Unlock the Internet with our Best VPNs of 2019

The short answer is yes – they are 100% legal and fine to use in almost every country.

There are, however, a handful of exceptions. VPNs are currently banned in: Belarus, Iraq, Turkmenistan and North Korea.

There are six more countries where you may only use ‘government approved’ VPN providers: China, Russia, Turkey, Iran, Oman and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Use a non-authorized VPN in these nations at your own risk.

You can read more about the countries that have banned or restricted VPNs by heading to our guide to Are VPNs Legal?

A VPN is a piece of software that, once installed and running, creates a secure and private connection between two or more devices.

A standard internet connection typically routes traffic from your device, through your internet service provider (ISP), and on to the website or app that you’re accessing. Instead, a VPN uses your ISP’s connection to route traffic to a server in a location of your choice, and then on to your desired website or app.

The result is that your ISP can no longer see and monitor your internet activity, and your connection is far more secure. In other words, a good VPN service will mask your digital footprint, encrypt your data transfers and also unblock restricted content.

The great news is that you can install and run a VPN on most popular devices, from computers to smartphones to TV streamers.

For more information read our guide to what is a VPN.

We make the process simple for you. You don’t need to be an expert to choose the right VPN – you just need to know what you want to use a VPN for and we’ll do the rest.

Perhaps you want to access your favorite streaming services from any country? Or maybe you want to secure your connection when using public WiFi? You could even be looking to sidestep oppressive government censorship. No matter your needs, our expert recommendations will help you find your ideal VPN.

You can also simply jump to our overall best VPN services straight away.

You may be tempted to use a free VPN but the reality is that the free VPN marketplace is riddled with offerings that are unfit for use.

Some simply won’t keep your data secure or your location private, while the worst offenders will spy on what you do online or sell your personal data to third parties.

We recently tested the top 150 free VPN Android apps which revealed many had security flaws, performance issues, and over 85% had questionable permissions.

We also looked into the companies operating the top free VPN apps, and some of our findings were disturbing.

Choosing the wrong VPN service can therefore be worse than not using one at all. While there are some decent options out there, they are limited in their use and simply can’t compare to a good paid VPN.

If you can’t afford or aren’t willing to pay for a VPN, we’ve picked out the best free VPNs for you.