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VPNs for ad-blocking There are dozens of viable VPN options, and while we’ve reviewed 15 (and counting) on this site, this page is dedicated to our pick of the best of the ones we have reviewed. Thankfully, VPN services are enhanced all the time. There are regular improvements to server counts, number of virtual locations, promotional pricing periods, user-friendliness upgrades and a host of other additions that help justify buying an annual (or longer) subscription over paying a jacked-up month-to-month VPN cost. If things go wrong or you have questions, there’s 24/7 tech support. Additionally, if you’re hesitant to potentially waste money, NordVPN has a 30-day money-back guarantee for its plans. All of this combines to make what’s arguably the most renowned VPN service, and it more than earns its popularity. More advanced users can tap into a Smart DNS, specialty servers (Onion and P2P) and split tunnelling, and we like the new Threat Protection anti-malware feature. Plus, the price is right, particularly if you pay upfront for one or two years. As the big-name VPN, streaming services sporadically target NordVPN and make it trickier to access international streaming sites, but when it works, NordVPN covers a great selection of local and international options. Paying full price for ProtonVPN Plus, though, unlocks 63 countries and 10 simultaneous VPN connections, plus support for streaming services as well as some easy-to-use advanced features. Admittedly, the UI isn’t the prettiest, but it does offer some insightful info for your connection. If ProtonVPN continues to roll out servers to improve download speeds while maintaining low prices, it could become a contender for other categories, too. For those after the cheapest monthly pricing for a VPN, PrivadoVPN is currently the cheapest one we’ve reviewed. Like NordVPN, ExpressVPN has 24/7 tech support, an included Smart DNS service for faster (albeit less protected) streaming, and a robust zero-logging policy for privacy peace of mind. The bit we love most for newer VPN users, though, is the wealth of video guides on the ExpressVPN website. Everything from how to download and configure through to setting up ExpressVPN on specific devices is covered (as well as more advanced tutorials, too). There’s a Basic version if you want to try it for free, but the Premium subscription comes with additional security add-ons and those blistering speeds. Really, though, Hotspot Shield is the VPN service for the person who doesn’t want to compromise on download speed, which makes it great for everyday use (including video calls), peer-to-peer software and it’s a speedy companion for most popular streaming services. It’s a particularly great background companion for normal everyday use, including accessing US streaming services such as Hulu and HBO Max. Those other two VPN services aren’t as impressive as Surfshark, though. Surfshark boasts decent Australian speeds (most notably no change in latency, which is great news for gamers and video-callers) and impressive download speeds to US servers. Still, the upload speed leaves a lot to be desired for US connections, and streaming is a mixed bag unless you just want Netflix US, Hulu and Stan. Ultimately, Surfshark is incredibly easy to use and is great as an invisible background protector, with a solid range of supported devices. While the download speeds aren’t as brag-worthy as Hotspot Shield, they’re still great for Australia and the US. CyberGhost also has bragging rights to some of the best upload speeds if that’s important to your ’net needs. Admittedly, if you want a VPN for streaming US content, there are better options (like Windscribe below). For most other VPN tasks outside of streaming, CyberGhost has you covered. Ultimately, CyberGhost has solid numbers for servers, countries and simultaneous connections, with 24/7 tech support if you have any questions. During our tests, this VPN handled gimme services like Netflix US as effortlessly as it tackled Peacock TV, which has a knack for sniffing out and geoblocking VPNs. Most impressively, Windscribe worked with Stan and even Kayo—the latter of which is very good at detecting VPNs—in our tests. All of the respective libraries load quickly and the services buffer and stream content as though you’re not using a VPN. That’s no mean feat for a VPN server with hundreds of servers rather than the typical thousands. For comparison, other VPN services like Hotspot Shield have only offered lifetime subscriptions for a limited time, but the lifetime sub is a standard payment option for VPN Unlimited. While VPN Unlimited falls short on server count and supported countries, it has a great user-friendly setup process and is easy to use afterwards. The Australian servers are mercifully up from one to 11, and they’re speedy performers, too. It also helps that VPN Unlimited is decent at sidestepping geoblocked international streaming services, even if it fell short on streaming Kayo and Stan in our tests. It also helps that Private Internet Access allows for 10 simultaneous connections to get most or all of the devices in your home protected, even if those device options are mainly limited to the basics: computers, Android devices, iOS gizmos and web browsers. Still, high-end encryption keeps your connection private alongside a zero-logging policy, plus there’s 24/7 support if things go wrong. PureVPN is another decent contender that’s okay out of the gate thanks to 10 simultaneous connections as well as an impressive number of servers (6,500+) in plenty of countries (140+). Included antivirus and anti-malware are also attractive features. That said, using PureVPN in Australia feels unnecessarily restrictive because of aggressive peer-to-peer blocking that interferes with everyday online software. For a smaller VPN, you may want to consider PrivadoVPN. The monthly price is very competitive and there’s a free version with more than a dozen international locations to try (not Australia, unfortunately). While PrivadoVPN allows for unlimited device installation and a healthy 10 simultaneous connections, it has limited connection options, connection issues, and the Windows app needs some work. TunnelBear is the last of the decent runners-up, helped along by its cutesy personality and a viable free version if you want to try before you buy. Still, the lack of a money-back guarantee, zero transparency around total servers and minimal country options hold it back. It also doesn’t help that ‘GhostBear’, one of its unique perks, interferes with everyday internet usage. The two VPN services we had the worst experiences with were Norton Secure VPN and IPVanish. If you nab Norton Secure VPN as part of Norton 360, it’s an okay bolt-on service, but purchased separately it’s an expensive and underperforming VPN. IPVanish, on the other hand, provides speed, protection and unlimited simultaneous connections, but it has a bare-bolts interface and is slow for international services as well as bad for streaming. Compared to other subscription services, VPNs don’t tend to cost a lot—and the more time you sign up for, the cheaper the price tends to be (except for Mullvad’s fixed monthly pricing)—but most VPNs tend to be priced for US dollars, which may mean factoring in currency conversions and associated fees. All of those items listed in the buying guide above are considered as part of our VPN reviews. We start with price and security, then consider whether a VPN offers an actual free version or a practical free trial. Server, country and location counts are important, but the number of simultaneous connections also helps increase the overall value proposition of a VPN. The number of supported devices and how easy it is to use is also factored in, alongside advanced features. We also perform speed tests and streaming tests for popular local and international streaming services, alongside extended everyday functionality tests with a VPN enabled to see if a service interferes with basic software. Basic VPN features to compare:
Price: Keep an eye out for US vs UK vs AU currencies. Duration: Paying for longer equates to cheaper monthly costs. Trial: Quality free services are rare; 30-day money-back guarantees are standard. Servers: More servers mean more connectivity options. Countries: Fewer countries means less versatility. Locations: How many places in a country are factored in. Devices: PC, iOS and Android are standard, but more devices means more flexibility. Simultaneous connections: Five is standard, more is better. Logging: Explicit zero-logging policies best protect your privacy. Browser extensions: VPN protection applies on a per-browser basis, rather than the entire PC connection. Encryption: Military-grade AES 256-bit is standard; up to 4096-bit RSA keys add additional security. Support: 24/7 support is best for when things go wrong at odd hours.
There are additional features to consider if you’re wanting a VPN for more than just the basics:
Anti-malware: Some VPNs have inbuilt anti-malware protection. Antivirus: Inbuilt antivirus is rare, but a great inclusion (PureVPN). Split tunnelling: Feature that lets you determine specific apps/services covered by the VPN. Smart DNS: A great feature that offers faster streaming albeit not VPN protected. Static IP: Usually costs more but offers a dedicated (rather than changing) IP address. Manual server switching: Automatic server switching is user-friendly, but manual offers greater control.
The other benefit is it makes your device appear as though it’s connecting from another country. This can be used to access Netflix libraries in other countries or access streaming services that are geoblocked.
