98 PCWorld JUNE 2020FEATURE SOFTWARE WORTH PAYING FOR
company auto-generates an account number
for you, which is all that’s required to log in.
Mullvad now offers a much improved and user
friendly interface, its speeds are good, and the
company takes privacy very seriously.”
Picking a best VPN isn’t easy, though.
Some are better at privacy, while others offer
faster speeds or a slicker interface. Mullvad’s
our top overall pick, but several other sterling
choices exist. Check out our guide to the best
VPNs if you want to dig deeper (go.pcworld.
com/dde).VIDEO TOOLS FOR MEDIA
ENTHUSIASTS
A lot of homes rely solely on cable or streaming
video services for their TV fix, but if you’re the
more hands-on type, don’t sleep on Plex DVR
or Cyberlink’s PowerDVD 20 Ultra. These
programs give video enthusiasts some extraor-MULLVAD VPN
If you want to use a VPN to encrypt your
Internet traffic while you’re out and about—or
if you want to view streaming movie cata-
logues in other countries—then you should
pay for it, full stop. Yes, once again, free
alternatives exist, but free VPNs track your
online activity and sell it to the highest bid-
ders, or could even use it for
nefarious purposes.
Paying for a VPN buys
you privacy and
security—the very
reasons you’re
likely subscribing
to a VPN service
in the first place.
We keep those
aspects in mind when
we’re evaluating VPNs,
along with more traditional
features like speed, cost,
and ease-of-use. Right now,
the little-known Mullvad (go.
pcworld.com/mul) tops our
list of the best VPNs. It costs
just €5 (or roughly $5.50)
per month. (go.pcworld.
com/550)
“Sweden-based Mullvad
is like the Swiss Bank account
of VPNs,” we said. “Instead
of attaching your account to
an email address, the Plex DVR