The Best VPN Services to use in 2021 | Top VPN Providers for all devices tested

The best VPNs will help keep your internet activity private and prevent websites and other organizations from tracking you as you surf the net. They are also widely used for unblocking streaming services not available in your country.

If you like the sound of these perks and benefits, read on to find out which VPN services are the best to use in 2021.

The Best VPN Services to use in 2021

These are the best 5 of the top VPN providers that we have tested this year:

1. 
   ExpressVPN
   
   – Our best VPN recommendation. It provides fast speeds and takes privacy seriously.
2. 
   NordVPN
   
   – The best VPN for unblocking all major streaming services.
3. 
   CyberGhost VPN
   
   – The best VPN for value. It has fantastic mobile apps for Android & iOS.
4. 
   Surfshark
   
   – The best cheap VPN. Don’t be fooled by the price, Surfshark is a premium VPN with a budget price tag.
5. 
   VyprVPN
   
   – A solid all-rounder with privacy & speed thanks to their proprietary server network.

Try our #1 VPN pick ExpressVPN Today!

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What is the best VPN service to use in 2021: Closer look

Compare the top providers in our best VPN list below. This is based on the 100+ VPNs tested by our experts:

The best VPN service in 2020: ExpressVPN is our #1 pick. This is a trustworthy and reliable service that is brimming with features for privacy, unblocking & streaming around the world.

• Pricing

  From 
  
  ^$6.67 –
  ^$12.95

• Available for

  • Windows
  • macOS
  • iOS
  • Android
  • Linux

• Speeds

  • 53.44 Mbps

• Unblocks

  • Netflix
  • iPlayer
  • Amazon Prime
  • Hulu

• Server locations

  • 94 countries

ExpressVPN is a service based in the British Virgin Islands that has consistently proven to be one of the best VPNs in the world – year after year. It is a service with efficient and easy-to-use software, a no-logs policy, fantastic round-the-clock customer service, advanced apps for all platforms, excellent setup guides, and servers in 94 countries.

It doesn’t matter where you live – ExpressVPN will protect you from ISP and government snooping, and grant you the freedom to do whatever you want online, without the fear of being monitored. ExpressVPN also keeps you secure when using public WiFi networks as well as your home internet. Additionally, if you’re looking to unblock restricted content in school or at work – this VPN is ideal. 

This VPN is also consistently one of the fastest VPN providers in the world (we test them all, 3 times a day, using a proprietary server-based speed test system). This makes it perfect for streaming content in HD and for torrenting. And this VPN has proven to unblock popular streaming services like Netflix, iPlayer, HBO, Hulu, and many others from all over the world.

ExpressVPN has even been audited by PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC) to check its service, and it was found to adhere to its no-logs claims. This makes Express a service that can be trusted wholly. And because it has obfuscation, this VPN is suitable for use in places where authoritative government censorship dictates what people can or can’t access on the internet. Plus, it has a kill-switch, DNS leak protection, and split tunneling to ensure that it is highly versatile, useful, and super-secure. On top of that, ExpressVPN has recently introduced its own proprietary ‘Lightway’ VPN protocol that promises to be faster, more secure, and more reliable than other VPN protocols available today.

You can try ExpressVPN today risk-free with a 30-day, no-quibble, money-back guarantee.

NordVPN is the best VPN pick for Mac users. This service implements IKEv2 to a high standard on Mac which is polished and passed all our leak tests.

• Pricing

  From 
  
  ^$3.71 –
  ^$11.95

• Available for

  • Windows
  • macOS
  • iOS
  • Android
  • Linux

• Speeds

  • 83.40 Mbps

• Unblocks

  • Netflix
  • iPlayer
  • Amazon Prime
  • Hulu

• Server locations

  • 59 countries

NordVPN makes it onto our list of the best VPN services because it combines great performance, a strong focus on privacy, and a raft of useful bells and whistles. This service also won our best overall VPN service at our Las Vegas awards ceremony a couple of years back, and with good reason. And that’s before we factor in its bargain-basement prices if you purchase a longer subscription plan!

NordVPN keeps no logs and is based in Panama, which is outside the NSA-led Five Eyes’ direct sphere of influence. It is very effective at unblocking BBC iPlayer and US Netflix, and as a backup, offers a full Smart DNS service to all users. Allowing up to 6 devices to connect at once is generous, while a 30-day money-back guarantee provides peace of mind. 

Xor obfuscation makes NordVPN effective at combatting VPN censorship, while features such as double-hop VPN and Tor over VPN bolstered its privacy credentials. CyberSec is a new feature that blocks DNS requests based on a real-time blocklist of harmful websites that may host malware. As such, it should shield you against malware, help prevent botnet control, and block many intrusive web ads.

NordVPN offers two Mac clients, which is slightly confusing. The older OpenVPN client is more fully-featured, but we detected a WebRTC leak when using it. We detected no such problem with the newer IKEv2 client, but it is somewhat lacking in features. 

CyberGhost is the best VPN if you’re looking for value. This VPN is competitively priced and offers a generous 45-day money-back guarantee to test it out. Why not give it a go today?

• Pricing

  From 
  
  ^$2.81 –
  ^$13.47

• Available for

  • Windows
  • macOS
  • iOS
  • Android
  • Linux

• Speeds

  • 33.21 Mbps

• Unblocks

  • Netflix
  • iPlayer
  • Amazon Prime
  • Hulu

• Server locations

  • 112 countries

CyberGhost VPN is a well-established VPN provider with an incredible reputation. It is a no-logs service based in Romania; a superb location for privacy thanks to its lack of mandatory data retention directives. Plus, this VPN had its software developed in Germany – a country that is known to have some of the best developers in the world. 

CyberGhost VPN has all the advanced features you need to gain privacy both at home and on public WiFi, and it is incredibly easy to use. Military-grade OpenVPN encryption ensures that you will always be able to conceal your traffic from your ISP and the government. And the kill-switch feature means that this VPN is perfect for torrenting and engaging in other sensitive online tasks. In addition, this VPN has obfuscation – which makes it an excellent option for people living in places where VPN use is blocked.

CyberGhost is the only VPN to promise its users access to Netflix US using its ‘streaming optimized servers’. It also gives users the ability to unblock other popular streaming services like iPlayer, Hulu, and Prime Video. And users can connect up to seven devices at the same time. CyberGhost offers 24/7 live chat support if you need it, and you can test the service yourself thanks to its 45-day money-back guarantee. It’s a superb all-rounder that is a great value for money on the longer subscription periods. 

Surfshark is the cheapest option on our Best VPN list. Despite being a new service, it has quickly made a name for itself by offering excellent speeds and unblocking capabilities for a low price.

• Pricing

  From 
  
  ^$2.21 –
  ^$12.95

• Available for

  • Windows
  • macOS
  • iOS
  • Android
  • Linux

• Speeds

  • 60.16 Mbps

• Unblocks

  • Netflix
  • iPlayer
  • Amazon Prime
  • Hulu

• Server locations

  • 63 countries

Surfshark is one of the younger VPNs on our list, but the provider has made a huge splash in a short amount of time, taking the market by storm with blazing-fast speeds, excellent security, awesome features, and a whopping 3,200 servers across 65 countries.

As is to be expected from today’s top VPN providers, Surfshark offers a 30-day money-back guarantee and 24/7 live chat support. What is unusual, however, is that it allows you to connect as many devices as you want to the service at the same time!

Throw in split tunneling so you can choose which apps routes through the VPN and which don’t, a full Smart DNS service, and the fact that Surfshark unlocked every streaming service we threw at it, and you can see why it won our coveted Newcomer Award.

Surfshark is registered in the British Virgin Islands and easily meets our requirements for a no-logs VPN. Technical security is also top-notch, and we appreciate the wealth of extra privacy and security features on offer. These include double-hop VPN, and DNS-based ad blocking, and malware protection. 

Surfshark tells us it uses obfuscation “as default with all servers,”. Unusually, Surfshark’s iOS VPN app features a kill-switch, as do its Windows and macOS clients. Its macOS VPN client is, however, otherwise a little light on features. 

VyprVPN is the most well-rounded VPN on our list. VyprVPN does everything and does it well. It has a proven no logs policy, excellent privacy features and unblocks most services.

• Pricing

  From 
  
  ^$1.66 –
  ^$12.95

• Available for

  • Windows
  • macOS
  • iOS
  • Android
  • Linux

• Speeds

  • 30.27 Mbps

• Unblocks

  • Netflix
  • iPlayer
  • Amazon Prime
  • Hulu

• Server locations

  • 70 countries

VyprVPN has always been known for the high technical quality of its service, aided by the fact that it owns and manages its entire CDN network. It has now addressed concerns over its privacy credentials by moving to Switzerland and going 100% no-logs.

Indeed, VyprVPN was the first (and still one of very few) services to have its no-logs claims verified by a respected independent third-party auditor. So kudos for that indeed.

VyprVPN now allows torrenting on its network, which operates servers in over 70 countries, and allows up to five simultaneous connections. Finally, VyprVPN provides a generous 30-day money-back guarantee, which means you can test the service risk-free.

Private Internet Access is often claimed to be the best VPN by Redditors and it’s hard to argue with that. It has proven its no logs claims in court and its encryption and privacy features are first rate.

• Pricing

  From 
  
  ^$2.84 –
  ^$11.00

• Available for

  • Windows
  • macOS
  • iOS
  • Android
  • Linux

• Speeds

  • 31.76 Mbps

• Unblocks

  • Netflix
  • iPlayer
  • Amazon Prime
  • Hulu

• Server locations

  • 74 countries

Private Internet Access (PIA) has long been a consistent favorite with members of Reddit’s privacy forums. We do not consider the United States to be an ideal location for a VPN provider to be based, but it has no mandatory data retention laws, allowing PIA to be a genuine no-logs VPN service.

The encryption used by Private Internet Access is first-rate, and we have never detected any IP leaks when testing the service. P2P is allowed on all servers, and torrent enthusiasts will appreciate the fact that PIA supports port forwarding through its NAT firewall. 

A 30-day money-back guarantee provides peace of mind, while an allowed five simultaneous connections should be enough for even demanding users. Oh, and it’s quite easy on your pocket too. 

IPVanish a top VPN pick at a great price point. We found IPVanish easy to use, with a wealth of servers to pick from for unblocking streaming sites.

• Pricing

  From 
  
  ^$6.49 –
  ^$10.00

• Available for

  • Windows
  • macOS
  • iOS
  • Android
  • Linux

• Speeds

  • 45.84 Mbps

• Unblocks

  • Netflix
  • Amazon Prime
  • Hulu

• Server locations

  • 75 countries

IPVanish is a superb US-based VPN that is known to provide a very well-rounded service. Despite being based in the US, which is admittedly not always considered the best place for a privacy-based service to be based, IPVanish makes up for this by ensuring it runs a completely no-logs service. This means that once a session ends, there is never any record of what its users do while connected. 

As a result, even if US Authorities did come knocking at its door, there should be no sensitive information to hand over, anyway. In addition, this is a service that implements strong OpenVPN encryption, and one that has exceptional VPN security and privacy features such as DNS leak protection, OpenVPN encryption, a Kill-switch, and XOR obfuscated servers for concealing VPN use when necessary. Granted, IPVanish is not the cheapest VPN on the market. However, considering the large choice of servers it provides and the excellent apps it has for all platforms – it cannot be considered expensive when taking into account everything you get with your subscription. 

And anybody who wants to test the service can do so risk-free thanks to this provider’s 30-day money-back guarantee. Where unblocking is concerned IPVanish has servers in over 74 countries, and those servers provide access to popular services such as BBC iPlayer and Netflix US. Overall this is a great VPN service that allows unlimited simultaneous connections. And because it has live chat support, you can always ask questions if needed.

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How does a VPN work?

A VPN is a piece of software or application that allows you to connect your PC, Mac, mobile device, or router to a VPN server via an encrypted tunnel. When you use a VPN, you will benefit from the following advantages:

• No one on the internet (including the websites you visit or your torrent peers) will be able to see who you are or determine your ISP, as their “view” back to you will be obstructed by the VPN server.
• Your ISP will not be able to see what you get up to on the internet because its “view” is similarly obstructed by the VPN server.
• Your ISP will not be able to snoop on your data, as it has been encrypted between your device and the VPN server, too.
• VPN servers are located all over the world, which is great for evading censorship or pretending to be somewhere else to unblock geo-restricted content.

A VPN can be installed on a whole range of different devices. Depending on which device you use, you can find tailored information with some of our other guides, including:

How do we pick the Best VPNs to use?

There are hundreds of consumer-facing VPNs on the market – a fact you’ll know full well if you’ve already begun your search for a VPN! This massive selection, along with the fact that each and every provider claims to be the best VPN in the world, makes it difficult to decide on a service. In reality, the majority of VPN services on the market today are pure junk – to put it bluntly.

Luckily for you, our experts have devised a series of tests that allows us to check each VPN service carefully to determine which ones are actually the best. Below we have detailed all the factors we looked at to curate this list of the best VPNs in the world. 

• Security features – We look at what encryption the VPN uses, how well the service implements it, and if it has any additional features to complement user privacy, such as a kill-switch or obfuscation (cloaking).
• Attitude to privacy – We prefer VPN providers who take privacy seriously. As such, we look for strong no-logs policies and which jurisdiction the VPN operates from.
• No leaks – A VPN that leaks your information when you’re using it is next to useless, so we use our own in-house VPN leak testing tool to make sure the VPN is watertight.
• Device compatibility – People surf the web on all sorts of different devices, from Mac and PCs to smartphones and other mobile devices. So, we make sure our recommendations support all major devices and that they are easy to use across various platforms.
• Server speeds and locations – If you are a gamer or avid streamer, a VPN with fast servers situated all over the world is essential to give you the best experience.
• Unblocking power –Unblocking services like US Netflix is something of an art-form for VPNs and not every one of them is up to the task. We test VPNs with all major streaming services and let you know which ones they work with.
• Torrenting (P2P) policies – Not every VPN allows torrenting on its servers. We check if a VPN is suitable to be used when torrenting.
• Value for money – We’ll make sure you don’t get ripped off. There are some expensive VPNs that are rubbish, but equally some cheaper VPN services that are really impressive.

Why do I need a VPN service?

There are countless reasons to invest in a VPN. Below, we run through some of the most important benefits that you can gain from a VPN subscription.

The benefits of using a VPN service

For just a few dollars a month, you’ll receive the following benefits from your VPN:

Privacy from your ISP or government

A VPN encrypts your internet data and proxies your DNS requests, this leaves your ISP completely unable to track what you are doing online. If your ISP can’t track your web history, the government also won’t be able to get its hands on that information. This makes a VPN an extremely effective tool for preventing government surveillance. 

Want to learn more? We take a closer look at website and government surveillance in our ultimate online privacy guide.

Privacy when visiting websites

Websites can see your real IP address when you visit them. If you’re using a VPN, however, they just see the IP of the VPN server, not your true IP address. You should, however, combine the use of a VPN with browser add-ons which prevent website trackers for maximum privacy.

Evading censorship

Governments all over the world force ISPs to blacklist certain websites. In China, the list of websites and services that are blocked is huge. China is by far the clearest example of online mass censorship, to find out how you can get around Chinese content blocks, check out our best VPNs for China guide.

Regardless of where you live, a VPN is the perfect tool for unblocking any restricted content. With one, you’ll be able to pretend to be in a different country, and thereby bypass any local censorship.

Unblocking streaming services

Many online streaming services are geo-restricted to prevent people in other countries from watching them. This is done to protect licensing agreements arranged between those broadcasters and copyright holders. When you use a VPN, though, you can pretend to be in a different country to bypass those restrictions. Netflix US, UK, and Canada, for example, have much larger and more sought-after libraries of titles than elsewhere around the globe. With a VPN, you can access US Netflix (and other services like BBC iPlayer) and watch from virtually anywhere in the world! 

If you’re looking to unblock a specific streaming service that is blocked where you are, you can find more tailored advice on our dedicated pages, including:

Staying secure on WiFi hotspots

It is possible for hackers, or the companies who run WiFi networks, to access user data when they are browsing on a public network. Using a VPN encrypts all the data between your device and the VPN server, protecting you from anyone looking at or intercepting your data via public WiFi. More information on this topic can be found in our VPNs for public WiFi guide.

Torrenting in safety

In order to share torrent files, other torrent users need to know your IP address. Unfortunately, it’s not just other torrenters who can see your IP. In order to torrent without the very real risk of getting caught you should use a VPN religiously. We recommend checking out our best VPNs for torrenting guide for an in-depth look at what you should consider before you torrent anything.

Are VPNs legal?

VPNs are legal just about everywhere in the world. Even in the countries where VPN aren’t easily accessible, the VPNs are blocked by ISPs in order to prevent people from using them. The important distinction to remember is that while using a VPN is not illegal, what you do while using one can be. It’s best to check the law where you live in order to be completely sure that you understand the specifics for your country.

We take a more in-depth look at the legality of VPNs in our are VPNs legal? guide.

VPN providers you should avoid!

Below we list the VPN providers that you should definitely avoid at all costs. For more information on these or any other VPN providers, you may come across, check out our VPN reviews hub.

*according to the privacy policy

What goes into the best VPN software?

What is important to keep in mind is that not all VPNs have been created equally. The very best VPN services offer advanced features and provide the highest possible levels of online privacy and security. Below, we’ve drawn up a list of the core VPN features a service must have in order to be considered reliable:

Features that top VPNs offer

As mentioned above, we consider effective IP leak protection and a kill-switch to be a given for any decent VPN service. The best and most reputable VPNs on the market also offer the following must-have features:

No-logs policies

What a VPN provider does with user data has a massive impact on whether that VPN is secure. A no-logs policy provides ‘privacy by design’. This kind of policy ensures that the VPN provider stores no records of what its users do while connected.

If the VPN never has any record of what its users do, it is impossible for that VPN to comply with a government warrant for data. As a result, it doesn’t matter who approaches the VPN with a data request, there is simply nothing available to pass to them. For more information on privacy by design and VPNs, please check out best No Logs VPNs.

Strong encryption

IP leaks are probably a bigger danger to your privacy when using a VPN than the risk of someone trying to break the encryption used to protect your data. But as we just said, a good tool is good by design, so a good VPN uses strong encryption.

Speed

The physical distance between you and the VPN server you are connecting to will always be the biggest factor determining how fast your VPN connection is, but even taking this into account, some VPNs are faster than others. Check out a daily VPN speed tests for more information.

Smart DNS

Smart DNS is an alternative technology to a VPN, one that is used exclusively to spoof your location. It provides none of the privacy and security benefits of a VPN and is therefore only really useful for unblocking streaming services. That said, however, it does offer some advantages over using a VPN:

• It’s faster because no encryption/decryption is required, which means that buffering issues are less likely.
• Almost every internet-capable device can be configured to use Smart DNS, including many devices such as games consoles and smart TVs which cannot run a VPN client.
• Services which block VPNs can often (but not always) be accessed by Smart DNS instead. Stand-alone Smart DNS services are often comparable with the cost of a VPN service, but a number of top-tier VPN services throw in a Smart DNS service as an extra feature included in the cost of the VPN subscription.

Obfuscation technology

Some governments use packet inspection and a simple firewall to block VPN-encrypted traffic. This allows repressive governments to cut people’s internet if they are found to be attempting to conceal what they do online.

Most VPNs allow you to route OpenVPN connections over TCP port 443 in order to simulate regular HTTPS traffic. This can be effective but does not work against determined efforts to block VPN use. Some providers go the extra mile by providing more advanced ways to defeat VPN censorship. Please see How to bypass VPN blocks for more information on this subject.

Unblock Netflix

Streaming services such as Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Crunchyroll, and more try to block VPN users. Unless a VPN service takes special measures to evade such blocks, it is unlikely you will be able to use it to access these types of streaming services.

Fortunately, a number of top VPNs specialize in unblocking these and other streaming platforms. If you are looking to unblock a specific TV show or movie, but you aren’t sure what Netflix library it is in check out our StreamCatcher tool. Simply search for whatever you want to watch to find out what VPN server you need to connect to in order to unblock it.

Additional stuff

Many VPN services offer additional features such as double-hop VPN, DNS filtering, built-in malware protection, and more. We are a little ambivalent about many of these, although they can undoubtedly be useful to some users.

When considering extra bells and whistles, be sure they are useful to you before allowing them to affect your purchasing decision.

FAQs

Conclusion

This article should provide you with lots of food for thought. But as we have already said, there is no reason to panic if it seems a bit too much. All the VPNs in our top 7 list are good services, so you can’t really go wrong. With that said, let’s review our top picks:

1. 
   ExpressVPN
   
   – Our best VPN recommendation. It provides fast speeds and takes privacy seriously.
2. 
   NordVPN
   
   – The best VPN for unblocking all major streaming services.
3. 
   CyberGhost VPN
   
   – The best VPN for value. It has fantastic mobile apps for Android & iOS.
4. 
   Surfshark
   
   – The best cheap VPN. Don’t be fooled by the price, Surfshark is a premium VPN with a budget price tag.
5. 
   VyprVPN
   
   – A solid all-rounder with privacy & speed thanks to their proprietary server network.