VPNs or ‘Virtual Private Networks’ have been around since the mid-1990s, but they experienced a massive increase in interest last year as the Coronavirus pandemic forced thousands to begin working remotely.
Even before the emergence of COVID-19, search interest in VPN had been rising steadily for the last 10 years, according to Google Trends data.
Whether it’s for unblocking the geo-restricted libraries of streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime in other countries, adding an increased layer of security against cyber criminals or protecting our privacy online – more of us are finding reasons to sign up for a VPN service.
With a huge and growing market, there are a lot of products to choose from – each with unique specifications, advantages and drawbacks. Shopping for a VPN product can be complicated, especially if you’re trying to get the best value for your money – that’s why we’ve compiled a list of what we think are the best VPNs for 2022.
1
NordVPN
Monthly Pricing
£3.64 a month
# of Devices
6
Encryption
AES-256
2
Express VPN
Monthly Pricing
£5.03 a month
# of Servers
3,000+
Encryption
AES with 256
3
Private Internet Access
Monthly Pricing
£8.09 a month
# of Servers
30,000+
Encryption
AES with 256
4
Proton VPN
Monthly Pricing
# of Servers
1,200+
Encryption
AES with 256
When you use the internet without a Virtual Private Network, you send and receive unencrypted data from your computer or device to the places you visit online.
This means the website, your Internet Service Provider (ISP) and potentially other third parties can see what you do online, where you are and lots more information about how you use the web.
When you connect to the internet via VPN, however, this data is first encrypted before being sent, via your ISP, to the places you visit online.
VPNs act as a shield against people looking to steal data, a cloak to those who want to invade your privacy, and as a mask you can wear to access parts of the web that are normally blocked because of your location.
The best way to think of a VPN is as a private tunnel between you and the website you’re visiting. Only you are allowed through this tunnel, and nobody (ISPs, criminals, governments, and so on) can see into the tunnel.
1
NordVPN
Monthly Pricing
£3.64 a month
# of Devices
6
Encryption
AES-256
2
Express VPN
Monthly Pricing
£5.03 a month
# of Servers
3,000+
Encryption
AES with 256
3
Private Internet Access
Monthly Pricing
£8.09 a month
# of Servers
30,000+
Encryption
AES with 256
4
Proton VPN
Monthly Pricing
# of Servers
1,200+
Encryption
AES with 256
We whittled down a long-list of 17 VPNs to a shortlist of 10 by comparing each provider’s number of servers, server locations, number of simultaneous connections, encryption standards, pricing, support, content unblocking and the extent of their free trial periods.
We then put each VPN in the top 10 to the test to get a feel for their user experience, checking download* and connection speeds, content unblocking, user interface and unique features.
Finally, we totalled the scores – with special weighting given to user experience – and gave each a Forbes Advisor star-rating out of a possible five stars.
* Download-speed tests were not conducted under scientific conditions. The time of day/week each was tested, the broadband connections that were available to the reviewer and other factors are likely to have affected the results.
A VPN creates a secure ‘tunnel’ between your computer/device and the places you visit online. The information you send and receive through this tunnel can’t be intercepted by anyone else, making it private, anonymous and secure.
There are lots of good reasons to use a VPN, including:
In our tests, we found Express VPN to be the best overall VPN, offering good value, a decent number of servers and locations, fast download speeds and connections, as well as a user-friendly interface.
If, however, you have a large family or share your home with others who want to connect, the best VPN may be one that offers unlimited connections, such as Surfshark.
This best VPN for you really depends on what you want to use a VPN for, how much you want to spend, how many people need to connect and many other factors – that’s why we’ve created this list of the best VPNs for 2022 – breaking down 10 VPNs to look at the most important aspects of each.
Each VPN has a different user interface, but you essentially download an application to your computer or device, choose a server from a list or map of the world and press a connect button. In a few seconds, you’ll connect to that server and you can start using apps through it – whether that’s your web browser or the Netflix app.
You’ll stay connected until you tell the VPN to disconnect or choose another server to connect to.
Setting up a VPN is simple. Once you’ve chosen a VPN, you set up an account, pay for your subscription and download the app. Once downloaded, you log into the app using the account details you provided and you’re ready to begin.
VPN costs vary from supplier to supplier. You can pay for a month’s access at a time, a year’s access or more. Longer subscriptions tend to be more cost effective, but payment is taken up front, which means then initial outlay tends to be higher.
In our list of the best VPNs for 2022, the average price for a 12-month subscription tends to fall in the £30-£40 region.
Here are some common VPN terms you may come across and what they mean.
ISP – Your Internet Service Provider (ISP) is the company you pay for access to the internet. Big UK ISPs include the likes of SKY, BT, Plusnet and TalkTalk.
Server – A machine (physical or virtual) that serves a computer (your laptop or smartphone) with the resources, data, services, or programs they ask for.
Tunnelling – The process of creating a secure and private channel of communication between a user (you) and a website or service.
Split-tunnelling – The ability to send data from different apps to different servers through separate tunnels. For example, you might use one tunnel for your web browser and another for your Netflix app.
Logs – In VPN parlance, a log is a record of your online activity. Every VPN in our best VPNs for 2022 list has a strict no-log policy, which means they don’t keep records of how you use them and therefore can’t be ordered to hand them over to anyone else.
Encryption – The process of translating information into code that can’t be deciphered without the correct encryption keys.
Megabits per second (Mbps) – Units used to measure download and upload speeds. Megabits per second is an expression of the amount of digital data transferred from one terminal to another in one second.
DNS – DNS stands for Domain Name Servers. A DNS translates a web address like forbes.com into a string of numbers. When you type a web address into your web browser, you make a request to a DNS and it returns the corresponding string of numbers your web browser needs to visit the website.
DNS leak – When you use a VPN, DNS requests as described above should be encrypted and sent through a ‘tunnel’. It’s possible that this information can ‘leak’ from the tunnel if your VPN doesn’t properly protect you or was misconfigured, exposing details of the website you visit to your ISP and other third parties.
Protocol – A protocol is way of doing things. A VPN protocol is a set of rules that determine how a VPN application connects to a server. Some protocols offer faster download speeds than others, while others are more secure or offer a balance between speed and security.
Kill switch – A VPN kill switch automatically disconnects you from the internet in the event your VPN connection is lost. This protects you from temporarily exposing unencrypted data.
Double VPN – Some VPN services allow you to connect from your computer to another server via a server in the middle as an additional layer of security. For example, you might connect to a server in Germany and then connect to a server in Canada via that German server.
