Best VPN service providers in 2020
“The only truly secure system is one that is powered off, cast in a block of concrete and sealed in a lead-lined room with armed guards.” — Gene Spafford
‘VPN’ the abbreviation of “Virtual Private Network” is a security method that helps you remain anonymous online by hiding and changing your location and spoofing your IP address . It can be used for numerous purposes but mostly it is used for security purposes.
VPN functions by creating a secure connection between the users and the sites accessed by them by creating an encrypted path that makes all the traffic meaningless for attackers making it harder for them to track your online activity.
So, instead of going like this
Your device → the website
It goes like this
Your device → Secure VPN servers → the website
VPN was mostly used for securing business connections but as it started getting popular and especially in 2020 when work from home is the new normal and people are spending more time on the internet, it has been used for multiple purposes such as unblocking foreign Netflix, gaming, online streaming, accessing blocked social media and even for fast internet access.
Features you need to consider while choosing a VPN.
As the demand increase, there is a growing amount of VPN services available online that can be download easily and as the number of VPN increasing day by day the competition is tough for choosing the best one among them. Certain factors need to be considered when choosing a VPN, some of them are listed below:
· Speed
· Reliability
· number of licenses for simultaneous connections
· The number and distribution of those servers
Below is the list of top four VPN service providers in 2020.
1) NortanVpn
NortanVpn provides over 5,400 servers in more than 60 countries.
Its features are listed below:
· Max 6 device supported
· Provides Secure Streaming
· Torrenting
· Fast streaming on Netflix
· Best customer service
2) ExpressVpn
provides over 3000 servers in more than 90 countries.
Features included:
· 5 device supported
· Split tunneling
· Media Streamer
3) Surfshark
Surfshark is currently new in the market but it’s growing fast with having more than 1041 servers in 61 countries.
Features
· Unlimited contemporary connections
· Split tunneling
· Double encryption
· Security suite
· Kill switch protection
4) CyberGhost
having 5,900 servers in 90 countries
having features:
· Better UI
· Support max 7 devices
· Widespread server
Free v/s Paid VPN which one is better?
It depends on how you use it for example if you’re using VPN all the time then a free VPN won’t full fill your needs because it has some restrictions such as limitation of servers, number of MBs per day or hour, etc, but if you only use it few times a day then a free version will be good for you because obviously, who doesn’t like free services. In a poll conducted by PCMag, 65 percent of the population wanted free VPN whereas only 10 percent were willing to pay for it.
Now the question arises “Is it even legal to use VPN ?”
Is it even legal to use VPN?
The answer to this question is “YES” it is legal to use a VPN but in some countries, there are some rules that need to be followed regarding the usage of VPN. In China, you can use only the VPNs that are registered by the Chinese government whereas, in UAE, Russia and North Korea have there is a ban on VPN services.
Conclusion
Even though VPN is an important tool and can be helpful for many security purposes but it is not foolproof. It cannot help you if you accidentally download malware on a visit to the dark web or accidentally became a victim of a phishing attack. It may have the functionality to protect from viruses or malware but it can not be the replacement of Anti-virus or Anti-malware.
Apart from that VPN is an important tool so if you don’t use it then you definitely should especially now when you have to work from home and spend most of your time on the internet so you have to be secure enough while surfing through the internet.
A piece of advice in the end
Stay home, Stay Safe, and GET A VPN.
