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Top 10 VPNs 2021
A Virtual Private Network or VPN is used for many activities, such as browsing securely online, keeping your identity private and gaining access to websites or apps that may not be available in your region.
VPNs are used by gamers, travellers, professionals or simply those wishing to stream shows.
Our ranking of the top VPNs assess these providers on a number of criteria.
Read below and decide which VPN is the best one for you!
NORD VPN
When searching for a VPN that ticks all the boxes, NordVPN is a clear winner!
In terms of security, Nord has you covered. Users can switch on its Double VPN system, which has the ability to encrypt internet traffic twice, keeping your identity and information safer than ever. This is essential when using public Wi-Fi or torrenting.
There’s a NordVPN application for Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and Linux, as well as extensions for Chrome and Firefox. Additionally, you can use the VPN on up to 6 devices.
The only complaint is with Nord’s user experience, which could be more seamless, and the fact that there are no free plans, making this a more costly option than competitors.
Speed
4/5
Value for Money
2/5
Data Security
4/5
Customer Support
3/5
Ease of Use
4/5
Surfshark
SurfShark stands out for its pricing, offering a plan that costs $2.49 per month with support against an unlimited number of devices. This provides better value for money compared to providers such as Nord. It also gets points for ease of use, making it a good option for those who want a simple browsing experience. It also has a strict no-log policy and a kill switch, which disables internet connection when the VPN disconnects, ensuring that privacy is always maintained. Where Surfshark falls short is that it is not as speedy as other options.
Speed
3/5
Value for Money
4/5
Data Security
3/5
Customer Support
3/5
Ease of Use
4/5
Hotspot Shield
If you are a gamer or a streamer then Hotspot Shield is the VPN for you. This VPN wins major points for its speed and can support up to 5 devices. It is also lauded for its price, with a 3-year plan for £2.69 per month with a 45-day money-back guarantee. However, the one-month plan costs a hefty £10.99. Hotspot Shield also offers 24/7 live tech support and has servers in over 115 countries. Where Hotspot Shield loses points, however, is on privacy. Unlike others on our list, Hotspot Shield does log VPN sessions, bandwidth, IP addresses and domains used.
Speed
4/5
Value for Money
3/5
Data Security
2/5
Customer Support
4/5
Ease of Use
3/5
TunnelBear
TunnelBear immediately wins points from us for its branding and mascot.
Other factors in TunnelBears favour is its ease of use, which is simple and user-friendly. TunnelBear also stacks up against others for its privacy and the company hires independent specialists to run a security audit on its product and publishes its results. TunnelBear offers a free plan, which is limited to 500MB, as well as an unlimited plan at $3.33 per month and a Teams plan for $5.75 per month. Although browsing is speedy in the UK and US, TunnelBear cautions users that this may slow down in other locations. However, the reason TunnelBear isn’t higher up on our list is due to a lack of customer support. There are only a few articles for customers to refer to and no live support.Speed
3/5
Value for Money
3/5
Data Security
4/5
Customer Support
2/5
Ease of Use
4/5
PureVPN
PureVPN is an independent Virtual Private Network (VPN) provider for both consumers and businesses. The mission is clear: to provide secure, transparent and cost effective means for anyone, anywhere, to be anonymous and safe on the internet. It boasts over 6500 servers in more than 140 countries, compatibility with a range of systems and browsers, military grade encryption, and a strict logging policy. Additionally, the VPN supports up to 10 devices, which helps it stand out. However, PureVPN’s speed does not compare to other players and there are issues with the Windows app, such as the Kill switch being faulty.
Speed
3/5
Value for Money
4/5
Data Security
4/5
Customer Support
3/5
Ease of Use
3/5
CyberGhost
CyberGhost boasts more than 7,000 servers across 90 countries and have a note-worthy live chat support; a key feature that other VPN providers are missing. Connection speed is another plus point for CyberGhost, although this is a little slower in regions that are further away. CyberGhost has the ability to unblock a range of websites such as Netflix in the US and Disney+ but fails to unblock BBC iPlayer and Netflix in the UK and Canda. Although the 1 month plan is pricey at £10.89 per month the two year plan offers value for money at £1.63 per month with a 45 day money back guarantee. However, one point that makes us cautious is that CyberGhost is owned by Kape Technologies, which does not have the best history when it comes to data privacy and security.
Speed
4/5
Value for Money
3/5
Data Security
2/5
Customer Support
3/5
Ease of Use
3/5
ProtonVPN
Based in Switzerland, which is known for its robust data privacy laws, ProtonVPN is a worthy contender. The provider is able to unblock a range of streaming services, such as BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime Video and several Netflix catalogs. However, these features are only available in the Plus subscription which costs 8 euros per month. This is steeper than other packages offered by competitors, but ProtonVPN does offer a free plan, which supports 23 servers in 3 countries and is able to access blocked content. They also have a VPN Accelerator, which can increase the speed of your VPN by upto 400%. Secure file sharing is also supported on ProtonVPN’s servers. Despite its handy features and the protection it offers, ProtonVPN loses points as it is not as fast as other providers and does not offer live chat support.
Speed
3/5
Value for Money
2/5
Data Security
4/5
Customer Support
2/5
Ease of Use
4/5
ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN has a number of impressive features, is easy to use, provides speedy connections in over 90 countries and has 24/7 customer support, a key bonus that competitors lack. It supports 5 devices and is also easy to use on devices such as AppleTV, PlayStation and Xbox. The reason that ExpressVPN is lower on our list is because of its recent acquisition by Kape Technologies, which also owns CyberGhost. Kape has been involved in some questionable activities and ExpressVPN’s CIO was also fined for alleged hacking activities. There are pretty serious points against a company that vows to safeguard users privacy and security.
Speed
3/5
Value for Money
3/5
Data Security
2/5
Customer Support
4/5
Ease of Use
4/5
Mozilla VPN
MozillaVPN offers strong privacy protection and as an added bonus, users help support Mozilla’s non profit objectives. However, the VPN is not owned by Mozilla, instead the company has partnered with MullvadVPN. An account with Mozilla costs $9.99 per month, which is slightly lower than some other providers. One catch is that in order to use Mozilla, users need to have a Firefox account. Mozilla supports 5 devices, which is decent, but there are other providers that offer support across a greater number of devices.
Speed
3/5
Value for Money
3/5
Data Security
3/5
Customer Support
2/5
Ease of Use
3/5
VyprVPN
Vypr is also based in Switzerland where data privacy is stringently protected. It features a no-logging policy that’s audited by an outside security company and instantaneous live chat support. Vypr has 700 servers, which is less than some others, but they are spread across over 60 countries and are owned by Vypr, as opposed to third parties. Vypr can unblock Netflix US, BBC iPlayer, Disney+, Hulu amongst others, but falls short when it comes to Amazon Prime. Additionally, it costs $1.67 per month which is a bargain. However, it is not as fast as other providers and faces issues when it comes to the Kill switch.
Speed
2/5
Value for Money
4/5
Data Security
3/5
Customer Support
3/5
Ease of Use
4/5