One of the most important things you should do to protect your security and privacy online is use a VPN, especially when you're using an open Wi-Fi hotspot. Recent revelations of the NSA's mass surveillance program also underscore the importance of a VPN for keeping your data anonymous and prevent anyone from snooping on you. Here are a few of the top VPN services, which promise to take your data security and privacy serious--at a price and with the features you need. ~ July 22, 2014
I compiled this list from several sources, inlcuding Torrent Freak's excellent annual survey of VPN providers, VPN provider reviews from BestVPN, and other VPN review sites. The VPN services selected here are based on those that: don't log or monitor user traffic, offer unlimited bandwidth, were tested as having high speed connections, and have other privacy and much-requested features (such as acceptance of anonymous payment methods, like Bitcoin, and no censoring by type of traffic, such as from torrenting or filesharing sites). I shuffled through more than two dozen VPN providers, and these are the ones I'm most comfortable recommending.
You can read these providers' answers at the Torrent Freak link above. Below, you'll get an overview of these VPN providers and their costs.
Private Internet Access is the VPN I use. They don't log data about your traffic or session and don't hold (save) any of this data as well. They don't monitor your traffic and don't discriminate against any kind of traffic or IP addresses. In other words, it's exactly what you want and expect in a VPN provider. Private Internet Access has clients for Windows, Mac, and Android, (with support for other mobile and desktop OSes), so it's very simple to set up and use, and the pricing is very attractive as well.
Price: $39.95/year ($3.33/month) or $6.95 monthly for up to 5 devices connected at the same time. More »
Like the other VPNs on this list, TorGuard lets you browse and download anonymously from your computer or mobile device. It offers unlimited bandwidth, allows torrents, and has an easy setup for all OSes. Although it costs a bit more than Private Internet Access, there's a 100% server uptime guarantee. TorGuard has IP addresses in over 36 countries. There's also a 30 day money back guarantee if you just want to try it out.
Price: $9.99/month (quarterly, semi-annual, and annual plans also available) for up to 5 connected devices at a time. More »
NordVPN is the priciest of the three VPN providers here, but it does come with a few features you might need or want. First is NordVPN's guaranteed privacy and strict no-log policy (privacy is guaranteed because no information is kept at all--the servers run off of RAM, not hard drives). NordVPN offers shared IP addresses, so users can't be matched to their activity. They also use a "DoubleVPN" technology, which means that your data is encrypted twice (using double AES 256 encryption). And it offers Tor over VPN, for extra assurances of anonymity. The custom Windows software is user friendly, and iOS, Linux, and Android are also supported. You can use the VPN with your router to protect all the Internet-connected devices in your home.
Price: $11.90/month (other plans also available), for up to 2 connected devices at a time. More »
