Best VPN for Windows PC 2018: Top 5 Choices Christopher Seward December 30, 2017 Guides Updated on January 18, 2019 Check out our updated Best VPN for Windows guide for 2019. Updated Wed July 18, 2018. As part of an ongoing series. This product was named PC Mag's Top VPN for 2017, won an Editor's Pick award from Software Informer for 2017, and earned Laptop Review Pro's Best VPN for Laptop for 2017.
ExpressVPN is simple and speedy. It’s also one of the higher-end providers. Ease of use and its awesome features justify the price though.
It’s reliable and lag-free with a staggering network of servers in 94 countries. You’ll get access to the American Netflix, and if you run into any issues, their support is fast and efficient. The software comes with AES-256 encryption, OpenVPN support, SmartDNS, auto-connect and a kill switch. You can torrent and play online, sans traffic or bandwidth caps, but you can only install it on three devices, which is a tad disappointing if you ask me.
That said, the client is sleek and intuitive. They offer a 30-day refund, and while the $13 monthly plan is expensive, the bi-annual subscription is $60, and the annual is justly set at $100.
![Expressvpn download Expressvpn download](http://www.wownnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/PIA-VPN-Reviews.png)
ExpressVPN keeps no logs or DNS queries, and even though it’s beyond the 14 Eyes, its headquarters in the British Virgin Islands is somewhat of a gray zone. Note: ExpressVPN is now offering a reader exclusive:. NordVPN is hands down the best VPN if you’re after maximum privacy at all times. It sports a nicely designed interface, which is intuitive, and comes with a nifty search feature that makes things as simple as they can be. I like how they sorted their servers into Ultra-fast and Ultra-secure, which is ultra-convenient. NordVPN is rock-solid on privacy with headquarters in Panama, which is well beyond the 14 Eyes.
So, you can count on zero logs policy, and software packed with all the bells and whistles that make a VPN robust – OpenVPN, 256-bit AES encryption, a kill switch, DNS leak protection, double encryption, VPN into Tor – you get the idea. It’s also fast with impressive 830+ server locations, which makes it an excellent choice for P2P file-sharing, online gaming, and HD streaming. There are no annoying bandwidth caps here, and you can connect to Netflix US, BBC iPlayer, or France’s Canal+ if you wish – there’s a server for every need. The double encryption will understandably slow things down. They offer apps for all popular platforms, and you can use it on up to six devices for $12 a month, $42 per six months, or $70 per year, which is the best value for the money topped with a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. PureVPN has a huge choice of 750 servers in 141 countries and counting.
The sheer volume of features, toggles, and tools they provide makes it a top contender for the advanced users. There is a stealth browsing mode, online banking security, secure FTP access, multiple protocols and more.
They have server lists optimized for P2P and video streaming, so switching is easy. They’re based in Hong Kong, which is a no data retention haven. Count on 256-bit AES encryption, Open VPN protocol, and a transparent privacy policy – they do log the time when you connect to a server and the bandwidth used. They log nothing other than that, but may leak DNS. PureVPN allows up to five simultaneous connections, supports a staggering amount of platforms from routers and smart TVs to ROKU and Boxee, and unblocks streaming services like Netflix and Hulu. Note that speeds might drop during peak hours though. As far as pricing goes, it’s one of the most affordable VPNs on the list.
They offer a three-day free trial and three plans - $12 monthly, $9 per month on bi-annual plan and $3 per month for a two-year subscription. Each comes standard with a 7-day money-back guarantee. IPVanish is great for beginners, but that doesn’t mean it’s lacking in features. It’s robust yet simple to install and even has a Simple Mode. IPVanish doesn't log your data or connection details, and its client comes complete with a kill switch, 256-bit AES encryption, Open VPN and SOCKS5 web proxy.
They have hundreds of servers across the world, so the performance is lag-free most of the time. Some US servers won't unblock Netflix US, but some do – all it takes is a brief chat with the tech support. It works great for HD streaming, P2P torrenting and online gaming as the bandwidth is not capped. You can have up to five simultaneous connections for $10 per month, or $6.49 per month if you commit to an annual plan.
All subscriptions come with a seven-day money-back guarantee. The drawback is that they’re US-based, so the whole bundle of data retention and surveillance laws apply. On the bright side, they keep no logs. Buffered VPN is a Hungary-based provider, which means no data retention laws or excessively intrusive surveillance.
Top that off with the zero-logs policy, P2P support, sleek apps for Windows, Mac, Linux and iOS that ship with the DNS leak protection, OpenVPN, and 256-bit encryption, and you’re in for the real deal. The server coverage isn’t overly impressive, but the speeds are decent because the servers are located in useful places. I love their Port Discovery Mode, which lets you connect safely to public Wi-Fi hotspots without a password. You can use up to five simultaneous connections, and you can install Buffered apps on as many devices as you have. They allow a 30-day money-back guarantee on all plans, and the one-month subscription kicks in at $12.50, the bi-annual at $57, and the annual at $93. VyprVPN is a powerful contender if you’re after performance and security.
It boasts great speeds due to a staggering network of 700+ serves and more than 200K IP addresses. They own and manage their servers, which translates into reliable uptime, lag-free performance, top-notch support and great speeds. Add in unlimited bandwidth and P2P support, successful handling of Netflix and Steam geo blocks, and you can check all your VPN must-have features right off the bat. VyprVPN comes with a sleek cross-platform client, Open VPN, AES-256 encryption, a proprietary Chameleon technology, VyprDNS and zero-logs policy, which is a rather impressive list. They’re also based in Switzerland, which means pro-privacy laws. Unlike many other providers, VyprVPN offers no money-back guarantee, but you can test their service for free for three days.
They have two plans that you can have billed on a monthly or annual basis. Basic allows up to three simultaneous connections and kicks in at $60/year if billed annually, and $120/year if billed monthly. Premium allows up to five simultaneous connections and costs $80/year if billed annually or $155.4/year if billed monthly. It also ships with Chameleon technology for throttling and defeating geo blockades, a kill switch, and other advanced features.
Private Internet Access, or PIA, is a top performer overall, and one of the cheapest for that matter. It’s also one of the most fully-fledged VPNs out there, with 3K+ servers worldwide and a reliable, no-lag performance. They deploy the solid 256-bit AES encryption and support OpenVPN protocol. You can count on ad and malware blocking while the client is intuitive and packed with customizable settings. They enforce no restrictions on P2P or bandwidth and allow up to five simultaneous connections. You can stream and play to your heart’s content, but you won’t be able to unblock Netflix US. They’re based in the US, which may be a turn-off if you’re privacy-paranoid, but they keep no logs and let you pay anonymously.
All plans are backed by a 7-day money-back guarantee and are wallet-friendly at $7 in the monthly, $37 in the bi-annual, and $40 in the annual subscription. If the answer to any of the above questions is yes, you need a VPN. Hackers, state surveillance, censorship, copyright laws, geo-blocks - a myriad of hazards can be avoided if you use a VPN. Think of every time you shop online, the passwords you’re typing, the credit card details you’re throwing into the digital vortex – all that data is vulnerable to cyber crooks preying on the unencrypted pieces of your life. VPNs are also essential for anyone living, working or traveling to countries with severe censorship, copyright and surveillance laws like Germany, France, the UK, China, Russia or Arab Emirates.
You don’t have to be a political dissident or torrenter to need a VPN. You just need to face the unjust geo blocks imposed by streaming services like Netflix and Hulu, or realize you’re locked out of your favorite shows just because you’re outside of the US. VPNs keep you safe, open your digital boundaries and give you granular control over how you appear online.
In a perfect world, privacy online should be the default for every program we use, but in the real world, the Internet is the wild west. So, with a VPN:. Best VPN Services: Considerations 1. Free There's a reason why all these VPNs are paid.
Providing encryption and VPN services to millions of users is a resource-intensive work that requires servers across the world. A free VPN might be enough for something minor like checking foreign news occasionally. If you need a VPN on a regular basis, however, you’re better off with a reliable paid service. Free VPNs are more likely to leak your data, provide weak encryption, or worse, collect and trade your personal details.
Some trustworthy providers offer free but limited service as a way to attract more customers, and I’ve compiled a list of these, too. Know Your Laws When choosing your VPN, do your research and mind the legal aspects. Countries like Germany, France or Japan are cracking down on copyright infringement, while the members of the 14 Eyes treaty have draconian data retention laws and extensive surveillance. So, if you’re looking to maximize your privacy, you might want to avoid connecting to servers in those countries. Server Locations See if the plan you want to invest in offers ample server coverage in the region of your interest. Don’t just buy because a plan offers 300 servers. Sometimes, fewer servers in meaningful locations ensure far better performance.
Simultaneous Connections In most cases, VPNs offer 3-6 simultaneous connections per user so you can use it from both desktop and mobile. Most providers can tell if you’re hogging resources by allowing your entire family to stream and torrent at the same time, which can get you in trouble. Read ToS, Privacy Policies and Pricing Whereas most providers say they log nothing, that’s not always the case. Some record very little data like the day you subscribed, the amount of data you’ve consumed, and delete those logs when you end the session. Other providers log your IP address, the servers you used, and store those logs. If they’re based in the US, UK or any other country with data retention laws, they can be compelled to hand over that data to law enforcement. Also, study the pricing structure carefully.
Some very cheap deals might not include taxes, or be cheap only during the first month. Also, a refund policy may have prohibitive restrictions, so a deal that appears wallet-friendly upon the first look may not always be a good bargain.
In this new and updated VPN Unlimited review, I put the service through extensive testing to identify any problems with speeds, data leaks, features, and connection stability. While VPN Unlimited has improved since the last review, I still found various issues with both the Mac OS and Windows VPN clients that expose the user’s real IP address. Speeds were also somewhat disappointing with servers in the United States. Also concerning is VPN Unlimited’s data collection policies, which we’ll cover in detail below. Even though it performed slightly better with the latest review update, VPN Unlimited still does not earn a recommendation or a spot on the list based on the latest test results.
KeepSolid VPN company and jurisdiction The company behind VPN Unlimited is KeepSolid Inc. KeepSolid Inc. Offers a variety of digital products and is based in the United States. As we’ve discussed before, the United States is generally considered to be a bad jurisdiction for VPN services.
This is mainly due to unfavorable surveillance laws and practices (see. While there are many good options if you need a, I would not recommend a that is based in the US.
KeepSolid markets a variety of different products in addition to the VPN service, which you can see below: There is not too much information about the company or people behind these products. When chatting with support, I was told that KeepSolid is technically a USA company, but with staff also working out of Ukraine.
Privacy policy and data collection practices One big red flag with VPN Unlimited is the privacy policy and data collection policies. As we covered in the guide, free products are often used to collect data and monetize the user. VPN Unlimited is now offering a service called “KeepSolid VPN Lite”, which is has both free and paid tiers.
It appears that all of the various KeepSolid products, including VPN Unlimited, fall under the KeepSolid Privacy Policy. The privacy policy discusses extensive data collection with both the website and various KeepSolid apps: KeepSolid is a company that collects lots of data. As you can see above, KeepSolid is collecting lots of user data – well above and beyond the standard connection logs that some VPN services maintain.
Not only do they collect connection logs through the VPN app, they also collect your personal data from third parties, including social networks and other “publicly-accessible sources.” When you create a VPN account with KeepSolid, they ask you to link it to your social media accounts. This is for data collection, as they explained in the privacy policy: The privacy policy further discusses the different ways that your data is:. shared with third parties.
stored with third parties. not guaranteed to be secure Also concerning is that your personal data does not appear to be secured or confined to one location, but rather: “We use third-party service providers globally to store and transfer personal data.” While KeepSolid is based in the United States, data sent overseas could be used for a variety of different purposes that the end user may find alarming. This is why the less data a VPN collects, the better. Based on these data collection policies alone, I would not recommend VPN Unlimited due to privacy concerns. If you are looking for a provider, there are certainly some better options to consider. VPN Unlimited Price and “lifetime subscription” Like many VPN services, VPN Unlimited is a service with affordable prices: You can see that they are offering a “lifetime” subscription plan for about $200.
As discussed in the guide, the “lifetime” subscription is not the lifetime of the user, but instead the lifetime of the VPN provider – however long it manages to stay in business. There have been various cases of “lifetime” VPN services closing shop and running with the money, or converting all “lifetime” accounts to recurring subscriptions after a few years. While good VPN services can be rather pricey, there are special offers and discounts discussed in the guide. For example, you can see the and also the, which are two VPNs that did better in testing. Payment options: VPN Unlimited offers a nice variety of payment options, including all major credit cards, PayPal, Amazon, Bitcoin, and also gift cards.
VPN Unlimited refund policy VPN Unlimited advertises a “7-Day Money back Guarantee.” This is further clarified under the “End User Agreement” where they state: If you are not completely satisfied with the applicable Service during the free trial, we will refund the applicable Fee to you if you cancel no later than the last day of the free trial. KeepSolid VPN Unlimited apps VPN Unlimited supports the following devices and operating systems: For this VPN Unlimited review, I tested out the Windows and Mac OS applications. VPN Unlimited Windows client Here’s a screenshot of the VPN Unlimited Windows client (standalone version) that I tested for this review: Overall the Windows client was easy to use, but it had some flaws, which we’ll cover more below. VPN Unlimited Mac OS client I also tested the updated Mac OS client for this review. It felt a bit clunky compared to the Windows client, and it also had issues with IPv6 leaks and kill switch errors (as we’ll cover further below). Just like with the Windows app, the VPN Unlimited Mac OS app had issues with the kill switch.
It is not a that I’d recommend. Encryption and VPN protocols For the OpenVPN protocol, VPN Unlimited utilizes 256-bit AES encryption with an RSA-2048 handshake and SHA1 for authentication.
(I ran all speed tests for this review using the OpenVPN protocol.) In terms of, both the Windows and Mac OS apps support:. OpenVPN. IKEv2/IPSec. KeepSolid Wise UDP and TCP The “KeepSolid Wise” protocol is just an obfuscation feature, which is sometimes used if VPNs are being actively blocked.
![Best Best](/uploads/1/2/4/1/124117837/845356748.png)
This may be the case if you are using a or with work or school networks that don’t allow VPNs. VPN Unlimited setup problems VPN Unlimited has a convoluted setup process that did not work well for me.
First, you need to select your subscription plan and create an account with your email address. As noted above, they attempt to link your VPN account with social media accounts, which allows them to collect more of your data from “publicly-accessible sources.” After purchasing a subscription, I then downloaded the VPN Unlimited Windows client for my Windows 10 test computer. Later in the day, I attempted to connect to a VPN server through the VPN Unlimited Windows client, but I was blocked out with the following message: I then went back to my email and attempted to go through the confirmation process, but the link was broken and I could not be authenticated. This essentially locked me out of using the VPN I had just signed up for. There was no option to resend the confirmation email and the existing link was broken. Eventually I was able to reach someone from support who had to manually approve the account before I could even use the VPN.
VPN Unlimited speed tests For this VPN Unlimited review, I ran different speed tests using servers in Europe, the United States, and Canada. While some nearby servers in Europe offered OK speeds, servers further away in the US and Canada did not perform very well (even considering the longer distances). All tests were conducted using a 100 Mbps ethernet connection from my physical location in Europe. Nearby servers in Europe offered decent speeds, although nowhere close to my baseline speed. Here I’m testing a nearby server in Paris, France, but my speed was reduced down to only 45 Mbps.
The speed test from a VPN Unlimited server in the UK was a bit better, giving me a download speed of about 59 Mbps: For nearby servers, these speeds are far from ideal. With, for example, I was able to get over 90 Mbps with all nearby servers in Europe. Similarly, also provided excellent speeds with all nearby (Europe) servers.
VPN Unlimited tests with US servers I also ran some tests with servers in the US and Canada. Here is a test with a server in New York, with the download speed coming in around 9 Mbps, which is quite slow, even considering the longer distance: I also tested the VPN Unlimited US Netflix server, which is in California.
The speeds were also quite poor at around 4 Mbps: While performance has improved over the previous VPN Unlimited review, there is still al long way to go. Now we’ll take a look at some of the leak tests. Does VPN Unlimited still leak user data? In previous reviews, I found VPN Unlimited apps to have serious security and privacy flaws with leaking data. Since then, the VPN Unlimited support staff informed me that they updated the applications to improve leak protection settings. Now let’s see the results. VPN Unlimited Windows client First, I ran the VPN Unlimited Windows client through a few basic to check for active leaks when connected to different VPN servers. Fortunately, I did not find any active leaks with the Windows client, as you can see below: However, it’s important to note in the example above, I was testing for leaks with an active and stable connection.
Unfortunately, most VPNs leak when reconnecting and/or switching servers, and this is also what I found with VPN Unlimited. The big issue with the Windows client was the kill switch, which we’ll explain further below. VPN Unlimited Mac OS client I found the VPN Unlimited Mac OS client to be somewhat buggy and leaky. Sometimes the Mac client would leak addresses, even when there was an active and stable connection. In the screenshot below, you can see my real IPv6 address was getting exposed, while the Mac client was alerting me to some kind of kill switch error: Reconnecting to the server did not fix the error, and the IPv6 leaks persisted, with the kill switch error message. When I wasn’t getting the kill switch error messages, I did not identify any leaks. If you are a Mac OS user, I would not recommend VPN Unlimited due to these issues.
See the guide for alternatives. Flawed kill switch leaks user data One key feature to keeping your data safe is a kill switch that effectively blocks traffic. VPN Unlimited informed me they had released new VPN clients that incorporated a kill switch to block non-VPN traffic and stop any leaks. You can see this feature, which I activated below before testing to see how it worked: When switching servers, I found the kill switch would simply not work for a few seconds, thereby letting unencrypted traffic out of the VPN and exposing my real IP address. This is a serious flaw and essentially renders the kill switch feature (and VPN) useless. Here you can see my real address being exposed when I was in the process of connecting to a different VPN server.
I also found that when switching VPN protocols, the kill switch was not effective in blocking traffic, thereby exposing my real IP address. This is concerning for anyone who is using a for privacy and security reasons. Even though the leak is relatively brief, it only takes one leaked packet to expose your identity and activities to third parties. To summarize, the VPN Unlimited kill switch feature exposes your real IP address when you:. switch VPN servers.
switch VPN protocols I found the same issues with the Mac OS client, in addition to the errors noted above that would expose my real IPv6 address, even when connected to a VPN server. Now that we’ve covered the test results, we’ll take a closer look at the VPN service. VPN Unlimited torrenting At the time of this review, torrenting and file-sharing are only allowed on designated P2P servers. Torrenting is only allowed on five servers. While restricting torrenting to designated servers is not out of the ordinary, it’s also not ideal.
This restricts people who want to torrent and also results in the few torrenting servers having more bandwidth consumption. But given their privacy policy, US jurisdiction, and connection logs, you may want to consider some alternatives – see the guide. VPN Unlimited Netflix While VPN Unlimited has not worked well with Netflix in the past, it did work when tested for this review.
VPN Unlimited has a dedicated Netflix VPN server in San Francisco, California (USA). I was able to connect to the server and stream Netflix without any issues.
The main drawback, however, is that the speeds were rather slow, as pointed out above (around 4 Mbps download speed). Another drawback is that there appears to be only one server that works with Netflix.
If Netflix were to start blocking this server location, there does not appear to be any backup options in place (unlike some other Netflix VPN services). If you are looking for a VPN to unblock Netflix, VPN Unlimited may be a decent choice, but since there’s only one streaming location, it is not ideal. You can also check out the guide for additional options.
VPN Unlimited review conclusion KeepSolid VPN Unlimited has made improvements since the last review. Specifically, they added a kill switch and (slightly) improved their leak protection. Unfortunately I still identified leaks:.
Kill switch leaks real IP address when switching servers. Kill switch leaks real IP address when switching servers. Mac OS client leaks IPv6 address even with a stable connection (kill switch error) The speeds with VPN Unlimited are decent, and an improvement over the past review.
Nonetheless, they are much slower in comparison to other top-rated VPN services I’ve tested. While the prices are somewhat cheap, you can still find other services that performed better in testing, such as with the. If you have used VPN Unlimited, feel free to share your review below. And if you’re open to alternatives, check out the report for the latest recommendations.
Bad Service – slow speeds, throttled my true 1GB Up, 1GB Down speeds to less than 70 MB Down and 15 MB Up. 7 Day free trial isn’t a real thing – when you first log in the service ends your trial period and gives a.free gift extension. of 7 days instead. They will not refund you if you ask to be deleted from their database, as well (it’s a term of their service) – the only reasonable conclusion I can come to is that they want to sell the information to someone, so your deletion of the info takes away their financial incentives.
Thank you for the review. We realy appreciate the critics’ feedback as it often is an in-depth one and thorough. However, we’d like to let you know some poins mentioned here had been recently improved a, and even a while ago. We’d like to clarify some points too: – IPv6 leaks. These can happen if your network uses IPv6 protocol (which is currently not that wide-spread). To check if that’s the case for you, go to and see if it shows numbers in the IPv6 section.
If not – you’re good! If you happen to have the connectivity, we suggest you disable IPv6 in your system following these guides for Windows and Mac. When such a leak occurs, third parties might be able to track the websites you’ve visited. Luckily, most platforms come equipped with anti-DNS leaks protection, with Windows being the only major exception. No worries though, as we have developed our own defense technology for this platform. Just visit the Account section and enable the stop DNS leaks option.
– WebRTC leaks. As a result of certain browser vulnerabilities, your IP may get “remembered” by them and thus – exposed.
There are two ways to avoid this using VPN Unlimited. First, you can install VPN to your WiFi router so that browsers will only see the VPN’s IP, not yours. Or, you can simply download VPN Unlimited browser extension that has a built-in protection against WebRTC leaks. VPN Unlimited works with Netflix, Hulu, and BBC iPlayer. You can also find more information here:.
I found your review both surprising and disappointing, since I have a lifetime license for VPN Unlimited (although I got it at a huge discount below what is currently available on the website $39, I believe) and I have been fairly happy with it. After reading your review I ran the tests at ipleak.net and no issues were found for the tests for IPv4, WebRTC, DNS Address, Torrent Address (I don’t believe that I have IPv6 turned on, and it returned “IPv6 test not reachable.” for that portion of the test), and Geolocation. In each case, it reported back the IP address and/or physical location for the server in northern California I’m currently connected to using VPN Unlimited. As far as settings, I have the option within the program for “Stop DNS Leak” turned on, as you did. And I selected “OpenVPN” as my protocol, which is described as “high performance & data protection” (as opposed to the “ultimate security, but medium performance” of the other 2 available protocols). As you stated in your review, your test results are based on the conditions for the specific date and version you tested (my guess is it was either 4.15 or 4.16, as 4.17 came out in the last few weeks). Any idea why our results are so divergent?
Do you have plans to retest VPN Unlimited anytime soon? One other quick note: VPN Unlimited now offers servers specifically for general streaming, Netflix & Hulu streaming, and BBC iPlayer, although I haven’t tried any of them so can’t speak to how well they work. Thank you for your review. I wish I would have read your review on VPN Unlimited prior to signing up for their service. Instead I relied on Max Eddy’s review in PC Mag. Daily blocks to my account due to unauthorized attempts by unknown person, can’t log in due to wrong password, but when I update it, it occurs again the next day. Difficulty connecting to their servers and frequent server disconnects.
And as you stated in your article, VPN Unlimited doesn’t provide protection for IPv6, so have to turn it off to stop the leak. Horrible, horrible, horrible. I’ve filed a complaint with the BBB.