Best VPN Service of 2022
In the past few years, security, privacy and freedom on the Internet have become especially highly valued. As a result, the demand for VPN services has increased significantly. From our article, you will learn when and why they are used, which ones you can trust, and what you risk by choosing free programs.
What is VPN
VPN (an acronym derived from Virtual Private Network) is a kind of highly secure tunnel that is established between your personal device (computer or phone) and the Internet. The main function of a VPN is to protect your traffic from surveillance, censorship, and outside interference. When you connect to a VPN server, your traffic changes its direction: it no longer goes directly, as usual, but through a special encrypted tunnel where no one can access. Thus, you become invulnerable to hackers and safely hidden from government services and even from your own Internet provider.
An ordinary VPN user most often needs to keep their movements and actions on the World Wide Web secret from prying eyes, as well as gain access to prohibited sites. Organizations and companies primarily use VPNs to connect their remote workers. Thus, they create an analogue of a local network in the main office, only in a remote format.
Benefits of a VPN
Some of the main benefits of using a VPN include:
- Location hiding. VPN allows you to change your IP address (a unique set of numbers that is assigned to each network user, it is easy to identify him and find out where he is at the moment). The changed IP address will lead the pursuer in the wrong direction, as it will show as if you are now sitting at a computer somewhere in Montenegro, the USA, France, Lithuania, or in any other state where the service servers are located.
- Confidentiality. Spoofing your IP address with a VPN can protect you from spyware and sites that closely monitor your every move. The strong encryption that a good VPN service has will keep your ISP and mobile operator from encroaching on your traffic.
- Safety. A VPN is a good safeguard against many types of hacking. With it, you can not be afraid of sniffing (interception) of packets, MITM attacks and getting into fake Wi-Fi networks. If you travel frequently, work remotely, and spend a lot of time away from home, always use a VPN when connecting to questionable networks (for example, to a free public Wi-Fi network on the street, in a restaurant, or in a hotel).
- Access to prohibited sites. Do you live in a state where the authorities have banned or restricted access to the Google search engine, Wikipedia, YouTube video hosting, and other sites? By connecting to the network through a VPN, you can freely use all the blocked resources.
When You Need a VPN
Basically, a VPN service is required to maintain privacy. If this is important to you, you will need to run it every time you go online. Working invisibly, in background mode, it will not interfere with the functioning of other programs, searching for information and viewing content.
When else is it recommended to use a VPN:
- On the road. A VPN will allow you to surf the Internet as if from your own country, despite the fact that at the moment you may be very far away from it. Thus, you will be able to once again not show your location.
- VPN to watch movies and TV shows online. A VPN allows you to watch media content on Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, HBO streaming services without speed limits, which are usually imposed by a Wi-Fi network operator or Internet service provider.
- On a public Wi-Fi network. When you connect to a public Wi-Fi network (in a park, at a train station or in a cafe), an invisible threat looms over your personal data - they can be intercepted. A VPN will securely protect them with encryption.
- In games. A VPN allows you to unblock maps, games, skins, and other add-ons that may not be available to you due to network restrictions. As a bonus, the service will reduce ping, reduce latency and protect you from hacker attacks.
- When sharing files. In the process of transferring public files using the P2P scheme, other users can see your IP and, if desired, track what and when you downloaded. A VPN will hide your network address and allow you to download files with a high level of anonymity.
- For online shopping. In some online stores, the cost of goods for buyers from different countries may differ. A VPN will help you get around this injustice and get the best deals in the world. Your real location will no longer be an obstacle to shopping.
How to choose a VPN
The main criterion for choosing the best VPN is a positive answer to the question of whether the service can be trusted. If the answer is no, nothing else matters. A reliable VPN service has the following characteristics:
- transparent privacy policy;
- successful completion of an independent audit;
- creating systems that make it possible not to save personal data;
- a declaration of commitment to protecting privacy and freedom on the Internet.
In addition, the best VPN service has the functionality you need. When choosing, you should pay special attention to the number of available server locations (the more, the better), the compatibility of the software with each device that you usually use to access the Internet, as well as the bandwidth of the program (ideally, there should be no restrictions).
Risks of Using Free VPNs
Can I use a free VPN service and still get everything that paid programs offer? In short, of course not. Many free services are very slow. In addition, they have so many restrictions that their full use as a reliable tool for maintaining confidentiality and bypassing network blocking is hardly possible. And this is not their only drawback. Worst of all, they can be dangerous for you: instead of the expected protection, you risk personal data leakage and virus infection.
Top threats posed by free VPN services:
- Free-VPNs may be engaged in the secret collection and sale of your personal data to attackers. Your security is at stake, so you should always scrutinize the privacy policies of every VPN service you plan to use. It is important to make sure that he will protect you, and not vice versa. It should also be noted that sometimes even this does not help: there are cases when 100% guarantees of user protection were prescribed in the provisions of the privacy policy of the program, but in fact their personal data was sold.
- The functionality of free VPN services that is responsible for protecting personal data may not be reliable enough, as a result of which leaks are possible. Most of these programs use old technologies that are far from modern standards. Frequent DNS and IP leaks are an indication that your online privacy protection is declining.
- Free VPN programs can give the user a dangerous virus or other malware. Unfortunately, a large number of such services are developed not for protection, but for infecting and hacking devices.
The conclusion suggests itself: a reliable inexpensive VPN service will be much safer than a free one. High-quality paid applications, as a rule, meet the high requirements placed on them. They have modern functionality responsible for data protection, adhere to a strict no-logs policy and do not impose traffic restrictions. Such services even guarantee a full refund if the user does not like the program. It looks like this: you make a payment and use the application for a certain period of time. If it did not meet your expectations, write a request to the technical support service, explain the situation and get your money back.
What is the best VPN
There are several main criteria that best VPN services must meet:
- Adequate price. This parameter is individual, since each user has his own ideas about high and low cost.
- Unbreakable privacy and identity protection: A VPN must have strong encryption, an emergency disconnect function from the Internet, and protection against DNS and IP leaks.
- High connection speed and large amount of traffic: the service must be fast and have enough bandwidth so that browsing sites is not accompanied by unpleasant freezes.
- Wide base of servers. The more of them, the higher your speed, because there will be fewer users per server.
- Possibility to provide access to streaming services. Many free VPN programs cannot unblock streaming resources because their server network is too small and they do not update IP addresses already blocked by these sites. In addition, their connection speed is not enough to watch online video in acceptable quality.
What is the best free VPN
Often you have to pay for using a free VPN service with loss of connection speed, the inability to select a country or connect a second device, and sometimes with your own personal data and disclosure of anonymity.
- Automate the work of an online store or landing
- Empower through integration
- Don't spend money on programmers and integrators
- Save time by automating routine tasks
Several VPN services offer more or less reliable protection for your data, but, unfortunately, they all have some limitations:
- ProtonVPN
- Hide.me
- Hotspot Shield
- Windscribe
- TunnelBear
What is the best VPN for Android and iOS
Many users, having installed a VPN on a computer or laptop, do not consider it necessary to install it on their phone as well, and thus make a mistake. Think about how often you access the mobile Internet or Wi-Fi network? Do you make payments online, watch movies, listen to music on your way to work? A VPN on your phone will give you the ability to do all this while protecting your data from intruders, as well as giving you unlimited access to streaming resources.
We offer a list of the best services for devices on the Android operating system:
- CyberGhost
- Avira Phantom VPN
- Atlas VPN
- IPVanish
- FastestVPN
What is the best VPN for iPhone and iPad
Looking for a VPN for iPhone and other iOS devices? Here is a list of such programs:
- ExpressVPN
- CyberGhost
- NordVPN
- Atlas VPN
- TurboVPN
What is the best VPN for Windows 10
A VPN is usually installed on a personal computer or laptop with the Windows operating system in order to freely access blocked sites and remain incognito on the network. You can install both a client program and a browser extension - whichever is more convenient for you.
Gamers need VPN services to minimize ping and speed up response, because in many games even one second can decide the outcome. Such programs allow you to access a regional version of the game or a beta test offered to users with a specific geolocation. For those who cannot imagine life without videos and online streams, a VPN will come in handy to enjoy TV channels, movies and series from all over the world in excellent quality.
The best VPN services for a Windows 10 computer:
- NordVPN
- ExpressVPN
- PureVPN
- Surfshark
- PrivateVPN
What is the best VPN for MacOS
A VPN service for MacOS computers will allow you to unblock content that you do not have access to in your area, prevent snooping on the network, and protect your personal data when you use public Wi-Fi.
Best VPNs for macOS:
- PIA
- VyprVPN
- Cloudflare WARP
- VPNhub
- Touch VPN
Summing up
Some free VPNs will indeed provide you with decent protection, but even the best ones will fall short of the most inexpensive paid programs. The latter offer a higher level of protection, unlimited traffic, unlimited bandwidth and access to streaming content. A large number of servers will give you the opportunity to choose the most suitable one and get a consistently high connection speed. Many paid services recommend that you try out the program for a certain period of time with a money back guarantee if you don't like something. This is very convenient, as you can check whether it suits you or not without risking losing your money.
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