VPN, which is an acronym for Virtual Private Network, basically involves accessing the internet through a private server, which enables you to bypass restrictions and maintain anonymity while browsing the internet. Though the exact terminology is highly complex, in simple terms VPN usually involves establishment of a connection (made secure through encryption), between the client’s computer and the servers of the VPN service provider. The service provider’s servers, which are connected and online 24/7, allow you to access the internet through them. Hence, in practical terms, you’re browsing the internet using your own ISP’s broadband, but via their servers.
In general, when going for a VPN connection, one should carefully note –
The server locations
The security protocols used
The speed offered
These can then be compared with the price of the service to make an informed choice.
Top 6 VPN service providers
To make your task somewhat easier, we picked the best VPN service providers based on above criteria, plus some other ones.
1- Wasel Pro
Wasel Pro, which claims to cater especially to the needs of the Middle East customers, provides a number of servers, which are located across the globe. Apart from servers in the US and UK, there are servers in locations like Ukraine, Turkey, France and Sweden. This ensures that not only
does one get a good variety of servers to choose from depending on one’s needs, but also prevents excessive traffic on any one server.
The latter translates to good speeds. Thirdly, Wasel Pro provides two of the best and most secure of VPN protocols for accessing its servers. This, when coupled with the speeds offered, make it an ideal choice for anyone who wants to use a secure yet fast VPN service provider.
As far as pricing is concerned, Wasel Pro offers four plans viz. Monthly, tri-monthly, half-yearly and yearly. The monthly plan comes for $9.99, which is a decent price considering the services offered. Further, the tri-monthly plan is not very common among VPN providers, and this is an extra plus for any client seeking a VPN service for a few months. Finally, the half-yearly and yearly plans provide enough incentives to customers to purchase them. All in all, this is one of the best VPN providers available today.
2- StrongVPN –
With it’s headquarters in San Francisco, USA, StrongVPN has perhaps one of the most extensive server networks in the world, comprising of around 180 servers in the US alone (and therefore not subject to the data retention laws), and another 300 worldwide. Apart from the excellent choice of servers, we need to factor in the formidable reputation that the company has built up since it began business in 1995.
StrongVPN offers PPTP and OpenVPN protocols, with packages designed around each. For PPTP, there are Lite, Standard and Deluxe packages. Lite, which costs around $7 a month, allows access to 164 servers in the US, while Deluxe users can access 251 servers in 18 countries. OpenVPN offers include encryption sizes ranging from 128-bit to 2048-bit (higher the encryption better the security), with the best plan offering access to around 395 servers in 19 countries. There is also the Premium package, which offers both PPTP and OpenVPN protocols with access to a total of 402 servers. Considering the range of servers and the services offered, the $30 a month price tag of the subscription does not appear too much.
Coming to security, StrongVPN’s most basic package of 128-bit encryption PPTP protocol is secure enough for most users. Those requiring higher security can choose from the other packages available. Thanks to its excellent network of servers, StongVPN provides excellent connectivity speeds (maximum of 10MBps download, 4MBps upload). Finally, StrongVPN is known for its excellent customer service, which is always online and can even configure your settings remotely through TeamViewer if required. Overall, it is a solid option for anyone who seeks a VPN provider based in the US which provides the right combination of security, speed and server options.
3- HideMyAss
Based in the UK, HideMyAss is reputed for providing a number of online tools which go to additional lengths to protect a user’s identity on the internet. These include the disposable email addresses, secure file upload facility and Chrome and Mozilla add-ons which display its dedication to ensuring anonymous online browsing. Coming to its servers, HMA has about 340 servers in 53 countries, making it a market leader as far as geographical diversity of VPN servers is concerned.
It offers PPTP, OpenVPN and L2TP protocols, with users being allowed to freely choose between the different protocols. Another benefit is that HMA allows users to connect two devices simultaneously, and install the software on any number of devices. Regarding privacy, we should note that while it provides the above mentioned online tools, it also takes adequate care of customer privacy, with even its basic plans being good. Customer service is excellent, and questions are processed fast. Its pricing is higher than that of its peers, but it can be considered the ideal choice for one who seeks extensive server options, good choice of protocols and excellent speeds.
4- CactusVPN
Unlike its competitors, CactusVPN is a rather small company with just three servers – one each in US, UK and Netherlands, with the option of subscribing to only one server or using all three for a slightly higher price. However, CactusVPN makes up for its small size by providing almost all protocols – PPTP, L2TP, SSTP, OpenVPN and also access by proxy. P2P connections are supported using the Netherlands server. Though obviously these vary in terms of security, but even the least secure provides enough for day to day tasks.
Another great feature of CactusVPN is that it is based in Moldova, which appears to have a far more vague data retention policy as compared to UK and other European countries. In fact the company does not retain any browsing data of its clients, and only retains connection data for three days for troubleshooting purposes. This translates into a level of anonymity which cannot be offered by any VPN provider located in the UK or even the US. Customer service is excellent considering the size of the company. Finally, CactusVPN comes cheap – $4.99 monthly for any one of the three servers, or $6.99 for all three. Hence, while it may not offer the most in terms of servers or speed, it does offer good anonymity with a wide range of available protocols for a cheap price.
5- Vyprvpn
VyprVPN and VyprVPN Pro are services run by Golden Frog which is a highly reputed company functioning in this space since 1994. As such it has built up an impressive array of servers across the world, thus ensuring that you can access the internet faster through a local server if need be. Apart from this boost to speed, the huge network itself is a great guarantee for speeds, especially since VyperVPN, either in standard or Pro packages, does not put any speed or usage restrictions.
VyprVPN service comes with only PPTP protocol having 128-bit encryption. Though it may appear slightly on the weaker side, it is in fact secure enough for the average home user. Further, it offers its entire array of servers for the customer to make use of as he/she likes. However, one does not get support for non-Windows platforms with the standard plan. VyperVPN Pro opens up new protocols like OpenVPN SSL and L2TP/IPSec, whice come with 256-bit encryption to ensure complete security. VyprVPN Pro users can make use of the the company’s clients for non-Windows platforms.
VyprVPN is one of the few companies which provides 24*7*365 customer support, and as such no matter where you are in the world, you can count upon the customer representatives to provide fast and reliable support. All this comes for a slightly higher price tag – 6.99 pounds for the VyperVPN and 10.99 pounds for the VyprVPN Pro. With either plan, you’re also given 5GB of free online storage by Dump Truck, an online storage run by the same parent company. Thus, considering the good network of servers, the decent encryption and the free space offered with the packages, VyprVPN can be considered a good choice for anyone who wants fast and reliable connectivity, especially on non-Windows platforms.
6- Private Internet Access
Based in the USA, Private Internet Access offers a total of 18 servers located in 9 countries, out of which 8 are in the US, the remainder in UK, Canada and continental Europe. Although the number of servers may not appear that impressive at first, the speed provided by them is truly breathtaking. Further, the company offers PPTP with OpenVPN and L2TP for those who want it. All of these are included in each of its plans, which means that one is free to choose between the different protocols. Additionally, the company offers a Socks5 Proxy, which is handy when you need to run a torrent application without having to turn on the VPN. Used with VPN, on the other hand, it provides additional security.
The company does not need to, and in fact does not, store user data beyond email addresses and payment details. The best part is that the site actually encourages payment using disposable email addresses and allows for payment in bitcoins, a crypto-currency which ensures that there are no bank details involved. These facilities ensure that it is one of the most secure in terms of identity protection and privacy.
Finally, Private Internet Access offers three plans, monthly, half-yearly and yearly. The surprising this is that the pricing of the half yearly ($35.99) and the yearly ($39.99) are very close. If one subscribes to the yearly plan, the monthly expenditure on VPN falls to $3.33 approx., thus making it the best choice for those seeking the cheapest yearly plan. Even when considered as a whole, Private Internet Access, with its excellent speeds, great privacy options and nice packages, appears to be ideal for one who seeks complete anonymity, privacy and security at an excellent price.
This has several benefits. Take for instance Netflix, which is limited to the US. This means that unless you have an IP address that says you’re from the US, Netflix won’t work for you. Now if you’re using VPN and the service provider has a server in the US, then you can use it to access Netflix just like any other American. Other sites you can access on an American VPN server are Hulu, Amazon Prime Instant, while you may need a UK server to access BBC iPlayer or iTV on Demand. In general, the location of the VPN servers decides which sites a particular server can provide access to, but these days most VPN service providers have servers in the US and EU, two regions which have the most free internet in the world. Therefore, with VPN, almost all major sites which are legal to use in these regions can be accessed.
The second and usually more important benefit is security and anonymity. VPN was initially used by companies which sought to transfer data to employees or offices connected remotely to the main hub. As such they sought, and got, an encrypted private virtual tunnel within the chaos of the open web, which allowed them to send and receive the data without fear of being snooped upon or having the sensitive company secrets stolen. Nowadays, anyone who does not want to leave a digital footprint on the web, should go for a VPN service, though one would be well advised to note in detail the varying types of security protocols used, since they have a direct bearing on how secure the VPN-provided anonymity is.
