VPNs
August 28, 2026•1,710 words
Using a VPN should be part of an overall strategy to protect your privacy - but only if you trust the VPN provider more than your ISP.
VPN Reviews
Note: Windscribe is having their back-to-school promotion until 14 Sept 2026. $39 per year with same price for renewed years.
$69 per year, 2 or 3 sales per year for $39 per year, for unlimited devices (within reason). Transparent pricing.
Excellent VPN service. Lots of very fast servers. Utilises quantum encryption which is the best you can get. Great app for mobile devices and Linux, Mac, and Windows desktops. Works especially well on Linux desktops whereas some VPN providers don’t support Linux very well. Has excellent ad and malware blocking as well as a lot of options to block other types of content if you choose (e.g. adult, crypto). They even allow you to block specific sites (e.g. google.com) which is a feature I have not found any other VPN offer and I take advantage of to block apps and operating sytems from 'phoning home' and sharing data about my device and activities.
$5 per month for up to 5 devices. Transparent pricing.
Another excellent VPN provider. Utilises quantum encryption which is the best you can get. Great app for mobile devices and Linux, Mac, and Windows desktops. Works especially well on Linux desktops whereas some VPN providers don’t support Linux very well. Anonymous. You can sign up without providing any identifying information and pay using a credit card, bitcoin or even by check. Your payment adds time to your anonymous account and then the payment information is destroyed, leaving no linkage back to you. No subscription model, you pay for the time you want and when funds run out, it stops. You can add more funds for more months of service or not. No contracts or recurring payments to preserve privacy.
$60 per year for up to 5 devices. Transparent pricing.
IVPN is another excellent choice. Very highly rated in security circles for reliability, speed and privacy. I don't have any direct experience with them as they don't have a Linux desktop client and that rules them out for our family. But they do have Mac, PC, Android and IOS apps so for a non-Linux household they, like Windscribe and Mullvad, are a great choice.
ProtonVPN
Proton .... is a good VPN (except on Linux) .... but overall is difficult to recommend though many people use their services and are very pleased with them. I used proton mail and vpn when they first came out. Many many years ago. They, along with Tuta/Tutanota were leaders in the security/encryption/privacy movement. Whereas Tuta has remained focus on continually improving their email, now quantum safe, Proton has gone in a completely different direction. Proton saw a big influx of money from private donors and corporations, all of whom expected a large return on their investment. Proton began buying up companies like SimpleLogin (alias emails) and expanding their offerings. They now have their own password manager, encrypted storage, bitcoin locker and AI in addition to SimpleLogin, VPN and mail services. They have done virtually nothing to improve SimpleLogin (ugly interface) and since acquisition has reduced the capabilities of the free version which used to be very generous. Their mail client on desktops is just a web app wrapper ... and you can only use it with paid plans. If you have their very basic free email plan (with lots of nagware to upgrade), you can't use it with a desktop app, only on mobile devices. That is cheap and petty. Their VPN works beautifully on Android and Apple devices but is absolutely horrible on Linux desktops. Hung up, crashed and would not uninstall correctly. It trashed my network setup so bad I had to rebuild my computer. Have never had a problem with the Linux VPN from Windscribe or Mullvad, only Proton. Lastly, Proton keeps raising their prices and bundling things together to justify the price increase. They only give refunds within 30 days of subscribing and after that it is hit or miss if you can get a "credit" if you want to cancel or change services. If you don't mind having all of your eggs in one basket and prefer getting a bundle of security products from one vendor, then proton may be a good fit for you. But be careful about their price increase after the first year. It is substantial. FYI ... as an early adopter I was supposed to have a locked in bi-yearly price. They raised their price and charged my credit card without notifying me. You've been warned !
NordVPN
NordVPN, who also makes a password manager, provides a decent VPN. I can't recommend them though due to their not being clear on the renewal policy and pricing. Also, when I did use them many years ago, I had a very difficult time cancelling my subscription. That may or may not have changed in recent years but I still can't recommend them. There are better choices available.
Surfshark
Surfshark is owned by NordVPN though it is registered in the B.V.I. instead of Panama. Same issues with cloudy pricing model, huge price increase after initial period and difficulty cancelling. There are better choices available.
Others
There are other VPN providers of course. Some are better than others. If you opt to use one not listed here, be sure to check their funding source, privacy policy, and whether they have been audited. Always avoid 'Free' VPNs offered on the Apple App store and Google Play.
VPN Recommendations
The top 3 VPNs offering the most privacy and security:
Henry, at Techlore, has a great video as well that looks at, and rates, a number of VPNs. Well worth watching.
FAQ
What is a VPN?
A VPN is a private encrypted 'tunnel' between your computer and another. Their original use was to provide a secure method for a company employee working remotely to access protected internal company computers and networks. They became more widely used with the increase in government restrictions on content, media streaming companies locking down content to be available only in certain regions, and the monitoring, collecting and selling of user internet activities by big-tech, data brokers and governments. The VPN hides your internet activity by encrypting the data and sending it to a distant server so that, when decrypted, the source of the data can not be traced back to the user. This provides a great privacy and security benefit especially when using public WiFi.
Do I need a VPN?
It depends.
No, if
- you trust your ISP and are not concerned with them seeing and sharing what you do online
- you never use public WiFi (e.g. at Starbucks, Airports).
- you never need to access locale restricted content
- your government doesn't block the certain content available on the internet.
Yes, if
- you don't want your ISP monitoring, sharing, and monetizing your online activities
- you sometimes use public WiFi (e.g. Starbucks, Airports)
- you may want to access content on a streaming service that is not available in your area
- you have an oppressive government who restricts what internet content can be seen by its citizens.
When should I use a VPN?
That depends on your threat model and security/privacy concerns. Some people, concerned by widespread surveillance and the collection, sharing and monetizing of your internet activities use a VPN all the time. Others only use it to protect their devices and transmitted data when using public WiFi. Note: Some banks and financial institutions, for security reasons, block access by people using a VPN. Turning the VPN off, or taking advantage of the 'split-tunneling' VPN feature when access is needed to those entities is a common practice.
Does a VPN make me anonymous online?
No, and VPN providers that say it does are lying to you. A VPN will show that your computer is in a different location (the VPN end-point) than where it really is (e.g. your home). But that is just one tiny part of the data that companies and governments use to identify who you are online. Cross-Site scripting, cookies, browser fingerprinting, computer OS, screen resolution etc are all being gathered and analysed so changing your location helps break that chain of data a tiny bit but it in no way is enough to make you anonymous.
How much does a VPN cost?
The monthly cost for VPN service from a reputable provider (see top 3 list above) will cost you around $5 to $6 USD per month. Some companies run sales occasionally throughout the year (e.g. Windscribe has 2 or 3 sales per year with their Pro offering at $39 / year). Some, good but not great, companies, like Proton and Nord, have a good intro price but after a year the price doubles or triples. Always check their renewal prices when deciding and research how easy or difficult it is to cancel the service if you decide it is not right for you. The above reviews provide more information about this.
Are the free ones on the Apple store or Google Play store ok to use?
NO. Definitely not. Having reliable fast VPN servers around the world is expensive for any company. The cost of the hardware, software, programmers, support staff, heating, cooling etc is huge. If a company is advertising a free VPN, ask yourself where their money is coming from. Companies that offer free VPNs, like many on the Apple and Google stores are gathering your data and selling it to make money. You always want to use a reputable VPN provider that has been audited and has a clear proven no-logs policy. The only exception is a company that has another source of revenue (e.g. paid plans) who also offers a limited free plan for people a) to try out and b) use if their needs are limited. Both Windscribe and Proton offer limited free plans that are legitimate but I would avoid any other company offering a free VPN. The old rule applies: if it is free, you are the product.