A VPN is a simple piece of software that encrypts your internet traffic and forms a secure connection between your device and the website it’s visiting.
It also hides your true IP address and replaces it with a different one. This makes it appear as if you’re in a different location to where you really are, and can even be somewhere on the complete opposite side of the world.
It also means that you need to have 100% trust and confidence in your VPN, as not only can it see everything you do online but is also solely responsible for making sure it stays secured, encrypted, and private.
ExpressVPN is a superb all-round product with no real weak spots. It has an excellent no-logs privacy policy and jurisdiction in the secure British Virgin Islands, its AES-256 encryption and VPN kill switch will keep you safe, and its extremely fast download speeds (both locally and internationally) are perfect for secure torrenting and unblocking Netflix – and it even beats censorship in China.
When you use a VPN, all your internet traffic flows through the VPN provider’s servers. That means it’s really important you use a VPN you can really trust. Therefore, the question is: how do you know if you can trust your VPN?
Here are the four main factors we look at to determine whether or not a VPN is trustworthy:
- Who owns the VPN?
This is a question easier asked than answered. A lot of VPNs go to great lengths to protect their privacy – sometimes for legitimate reasons, sometimes for more dubious ones.
Ideally a VPN will be either independently owned or owned by a company with a history of standing up for digital rights and privacy. Being able to put a name and face to the leadership is reassuring, too.
- Where is the VPN based?
Jurisdictions matter. It’s obvious that you don’t want to subscribe to a VPN based in somewhere like Russia or China, where the government has total control over such companies, but it goes a little deeper than that.
There’s a number of countries that make for a poor base of operations that you perhaps wouldn’t expect. Any member of Five Eyes is a very poor choice – that’s the UK, US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The related Nine Eyes and 14 Eyes are also less than ideal, as is any EU member state.
![Map of Five Eyes, Nine Eyes, and Fourteen Eyes Countries.]()
It’s much easier to trust a VPN if it’s based in a country without any intrusive data laws or data sharing agreements with other nations.
- What is its logging policy like?
The logging policy is the most important attribute of all. You should aim for a zero-logs VPN, or at least one which doesn’t collect any personally-identifiable data.
A great logging policy can make the jurisdiction irrelevant, as the government cannot seize data which was never collected. There are only a handful of excellent VPNs which don’t store any logs at all, but there are plenty more which only collect aggregated metadata – or, in other words, broad usage statistics that are combined from every active user (for example the total amount of data transferred, or the total number of accounts connected to a server simultaneously).
Never settle for a VPN which logs your IP address or browsing activity.
- Has the VPN been audited and how transparent is it?
Ultimately, for all of the above you are forced to take the VPN for its word. It’s highly unlikely that a company would lie on a legally-binding privacy policy, but you can never say for sure.
Unless the VPN is audited, that is. We’re seeing an increasing number of services opening up their company to external, independent auditing firms who examine the inner workings of the VPN to make sure that its privacy policy is accurate.
Even better than this is a VPN which is open source. This means the software it uses is shared online in its entirety, and is completely open for anyone with the technical knowhow to look over. By allowing potentially thousands of eagle-eyed tech geeks to look over every line of code, you can be sure that these VPNs are 100% truthful and doing exactly as they promise.
ProtonVPN and Private Internet Access are our two favorite open source VPNs.
Are VPNs Legal?
VPNs are clearly very useful tools, but are they legal? The answer is yes, VPN services are legal in almost every country except for a handful listed below.
| Country |
VPN Status |
Social Media Blocks |
Censorship |
Surveillance |
| Belarus |
Illegal |
Moderate |
Extensive |
Extensive |
| China |
Restricted |
Extensive |
Extensive |
Extensive |
| Iran |
Restricted |
Moderate |
Extensive |
Extensive |
| Iraq |
Illegal |
Moderate |
Moderate |
Minor |
| North Korea |
Illegal |
Extensive |
Extensive |
Extensive |
| Oman |
Restricted |
Minor |
Extensive |
Moderate |
| Russia |
Restricted |
Moderate |
Extensive |
Moderate |
| Turkey |
Restricted |
Moderate |
Extensive |
Extensive |
| Turkmenistan |
Illegal |
Extensive |
Extensive |
Extensive |
| UAE |
Restricted |
Moderate |
Extensive |
Moderate |
If you’re located outside of the above countries, you can download and use a VPN without any legal worries.
To know more about the legality of using VPNs, read our ‘Are VPNs Legal?’ guide.
Are Free VPNs Safe?
Often, when you have the choice between a free product and a paid product, the free one will be worse. Sadly, this is definitely the case with VPNs. Many free VPNs are limited by:
- Limited data allowances
- Slower (capped) speeds
- Limited server locations
- No Netflix support
- Intrusive advertising
Unfortunately, it doesn’t end there. A worryingly high number of free VPNs pose serious security risks to whoever uses them. We recently examined the 150 most popular free Android VPN apps and uncovered that over 85% were potentially unsafe.
How Much Do VPNs Cost?
A one month subscription to a VPN service costs, on average, around $10 – but that’s never the best price. VPN subscriptions are usually charged monthly, annually, every two years, or occasionally every three years. A rare few even offer lifetime subscriptions.
The longer the subscription plan, the cheaper the equivalent monthly cost.
Take Surfshark, for example. Right now you can pay $11.95 for a one-month subscription. Alternatively, you could pay $71.88 for a year’s subscription, which is equal to $5.99 per month. Or, you could use our special coupon code and pay $69.99 for a three-year subscription, which brings the monthly cost all the way down to just $2.49.
Surfshark is comfortably one of the cheapest VPNs on the market, but it illustrates perfectly how you only get real value for money when you purchase a long-term subscription. Try not to pay month-by-month if you can help it.
You can also try a number of VPNs before you buy – you can see our favorite VPN free trials here.
EXPERT TIP: If you really don’t want to spend any money, there are ways that you can use paid VPNs for free.
If you’re hesitant to commit to a whole subscription, try a VPN that offers a money-back guarantee. We’ve put together a detailed list of our favorites here – our number one recommendation is ExpressVPN. You can use it for up to 30 days and then get a full refund, no-questions-asked.
Alternatively, you can look for a VPN with a genuine free trial. Astrill VPN lets you use its full VPN service for seven days, and you don’t even have to enter payment details.
Are VPNs Easy to Use?
The short answer is yes, VPNs are so easy to use that even someone with no experience will be able to use them comfortably and confidently.
Most VPNs work in largely the same way: you download and install the app or program with a few clicks or taps, pick a server, and then hit the big button labelled ‘Connect’.
Some of the designs and labels vary, but VPNs are simple apps at their core, and any well-reviewed provider will offer a service that’s ready to go with zero calibration from you once it’s installed.
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That applies to both desktop and mobile VPNs (Windows, MacOS, iOS, and Android), but other platforms can be a little more tricky.
If you use Linux then you should pay close attention, as we’ve found many big-name VPN providers which haven’t created a proper GUI (Graphical User Interface) for Linux. This can mean spending time inside the Terminal running lines of code to use the VPN the way you want – it’s not too difficult, but it looks ugly and is far more time-consuming.
Installing a VPN on games consoles and streaming devices (like AppleTV or a Roku device) also tends to be more difficult. It will usually involve manually configuring DNS settings – your VPN will provide you with instructions, but it can be a little intimidating.
Dedicated VPN apps for the Amazon Fire TV range of devices (including the Firestick) are common, although ones that actually work well and are easy to use are rarer. That’s why we heap so much praise on the IPVanish Fire TV Stick app above.
Finally, for covering everything on your home network all at once, there’s the option to install a VPN on your router. It can be quite complex, and it’s often not very easy to change servers and settings, however it does allow you to protect devices that are otherwise incapable of supporting a VPN. Read our guide on how to set up a VPN on a router for more details.
Our testing has found that the settings and features offered by a VPN can vary depending on which of its apps you’re using. It’s alarmingly common to find things like the kill switch available on desktop but not on mobile, for example – be sure you read our reviews thoroughly to understand what you can and can’t do with your VPN.
Which Devices Can I Use a VPN On?
If you own a product that can connect to the internet, then you can protect it with a VPN. However, just how you can do that depends on what sort of device it is.
Common, popular devices like your smartphone, tablet, computer, and laptop will all have what we call ‘fully-featured’ or ‘dedicated’ VPN apps. That means that they have the most features, the best interface, and are the easiest to set up and use.
Coverage via DNS configuration means that you can input a specialized DNS server unique to your VPN provider which allows for the unblocking of streaming services. This will be done via inputting information and tinkering with settings on the device itself (like a games console or set-top box).
Finally, router coverage only means that the sole way you can protect a device is by installing a VPN on your router and then connecting that device to it. This is how you give VPN coverage to anything which has no user interface or no way for you to tinker with its software – think along the lines of IoT devices like an Amazon Echo or smart versions or common domestic appliances like fridges and washing machines.
Here’s a complete run-down of how you can cover every device in your home with a VPN:
Fully-Featured Dedicated VPN App, DNS configuration, or router coverage:
- Windows PC or laptop
- Apple MacBook, iMac, or Mac Pro
- Apple iPhone or iPad
- Android smartphone or tablet
- Ubuntu Linux computer
- Amazon Fire TV Stick, Fire TV Box, or Fire TV Cube
DNS configuration or router coverage only:
- Microsoft Xbox One
- Sony PlayStation 4
- Nintendo Switch
- Roku Express, Streaming Stick, or Ultra
- Apple TV
- Smart TV (including models made by Samsung, Sony, Panasonic, and LG)
Router Coverage Only
- Digital assistants (including Amazon Echo, Google Home, and Apple HomePod)
- Connected doorbell (including Ring and Google Nest)
- Smart thermostat
- Smart lighting (including Philips Hue)
- Connected speakers (including Sonos)
- Smart kitchen appliances
Can You Use a VPN to Unblock Netflix?
![NordVPN American Netflix]()
It’s no secret that there’s dozens of unique Netflix libraries all around the world that are kept off limits to paying subscribers. What you might not know, though, is that you can use a VPN to unblock them all, allowing you to watch whatever Netflix library you like, whenever you like.
Unlocking Netflix libraries with a VPN is super easy, too. Simply choose a server in the country you wish to unblock, connect, and then either fire up the Netflix app or browse to netflix.com.
At least, that’s all you have to do from a technical standpoint. What’s tricky is ensuring that you have a VPN that can actually bypass Netflix’s security checks and deliver you content undetected.
Netflix is constantly working to block IP addresses that it believes are associated with VPNs. This means that only the best and most dedicated VPNs will be able to unblock the Netflix library you desire.
Read our list of the top five VPNs for Netflix to see which ones performed best in our testing, as well as which libraries can be unblocked by the most popular VPNs. Our current number one recommendation is ExpressVPN.
Why You Need a VPN for Torrenting
Torrenting can be an incredibly fast way to download large files, but it can also be dangerous. Using a VPN can help mitigate some of those dangers.
When you’re a part of a torrent swarm (the group which is sharing parts of the desired file between one another) your IP address is potentially exposed. Using a VPN will hide your IP and prevent other torrenters from removing your anonymity.
![A screenshot showing that PIA allowed us to torrenting and P2P share successfully.]()
ISPs often dislike torrenting, too. Even though it can be completely legal, ISPs will often spy on the files you’re downloading and throttle your bandwidth if it suspects it is P2P traffic.
Torrenting hides the contents of the data transfer and disguises P2P traffic as regular web activity – no one other than you will know what you’re downloading.
Not all VPNs take an open approach to torrenting, though. Some don’t allow it on certain servers, while others don’t allow it at all. If you love to torrent, then make sure you subscribe to a VPN that understands that passion.
We’ve listed the top five VPNs for torrenting here. Our favorite is ExpressVPN – you can torrent at high speed on any server you like, with no restrictions and no data caps.
