October 11, 2024

With security issues so rampant today, it’s easy to see why the use of a VPN is so important. When you do not want a hacker knowing what you are doing online, whether it is your family or for your personal needs, you need not just any VPN but one that truly protects your IP at all times.

You also don’t want anything that is going to slow you down, fail randomly, or limit the overall access you have to your content and files. Because of the demands of so many people for VPNs, dozens of new providers have entered the market recently. They all don't do the same thing, and some provide a much less reliable solution.

Our testing of VPNs found that some of the largest and more well-known options are not necessarily better than more affordable options. More so, we found that some of the largest VPN providers had the most problems with security, reliability, and overall speed. That's a problem.

To our surprise, our winner was an affordable, lesser-known company that was very robust in what it offered. It ranked the best in areas like security, anonymity, and remote access while keeping costs low.

Here are our Top 5 Picks this year, with a full review of our top pick at the bottom of the page:

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Product

Our Score

Key Features

#1 BEST IN 2024
9.9
"Excellent"

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#2
9.2
"Great"

NordVPN

Price: $5.29 per month + 3 months free

Good security focus

Over 5,500 servers in 59 locations

Solid speed and reliability

Excellent customer service

#3
9.1
"Good"

ExpressVPN

Price: $12.95 per month

Outstanding privacy features and reliability

Perfect for torrenting

Over 3,000 servers in 160 locations for ample speed

Speed up to 630Mbps

#4
8.5
"Good"

CyberGhost

Price: $12.99 per month

Over 7,800 servers in 91 countries

Excellent for streaming content

Torrent-friendly servers

Long, 45-day money back guarantee

#5
7.8
"Good"

Private Access Internet

Price: $11.99 per month

Outstanding number of servicers – 10,000 in 78 locations

Reliable apps with a kill switch

Solid browser extensions for more customized use

Provides live chat for support and help

See the rest of the list

We Bought & Tested The Most Popular VPNs, Here’s Why SurfShark Is #1

Summary: SurfShark stands out as a user-friendly tool that offers a stable level of reliability and ample speed, ensuring streaming and privacy are top priorities. It’s backed by ample security features and has had a security audit, providing some outstanding protections. It’s an excellent choice for unblocking streaming sites, but even with these robust features, it’s priced competitively low.

I've been using VPNs for years, thanks to the type of work I do where privacy, as well as security, are critical. I've used numerous VPN options, often in my quest to find more robust and better security but also to find reliable solutions that are super fast as well as easy to use. I've stumbled upon a few that simply do not cut it.

When I received the assignment to determine which was the best VPN for this year, I was happy to jump right in, frustrated with the VPN I was using at the time. I thought for sure I knew which one would be best – the most expensive and probably the most well known brand out there.

Still, I purchased plans for numerous products with the plan to determine who was best. I was shocked to learn that SurfShark was really this highly effective and that it provided so many features over and above the competition. I also found it to be exceedingly fast, even when I was streaming a lot of content at one time.

Testing

There’s no doubt that SurfShark is a well-known company that has provided a lot of services over the years. I will say it is not the least expensive option, but it is one of the best in terms of reliability, speed, and performance. Here's what I found when I compared it to the other leading VPNs out there.

First, I was impressed with the servers – it has the widest range of server locations with over 59 countries present. At the same time, it offers excellent connection speeds no matter where you are around the globe. I asked my friend in the UK to check it out to verify this wasn't a fluke, and he found that SurfShark was just as reliable there.

Let's talk privacy, it offers AES-256-GCM encryption with 4096-bit DH (Diffie-Hellman) keys for OpenVPN protocol and AES-256-GCM encryption with 3072-bit DH keys for IKEv2/IPsec protocol. As for NordLynx, the encryption is the same as the native Wireguard (protocol on which NordLynx is based): Curve25519 for key exchange, ChaCha20 for symmetric encryption, Poly1305 for message authentication codes.

That provides peace of mind. In addition, users can select from numerous protocols, including NordLynx, which is very secure and quick. It is an in-house solution developed by the company. Also, all of the servers are RAM-only which means none of your data can be stored physically, which also improves security.

I looked at over 10 VPNs, and I found SurfShark to be the fastest option by far. When I used it, it hit 630Mbps, which is fast enough for any needs, including the work I was doing through it. I did not have a single loss of signal or lagging experience over the period of time I used it (generally working 10 to 12 hours per day).

In addition to this, I found some nice features – like Meshnet that allows access to remote devices/servers, file sharing features within the next work, and excellent anonymity no matter where I went online. All of these features really kept me moving and feeling secure on the internet.

The VPN software is powerful and easy to use. In addition to this, it allows you to use just about any platform you want. I used both Linux and Windows while testing it out with flawless function.

One more core feature to mention is the site's customer service. I have dealt with VPN customer service so many times, often with limited or bad experiences. For this situation, I requested help with one of the supported protocols – OpenVPN – to see how easy it would be to get help. I put in a support ticket using their help desk chat and received a response about 8 minutes later. The professional was friendly and knew what she was talking about, solving the problem fast.

What Makes SurfShark Different from Other Products?

Verdict

I will say this. The VPN services I was using were much more expensive than SurfShark. Yet, I had to deal with lagging from time to time and less privacy and security. SurfShark is surprisingly robust for what it offers and brings with it the incredible performance that you need to ensure the best level of anonymity and security while using the internet.

I will highly recommend VPN services from this company for personal and professional use, including when you want a competitive price for a super reliable solution for streaming.

How to Order SurfShark

  1. Visit the SurfShark.com website
  2. Choose the plan you want (the 24-month plan drops the price to just $5.29 a month - and get 3 months free exclusively for our readers right now)
  3. Check out and download the software
  4. It’s always on with correct auto-connect settings and working in the background without any limitations

There’s no delay in getting anything going. You can start using it right now.

If you’re unsure, count on the 30-day risk-free trial. You can get your money back without any questions within 30 days.

Common Questions & Answers

Q: How easy is it to log in and use SurfShark?

It takes just one click to turn it on from your computer screen. From that point, you are getting protected and secured content with ease.

Q: What devices can I use it on?

You can add SurfShark on up to SIX connected devices, including phones, laptops, desktops, routers (must support OpenVPN client), and tablets. Just about every platform is secured.

Q: Can I use it on the go?

Absolutely – with so many servers and locations, it does not take long to get it up and going almost anywhere.

How Much Does It Cost?

SurfShark is $2.49 per month if you sign up for 2 years. However - *If you sign up from our review you can get 2 months free right now!*

How Can It Be So Affordable?

Once we shared our review with SurfShark they decided to give our readers 3 months free exclusive access, this brings down their yearly pricing to the cheapest VPN out there - while being the most secure and fastest option available on the market!

Get SurfShark now by going to their official website >>>

CHECK HERE

Meet Our Expert

Mark Flack

Mark is a certified tech genius. He’s worked in startups, for different tech blogs and was only 12 years old when he assembled his first computer. As our society grows more and more digital, we’re lucky to have an expert like Mark on our team.

Mark from Ohio

just bought SurfShark!

16 seconds ago | TrustedConsumerReview

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