A VPN can protect your data by ensuring that your connections are secure and private. While the promises of military-grade security or complete invisibility might be tempting, Consumer Reports Yael Grauer advises that you should look for more concrete evidence that the service you’re contemplating is legitimate.
A good start is compatibility. Look for the service to support at least the most popular operating systems, such as Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS. Then you want to check the number of devices it is compatible with, and how many simultaneous connections it limited access board files can provide. You should also check the number of servers that are available and their locations around world. This can help you pick a server close to your home or one with fast speeds when you’re across the globe.
Certain services offer special services, such as dedicated ‘Netflix’ servers that unblock geo-restricted services, or other security measures, such as RAM-only servers (which erase data every time the service reboots) Dark web monitoring and threat protection. Review the ownership structure of the company and if there have been any privacy breaches or privacy scandals in the past.
NordVPN was the most reliable overall service that we evaluated. It has thousands of servers spread across the world in 94 countries. It also provides AES-256 encryption as well as ChaCha20, a reliable Kill Switch, split tunneling, and encrypted server. It’s also one of the few providers to publish its detailed no-logs policy and engages PricewaterhouseCoopers for annual audits. It’s not cheap, however, you’ll get a lot for your money. A generous long-term plan comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
