6 Best VPN Services Of 2023

In today's digital age, we spend a lot of our lives online. We use devices to connect with our loved ones, look for new career opportunities, watch our favorite sports and TV shows, and even find new dates on Tinder. Admit it!

While the online space can be fun and exciting, it has also led to a new global threat in the form of cybercrime. Your online activity can reveal an awful lot about you, including sensitive data that may be used for hacking or identity theft. And if, by bad luck, you click on the wrong website, you face the risk of ransomware or malware being downloaded to your device.

The good news is that a virtual private network (VPN) can keep your online activity more secure and protect your privacy. You can go back to doing your thing online without constantly worrying about prying eyes.

Our Top Picks For The Best VPN Services Of 2023

Among the best VPN providers, competition is stiff. Developers regularly add new features and make usability tweaks. This guide considers the best VPNs in 2023, including their pricing, availability and compatibility. Here are our picks:

• ExpressVPN Review: Best Premium VPN
• NordVPN Review: Best VPN For Reliability And Compatibility
• Surfshark VPN Review: Best for Unlimited Connections
• Windscribe VPN Review: Best Free VPN
• CyberGhost VPN Review: Best VPN Free Trial
• IPVanish VPN Review: Best Customizable VPN Service

Best VPN Service Reviews

To explain why we think these VPN services are among the best in the market, we need to compare brands, features, prices and more. Let's jump right in!

If you're looking for an easy-to-use VPN service packed with features, you can't go wrong with ExpressVPN.

For starters, ExpressVPN excels at what every serious VPN should be able to do well: encryption. It utilizes military-grade AES-256 encryption while also offering secure VPN protocols. Express even developed its own VPN protocol called Lightway, which is well-encrypted and super agile.

Apart from that, ExpressVPN has excellent IP leak blocking and can stop WebRTC leaks and DNS leaks. Once you're connected, you can use its WebRTC leak detector to ensure your IP address isn't leaking via your browser's WebRTC feature. In the rare instance that your VPN connection drops, a VPN kill switch prevents your IP address from leaking. In short, this is one of the most secure VPNs, and it's not surprising that it has a history of zero breaches.

In addition, ExpressVPN offers industry-standard features like stealth mode and split tunneling. Stealth mode masks your VPN traffic, so it appears like regular HTTP traffic. Split tunneling, on the other hand, gives you more control over your VPN traffic. You can send some traffic through the encrypted VPN and leave the other on the open connection. This becomes useful when you want to keep some of your traffic private and still maintain access to local network devices.

Pricing

While ExpressVPN comes with a wide range of benefits, it isn't the most affordable option out there. The subscription plans are shown in the table below:

Duration	Monthly rate
1 month	$12.95
6 months	$9.99
12 months	$8.32

Occasionally, ExpressVPN offers discount pricing deals for bundled months.

Multiple payment methods are accepted, including credit cards, Paypal, Bitcoin, UnionPay, Alipay, Klarna and IDEAL.

Availability

ExpressVPN boasts over 3,000 servers distributed in 94 countries around the world. No matter where you are based, you're likely to get reliable ExpressVPN connections.

Because ExpressVPN's country of registration is the British Virgin Islands, it's not subject to international surveillance by the Five Eyes alliance, which comprises the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Compatibility

ExpressVPN is compatible with multiple platforms, including Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Kindle Fire, Chromebook, Linux, Routers, Chromecast with Google TV, Amazon Fire TV and Android TV.

You can also manually set up your VPN to run with gaming consoles such as PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch.

With an unmatched mix of lightning-fast connections and top-notch security features, NordVPN no doubt has a place amongst the biggest VPN providers. Nord's Meshnet offers great opportunities for compatibility. With this feature, you can link devices anywhere across the world through encrypted NordVPN connections, creating a secure network.

NordVPN also comes with AES-256 encryption, plus a built-in malware and ad blocker called CyberSec. It also uses secure encryption protocols, such as WireGuard (branded as NordLynx) and OpenVPN.

With NordVPN you'll get split tunneling plus a kill switch feature to automatically disable your connection in the rare instance you lose sync with the server. And if you're looking to bury your online presence completely, Nord allows multi-hop connections and the ability to access Tor over VPN. Other add-on features to your NordVPN Plan can include NordPass, a password manager, and NordLocker, a file encryption service.

Pricing

Just like ExpressVPN, NordVPN isn't the cheapest option out there. However, considering everything featured in Nord's complete plan, the price is reasonable:

Features	Monthly Plan	One-Year Plan	Two-Year Plan	Features Included
Standard	$12.99/mo	$59.88	$102.33	NordVPN access
Plus	$13.79/mo	$69.48	$123.93	NordVPN access, NordPass (password manager)
Complete	$14.99/mo	$83.88	$156.33	NordVPN access, NordPass, NordLocker (secure cloud backup)

Subscribers to the two-year plan may receive a three-month discount.

Unfortunately, Nord doesn't accept Paypal payments. However, you can still purchase a subscription using other means, such as credit or debit card, Google Pay, AmazonPay or ACH transfer. And if you want anonymity, you can pay using cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Dogecoin, Ethereum and Tether.

Availability

NordVPN has more than 5,500 servers distributed across 59 countries. Because NordVPN is based in Panama, your online activity is protected from surveillance by the Five Eyes alliance.

Compatibility

NordVPN is compatible with various platforms, including Windows, iOS, macOS, Linux, Chrome, Android TV and Firefox.

Known Breaches

NordVPN suffered a minor server breach in 2018. An attacker stole an expired private key from one of the VPN provider's servers based in Finland and published it online, which exposed user data. Nord claimed the breach was caused by poor configuration on the third-party data center's part, which Nord was not aware of.

When Nord was notified of the breach on April 13, 2019, it terminated the contract with the compromised server's owner on the same day and launched an audit of its 5,000 servers. Ever since, the company has hardened its server security with encrypted storage, making it extremely difficult for hackers or trackers to access data through a remote management system.

Additionally, NordVPN partnered with VerSpritem, a security consultancy, to work on intrusion handling, penetration testing and source code analysis.

Surfshark is a VPN service offering unlimited simultaneous connections and affordable pricing. While its features may be a bit inferior to those of other top VPN providers like ExpressVPN and NordVPN, it still boasts an impressive suite of security and privacy features. In fact, the user-friendly interface, intuitive, and simple operation could be the selling points if you want a solid VPN without unnecessary complications.

On matters of encryption, Surfshark uses the latest AES-256-GCM with excellent forward secrecy, an encryption protocol that produces temporary private key exchanges. This type of encryption is military-grade, and there have been no known breaches on Surfshark VPN.

Moreover, Surfshark's "Camouflage Mode" feature masks your traffic to make it appear like you're not using a VPN at all. Even your internet service provider (ISP) won't know. If you're afraid of getting into trouble for connecting a VPN at the office or in a country that restricts VPNs, Surfshark has got you covered.

Other unique features include multi-hop and split tunneling, which allow you to direct some of your traffic through different servers. This can be useful for avoiding location restrictions or bypassing censorship. There is also a whitelisting option that allows you to safelist specific websites, so they can always run under a VPN connection.

Another thing worth noting is that Surfshark's servers only run on random access memory (RAM) instead of hard disk drivers. This is a testament to the company's commitment to a no-logs policy. As soon as you've finished using your VPN, all the related data is wiped.

Pricing

Surfshark VPN offers excellent value for your money. You can subscribe for as little as $2.39 per month. However, there is a little catch if you want to enjoy that low offer - you must subscribe to a two-year package. Here is the full pricing of Surfshark's Starter plan:

Months in contract	1	12	24
Monthly cost	$12.95	$3.99	$2.39
Total amount billed	$12.95	$59.76	$59.76

Basically, the longer the subscription, the more value for your money. Currently, Surfshark offers one month of free services when you subscribe to the two-year plan.

Availability

Surfshark, which is based in the British Virgin Islands, has more than 3,200 servers distributed across 65 countries.

Another major selling point is that it allows you to connect unlimited devices simultaneously. You and your entire family can use this VPN without worrying about limitations. Compare that to ExpressVPN, which only allows a maximum of five connections.

Compatibility

Surfshark is compatible with multiple platforms, including Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Linux, VPN routers and Amazon Fire TV.

Windscribe is undoubtedly one of the best free VPNs in the market. It gives users 10GB of data per month. A paid version delivers unlimited data while allowing you to connect to as many devices as you like.

Regarding security protection, Windscribe offers AES-256B cipher with SHA512 authentication plus a 4096-bit RSA key. It allows Double Hop capability, meaning you can connect your VPN to any two servers if you want to conceal your IP address fully. It also has a kill switch that automatically disables your internet connection if the VPN connection drops.

Windscribe is one of the few VPN providers that provide residential IP addresses based in the US and Canada. Static IP addresses remain constant, which would be helpful if you want to work under the same IP address.

Past VPN users complained that Windscribe was a bit slower compared to the other options. Since then, the VPN provider has upped the ante and now tops out at 700Mbps.

Pricing

Windscribe's basic option is a free version you can use for any length of time, as long as you stay under 10GB of data and are willing to provide a confirmed email address. The company's paid version, Windscribe Pro, costs $5.75/$69 a year if you subscribe to the annual plan, but will cost $9 per month if you elect to pay on a month by month basis.

Windscribe also offers the option to build your own custom configured plan. The price of this will depend on the number of servers, countries, connections and features you choose.

Availability

Windscribe has more than 400 servers spread across 62 countries.

Compatibility

Windscribe is compatible with multiple platforms, including Windows, Android, Linux, macOS, iOS, Amazon Fire, routers and Kodi TV set-top boxes. Also, there are browser extensions for Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox and Opera.

Known Breaches

In June 2021, two Windscribe servers were seized by Ukrainian police as part of an ongoing investigation. The servers were unencrypted and running on an OpenVPN server certificate along with Windscribe's private key. This allowed the Ukrainian authorities to decrypt traffic from users. The company admitted it had failed to protect its servers appropriately.

Since then, Windscribe has taken some corrective actions to prevent such breaches in the future. These measures include replacing the outdated servers with memory-based servers, using Wireguard protocol, and ensuring there is a resilient authentication backend.

You may be looking to try a top VPN service without first paying for it. If that's the case, CyberGhost offers a free trial with no payment or credit card details required. That's certainly the best VPN free plan available.

Like all other top VPN providers, CyberGhost uses AES-256 encryption to secure your data, and it also supports WireGuard, OpenVPN, and IKEv2 protocols. It has a no-logs policy, meaning it doesn't keep a record of your online activity. CyberGhost even takes it a notch higher with dedicated server locations for torrenting and streaming services as well as privacy-focused NoSpy servers.

A dedicated IP address and CyberGhost's Windows Security Suite are also available, although these come at an extra cost. The security suite includes a privacy tool for customizing information-sharing settings, antivirus software and a special tool that tracks when the apps on your laptop need to be updated. Good stuff.

The only major drawback with using CyberGhost is that it can be slower across international distances compared to other top VPN services like ExpressVPN and NordVPN.

Pricing

The length of membership determines the value you'll get with CyberGhost. For example, the monthly plan costs $12.99, but you can reduce that to $2.03 a month by getting a 2-year plan. Here's how the full pricing looks:

Pricing Period	Total Subscription Cost	Average Cost Per Month
1 Month	$12.99	$12.99
6 Months	$41.94	$6.99
2 Years + 2 Months	$56.94	$2.19

Be aware that Cyberghost pricing is subject to change, as the company often has limited-time offers.

Availability

CyberGhost has more than 6,800 servers spread across 91 countries, making it one of the VPN providers with the largest server networks. This explains why this VPN is so popular with digital nomads and travelers. No matter where you are, you can quickly connect to a server with minimal traffic congestion.

Because CyberGhost is based in Romania, it's not impacted by the Five Eyes Alliance.

Compatibility

CyberGhost works well with Windows, iPhone, Mac, Android, Linux, Xbox, smart TVs, PlayStation and VPN routers. It supports up to seven simultaneous connections.

Known Breaches

In March 2019, CyberGhost suffered a minor hit when Typeform, its customer-survey company, was breached. Later, the VPN provider came out to say that about 120 email addresses and 14 CyberGhost usernames were in the two forms that had been compromised. No passwords or other sensitive details were involved, as the company doesn't store such confidential information on servers connected to third-party service providers.

IPVanish is a VPN service that has been in the game for some time. It's highly rated, especially among techy users, due to its advanced features and additions. With over 40,000 IP addresses, IPVanish gives you complete anonymity online, as it's unlikely that a given user will use the same IP address repeatedly.

Besides, all its 2,000 servers are owned by IPVanish and are completely no-logs, so the VPN doesn't track or store your online activity.

Like most top-grade VPN providers, IPVanish uses 256-bit AES encryption. However, it also offers other protocols to fit different needs, including IKEv2, IPSEC, OpenVPN and WireGuard.

Other advanced features offered by this VPN include split tunneling, a kill switch, On Demand functionality, and a SOCKS5 proxy. (Oh, and in case you're wondering, the SOCKS5 proxy becomes useful when you want to torrent.)

Pricing

Pricing	Total amount billed	Average monthly cost
Monthly	$11.99	$11.99
Yearly	$53.88	$4.49
2-Year	$79.99	$3.33

The company gets kudos for offering a 30-day money-back guarantee for those who purchase a yearly plan.

Availability

IPVanish, which is primarily based in the United States, has more than 2,000 servers in 52 countries.

Compatibility

IPVanish is compatible with Windows, iOS, Mac, Kodi, Android and other routers. It also offers unlimited simultaneous connections, which means you can share your subscription with close loved ones or a roommate without compromising your own VPN use.

One main drawback of IPVanish is that it can't bypass geo-blocks set by some content platforms, such as Netflix and BBC iPlayer. Also, there is no Smart DNS functionality, so streaming geo-blocked content on game consoles can be complicated.

Known Breaches

There are no known breaches on IPVanish. However, in the past, the company has been under scrutiny because of an incident that happened in 2016.

The Department of Homeland Security issued the VPN company a summons of records to get information on a user suspected of criminal activity. IPVanish complied, resulting in the suspect's arrest.

Now, don't get it twisted: Arresting criminals is certainly a good thing. What caused the scrutiny is that IPVanish released records that they shouldn't have had since they claim that they follow the no-logs policy.

The good news is that IPVanish was acquired by StackPath in 2017, and since then, they have maintained a clean record on their no-logs policy.

Other Companies We Considered

In addition to the top VPNs mentioned above, we reviewed other options, but they didn't stack up in the categories we considered most closely. However, they are all very decent options and could even be favorites for some users. Alternate VPN providers to consider include:

• Private Internet Access
• Proton VPN
• Norton VPN
• Hotspot Shield
• Atlas VPN
• TunnelBear

Best VPN Guide

In today's hyper-connected world, you need to take your online privacy and security seriously — otherwise, you could be an easy target for hackers and snoops. A VPN is a must-have if you're looking to secure your digital life.

What Is A VPN?

A VPN (virtual private network) is a system that allows you to securely connect to open Wi-Fi networks and browse the internet privately. It redirects your connection to one of its servers, thus replacing your IP address. It also hides your web traffic and activity in an encrypted tunnel, so you're hidden from third parties like hackers, the government and even your internet service provider.

How Does A VPN Work?

When you connect to a site without a VPN, the connection goes from your device to the internet service provider (ISP) and then to the site.

With a VPN, your internet traffic (online searches, downloads, uploads) is first directed to a VPN server. The VPN then sends your search query to your ISP's server through a secure tunnel, masked as traffic from one of the VPN's servers. The ISP then fetches the website or search result you want and sends it to the VPN's server. Finally, the VPN decrypts the data and sends it to you.

Because the data transmitted to the internet appears to come from the VPN server and not your personal device, the IP address of your device is never revealed to websites.

What Does A VPN Do?

In short, a VPN secures your data by creating an encrypted connection between your device and the internet. Your communications flow through this private tunnel, even when you're using public wi-fi networks.

How To Choose The Best VPN

Choosing the best VPN service comes down to two basic considerations: what do you want to use the VPN for, and how much are you willing to pay for it? There is a wide variety of VPNs on the market, but considering those two things will help you settle for a VPN with the right blend of security, privacy, speed and cost.

Generally, you'll want to choose a VPN that offers sufficient encryption, fast connection speeds, servers in your preferred locations, a no-logs policy, and other essential security features such as a kill switch and two-factor authentication. The six VPNs discussed in this guide have all or most of these features, although connection speeds may vary depending on your ISP and the server you're connected to.

VPN Glossary

Internet security is an area with so many technical terms it can sometimes be difficult to fully understand what VPN providers or VPN experts are trying to communicate. Check the glossary for help decoding some of the most common VPN terms and abbreviations.

Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)

AES is an encryption technique used to secure and encrypt sensitive and highly classified data. It has key sizes which include 128, 192, or 256 bits.

Encryption

Encryption is a technique of protecting data by encoding it with a cipher so that it appears like random, illegible information. Once the encrypted data reaches its intended destination, a cipher is then used to decrypt it.

Internet Protocol Security (IPSec)

IPSec is a security protocol used to encrypt and authenticate data before sending it over the internet. It also offers end-to-end encryption.

DNS Leak

A VPN hides your web activity from third parties, including your DNS queries. A DNS leak occurs when the VPN fails to do so, meaning other unauthorized parties can see the websites or apps you've visited.

Geo-Blocking

This is the process of restricting content to certain locations. An example is the content restriction imposed by streaming platforms like Netflix and Hulu. A VPN helps you bypass these geographic restrictions.

Kill Switch

A security feature in some VPNs, a kill switch disconnects your internet connection when the VPN crashes unexpectedly.

Multi-Hop VPN

Multi-hop, or double VPN, adds an extra server or layer of protection to your normal VPN connection. This means you'll have two or more VPN servers offering security and routing traffic, though this may come at the expense of higher latency.

OpenVPN

The most used security protocol in top VPNs, OpenVPN creates a secure site-to-site connection between the VPN server and the user.

Latest News On VPN Services

On April 28, 2022, the Indian government's Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) issued an order requiring VPN providers to keep user logs for five years.

Some VPN providers with a no-logs policy saw the move as highly retrogressive and a massive intrusion by the government into people's private lives. The order led to the removal of physical servers by top VPN companies, including Proton VPN, Express VPN, NordVPN and Surfshark.

However, these companies will continue to be available to VPN users in India and people requiring an Indian IP address. Users can access Indian internet by connecting to remote servers physically located outside the Indian government's jurisdiction.

Best VPN Services FAQ

How We Chose The Best VPN Services

There are hundreds of VPN services out there, so coming up with a list of the best VPN services was challenging. Here are some of the factors we considered when creating this list.

Privacy And Logging

We take a hard stance against VPNs that log your IP address, connection metadata or DNS requests. Therefore, we took our time to understand how each VPN service treats your data. For our list, we only considered VPNs that delete the data collected at the end of a session or within 24 hours.

Encryption, Security And Extra Features

All the VPNs we picked use AES-256 encryption for maximum security. We also prioritized VPNs using other quality protocols such as OpenVPN and WireGuard. On top of that, we considered VPNs with extra features like the kill switch and split tunneling.

Ease Of Use

All the VPNs we chose are compatible with Windows, Android, iOS and macOS at the very least. They also require only a few clicks or taps to connect to a server, making them easy to use even for beginners.

Servers

When analyzing the different VPN providers, we paid special attention to those with a large number of servers in different locations. That's because a server network with extensive worldwide coverage is critical not only for your ultimate freedom but also for good connection speed.

Summary Of the Best VPN Services Of 2023

The best VPN services of 2023 will help you surf the web safely and privately. They are vital for preventing online tracking and hacking, protecting sensitive data, and yes, streaming TV shows and movies from other countries. While the best choice for you will depend on your personal needs, customer support, and preferences, you can rest assured that all the VPNs we chose are reliable and secure. Here's a quick recap of our top six VPN picks:

• ExpressVPN: Best Premium VPN
• NordVPN: Best VPN for Reliability and Compatibility
• Surfshark VPN: Best for Unlimited Connections
• Windscribe VPN: Best Free VPN
• CyberGhost VPN: Best VPN Free Trial
• IPVanish VPN: Most Customizable VPN Service