The best VPN services of 2022. Whats the best vpn

You can use a VPN on many types of devices, from phone to laptop, and even some TVs. If you don’t have a compatible Smart TV, you can use a VPN on a media streamer such as the Amazon Fire TV Stick.

The Best VPN Providers of 2022: Protect Your Online Privacy & Unblock Netflix

Finding the best VPN for your needs has never been easier. Cloudwards.net shows you the top 10 VPN options for Netflix, P2P, and privacy.

The VPN market has grown enormously in the last few years, with exponential growth expected in the early 2020s. It’s clear that the market is also growing, with VPN companies popping up left and right (we’ve already checked about 60). To clean up this mess, here’s our guide to the best VPN services available today.

We’ve picked the top 10 options from our VPN reviews, and along the way, we’ll explain why we like each one. In addition, we’ve gathered information on why you should use a VPN as well as how we rate VPN services.

Key Takeaways:

is the best VPN overall, with great results in all departments – security, Netflix access, and user-friendliness – except for the price it ranks second among the best VPNs, also offering excellent security and ranking as the best VPN for torrenting.

• Be wary of free VPNs, which are often dangerous. The exception is Windscribe, which offers a great free plan with 10GB of data and a unique plan building option.

If you don’t want to read around 5,000 words, the best VPN we recommend is ExpressVPN. Over the years, we’ve consistently rated it as the best VPN service for its uncompromising security, excellent speeds, and simple user interface. If you want to start using it, you can sign up risk-free for a month with a money-back guarantee, no questions asked.

If you just need the bullet points, check out our Top VPNs Recap video below.

Best VPN Video Recap

The best VPN we recommend is ExpressVPN because of its strong security, incredibly fast speeds, and user-friendliness. However, NordVPN is on the verge of healing, only held back by less consistent server speeds, but much cheaper than ExpressVPN.

You should stay away from most free VPN apps, but there are a few notable exceptions. The best free VPN we recommend is Windscribe, which offers 10GB for free across 10 locations. However, ProtonVPN, Hide.me, and TunnelBear also have trustworthy free plans you can check out, but they’re all limited in some ways, be it in terms of gigabyte quota, server locations, or device count.

Windscribe is the best free VPN for Android mobile devices as well as iOS and Blackberry.

The VPN that tops our top VPNs on the torrenting list is NordVPN with custom P2P servers. It is closely followed by ExpressVPN because of its incredibly strong security.

The Best VPNs for 2022

– Best VPN Service, Strong Security, Great for Netflix – Best VPN for Torrenting – Best Inexpensive Streaming Option – Best VPN for Surveillance bypass – Best Free VPN – Great VPN for Silent Operation – Best VPN with Huge Servers

1. ProtonVPN – Bundled with secure email
2. Mullvad – Complete anonymity – A curious dark horse

• : PayPal, credit card, Bitcoin, regional payment systems, WebMoney
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• : Credit Card, Google Pay, AmazonPay, ACH Transfer, UnionPay, Crypto Currencies, PayPal (via Paddle)
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• : PayPal, Credit Card, Google Pay, Amazon Pay
• : Unlimited
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• : PayPal, credit card, bitcoin
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• : PayPal, credit card, bitcoin, Paymentwall
• : Unlimited
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• : PayPal, credit card, cash, bank transfer
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• : PayPal, credit card, SOFORT, SEPA, direct bank transfer
• : 10
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We researched and tested over 40 VPN companies and chose ExpressVPN, NordVPN, CyberGhost, Private Internet Access, and Hotspot Shield as our top picks.

What’s the best VPN?

Testing and browsing VPN services is not as easy as it may seem. There are many factors to consider: monthly cost, connection speed, number and location of servers, applications offered, quality of support, and other important factors such as privacy and data logging policy.

There is also property. It should always be transparent and when it is not, it should raise red flags. For example, some companies own both VPN services and websites that browse VPN services. It doesn’t always have to be a conflict of interest as it seems, but it certainly can be. (We would like to point out that neither IDG, which publishes Tech Advisor, nor its parent company have any VPN services.)

We also look closely at companies that have multiple VPN services and whether they claim data is being shared between these services and what other activities they are involved in.

When you use a VPN, you trust this service with all your internet data as it first passes through their server where it is decrypted before being sent to its final destination.

That’s why we attach so much importance to independent audits: it’s not enough for a VPN to say that it’s not logging any data – it should prove it.

Most, but not all, VPN services rent their servers from third-party providers. This means that providers own the servers and have physical access to them. VPN services should use reputable data centers and put in place measures to protect your data, but this is precisely why owning and operating your own hardware speaks in favor of a few VPN services that don’t rent servers.

All of this means that the services below are currently the only ones we recommend at the moment, and even then sometimes only for video streaming, not for privacy. They are also the ones we would use ourselves.

We’ve checked out a lot more that you can see by browsing all of our VPN reviews, but they weren’t included. They may have been on this list before, but they are not now.

One example is ExpressVPN. Previously, a stand-alone service with a strong privacy track record and unblockability is no longer a service we can recommend. You can read more about the reasons for this in this article.

Top 7 VPN services for 2021

NordVPN – Best overall

• Pros
  • Perfect speeds
  • Unblocks many video services
  • Independently inspected
  • Not the cheapest
  • No unlimited connections
  • Best Price Today:

  NordVPN is easy to use, fast, and has plenty of servers around the world.

  Based in Panama with a proven no-logs policy, Nord is a good choice for a number of reasons. Thanks to NordLynx (WireGuard protocol), it’s the fastest VPN and offers a wide range of features including split tunneling on Android and Windows, letting you choose which apps use your VPN connection and which don’t.

  A two-year subscription is the best value at the time of this writing. There is a money back guarantee if you are not completely satisfied either. It’s not the cheapest product, but overall it’s the best all-round choice for most people.

  Surfshark – Best value

  

  • Pros
    • Unlimited connections
    • GPS spoofing
    • Multi-Hop Servers
    • No split tunneling on Mac
    • 9 Location of the eyes
    • Best Price Today:

    Surfshark has an easy-to-use interface and a wide range of features. It has apps for all popular devices (and browser add-ons), but one of the main attractions is that it costs less than most of its competitors. And this despite allowing an unlimited number of connections.

    With support for WireGuard (which means excellent speeds) and MultiHop servers for greater security and privacy, the only problem is the recent shift of Surfshark’s location from the privacy-friendly British Virgin Islands to the Netherlands, which is one of the “9 Eyes” countries that shares intelligence with others.

    Surfshark complies with a no-logs policy, so no usage or user data should be available if the Dutch authorities request the transfer of the logs or take over one of Surfshark’s servers. But since this rule has never been audited, you have to take Surfshark’s word for it that it doesn’t record this data.

    However, if you only want a VPN to unblock streaming services, none of this matters: the potential problem is just a potential problem if you want your VPN to provide privacy. And Surfshark is good at unblocking Netflix, Amazon Prime, and other services. However, when we tested in January 2022, it did not unblock BBC iPlayer, but allowed us to watch UK services including ITV Hub.

    VyprVPN – Best for Owned & Operated Servers

    

    • Pros
      • Has its own equipment (does not rent servers)
      • Independently inspected
      • Only 5 connections
      • I cannot pay anonymously
      • Best Price Today:

      VyprVPN owns and operates its entire network of approximately 700 servers and has been audited to prove it adheres to a no-logs policy. The fact that he owns these servers means he doesn’t rent datacenter servers and then install his VPN software on them, and datacenter employees don’t have access to those servers.

      When you use a VPN, you trust this service with all your internet data as it first passes through their server where it is decrypted before being sent to its final destination.

      What is a VPN?

      VPN stands for Virtual Private Network. To understand what it is and how it keeps you safe and anonymous, we first need to take a look at how the internet works when you’re not using a VPN:

      Your computer, smartphone, or other device that you use to access the internet has a unique identification number called an IP address and can be used by your internet service provider and authorities to track all of your internet activity. When you open a website or application, the device creates a connection to the server. Your device’s IP address is stored on the server.

      In general, all information shared between the device and the server is not encrypted. Theoretically, this means that anyone with technical knowledge can intercept information as it is not converted into nearly indestructible code.

      When you connect to a VPN server, a lot is different. Instead of your own IP address being sent to the server, this is the IP address of the server that is being used. This means that technically you become invisible on the Internet because your IP address is not stored on servers all over the world.

      Therefore, your ISP and others cannot see the websites you have accessed as part of the Activity, they cannot be traced back to you. If you connect to a VPN server in the US, you’ll get a US IP address that will allow you to access geo-restricted content such as American Netflix.

      Moreover, all information shared between the device and the servers is encrypted, turning it into a kind of encrypted message that hackers and other people cannot crack.

      

      Who should use a VPN?

      It’s not just conspirators and people preparing for an apocalypse that need a VPN. For ordinary people, there are three main reasons:

      In recent years, there has been a lot of talk about hackers from around the world getting private information. Cybercrime is generally increasing, so in Europe and the United States there is a tendency to allow law enforcement agencies to access data from and to unsuspected citizens.

      A VPN connection encrypts your information, keeping it private from hackers and others who might try to intercept your data.

      The third main argument is that a VPN can be used to bypass geo-restrictions by giving your device an IP address that appears to be from a different country. This way you can enjoy content on streaming services not normally available to you such as US Netflix or some of the best UK TVs on the free BBC iPlayer

      Choosing the best VPN protocols for your needs can indeed be a headache, but also a necessity. There are two different types of VPN protocols. One is good for security. The second offers better streaming speeds. But neither can provide the best of both worlds.

      CyberGhost: Best value

      Data valid on August 26, 2021. Offers and availability vary by location and are subject to change.

      CyberGhost is technically superior when it comes to specs alone. This VPN can connect seven of your devices to 6,000+ servers in 90 countries. A server is available for almost any purpose. It’s also one of the fastest VPNs we’ve tested, making it perfect for gamers.

      In addition to exceptional specs, CyberGhost offers a low monthly price if you opt for the two-year plan. And the 45-day money-back guarantee is generous as well – most VPNs only offer 30 days.

      

      Data valid on August 26, 2021. Offers and availability vary by location and are subject to change.

      CyberGhost VPN standout features

      • Access on up to seven devices
      • Huge number of servers
      • It has a cheap 2 year payment option

      To get the most out of CyberGhost, sign up for its 2-year plan. This brings your monthly cost down to an almost unbeatable price of 3,500.25 per month.

      But if you choose to pay month by month, CyberGhost can be expensive. The fee is $ 13 a month unless you go for the six-month or two-year plan, which is high compared to the monthly prices you’ll see on other VPNs.

      This massive 7,400+ servers is another great feature. In addition, CyberGhost allows you to connect up to seven gadgets, which is a (slight) step up from the limit of five on NordVPN and ExpressVPN.

      If you’d rather not commit to the full six months or two years of CyberGhost, you can sign up for a free trial. However, keep in mind that the free trial period only lasts 24 or 48 hours, depending on whether you sign up for the trial on desktop or mobile. You can also only connect one device during the trial period.

      When it comes to logs, CyberGhost says it doesn’t keep traffic logs, but does collect various personal information including your IP address, country location, billing methods, and a few other items.

      VPNs really work as long as you use the good ones. In the past, we’ve seen services lie about collecting user data, and others collect it unscrupulously anyway (IPVanish and Avast Secureline VPN, respectively). However, each of the options mentioned above has proven over time that they can keep your connection secure.

      Servers and Pricing

      When it comes to numbers and specs, here’s what ExpressVPN looks like: the service has over 3,000 VPN servers located in 160 different locations in 94 countries, making it one of the largest VPN server networks today. The simple, intuitive interface of the platform facilitates quick selection from dozens of servers around the world, without much thinking about the end user required. If you want to be sure that the server and location you choose supports a specific security protocol, you can use the server list provided by the ExpressVPN website to help you find specific servers.

      

      Unfortunately, while ExpressVPN is packed with features and security, it isn’t available cheaply. It’s an expensive product, even more so than what we’ve seen with other products on this list. The cheapest way to enter ExpressVPN is to purchase their annual subscription, which costs $ 99.95 upfront. It’s much more expensive than other apps like Private Internet Access, NordVPN, and IPVanish, and from there it only gets more expensive. The monthly plan is a full $ 12.95 a month or $ 155 for the full year of use, and the six-month plan costs $ 59.95 upfront, which is half the time you’d get from similar VPNs in the same category.

      Just because ExpressVPN is expensive doesn’t mean it isn’t worth the money. It’s a great VPN, with a solid support team, apps, and device support for just about every platform on the planet, and of course the best breakthrough Netflix region we’ve seen so far from any VPN. ExpressVPN is a premium service, but for many, it’s exactly what they want in the VPN they pay for, regardless of price. For some, other cheaper VPNs will give you the online experience they expect. But for those who want a simple VPN that offers the perfect balance between ease of use and powerful tools, ExpressVPN is an almost perfect VPN.

      With an exclusive offer for TechJunkie readers, you can get fifteen months of ExpressVPN for just $ 99.95, saving 49 percent off the monthly subscription cost. With such a solid VPN, you can’t miss this offer. ExpressVPN doesn’t sell very often, so take advantage of this offer and get a fantastic VPN today!

      A decent choice for streaming, thanks to a huge selection of countries and – when we checked – actually able to unblock Netflix, iPlayer, and other services.

      Which VPN Protocol Should You Use?

      Choosing the best VPN protocols for your needs can indeed be a headache, but also a necessity. There are two different types of VPN protocols. One is good for security. The second offers better streaming speeds. But neither can provide the best of both worlds.

      Any VPN protocol that offers good security will be weaker when it comes to browsing speed. To understand how this happens, imagine the VPN protocol as a tunnel. As we add more security features, such as encryption, it becomes narrower. Each data packet is first encrypted before it is sent to the web.

      Speed-friendly VPN protocols do not offer any security features. These tunnels are wider and data packets are easily transferred. So you get great streaming speeds.

      The table below provides a thorough comparison of the different VPN protocols:

      Protocol	Speed	Encryption and safe browsing	Stability	Streaming multimedia	P2P file sharing	Compatible with	Available on the PureVPN app
      WireGuard	The fastest	Good	mediocre	Good	Good	Most of the operating systems and devices	Yes
      Open TCP VPN	mediocre	Good	Good	mediocre	Good	Most of the operating systems and devices	Yes
      OpenVPN UDP	Fast	Good	mediocre	Good	Good	Most of the operating systems and devices	Yes
      PPTP	Fast	Weak	mediocre	Good	Good	Most of the operating systems and devices	Yes
      IPSec	mediocre	Good	Good	Good	Good	Most of the operating systems and devices	Yes
      L2TP / IPSec	mediocre	mediocre	Good	Good	Good	Most of the operating systems and devices	Yes
      IKEv2 / IPSec	Fast	Good	Good	Good	Good	Most of the operating systems and devices	Yes
      SSTP	mediocre	Good	mediocre	mediocre	Good	Windows, Android, Ubuntu and routers	Yes
      Soft ether	Fast	Good	Good	mediocre	mediocre	Most of the operating systems and devices	No

      

      VPN Protocols Explained

      PureVPN chooses the best VPN protocol on your behalf to ensure a secure and fast connection. We also give our users the convenience of choosing a VPN protocol if you like.

      WireGuard

      WireGuard is the newest VPN protocol on the block. It is supposed to be a replacement for IPSec, it is supposedly lighter and faster. In addition, it is open source, which means that it is less likely to encounter security vulnerabilities. However, the protocol is still in development and lags behind in terms of cross-platform compatibility.

      L2TP – Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol

      Since it does not provide strong authentication, L2TP is used with IPSec for security. While it can interfere with some firewalls, it is a great alternative to the OpenVPN protocol as it supports all modern platforms and can bypass ISP / network restrictions.

      SSTP – Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol

      Owned by Microsoft, SSTP is only available for Windows, FreeBSD and Linux and cannot be audited. Regardless, it’s one of the most secure VPN protocols and has the ability to bypass most firewalls.

      OpenVPN – Open-Source Protocol

      With high performance and the highest quality encryption, OpenVPN is the protocol of choice. This open source solution is configurable and works on any port. As a result, you can bypass most ISP / network restrictions and firewalls.

      IKEv2 – Internet Key Exchange

      Based on the IPSec structure, IKEv2 is the newest and advanced VPN protocol. Co-developed by Cisco and Microsoft, it is fast, stable, secure and very easy to configure. However, as it is new, support for older platforms is lacking.

      IPSec – Internet Protocol Security

      IPSec is a set of protocols used for a variety of purposes, including securing VPNs. It is typically combined with VPN protocols such as IKEv2 and L2TP to provide data confidentiality (encryption) and authentication, but can also be used as a standalone VPN protocol.

      If you’ve never used a VPN service before, choosing one can seem like a daunting prospect. But we will tell you what to look for and recommend the services of your choice.

      What are the types of VPN protocols?

      There are at least seven common types of VPN protocols. Understand the differences and find out about our recommendations.

      

      Lightway

      Built from the ground up by ExpressVPN, Lightway is built for the modern world, sacrificing features that are no longer needed in a VPN and deploying ones that keep things smooth and secure. Depending on the network, it may only take a fraction of a second to establish a VPN connection, and you will stay connected to the VPN even if your device switches networks. Lightway does the minimum needed for a fast and secure connection so you may even notice less battery consumption.

      When it comes to security, Lightway uses wolfSSL, whose well-established cryptographic library has been thoroughly vetted by third parties, including for compliance with the FIPS 140-2 standard. We have released the Lightway source code on GitHub under an open-source license, ensuring transparency for our users.

      In addition to operating on the UDP protocol, Lightway also supports TCP which may be slower than UDP but connects better to some networks. As a result, Lightway can be used in many different scenarios.

      Verdict: Always try Lightway first

      

      Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP)

      Layer 2 tunneling protocol, which is a significant step up from pioneering but outdated protocols such as PPTP and SSTP, provides better security at the cost of lower speed. L2TP is commonly combined with IPsec to provide AES-256 encryption, with a combination of the two known as L2TP / IPsec.

      What is the IPsec VPN protocol?

      IPsec stands for Internet Protocol Security, a flexible VPN protocol that authenticates and encrypts every individual IP packet. It is often combined with protocols such as L2TP that do not offer encryption on their own.

      L2TP / IPsec is more suitable for anonymization than for security as there are other protocols such as OpenVPN that offer an even higher level of security.

      Verdict: Nice to have

      

      OpenVPN (TCP vs. UDP)

      OpenVPN is a highly customizable open source protocol. It’s available for free on all platforms and is highly appreciated by the community, and is also widely used among consumer VPN services.

      OpenVPN is most easily configured to mask itself as regular internet traffic, which helps it avoid being detected by filters and firewalls. It has been extensively researched by trusted independent researchers, making it suitable for deployment even in sensitive environments.

      In ExpressVPN apps, users can switch between UDP (User Datagram Protocol) or TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) in the app settings if they wish.

      What is the best VPN protocol?

      Find out which VPN protocol you should use

      

      If you’re looking for a trifecta of speed, security and reliability, Lightway works on all fronts with a lightweight codebase. It works fast, uses less battery, and is easy to inspect and maintain, which means better security.

      Lightway is overall the best VPN protocol for everything from gaming to IPTV and other applications where connection speed and stability are key.

      If Lightway is not available to you, OpenVPN or IKEv2 remain your protocols. OpenVPN offers 256-bit AES encryption with best-in-class security algorithms, giving you extensive masking capabilities and an impenetrable layer to protect your digital footprint. The code base has been publicly checked and checked for bugs, implementation errors and backdoors.

      Mobile users will also be well served by IKEv2, which offers similar speed, reliability, and security to OpenVPN.

      What is the fastest VPN protocol?

      Given different environments, internet speeds, or network configurations, different VPN protocols will perform better. Lightway is one of the fastest protocols available, alongside OpenVPN and IKEv2. Without an encryption layer, PPTP could be called the fastest VPN protocol, but we don’t recommend using it and we don’t make it available in apps.

      What is the most secure VPN protocol?

      Lightway, IKEv2, L2TP, and OpenVPN are secure protocols, but the title of the most secure VPN protocol belongs to Lightway, which uses wolfSSL, a well-established FIPS 140-2 validated cryptographic library – meaning it has been rigorously vetted by third parties. The underlying Lightway code has been audited and made available as open source, so it can be transparently and extensively tested for security vulnerabilities.

      OpenVPN is also recommended as it has been thoroughly audited by many neutral experts. Its open source implementations are available to anyone to test and improve.

      Which VPN protocol is the most stable?

      Designed to deal with frequent network changes, Lightway is the most stable VPN protocol. Users experience fewer dropped connections, especially on mobile devices, and stay connected even as the device switches between networks. With Lightway, your VPN session stays on even when your network connection drops unexpectedly, so when you go back online, your VPN will too.

      What is the easiest VPN protocol to set up?

      The protocols do not need to be set up in the VPN app – when you turn on the VPN app, you are using the VPN protocol. If you’re looking for ease of use, leave the VPN protocol set to “Automatic” and ExpressVPN will pick the best option for your network – usually Lightway.