These days, many people connect their laptops to public hotspots like those at the cafeteria and hotels. We feel great that we have access to this connection. However, it is not as safe as the one in your home. There’s no way you can be certain that this network is safe from hackers and the ISP is not seeing your information. So, what do you do?
Install a VPN on your laptop. A VPN prevents even the government from seeing the sites you visit by concealing your IP address. So, you can now enjoy geo-restricted services like Netflix, and play games you’ve been unable to enjoy before. It can be difficult choosing from hundreds of horrible VPNs available online, so we’ve done the work for you. Here are the 10 best VPN services for laptops.
1. NordVPN
NordVPN has one of the highest numbers of servers than any other VPN service. With over 5,800 servers in 60+ countries, its speed is unmatchable. This VPN will bypass any blocks in seconds, and you can start enjoying restricted services immediately. It uses military-grade security which includes the OpenVPN encryption, AES-256 bit encryption, PPTP tunneling protocols, and L2TP/IPSec. You also enjoy the no-logs policy, CyberSec security software, and automatic kill switch. NordVPN supports multiple services across various countries and will work on your other devices including those on Android and iOS software.
2. ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is one of our best VPN services for your laptops and PC. It is very easy to use and gives you a lot of features. Some of the security features you get with ExpressVPN include DNS leak protection, OpenVPN encryption, and a kill switch. Other features include port selection and auto-connect. One of the reasons we chose this service as #2 is its speed in bypassing geo-blocking and accessing multiple servers. ExpressVPN will protect your data both in public and at home, so you never have to worry about being blocked while using the service.
3. CyberGhost VPN
CyberGhost has over 5,700 servers in 90 countries, which is even more widespread than NordVPN. We chose this VPN service because of its great features and reasonable price. It uses 256-bit AES encryption, OpenVPN, an auto kill switch, and IP leak protection to keep your IP address secure. You also have an automatic malware and ad-blocking software installed with your VPN. With CyberGhost, you can connect up to 7 laptops at once. You can also access dedicated streaming profiles only meant for services like BBC iPlayer, Comedy Central, Eurosport, SkyGo, and ESPN.
4. PrivateVPN
Many people feel that PrivateVPN does not offer great features because it is a smaller service. However, when we tested it, we realized that this isn’t the case. With only 150+ servers across 80 locations, PrivateVPN still offers lightning speed connections which are great when using laptops. To keep your IP address secure, it has features like IPv6, DNS leak protection, and military-grade AES-256 encryption. All PrivateVPN servers support P2P activity, and you can use it on up to 6 devices at the same time. If you’re with your Android or IOS phones, you can still connect this VPN and enjoy streaming or playing games.
5. Surfshark
Surfshark is the best VPN service for people who have over 10 laptops and mobile devices to connect. If you want, you can even invite your entire family to use your VPN service. Apart from providing unlimited simultaneous connections, Surfshark also has over 1,041 servers across 61 countries. All these servers are super-fast and P2P friendly. Surfshark has various security features which include 256-bit AES encryption with split tunnelling, malware and ad-blocker, and a kill switch. You can use it to access services like ESPN, Amazon Prime Video, CBS, and Netflix among others.
6. Private Internet Access
Just like the name implies, Private Internet Access guarantees fantastic levels of privacy. This US-based VPN service makes sure that even when the government requests for data (IP addresses) of its users, there is absolutely nothing to give to them. It enforces a no-logs policy, which means you are safe. Some of its security features include a kill switch, OpenVPN encryption, DNS leak protection, and obfuscation. If your VPN accidentally goes out, the kill switch makes sure that your data can’t leak to your ISP. Apart from using it on your laptop, you can also use PIA on your mobile devices to access streaming and gaming services.
7. VyprVPN
VyprVPN will help you do anything you want. Whether you need to stay private when using outdoor hotspots, or you want to access restricted content or services, VyprVPN can do it all. Its parent firm Golden Frog has a standard network of servers which VsprVPN also uses. So, it provides super-fast services. You can stream your Ultra HD pictures without experiencing any lagging. To keep your data safe, VyprVPN uses a kill switch, DNS leak protection, and a feature called Chameleon which makes it very easy to get past servers in heavily guarded countries like Iran and China. Chameleon hides the fact that you’re using a VPN, making it seem that you’re naturally in the restricted location.
8. IPVanish
IPVanish has a lot of features, and you can use it to do various things including gaming, streaming, torrenting, and staying private in unsecured locations. IPVanish also has no logs policy, so your data is never stored in the database. Other security features it has, including OpenVPN encryption, SOCKS5 proxy, obfuscation, DNS leak protection, and a kill switch. With all these features and servers in over 70 countries, you can use IPVanish to do anything. Although this service isn’t as fast as some others on this list, it works pretty well. If you need extra help installing or using the service, the customer support is always available (but you can only connect with them via email in US daylight hours).
9. Ivacy
Ivacy is a Singapore VPN service that is both super affordable and efficient. Many people have praised it for providing so much value for money. It has servers in 50 countries and uses DNS leak protection, OpenVPN encryption, and a kill switch to keep you safe. It also allows you to easily download P2P via bit torrent with its NAT firewall bolting option with port forwarding. Ivacy easily unlocks restricted streaming services like BBC iPlayer and Netflix. Although it doesn’t have lightning speed, you would stream your HD pictures seamlessly.
10. ProtonVPN
ProtonVPN offers superb privacy features. Reddit users rave about its features, and it has become quite popular on the platform. This VPN is not only easy to use, but also has advanced features you may need. It uses OpenVPN encryption, DNS leak protection, Tor through VPN, a kill switch, and servers in over 50 countries to ensure that you have a smooth experience streaming, gaming, and surfing the net privately. It also has a free subscription plan that is a bit slower and uses fewer servers. You can either go for this or test it using the 30-day money-back guarantee to ensure it is the right service for you.