In a time when there is a constant attempt by everyone to steal your personal data, a VPN can protect you from this by making your connections safe and secure. While the promises of military-grade security or complete invisibleness may appeal to you, Consumer Reports Yael Grauer recommends looking for more concrete proof that the service you are contemplating is legitimate.
Begin by checking compatibility. The service must support at the very least the most well-known operating systems like Windows, macOS and Linux, Android, and iOS. You’ll need to know the number of devices supported by the service and how many connections it is able to allow concurrently. Then, you’ll want to take a look at the number of available servers and their locations around the globe. This will help you choose a server that’s close to your home or offers high speeds when traveling across the globe.
Certain services provide specialized services, such as dedicated ‘Netflix servers that allow geo-restricted platforms, or extra security measures like RAM-only servers (which wipe data each time the service reboots) dark web monitoring and security measures to protect against threats. Check the ownership structure of the business and if it has had data breaches or privacy issues in the past.
The best overall service we tried was NordVPN which boasts thousands of servers spread across 94 countries, AES-256 and ChaCha20 encryption, an effective kill switch split tunneling, obfuscated and split tunneling servers. It’s also one of the few providers to publish its detailed no-logs policy and engages PricewaterhouseCoopers for annual audits. The prices aren’t cheap, however you get plenty of features for your money and a generous long-term plan comes with a complete 30-day money-back guarantee.
