What are
/r/VPNAdvice's
favorite Products & Services?
From 3.5 billion Reddit comments
The most popular Products mentioned in /r/VPNAdvice:
The most popular Services mentioned in /r/VPNAdvice:
Cover Your Tracks
NordVPN
Surfshark
ProtonVPN
Windscribe
OVPN.com
ZeroTier
Trustpilot
The most popular VPNs mentioned in /r/VPNAdvice:
The most popular reviews in /r/VPNAdvice:
So since it hasn't quite been answered yet... He said to run a good VPS if you want the best diy VPN, meaning pay for a virtualized server on a platform like Digital Ocean, Amazon AWS, etc.
It is probably all about amount of data you are pushing for cost here, but I know those places have a bare bones VPS for like $5 a month.
Overall reason is because now you "own" the server you are pointing your VPN at, unlike paying for some 'Top VPN' like NordVPN or another 3rd party. In theory then, you could go with a more anonymous VPS company, pay with cryptocurrency, etc, and if you trust the VPS, your anonymity is generally intact (for a lower threat model like running an anonymous blog or something) without hopping through TOR. Of course this means you have to know how to properly stand up OpenVPN on a server and manage the machine in just the command line, since it is not like these servers have Remote Desktop Protocol installed by default. But then, in theory, you control the "logs" since you control the server that you VPN to.
Mullvad. They don't even ask for emails, and if you're paranoid about payment history, they accept crypto and cash (yes, mailing the currency inside the envelope). They have completed two audits, and in turn, Mozilla VPN that runs on their infrastructure has also passed an audit with flying colors.
ProtonVPN is close second, arguably the whole kerfuffle about ProtonMail is a different concern from ProtonVPN, but still...
For the curious ones:
Mullvad means Mole in Swedish (mole as in the animal) and the "mull" would be pronounced like "bull" but with an m and the "vad" would be pronounced like the "mad" in "armada" but with a v!
Both recommendations garbage.
ExpressVPN is owned by Kape - a company that spread malware and adware in the past, has close ties to Israeli intelligence (Unit 8200) and has literal conmen at its helm (Teddy Sagi went to jail for fraud and bribery). Not to mention, ExpressVPN's CIO (now CTO) Daniel Gericke is a hacker for hire who was fined 335k USD by the FBI and the US DoJ for performing state surveillance for the UAE (under Project Raven).
NordVPN got hacked in the past, hid it from their customers, owned up only when publicly outed and then tried to downplay it. They are also linked to Tesonet (a data mining company) based out of Lithuania (a country with mandatory data retention laws).
I’m not a fan of the multi year plans many providers push. If your new to VPN, check out PrivadoVPN, Windscribe, and ProtonVPN. They all have free versions so you can check them out without any actual payment or commitment.
So far, a very reliable and secure service would be ProtonVPN. They offer unlimited bandwidth and have up to 6 free servers in 3 countries.
Netherlands, US, Japan.
Another would be Windscribe, with up to 10 more countries but I often don't recommend them, as their free plan offers I think 2 or 5 GB per month.
For the curious ones: Mullvad means Mole in Swedish (mole as in the animal) and the "mull" would be pronounced like "bull" but with an m and the "vad" would be pronounced like the "mad" in "armada" but with a v!
IVPN is good. So is Mullvad. They offer similar privacy. For me, Mullvad has better speeds and costs half as much. IVPN basically copied Mullvad's concept with disposable account numbers (which is a great thing). IVPN also accepts Monero which is really great (BTC is not anonymous). Mullvad accepts cash and sells gift cards in some countries which is also really great. Neither engages in paid reviews or affiliate marketing. They would both be my first choice depending on your needs.
IVPN is by far one of the most privacy-respecting VPN services money can buy. If you don't need to use it for streaming and geo-unblocking, it's basically a no-brainer. It is very feature-rich too. It has port forwarding and ad-blocking, which your current provider ExpressVPN doesn't.
​
Good call about switching from ExpressVPN. They are now far too shady.
Who are you trying to hide from? Someone managing your home network? The ISP? Govt? Advertisers?
Most free VPN have shady backgrounds, the one with passable bussines model and free tier either have really slow connection in that tier (ProtonVPN) or limited traffic allocation (10 GB per month on Windscribe).
Unlimited package isn't really that expensive, Windscribe have $2 monthly package for single location, or if you're willing to touch the terminal, Oracle Cloud free tier offers VPS with 10 TB monthly traffic where you can install almost any VPN protocol you want easily with PiVPN and Outline VPN
You could join the Norton VPN Trial for a month in the mean time while you're looking.
Im sure there is some sort of free VPN add on extension on your browser. Otherwise, ProtonVPN is highly regarded as the best free VPN and if you wanted to upgrade for more features its aways available.
Took me about 2 days to figure it out & I have dev experience. Unfortunately there really isn’t a simple way. Not trying to scare you, but it’s something new it takes time to learn and understand.
Get a router that can be flashed to OpenWRT, add OpenVPN. You can follow directions from a YouTube video on how it’s all done. Try to find a more recent video.
I use NordVPN which makes things easier too. Hotspot & ExpressVPN work as well.
Good luck!
Had never heard of RiseUp VPN before but a quick Google search told me it’s based in the US, which is a red flag (Five Eyes), and it’s free, which is a huge red flag. They apparently rely on donations which might be legit, but I still wouldn’t trust any free VPN provider, it’s almost a cliche by now. Mullvad is pricey but an established and trustworthy provider, it’s not what I use myself, but if picking between these two it would definitely be your best bet
Use Tor then instead of VPN. The problem with VPN is you need to trust the providers, which are legal entities with obligations to follow their national law. With Tor, you don't need to trust anyone, the system is specifically designed so that even if the node operators are malicious, they'd have to control the majority of the thousands of relays and bridges located on multiple nations, which doesn't necessarily get along, the same reason piracy sites flee to Russian and Chinese servers while anti-Putin sites flee to the West.
The valid use case for getting a regular VPN is when you need faster speed than Tor and don't really mind government and websites to track you if they really want to, mostly because you want to watch geo-blocked content. This is because most VPNs don't do anything about cookies, which can reliably link your activities across IPs. ProtonVPN have NetShield that can help disabling some of them, but such protections are also available through uBlock Origin filters on major browsers and through DNS blacklist apps for others. And, unless you allow them to inspect your HTTPS traffic (which open a bigger privacy risk), none of them do anything about browser fingerprinting.
Anyway, if you still want another VPN, Mullvad has gone through several security audits, and they're trusted by Mozilla and Malwarebytes for their VPN infrastructure. Meanwhile, Riseup is a nonprofit running multiple services that happen to offer a free VPN, unless you have zero budget, leave the capacity for those who really need it.
I don’t want to risk using a so-called free VPN. They’re too risky. I am willing to pay for a good VPN app. For the past couple of years ExpressVPN has been great but I am afraid it isn’t what it used to be. So I need to find a replacement.
I’m using NordVPN. I suspect there’s a DNS leak. After connecting to NordVPN and making my computer use the DNS servers recommended by NordVPN, I went to BrowserLeaks to conduct a test for geolocation API. The test results are strange: sometimes, the test result shows my geolocation as the location of my VPN server, but, when I refresh the page, the test result becomes my real geolocation; at other times, the test results persistently show the location of my VPN server as my geolocation, but Facebook still shows me ads for people at my real location.
I recommend NordVPN for one main reason in my opinion. NordVPN is based in Panama and is under no obligation to hand over any logs to any government authority. This is under the assumption that they even keep logs considering that they claim they do not. Many governments have agreements with the US that they would hand over logs of individual IP addresses if they requested it with proper suspicion. This is my understanding as to why they provide a more secure VPN connection.
ExpressVPN is considered the best VPN out there. Go for it without hesitation. Also, offshore VPNs are preferred because their foreign jurisdiction makes it harder for an adversary to extract user (your) info.
It does. But they seem to be a real company providing a number of Internet services, and it would appear to be a small step from all those paid services to a free consumer VPN that would be good advertising - the same thing Cloudflare has done.
But I tried to install their VPN on a brand new Windows 11-22H2 virtual machine. The file that downloads is called "", which you have to unzip yourself, and that gets you "" or something like that. Not terribly inspiring. It installs, but when I try to run it by clicking on the desktop icon NOTHING HAPPENS. It shows the UAC "do you want this app to make changes" screen, I OK it, and it disappears and then nothing. Nada. No evidence of it running anywhere.
Depending on why you want a VPN, Cloudflare Warp might be a better choice, or Tor, or a free plan from Windscribe or ProtonVPN or whoever. This one is a dud, at least on the most recent version of Windows.
Free VPNs are dangerous to use without considerable investigation.
ProtonVPN and Windscribe are two reputable paid VPNs that have free tiers - they have data caps and limited server selection.
A LOT of paid VPNs have free trials.
Mullvad and a few others are as low as $5/month. Mullvad tends to not work well with streaming, though. If you can't afford that, maybe you should check out some books from the library.
Cloudflare has a free VPN called Cloudflare Warp, you can download the client at https://1.1.1.1. But you have NO ability to select server location, they try to connect you to one close to your actual location, so I suspect that won't help you.
There is a VPN called RiseUp VPN run by the non-profit called "Rise Up Collective" that has been providing free email and other things for 20 years/ I consider them modertatly trustworthy.
There is a free VPN coordinated by a university in Japan titled "VPNGate". The servers are run by volunteers (PCs in people's homes). I would not use it for anything important, but if all you use it for is streaming, it might be safe. They have servers all over the world. Since the servers are donated, they come and go.
Seriously, read aa book, mmmmKay??
Start with The Expanse book series, or maybe the Dune books.
/r/printSF
Kill switches are unreliable regardless of provider. /r/VPNTorrents is full of stories of people who got caught pirating while depending only on a kill switch. If you are torrenting bind your torrent client to the VPN, instructions are in a pinned post at the top of /r/vpntorrents.
If you are comfortable buying from Amazon, you can buy a coupon from Amazon and pay for a Mullvad account that way.
Or buy a pre-paid card with cash, attach it to a Paypal account, and pay for a VPN with Paypal.
Reputable VPN services such as Mullvad or IVPN provide their own apps and configuration files for official software such as Wireguard and OpenVPN. With those options you can run the VPN on just about any device that supports VPN setups. Not all Routers and TV's support VPN use so you will want to look into that first.
if your using an Android TV box or Firestick for example, would be an easy setup for Netflix & VPN.
I use a gl-inet Flint router and wireguard config files from Mullvad. I have gigabit cable speed and it drops to around 400mbps. OpenVPN is much much slower at around 200mbps. With only the app I can get near full gig line speed with the wireguard protocol. OpenVPN is very processor intensive. I have heard good things about DD-WRT but have never used it with wireguard. It's slow with openVPN
If you're looking for a fast VPN for your iPhone, I would recommend ExpressVPN. They have a great reputation for speed and security, and they have a really easy-to-use app that makes it simple to get connected. Plus, they offer a 30-day money-back guarantee so you can try it out risk-free.
There are a few different factors to consider when choosing the best VPN for Firestick. The most important factor is compatibility - make sure the VPN you choose is compatible with Firestick. Another important factor is speed - you'll want a VPN that can give you fast speeds so you can stream without buffering. Finally, take a look at the security features offered by the VPN - this is especially important if you're using Firestick to stream movies and TV shows.
Based on these factors, we think the best VPN for Firestick is ExpressVPN. It's compatible with Firestick, offers fast speeds, and has strong security features.
Unless you can switch IPs to handle blocking by streaming services, customers who are aware of Mullvad's existence (€5 per month with no long-term commitment, even lower than $5 due to inflation) aren't going to consider your product regardless of the price, especially since you don't have any audit or decade-earned credibility. Windscribe's single country package is only $3 a month, again, with no long-term commitment, so users who are aware of Windscribe and don't need multiple locations will also need a much lower price to consider your offer.
I'm not sure there is even a place for indie, paid-VPN to be honest. Casual users rely on ads to pick their VPNs, more technically proficient users either set up their own or use a reputable provider, you likely can't compete with bigger players' ad budgets, and building a reputation would take years.
Not according to the Google Play store. Take a look at Mullvad as an example.
You have not resolved any concern and raised new ones.
And what countries is it not free in? If I travel to one of those "paid" countries will the app stop working? What are those countries?
Between Mullvad and Surfshark? It's not even a contest, Mullvad all the way.
Surfshark is sketchy. Their apps are riddled with bugs and leaks, they even merged with NordVPN (arguably the only VPN more ethically challenged than Surfshark).
Mullvad on the other hand is principled, secure, performant, and open-source. It has won the trust of its users and is generally the "good guy" in the VPN space.
There is no definitive answer to this question since NordVPN (or any other VPN service) may or may not work with any given streaming service at any given time. That said, users have reported that NordVPN does work with YouTube TV in some cases, so it's worth trying if you're looking to access local NFL games in a specific area. Note that you may need to experiment with different server locations in order to find one that works with YouTube TV.
Have you tried using a dedicated router with a VPN installed? I think BBC iPlayer detects if you are running a VPN locally.
As for which VPN works, there are a few VPNs which can still access BBC iPlayer, I believe Surfshark and ExpressVPN work, but I have not tried them.
I did find this article in case you want to try this out:
All VPN companies will buckle when a government comes with real issues to resolve. ExpressVPN was expensive and limited number of devices. So so overall but best setup guides. PIA was crappy app for me, service was average. Tried NordVPN, so far so good. 2 years for cost of ExpressVPN 1 year.
I more believe they are the Norm now and all other nothing really special. Sadly it seems more are getting blocked/flagged and or blocking services on their servers. Like Torguard blocking p2p on us servers etc.
When you are using a VPN, you don't see the provider's web site. And they can't force their ads onto other sites web pages because of HTTPS. Short of taking over your device's screen with their app, they have no way to show you ads.
The other way "free" VPNs are able to function is that they install malware on your device for, example, crypto mining. Or they use YOUR device as an VPN server, allowing unknown other people to use YOUR internet and you get blamed for anything illegal they do.
"Free" VPNs can be very, very unsafe to use.
A few of the well known and trusted VPN providers have free plans with very limited server location availabilities and per month data limit. They also tend not to allow torrenting. ProtonVPN and Windscribe are a couple.
The only one that is remotely acceptable IMO is Cloudflare Warp (https://1.1.1.1). It DOES NOT HIDE YOUR IP Address from web sites that use Cloudflare as a CDN. And it isn't clear if they tolerate torrenting. Cloudflare has offers paid VPN services to businesses, and a number of important services to web site operators. They had a global network of server locations before offering a free VPN, they could be just using spare capacity, and it may even save them money each time a VPN user accesses a Cloudflare CDN customer web site. And lastly, these days if you use the Internet at all you already trust Cloudflare even if you don't use their 1.1.1.1 DNS - over 1 MILLION web sites use Cloudflare for various things.
Question for you. I got game pass to work via VPN, so thank you for the PayPal tip. I’m using NordVPN and am having terrible video quality issues on the streams on what is otherwise a good hard wired internet connection. Is there any solution to this or is that just a consequence of using a VPN? New VPN user.
Hi,
- It depends if you are buying international version or USA version and where you live. If you live in a country where NFL Gamepass international is available you need VPN only during buying your subscription with better prices.
Like me: I live in Finland and bought the pro version with Brazil prices. Now I don’t need VPN when watching it because the product is same in both countries.
I used ExpressVPN when buying it. If you are really stingy (like me), they also have 30d money back guarantee which you can use after buying your subcription.
Irrelevant - see my replies above.
I hope this helps you!
You should select the VPN mainly on the criteria of unlocking sites and VPN's which have strong obfuscation features as well. Usually I recommend Mullvad but Mullvad gets detected by VPN blocks very easily. Hope this helps
If you're looking for a VPN service with physical servers in India, I recommend checking out PureVPN. They have a strong presence in the country, with over 500 servers spread across more than 60 cities.
Yes Mullvad, it’s been about a week now and I have to say it’s pretty great for my use case.
Though streaming hasn’t been flawless; Hulu would not allow me to connect. This is the only streaming service I have tested though.
I hear you. I've spent about 10 hours on this crap. I've tried several countries with both NordVPN and also ExpressVPN. I've tried multiple credit cards and also PayPal. Everything resulted in the fraud suspicion error.
You can try to check out https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.unseenonline&hl=en&gl=US I have use this for a bit of time now, its free and search about it as well and verify its safe to use by IoXT. But still it would depend on your purpose, if its for work related better get a paid one but if its only to bypass restriction you can try this or you can get a paid subs if you have money haha
Mullvad has an option to pay in cash, and gives you a randomized login with no connection to you. If you're talking about that kind of privacy, it's the way to go. Overall, if you're talking about encryption and security, I'd still go that route because it's not tied to you unless there's a DNS leak (which can be mitigated with a couple steps in most cases).
Nord has turned into a bad company. I've been using them for years and for the past six months I've had issues connecting. I spoke with customer support and after sending logs from two devices with the same issue they flat-out told me they can't credit the account, or extend the subscription for an issue that's entirely on their end.
Proton had the issue with giving info to a police/fed agency in Europe a couple years ago so that's disconcerting as well. I also have them as a backup, and it's mainly used strictly for that reason.
Making your own is the most "secure" from a traditional standpoint, and there's a ton of information about how to do it. You've got options.
So I did try the paid service for Proton, and I've been using for about a week now and that how I can tell that the connection speed is not what I'm use too.
I do believe I'm going to take a look at Mullvad, like 4 people all commented that its top notch in this thread.
Just to confirm, did you try the paid tier of ProtonVPN? The free tier is bound to be far slower.
The thing about NordVPN's advertisement is its referral model. People with referral links are incentivized to not badmouth the product whatsoever, downplaying any concern. Even if they're currently doing well, when there's a leak/breach would the word spread or would it be drowned by the people afraid of losing their referral income?
Also, if your use case is simply hiding your traffic from your ISP and you don't care about streaming sites, self-hosting your VPN on the nearest VPS might cost less and gets you better speed.
If you don't want to self-host, Mullvad is the zero bullshit provider, no long-term contract, they don't even keep your email. If you need streaming, Mullvad doesn't actively try to switch servers to avoid detection, for that you'll want ProtonVPN's Plus tier.
VPNs aren't a magic pill that make you immune to tracking online.
As long as you're using your regular browser and access you're regular services, you might as well not use a VPN.
VPNs only protect your traffic between you and the VPN server. They will prevent shady public WiFi networks from snooping on your traffic and allow you to access censored websites, if you're in a country that imposes online censorship.
If you still think you need a VPN, I'd recommend Mullvad.
Is your firewall capable of acting as a VPN server? You need to find what protocols it supports, or consider something else as a VPN server.
The PiVPN project software can function as either a VPN router or client. The software can run on a Raspberry Pi or a PC platform. The main reason I mention this is that due to the global chip shortages, used micro formfactor business PCs can be less expensive than a Raspberry Pi or a new NUC. And if you go the Pi route it probably needs to be a Raspberry Pi 4, since encryption is hard work and the older Pis do not perform as well handling VPN traffic.
/r/pivpn
Another option is a travel router running OpenWRT. Devices such as the Gl-Inet Beryl and other models ship with the ability to be either a VPN client or a VPN server, and are relatively inexpensive.
There are LOTs of consumer routers out there that can run VPN clients.
An example of a micro form factor PC: https://www.amazon.com/Dell-OptiPlex-7050-Micro-Bit-Multi-Language/dp/B08GCX4JKJ
Windscribe's build a plan can be as cheap as 3 USD / month paid monthly (1 premium country + unlimited data + ad-blocking + 11 free countries).
I'd recommend CryptoStorm and Mullvad as cheap, but they don't support streaming.
ExpressVPN is one of the best vpn’s out there i used it for a Long time its simple and easy, and its safe. I Would highly recommend it. I have had No problems with it at all. Its super fast and Secure. You Can use it for watching movies or Gaming, you choose.
Check out the awesome prices and buy it in the link under:
ExpressVPN is one of the best vpn’s out there i used it for a Long time its simple and easy, and its safe. I Would highly recommend it. I have had No problems with it at all. Its super fast and Secure. You Can use it for watching movies or Gaming, you choose.
Check out the awesome prices and buy it in the link under:
I have tested a few VPNs (Astrill, PIA, Express VPN, Surfshark & Proton VpN), honestly you can use PIA for what are you looking for, the basic use & chipper price, the geo blocking works, but some streaming service have blocked PIA.
But I have parted away from pia after been aquire by KAPE (same owner of Cyberghost and Express VPN, and Spyware company).
Now I'm happy with Proton VPN (Paid User), the best one so far, they have P2P dedicated serves but they are paid.
Good question, I’m not sure. It certainly works on the paid tiers, but their site shows no BitTorrent support/BitTorrent-friendly servers on the free tier, and with the lower speeds it might not be great otherwise.
They don’t cap anything otherwise so you could try it, but if that doesn’t work as needed I’d point you to PIA or Mullvad from my personal experience and the logs topics.
Seriously, think about this: Why would somebody who has no idea who you are spend their own money on servers, electricity, data center space, Internet connectivity and people to run it all just to let you use it for free???
Hmmm?
ProtonVPN and Windscribe both offer free plans, but they have data caps and/or a limited number of servers available to free plan users. There may be others.
You have not said WHY you THINK you need a VPN - there are many possible reasons - many "threat models". Cloudflare Warp VPN is free and has no data limits. But you cannot choose server location, and they do tell their own CDN customers your real IP Address. By using the Internet, you already trust Cloudflare, they provide services to many web sites - services where Cloudflare has access to the site's HTTPS security certificate allowing them to see inside the web traffic to/from their customers.
Basically, pay for Mullvad or OVPN or one of the others highly recommended by USERS - ignore the bribed reviews of what is best that are all over the web.
Answer to the first question: send me DM through chat and we can discuss.
Answer to the second question: is not my website. Nevertheless it captured the very first moment of the websites life. Yes, I started from PureVPN because when I was looking for a commercial VPN I found them and their experience which you can see from the previous messages. For me experienced company is the one that failed at some point, understood the problem/mistake and took proper actions to protect themselves and their customers in the future. Risky is the one that has no experience. Nevertheless,I don't say they all have to fail. It's longer topic and I don't think it fits here.
Coming back to answer to the second question, I had to start somewhere and I performed extensive tests throughout the whole year and decided to start helping others to avoid going the same way as I did.
Conclusion. As an engineer I decided to share my knowledge and experience with others, hoping that I can help someone.
As I said, you can use any VPN you prefer. I have engineering experience, I'm not a lawyer. I focus on a functionality.
As I can see you don't like affiliate but provide information from affiliates.
Nevertheless, please read how the regulations change and how the VPNs react. For example you mentioned PureVPN. Check what they did to not make the same mistake again. If you failed test in school it doesn't mean you cannot make it better next time.
Secondly, software development is not easy task and requires lots of testing. Yes, those are apps, some better and some worse. Additionally, in most cases errors are caused by unexpected impact of 3rd party app or new OS update. Moreover, users sometimes don't even realize that they didn't set up correctly the software causing malfunction. That's normal. Therefore, they need some help and I'm willing to help.
I will write about other VPNs on my website, just give me a little bit time. It takes some effort to test and verify them. Later you can read about and make your own judgement which one you prefer.
Hi,
Check my PureVPN review. It should do what you expect. There is a video from the speed tests. I used Speedtest by Ookla to make it simple and comparable. I also test different locations around the world and different servers. Everything depends on the server you use and also the app and encryption speed, but I will not go into technical details.
Let me know if you have other questions.
There are a few good free VPNs out there, but they usually have pretty strict data limits. If you need a VPN for heavy use, you might want to consider paying for a subscription. However, there are some great free VPNs that are worth checking out, like TunnelBear, Hotspot Shield, ProtonVPN and Windscribe.
Every company has sketchy sales tactics, I bet you use Amazon , and they’re the kings of cunt. NORDVPN has been perfect for me and during their most recent audit, zero logs confirmed. Based in Panama which is perfect, away from the 5 eye govts or even the EU 15 eye govts. Data that is pushed through NORDVPN doesn’t exist so no one can pull data from you if you were connected.
I’m running beta software on my phone and my connections last over 100+ hours without interruption and on my computer I never lose connection.
The speed of NORDVPN isn’t even a concern because I game hard on PC while connected to my VPN and have zero issues.
Try using the nordlynx connection , may have better luck. I paid $80 for a 3 year subscription and will renew as long as it remains the same and doesn’t drastic change to ruin their current service.
Any VPN on the USA is keeping logs and any VPN based in the EU is as well. ProtonVPN which people love to worship turned over data to French authorities because they asked nicely . NORDVPN can’t turn over any data, because NORDVPN doesn’t store or log data.
> does not throttle speed by 3/4 - current VPN has 250 mbps instead of 1000
The VPN provider isn't the only thing that affects throughput.
VPN encryption/decryption is hard work. What VPN throughput is your device that is running the VPN client capable of? There also can be large differences depending on which VPN protocol you are using.
What throughput is your own network capable of? 1000mps isn't generally possible over WiFi, for instance.
What is the Internet capacity between you and the VPN Server? Are all the links capable of giving 1gbps to a single user? Are you sure there isn't any throttling between you and the VPN server?
What speed connections does the VPN server have? Most have 1gbps connections - which isn't enough to be able to provide 1gbps throughput to a single user. To deliver 1gpbs throughput to a single user, the server needs to be able to transfer 2gpbps to/from the Internet - which is can't do if all it has is a single 1gbps connection.
How saturated are is the network from the VPN server to the rest of the Internet? Some of this is needed for the traffic to/from you, but it also is needed for other users and for your traffic from the VPN server to the rest of the Internet.
Mullvad is the only VPN provider I am aware of that lets the users know what speed connections each VPN server has. A number of servers are listed as having 10gbps connections.
There are a few reasons why ExpressVPN charges more than some other VPN providers. One reason is that they have more servers in more countries than some of the other providers. This means that they can offer their users more options for locations to connect to, which can be helpful if you're trying to access geo-blocked content or avoid censorship.
Another reason is that ExpressVPN has a higher level of customer support than some of the other providers. This includes 24/7 live chat support, which can be helpful if you have any problems using the service.
ExpressVPN uses a higher quality encryption than some of the other providers, which can provide better security for your online activities. Overall, while ExpressVPN may cost more than some other providers, they offer a higher quality service that includes more features and better customer support.
Check my reviews and ranking - I chose four VPNs based on tests. Unfortunately, as you noticed, ExpressVPN is the most expensive one.
My ranking of the best VPN that I tested. Maybe I will extend the list but so far I like four of them.
ExpressVPN advantages:
- Ram-only servers,
- private DNS,
- lightway protocol,
- threat manager.
ExpressVPN had also low latency, and the ram-only servers sound interesting for privacy reasons.
To be honest, I don't know if the functionality justifies the price for ExpressVPN. I normally leave the cost assessment to users. Instead, I focus on technical aspects. I think we all choose what sounds good to us. Sometimes price might not be the main factor. What I mean is that, if I need dedicated IP and one of the VPN providers offers that, but charges too much, I still would pay for it because I need it. So, sometimes the main reason is the functionality or offered service that I might need.
The factors for my assessment are:
- Privacy,
- Security,
- Number of locations and servers,
- Device compatibility,
- Additional features.
You can also check my PureVPN review
I use it with static IP for what you need - remote access.
For that to work use static IP with port forwarding.
He might have a leaking browser - it happens. The browser might send some information directly through the network instead VPN.
It happens.
You can use PureVPN $0.99 deal to test it for 1 week - install it with the browser add-on and run both at the same time. Add-on should take care of the IP/location leaks that your friend might have.
Hi,
Try PureVPN $0.99 deal - you can test it for one week.
It should work for you. I would also recommend asking the question in the app on 24/7 chat - they respond almost instantly.
PureVPN is outside the "14eyes" - read my PureVPN review.
You can test PureVNP for one week - read about it on my blog - PureVPN $0.99 deal
I had a similar problem, therefore I use dedicated IP - so far it works for me.
You can also check my PureVPN review.
Reliable VPS from Digital Ocean, Linode, and Vultr start from $5 a month, and there are plenty of free and easy-to-use tools to setup a VPN server such as (despite the name, it also works on any Debian/Ubuntu VPS) and (if you use Digital Ocean with Outline, you don't even need to touch SSH). You can get started in less than an hour, even if you have never done anything like this.
The result will be good enough for personal use (~1 TB of data per month), perhaps shared with a couple of other users. If you're lucky enough you might even get a couple for free in /r/oraclecloud, 10 TB of data per month. In-between, $7 a year will get you a VPS in mrvm with 500 GB transfer per month. However, these kinds of personal VPNs aren't ideal for torrenting (you'll get kicked out) and if you share the VPN with others you're on the hook if anyone tries anything fishy.
Meanwhile, Windscribe's Build a plan is a mere $2 per month for unlimited data with a single country option, while Mullvad is only €5 per month to use all of their worldwide servers, so unless you're really cash strapped, just going with Windscribe/Mullvad is far simpler with no headache worrying if you're going to get kicked due to DMCA, etc.
If you're looking for a free VPN, ProtonVPN is a great option. However, if you're willing to pay for a VPN, Avast VPN is a better choice. Avast VPN is more reliable and provides better speeds and security than ProtonVPN.
There are a few VPN providers that offer dedicated IP addresses. This means that you will always have the same IP address whenever you connect to the VPN. Some of these providers include:
- NordVPN
If you're looking for a VPN with a dedicated IP address, then one of these providers is a good option for you.
Have you tried reaching out to their customer service for help? If not, I would recommend doing that, as they may be able to offer some troubleshooting tips or assistance.
In terms of other VPN providers that offer port forwarding, I know that both NordVPN and ExpressVPN have this feature.
I didn't see a lifetime plan. The longest was 5y but you can get multiple times 5y and have kind of lifetime. What I noticed people prefer shorter plans just to have a chance to cancel it whenever they like. Short I mean, lots of them take a month plan. I think that 2 or 5 are in the middle between a good price and safety. So, even if for some reason any VPN gets banned or is out of order, losses are minimal.
That's just my point of view based on observations what others prefer.
At the beginning I took 2y and after half a year extended for a good price for next 5y.
I used also other VPNs but I needed dedicated IP and port forwarding. PureVPN offered them for reasonable price.
Hi, you could try PureVPN. They have native apps for different devices. I'm preparing website with guidelines helping people to solve VPN problems. You can contact me if you need help.
Here is the how to install VPN on router. PureVPN has port forwarding. I use it daily and it works.
Here is the how to install VPN on Firestick.
You can also find on my website different VPN reviews. I try to create the content every day, but it takes a little bit time. Right now I'm preparing comparison of VPNs with special features or add-ons.
> are there any other premium vpn provider that gives out port forwarding addons?
The spreadsheet in the sticked post at the top of /r/vpn lists many that offer port forwarding.
One of the most frequently recommended providers with port forwarding in /r/VPNTorrents is Mullvad.
Hi,
I like the previous answer to get a server and set up everything yourself, but I'm afraid I have to disagree that it's safer. Unless you are a sysadmin and will maintain the security at a high level. What is more, there are some other regulations that you would have to follow, and I think that it's too much work just to use a VPN.
Suppose you want to make it easy. Then, just get the best VPN service for you. How to do it? Write down what you would like to get from the VPN and what you want to use it for. Then check which one offers everything you need and try it.
Regarding the price and functionality, I use PureVPN - this is a review on my page: PureVPN review.
You can also read other reviews (ExpressVPN, NordVPN, Surfshark, etc.) and the summary to determine what options you can expect from each of them.
I recommend choosing the one with a no-log policy and in a safe jurisdiction. Take some time to read about them and test the one you like the most.
IVPN is great on account of their transparency. They state on their own websites that a VPN has certain benefits but might not be necessary for everyone. But they're too expensive for my liking.
Nord is great and I've been with them since 2014. Absolutely enormous server spread and the fastest speeds of the dozen VPNs I've used. Their Panama HQ is a plus, so go for it.
Surfshark is another great one. Relative cheaper, decent server spread and decent speeds. Nord and Surfshark both are a part of the same company now Cyberspace.
Windscribe is another great one. Very technically sound and one of the few ones to provide Wireguard files. Speeds are a hit or miss, but usually great.
Cyberghost used to be good, but the owner sold it to Kape which used to be a malware company, so probably not a great choice.
I prefer Malwarebytes VPN much more, since it uses Mullvad servers and does not use dubious strategies like NordVPN (fake discounts, charging you when you unsubscribe from the service...) I would recommend that you see for yourself, both decisions are fine, personally I would go for Malwarebytes or directly to Mullvad. Also individually, I don't know if I trust a company that for so little money can use a brutal referral system and have so much aggressive advertising like NordVPN is.
ExpressVPN is one of the best vpn’s out there i used it for a Long time its simple and easy, and its safe. I Would highly recommend it. I have had No problems with it at all. Its super fast and Secure. You Can use it for watching movies or Gaming, you choose.
Check out the awesome prices and buy it in the link under:
Hi,
Currently, I use PureVPN with dedicated IP. I use it to work and access different geolocated services - services that block access based on the IP, etc.
Check my website with a list of different solutions - vpn-usage-solutions
Dedicated IP is an extra add-on - you have to pay for it and decide which server you would like to use. IP will always be the same from the location you choose.
Regarding PureVPN, I have good information. I have used it for more than a year now.
The other ones require more time. Therefore I didn't upload any content about them yet.
Let me know if you need some help regardless of the website.
Hi,
I use PureVPN and can recommend it, but I test other VPNs and will present my reviews on my website if you are interested.
I just started, and new content will be uploaded soon - I hope it's ready next week.
My plan is to try to solve common problems with VPNs and provide some ideas on using them in different situations/solutions.
My website with a list of different solutions - vpn-usage-solutions
Let me know if you have questions. Maybe I will be able to help.
I find it hard to get a real unbiased vpn review. Example: Nord gets some good reviews but they are scam artists I have been using PrivateVPN. Works for streaming most of the time but problems with Prime. Tech support is frustrating. I just tried Proton but even the Pro version will not get Prime. Most services do not offer instant chat or phone support Can take 24 hrs. for an answer.
I tried some VPNs and Nord is one I trust most even after that breach. I was Nord user at that time and it looks nice how Nord team dealt with this problem. I read a few articles where Nord says that they don’t keep logs and that was proven when during the breach, no personal details were actually leaked. Okay, they keep emails, but it is useless because you can’t do anything with them. No-log policy is the main thing why I trust NordVPN. But I can’t say anything about torrenting with Raspberry Pi, because I never tried it. in general torrenting works fine for me, maybe their help page will have some info?
You'll need to shop around for a VPN service that is compatible with the streaming service you are trying to access. Not all VPN work for this. Same goes for removing geo restrictions. I use Mullvad but it's not for someone who wants to use Netflix. Sorry I can't give recommendations on a VPN for streaming.
I had a similar problem. I got used to US streaming services, and after going to the EU, I still wanted to have access to my accounts. I worked as a system administrator for a couple of years. I used to configure custom VPN services between different corporate divisions, but that would be too much for private use - not worth it compared to available VPN services.
Therefore, I tested one or two commercial VPNs and started using PureVPN because of the support 24/7, no-logs policy, and the price of $1.99/mo. So far works like a charm.
After some time, I noticed that people asked me what and how to use it, so I decided to create a website about VPNs. It's in the initial stage, and I'm preparing new posts about the most frequent technical questions and answers. Soon I will upload new content with some technical solutions to common issues that people have because most of them are kind of user-related - wrong configuration, usage, etc.
Please, look at my website on how you could use it in different scenarios - VPN usage solutions.
Here is the link to my PureVPN review.
PureVPN provides 31 days money guarantee so you can test it and decide if you like it.
Yeah this list is rubbish and I'll tell you why.
You added NordVPN to this list and we should all know by now that they got hacked 3 years ago and didn't admit to being hacked until someone posted their private key on Twitter.
Now that is not a company anyone should trust so unless you take them off the list, this list is rubbish.
Do your homework first before giving out advice.
I wish it were that simple. Each VPN comes with it's own sets of advantages and disadvantages. Some work well and some drop frequently. I have used 3 in the past. Private Internet Access, Torguard, and now Mullvad. Torguard does offer a streaming IP package with their VPN but I've never used it and don't actually know if it will work outside of the US.
I am concerned for my privacy, the reason why I am shopping around. CryptoStorm has really great features but, I decided on another service besides the one I am currently using.
I do nothing illegal. I just dont want my ISP to snoop around, i dont want my data collected and sold.
I will be deleting this thread since I have found a suitable service that meets my criteria.
Hi,
Daily I use PureVPN to work and didn't have problems so far. You can check how it works with different use scenarios - VPN usage solutions.
Link to my review - PureVPN review.
They provide 31 days money guarantee so you can test it and decide if you like it.
I recommend PureVPN. That's a link to my review - PureVPN.
I use PureVPN to access my resources, which are located in the US, and servers block traffic from outside the country.
I recommend PureVPN. That's a link to my review - PureVPN.
In two days, I will upload BLOG content, where I will cover alternatives to VPNs like TOR (work in progress).
Nevertheless, as you might already know, TOR is a network of servers (nodes) randomly routing traffic between each other. So, comparing TOR and VPN, a good VPN works faster because you use only one server. Whereas every node in TOR architecture provides latency slowing down the connection.
It's also important to mention that a VPN with shared IP will introduce latency based on the number of users, but you can switch between different locations to use a less crowded server. It's just a network service.
In Germany, I use PureVPN daily at work to maintain digital content, and so far, didn't have any significant problems. Moreover, they provide perfect life 24/7 support in case of issues.
In case I notice a slower connection after 3-5 hours, I reconnect the VPN. VPN encrypts data, and sometimes windows or antivirus might slow down that process, impacting the connection performance.
Please let me know if you need more information.
> I'm hesitant to go with any big names
IMO, that is the opposite of what you should do. Use a long-established, well-known provider who has PUBLISHED a third-party audit of their no-log policy.
A provider should be easily found in the real world, with a reasonable corporate HQ address, and their executives should be identifiable in the real world.
There are a number that meet these criteria. I have been using the same VPN for over 10 years, their parent company began as an ISP in 1994, and they current own a couple of hosting data centers.
Any VPN will have occasional technical problems, the Internet simply is not stable everywhere, all the time. Interruptions will happen. VPNs also get attacked.
There is a pinned post at the top of /r/vpn that has a table of most VPN providers, listing their attributes. It is a good list, but unfortunately some are missing, and the maintainer doesn't seem to want to add them. The problem with that sub is they don't allow mentioning provider names (??!!).
/r/VPNTorrents does allow mention of provider names, and the same few providers have been recommended by many people for quite a while. I doubt you can go wrong with any of the top 3 or 4 mentioned in that sub (the only one I can remember at the moment is Mullvad).
Check my website about PureVPN. Your IP and traffic will be hidden from the public and you can also change servers quickly to use the fastest with shared IP. It's also possible to get dedicated IP to maximize the speed.
I use it daily with static IP to work online. For streaming I recommend using shared IP.
Please, let me know if you need help or more information.
It could be as simple as Mullvad didn't submit their app to be approved. It isn't automatic.
I also can't be sure that ANY VPN would get approved, I suspect not. If someone knows of one, I would be curious which it is.
I use PureVPN because they have support 24/7 through chat. If something doesn't work, in 5min I can get their help. In case one server gets blocked, they will provide me with the one that works.
For Hulu and other services check VPN usage solutions
In case you need help just PM me.
Yes, you can. I live in a different country and use a VPN to log in to my home country's government websites. I just checked my VPN and confirmed that I can connect to ROI - Check PureVPN
I have to say, that NordVPN is my favourite one. Ofc, all of them can give you what you want, but my experience across the years is best with nord. Generally I prefer to watching Netflix and I didnt have any issues, but I am not sure about Hulu. I tried Hulu once on US server, and it worked fine, cant’ say anything about UK server, but I think it work as much good as Netflix on UK. I’ve also I had decent experience with Surfhark, but NordVPN still is my favourite