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VPN software

In today's digital age, online privacy has become increasingly important. VPN software has become necessary for safeguarding online activity, whether for personal or business use.

See also:

• What to look for

• FAQs

• Jargon explained


VPN software comparison chart for 2024

Rank 1 2 3 4 5
NordVPN
CyberGhost
ExpressVPN
Surfshark VPN
TunnelBear
Excellent
Five stars means excellent
Very good
Four stars means very good
Good
Three stars means good
Average
Two stars means average /
Poor
One star means poor
NordVPN has been awarded best buy Product image of nordvpn Product image of cyberghost Product image of expressvpn Product image of surfshark vpn Product image of tunnelbear
 
 
Ratings
Overall
nordvpn has a rating of five  overall cyberghost has a rating of five  overall expressvpn has a rating of three  overall surfshark vpn has a rating of four  overall tunnelbear has a rating of three  overall
Setup
nordvpn has a rating of five for setup cyberghost has a rating of five for setup expressvpn has a rating of three for setup surfshark vpn has a rating of five for setup tunnelbear has a rating of four for setup
Help & Support
nordvpn has a rating of five for help & support cyberghost has a rating of four for help & support expressvpn has a rating of three for help & support surfshark vpn has a rating of four for help & support tunnelbear has a rating of three for help & support
Connections
No. of countries
94
No. of servers
Number of connections
Multi hop
nordvpn  multi hop cyberghost  multi hop expressvpn  multi hop surfshark vpn  multi hop tunnelbear  multi hop
AES-256 encryption
nordvpn  aes-256 encryption cyberghost  aes-256 encryption expressvpn  aes-256 encryption surfshark vpn  aes-256 encryption tunnelbear  aes-256 encryption
Split tunneling
nordvpn  split tunneling cyberghost  split tunneling expressvpn  split tunneling surfshark vpn  split tunneling tunnelbear  split tunneling
HQ locations
1 1 1 1 1
Features
Kill switch
nordvpn  kill switch cyberghost  kill switch expressvpn  kill switch surfshark vpn  kill switch tunnelbear  kill switch
Dark web monitoring
nordvpn  dark web monitoring cyberghost  dark web monitoring expressvpn  dark web monitoring surfshark vpn  dark web monitoring tunnelbear  dark web monitoring
No activity logs policy
nordvpn  no activity logs policy cyberghost  no activity logs policy expressvpn  no activity logs policy surfshark vpn  no activity logs policy tunnelbear  no activity logs policy
Ad blocker
nordvpn  ad blocker cyberghost  ad blocker expressvpn  ad blocker surfshark vpn  ad blocker tunnelbear  ad blocker
Tracker blocker
nordvpn  tracker blocker cyberghost  tracker blocker expressvpn  tracker blocker surfshark vpn  tracker blocker tunnelbear  tracker blocker
Malware scanner
nordvpn  malware scanner cyberghost  malware scanner expressvpn  malware scanner surfshark vpn  malware scanner tunnelbear  malware scanner
Password manager
nordvpn  password manager cyberghost  password manager expressvpn  password manager surfshark vpn  password manager tunnelbear  password manager
Protocols
IKEv2
nordvpn  ikev2 cyberghost  ikev2 expressvpn  ikev2 surfshark vpn  ikev2 tunnelbear  ikev2
Lightway
nordvpn  lightway cyberghost  lightway expressvpn  lightway surfshark vpn  lightway tunnelbear  lightway
L2TP / IPsec
nordvpn  l2tp / ipsec cyberghost  l2tp / ipsec expressvpn  l2tp / ipsec surfshark vpn  l2tp / ipsec tunnelbear  l2tp / ipsec
OpenVPN
nordvpn  openvpn cyberghost  openvpn expressvpn  openvpn surfshark vpn  openvpn tunnelbear  openvpn
PPTP
nordvpn  pptp cyberghost  pptp expressvpn  pptp surfshark vpn  pptp tunnelbear  pptp
WireGuard
nordvpn  wireguard cyberghost  wireguard expressvpn  wireguard surfshark vpn  wireguard tunnelbear  wireguard
Browser extensions
Google Chrome
nordvpn  google chrome cyberghost  google chrome expressvpn  google chrome surfshark vpn  google chrome tunnelbear  google chrome
Microsoft Edge
nordvpn  microsoft edge cyberghost  microsoft edge expressvpn  microsoft edge surfshark vpn  microsoft edge tunnelbear  microsoft edge
Firefox
nordvpn  firefox cyberghost  firefox expressvpn  firefox surfshark vpn  firefox tunnelbear  firefox
Brave
nordvpn  brave cyberghost  brave expressvpn  brave surfshark vpn  brave tunnelbear  brave
Apps
iOS
nordvpn  ios cyberghost  ios expressvpn  ios surfshark vpn  ios tunnelbear  ios
Android
nordvpn  android cyberghost  android expressvpn  android surfshark vpn  android tunnelbear  android
Payment options
Credit cards
nordvpn  credit cards cyberghost  credit cards expressvpn  credit cards surfshark vpn  credit cards tunnelbear  credit cards
PayPal
nordvpn  paypal cyberghost  paypal expressvpn  paypal surfshark vpn  paypal tunnelbear  paypal
Bitcoin
nordvpn  bitcoin cyberghost  bitcoin expressvpn  bitcoin surfshark vpn  bitcoin tunnelbear  bitcoin
Google Pay
nordvpn  google pay cyberghost  google pay expressvpn  google pay surfshark vpn  google pay tunnelbear  google pay
Amazon Pay
nordvpn  amazon pay cyberghost  amazon pay expressvpn  amazon pay surfshark vpn  amazon pay tunnelbear  amazon pay

VPN software explained

Virtual Private Network. A VPN is the quickest and surest way to protect yourself from shared or public networks.⁣ To help you decide which VPN provider is worth your hard-earned cash. AES-256 encryption To enjoy the best connection speed, connect to a server closest to you. ============== REVIEW FACTORS Pricing - Very competitive pricing - Payment options streaming / downlaod speeds History of VPNS ============== crowded field VPN simultaneous connections robust Protect yourself online encrypt your data privacy policy cybercriminals layer of security farthest-flung servers toe-to-toe libraries of foreign streaming services streaming speeds

What to look for in vpn software

Speed

Privacy policy

- No logs policy - Location

Protocols

Number of servers and their locations

Should be able to protect a range of operating systems and browsers. Miliatry level encrytion.

FAQs

What is a VPN?
Virtual Private Network. Creates a tunnel between X and Y.

Why are VPNs useful?
Protects against identity theft. Protects your personal information. Keeps your activity private.

Why do they have third party audits?

Is it legal to use a VPN?
Will a VPN slow down my connection?
Only if you're connecting to a country that is quite distant What is a protocol?
Can you use a VPN on my smartphone?
Why are DNSs hijacked?

Jargon explained

Split tunnelling

When using a split tunnel VPN, your internet connection is divided into two separate connections.

Kill switch

Automatically disconnecting your internet if your VPN connection drops unexpectedly.

Protocols

Protocols are a set of rules that govern how data is transmitted over a network.

No logs policy

VPN provider does not keep any records of your online activity, such as websites visited or files downloaded.

Dark web monitoring

Scans the dark web for any personal information that may have been stolen or compromised from the internet, such as your email address, social security number, or credit card information. With dark web monitoring, you can be alerted if your personal information is found on the dark web, allowing you to take immediate action to protect yourself.

DNS hijacking

Multi-hop

- DNS hijacking - private tunnel - data breaches - mass surveillance - encrytion - split tunneling - mass surveillance

Information

Advice

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