As cyber-attacks are on the rise, with virtual private networks (VPN) you can maintain your privacy while you shop or surf online. Being able to connect to the internet privately is a great way to protect yourself from hackers and snoops. There are countless VPN service providers, so it is difficult to choose the most secure and fast VPN.
To make the process simpler, follow along to learn how to choose a VPN. Here are the 10 important things you need to consider:
1. A free VPN is in fact not free at all
Every single thing that is free of charge seems great. A free VPN might sound good, but the truth is that companies need to make money to cover the cost in some way or the other. Some VPN service providers do it with advertisements, while others do it by selling user data. Most of the time free means a slower connection and limited features.
2. Security experience
The primary goal of the VPN is to provide a safe connection with minimal risks. VPN market is expanding rapidly and it has potentially attracted new vendors. Not all the vendors have experience and not much is known about the companies. For this you need to take care of important features like AES-256 encryption and open VPN functionality should be on your radar. To avail the best VPN solution that incorporates security and privacy, always demand transparency and cyber security background from your provider.
3. Speed matters a lot
Let’s be brutally honest. There is nothing more annoying than slow internet, especially when you are streaming video content. While VPN will slow down the connection, there are untimely some good VPN service providers that don’t compromise on speed. To analyze the speed metrics, there is a need to keep three points in mind which include
- Upload Speed
- Download Speed
- Ping Time
The higher the uploading and downloading the better the VPN service provider it is. However, for ping time, the lower the better. Check these three factors and enjoy the subtle change in speed for fast and reliable connectivity with the best VPN service providers.
4. Check out VPN ‘s Privacy policies
Almost all the VPNs claim to keep no logs. But that is a lie. But most of them keep connection logs to provide quality services. But since VPN is all about security, read the privacy policy in detail. Check out if they have publicly declared to keep the browsing history public or private.
5. VPN provider’s home country matters
VPN companies must abide by all the laws of their home country. These laws can help them to collect, store and provide data to the higher authorities. The lack of laws to collect and disseminate the information of users is risky. Therefore, it is mandatory to know where your VPN is from.
6. Check the pricing for your VPN
The cost of VPN services can vary from location to location. Your budget can eliminate some options right off after seeing the pricing structure. Yearly plans cost much lower than going for a month-to-month paying option. If you know the service provider in detail, go for long -term plan to save your money.
But on the other hand, you can always go for the safer option of the monthly payment option and later subscribe to the yearly option. Many VPN service providers offer a free trial for you to test their services and avail in the longer run.
7. Check the payment option for your VPN
When you are considering to avail VPN services, it’s always good to consider payment options. The preference for payment methods varies from individual to individual. For instance, you can choose a credit card over the Bitcoin option, so for this, you need to know about the payment option prior.
Whatever option you prefer, double-check the VPN provider conditions before spending more time looking into it.
8. Thousands of servers are at a security risk
VPN providers worldwide rent servers from all across the globe. For instance, If VPN service providers offer a range of server options, then they ultimately have less control over the data and the whole server network. Analyze the VPNs in your location and go for the vendor option with the least number of servers.
9. Compatibility of VPN with all devices
If you are a workaholic and watch videos on your way to the office, then choose VPN that should support many devices. Prefer VPNs that have a good connection on desktops, laptops, and cell phones. Since there are many situations when you want to use VPN on your phone, so don’t limit yourself to a VPN that only works with certain devices.
10. Check your VPNs Customer support system
To a lesser or greater extent, a good customer support system is the top priority for everyone. Even if you are tech-savvy, you may need technical support at times. Live chatting, email, and ticketing system are some of the ways to connect with customers. So, if your VPN service provider can get your issues resolved in minutes not hours, then it would be the one you should prefer.
For easy selection of the best VPNs across various countries , you can refer to these blog posts
- Best VPNs for UK
- Best VPNs for Australia
- Best VPNs for Russia
- Best VPNs For Mexico
- Best VPNs for Canada
- Best VPNs for France
- Best VPNs for Singapore
- Best VPNs for UAE
