for you. The services in this guide are ranked by quality, not price, so it’s impressive to see a VPN that costs well under $2.50 per month at #3.
In our Surfshark review, we found its app to work very well and to offer all the privacy and security elements such as AES-256 encryption, termination switches, split tunnels, and the ultra-fast WireGuard protocol. Surfshark has been working on additional features such as MultiHop and Nexus – the latter is not fully formed yet, but looks promising.
If you’re a hardware hoarder, Surfshark’s unlimited simultaneous connection policy will be very attractive. Essentially, you can install a plan on as many devices as you want – great for full protection or even sharing with devices in your home. And, as a Linux VPN, Surfshark is one of the few providers that offers a full GUI – most others are just command lines.
In recent tests, connection speeds improved dramatically, reaching a whopping 950Mbps on our 1Gbps connection, making Surfshark one of, if not the, fastest VPNs we’ve tested. Plus, it’s proving to be very reliable for streaming media so far. We’ve had some problems before, but almost every provider has at some point.
PureVPN
PureVPN is known for its lowest prices in over 70 countries and an impressive 6,500+ servers. Most of these are 10 Gbps, with 20 Gbps options springing up around the world.
The service uses military-grade encryption, leak protection and Wi-Fi security features for public hotspots. It is located in Hong Kong, a privacy-friendly jurisdiction, and has an independently audited no-logging policy.
PureVPN is a good choice for seed downloads. It does have port forwarding, but does not allow P2P activity in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia.
Streaming fans will love Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Disney+, and Amazon Prime Video to name a few. Even without the WireGuard protocol, speeds should be sufficient to support HD and even 4K.
PureVPN supports an extended range of platforms, including the Kodi plug-in and DD-WRT applet. You can also configure it to work with routers, ChromeOS, Raspberry Pi, and more. If you need help, please feel free to contact 24/7 Live Chat.
Prices start at $1.99 per month and are heavily discounted, not to mention a special offer from PureVPN. Each account comes with 10 simultaneous connections, which should be enough even for your large family. You can try PureVPN for 7 days ($0.99) or use its 31-day money-back guarantee.
IPVanish
IPVanish is our third best VPN option because of its versatility – protection, torrenting, and streaming. If none of the previous best VPNs meet your requirements in the right way, then IPVanish could be the VPN of your dreams.
Security and privacy: Like all other best-in-class VPN services, IPVanish uses military-grade AES-256 encryption and SHA-512 hash functions. There is also an audited no-logging policy and a functional termination switch.
Performance: This VPN provider supports multiple tunneling protocols – WireGuard, OpenVPN and IKEv2. IPVanish will also provide you with high download speeds and a wide selection of servers.
Features: IPVanish offers split tunnels to determine which applications use VPN tunnels. You can also get a free SOCKS5 proxy to download seeds quickly. Like Surfshark and NordVPN, IPVanish offers obfuscated servers that allow you to connect to their servers in countries where VPNs are usually blocked.
Streaming: IPVanish works very well when unlocking Netflix, BBC iPlayer and YouTube. However, it may conflict with other streaming services, so keep that in mind if you want a VPN for the sole purpose of unlocking movies and shows.
Compatibility: For different device coverage, IPVanish has it covered. The app is available for Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS operating systems.
In terms of price, if you get a long-term subscription, you’ll pay just $3.99 per month. And, as with all good VPNs, IPVanish offers a 30-day money-back guarantee on its long-term plans, just in case it doesn’t meet your needs.