- VPNs, there are thousands of them
but is there a definite best VPN to start 2023 with?
I've tested a lot of VPNs through the years
and today there are five worthy contenders
I will compare for you.
I'll approach this comparison from the user perspective,
taking a deep look into every best VPN 2023 provider,
what they offer and their significant cons,
and you'll be able to find a discount link
for some of the best VPNs
in 2023 options right in the description below.
(electronic music)
The first VPN I'm covering today is NordVPN.
Starting with the privacy stuff,
I'm glad to see one of VPN I use
is based in a privacy-friendly region,
and Panama is just that.
Having a no logs policy is also a must,
especially when it's independently audited.
NordVPN's ram-only servers
also do not allow any data collection by default,
which is quite a rare thing to come by.
I also have to mention that recently NordVPN
and Surfshark have merged
to boost their development capabilities,
but they both continue to operate as separate services.
This VPN uses a very reliable encryption protocol
and a robust kill switch that will rather
stop your internet connection
than let any unstable network cause any leaks.
NordVPN security is further proven
by multiple audits and tests.
Plus, there's a bug bounty program going on
and that's always good to find weak points.
NordVPN has a lot of features
but I'll focus only on those a casual user will find useful,
like threat protection.
This feature is almost too good to be true.
It blocks malware, malicious links and ads,
and you don't even need to have your VPN
to be active for that.
As a privacy enthusiast
I also quite appreciate NordVPN's specialized servers.
If you want absolute privacy Onion Over VPN servers
can give you that as well,
or I can use Double VPN to chain servers together
for extra security,
and Obfuscated servers can come in handy
in the office or school environments,
with strict restrictions in place.
It's not often for a VPN
to have so many specialized servers.
While extra privacy almost always comes
at the cost of performance,
I find out that NordVPN can take it,
With my baseline speed,
NordVPN didn't really reduce it that much.
I guess it shouldn't be a surprise
considering that NordVPN has over 5,400 servers
spread across 60 different countries.
This makes NordVPN a good choice for streaming.
I managed to access a lot of Netflix libraries
and other streaming platforms without any issues.
The only problem right now is Indian Netflix library
and Disney Plus hotstar.
NordVPN doesn't have servers in India anymore,
so it can't access this content.
As for torrenting, NordVPN has optimized servers
to increase P2P speed, and they work.
This helps you get faster speeds
but depending on your location
it can be harder to find a server close to you.
In terms of apps, NordVPN has those for all the platforms
and also a couple browser extensions as well.
Personally, I love the map design, very easy to navigate.
What I don't like as much is the fact
that the iOS app still doesn't have split tunneling.
What a shame.
In total, NordVPN can be used
on up to six devices at the same time
which may be enough for your family or friends as well.
Still, NordVPN is a decent value for the price.
I can see casual users getting interested
in long-term subscription, which is the best deal,
but if you plan to go for one of these best VPNs
for 2023 providers, check the description first.
It has exclusive discount links for NordVPN
and Surfshark, so why not use them?
Okay, so the best VPN review continues with Surfshark.
The best VPN needs to provide the best security for users,
can Surfshark do it?
On the surface of security,
Surfshark is very similar to NordVPN.
It has similar encryption and a functional kill switch.
Just like NordVPN, Surfshark also has ram-only servers
that don't retain user data.
The Netherlands jurisdiction it operates under
is not ideal because of the
9-Eyes intelligence sharing alliance,
but Surfshark's no logs policy
does fix that issue a little bit.
There are many features Surfshark offers
but as a consumer I'm interested in anything
that makes my life easier, like Surfshark's Security Suite
which saves me the trouble
of looking for a separate antivirus,
or Surfshark's CleanWeb, which substitutes ad blockers
and can also get rid of trackers and malicious links.
Another good mention is Bypasser, it can be pretty useful
if you don't want the VPN to affect your entire network.
I set it up for my torrenting app for example.
More experienced users may know
that even the best VPN service providers
reduce internet speeds.
In my experience with Surfshark,
this reduction is almost unnoticeable
when you use the Quick Connect option
since it picks up the fastest server around you,
but you can also connect to any of the other servers.
There are more than 3,200 servers
across a hundred countries quite higher than the average
but less than NordVPN.
This kind of server list is what I'd expect
from the best VPNs for 2023.
In my experience with Surfshark
it has one of the best VPN Netflix combos
and can access a lot of libraries,
even the Indian one, unlike NordVPN, unfortunately.
I managed to get into Disney Plus hotstar
and a bunch of other streaming platforms as well
and I had good speeds while streaming.
For torrenting, well, I can't say a lot here.
Surfshark doesn't provide any supporting features
for torrenting, aside from Bypasser,
so the speeds are decent, but not as good as NordVPN.
Overall, I would've appreciated more P2P support
from Surfshark devs.
On a brighter note, Surfshark's design team is doing well.
Apps on all platforms feel comfortable to use
and they look nice.
Browser extensions are also nice to have
if you don't need a full app,
though I personally prefer a standalone app
since it has more features than an extension.
My only issue is that some features are not available
on all platforms, like for example, GPS spoofing,
which is an Android-exclusive feature.
Considering Surfshark's pricing
and the fact that it has no device limits
I'd say this VPN has one of the best price-to-value ratio.
A 30 day money back guarantee
and a seven day free trial are also nice to have in mind
if you want to try Surfshark out first.
(screen whooshes)
The next Challenger
for the best VPN service spot is IPVanish.
Security-wise, it's a great VPN.
It has the same baseline security
as Surfshark or NordVPN.
Is that good enough, I'd say so.
Considering that they launched back in 2012
and still haven't had any breaches is impressive.
On the privacy side, I will start by saying it is as it is.
IPVanish doesn't have ram-only servers
unlike NordVPN or Surfshark.
Technically it can retain user data, it just chooses not to,
and the no logs policy helps them to keep that going.
Unfortunately, with the US jurisdiction,
I'm still worried about the email address.
IPVanish collects for registration,
not that the US government needs it, but who knows,
On the feature side, I was actually surprised to find out
that IPVanish comes bundled
with the VIPRE antivirus when you buy it.
Now, this is not the best antivirus in the world
but with a deal like that
IPVanish can rival Surfshark for the best VPN spot.
Unfortunately, since it doesn't have any ad blocking
or split tunneling on all devices
this rivalry won't last long.
On the performance side as well
IPVanish can't catch up to NordVPN or Surfshark,
despite using the same tunneling protocol as them,
not even on the closest, fastest servers.
This is probably because of IPVanish's lower server count.
This is not bad, but not quite on the best VPN level.
This unfortunately means
that IPVanish is not as good at streaming either.
Sure, I managed to access Netflix
but the connection speed wasn't that reliable.
What's worse is that I couldn't access
other streaming platforms, not even Hulu,
unlike all the other best VPNs.
In terms of torrenting, however,
I think IPVanish is the best VPN I've mentioned so far.
The speeds are not spectacular
but using a SOCKS5 proxy boost them considerably.
There are also no P2P restrictions across servers
just like with Surfshark.
I could have also mentioned split tunneling
for torrenting here, but I can't.
It's also because split tunneling is only available
on the Android app.
Does that make it the best VPN for Android?
Possibly, the Android version seems to have
all the features just like the desktop ones.
Both Windows and Mac apps are equally secure
and they don't look that bad either.
What IPVanish does really well though
is simultaneous connections.
There's no limit here, just like with Surfshark.
This makes IPVanish pretty good value,
though in hindsight it's less secure
and private than both Surfshark and NordVPN.
Still, if you want one of the best VPNs for torrenting
it's a decent deal, with a 30-day money-back guarantee
and a seven day trial as well.
Coming up next in this VPN comparison is Atlas VPN.
First things first, is it safe?
I think so.
It utilizes the same encryption as NordVPN
and the rest of the VPNs I have talked about.
The Kill Switch is also there on all platforms.
So far, Atlas VPN remained unbreached
and completely safe to use.
Privacy wise, I'm not about to praise Atlas VPN.
It's based in the US, just like IPVanish,
and we already know it's not the best place to work under.
However, with a no logs policy in place, you could expect
that no browsing data of yours will get revealed.
Still, Atlas VPN does collect your email address
and some of the info about your device.
Their privacy policy openly states
that this data is used for marketing purposes.
That said, Atlas VPN has useful features
that can boost your privacy.
For instance, SafeSwap can ensure you can swap
between different IP addresses at any time.
The tracker blocker can also detect
and remove any trackers from your browsing experience,
kind of like Surfshark's CleanWeb
or NordVPN's threat protection, just a bit less functional.
In terms of performance,
Atlas VPN doesn't really stray far from other top providers.
I got good speeds when using their Quick Connect function
and a bit slower results with faraway servers.
Atlas VPN's server list is also a bit lackluster.
There are only about 750 servers in 37 countries.
This does seem to be enough for streaming at least,
especially since Atlas VPN
also has streaming-optimized servers in 12 countries.
This includes the US, UK, and Japan.
I managed to access Netflix, BBC iPlayer
and a bunch of other streaming platforms reliably
and had good speeds when streaming as well.
I considered Atlas VPN for torrenting too,
but to be completely honest,
any of the previous providers would fare better for P2P.
Atlas VPN doesn't really have
any supporting features for P2P
and the speeds are not as good as with the competitors.
It's definitely not my first pick for torrenting,
but I will say Atlas VPN may be one
of the best mobile VPNs I have used,
from the smooth apps it is clear to see
that they were initially designed for mobiles.
Furthermore, all the features Atlas VPN has are available
on mobiles, unlike the VPNs I have mentioned previously.
Also, similarly to IPVanish
and Surfshark, Atlas VPN has no device limits whatsoever.
Everything I just said applies
to the premium version of Atlas VPN
which is fairly cheap and arguably good value.
However, Atlas VPN has a free version as well
which you can use for browsing or torrenting,
but that's about it.
Like most free VPNs, Atlas VPN Free has a strict data cap,
reduced speeds, fewer servers,
and even misses security features like SafeSwap.
I hope you don't think that we are done
with our Best VPN review though,
ExpressVPN is coming up next
and still around and kicking.
Let's start with the elephant in the room.
It has now been a year
since ExpressVPN was acquired by Kape Technologies,
a company previously involved with malware production.
This is not a good reputation,
especially since Kape has been collecting VPNs recently,
including such providers as CyberGhost, PIA and ZenMate.
Despite having a privacy-friendly jurisdiction
of the British Virgin Islands
and a court-proven no logs policy,
ties to Kape still prevents ExpressVPN
from being the best VPN in that regard.
This is truly unfortunate considering
that ExpressVPN was the first to implement
privacy-focused features like RAM-only servers.
Well, ExpressVPN remains a good security provider
at least, with the same level of baseline security
as the other top providers.
Express VPN has things security tested
and proven to be effective,
and it currently runs a bug bounty program as well.
On the features level,
ExpressVPN only has a threat manager that stands out.
This feature is really close
to NordVPN's threat protection.
It can also fight off ads, trackers, and malware.
That said, ExpressVPN's version
is currently unavailable on Windows,
which is a significant downside.
Other than that, ExpressVPN unfortunately
doesn't have any other remarkable features.
(screen whooshes)
On the other hand, its performance is quite good.
ExpressVPN's signature protocol, Lightway,
performs really well.
I honestly had speed results on the same level as NordVPN
and Surfshark when connecting
to the closest recommended server.
This is not too surprising
since ExpressVPN server grid used to be pretty vast,
covering 94 countries.
These days, ExpressVPN no longer shows
how many server it has.
As far as the reason, I don't really know,
but hiding this kind of info is not a good idea
to be honest.
Where I can't really fault ExpressVPN is streaming support.
I have tested a lot of streaming platforms with ExpressVPN
and managed to access them without significant troubles.
It can even access Indian content like Surfshark,
and not many VPNs can do it right now.
For torrenting too, ExpressVPN seems to be a great choice.
All servers support P2P
so you have 94 country locations to choose from,
and as long as you pick a close one, the speed will be good.
I can confirm this through my testing.
Of course, IPVanish will still be better
since ExpressVPN doesn't offer a SOCKS5 proxy,
but even with that in mind,
ExpressVPN is not a bad P2P option.
(screen whooshes)
Now I wanna mention ExpressVPN apps too.
The situation here is uneven, while both Windows
and Mac apps are pretty much the same
except for some design choices,
the mobile apps are very different.
ExpressVPN for Android has a lot of extra features
that iOS can't offer,
and to make things worse,
iOS doesn't even have a kill switch.
With everything said about ExpressVPN,
it's hard to justify its current pricing.
It's the most expensive VPN in this lineup
and it arguably offers the least
between the privacy concerns
and the lack of additional features.
So in conclusion, what is the best VPN?
I think NordVPN and Surfshark are the best
VPN service providers to start 2023 with.
They have the best security
and privacy features, great performance
and affordable pricing.
Still, I think that if I needed strictly torrenting,
IPVanish would end up being my primary pick.
It has the features, performance,
and security necessary to excel here.
Atlas VPN may be the best free VPN you can get
in 2023 despite the limitations.
Plus, it's a great budget option in general
as you can upgrade your premium at any moment.
ExpressVPN, while being one of the best VPNs for PC
and mobiles in the past,
it's still holding up in security department,
but because of all the privacy issues
and the lack of transparency,
I can't call it my primary pick for 2023.
Hopefully it will come back as a top provider soon.
If you are curious about testing my top picks yourself,
I have discounts for the top VPN providers we just reviewed
in the description below,
so get your best VPN download as cheaply as possible.
Once again, thanks for watching
and don't hesitate to ask questions.
I hope to see you again soon.
(soft electronic music)