53Tested by Mike Williams and Adam MarshallCyberGhost’s Smart Rules automatically
connect specific apps to VPN servers
ProtonVPN’s Secure Core option routes your
data through privacy-friendly countriesWindscribe’s
firewall
automatically
blocks traffic
when you
lose your VPN
connectionBEST OF THE REST
CyberGhost
http://www.snipca.com/41672
With more than 7,900 servers in
91 countries, CyberGhost’s vast
VPN network gives you plenty of
choice. It’s incredibly fast and great value,
its apps offer useful streaming features
such as Netflix and iPlayer-optimised
servers, and it can unblock those services
from abroad, too, as well as Disney+,
Prime Video and Hulu. You can install
CyberGhost on up to seven desktop,
mobile and streaming devices, and use its
‘Smart rules’ feature (see screenshot
below) to connect specific apps to your
preferred VPN servers. On the downside,
although it publishes regular
‘transparency reports’, CyberGhost hasn’t
yet undergone an independent security
audit to verify its claimed no-logs policy.ProtonVPN
http://www.snipca.com/41668
From the makers of ProtonMail,
ProtonVPN offers a choice of
plans based on your VPN needs.
Its free option has servers in only three
countries, allows one connection at a
time and is fairly slow, but it’s fine for
occasional VPN use. The annual Plus
subscription is more versatile, offering
1,700 servers in 63 countries, 10
simultaneous connections, speeds of up
to 10Gbps and streaming service support.
Based in Switzerland, with a strict
no-logs policy and protection against ads,
trackers and suspicious sites, ProtonVPN
Plus also has a feature called Secure Core
(see screenshot above), which can route
your most sensitive data through servers
in “privacy-friendly” countries, away
from the Fourteen Eyes.Windscribe
http://www.snipca.com/41666
With only 400 servers in 65
countries, Windscribe can’t
compete with our award winners
for flexibility, and its connection speeds
are only average. However, it trumps
those VPNs with its generous free plan.
This offers most of the features of its paid
subscription, including split tunnelling,
tracker blocking and a firewall (see
screenshot above) that works like a kill
switch, plus access to servers in the US,
UK and eight other countries (though you
need to pay to unblock Netflix and
iPlayer). Best of all, Windscribe gives you
10GB of data for free each month if you
enter your email address when you sign
up (you still get 2GB if you don’t). There
are Windscribe apps for most devices and
no limit on how many you can use.Issue 631 • 11 – 24 May 2022Best VPNs compared
ExpressVPN NordVPN Surfshark CyberGhost ProtonVPN Windscribe
Monthly price £10.24 £10.55 £9.39 £9.99 N /A £6.90
One-year price £63.24* £51.70* £41.62* £39* £79 £37.55
Free plan No No No No Ye s Ye sMoney-back
guarantee30 days 30 days 30 days45 days (14 days
for monthly
plan)30 days 3 daysLocation British Virgin
IslandsPanama British Virgin
IslandsRomania Switzerland CanadaCountries/
servers 94/3,000+ 60/5,498 65/3,200 91/7,900 63/1,700 65/400
Maximum
devices5 6 Unlimited 7 10 UnlimitedLive-chat
supportYe s Ye s Ye s Ye s No NoPrivacy policyhttp://www.snipca.
com/41678http://www.snipca.
com/41677http://www.snipca.
com/41676http://www.snipca.
com/41673http://www.snipca.
com/41674http://www.snipca.
com/41675VPN
MASTER YOUR