A virtual private network (VPN) is a tool that allows you to browse anonymously without worrying about internet service providers (ISPs) or government surveillance. It encrypts the connection, preventing prying eyes from being able to see what you’re doing, ensuring complete privacy. VPNs also disguise your IP addresses, allowing you to spoof your location. This permits you to access geo-blocked content, such as streaming services and websites that are blocked at their location.
VPNs have many uses but they’re not always needed. But if you have decided that you need a VPN, you need to do extensive research before making a decision. Keep in mind that there are many deceptive VPNs in 2023 that will do the opposite of protecting your privacy so research needs to be done responsibly.
What to consider when choosing a VPN in 2023
What you need to look for in a VPN depends on how you’re planning to use it. But all known VPNs like NordVPN, Surfshark, ExpressVPN, etc., protect your privacy, allow you to browse anonymously, shield you from prying eyes, and unlock streaming services and other geo-blocked content. Most trustworthy VPNs have the same security levels and features, so it often comes down to price and design.
But generally, when choosing a VPN, it’s important to consider how many servers the VPN has, whether it keeps logs, has a kill switch, unblocks streaming services, and its privacy policy. Many VPNs are audited by third parties to ensure that they actually protect users’ privacy, so it’s always best to choose one that’s been audited. Otherwise, you can’t really be sure that no logs of your browsing activities are being kept.
It’s also worth mentioning that free VPNs are often quite questionable. You need to be very careful with them if you care to protect your privacy. If your main concern is your ISP seeing what you do on the Internet, a free VPN is perhaps not the best option. It’s not uncommon for free VPNs to keep logs of users’ browsing and later sell the information. That’s how many free VPNs make a profit while offering services for free. If you’re looking to use a VPN for free, you’re better off taking advantage of premium VPN free trials. Some even offer limited free versions.
All VPNs in this list are reliable so you are safe to choose any of them. In the end, it all comes down to your preference.
Best VPNs to use in 2023
NordVPN
- Operating systems: Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, and Android TV.
- Number of devices: 6.
- Price: from $3.29/month to $13.99/month.
- Servers: 5,525 servers in 59 countries.
- Free trial: No, but a 30-day money-back guarantee is available.
- 24/7 customer support: Yes.
- Features
NordVPN allows connections to over 5,500 servers in 59 countries. That’s an impressive amount of servers compared to other VPNs, which is one of the reasons why NordVPN is such a great VPN. It offers 6 simultaneous connections, though a router counts as one connection. Its no-logs policy has been audited by a third party so you can be sure that no information is collected while you’re using the VPN. NordVPN also has great speeds so you should be able to enjoy a smooth browsing experience. Its kill switch feature will prevent your data from leaking in case the connection to the VPN is dropped. This is particularly important for users who are using a VPN to conceal their browsing activities from ISPs and government surveillance.
NordVPN also unlocks streaming services, if you’re planning on using a VPN for that. It should be able to unlock Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, and others. It also suggests servers depending on what you need. If you want to unlock a geo-locked library of a streaming service, NordVP will suggest the best option.
What’s great about NordVPN is that it also has extra features that come with no extra price. It also has a malware protection feature that should detect malicious files, block malicious sites from loading, as well as block ads and trackers. But while it does work as an adblocker, it doesn’t always detect malicious sites. Other NordVPN features include a password manager, data breach scanners, as well as 1TB of cloud storage, though they’re part of the more expensive subscription plans.
- Interface
If you’re looking for an easy-to-use VPN that doesn’t require extensive knowledge to operate, NordVPN should be a great choice. It has a very user-friendly interface and an eye-pleasing design.
- Price
How much NordVPN costs depends on what features you want. It’s not the cheapest VPN, especially when paying on a monthly basis, but the available discounts make it much more affordable. The discounts are also always available. So even if you miss the discounts we talk about in this report, there will be others by the time you visit the official website.
As we already mentioned, NordVPN has other features in addition to the VPN. The malware protection feature, as well as the adblocker, are both included in all subscription plans. The password manager, data breach scanner, and 1TB of encrypted cloud storage are part of the more expensive plans. The NordVPN Standard plan is $11.99/month, $59.88/year ($4.99/month) with a 39% discount, or $78.96/two years (3.29/month) with a 60% discount. The plan includes access to the VPN, malware protection, and an adblocker. If you need a password manager, and a data breach scanner, in addition to the VPN, the NordVPN Plus plan may be the best option. The current prices are $12.69/month, $68.28/year ($5.69/month) with a 46% discount, or $126.96/2 years (5.29/month) with a 62% discount. If you also need 1TB of cloud storage, NordVPN Complete may be for you. It’s more on the expensive side but if you’re paying for cloud storage separately, it may be cheaper to just get NordVPN Complete. The plan costs $13.99/month, $83.88/year ($6.99/month) with a 57% discount, or $126.96/2 years (5.29/month) with a 68% discount.
If you’re planning to use a VPN for a long time, the deals NordVPN offers for its long-term plans are great. And not only do you get a VPN but also additional features. Though it’s worth mentioning that in most cases, the discounts are only applied for the first purchase. When the subscription renews, the full price would likely be charged. It should also be said that subscriptions renew automatically. If you do not want to use the program after your subscription period ends, you need to cancel before it renews to not be charged. There’s also a 30-day money-back guarantee if you’re not satisfied with the program or just do not wish to use it beyond the 30-day period.
Surfshark
- Operating systems: Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, FireTV, AppleTV, etc.
- Number of devices: Unlimited.
- Price: $2.49/month to $12.95/month.
- Servers: over 3,000 servers in 100+ locations.
- Free trial: Yes. A 30-day money-back guarantee is also available.
- 24/7 customer support: Yes.
- Features
Surfshark allows users to connect to over 3,000 servers in 65+ countries (100+ locations). Like any good VPN, Surfshark has a strict no-logs policy, which means it shouldn’t track you while you’re browsing. And if your connection gets dropped for some reason, the kill switch feature will prevent your data from leaking. Your browsing data will be encrypted, preventing someone from spying on you, as well as hiding your browsing activities from your ISP.
While users used to complain about Surfshark’s speeds in the past, this has improved quite significantly. You should be able to enjoy great speeds with Surfshark and have a smooth experience. One great thing about Surfshark is that it allows an unlimited number of simultaneous connections. This is quite rare because most VPNs allow up to 6-7.
Surfshark works to unblock streaming services so it’s a good choice if you want to access Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, Disney+, etc. You may need to test a few servers but it should work in most cases.
- Interface
Surfshark shouldn’t be too complicated to use because the interface is fairly straightforward. If you’re completely unfamiliar with VPNs, it may seem a bit complicated but once you get the hang of it, it’s easy. If you have trouble, there are detailed guides available on the official website.
- Price
Surfshark usually offers many great discounts so it’s overall a pretty inexpensive program. The problem is that the discounts are only applied to the 12-month and 24-month subscription plans, and they require you to pay the whole sum in one payment. If you do not want to commit long-term, Surfshark can be quite expensive. It currently costs $12.95/month. The 12-month plan currently has a 69% discount so the price is $47.88/year ($3.99/month). The 24-month plan is $59.76/2 years ($2.49/month) because of the 81% discount. There’s also a 7-day free trial for those using Surfhark on Android, iOS, and macOS, as well as a 30-day money-back guarantee for all users.
We suggest you double-check but it’s likely that the discounts are applied to the initial purchase only. And subscriptions are renewed automatically so if you no longer want to use the program, you need to cancel the subscription before you’re charged again.
ExpressVPN
- Operating systems: Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS.
- Number of devices: 5.
- Price: $8.32/month to $12.95/month.
- Servers: 3,000+ servers in 94 countries.
- Free trial: No. But a 30-day money-back guarantee is available.
- 24/7 customer support: Yes.
- Features
ExpressVPN allows users to connect to over 3,000 servers in 94 countries. As expected, it has a strict no-logs policy, which means your browsing data will not be collected and sold. It has strong encryption, a kill switch, and a clear privacy policy, which make ExpressVPN a great option. Even in its early days, ExpressVPN has always been exceptionally fast so it’s a good choice for those who value speed above all else.
Like all VPNs on this list, ExpressVPN also unlocks streaming services. During testing, we could easily find servers that worked with Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Videos, etc.
- Interface
ExpressVPN has a pretty standard interface, which is certainly not a bad thing. It’s user-friendly and not overly complicated, which means even less tech-savvy users should have no trouble using it.
- Price
Like many VPNs, ExpressVPN can be pretty expensive. But it usually offers pretty great discounts, which makes it a more affordable program. But, unfortunately, the discounts are only applied to the long-term plans, and only once. But if you’re planning on using the program for at least a year, it may be worth getting the 12-month plan. Though compared to other VPNs, it’s still rather expensive.
All subscription plans include the same features. ExpressVPN costs $12.95/month if you pay every month. The 6-month subscription plan costs $59.95/6 months ($9.99/month) because of the 35% discount. The 12-month plan currently has a 35% discount and costs $99.95/year ($8.32/month).
We suggest you double-check but it’s likely that the discounts are applied to the initial purchase only. And subscriptions are renewed automatically so if you no longer want to use the program, you need to cancel the subscription before you’re charged again.
CyberGhost
- Operating systems: Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Android TV, Amazon FireTv.
- Number of devices: 7.
- Price: $2.29/month to $12.99/month.
- Servers: 9,000+ servers in 91 countries.
- Free trial: Yes. A 45-day money-back guarantee is also available.
- 24/7 customer support: Yes.
- Features
Cyberghost has over 9,000 servers in 90+ countries, which is quite a large number. It encrypts your browsing data, prevents it from leaking in case the connection gets dropped, and does not keep logs of any browsing activities. You can also customize it to some extent and set up automatic connections to certain servers when you open an app. As an example, you can customize Cyberghost to connect to a specific US server when you open Netflix.
If you want a VPN to access geo-blocked streaming services and their libraries, Cyberghost is a great choice. Many of its servers bypass geo-blocking so finding a server is easy. You should be able to access Netflix, Amazon Prime Videos, Disney+, and BBC iPlayer with no issues.
- Interface
Cyberghost has a good, user-friendly interface and is pretty easy to use. If you have trouble setting it up, the official website has detailed instructions.
- Price
CyberGhost is one of the cheapest VPNs available, provided you’re planning on using it for a long time. If you do not want to pay the whole sum in advance and wish to stick to monthly payments, CyberGhost costs $12.99/month. The long-term plans usually have great discounts available so the program is much more affordable. The 12-month subscription plan is currently $51.48/year ($4.29/month), while the 24-month plan is $78/24 months ($3.25/month). There is an 82% discount for the 3-year plan, so for $89.31, you get 3 years plus 3 months of CyberGhost VPN usage. If you want to test out the program, there is a free trial available, as well as a 45-day money-back guarantee.
ProtonVPN
- Operating systems: Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS.
- Number of devices: 10.
- Price: $4.99/month to $9.99/month.
- Servers: 1,700 servers in 60+ countries.
- Free trial: Yes, 7-day free trial is available, a free limited version, as well as a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- 24/7 customer support: Yes.
- Features
ProtonVPN allows users to connect to over 1,700+ servers in 60+ countries. While the number of servers is rather small compared to other VPNs, it has quite impressive speeds. It encrypts your browsing data and prevents it from leaking in case the connection gets dropped. It also has a strict no-logs policy, which means you can browse completely anonymously.
It should also have no issue unblocking streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+.
- Interface
ProtonVPN’s design is one of our favorites. The dark design makes the program look modern and eye-pleasing. The interface is also very user-friendly and not overly cluttered. Usage is pretty straightforward so users should have very little trouble with it.
- Price
Like the majority of VPNs on this list, ProtonVPN’s subscription plans all offer the same features. If you want to pay every month, the price is $9.99/month, which, while expensive, is still cheaper than most VPNs’ monthly plans. The other plans have great discounts and ultimately, it’s cheaper to buy a long-term subscription. The 12-month plan costs $71.88/year ($5.99/month) because of the 40% discount. The 24-month plan has a 50% discount and costs $119.76/two years ($4.99/month). We suggest you double-check but it’s likely that the discounts are applied to the initial purchase only. And subscriptions are renewed automatically so if you no longer want to use the program, you need to cancel the subscription before you’re charged again.
ProtonVPN is one of the very few reliable VPNs with a free version. The free version allows users to connect one device to 100+ servers in 3 countries (US, Netherlands, and Japan). Usage is not limited, though speed is pretty average compared to the premium version. Like its premium version, free ProtonVPN has a strict no-logs policy. Many free VPNs do keep logs of users’ browsing, which defeats the purpose of a VPN, so it’s commendable that ProtonVPN neither collects nor sells the data. ProtonVPN also has a 7-day free trial, as well as a 30-day money-back guarantee.