For as many reasons as there are to be anonymous online, there are just as many VPN service providers. FBI and ISP deep packet searching, side jacking with Firesheep and other personal packet sniffers, regional restriction on TV/movie streaming sites, international gaming online, P2P and torrents, and not to mention general privacy needs are all legitimate reasons to use a VPN service. Some of the VPN service providers I’m familiar with are StrongVPN, 12VPN, SwitchVPN, ibVPN, BananaVPN, Hide My Ass, LeVPN, MocaVPN, Black Logic, iVPN, VyprVPN, Panda Pow, IP Vanish, and well, the list just goes on.
The truth is that if you’ve never signed up for a VPN service before, it can be confusing, tiring, and a huge headache. I’ve simplified a lot of the research on this blog post to make it easier for new users to figure out just what they need, as well as some VPN service that I’ve had good experiences with.
VPN Protocols (VPN tunnel)
PPTP – Fast, but less secure (iOS/Android + PC/Mac/Linux)
L2TP – More secure (iOS/Android + PC/Mac/Linux)
OpenVPN – Top level security/anonymity and reliable (PC/Mac/Linux)
SSTP – Top level security/anonymity and reliable (Windows Vista/Win 7)
IKEv2 – Used in combination with mVPN (free) for Nokia devices
Standard SSL encryption (what keeps your data safe from hackers)
128 bit (very good)
256 (excellent)
Military Grade (unnecessary in most cases)
Best Server Locations
USA/UK – browsing, downloading, streaming, VOIP, chatting
NL/De/USA/UK – P2P, torrents
Other server locations – good for accessing local sites, depending on what sites you want
Features to look out for
- Free server switching
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Multiple country IP addresses
- Allows P2P/torrents
- Live support/24 hour support
- Money back guarantee
Other than this stuff, a lot of the other stats aren’t that important. If you want to however, the best place is to ask the VPN service you’re interested in. Lots of information on the internet is based on personal experience, and sometimes what true for one user or company, may not be true for another. This will also give you a glimpse at what their customer support team is like. Some sites outsource their help, and live/email support are uninformed, rude, or don’t provide you with complete answers.
Here are some great VPN service provides I’ve tried over the years. I can personally vouch for their server reliability and excellent customer support. I’ve got a variety of unique companies here, so there should be something for everyone.
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StrongVPN
These guys have a massive site, with tons of options. It can be overwhelming at first (this was one of the first services I checked out a few years ago), but the good news is that they pretty much have everything: a wide range of VPN protocols, live support, special deals, servers in locations around the world, and lots of options.
But you do pay for it. While they advertise a $55 dollar per year plan, it’s pretty bare-bones. Lots of users have signed up for it though, so it’s not like it’s a ‘bad’ plan. However, if you’re looking for unlimited server switching, multiple country locations, OpenVPN, and/or other specific features, you may wind up paying $160 + per year.
They’re worth it though – their VPN servers are fast, live support is great, and they have a great name in the VPN community.
http://strongvpn.com
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Hide My Ass
This is another popular site. As an incentive to just visit their site, they offer tons of free stuff. A free web based proxy, a free anonymous linking tool, a free list of open proxy servers, and more. Their ProVPN service is not free, but it is cheap. About $7 per month (for a year sign up) will get you access to 36 countries and 22,000 + IP addresses. The package they offer places PPTP and OpenVPN at the same price, and it comes with a 30 day money back guarantee.
This is a great place for a newbie, because you’ll have fun switching between country-server locations, and you don’t have to worry about any confusing details. It’s a very user friendly site and setup, and pretty much the best priced plan you’ll find anywhere.
http://hidemyass.com
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PureVPN
I’ll make a liar out of myself and say that PureVPN has a slightly cheaper plan ($74 per year) than HMA. It does come with the restriction of a 30 GB bandwidth limit, but this will only affect people with an addiction to downloading. Most users rarely use more than 10 GB per month. They have servers in multiple countries, have free server switching, and multiple plan options (including an unlimited bandwidth plan).
There are two unique things about PureVPN. One, is that they offer dedicated IP addresses. This kind of IP is good for users looking to hide their real IP, but need to use the same IP over and over again. A gamer or traveling businessman might need something like this.
The other thing they offer is SSTP VPN. Though StrongVPN does offer this VPN protocol, all the other VPN services on this list do not, and many more that I don’t have listed do not as well. It’s not a very versatile VPN protocol, as it can be used only with Vista and Windows 7, but owners of these operating systems may prefer SSTP. SSTP offers similar security features to OpenVPN. As more Windows owners start switching over to Win 7 from Win XP, you’ll see more and more VPN services star to offer SSTP VPN.
There are also corporate options.
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12VPN
No list would be complete without 12VPN. IT’s super cheap ($79 per year – US IP Package), it’s fast, it’s reliable, and there are servers located around the world (World VPN – $129 per year). The advantage with 12VPN is that there are more options to upgrade your encryption, and lots of other geeky stuff. They’ve also got more VPN protocols available than other services, and even have custom VPNs for users in China and The Middle East where PPTP and L2TP VPN are blocked.
http://12vpn.com
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