When you choose a VPN, the most important factor is going to be the security infrastructure of the VPN provider.
While I wouldn’t necessarily shy away from Mac App Store VPNs, it’s not necessarily a plus either. You definitely want a well-integrated VPN client, but the Mac App Store puts some limitations on how a VPN can function. This comes from the question some readers ask about whether they should limit their VPN choices to products sold on the Mac App Store because Mac programs that are built expressly for the Mac tend to integrate better. Three VPNs with well-considered configurations for Macs, iPhones, and iPads. But if you’re using a VPN to protect your location to protect your life, I’d think twice. If you’re using a VPN to protect your coffee shop surfing, it’s fine. And searching, saving, and configuring locations is dead simple. I like how you can determine server speed across the entire network. I recommend you read the review, as well as ExpressVPN’s response, to decide if this is of concern to you. On the downside, we run into a weird security issue with something called Security Firewall Ltd. It takes a few minutes, but it’s great for not only picking the fastest server but for getting a feel for network performance overall.
Once in the client, you can tell ExpressVPN to scan its entire network and tell you server speeds for each server. One feature I really liked was the network-wide speed test. If you want to remain as anonymous as possible, Bitcoin payment makes sense. One standout benefit ExpressVPN offers that the others don’t is payment via Bitcoin. That’s not too much of a loss because if you make testing a priority, you can certainly determine if ExpressVPN works for you within a month. Unlike Nord and Hotspot, ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, not a 45-day. Hotspot’s numbers varied considerably across testers.įull review: ExpressVPN review: A fine VPN service, but is it worth the price? What this means is that the performance numbers were generally consistent across all testers. In one way, it was more like NordVPN than Hotspot shield, in that the standard deviation was low. Payment via Bitcoin available for utmost anonymityĮxpressVPN came in third in our aggregated performance testing. But it gets the job done, and its speed is something to behold. You can’t modify some options until after you connect, which is vaguely annoying. But don’t let it keep you away, because - at least from America to other countries, which is how I tested - it works.Ĭlient installs were straightforward. Those who love debating VPN protocols might be disappointed because “Catapult Hydra” is your only choice. Hotspot Shield achieves its rather unexpected performance gains because it uses its own proprietary network and protocol. That’s why we always recommend you take advantage of return policies and test actively before your money-back time is up.
But for other testers, performance was lower.įull review: Hotspot Shield review: Here’s a VPN that actually lives up to its hype I actually found that some connections increased in speed when using Hotspot Shield, which feels almost like a violation of the laws of physics. For some testers (myself included), Hotspot Shield was among the fastest VPNs tested. Hotspot Shield came in second in our aggregate performance ranking, but that was because the performance was somewhat inconsistent.
And beyond that, NordVPN has clients a huge number of platforms ranging from all the way back to Windows XP, forward to Raspberry Pi, Synology, and Western Digital, along with QNAP NAS boxes, Chromebook, a whole bunch of routers, and more. The Double VPN feature is designed to run your data through a second VPN server, and while that’s a great idea, I found it was unreliable in real-world usage.Īlso: Meet NordSec: The company behind NordVPN wants to be your one-stop privacy suiteīeyond the Apple platforms, NordVPN supports Windows and Android. We were quite intrigued by the five communications services offered: P2P, Double VPN, Dedicated IP, Onion Over VPN, and Obfuscated (which means “to render obscure, unclear, or unintelligible). It runs when you want it to, but you can quickly shut it off when you’re back at home or in the office.įull review: NordVPN review: A market leader with consistent speed and performance We found that Nord’s user interface was crisp and clean, and the product was quick and easy to install. In our aggregate speed test ranking, it came in first overall. NordVPN is one of the heavy hitters in the VPN market.
Logging: Email address and billing information onlyĪlso: How does NordVPN work? Plus how to set it up and use it.