52
BEST VPNS TESTED
NordVPN’s Onion Over VPN option boosts
your privacy when using the Tor networkSurfshark’s MultiHop feature doubles your
VPN protection by encrypting traffic twiceExpressVPN’s Smart Location option
connects you to the fastest available serverGOLD AWARD
Express VPN
http://www.snipca.com/41662
With more than 3,000 servers
in 160 locations across 94
countries, ExpressVPN lets you
unblock content and browse privately by
pretending to be almost anywhere in the
world. While other providers have more
servers in total, few have such a wide
spread, which means you’ll always enjoy
a speedy, reliable connection. The
company is based in the British Virgin
Islands, so isn’t subject to Fourteen Eyes
surveillance (see previous page).
ExpressVPN lets you connect five devices
at once and offers easy-to-use desktop
and mobile apps, extensions for Firefox
and Chromium browsers, and support for
streaming sticks and smart TVs. In addition
to industry-standard AES-256 encryption,
ExpressVPN’s own Lightway protocol
(www.snipca.com/41664) further increases
its security and speed, while its handy
Smart Location option (see screenshot
above right) automatically connects you
to the fastest available server. All ExpressVPN
servers are RAM-only, which means none
of your data is stored on physical drives,
and its strict no-logging policy has been
independently audited by business
consultancy PricewaterhouseCoopers
(PwC) to confirm that it doesn’t collect or
share user data.
ExpressVPN does a brilliant job of
unblocking geo-restricted web content,
letting you access BBC iPlayer from
abroad and international versions of
Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime
Video, without any problems. It’s also
packed with useful security features,
including a ‘kill switch’ that immediately
halts internet traffic when your VPN
connection drops; split tunnelling, which
lets you specify which apps are routed
through its servers; and a new Threat
Manager that blocks trackers and
malicious sites, though currently only on
iOS, macOS and Linux.
The only drawback is that it’s expensive
compared with rival services, but you can
save 49 per cent on a 12-month subscription
using the link we’ve provided above.SILVER AWARD
NordVPN
http://www.snipca.com/41663
Coming a very close second to
ExpressVPN, NordVPN actually
offers more servers – nearly5,500 - but in fewer countries, and
lets you connect six devices rather
than five. It offers impressively fast
connections and excellent security -
complementing the standard
AES-256 encryption with a Double
VPN option that encrypts all your
internet traffic twice.
Like ExpressVPN, NordVPN includes
a kill switch and threat protection,
and its no-logs policy has been audited
by PwC, but it goes even further to
ensure your privacy with an exclusive
feature called ‘Onion Over VPN’ (see
screenshot below). This lets you access
hidden sites that have onion addresses
without needing to use Tor Browser.
Instead you can open them in your
usual browser, while NordVPN’s
encryption ensures that nobody
can see where you are or what
you’re doing.
NordVPN’s desktop and mobile apps
are easy to set up and use, though its
map-based interface works better on
larger screens – on a smartphone it can
be fiddly to navigate. It’s also frustrating
that destination cities aren’t listed in
alphabetical order.However, there’s no denying
NordVPN’s efficiency at unblocking
streaming services and apps, including
YouTube TV, Disney+, HBO Max, BBC
iPlayer, Prime Video and many more. It’s
cheaper than ExpressVPN if you sign up
for a year or two, and you’ll get a discount
of up to 52 per cent if you use the link
we’ve provided.BRONZE AWA R D
Surfshark
http://www.snipca.com/41665
Surfshark is one of the cheapest
VPNs, costing a mere £1.59 per
month if you sign up for two
years using the link above. This low
price doesn’t mean Surfshark skimps
on quality – indeed, it beats ExpressVPN
and NordVPN by letting you connect an
unlimited number of devices to its
servers. This means you can protect your
whole household with one subscription
and, in theory, friends and family
members, too.
Like ExpressVPN, Surfshark is
based in the British Virgin Islands and
has a strict no-logs policy, which was
audited last year by independent
researchers Cure53. Its impressive
array of features includes a kill
switch, split tunnelling, AES-256
encryption, ad and tracker blocking,
a double-VPN option called MultiHop
(see screenshot below) and a Camouflage
Mode that stops your ISP seeing you’re
using a VPN.
Such versatility makes Surfshark
a strong contender for our favourite
VPN, but in practice it lags behind our
other award winners. Although it now
offers more than 3,200 servers in 65
countries, its connection speeds are
variable, its apps are pretty basic and it’s
unable to unblock Netflix in some
countries. But Surfshark is constantly
improving and it’s fantastic value.11 – 24 May 2022 • Issue 631