Top 3 Best VPNs for Online Privacy and Security

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The best VPNs don’t keep any record of the websites you visit or the files you download. They mask your IP address at a budget-friendly price. And they offer tons of restriction-free servers across the globe so you can stream Netflix content or use torrenting freely.

Without further ado, here are the 10 best VPNs in 2019:

1. NordVPN – The Best “All-Round” VPN ($3.49/mo)

Ranks #1 out of 78 VPNs

nordvpn homepage

Visit NordVPN.com

Things we liked:
Fast servers (5,646)+ Torrenting/P2P allowed
+ Works with Netflix
+ Strict no logs policy
+ Easy-to-use VPN apps
+ Double data encryption
+ No IP/DNS leaks found

Things we didn’t like:
– Discounts for longer subscriptions only

Compatible with:     

NordVPN is based out of Panama, and it is one of the most secure VPN systems you could ever hope to encounter. That’s why it has consistently been our top rated service.

NordVPN’s server count is positively massive, with more than 5,600 servers all spread out over 60 different countries. That’s the most complete server list we’ve seen among our VPN providers. NordVPN takes security seriously. They have a service they call “Double VPN.” This feature takes two different servers and combines them into one for twice the encryption and an ultra-secure connection.

Their user-friendly VPN apps come fully loaded with a kill switch to protect your data from dropping into the wrongs hands.

The company is located in Panama City. Believe it or not, location is important when it comes to your choice of VPN. Different areas have different privacy laws, and Panama City just happens to fall in a privacy-friendly territory. Some VPN providers have been known to hold on to logs of your activity (like IP addresses or timestamps). NordVPN doesn’t. Government agencies can use this information to track your activity, so it’s a big deal that our number one VPN service is anonymous.

They also excelled in our series of hands-on tests.

It’s safe to say that the connection is rock-solid as zero leaks (no IP/DNS/WebRTC) were found. The service also works well with torrenting and bypassing the geo-restrictions of certain sites like Netflix. Five out of the six servers that we tested were successful in unblocking Netflix.

You can connect up to six devices simultaneously on almost any platform imaginable, including Android, ChromeOS, iOS, Windows, Mac, Linux, or even your router. A long-term commitment will even bring the cost down from $11.95/month to only $3.49.

Only downside? The discounts only work with longer subscriptions. Luckily, they have the 30-day “no questions asked” money-back guarantee.

2. Surfshark – Best “Cheap” VPN ($1.99/mo)

Ranks #2 out of 78 VPNs

surfshark homepage

Visit Surfshark.com

Things we liked:
+ Strict no logs policy
+ Unlimited devices
+ Torrenting allowed

+ Unblocks Netflix geo-restrictionsSafe and secure
+ Addons: Multihop & Ad-blocker

Things we didn’t like:
– Average speed

Compatible with:     

Surfshark features more than 1000 servers in 60 different countries. On top of that, Surfshark provides some of the most top-of-the-line encryption and protocol options available today. It features AES-256-GCM across OpenVPN and IKEv2/IPSec.

Surfshark is one of the go-to VPNS for unblocking Netflix. We tested six different servers to see how they worked with the world’s premiere streaming service and every single one of them worked perfectly. Its apps come equipped with privacy friendly perks, like a kill switch to protect your true IP from leaking as well as Multihop.

They also feature a service called Whitelister. This allows you to select a number of websites that will be able to bypass the VPN tunnel and work from your normal IP. If you tried to access your banking information while connected to a server halfway around the world, your financial institution would likely flag the activity and lock you out of your account. With Whitelister, you can prevent these issues and access your sensitive data without having to disconnect from the VPN service.

Surfshark is also one of the few providers we’ve seen that offer unlimited device connections. That means there aren’t any artificial caps that would force you to purchase more than one account.

Torrenting and P2P are fully allowed. The app is very light-weight and simple to use.

The service is available for nearly every device that’s used today. You can use it on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS and Android. We ran Surfshark through six different leak tests and we didn’t find any leaks.

Surfshark’s “Camouflage Mode” feature also makes them unique compared to other VPNs. When turned on, Camouflage Mode makes your use of a VPN so stealthy that even your ISP won’t be able to tell that you are using a VPN.

Finally, the price that you’re paying for a two-year plan is the cheapest we’ve found. With a 24-month commitment, you’re only paying $1.99 per month. That’s as affordable as it gets. If you don’t like the service, there is a 30-day money-back guarantee option.

However, no VPN service is 100% perfect. Speeds were inconsistent during our tests, plus their service network is significantly smaller compared to many competitors.

3. ExpressVPN – Best Streaming Performance ($6.67/mo)

Ranks #3 out of 78 VPNs

expressvpn homepage

Visit ExpressVPN.com

Things we liked:
+ Supports ALL devices
+ Fast servers (minimal speed loss)

+ Unblocking Netflix USA
+ Torrenting and P2P allowed
+ No DNS/IP leaks found
+ Very simple and easy to use
+ No logs

Things we didn’t like:
– More expensive than rivals

Compatible with:     

Founded as recently as 2009 and located in the British Virgin Islands, ExpressVPN is a massively popular VPN service, and for good reason. It consistently challenges NordVPN for the number one VPN slot.

An ExpressVPN subscription gets you access to more than 3,000 fast servers located throughout 160 different cities in 94 countries.

This VPN provides a plethora of protocols (OpenVPN, IPSec & IKEv2, among others) all equipped with the latest-and-greatest encryption standards (AES-256). That makes ExpressVPN perfect for almost any device. Each city that features an ExpressVPN server provides you with various options as it comes to security standards. There are six different standards to choose from, but not all of them are available in every city.

We couldn’t find any IP, DNS or WebRTC leaks, and their installation files were clean from malware or viruses.

ExpressVPN’s app is not only easy-to-use, it comes with a built in kill switch which automatically ends your session if there is any kind of security breach. Their log-free policy truly means no logging. Plus, their British Virgin Islands location puts them outside any intelligence-sharing agreements.

Both torrenting and Netflix works smoothly, without sacrificing performance or speed. In fact, they are one of the fastest VPNs we’ve reviewed to date.

The only downside? It’s a little on the pricey side. The monthly plans offered by ExpressVPN start between $6.67 and $12.95 per month. The price of $6.67 requires a 15-month subscription, and comes with three free months. This is a small price to pay for excellent performance in almost every category.

ExpressVPN is confident in the quality of the service, offering a 30-day money-back guarantee to users who are not happy with the service provided.

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