VPN Reviews

Best VPN Reviews 2018

Today, there are over 300 major VPN service providers worldwide. It can be nearly impossible for consumers to separate the good from the bad, to know what’s a good deal and what’s not. Our goal at BestVPN24 is to thoroughly investigate VPN service providers, and offer approachable, easy-to-understand and comprehensive reviews as to the quality of those providers.

A good VPN can be a great thing – offering anonymity online, privacy and security for your data, and protection from hackers and other bad actors. But, most good VPNs are paid services – so naturally, you want to make sure you are getting the best service for your money. At BestVPN24, we test and review all the major VPNs, so you can make your own decision about which VPN suits your needs.

What We Check in a VPN Review

BestVPN24 uses a detailed approach to generate our VPN reviews. We do exhaustive research to compile all available information on a particular VPN service provider, including information available from the VPN providers themselves, as well as third-party benchmarks and other reviews. Then, we examine the VPN and evaluate it against 6 different key criteria areas, as detailed below. We believe these key areas represent the major considerations for most users of VPNs, as well as provide a basis for as close to an apples-to-apples, like-for-like comparison as possible.

One point to note, however, is that the data in our reviews are subject to change. VPN service providers add additional servers, change features, pricing, and much more. all the time. So, it’s important to realize that our reviews are current and accurate as of their posting, and updated as frequently as possible, but you should always check and confirm the latest details with the company’s official site prior to making a purchase decision. With that said, the six major categories of our reviews include:

• Specifications: including information about the company, where it is based when it was founded, any information about ownership, reputation, history, and similar. The number of servers and locations are also included in this category. This also includes any notable features or other information about the company or the service itself.
• Privacy, Encryption, and Safety: which covers what encryption is used, the protocols available, information about the jurisdiction of where the company is based, whether or not they keep activity logs and related information.
• Interface: which highlights the client and/or app that the service provides, how simple or advanced it is, compatibility with major operating systems, and so forth.
• Performance: focused on the reliability and speed of the VPN service, is a major consideration in our VPN reviews.
• Ease of Use: focusing on how accessible the VPN service and their client/app is, and whether or not you need to be a tech-savvy to use the service, or if it’s very user-friendly for people of all tech expertise levels.
• Customer Support: looking at what kind of support options are available, and how well those options work/what the response times are like, and much more.

Finally, after reviewing those six major categories, we look at the bottom line – the Pricing and Packages or Plans that are available for the VPN. We also highlight whether or not they offer free plans, free trials, money-back guarantees, or different tiers of subscriptions, and what those differences entail. Most VPNs offer several different subscription durations, which translate into different net monthly costs, and we break down all that information for you in our VPN reviews.

Our VPN Reviews

We’re always adding new companies to our database of VPN reviews. Below, you’ll find a brief overview of all of the VPN companies we’ve reviewed so far, and the ones we are looking to review next. Where available, links to their full review are provided for convenience. The top 2 providers (based on our reviews) can be found at the top of the list, and then the rest are listed alphabetically. We hope you find these reviews useful and encourage you to explore our site for more quality VPN reviews fully!

NordVPN Review

NordVPN is one of the largest and most well-known VPN providers around. They were founded in 2008, and are based out of Panama, with almost 5,000 servers located in 64 different countries. They keep no logs and allow for up to 6 devices per account. NordVPN is one of the fastest options around, with around a 20% decrease in maximum download speed.

ExpressVPN Review

Our other top pick for VPN provider, ExpressVPN was founded in 2009, based out of the British Virgin Islands. At present, they have over 2,000 servers in 94 different countries, giving them quite a large geographic footprint. They also don’t keep logs, and up to 3 devices can be connected per account. Like NordVPN, ExpressVPN is near the top of the list in speed, with maximum download speeds decreasing by only about 15%.

Astrill VPN Review

Astrill was founded in 2009 and is based in Seychelles. They currently have over 300 servers in 61 countries, which puts them on the smaller side in terms of count, but still represents a good geographic base for the network. There may be some logging, as their privacy policy is a bit unclear. You can have up to 5 devices connected per account. Speeds are not bad, with around a 30% maximum decrease in overall download speed.

AVG Secure VPN Review

AVG Secure VPN is from AVG, the same company responsible for the popular anti-virus software, now owned by Avast, based in the Czech Republic. They do not disclose the number of servers, but they are set up in 20 different countries. They do, however, maintain a zero logging policy. You can only have 1 device active per account, but they don’t use a subscription model the way many other services do – rather, you buy the software/account for a specific platform with a one-time fee only. The overall speeds are not amazing, but not terrible either, varying a good deal by country.

CyberGhost Review

CyberGhost was founded in 2011 and is based in Romania. They have around 2,900 servers in 60 countries, which makes them one of the larger VPNs around in terms of server count and geographic presence. They keep no logs and allow up to 7 devices per account. Speeds are average, with a 40 to 50% decrease in total download speed, which can become noticeable when streaming, downloading, or torrenting.

Disconnect VPN Review

Disconnect was founded in 2011, based in the US. At the moment, they have three levels of plans, and only the top-tier, Premium plan comes with a VPN. Since this is only one component of the software that they offer, there is not a lot of information on server counts, countries, or features. However, they are very clear that they keep no logs of customer data, and allow up to 3 devices per account. Speeds are average to slightly below average, with around a 50% hit to overall max download speed.

Hide.me Review

Hide.me is one of the smaller services on our list. They were founded in 2012, and are based out of Malaysia. Hide.me has only around 150 servers, spread in 34 countries, but they do stress that all servers are high-speed, high-capacity, and located in high-quality data centers. They keep no logs and offer plans for either 1 device (with a 75 GB/month bandwidth cap) or 5 devices with no bandwidth cap. In terms of speed, it can vary quite a bit, with 60 to 75% hits to download speed on the upper end, and 30 to 40% on the lower end on the servers we tested.

HideMyAss Review

HideMyAss is based in the UK and was founded in 2005. They offer over 750 servers in 190 countries, which is one of the largest geographic footprints of any VPN service provider. Some data is logged, however, so those concerned about logging should use caution here. Up to 5 devices can be connected per account. Speeds are not bad, with around a 30 to 35% decrease to max download speeds.

Hotspot Shield Review

Founded in 2005 and owned by AnchorFree, Hotspot Shield is based in the US. They have an impressive server base in terms of count, with over 2,500 servers, though geographically they are limited, with only 28 countries for outbound connections. There have been some accusations of logging customer information, so some caution is indicated. Free accounts have restrictions and are limited to 1 device, though paid plans offer up to 5. Speeds are blazing in most cases, with around only a 10% hit to max download speed, on par with or slightly better than the top performers on our list.

IPVanish Review

Founded in 1999, IPVanish is based in the US, which can be problematic for true die-hard privacy fans. However, they have over 1,000 servers located in 60 countries, providing a great network with a lot of variety. Like most of the better services, they keep no logs. They have one of the most generous device policies, allowing up to 10 devices per account. Speeds are also very good, comparable to NordVPN and ExpressVPN, at only a 15-20% decrease to overall download speed while using the service.

Kaspersky VPN Review

Kaspersky is a well-known provider of anti-virus and other security software, founded in 1997 and based in Russia. It has been in the media of late for its connections to the Russian government and intelligence apparatus, so some urge caution as a result. They have not disclosed the number of servers, but as of this writing, they had 18 countries for outbound connections. Some logging does occur, based on their privacy policy and other terms and conditions, which is another point of caution. They offer a free plan with a bandwidth restriction that supports 1 device, or premium (paid) plans that support up to 5 devices. Speed is not the greatest, with around a 50-60% decrease to max download speed from most servers.

PureVPN Review

PureVPN was founded in 2006 and is based in Hong Kong. It has a lot going for it, with over 2,000 servers in 140 countries, making it one of the most geographically diverse of all the providers we have reviewed. They keep some service logs, though in theory none of it is identifiable to your account. Up to 5 devices can be connected per account. Speeds, however, leave something to be desired, with a 60-75% decrease in total download speed, which is very problematic.

RA4W VPN Review

Ra4W is a VPN based in the US, that was released in 2013. The US-based jurisdiction is concerning for many privacy advocates due to intelligence agencies as well as the ease with which lawyers can go after services such as this. They have only 33 servers in 23 countries, which is quite limited. As claimed on their site, however, they keep no logs and allow unlimited connections. Unlike many other VPNs, they also have a relatively low-cost, lifetime purchase option (so you don’t need to pay monthly fees), alongside the usual monthly plan options. Speeds are pretty bad, however, with 75 to 85% decreases in overall download speed from most tested servers.

SaferVPN Review

Founded in 2013, SaferVPN is based in Israel, which is a concern for some privacy advocates, due to participation in major intelligence-sharing alliances globally. However, putting that aside, the service offers around 700 servers in 34 countries, with a concerted effort to add more on an ongoing basis. They log some anonymous data that is in no way connected to your account but is still more than many other service providers do, so it is worth noting. Up to 5 devices can be connected per account. In terms of speed, the max download speed hit is only around 30-40%, which is hard to notice in most everyday applications and usage of the service.

SpyOFF VPN Review

SpyOFF VPN is based in San Marino, a small independent microstate surrounded by Italy. This means they are not part of Italy, or the EU, and therefore outside of most intelligence-sharing alliances, providing an excellent jurisdiction for a VPN service. They have nearly 400 servers in 25 countries. While SpyOFF does not log your data, they do not own their own servers, meaning that the companies they lease server space from COULD log your data, so you should be aware of that. On the plus side, a single account offers unlimited devices/connections. Speed is around average, with about a 50% hit to max download speed in most cases.

Trust.Zone VPN Review

Founded in 2014 and based in Seychelles, Trust.Zone VPN has some decent things going for it. They aren’t the largest, with 125 servers in 81 “zones” (about 31 countries) around the world. But, they keep no logs, and being in Seychelles, have a great jurisdiction for a VPN service. They allow up to 3 devices per account. In terms of speed, they’re pretty good, with 25 to 30% decreases to max download speed, on par with some of the top providers.

Turbo VPN Review

Turbo VPN is based in China, which is a huge negative from the start, as they are one of the largest censors of Internet content. They are a free service, however, so you get what you pay for. At present, they only support iOS and Android mobile devices, not desktop or laptop systems. They have only 26 servers. A lot of logging goes on here, and it’s questionable how much more might go on that is undisclosed, given the Chinese government involvement in approving VPNs in China. It’s ad-supported, and the speed is pretty bad, with 85 to 95% hits to maximum download speed in our testing.

UltraSurf VPN Review

UltraSurf VPN is one of the only entirely free entries on our list. Founded in 2002 by Chinese ex-pats working in Silicon Valley, their mission is to provide free VPN services to enable open and uncensored access to the Internet. Their server locations and quantity are undisclosed. They do keep logs in accordance with data retention laws. There is no license or plan, so in theory, you can connect as many devices as you wish to the service. Speeds are sufficient for regular browsing, which is what it is designed for, and a lot of heavier bandwidth content is restricted as not to bog down the free network.

VPN Master Review

VPN Master is a small VPN provider, based in the US, offering VPN services since 2008. They only list 14 countries for locations on their site, and no indication if there is only 1 server per country or multiple servers. They claim not to keep any logs, but the privacy policy and terms of use say otherwise, which is a bit of a red flag for us. They do not list how many devices are available per account, and multiple web security warnings were thrown when we attempted to dig a bit deeper into their site. As such, we were unable to test their speed.

VyprVPN Review

VyprVPN is provided by Golden Frog, a privacy-centric company founded in 1994, based in Switzerland. They maintain around 700 servers in 70 countries, providing an average size network with a good geographic base of operations. Unlike many entries on our list, they do keep some logs, so you should be cautious. There are two paid plans, one of which supports up to 3 devices, and one that allows up to 5. In terms of speed, they are fairly good, with only a 20 to 25% decrease to overall download speed in our testing.

WindScribe VPN Review

WindScribe is one of the few companies on our list that offer a fully free version of their service (with bandwidth and other limitations), in addition to paid plans. They are based in Canada and maintain around 500 servers in 51 countries. Like most better providers, they maintain a zero logs policy. All paid plans come with an unlimited number of devices supported, which is different and sets them apart. Speed isn’t amazing, but it’s not terrible, either, with around a 50% decrease to overall download speed while using the service.

ZenMate Review

Run by German-based ZenGuard, ZenMate is on the smaller side, with only 300 servers in 30 countries. This still provides a good mix of potential locations to use, however. The company claims a no logging policy (though the privacy policy and other fine print is a bit unclear). They allow up to 5 devices per account. Speed is decent, with a 30 to 40% decrease to overall download speed through the service.

Zoog VPN Review

Founded in 2014 in the UK crown dependency the Isle of Man, Zoog VPN is one of the smaller providers on our list. They have just 29 servers in 22 countries. While they claim not to keep logs, the privacy policy suggests otherwise, like many of the providers we have reviewed – it’s a bit ambiguous. You can have up to 5 devices per account. Speeds are average, with around a 40 to 45% decrease to overall download speed being typical.

The Conclusion

At BestVPN24, we plan to continue adding more comprehensive VPN reviews and articles about VPNs and VPN-related services. Our goal is to provide consumers with a one-stop-shop for all of your information and research needs about the myriad of VPN services that are out there today. Since you can’t try all of these different options for yourself, we do the hard work for you! We hope very much that you find our reviews useful and informative, and encourage you to check back often for updates.