Best VPNs for 2023

How To Keep Yourself Anonymous In the Internet!

When it comes to choosing the best VPN, it can feel like a minefield. There are so many VPNs to choose from, each with their own unique features. 

Choosing the best VPN for your needs and keeping you safe isn’t something you should do on a whim.  When your data and identity is on the line, you can’t afford to take risks. 

We’re going to teach you everything you need to know about VPNs so that you can pick the best VPN for yourself.

Let’s discover the best VPNs so that you can start covering your tracks online!

How We Rank the Best VPNs at VPN Pro

VPNs are mostly planned for the same purpose, so ranking them can seem tricky, especially if you’re not a security expert. 

When we look at VPNs, we look at a number of factors, including the following:

• Speed
• Server locations
• Log policy
• Obfuscated servers
• Ease of use
• Malware blocking
• Support quality
• Variety of apps

We take all of these features and more into consideration when we compare VPNs, allowing us to uncover the best VPN. 

Obviously, everyone has their own needs and requirements, so our ranking factors cover a wide range of needs and requirements, meaning that you can get all the information you need in one place!

Find the Best VPN

With all the VPNs out there, it’s critical to pick one that’s best for your needs. The best VPNs are based on our ranking factors.  You’ll find detailed information in our full VPN reviews. 

Our list of the best VPNs is made by scoring VPNs on numerous ranking factors mentioned above, like speed, server locations and ease of use. All of these are important features and are the items that you should be looking out for. 

You want a VPN that’s not going to throttle your speed and slow you down, while having a solid range of server locations for you to pick from. 

Obviously, you want to use a VPN with a no-log policy, so we see this as a major ranking factor.  Finally, we like to make sure that VPNs are easy to use. 

You shouldn’t have to be a programmer to be able to use a VPN, so this factor also plays a key role in our ranking process for the best VPNs. 

We keep this list up to date, regularly adding in new features and adjusting score based on tweaks that individual VPNs add to their service. 

Most of the best VPNs offer a 30-day trial, which you can use to test out a VPN before committing fully.  It’s well worth doing this, or just buy 1 month to test out a VPN before committing to the full year. 

This gives you time to explore the VPN and see if its features are right for you and your needs. 

Now you know the best VPNs, it’s time to take a more in-depth look at VPNs, how they work, what you can use them for and more!

Guide to the Best VPNs

Let’s take a look at the world of VPNs, lifting the lid on how they work, what they are, and what they can do to help you remain as secure as possible. 

We’re here to educate you with our guides and make VPNs as user friendly as possible, so don’t worry, we’ll make complex topics and tech easy to understand!

What is a VPN and How Does a VPN Work?

VPN is a virtual private network (VPN) that gives you privacy and anonymity by creating a data tunnel between your device and an exit node somewhere else in the world. 

Your data is encrypted for its ride in the data tunnel and once it gets to the exit node, it’s thrown back onto the web like normal web traffic. 

Let’s say that you use a VPN with a location in Sydney, Australia and you’re located in Rome, Italy. Your VPN will create a tunnel between your device and the VPN exit node in Sydney. 

This data will travel as packets through the VPN networks’ infrastructure all the way to the destination. 

Once there, the node will unpack it and push the data on to the web just as your device would have. 

The website or server sees your data as if you’re in Sydney and serves you the site or application that it would deliver to someone in Sydney. 

This allows you to bypass geo-content filters and geo-blocking filters in a quick and easy manner. 

By doing this, you keep your private information, browsing habits and identity secret from the eyes of the internet. 

That might sound a little confusing and complex, but you don’t really need to know how it works to be able to use a VPN safely. 

There’s also a lot more to it, but this is a basic rendition of how a VPN works.

How Does a VPN Protect Your Privacy?

As we mentioned in the section above, a VPN creates a data tunnel between your device and an exit node in another location. 

This could be around the corner, 2 cities over or on the other side of the planet – it’s really up to you. 

Website and application servers then believe that you’re actually based in that location and will serve you a version of the website or application designed for that particular region. 

The VPN completely encrypts your data as well, so while it’s travelling over your Wi-Fi or wired network, it’s totally secure. Check the most secure VPNs here!

As a result, network administrators, hackers, the government and even your internet service provider (ISP) cannot see what you’re doing. 

In fact, it’s recommended to use a VPN when you use a public network as it prevents people from snooping on your data and activity. Without the protection of a VPN, your entire browsing history can be seen by your ISP. 

If you use a VPN, the browsing history will be associated with the exit node, rather than you. This keeps you and your searches hidden from prying eyes. 

What Does VPN Stand For?

VPN stands for virtual private network, which actually sums up how VPNs work perfectly. Almost all software types use abbreviations, and VPNs are no exception to the rule. 

Main Features of a VPN

As we’ve already discovered, not all VPNs are built the same. Some of the best VPNs come packed with features, while others just have the core features. 

Some VPNs will also have tiered plans that allow you to pay for extra features, which is handy if you just want a cheap and basic VPN. 

So, let’s run through the main features of a VPN as these are the features that you’ll see on all of the best VPNs.

No Throttling

ISPs love to throttle your connection, especially if you’re using a lot of bandwidth by streaming movies or playing games online. 

Unfortunately, some VPNs will do the same thing, capping your connection speed at a measly level.  The best VPNs, however, will let your connection go as fast as possible. 

This is a feature that you should look out for and it’s one of our ranking factors. We don’t believe that you should be throttled, especially if you’re paying for a service. 

Live a life without limits by using one of the best VPNs!

No-Log Policy

A no-log policy is quite simply what its name suggests – the VPN provider won’t track, collect or share your private data. 

The best VPNs will have strict no-log policies, meaning that they will not look at your data or log it anywhere. 

Now, there are some VPNs out there that don’t have such policies in place, meaning that you might as well not be using a VPN. 

More often than not, it’s the free VPNs that don’t have a no-log policy. After all, if there’s no price attached to a service, your data is the price. 

Ample Server Locations

The best VPNs will have a massive network of servers scattered all around the globe for you to use. This means that you can set your exit node to one of hundreds of destinations, giving you more choice and freedom than ever before. 

If you’re using a VPN to get around geo-content filters, you’ll want a VPN that has a great range of server locations. This gives you more choice and location to pick from to access new content that you might not be able to access in your home country. 

Again, not all of the best VPNs stack up equally in this department, with some only having a handful of server locations for you to pick from. 

Kill Switch 

We see this as a necessary feature for all VPNs, but you’d be surprised as to how many VPNs are actually missing it. The best VPNs all have a kill switch built in, meaning that if your VPN connection drops, it’ll pause internet traffic to that particular device. 

This helps to keep you secure at all times and gives you peace of mind. You’ll get a notification if the kill switch has been activated and another when connection is restored. 

You can opt to turn this feature off with most of the best VPNs, but it’s a wise idea to leave it on at all times!

Benefits of Using a VPN

If you’re considering using a VPN, then you’re likely already aware of some of the benefits. 

So, let’s run you through all of the benefits of using a VPN so that you can see all of the ways in which using the best VPN can make your life online safer. 

Better Privacy

Every time you connect to the internet and browse, you leave behind a fingerprint. This includes information such as your IP address, browsing history, your location and your device type. 

There’s a whole lot more that websites and applications can collect on you, this is just a small window into that data.  This leaves you vulnerable and gives advertisers greater windows into your life to plague you with eerily specific ads. 

By using one of the best VPNs, you can reclaim your privacy once and for all. 

A VPN encrypts your connection to the internet, meaning that you don’t share all of your data with websites and applications. 

Your true IP address and location will be hidden thanks to the data tunnels and end node points, meaning that you can browse freely without fear of persecution.

More Security

The internet is fraught with danger and malicious parties looking to take advantage of you. If you’re not careful, you could be in real danger with just a couple of clicks. 

Awkward pop-ups, innocent looking attachments and appealing ads can all get you into major trouble if you interact with them. 

Or, perhaps you’re using a public Wi-Fi network. 

These are hotspots for hackers and after a few minutes, a hacker can see everything you’re doing as well as gather all of your login credentials. 

By using one of the best VPNs, your data will be fully encrypted, meaning that even if you’re using an open network, you’re safe and secure. 

Think of it like wearing wellington boots when you walk through mud, as opposed to bare feet. The boots keep you safe from the mud. 

The best VPNs also have features built in that will warn you if a site is malicious and it’ll block dodgy scripts or adverts too. 

These features of the best VPNs will take your cyber security to the next level, giving you total peace of mind. 

Total Internet Freedom

It’s not nice being told what you can and cannot do, so why live with a restricted internet. 

Whether your ISP, government or network administrator has blocked a certain website or category, by using one of the best VPNs you’ll be able to unblock them. 

You can also use VPNs to bypass geo-content filters on popular streaming apps like YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu. 

By enabling your VPN and accessing an end node in a region with the content you want to watch, you’ll be able to enjoy all the shows, movies and videos that your heart desires. 

Unblock region specific content in a matter of seconds by enabling your trusty VPN!

Or perhaps you’re travelling abroad and want access to shows and services that are only available in your home country. 

The best VPNs will have servers in your country that you can use to make websites and apps think that you’re on a staycation!

Blazing Fast Speed

Internet service providers and network admins can become a touch overzealous from time to time, throttling your network connection. 

This tends to happen if you’re using a significant amount of bandwidth or there’s high demand in your area right now. 

An ISP will throttle your speed and bandwidth down to ensure that all users in your area have a fair and equal connection speed. 

When using a VPN, you can bypass this unfair throttling and get back to your important internet activities. 

The best VPNs use technology that’s blazing fast, meaning there’s no speed or bandwidth limit. 

Why Should I Buy a VPN?

The best VPNs have a wide range of use cases, but they can help nearly every person on the planet take back control of their privacy and freedom. 

In parts of the world where the government has archaic controls and bans on particular content, you’re able to regain your internet freedom and live without fear of persecution. 

Depending on your needs, different VPNs would suit you more adequately. 

Video Streaming

If you love streaming content from the internet, but pesky geo-blocking has limited your options, then you need a VPN. 

You should look for VPNs that have lots of server locations around the globe. 

This will give you more regions to pick from and several servers in each region. This is critical as sometimes Netflix wises up and will block a particular VPN IP address. 

But if your VPN has more than one exit node in that region, you can outsmart Netflix and carry-on streaming until your heart’s content. 

Online Gaming

There’s no worse feeling than lagging in your favorite online games. It seriously impacts your performance and enjoyment of the game. 

Either you’re being throttled somewhere, or you live too far away from the servers. 

By using a VPN, you can escape the throttling of your ISP or network administrator and get back to shredding your enemies. 

You can also use a VPN to change your location to get onto different servers. 

If you want to play against American players, you can set your location to somewhere in North America. The same goes for any region you wish to play with. 

Whether you want easier battles or a harder challenge, a VPN gives you total flexibility. 

Travelling

If you have a passion for traveling or perhaps work has you on the road a lot, you’re going to want to use a VPN. 

You’ll often find yourself in a region that your favorite website, application or shows aren’t available in, especially if you’re always on the move. 

By using a VPN, you can benefit in numerous ways. You’ll be able to access all the content you know and love. And you’ll be able to remain secure with your privacy intact. 

So, if you travel a lot, you’ll want to get your hands on the best VPN right away!

For Business purposes

Whether you’re a small, medium or large company, you need a VPN. Your customers will be accessing your website, products and apps from all around the globe. 

This means that you need to be able to test properly from all locations. 

It also gives your customer support crew a way to see exactly what the end user is seeing by replicating their location. 

In this day and age where remote working is increasingly common, it’s mission critical that your employees can access the sites and content that they need to from their locations. 

There are some amazing VPNs that scale with your business needs. 

What Does a VPN Cost?

As we’ve mentioned a few times already, the best VPNs all come packing different features. 

These differences are also felt in the pricing structure, meaning that the better a VPN is, the more it can cost you. 

Most of the best VPNs have flexible pricing plans and give you discounts for buying longer periods up front. 

If you’re looking to pay monthly for a VPN, you will be looking at spending anywhere between $9 and $19. The cheaper plans will often have less features, so do bear this in mind. 

If you are looking to buy a 6-month or a year package, the price will be probably be between $40 and $160. 

Again, this will vary based on the length that you’re opting to purchase and the number of features that you are getting. 

Finally, some VPNs will let you purchase a 2-year subscription which will set you back anywhere between $170 and $300. 

Most VPNs will offer you a first-time buyer discount, making the extended term plans incredible value for money. 

Also, the more expensive VPNs will usually also allow for more simultaneous connections. This means that you can have more devices using the same account at the same time. 

Types of VPNs

For the most part, the best VPNs all do the same thing – they encrypt your data. 

But there are a few that have a ton of super cool features and are more focused on providing a different type of service. 

So, we’re going to examine the different types of VPNs that are available. 

Privacy Focused VPNs

If you really care about your privacy online, then you’ll want to get your hands on a privacy focused VPN. 

The best VPNs that focus on privacy will allow you to enable multi-hop connection, meaning that your connection gets routed through multiple end nodes. 

This gives you unmatched privacy and ensures that even the NSA couldn’t track you. 

If you do opt for this type of VPN, be aware that the multi-hop feature will often cost a little more and it will slow down your connection. 

Ultimate privacy comes at a cost, but a slightly slower connection is well worth the benefits!

Security Focused VPNs

Just as we have privacy focused VPNs, there are also VPNs that focus more on your security. 

These types of VPNs will have more malware blockers, ad blockers, attachment screening and more. 

All of these features combine to give you the safest and most secure online experience possible. 

Some will even let you install their firmware on your router, allowing you to protect all the devices on your network with the same high-security features. 

If you are worried about falling prey to scammers or hackers, then a security focused VPN might be the right type for you. 

Freedom Focused VPNs

If you want total internet and content freedom, then you’ll want a VPN that focuses on delivering top speeds and has a huge range of server locations. 

Some VPNs only carry a handful of server locations, while others will have several hundred for you to pick from. 

This gives you complete freedom and an unmatched choice when it comes to your VPN and browsing experience. 

These types of VPNs are ideal for those of you that love to stream content and play games that may have geo-restrictions. 

VPNs for All Purposes

Finally, we come to what we’d class as the best VPNs – the ones that do everything. 

Why compromise on features when there are VPNs out there that let you have it all. 

We base our rankings on a wide range of factors, and the ones that score the best across the board make it into our list of the best VPNs. 

As a result, these are the all-round good eggs and will cater to all of your needs and demands. 

Whether you’re a heavy Netflix streamer or a large company looking to give your support crew a helping hand, the best VPNs will help you all the way!

Current VPN Trends to Watch Out For

The VPN industry is constantly evolving and adapting to the situation of the world. As such, we see new trends appearing from time to time. 

So, we’re going to take a quick look at a few trends that are starting to emerge and will likely continue through 2023 and beyond!

More People Setting Up Their Own VPNs

Because of the COVID-19 era many companies have started allow remote work or hybrid work. This in turn has led to more people being in control of the company’s network security. 

As a result, we’ve seen a lot of high-profile data leaks and hacks. 

On the back of this, a lot of people and companies have been using the OpenVPN framework to launch their own VPNs. 

This requires a fair degree of tech savviness to be able to do, but there are plenty of tutorials out there on how you can achieve this. 

The end result is a far cry from the services provided by the best VPNs, but some people are opting for this route. 

This is a relatively new trend, and we’ll likely see it carry on into the future. 

Whether we’ll see individuals join their networks together to create a decentralized VPN service or not is yet to be seen, but it’s a certain possibility. 

More Servers Are Better

Another trend that has been growing since the COVID-19 crisis hit the planet is VPN providers spinning up new servers. 

The best VPN providers have been hard at work adding new server locations for their users. This has been driven by an increased demand for online streaming and remote working. 

With people still tentative to return back to normal lives, we’ll likely see this trend continue. 

The biggest and best VPNs are now expanding past the 150-country location mark, and we expect the race to 200 and beyond to continue on in the coming months and years. 

What is the Best VPN?

Choosing the best VPN is a tricky task, and that’s why VPN Pro is here for you. 

We’ve independently reviewed the best VPN providers available and ranked them according to a strict criterion. 

Our ranking criteria includes the following points:

• Speed
• Server locations
• Log policy
• Obfuscated servers
• Ease of use
• Malware blocking
• Support quality
• Variety of apps

Our easy-to-read tables give you granular insight into the services offered by each VPN, making choosing the best VPN for you easier than ever before!

How to Choose the Right VPN?

We here at VPNPro.net have done all the leg work in gathering information about the best VPN providers, so you don’t have to. 

We’ve also objectively ranked each of the best VPNs based on a tight set of criteria. But, that doesn’t mean that it’s a clear cut choice for you. 

Each VPN is slightly different and has its own set of perks and features. So, it’s always wise to pick out a couple of VPNs that meet your needs and test them out. 

Some VPNs come with a free trial while most will let you just buy a 1-month subscription. 

This gives you plenty of time to test out the VPN and see whether it’s got the chops to be your VPN of choice going forwards. 

The Best VPN for You is a Click Away!

That’s just about everything there is to know about VPNs. There are lots of different types of VPNs out there, and some come with more features than others. 

This means that some will be suited to your needs, while others might not be the perfect fit. 

Either way, the best VPN for you is out there somewhere. 

With our detailed guides and reviews, you’ll be able to pick the best VPN for your needs so that you can enjoy the internet with enhanced privacy, security, speed and freedom!