Don't let it go to your head, but everybody wants you — more specifically, your browsing data. Personal information about the links you click on and the sites you visit is highly valuable to third parties, including your internet service provider (ISP) and Google, who may want to share or monetize it. Certain government and law enforcement agencies are also eager to peek at your activity online for their own surveillance purposes, as horny Texans learned earlier this year.
One way to reclaim some of your digital privacy is by getting a virtual private network, or VPN, a service that creates an encrypted connection between your device and one of the VPN provider's private, remote servers before spitting it out onto the open web. In plain English, a VPN lets you browse the internet without being tracked.
Why do you need a VPN?
Even the best VPNs can't make you totally anonymous on the web — the providers themselves can still see what you're doing while you're using their servers. But they can secure your personal info and hide your true IP address from prying eyes on the outside. The most trustworthy VPN providers operate transparently and abide by independently verified no-logs policies to prove that they don't collect or store user data in this process.
While not its primary purpose, a VPN's ability to conceal your real IP address also makes it useful for spoofing your location. This will allow you to bypass geo-restrictions on content that's not available in your country or region. If you're someone in the U.S. who wants access to a streaming service like BBC iPlayer or ITVX, for example, a VPN can make it happen.
What is the No. 1 best VPN?
After testing (and retesting) some of the most popular VPN providers on multiple platforms, TunnelBear is the new alpha — my new top pick for most people. Its simple, adorable app supports split tunneling and unlimited simultaneous connections, and it offers a limited free tier. It's also doing some admirable work on the transparency front: Its privacy policy is plainly written, and it issues regular security audits and transparency reports that anyone can read. (Overall, its track record is spotless.)
For users who want a more feature-rich VPN service, NordVPN is the one I recommend. It has a widespread server network that successfully unblocks regional content — hello, Love Island UK fans — and supports up to 10 simultaneous connections. Its nice-looking app includes multi-hop, among other specialty server types, and users can upgrade their plans with tons of extra security fixings (like an ad/tracker blocker and a data breach scanner). NordVPN submits its no-log policy to regular third-party audits, though you need an account to read them, and it recently started issuing transparency reports. It does have one notable blemish on its reputation due to its handling of a server breath several years ago, but it seems to be heading in a positive direction from a trustworthiness standpoint.
ExpressVPN and CyberGhost VPN are both honorable mentions for unblocking geo-restricted content and location spoofing, though I wouldn't necessarily recommend either of them for long-term use for reasons I get into below.
What I'm testing next
I recently tried the free version of Proton VPN on Windows and think it's a very strong contender for a future addition to this list: Its business model revolves around transparency and digital safety, and its free tier has no data limits. I'll make a final call after trying the paid version of it and more of its apps.
Read on for Mashable's guide to the best VPN services of 2024. FYI: Prices for most VPN providers' long-term plans change frequently. The rates listed here were accurate at the time of publication.
