1. ExpressVPN — Best VPN for 2023 Top Security, Speeds & Performance
ExpressVPN is the fastest VPN in the industry, has some of the most intuitive apps out there, and comes with the best security features — 256-bit AES encryption, an independently confirmed no-logs policy, and a flawless kill switch (it’s one of the few VPNs that has a kill switch for all of the major platforms). It also has its own VPN protocol, advanced server architecture, split-tunneling on its Windows, Android, routers, and Mac clients, a tracker and malware blocker on iOS, Macs, and Linux, and a free password manager.
ExpressVPN even has its own private DNS encryption service, which provides an extra layer of security by encrypting DNS requests running through its servers. ExpressVPN’s TrustedServer technology stores its server metadata on memory (RAM) as opposed to a hard drive, meaning all of your personal data is scrubbed when the servers reboot. And there’s perfect forward secrecy, which changes your encryption key after each session to prevent your future or past keys from being compromised by hackers.
2. Private Internet Access (PIA) — Flexible, Fast + Highly Versatile Great for Streaming & Torrenting
Private Internet Access (PIA) is secure, maintains fast speeds across all servers, and provides excellent streaming and torrenting support. In my tests, PIA worked with all of the most popular streaming services, like Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and many others, and there was no lag or buffering while the content played.
PIA is also great for torrenting, as it supports P2P traffic on all servers, works with all of the top torrent clients, and also has port forwarding, which allows you to connect directly to peers to get faster downloading speeds. PIA is also very good at bypassing firewalls and restrictions in censor-heavy countries.
PIA has the most flexible and customizable apps out of any other VPN on this list. All of its apps are well designed, highly intuitive, and offer tons of customization for advanced users — different levels of encryption, IP and app whitelisting, local port connections, automation rules, and a lot more.
3. Proton VPN — Best High-Privacy VPN Excellent Security & Very Fast Speeds
Proton VPN is an extremely secure, fast, and intuitive VPN developed by the same team that made the encrypted email service ProtonMail. Proton VPN has a strict no-logs policy (audited and verified), regularly issues a transparency report to prove it doesn’t hand over user data to authorities, and is based in Switzerland (which is outside the jurisdiction of 5/9/14 Eyes Alliances countries).
Proton VPN’s Secure Core VPN architecture bounces user traffic through multiple servers (which are located in underground bunkers and data centers in Switzerland, Iceland, and Sweden) before the data leaves Proton VPN’s network.
And all of Proton VPN’s apps are open-source, allowing anyone to examine the software source code and look for holes in its security or privacy (the apps have also been independently audited and verified).
Proton VPN has full-disk encryption (encrypts all of the data on a server so it’s completely unreadable) and perfect forward secrecy, offers extras like split-tunneling and ad, tracker, and malware blocking, works with major streaming services, and supports torrenting. Proton VPN also provides access to Tor over VPN connections, allowing you to browse .onion sites in your regular browser while keeping your IP address hidden from any Tor node.
4. NordVPN — Great Security Features & Fast Speeds on All Servers
NordVPN provides access to multiple security features that keep your data safe online — like Threat Protection, which is one of the best VPN ad blockers on the market and which also gets rid of malicious ads, blocks connections to shady sites, and protects your device from malware-infected downloads. Even better, Threat Protection remains active even if you’re not connected to a VPN server, which is really convenient.
In addition, there’s Dark Web Monitor, which scans the dark web and alerts you if the login associated with your NordVPN account has been leaked. I’m happy to see this, as this is one of the only VPNs on the market that comes with a dark web monitoring feature.
On top of that, NordVPN also comes with other great security features — it has double VPN servers, which add an extra layer of encryption, and it also comes with obfuscation. Plus, the VPN has its own protocol called NordLynx, which is designed to provide strong security and really fast speeds.
5. Surfshark — Great VPN for Large Families & Very Affordable
Surfshark allows unlimited connections, which means you can use it on as many devices as you want — so it’s a great option if everyone in your family needs a good VPN. I’m also happy to see this because very few VPNs support unlimited connections.
This is also one of the most affordable VPNs on the market, with plans starting at only INR170 / month — so it’s also a good pick if you’re on a tight budget.
Surfshark comes with really good security features, including CleanWeb, which is an excellent ad blocker. In addition, it provides obfuscation, double VPN connections for added security, and IP Rotator, which regularly changes your IP address to make it harder for someone to track your location. The provider also has advanced security features like RAM-only servers and perfect forward secrecy — however, unlike ExpressVPN and Private Internet Access, it’s missing full leak protection (but I never experienced any leaks in my tests).