10 Best VPN Services in the World

Whether you surf the web via the home network or use a public Wi-Fi source, you’ll need a reliable VPN sooner or later. Everyone hides their identity occasionally, shares sensitive information, or visits a website in another geographical area.

Today’s possibilities of Virtual Private Network software go far beyond the encrypted entry to cyberspace. Many top providers offer additional security features, anti-malware protection, lightning-fast connection, and many more.

The market has over two thousand VPN companies ready to offer you free and prepaid VPN services. Which one is the best for you? Use the results of our meticulous test drive of the top-interesting brands. We spent 10,000+ hours sorting out optimal solutions for you. Below is the Top 10 list of the best VPN services you can find in today’s industry.

NordVPN

The most consistent service is NordVPN, with over 5,700 servers across 50+ countries. What makes this solution the #1 choice for millions of users is its full-power VPN functions combined with advanced security features.

Pros

NordVPN has a long list of vital advantages:

• 6 devices for one account.
• No logs policy.
• WireGuard protocol supported.
• An excellent price/value ratio.
• Built-in malware & ad blockers.
• Impressive speed regardless of distance.
• An extended package of security and better-performance features.
• VPN for routers.
• A dedicated IP address.
• No IP/DNS leaks detected.
• US Netflix unblocked.

Add to this quality support available around the clock. The NordVPN team is ready to help you with any difficulty competently and fast.

Key Security Features

Not only 256-bit data encryption and abundant blockers to malicious sites and agents serve to ensure the highest level of security from NordVPN. The service includes several next-generation features like Multihop (the double VPN feature), diskless servers, Killswitch, malware scans for downloads, leak alerts, a cross-platform password manager, and many others.

NordVPN is Panama-based. Unlike the 5-Eyes Alliance, the country has privacy-oriented legislation. So, the service does not collect personal web activity logs.

Cost

The service offers three plans available for a month, one-year, and two-year subscription. While the cheapest monthly subscription is $12.99, a one-year offer will cost you $4.99 a month. Ready to deal with NordVPN during the next two years? Your monthly payment will be $3.49.

SurfShark

One more top-reliable service with 3,200 servers in about 100 countries is SurfShark. Besides unlocking practically all geographical areas to you, the software will provide enough security and privacy to your online activities.

Pros

SurfShark is a great choice for home use thanks to the following benefits:

• Unlimited devices for one account.
• No logs.
• Diskless servers.
• Multihop and other advanced copycat techs.
• GPS-spoof (for Android only).

The service’s advanced plans include the feature of removing your data from companies’ sites and people-search websites.

Key Security Features

If subscribing to a non-Starter plan from SurfShark, expect to get a variety of security features. They include antivirus tools working 24/7 and protection instruments for your web camera. The VPN will free you from annoying ads with the help of CleanWeb tools. The Camouflage shield will protect you against ISP snooping.

Cost

Besides quite a limited Starter plan, SurfShark offers another two plans with plenty of features. The SurfShark One plan costs $19.95 a month for a month-to-month subscriber. Yet, you can expect huge discounts when opting for one-year or two-year billing. The same plan may cost you only $4.49 or $3.22, respectively.

AtlasVPN

Among affordable VPN services with free options, AtlasVPN is the absolute leader. Although it offers multiple features, even a complete starter to VPNs can easily cope with the software. AtlasVPN runs 1,000+ servers in about forty countries.

Pros

AtlasVPN merits the attention of streaming fans in the first place and offers the following advantages:

• Streaming-optimized servers.
• 4k fast streaming.
• WireGuard protocol.
• Apps for all operating systems.
• Unlimited simultaneous connections.
• A free plan.

Although the service cannot boast the largest number of servers, they do their job very effectively and guarantee impressive connection speed.

Key Security Features

AtlasVPN offers a broad range of advanced security tools. Among them are simple-to-use but effective SafeBrowse and SafeSwap instruments designed to block malware websites and protect you with a rotating IP address. Other security tools include MultiHop+, Split Tunneling, Kill Switch, and more.

Cost

You can download the free version of AtlasVPN right now. If you are searching for a more powerful set of features, you can subscribe to the prepaid plan. The service offers three subscription modes for it: for a month, one year, and two years. They will cost you $11.99, $3.29, and a record-low $1.82, respectively.

Hotspot Shield

An excellent choice for torrenting and streaming is Hotspot Shield. The VPN service has a free version and allows for truly fast connections. Its only drawback is that it’s US-based, which means logs are kept, and you cannot expect complete privacy of your web activities.

Pros

Consider the following strengths of the Hotspot Shield VPN.

• Ultra-speedy servers (over 3,200 in 115 locations).
• A free version.
• Good security features.
• 45-day money back.
• 5 devices per account.

Hotspot Shield is a good tool to unlock websites in “tough” areas like China. Be sure your VPN server will work there truly fast.

Key Security Features

Since speed is the key priority of Hotspot Shield, it employs less powerful AES-128-CBC encryption instead of the most advanced AES-256 cipher. Yet, the former is also seen as secure and unbreakable. The service offers a secure Hydra VPN protocol, Kill Switch, and other features.

Cost

Hotspot Shield is available in a free version. The prepaid plan has three variants dispensing on the subscription duration. If opting for month-to-month billing, you’ll have to pay $12.99 a month. The one-year subscription will cost you $7.99 a month. Finally, if you are ready to use Hotspot Shield for three years, you can pay $2.99/mo.

CyberGhost

A VPN service from Bucharest, CyberGhost, boasts 9,526 servers available in 91 countries worldwide. This is a reliable tool to unblock your favorite streaming, torrenting, and more.

Pros

CyberGhost has won millions of fans worldwide thanks to the following points:

• Advanced encryption.
• WireGuard protocol.
• Streaming shows in UHD.
• 9500+ servers worldwide.
• 1400+ servers in 11 US locations.
• A Free trial.
• 7 devices per account.

Among other benefits, CyberGhost offers a 45-day money-back guarantee. The service is easy to use.

Key Security Features

Security-wise, CyberGhost contains standard and unique features. The latter includes special NoSpy servers owned by the company and located in private data centers in Romania. Other tools include Smart DNS, IP and DNS leak blockers, and more.

Cost

CyberGhost offers three ways to subscribe: for one month, six months, and two years plus granted three months. The latter option is most beneficial since it allows for the full service at $2.11 a month. A 6-month subscription will cost you $6.99/mo., while with month-to-month billing, you’ll need to pay $12.99 a month.

If you employ Windows, you can add extra Antivirus and Security Updater features only for $1 a month.

Express VPN

The main competitor to NordVPN that can compare with it in the scale is Express VPN. It offers a much lower number of servers (over 3,000) but covers 90+ countries. The service is headquartered in the British Virgin Islands, a jurisdiction with privacy-friendly legislation.

Pros

Dealing with Express VPN is beneficial in many respects, but the key benefits are as follows:

• High speed for all locations.
• 256-bit encryption.
• No logs are collected.
• RAM-based, diskless servers.
• Lightway protocol.
• An app for routers.
• a Location Picker.

Express VPN is an excellent tool to unlock various Netflix locations, HBO Max, Disney+, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, etc. It offers an app for Fire TV, as well as Smart DNS tools for game consoles.

Key Security Features

Express VPN offers its own Lightway VPN protocol, with encrypted DNS for every server. Its advanced security tools include Kill Switch, a Password generator, Leak Test tools for DNS and Web RTC, and more.

Cost

A standard monthly subscription to Express VPN is $12.95. Six-month billing will let you pay $9.99/mo. If you’re ready to order a yearly subscription, one month will cost you $6.67, and you’ll get three months for free.

Strong VPN

A small company from California, Strong VPN, offers a simple but reliable VPN that will hide your identity, unblock streaming and torrenting services for you, and many more. The company offers 950+ servers in over 30 countries.

Pros

Let’s view the key advantages of Strong VPN:

• Apps for all OS.
• Proxy extensions.
• WireGuard protocol.
• 12 devices/account.

Strong VPN doesn’t offer mind-blowing speed or complex sets of features, but this is an easy-to-use VPN with enough functionality for personal use.

Key Security Features

Strong VPN allows users to choose between several protocols (WireGuard, IKEv2, and IPSec.) It employs 256-bit encryption and provides an automatic Kill Switch to all servers. Advanced security tools include Strong DNS, DNS Leak Test, and Strong VPN IP. The Split Tunneling feature works only on Android devices.

Cost

There are two subscription models at Strong VPN, for a month and for a year. Their prices are $11.99 and $3.99 a month, respectively. The company doesn’t offer either a free trial or a free version.

Private Internet Access

A strong player in the industry, Private Internet Access (PIA) provides over 35,000 servers in 82 countries. Not the fastest but quite reliable, this VPN service is one of the best tools for torrenting and gaming. It offers excellent security tools.

Pros

Bear in mind the following strengths of PIA when comparing it with other brands:

• 35,000+ RAM-only servers in 80+ countries.
• Unlimited devices per account.
• WireGuard.
• Apps and extensions for all OS/browsers.
• A router app.
• Abundant security features.

PIA offers competent customer care 24/7. It is easy to use. One more plus of the VPN service is anonymous payments.

Key Security Features

The company offers several protocols for connections, including WireGuard and OpenVPN. Besides advanced Kill Switch and Split tunneling, PIA offers tools such as Multi-Hop, the automatic VPN switch-on for definite network types, and the Obfuscation feature to shield your VPN usage.

It also offers Email Breach Monitor for free, Port Forwarding, DNS Leaks protection tools, and more. Available add-ons include a dedicated IP VPN, a corporate VPN, and an antivirus.

Cost

PIA allows users to subscribe for a month, six months, and two years. The prices are $11.99, $7.50, and $2.11 a month, respectively. If you opt for a 2-year subscription, you’ll also get three months for free.

Proton VPN

One more top-class VPN service is Proton VPN. It was launched in Switzerland, and its initial goal was to let journalists bypass any sort of censorship. Now, the VPN belongs to the top popular services thanks to its excellent speed and a massive number of useful security features.

Pros

Proton VPN provides these features to its customers:

• About 3,000 bare-metal-only servers in 65+ countries.
• A Free version.
• No logs.
• VPN Accelerator to raise speed by up to 400%.
• 10 devices per account.
• WireGuard protocol supported.
• Loads of security tools.

Proton VPN apps are regularly audited by independent companies. The service always shares the results openly, so the platform is one of the most transparent VPN companies in the world.

Key Security Features

Proton VPN offers a number of advanced security toolkits. An example is NetShield, which incorporates various anti-malware instruments, ad blockers, etc. Pay also attention to the service’s Forward Secrecy feature ensuring a new encryption key for every new session.

The VPN employs AES-256 and ChaCha20 encryption methods. It offers WireGuard and OpenVPN protocols. Other features include Secure Core, Double Hop, Tor Over VPN, Kill Switch, and more.

Cost

It’s enough to sign up to get a free version of Proton VPN. A one-month subscription to the prepaid plan is €11.49. Twelve months will cost you €5.99/mo. Twenty-four months are €4.39/mo.

Tunnel Bear

An easy-to-use VPN with a funny interface is TunnelBear. However, take its functional possibilities and security tools seriously. The VPN service is an advanced platform with over 3,000 speedy servers in 45+ countries.

Pros

TunnelBear’s strong points are as follows:

• A free plan.
• Affordable prepaid plans.
• No logs.
• Unlimited devices per account.
• WireGuard included.
• Reliable security features.
• Regular audits run by independent companies.

TunnelBear is fun to use. The VPN offers quality customer support.

Key Security Features

The service employs the advanced encryption method of AES-256. The choice of protocols includes OpenVPN, WireGuard, IPSec, and IKEv2. There are such tools as VigilantBear (a sort of an extended Kill Switch), GhostBear (the obfuscation feature), SplitBear (that is, the Split Tunneling feature), and many others.

Cost

Besides a free version, TunnelBear has two prepaid plans. The Unlimited plan is available for $3.33/mo., while the Team package will cost you $5.75/mo. Both prepaid plans cover a huge number of tools and support unlimited devices.

Conclusion

Each of the above-mentioned VPN platforms offers excellent services, and it’s up to every user to pick their favorite among them. If you need the overall best VPN, choose NordVPN. Surely, you might be looking for a cheaper, faster, easier, or even funnier alternative to it. You can find them in our review, too. However, no matter which product you opt for in the end, you’ll deal with one of the top secure and high-quality VPN services in the world.