Best VPN Services

This VPN comparison is put together by TheBestVPN.com contributors – Brad, Andrey & John. Last update: 2 April, 2017. 

Which VPN Is Right For Me?

After 214 hours of testing the 15 most popular VPN providers; connecting and disconnecting 450 times to 3 continents, pinging servers 2250 times, conducting 2700+ separate speed tests, reading an ungodly amount of reviews, privacy policies and user experiences and consuming around 300 cups of cheap coffee – we know exactly which is the best VPN for you!

Click here to expand the full list of VPN services we tested

1. VPN Security

During our weeks of extensive testing, we scouted the internet for verified user experiences. Knowing that the technology behind VPNs is largely the same, we were searching for ambiguous service terms and conditions & privacy policies, lack of transparency, and user reports of misconduct.

By far the most prevailing, verifiable security breach we encountered, was the logging of user behavior by several VPN providers. The preservation of anonymity and ensuring conditions of secure, unmonitored network activity is of utmost priority to us.

Due to breaching this imperative and their inability to establish environment of maximum protection, we deem the following providers unfit to service you:

1. PureVPN: In addition to denying their money back guarantees and engaging in extremely questionable marketing techniques, PureVPN has come under fire for their ambiguous privacy policy statement which, in previous iterations, used to state that they will monitor: IP addresses, operating systems and operational logs.
2. Ivacy: In 2016 Ivacy’s PR Manager was publicly exposed for bribing VPN influencers in exchange for positive reviews of their services. Ivacy has been exposed of lying and masking their server locations and has been accused of being a shill company of PureVPN.
3. HideMyAss: TorrentFreak reported that HMA will log your IP, time and date of the VPN usage. Moreover, during our tests we encountered a connection issue which HMA was unable to assist us with. They simply told us “bad luck”.

To stay away from such shady companies, make sure you read in-depth reviews, written by experts who have extensively tested & researched VPN providers.

2. Connection Speed

Once satisfied with the security features, provided by your Virtual Private Network, your focus should quickly shift onto connection speeds.

Over the course of one month, we periodically conducted download & upload speeds tests of the 15 VPN services. The tests were performed from our offices in the UK, as we connected to USA, China and Europe.

Our raw benchmark connection is rated at up to 100 Mbps. 

USA Servers VPN Performance

VPN Area, VPN Unlimited, HotSpotShield & PureVPN all tested at below 30 Mbps. This 70% reduction from the raw connection is simply unacceptable.

Click here to expand speed charts of the top 5 performing VPN for Europe & China

3. Customer Support

When you make the prudent decision to secure your data by using VPNs exclusively, even the slightest connection issues can turn into a day long battle to regain networking. System, Firewall & VPN software updates, antivirus false positives and another thousand reason will eventually cause compatibility issues with your virtual private network.

In moments like these, lightning fast & helpful support agents are the only hope to save the day. We are happy to report that the majority of VPN providers have realized the importance of click-button chat and phone support. There are however, some black sheep, which have decided against offering chat support and instead rely on emails which can take as long as 48 hours to prompt a response.

Due to a lack of common-sense chat support, Hotspot Shield, Private Internet Access and VPN Area will unfortunately lose out on being crowned the best VPN service.

PIA especially was impressing with affordable prices, awesome speeds and a huge choice of server locations. We will patiently wait until they fix their support department!

4. Ease Of Use

Unfortunately a factor often overlooked by seasoned network veterans, used to the nightmare of “90s UX Design”, ease of use is a criteria we take very seriously.

As VPNs become an integral part of your day-to-day, you shouldn’t settle for confusing, cluttered, clunky connection clients. Easy & seamless is what we are after!

The two VPN services which have put in an immense effort into simplifying an otherwise complex technical process are ExpressVPN and PrivateInternetAccess.

Both providers have done an exemplary job at ensuring you can connect to your VPN within seconds after turn on your laptop or PC. Whether you opt for your system to connect automatically on launch, or do it manually via the push of a button; you won’t find simpler and more straightforward & minmalistic VPN clients.

Top 5 Best VPN Services of 2017

Best VPNs: The results of our month long study…

1. ExpressVPN – Best VPN for Beginners

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As we surpassed the 200th hour of research, it became clear that ExpressVPN is smoking the competitions, leaving no prisoners behind. Next to their ZERO logging policy, ExpressVPN impresses with podium-worthy connection speeds, 1000+ server locations and 24/7/365 Live support.

Their VPN client is what dreams are made of. Simple, straightforward, minimalistic and incredibly easy to use. As you can expect from the #1 VPN provider, you can configure it with all operating systems; Windows, Mac, iOs – even blackberries and routers!

Their amazing features (internal server speed tests, OMG!) which enrich your online experience are second only to their amazingly helpful and friendly 24/7/365 chat ninjas, ready to put out fires on your command!

It is no surprise that ExpressVPN racks up trophies left and right, as it’s being named the best VPN service by PCmag, Techradar and hundreds of other tech publications worldwide.

Go to www.ExpressVPN.com

Read our Review

2. IPVanish – Best Cheap VPN

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Not vanished from our hearts and minds, IPVanish comes in as a close second. Their claims of being the “fastest and fastest growing” VPN provider are NOT hard to believe.

Next to their ZERO logging policy, IPVanish impresses awesome connection speeds, 700+ server locations and 24/7/365 Live support.

No, you’re not having a Deja Vu. Having almost the identical stats of ExpressVPN, IPVanish has cemented their place among the very best VPN services in the world.

While you may have to restart your system after the initial installation, do away with one or two features and settle for a less optimized VPN dashboard, the 22% savings over ExpressVPN make IPVanish a perfect alternative for budget users!

Go to www.IPVanish.com

Read our Review

3. NordVPN

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Say hello to our Nordic friends at NordVPN! Their VPN’s awesome performance pales only to their progressive stances and guiding ideals, making NordVPN a most unique contender!

Inspired by the Nordic ideals which signify the confidence, trust, freedom and innovation, NordVPN delight with a no logging policy, 24/7 live chat support, 700+ server locations and more than 60 countries to chose from!

Oh, and one of the most beautiful UI designs out there!

Coming in with an incredibly attractive pricing structure, the ability to pay by bitcoin and their double AES 256-bit encryption NordVPN more than makes up for their average connection speeds and mediocre ease of use.

Go to www.NordVPN.com

Read our Review

4. VyprVPN – Fastest VPN

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Don’t worry, they bite only bad guys! Claiming to be one of the fastest VPN providers and one of the few that hosts their own servers and DNS, VyprVPN comes in at rank #4.

Make sure you take immediate advantage of  VyprVPN’s FREE 3 day trial today!

The online service providers out of Austin, Texas offer you more than 700 servers in 70 locations around the globe. Their no logging policy, round the clock live chat are fine and dandy, but their consistently high speeds is how they blow you away!

Their only drawback is the somewhat cumbersome initial setup and slight learning curve your first time around – all worth it in the end!

Go to www.VyprVPN.com

Read our Review

5. Private Internet Access

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The marketing firm turned Cyber Hero, London Trust Media, operate one of the most well known VPN service providers – Private Internet Access.

Don’t be fooled by their quirky brand name, PIA is among the most used VPN servers worldwide. Their top-shelf, dominating connection speeds and their rock-bottom prices have catapulted PIA into VPN stardom.

Sporting the easiest VPN client, next to ExpressVPN, PIA is a beloved service among network nerds. Their amazing prices unfortunately also mean cutbacks on some vitals necessities for beginners.

Their lack of live support, so very important with the complexity of VPNs, the low number of available locations and recent reports of technical difficulties keeps PIA at #5 for now.

Go to www.PrivateInternetAccess.com

Read our Review

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All VPN Reviews & Cost

Updated April, 2017

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Benefits of Using A VPN

Virtual Private Networks were first employed by transnational corporation, decades ago, to establish secure communication channels across continents. As internet penetration skyrocketed at the turn of the twentieth century the imperative of remaining secure & anonymous online, quickly became clear to ordinary internet users as well.

Amidst recent scandals of government spying, the demise of net neutrality and the record high number of cyber crimes – practicing good internet hygiene is now more important than ever.

Virtual Private Networks secure your network traffic via a protected tunnel protocol. The VPN is constantly on high-alert & monitors for intrusions on your internet traffic. The tunnel shields you against these intrusions by immediately severing your connection and reconnecting you through a new tunnel if the slightest whiff of fishy behavior is detected.

Among the many benefits of using a VPN are:

• Best Security: VPNs are the #1 way to ensure maximum online security & anonymity.  Not even the CIA will be able to monitor what you’re up to. Whether you’re sitting at home or in a crowded mall, everything you do will be encrypted and inaccessible.

• Unlock Geo Restrictions: The ability to mask your location, as you connect to one of the thousands of VPN servers at your disposable, enables you to unlock any and all Geo-restricted content

• Negates Censorship: According to the Freedom Report by Freedom House “Two-thirds of all internet users — 67 percent — live in countries where criticism of the government, military, or ruling family are subject to censorship.” By utilizing a VPN this censorship is entirely negated. Blocked websites ( Google, Facebook, Youtube etc) or services (Messenger, WhatsApp, Skype) are effectively unlocked and can be accessed free of oppression.

• Circumvents Throttling: Your internet service provider will be unable to monitor your data and subsequently throttle it. Some ISPs have recently come under fire for doing exactly that, if they noticed you’re using too much data; by streaming Netflix or watching YouTube videos.

Conclusion

Whether you’re just looking to access Geo-restricted content, or are are furious that your ISP is selling your browser history – a virtual private network is what you desperately need.

If you’re not ready for the power of ExpressVPN, get a free trial at VyprVPN and convince yourself.

In 2016 alone, there have been more than 4,100 security breaches totaling 4.2 billion stolen and exposed personal records – emails, passwords, SSNs, addresses etc, Risk Based Security reports.

Cyber crimes are at record highs; and growing fast.

Unless you want to wake up to a stolen identity or drained bank account, it’s high time you start taking your online security seriously.

Surf Safe,
Andrey, Brad, John, Maria & Paul