In a time when it seems everyone is trying to steal your personal information A VPN can aid you in avoiding that by keeping your online connections secure and private. While the promises of military-grade security or total anonymity may be appealing, Consumer Reports Yael Grauer advises that you should look for more evidence to prove that a service you are looking at is legitimate.
Begin with compatibility. The service should support at least the popular operating systems, such as Windows, macOS and Linux, Android, and iOS. Then, you need to determine the number of devices that the service is compatible with, and how many simultaneous connections it offers. Finally, you’ll want to consider the number of servers available and their locations around the world. This will help you choose the closest server to your home or one that has high speeds for those traveling across the globe.
Some services offer specialized functions, such as dedicated servers called ‘Netflix’ that unblock geo-restricted sites, or extra security features like RAM-only servers that erase data every when the service is rebooted and monitors the dark web, and security measures to protect against threats. Review the ownership structure of the company, and see if there have been any data breaches or privacy issues in the past.
NordVPN was the most reliable overall service that we evaluated. It has thousands of servers spread across 94 countries. It also provides AES-256 encryption, ChaCha20, a reliable Kill Switch split tunneling, a click site split tunneling, and an the obfuscated server. It’s also one of the few providers to publish its detailed no-logs policy and engages PricewaterhouseCoopers for annual audits. Its prices aren’t cheap but you do get a lot of features and a long-term plan that includes a full 30 days money back guarantee.