The best VPNs of 2023 (including free VPN services), tested for privacy on iPhone, Android and PC
VPNs (virtual private networks) encrypt your internet traffic and can protect you from hackers on public Wi-Fi. Here are this year's best
Using a VPN (Virtual Private Network) can be a vital tool in today’s mobile, remote-working world, offering a secure and private way to connect to the internet even on public Wi-Fi.
VPNs used to be largely used for business, extending a secure private network across a public network to allow people to log in to the office remotely. But they are now widely used by individuals for travel, entertainment and more.
Most VPN software is simple to use, even if you’re not particularly technical, and when you subscribe to a VPN service, you can usually install a version for laptops, tablets, Android and Apple smartphones, Chromebooks, web-linked platforms including smart TVs and even games consoles.
How do VPNs work?
When you use VPN software, you typically pick a location on a map or a list and then connect to an encrypted server there. When you are connected, the VPN hides your device’s unique address (IP) by routing requests through that server, meaning your browsing activity and IP address are encrypted and safe from prying eyes.
VPNs are sometimes misused to access blocked streaming services — for instance, to watch British TV from abroad by convincing the providers that you’re in Britain when you are not. This is against the terms of service of most streaming services, such as Netflix. Using a VPN can also have odd side-effects, such as your PC offering a weather forecast for Poland, or seeing adverts in Dutch. You can disconnect and use a normal connection whenever you want to.
The use of VPNs has been a vital tool for activists in countries such as China, where access to the open internet is forbidden. Notably, many VPN companies are headquartered in tax havens, although this is not to avoid paying taxes. It’s because such countries don’t have data retention laws, so the companies can’t be forced to hand over data to authorities. Good VPN companies have a strong focus on user privacy (although not all VPN companies are good).
As a tech writer, I’ve used VPN services for various reasons — most often for work, as the extra privacy is useful for protecting work devices. I’ve also heard interesting stories from friends who’ve used VPNs to find cheaper plane tickets by changing the country they appeared to be buying them from. I was keen to find out what is the best VPN for 2023.
Which is the best VPN for me?
Choosing a VPN service can be tricky. There are dozens of low-quality free VPN services, some of which specifically block video streaming — which is the very thing many people want them for. At the other end of the price range, some paid subscription services offer attractive extras such as antivirus functions (although if you’re looking for the best antivirus, you may want to pick a specialised package).
Generally, if you’re going to use a VPN it’s worth paying the subscription. You usually pay around £10 a month, with steep discounts if you sign up for one or two years. I recommend signing up for a month first just to check that the VPN fits your needs before committing for the long haul.
I asked Paul Bischoff, privacy advocate at Comparitech, what he looks for when choosing a VPN.
‘I started using VPNs when I lived in China to unblock sites, apps, and services that were blocked by the Great Firewall,’ Bischoff says. ‘I've also used them for streaming and to protect my privacy on public wi-fi hotspots.’
Bischoff says the key thing is to check that the service won’t retain your data: there should be no log of what you do while connected.
‘It should use a modern protocol and encryption scheme such as Wireguard or OpenVPN. It should also work from countries like China and the UAE, and be able to access plenty of streaming services from abroad.’
Free VPNs
Bad VPN services can be very bad, Bischoff warns: they may offer inadequate security, cause slow speeds or keep logs of what users do online while connected to the VPN. Some even harbour malware (viruses) which can damage your computers.
“I wouldn't trust any of the completely free VPNs, as they are often guilty of bad practices such as logging user data or throttling speeds. However, many of the good paid-for VPNs offer free versions that can be used up until the user transfers a certain amount of data through the VPN. For example, there may be a 500 MB per day or 10 GB per month limit.”
How I tested the best VPNs
I installed both the desktop and smartphone versions of all the apps and tested a paid version (where applicable) as well as the free tier. I tried all the functions of the VPNs and attempted common uses, such as accessing streaming services and news sites which routinely block logins from Britain. I also compared the privacy policies of each VPN.
At a glance: the best VPNs for 2023
- Best buy — NordVPN
- Best basic VPN — Express VPN
- Best free VPN — ProtonVPN
- Best VPN for torrents — HideMe
- Best multi-device VPN — Surfshark
The best VPNs
1. NordVPN
From £2.89 per month, NordVPN.com
Best overall
We liked: High performance at a high price, with lots of extras for the privacy-fixated
NordVPN is the biggest name in VPNs, and for a reason: for a (fairly high) price you get access to a superb all-in service with a lot of extras for enhanced security on top. It’s pretty simple to navigate, with a map showing servers and a list of other options. There are plenty to choose from, with 5,300 servers in 60 countries.
NordVPN claims its service is significantly faster than its rivals, and it was never less than speedy in my tests, quickly unblocking American services such as Netflix. (I tested this because it is a major reason people buy VPNs, not because I condone breaking Netflix’s terms of service).
NordVPN uses the fast, new Wireguard protocol. There are apps for everything from iOS to routers, so every device in your household will be protected. The company does not keep logs of what users do online.
It’s the extras which set it apart though: for instance, multi-hop VPNs which go from one VPN to another to provide an additional layer of security. Double-hop VPNs would be useful if you’re in an authoritarian country that blocks access to American VPNs, for example.
NordVPN also offers Onion over VPN, allowing access to Tor, a privacy-focused network which anonymises users by bouncing requests through a system of relays. These are professional-grade features for customers who are highly concerned about security, however. For most people, just using a VPN will be enough.
As with most of the good VPN services here, there’s a ‘kill switch’, so you can set it up so you automatically disconnect from the internet if the VPN cuts out: you can also configure this for individual apps. There’s split tunnelling so you can set it up so certain apps use the VPN and others don’t — so, for instance, you can enjoy low-risk activities such as gaming via a normal connection.
It's £8.79 for one month, £105.48 for a year (discounted to £43.08 for the first year) and £210.96 for two years (discounted to £62.16 for the first two years). I was impressed by extras such as a Cybersec setting, enabling you to switch on a combined malicious site blocker and ad blocker, which strips adverts from every site you browse. Like most of the rest of the features here, it’s controlled simply via a slider.
Features: Multi-hop, Tor, Wireguard, kill switch
2. ExpressVPN
From £5.20 per month, ExpressVPN.com
Best for ease of use
We liked: simple to use and easy for beginners to get to grips with
When it comes to straightforward VPN service, ExpressVPN is very hard to beat: it’s missing a few ‘extras’ offered by rival services, but those are focused on people with a high focus on privacy (ie using the Tor network), which not everybody needs. The basic service here is highly impressive, with 160 servers in 94 countries.
Rather than using standard VPN protocols, ExpressVPN uses its own in-house protocol LightWay, which the company claims is faster. In our tests, it performed quickly whether accessing sites or streaming videos. It’s able to access US services such as Netflix quickly and easily.
If you’ve never used a VPN before, ExpressVPN is easy to get to grips with: some other services can feel like you’ve been handed the controls of a spacecraft with dozens of sub-menus to navigate and highly technical terminology on every page. Here it’s all pleasingly no-nonsense: there’s a big ‘On’ and ‘Off’ button right in the centre of the screen.
ExpressVPN offers apps and support for a bewildering variety of tech, from Apple TV and Android TV to routers, although you are restricted to five devices per account.
ExpressVPN (like most VPN companies) doesn’t keep logs of what you do online: the company points to a case where law enforcement in Turkey seized the servers as part of an investigation and could not find any logs as the company doesn’t keep them.
There are no advanced features such as access to the Tor network here. Nor does ExpressVPN offer dedicated IP addresses (which can be used to avoid being blocked on streaming services). But there is a useful ‘kill switch’ which stops all internet traffic if the VPN disconnects unexpectedly.
There is no free tier here. It's £9.99 per month, £46.26 for six months or £77.13 per year for an ongoing subscription (although you’ll get 15 months for your first £77.13 payment). There's no free trial, but you can get your money back within the first 30 days.
Features: Kill switch, wide device support, LightWay protocol
3. Hide.me
From £0, Hide.me
Best free VPN with limited data
We liked: Genuinely free with some advanced features on offer
Headquartered in Labuan, Malaysia, Hide.me is a no-log service with a decent amount of extras, even on the free tier — for instance, split tunnelling, which allows you to route some connections via VPN and some not. There’s also a kill switch to allow you to disable functions if the VPN cuts out. You don’t have to hand over your credit card details to unlock the free tier, and it does support peer-to-peer file sharing via torrents. Be aware, though, that peer-to-peer sharing of unsanctioned material may break copyright laws.
The downside here is that data is limited, although not very: you get 10GB per month without upgrading to the service’s paid tiers.
For features such as multi-hop, you will need to fork out for those paid tiers. As with rivals, the optimisation for streaming service is also a paid-only feature. The paid version is £9.99 for one month, £79.99 for a year or £99.99 for two years.
Features: Kill switch, split tunnelling, no logs
4. ProtonVPN
From £0, ProtonVPN.com
Best free VPN with unlimited data
We liked: Great free service, but no support for streaming
ProtonVPN offers that rarest of things: a genuinely free VPN without a time limit and without the drawbacks of trashier free VPN services. It doesn’t log data, for example.
There’s unlimited data here, so you can genuinely browse as you please: that puts it head and shoulders above almost every free VPN service. There’s a useful ‘kill switch’ which cuts you off automatically if the VPN drops.
But there is, of course, a catch.
What you’re missing out on here, basically, is streaming: while you CAN access services such as foreign versions of Netflix via the free version, there’s a good chance the platform will detect you are using a VPN and block you.
If you upgrade to the paid version, ProtonVPN Plus, it uses specialist servers that actively work to allow access to subscription streaming services, and is priced highly competitively at eight euros per month (£6.61 at time of writing).
Peer-to-peer file sharing is not available on the free plan, and it only offers servers in three countries: Japan, the Netherlands and America on the basic package. But for a bare-bones privacy fix, it’s hard to complain about ProtonVPN.
Features: no-logs policy, one medium-speed VPN on free tier
5. Surfshark
From £1.89 per month, Surfshark.com
Best for multi-device protection
We liked: Covering unlimited devices from one account is a unique feature, useful if you’ve got a lot of tech
With 3500 servers in 65 countries, Surfshark is relatively expensive but offers an excellent, multi-featured service including some surprising extras such as antivirus scans and a ‘zero log’ safe search function (ie it doesn’t ‘remember’ what you searched for), returning bare-bones, trimmed-down search results.
As with the other VPNs under test here, your data is not stored or logged on Surfshark, which is headquartered in the British Virgin Islands away from the prying eyes of government agencies and has a zero-log policy. It offers the Wireguard protocol.
A great feature here is that there’s no limit on the number of devices you can use once you’ve subscribed. There’s an option for a Static IP address, too, which can make it easier to avoid being blacklisted by streaming services.
Some of the extras feel slightly tacked-on here, although the clean internet search is interesting to play with. Pleasingly the antivirus function is light and quick, and doesn’t mean that Surfshark interferes with the operation of other AV software.
There are advanced VPN functions on offer here, such as multi-hop, where you go via two VPNs rather than one. As described above, this can help you get around region blocks in repressive countries. Also welcome is the option to search by fastest server and nearest foreign country. Under test, we found Surfshark to be fast, reliable and great at streaming services such as Netflix in America.
Features: antivirus, static IP address, multi-hop VPNs