For those who don’t know, a Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a type of network that improves your security and privacy on the Internet. It secures your data by encrypting it and hides your location by allowing you to use a virtual private address instead of your actual one. Your IP address, of course, is sort of like your digital fingerprint. Covering it is a good idea because your actual IP address can help others identify your geographical location or launch scams.
If you want to join the growing number of people on the Internet that use VPNs, then you have plenty of services to choose from. Picking the right one depends on your needs.
1. Value
You may be tempted to try free VPNs if you’re a value-conscious VPN user. Although free VPNs are undoubtedly tempting, you pay for them in other ways. Here are a few good reasons to avoid such services:
- They use outdated technology that hackers can manipulate.
- Many free VPN service providers are known to spy on users.
- Some free VPNs carry malware infections.
- Certain free VPN services operate from countries that don’t respect Internet privacy.
- Free VPNs often get overloaded with traffic and are pretty slow.
Instead of a free VPN, look for a top VPN that provides a VPN trial for a few weeks to help you make an informed decision.
2. Trustworthiness
When looking for a trustworthy VPN, search for a service from a reputable cybersecurity company. A dependable VPN should also pledge not to log any of the following private user data:
- Browsing history
- IP addresses
- Connection logs
- DNS queries
- Bandwidth usage
3. Security
Should security be a priority, pick a VPN that offers 256-bit encryption. Experts say that it would take even the most powerful computer today several decades to crack this level of security.
A VPN’s security also depends on its protocol. A VPN protocol is the set of rules that determines a VPN connection’s security, speed, and stability. While there are many protocols out there, two of the more popular ones are OpenVPN and WireGuard.
Although OpenVPN has been popular for its open-source nature and security, it can be unstable and difficult to set up. That’s why many leading VPNs are switching to WireGuard. Not only does WireGuard trim the fat by using less code, it’s also faster than OpenVPN.
4. Speed
When looking for a fast VPN, you should try to find one that uses a new protocol like WireGuard. Additionally, subscribe to a VPN with many servers. A VPN service with more servers can handle the extra traffic and offer a faster and more stable connection.
5. Geo-Block Bypassing
Many streaming services like Netflix, BBC, and YouTube use geo-blocks to stop people in specific geographical locations from consuming content. For example, you can’t stream Netflix USA from outside the United States unless you have a VPN that can bypass geo-blocks. Not all VPNs can do this consistently, of course, so pick the right one.
While picking the right VPN can depend on your needs, you can’t go wrong with a service with a no-logs policy that uses the best technology and offers dozens of servers across the globe!