A Virtual Private Network is a simple piece of software created to protect your online privacy and make life more difficult for hackers by hiding your traffic and location in anonymity. However, it can also be used to access all the streaming services in the world, as well as to download at high speed with torrents and much more.It is a program that allows you to create a secure connection within the Internet on which you receive the signal. In fact, a VPN, in addition to simulating the internet connection from other countries, has the main purpose of making you browse safely wherever you are connected.
WHAT CAN A VPN DO?
A VPN can help protect you in a few basic ways:
VPNs encrypt all data you send over the internet.When connected to a VPN server, all your web traffic is encrypted. This means that no one can see what you do online, not even your internet service provider (ISP), without limiting your connection speed especially when you need it badly like streaming or playing online.
Encryption prevents hackers from seeing sensitive information you enter on websites, such as passwords.A VPN makes sure that even if they steal your data, they won’t be able to decrypt or even understand it.This is particularly useful when using public Wi-Fi.
VPNs mask your IP address.Websites and services such as Netflix use the IP address to determine your location. For example, when you connect to a VPN server in the US, the website you access will only see the IP address of the VPN (a US IP address), they will never see your real IP, in this way, you will be able to log in to any series, movie or game anywhere in the world and browse in complete freedom.
Some VPNs block malicious websites, ads, pop-ups and trackers.Malicious websites can download malware and trackers to your device without you realizing it. VPNs with built-in security help prevent infections by blocking these sites before they can do any damage. It also prevents malicious advertisements from infecting your device with malware, allowing you to freely enjoy streaming platforms such as YouTube without any ads.
1) ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN was voted one of the best VPNs for watching foreign Netflix and encrypted streaming TV channels. The various tests carried out in different countries decreed it a winner. In comparison to the other VPN providers in circulation it was one of the most stable and fastest programs. ExpressVPN has 160 servers spread across 94 countries, all supported by an excellent network of clients that offer quality service for both desktop and mobile users. With ExpressVPN you can have quality connections in different countries on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS and Android devices. Even some BlackBerry phone models.
They offers 3 subscription plans:
- 1 Month $12.95/mo
- 6 Months $9.99/mo
- 12 Months $8.32/mo
2) NordVPN
NordVPN’s primary function is first and foremost to browse safe. By connecting to NordVPN’s VPN network you will be able to browse with hacker-proof, anti-malware, anonymous and encrypted internet access.Able to offer: average fast and stable connections, fast and available technical support, the bi annual plan is one of the cheapest among competitors, more than 3000 servers available in 58 countries.
They offers 3 subscription plans:
- 1 Month $11.95/mo
- 9 Months $9/mo
- 24 Months $3.71/mo
3) SurfShark VPN
Surfshark actually offers a serious and reliable service, both in terms of performance and security. It has proven to be great for streaming, torrenting and gaming, which makes it very good when you consider its budget price. The only criticism I feel is the limited number of servers available, otherwise there is not much that Surfshark cannot offer.Although it may have an economical price, the service is comparable to that of more prestigious alternatives.Surfshark offers three different subscriptions: 1 month, 1 year and 2 years. All subscription plans will provide you with the same great features, the only differences will be the time frame and the price.The longer the subscription period, the greater the discount you will receive. The two-year subscription offers the most advantageous savings, with 83% less than the monthly rate! Plus, since you can use the VPN on an unlimited number of devices, you, your family, and even your friends can enjoy the benefits of this VPN with just one subscription.
They offers 3 subscription plans:
- 1 Month $11.95/mo
- 12 Months $5.99/mo
- 24 Months $1.99/mo
4) CyberGhost VPN
The use of this military original encryption allows you to be virtually sure that our communications are protected from malicious people, and is able to offer:Unlimited data traffic, AES 256-bit encryption, automatic kill switch,More than 5900 servers available in 90 countries, OPENVPN, L2TP / IPSEC, PPTP protocols, simultaneous login up to 7 devices. Satisfied or refunded within 45 days, dedicated P2P and Streaming servers, applications for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, routers and smart TVs.The price plans among the cheapest.
They offers 3 subscription plans:
- 1 Month $12.95/mo
- 6 Months $7.99/mo
- 12 Months $2.75/mo
5) IPVanish
The company recovers many points in its favor thanks to the transparency, the relationship with the user and the competitiveness of the service offered. For example, IPVanish offers a 24/7 telephone support service that is active seven days a week, as well as a real-time chat service that is also always active.Data in transit through the VPN is protected with the use of AES-256 encryption, even the applications made by IPVanish provide an additional layer of protection over what is the usual OpenVPN configuration. In fact, they offer the possibility to choose the OpenVPN port (1194 or 443), which can be useful at the time of connection, and to which the “Obfuscate OpenVPN Traffic” option can be associated, which reduces the risk of detection or blocking of the tunnel. VPNs in countries such as China, where VPNs are strictly prohibited.
They offers 3 subscription plans:
- 1 Month $10/mo
- 3 Months $8.99/mo
- 12 Months $6.49/mo
6) Ivacy VPN
Although Ivacy is based in Singapore, which sometimes faces its own censorship issues, Ivacy has proven to be an exceptional VPN.The VPN has standard encryption and security with military-grade 256-bit encryption and many protocols including IPSEC, IKeV, L2TP, OpenVPN, TCPA, and UD.What’s more, Ivacy has an emergency switch, which will cut your internet connection in case of loss. Although the emergency switch tends to work, in the past we have seen some cases where it did not. Ivacy also does not store logs; it only keeps track of login attempts made on its servers.It has servers in over 100 locations with 275 servers and 12,000 IP addresses available. The server list isn’t as large as Nord’s or ExpressVPN’s, but it’s definitely a lot more than many other VPNs.You can also connect up to five devices at the same time.
They offers 3 subscription plans:
- 1 Month $9.95/mo
- 12 Months $3.99/mo
- 24 Months $2.25/mo
7) PureVPN
PureVPN is a Hong Kong-based company that was founded in 2007 (as a commercial service, GZ Systems actually began experimenting with VPNs as early as 2006). Today, the company has over 2,000 servers, spread across over 140 countries and 180 locations. Given these infrastructures, it’s no surprise that PureVPN always ranks among the best VPN services out there. PureVPN doesn’t offer a free trial plan, BUT they have a 31-day money-back guarantee on ALL subscriptions. This means you can still try PureVPN for free by subscribing to any plan, with a month to decide if it’s right for you.PureVPN offers apps for any operating system and platform. The apps are in fact available for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, AndroidTV, Amazon Fire TV Stick, DDWRT routers and routers. PureVPN can also be added to Chrome, Firefox and even Kodi through add-ons and extensions.
They offers 3 subscription plans:
- 1 Month $10.95/mo
- 6 Months $8.33/mo
- 12 Months $6.49/mo
8) StrongVPN
StrongVPN provides PPTP, L2TP, OpenVPN and IPSec protocols to its users. The company is based in the USA. However, there are over 400 servers in 21 different countries. They have their own DNS servers, so you won’t have to worry about any data transfer via third-party servers. In addition, they do not keep records of any connection data, including the IP, the sites visited and the duration of the connection.This provider allows the connection of more than one device at a time and provides a high quality fiber optic network, so that navigation is never interrupted.
They offers 2 subscription plans:
- 1 Month $10/mo
- 12 Months $5.83/mo
9) TunnelBear
TunnelBear is one of the funniest VPNs on the market. The provider is known to most users as “the free VPN with the bear”. The free version of TunnelBear works almost as well as the paid one; therefore the provider is suitable for those new to VPNs.it gives you access to servers in 20 different countries, but doesn’t specify the number of servers it owns. TunnelBear is headquartered in Canada. TunnelBear isn’t the cheapest VPN, but it’s not the most expensive either. There is also a free option. The downside to the free plan is that you only get 500 MB of data traffic, which isn’t even enough to watch a movie.
They offers 2 subscription plans:
- 1 Month $5.75/mo
- 12 Months $3.33/mo
10)Private Internet Access
They have a no logs’ policy is one of the most stringent and detailed. Furthermore, it is one of the few services that publish an updated semi-annual Transparency Report in which you can find all the judicial requests for access to the data of the servers that they have received and what outcome they have had. So far, no requests have received access to sensitive user data.Private Internet Access (PIA VPN) offers the best security protocols, allowing an always secure, stable and fast connection between the client and the various servers of the service. In addition to OpenVPN, there is the new WireGuard protocol, always open source, which aims to offer an even greater degree of security than OpenVPN with even better performance.If you need a solution to circumvent territorial blocks, Private Internet Access could be for you, thanks to its more than 3200 servers spread across 48 countries around the globe.All servers allow downloads from P2P services and have no limits on streaming.
They offers 3 subscription plans:
- 1 Month $9.95/mo
- 12 Months $3.33/mo
- 24 Months $2.69/mo
HOW DO VPNs WORK?
Once all websites and streaming services know where you are, they apply controls on the content you can access, based on the distribution agreements they have in your country.Using a VPN can lead to cheating streaming services by possibly accessing content not available in your country.VPNs route all your web traffic through one of their servers.For example, you may be in Canada and connect to an American server. The VPN sends your traffic from Canada to the United States, fully encrypted. That means your ISP is no longer able to see which websites you access, where you are or track your activity.The VPN server forwards your traffic to the desired destination, such as a website, app or streaming service, it brings the site or app to detect the VPN server and not your device. This also means that it will detect the IP address of the VPN server instead of your real one.The best VPNs have thousands of servers and regularly update their IP addresses, so websites don’t have enough time to block them all. Therefore, with these services you can maintain complete privacy and go unnoticed online.HOW CAN A VPN GUARANTEE YOUR PRIVACY?VPNs handle a lot of sensitive information, so they need to have solid privacy policies and security measures. There are VPNs that cannot be trusted, so it’s important to be careful and choose a reliable and safe one.Trusted VPNs offer a variety of privacy protection features; for example:
No-log policies
They ensure that they do not log your browsing activity. If they don’t log your information, they won’t be able to disclose it to government surveillance agencies if they ask for it. Also, even if the VPN is compromised in some way, hackers will still not be able to extract any information about you from its servers.
DNS leak protection
Every time you access a website, your computer sends a request to a DNS server to find out the IP address of the site. Normally, this request would be directed to your ISP’s DNS servers; that’s what your browsing activity reveals to him.
When connected to a VPN, however, DNS requests are routed to the VPN’s DNS servers. Sometimes, however, it can happen that your device redirects such requests to your ISP without you knowing. DNS leak protection prevents this from happening.
IPv6 leak protection
If your ISP supports IPv6 and the website you access also supports it, your traffic to that site will be routed through your ISP, rather than through your VPN. This would reveal your business to the internet service provider and your true location to the website.Trusted VPNs disable IPv6 traffic to protect you from such information leaks. You will still be able to access websites with IPv6, but you will do so using an IPv4 address.
WebRTC leak protection
Major browsers, such as Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer and Opera, use WebRTC technology to communicate with each other. To do this, each browser needs to know the other’s real IP address.The techniques by which they obtain this information are more advanced than those used by websites like Netflix, thus making it more difficult to hide your IP. In doing so, third parties can take advantage of WebRTC technology to find out your real IP address and your real location.A VPN is reliable if it will disable WebRTC and protect your IP address to prevent this from happening to you.
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