About This Site
Your local coffee shop is the perfect place to relax with friends, catch up on work, or brainstorm ideas for a new startup. However, many people don't realize it's also an ideal spot for cybercriminals to intercept every bit of information you send out to the internet. While you sip on that skinny chai latte, a hacker might be sipping on your data — credit card information, login credentials, usernames and passwords, important emails, and more.
If you're one of those people who treats coffee shops as their second home or office, using a VPN is a no-brainer. It goes beyond just keeping you safe on public WiFi; it blocks online trackers and provides greater security and privacy on the web.
In short, it's a must-have for anyone who frequently accesses the internet, which is practically everyone. However, not all VPNs are created equal, so choosing the best one can be quite a challenge, especially for those who are not familiar with encryptions, protocols, and other technical details. This is why we have rigorously tested and reviewed the most popular VPNs to help you pick the best one available.
So what exactly did we look for? Here are some factors that influenced our list of the top VPNs for 2024:
- Security Features: At a minimum, it should use military-grade AES-256 bit encryption to secure your web traffic. We also looked for VPNs that offer a variety of protocols to cater to different needs for speed and security, such as L2TP/IPSec, SSTP, PPTP, OpenVPN, and WireGuard.
- Privacy Policies and Practices: Nobody reads the fine print, which can be a grave mistake when choosing a provider to entrust with your personal information. This is why we took the time to read each provider's privacy policy. The VPNs on our list have strict zero-log policies, no history of data breaches, and transparent ownership.
- Speed: We tested every VPN to ensure it is fast enough for seamless browsing, gaming, uploading and downloading files, video conferencing, and other speed-intensive online activities.
- Server Locations: How many servers are there, and where are they located? An extensive server network means less congestion and greater bandwidth, leading to faster speeds.
- Simultaneous Device Connections Allowed: How many devices can you protect under a single subscription? Most VPNs allow up to 5 simultaneous connections, but some of our top choices offer unlimited simultaneous connections.
- Cross-Platform Functionality: Does it work on your desktop, laptop, mobile phone, and tablet? Is it compatible with major platforms like Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS? Does it support other devices such as gaming consoles and routers? We also considered ease of use, user-friendly interfaces, and setup guides.