Question 1

What's the best VPN right now?

Ray Walsh · Accepted Answer

The best VPN for one person might not always be the best for another. VPNs have different uses and some are better at one thing than they are at others. Our testing found NordVPN to be the best all-round VPN, looking at all of the criteria. The other VPNs listed in this article are all strong performers and you honestly won’t go far wrong if you choose any of the VPNs mentioned above.

Question 2

Is using a VPN legal?

Ray Walsh · Accepted Answer

Using a VPN is 100 percent legal in almost every country, with a small handful of exceptions such as Iran and possibly the United Arab Emirates. Even though many countries censor the web, accessing censored content through a VPN does not constitute breaking the law.

Note, however, that what you do while connected to a VPN is a completely different matter. If you use a VPN to do something that is illegal in your country, such as pirating copyrighted material or accessing online gambling sites, those are activities are still illegal. A VPN can hide such activity from your internet service provider and authorities, but we advise against doing anything illegal and expecting the VPN to shield you.

In some countries, even though there are no laws against using a VPN, it may be illegal to operate a VPN. This is the case in China, where a recent regulatory notice made it illegal for VPN providers to operate in the country without a license. Other countries, have implemented mandatory data retention laws that require VPN providers to log the activity of their users. This defeats the privacy purpose of a VPN, so be wary of VPNs that operate servers or are incorporated in these countries. Be sure to read privacy policies before signing up.

Question 3

What is the best free VPN in 2024?

Ray Walsh · Accepted Answer

Be wary of most free VPNs. Of course, everyone’s favorite price is “free”, but you usually end up paying with something else.

Running a VPN is expensive so you need to ask yourself: “Why is this company offering its product for free? What are they getting in return?”.

It’s common practice for free VPNs to monitor and record user activity, insert tracking libraries and persistent cookies to gather data for advertisers, and even inject advertisements into your web browser. Free VPNs can also contain malware that will infect your system. A 2017 report (PDF) published by a group of researchers from several institutions including UC Berkeley and CSIRO showed that 38 percent of the Android VPN apps on Google Play contained malware or malvertising, 84 percent leaked users’ web traffic, and 18 percent didn’t encrypt data at all.

Many free VPNs lack sufficient encryption to keep your online activities private from third parties. Worse yet, they might well keep logs of your online activity and identity, which can be sold to third parties and/or used to target you with ads. That pretty much defeats the privacy-preserving purpose of a VPN.

Free VPNs tend to offer fewer servers and are much slower than paid counterparts. Their servers get quickly congested with users. Most set strict data caps or bandwidth limits. They are not well suited to unblocking streaming sites.

In short, we recommend choosing one of the products from our best VPN list and making the most of their free trials and money-back guarantees to ensure you;re happy before commiting long term. If you need a free VPN and don’t mind limited features, we recommend:

Hotspot Shield
Windscribe
ProtonVPN

Question 4

Can I use a VPN to access streaming sites like Netflix from abroad?

Ray Walsh · Accepted Answer

Yes, but not every VPN will work. Check out our list of the best VPNs for Netflix to find the ones that do.

With a VPN you can change your IP address, which is how most websites and apps determine your location. For example, if you live in the UK and would like to access the US Netflix catalog, you can select a US-based server, this will give you a US IP address an allow you to browse freely as though you were there. Similarly, you can do so if you live in a country where Netflix is not yet available, although you will still need to purchase a subscription.

In early 2016, Netflix started blocking many VPNs, but most of the VPNs we recommend still work.

Question 5

Will a VPN slow down my internet speed?

Ray Walsh · Accepted Answer

Yes, but it might not even be enough to notice.

Some VPNs are faster than others, but assuming you can max out your available bandwidth, expect your download speeds to slow down about 10 percent.

There are other factors to consider with slow internet speeds, such as your CPU speed, the distance to the VPN server, and congestion on the network.

If you are having ongoing issues with speed and your underlying connection is fast, get in touch with the provider for support.

Question 6

Will a VPN work in China?

Ray Walsh · Accepted Answer

It will depend on the VPN provider that you choose. China is a tricky country for VPNs so check out our list of the best VPNs for China, for an up-to-date list of those that currently work. Those VPNs will allow you to access western social media, news sites, and streaming services, among others.

Some VPN providers have been blocked or banned, including both their servers, their websites, and the app stores where users can download VPN apps. This makes it difficult to access the means to download the software. If you travelling to China and would like to use a VPN while there, we recommend downloading it before you leave.

Question 7

How do I set up a VPN?

Ray Walsh · Accepted Answer

All of the providers we recommend on our site make their own VPN apps. Getting set up is a simple matter of downloading and installing the app, inputting your username and password, and hitting the Connect button. Configurations for all of the servers come built in, so selecting a location is as easy as browsing through a list.

Some VPNs do not make apps, however, and require manual configuration. Many operating systems have built-in VPN settings, but setting up a VPN this way is much more tedious and doesn’t offer the additional security benefits that come with good VPN apps. We recommend avoiding these, especially if you’re new to VPNs.

Question 8

What should I look for when choosing a VPN?

Ray Walsh · Accepted Answer

There is no one-size-fits-all best VPN for everyone, but neither are all VPNs created equal. Finding the VPN that best suits you depends on a variety of factors and how you intend to use it. Here are some things you should consider when looking for a VPN:

How much speed and data do I need?
Is it important that I hide my identity and online activity?
How much do I want to pay?
What, if any, streaming services do I need to unblock?
Do I need to bypass censorship in places like China and UAE?
What devices do I need to run the VPN on? How many devices in total?
Are you a novice? Consider getting a VPN with good customer support.