It seems like overnight privacy has become one of the biggest concerns these days online and because of that plenty of companies have jumped onto the bandwagon to profit from it.
You probably hear more and more about VPN services that protect your identity, unfortunately not all are equal. In this article we will discuss why you need a VPN, what benefits it will have for your browsing experience and which VPN services are the best.
What is a VPN?
A virtual private network (VPN) extends a private network across a public network and enables users to send and receive data across shared or public networks as if their computing devices were directly connected to the private network. Applications running on a computing device, e.g. a laptop, desktop, smartphone, across a VPN may, therefore, benefit from the functionality, security, and management of the private network. – Wikipedia
In short, a VPN allows you to browse the internet through a secure connection which enhances your online privacy. Seeing as today your data is more valuable then ever it is a great idea not to give it away unnecessarily to companies or to would-be hackers.
Do I need a VPN Service?
Well, it really depends on how much you value your privacy.
Simply put if you decide that you don’t mind hackers having an easier time accessing your computer, Governments, Companies and internet service providers (ISP) logging and storing your information than may be something as simple as a Secure browser like Brave would be enough.
In fact, I would recommend using Brave Browser no matter what you decide as not only is it faster, uses less of your computer’s resources, but also indicates how many unwanted trackers, ads and unsecured websites it has blocked and let me tell you, it’s incredible how much of it is online
In 4 weeks I managed to block close to 40,000 ads which are actually mind-blowing
But in saying that the Brave browser will not keep you completely secure. That is where a VPN comes in.
It literally hides your identity and if you find your privacy to be quite important than a simple VPN service might actually be the best thing for you.
To give you an idea of how much information you are literally giving away for free check out https://takeout.google.com
Last time I was able to download over 12 GB of compressed data about my Online History ranging from phone calls, emails, websites, purchases etc..
This is just from Google. Now imagine what companies like Facebook, Microsoft and others have on you. All this neatly packaged info ready to be sold to the highest bidder.
Should you use a Free VPN Service
You know, in today’s day and age you get what you paid for and usually a Free VPN will not give you the kind of security you might be searching for.
One reason being is that it might be slow as it doesn’t provide enough servers for you to connect to worldwide.
Another reason might also be that it stores your information which can be accessed years down the track and used for advertising.
Or basically it might require your device to become one of the nodes where people will be able to access the internet with higher privacy.
The question then is would you like other people to browse the web using your IP (Internet Protocol or your computer) in exchange for a Free VPN service?
If so check out hola.org which is by far the best FREE VPN services that I have come across
Which is the Best VPN Service available?
Like mentioned before, there are so many VPN services on the market these days that it can get quite confusing to figure out which one will be best for you.
In that case let me break down what these VPN services offer and then you can determine yourself which one will best suit you.
I will have the selection of VPN’s I personally tested and ones that are coming on the market that are quite promising
Servers
As displayed in the image below, when you decide to browse the internet without a VPN service you are left open to everything from hackers, trackers from web companies and none of your information is encrypted.
Leaving it open for anyone to access at any point.
When you purchase a VPN service you end up connecting to a server using military-grade encryption which makes it virtually impossible to crack by hackers or web companies.
In doing so hiding your identity. With VPN companies you will notice that they boast about their high-speed servers all around the world which means that they have plenty of access points available for you to browse from.
This not only will mean you can avoid Geographical restrictions such as not being able to access Netflix from certain countries but also make it seem as if you are browsing the web from a different location.
The more high-speed servers available the better it will be for you because that means you can connect to many different ones when you travel the world and have higher speeds when connecting to servers that are closer to you.
This is great for streaming and playing games as you want to have the least latency possible.
Logging
Logging basically means that some VPN companies will collect your data as you browse the Internet. This is not good because it means that your information even though is encrypted will be available for access later down the track.
If a VPN company informs you that they will not log your browsing activity, this means that they erase everything you do while online.
Which means there are no files leftover on their servers after you complete your online session.
Always look for VPN Companies that provide “No Logging Policies” as this really improves your privacy significantly
Secure Firewall
Basically put if you are not connected via a VPN, you are unable to access the internet. In doing so protecting your whereabouts and IP information.
Luckily for you VPN services are mostly automatic and connect within seconds so you really will only lose a few seconds but otherwise will remain invisible online.
Unlimited Bandwidth, No Speed Loss
Quite simply, you are not restricted by how much you download and upload.
You wouldn’t want your protection to throttle your speed or stop working halfway while watching a movie just because you went over your internet cap. Always choose unlimited with no speed loss.
Which is the Best VPN for Windows and Mac
Below is a list of the Best VPN’s I have come across on the internet.
They all have a No Logging Policy, Many servers around the globe and unlimited bandwidth and speed.
The main difference between the VPN’s will be the price and how many devices you can use it on.
#1
I have been using Express VPN for years now and I find it to be very difficult to beat when it comes to performance. It’s fast, super secure and works in all countries in the world including China which is notoriously known for being VPN unfriendly.
It also works perfectly for most devices these days including Android, IOS, Mac, PC etc.
A downside to it is that it is more pricey than other VPN’s these days but that is kind of the only thing I can fault about it at this point.
Click the button to find out more
#2
This VPN is an up and coming one and because of it, you are going to get rewarded with amazing features but also really affordable pricing.
As of this moment, the price for UltraVPN is 60% OFF which is a lot more affordable than most other VPN services with this kind of features available.
If you are looking at getting it, now is the time, for an added bonus when on the checkout page, drag your cursor up to the top of a page and you are likely to get a pop up explaining to you that you can get 70% off. At that price, it would be crazy not to buy.
#3 NordVPN
If you have been watching YouTube there is a likely hood that you have been bombarded by huge amounts of sponsored videos by NordVPN.
It’s very hard to overlook it for sure but they are not just all talk, they actually have one of the best VPN products on the market.
With so many servers, it literally works everywhere around the world and has been recommended by many news networks.
Conclusion
There are plenty of amazing VPN services available these days on the web.
If it comes to protecting your privacy I would definitely look into these best VPN services that I have taken quite a lot of time to research for you.
If you require more information please feel free to contact me as I would be super happy to help.
What VPN services do you use? What do you think about it? Did I miss something? Let me know in the comments, and if you found this article useful please share it on.
- ExpressVPN
- UltraVPN
- NordVPN
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