After thousands of hours spent testing 85 VPNs, the five services below are the best we’ve seen.
They guarantee fast speeds, online privacy, and unblock your favorite websites from anywhere in the world.
Even total beginners can get to grips with them, and they’re all affordably and flexibly priced.
- Best price
- $6.67 per month
- Special deal
- 49% off 15-month plan
- Money-back guarantee
- 30 Days
- Customer Support
- 24/7 Live chat support
- No. of Server Locations
- 94 Countries
- Simultaneous Connections
- 3
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Linux
Our testing has found ExpressVPN to be the best all-round VPN on the market. As a whole package it simply can’t be beaten.
Its consistency is remarkable, with consistently fast speeds around the world, plus unbroken access to Netflix, BBC iPlayer and more.
It’s private, feature-packed, and one of the most user-friendly VPNs out there. At a premium, yet affordable, price, it’s our clear favorite.
- Best price
- $2.99 per month
- Special deal
- 75% off 3-year plan
- Money-back guarantee
- 30 Days
- Customer Support
- 24/7 Live chat support
- No. of Server Locations
- 62 Countries
- Simultaneous Connections
- 6
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Linux
Very fast and very secure, NordVPN gets the basics spot on. At an incredible, affordable price it’s the ideal alternative to ExpressVPN.
Streaming fans can relax, as it reliably delivers access to BBC iPlayer and Netflix, and peak download speeds of 209Mbps means no buffering.
Customer support isn’t the best, but its extra features and low price make up for it.
Fast zero-logs VPN with great privacy features. Good choice for streaming fans.
- Best price
- $2.75 per month
- Special deal
- 79% off 18-month plan
- Money-back guarantee
- 45 Days
- Customer Support
- 24/7 Live chat support
- No. of Server Locations
- 60 Countries
- Simultaneous Connections
- 7
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Linux
Cyberghost is the best budget VPN on the market. Not only is it incredibly cheap, but it competes with its pricier rivals for streaming and privacy.
Speedy dedicated streaming servers work brilliantly, with torrenting and Kodi given dedicated servers of their own, too.
First-party DNS servers and a zero-logs policy make it a superb choice for privacy buffs, and its low price sees its few flaws easily forgiven.
- Best price
- $3.70 per month
- Special deal
- 69% off 2-year plan
- Money-back guarantee
- 7 Days
- Customer Support
- 24/7 Live chat support
- No. of Server Locations
- 61 Countries
- Simultaneous Connections
- 10
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Linux
IPVanish is one of the fastest VPNs on the market, making it an excellent choice for torrenters, Kodi fans and streamers alike.
Its choice of locations isn’t the best, but the number of servers in each of them is huge – the only downside is that it can’t unlock BBC iPlayer.
Perhaps the most off-putting factor is its comparatively high price, but it’s worth it if you value speeds and privacy above all else.
- Best price
- $2.88 per month
- Special deal
- 73% off 15-month plan
- Money-back guarantee
- 30 Days
- Customer Support
- Live chat Support
- No. of Server Locations
- 58 Countries
- Simultaneous Connections
- 6
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Exceedingly cheap and reliably quick all around the globe, PrivateVPN also lives up to its name with a suite of robust privacy features.
Its low pings and high upload speeds make it a great pick for gamers, while the zero-logs compensates for its Swedish jurisdiction, too.
It’s not reliable for use in China, and its mobile apps can’t match the desktop client, but it balances privacy and performance terrifically.
How We Picked the Best VPN of 2019
We are constantly testing every VPN on our site to make sure our reviews and recommendations are as up-to-date as possible.
We regularly run our speed tests to ensure our VPN performance figures are up-to-date. We test access to Netflix, BBC iPlayer and other top streaming services so you can be sure you’ll get access when you need it.
We try out every feature of every app. We even evaluate customer support by reaching out with real questions and queries, the answers of which you’ll often see in our reviews.
Our top picks have the securest set of privacy features, while their logging policies are the most transparent, fair and privacy-focused.
Their apps are well-designed, quick to install and, above all, easy to use. The best services also offer friendly customer support you can rely on to help you quickly should you get stuck.
Free VPN vs Paid VPN: Should You Pay for One?
There are hundreds of free VPNs out there, and the allure is undeniably tempting – why would you pay for something you can get for free, right?
Unfortunately there’s a ton of limitations and risks with using a free VPN. Most offer tiny bandwidth allowances, limited server locations and even capped speeds as they want to convert you into a paid customer to unlock the full product.
What’s worse, free VPN providers may try to profit from you and your data in other ways. There have been reports of selling usage history to advertisers, secretly redirecting users via sponsored links to earn commissions, and even adding devices to a massive botnet.
One of our biggest independent investigations ever unearthed some shocking facts about free VPNs, including non-existent privacy policies and seedy links to China. You can read the full free VPN report here.
A good, premium VPN will heavily invest in privacy and security measures. It will also have to compete to deliver the best possible service in order to attract and retain your business.
If you’re really still keen on using a free VPN, don’t take any risks. Take a look at the top options out there with our comprehensive round-up of the Best Free VPNs of 2019.
How to Choose the Best VPN: 8 Tips
- Does it have servers in every location you need?
The closer the VPN server to your real-world physical location the better the performance. More servers will generally mean less congestion and improved speeds. Look for the speed test results in our reviews to get the best idea. Watch out, though – free plans almost always limit the number of available server locations. The very best premium providers will have options on every continent.
- Will it work with your computer, smartphone or streaming device?
Almost all VPN software will work on Microsoft Windows, MacOS and Linux machines, along with iOS and Android mobile devices. However, some are also compatible with other connected devices, like routers, games consoles and streaming devices. If, for example, you game on an Xbox One or watch TV on an Amazon Fire TV Stick then you’ll definitely want to look out for a VPN that can protect them, too.
- How many connections does it allow at once?
Just covering your smartphone or desktop computer can sometimes be enough, but do you want to protect every device on your network? Look for a VPN that allows as many connections as you are likely to use at any one time. A cheap VPN can become poor value very quickly if it turns out it wil only protect one device. The very best options will allow upwards of 10 simultaneous connections, with some not even limiting it at all.
- Will it work with your favorite websites and apps?
Do you watch Netflix or BBC iPlayer? Not every VPN will work with these apps. We continuously test whether each VPN is working with Netflix and other apps and share the results in our VPN reviews.
- Check connection, encryption and security features
The sheer amount of VPN jargon can be overwhelming, even if you are pretty tech-savvy. Do look out for OpenVPN though, as this connection protocol offers the best overall blend of speed and security. Ignore talk of military or bank-grade encryption and just look for AES-256, as that’s the gold standard. Unless you know your DNS from your IPv6, a VPN killswitch is the main thing to look out for among security features as it will protect you from exposing your real IP address should your connection drop unexpectedly.
- What is its logging policy?
Every VPN will tell you it is doesn’t track your internet activity, often throwing around the term ‘zero logs’ when describing itself.
In reality, delivering high performance across an extensive global network is all but impossible unless at least some user connection details are being monitored. You could waste hours reading through reams of privacy policies and terms of service to find out exactly what’s collected and for how long it’s stored – or you could let us do the boring stuff for you.
Just check the logging policy section of our review to have it all explained in plain language. You should aim for a VPN that does not log your IP address at all and limits timestamp logging to just the date of your connection.
- Are its apps and programs easy to use on every device?
No-one likes a clunky, confusing app. Look for a VPN with software that’s well-designed you’ll be much more likely to use it all the time. We share the results of our hands-on testing of each VPN app in the the Ease of Use part of its review. We spend all day testing VPN apps, so we know just how good (and bad) they can be.
- Finally, check the price and money-back guarantee
Even the most expensive VPN plans can be made affordable by taking out a longer subscription.
Don’t bother with a one-month plan – 12-month plans typically offer the best value and you can reduce the risk of buyer’s remorse by choosing one with a long refund period.
We’d advise a 30-day no-questions-asked guarantee – they essentially act as a free trial period.
Make the right choice, though, and you hopefully won’t be thinking about a refund at all.
