As with any overly marketed products, the claims around virtual private networks (VPNs) can be fishy. Phrases like “military-grade encryption” or “total anonymity” aren’t verifiable, and certainly won’t help you decide which services suit your browsing needs best. As more of these companies embrace influencer marketing to sell their products, the obscure lingo has only grown, making it a confusing field to navigate, despite VPNs’ importance for online security.
We tested nine of the most popular VPN services available now to come up with our top picks, and lay out what you should know before paying for one. Our top pick remains ProtonVPN thanks to its easy-to-use interface, no-logs policy and open-source framework. While we think that’s the best VPN for most people, there are other good options you can consider, too.
