Best Windows VPN for PC in 2024

Today, VPNs are designed to work on all kinds of platforms with mobile apps, consoles, and even your Smart TV. However, Windows apps have the highest percentage in terms of features and tools. Combine this with the fact that the internet is full of threats and there are plenty of smart reasons to decide on a VPN for your VPN.

The most productive VPNs encrypt your data and route it through secure servers to hide your IP address. This ensures that your online activity cannot be traced back to you and allows you to bypass geo-restrictions so that you can access content from anywhere in the world. world.

However, not all VPNs are created equal, and that’s where the team at TechRadar and I come in. I’ve been reviewing VPNs for years (and I use one every day) and compare the features, apps, security tools, and speed of the most sensible competition to create this list of the most productive PC VPNs in 2024.

If you want a quick answer, don’t worry, here are my 3 most sensible PC VPN options:

ExpressVPN might be a good option, but it more than makes up for it with a built-in password manager, a year of unlimited cloud storage, and an extra 3 months of protection, all for free. Plus, you can see it for yourself risk-free, with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

It’s also worth noting that NordVPN is wickedly fast—so, if you’re looking for a service that won’t slow you down when streaming HD content, torrenting, or gaming, NordVPN has you covered. See how it compares to ExpressVPN with its 30-day money-back guarantee.

However, one of my favorite things about Surfshark is the unlimited simultaneous connections. It’s a great price for cash and means you can protect all your devices (and all the devices in your family) with one plan. Take advantage of your 30-day cash re-secure today.

After our last test circular, here are the five VPNs for PC and Windows.

Top-notch security and privacy tools with easy-to-use apps

✔️ You need a VPN that you can trust with your life: ExpressVPN is regularly audited by independent cybersecurity groups to prove the claims it makes.

✔️ You need geo-restricted content – with servers in more countries than any other VPN on our list, you can content all over the world.

✔️ You want customization — it’s a highly configurable VPN that you can scale for maximum functionality no matter what you do.

❌ You need a cheap VPN: ExpressVPN is the most expensive service on our list. If you’re on a tight budget, you’ll get a better deal with Surfshark.

❌ You want the fastest speeds: ExpressVPN lives up to its name, but if you want speeds above 900 Mbps, you’d rather turn your attention to NordVPN or Surfshark.

?It’s no surprise that ExpressVPN is our most sensible pick. From its undeniable user interface to its well-designed security features and 24/7 array and torrenting and streaming speeds, ExpressVPN’s quality is hard to beat.

Check out our ExpressVPN review to learn more about this incredible VPN service and see why it’s our top VPN for Windows.

ExpressVPN continues to dominate our Windows VPN list thanks to its high-quality and reliable apps, an incredible selection of servers around the globe, and tremendous content unblocking.

Whether you’re a new user or a seasoned pro, it’s undeniable to set up and use ExpressVPN. With its one-click connection feature, you can immediately connect to the fastest server near you. In addition, you can see a variety of the server features indexed below. If you need a quick location, you can replace the location in any of your more than 160 places and save it as a favorite for all long-running sessions.

▶ Try Windows VPN for PC with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Other great tools for Windows VPN users include split tunneling, which lets you select apps to bypass the VPN encryption, should you need to access local sites and services. You can choose to either have only specific apps using the VPN or flip it and have everything protected by encryption with your chosen exemptions.

Its browser extensions give you added protection and enable a VPN proxy to help you better unblock content abroad. It works in tandem with the VPN app, so you won’t have to jump between the two every time you want to switch regions.

Plus, ExpressVPN offers reliably fast speeds through its proprietary Lightway protocol. More than 20 times what you’d need to stream in 4K ultra-HD. Speaking of streaming, Our testing showed ExpressVPN unblocked Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Disney+, and BBC iPlayer. It also works with AppleTV and Roku streaming devices, so you can stream your favorite shows anywhere.

Their no-logging policy is also impressive and has been audited by many third-party cybersecurity groups. ExpressVPN doesn’t control what you do online and never logs your IP address.

Expert and friendly customer support are on-hand 24/7 via live chat or email for any problems you might encounter. Alternatively, there are plenty of articles on its website to help with setup and popular use cases. Simply put, ExpressVPN is dedicated to being the best VPN around, and our analysis shows that it truly lives up to these lofty aims.

Equipped with security features and to stream Netflix

✔️ Your extra security: NordVPN offers a comprehensive security package at a competitive price.

✔️ You need fast speeds: one of the fastest, NordVPN closed over 700 Mbps in our latest speed tests.

✔️ If you want to stream unblocked shows on Netflix easily, use NordVPN in the US. USA, UK, Australia and Japan.

❌ You’re new to VPNs – the map-style interface is a fun differentiator from the competition, but it’s not the easiest for absolute beginners to navigate.

❌ You want to torrent: while NordVPN supports torrenting on its servers, it doesn’t offer port forwarding.

? NordVPN consistently scores very well in our tests, and if you need the best balance between security, features, and cost, it’s worth a try.

Read our NordVPN review to find out why NordVPN is such a close second to ExpressVPN.

NordVPN has a huge global network, with over 5500 servers in 60 countries. Many of the most popular places have server locations, so you don’t have to struggle to get a connection or enjoy slow speeds due to crowded servers.

The Windows consumer is quick to set up and the card-like interface is a lot of fun for power users and comes with many security features, such as Tor over VPN and double VPN encryption for added anonymity. However, this orientation towards tech-savvy users can be a bit overwhelming for less experienced users.

▶ Try NordVPN with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

With speeds above 700 Mbps, you can install it on a router and all internet-connected devices in your home without slowing down. In fact, everyone can stream Netflix in 4K and NordVPN will still be fast enough to do so. We don’t have to revel in buffering.

Our latest tests showed Nord unblocks all leading streaming services, including Amazon Prime, Disney+, Hulu, YouTube, and BBC iPlayer. Where NordVPN really shines, however, is with Netflix. Topping our charts as the best Netflix VPN, NordVPN unblocked every region we threw at it with ease. You can stream your favorite shows, anywhere in the world with total privacy.

In the wake of the latest circular about Netflix account lockouts, many users have turned to NordVPN’s Meshnet feature to bypass password sharing bans. It allows you to control up to 60 devices through your home network and your files and apps remotely.

With visitor support, customizable pricing plans, and a 30-day money-back guarantee, NordVPN has just been introduced through ExpressVPN, so be sure to check it out and see how the two compare before committing your money to one in particular.

A budget-friendly VPN that offers plenty of features and speeds

✔️ You’re on a budget: No other service fits the one presented through Surfshark.

✔️ You need fast connections: Surfshark outperformed all other VPNs and passed the most sensible of our speed tests.

✔️ You’re new to using VPNs – it’s very easy to use and doesn’t sacrifice the main points for simplicity.

❌ You need a foolproof kill switch: This doesn’t happen all the time, but our security tests show that it doesn’t interact well on Windows.

❌ You need servers in more places: Surfshark offers more countries than maximum services, but fewer express locations since ExpressVPN.

? Surfshark offers great value, and it’s no surprise that it tops both our cheap VPN and fastest VPN lists.

Our Surfshark VPN review sheds light on how this cheap VPN can compete with its more beloved peers.

If you’re new to the world of VPNs, Surfshark is a great provider to stay up to. Its easy-to-use apps are packed with features, and if you upgrade to Surfshark One, you can get a comprehensive security suite with ad blocking. Security breach, antivirus, and dark web data analysis to alert you if your data has been compromised.

You can even take it a step further and opt for Incogni in its “Ultimate” plan, which automatically requests the removal of tracking data from primary knowledge agents to make your online activity more personal in the world of “Big Data. “

▶ Try Surfshark unlimited with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Not only does Surfshark offer good value for money, but it’s also our number one choice for the fascheck VPN on the market. With speeds of over 950 Mbps, it consistently maximized our Gigabit test lines. If you need to perform data-intensive responsibilities such as torrenting, gaming, or streaming online, you’re guaranteed to take care of everything.

When it comes to streaming, this VPN for Windows will unblock just about anything. In fact, larger broodstock are a problem. Netflix can be accessed in all regions, Amazon Prime, and even BBC iPlayer from anywhere you travel. 9 Now, 10 Play, ITV, and The 4 are also not suitable for Surfshark.

Surfshark uses AES-256 encryption for waterproof security, but our tests highlighted one factor with its interrupt transfer. It turns out it works fine, but it doesn’t tell us when the VPN connection is interrupted and the interrupt transfer is triggered. Without this notification, we can’t be sure if the deletion transfer is working. It doesn’t happen each and every time, but once is enough to worry about.

The customer can be contacted via live chat, and the site has many useful articles for setup and customization. With unlimited device coverage, you can protect each and every device you own, as well as any and all devices your friends and family own. We haven’t tried to check how “unlimited” it really is, but it’s a welcome benefit given that many top-tier installations require you to purchase some other subscription to get more simultaneous device coverage.

Try the best affordable VPN for Windows with a 30-day money-back guarantee and find out why it’s one of our favorite budget options on the market.

Try before you buy with a free unlimited VPN for Windows

✔️ You should check before you buy – although it’s limited, Proton VPN Free gives you an idea of what their paid subscription has to offer.

✔️ You have devices to protect: ProtonVPN also works with Mac, Android, iOS and Linux.

❌ You need a lot of servers and locations: it’s improving in this area, but ProtonVPN still comes up short with only 85 locations in 67 countries.

❌ You need a fast VPN: ProtonVPN slipped in our speeds test to a below-average speed.

? Proton VPN has a lot to offer to Windows users, including a free VPN that gets you started while still offering good protection. It still has a ways to go before becoming a top contender, though.

Check out our Proton VPN review to learn more about why it’s such a popular free service and see how it compares to more sensible ones like ExpressVPN.

Proton VPN goes on to become a competitor among the big boys with its Windows 10 consumer, a great choice if you’re looking for a sleek and intuitive consumer that offers plenty of features and settings for gaming. When we opened it, we saw that it had the option to navigate the map interface or access it for a more standardized list format to access other locations.

In either case, Proton highlights P2P or Tor servers with transparent icons, and clicking on a specific location will remove the available servers with colored banners to show the current payload type on each.

▶ Try ProtonVPN by spending a pretty penny with its free unlimited plan.

Its Profiles feature is also very nifty, as it runs as a more comprehensive favorites list, allowing you to choose to connect to a fast server in a certain location or create one that guarantees you’re on the fastest server in a country.

Proton Pass launched in June 2023 and gives users the ability to add password control to their tool belt. Currently, the service is limited to mobile apps and browser extensions, but it also offers a free offering. Proton VPN also comes with features that add fast connection, its new VPN accelerator, automatic reconnection, and a delete transfer that we were pleased to see did its homework well.

You’ll be able to choose between OpenVPN and WireGuard. In our speed tests, we saw a slight drop in its previous performance, with some lower lows. Still, with a diversity from 360 Mbps to 670 Mbps, at best, it’s still moving at a rapid pace.

In terms of unblocking streaming services, Proton has you covered too. This will unblock Netflix (at least in the US, UK, and Canada), as well as the same old suspects: BBC iPlayer, Prime Video, and Disney Plus. Of course, their free VPN option is a great position to start in for any VPN beginner.

A Good VPN Torrent for Windows PC

✔️ You need a long-term money-back guarantee: You can check Hotspot Sheild for forty-five days before deciding to cancel thanks to their money-back guarantee.

✔️ Torrent: Hotspot Shield is one of the few free VPNs that supports torrenting.

❌ You must use a VPN on devices: Hotspot Shield is inconsistent among its customers, making it difficult to use across all platforms.

❌ You want help for visitors: Most of the articles online are very helpful and include explanations and concepts that we don’t consider accurate.

? Hotspot Shield is a good choice if you’re looking for a VPN that supports torrents. Just know if you need help it’s a little tricky to get it.

Read our Hotspot Shield review to learn why this fast and flexible VPN is still popular.

Hotspot Shield has been a major player in Windows VPN gaming for some time now, with its Catapult Hydra protocol allowing it to ride the wave to rank in the top three. However, the absolutely impressive speeds we’ve noticed in the future continue to be vastly outperformed by other WireGuard VPNs, with their own functionality below average numbers. That said, its interface is still a wonderful selection for those looking for a Windows 10 VPN for their PC.

Hotspot Shield offers the Windows user ridiculously undeniable setup and usage, even for VPN beginners. Press the big “On/Off” button and connect to the server of your choice (or you’ll check it with your local maximum). server if that’s what you want) in a matter of moments.

▶ Try Hotspot Shield’s free plan and 45-day money-back guarantee.

There is a Smart VPN feature that helps you connect to the ideal server based on your location and activity, a fully functional kill switch, and an additional feature that automatically connects Hotspot Shield when public Wi-Fi hotspots are present, which is convenient for those who are involved in cybersecurity.

There’s P2P on every server, making it at least a convenient torrenting VPN. Speaking of servers, you can access any of its more than 1,800 servers worldwide. We also tested their torrent servers and were able to download torrents without any issues while connected to servers in the US. US, UK and Japan.

Unblocking YouTube, BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney Plus in our tests was a breeze. However, Hotspot Shield failed at the last hurdle when it came to Netflix. You couldn’t unblock any Netflix library in the world, you only managed to access Canada’s Netflix library in one of our 3 attempts.

Hotspot Shield works on a lot of devices, and we do like it as a mobile VPN. But we don’t recommend it be used on more than one platform. This is because there are inconsistencies between the offerings with some tools available to one client and not the other. There are differences in layout, too, so it’s difficult to work on a Windows PC and then move to a smartphone and seamlessly navigate the two VPN apps.

A virtual private network (VPN) is a piece of software called a consumer whose primary function is to maintain the privacy of your Internet connection, browser history, and device location. This is done in several ways, although the most common is through encryption.

Encryption is a way of scrambling your data so it can’t be read. Many government agencies, militaries, and even financial institutions use encryption when saving files, sharing data, and receiving personal information through their websites, email, or messages. The highest encryption level is known as AES-256 bit. The best VPNs should use this level of security.

Another helpful security tool of a VPN client is the number and location of its servers. When you log onto the internet, your device is given an IP address that is specific to your location, and even more specific to your home address.

Since connecting to a VPN requires you to connect through one of the client’s servers, your IP address will be when you connect. This makes it very complicated to trace your online activity to yourself, your device, or your address.

You can use a VPN to protect person-to-person (P2P) knowledge transfers. This is also known as torrenting. By the nature of its design, a VPN will encrypt those messages, but some VPNs are specifically designed to download torrents with dedicated servers with a faster connection speed to reduce the risk of data interception.

And finally, each country has content that you can only access if you’re physically in that area. This is known as geo-limited content and is used to refer to TV streaming services. But there are other contents that are limited if you’re in a country like China.

When you connect to a VPN in a geo-restricted area, your device’s IP address will mean it’s local. This allows you to log in to your private accounts and watch your favorite shows on Netflix, Amazon Prime, AppleTV, BBC. iPlayer and others.

Unsurprisingly, most major VPN companies run “Windows first,” making their product the most widely used operating formula in the world (though Mac users are surely excluded). This means that VPN clients for PC are usually feature-rich and offer a multitude of features to suit most users, but some are even easier to use than others, and our more practical picks below are sure to be confusing to set up and use.

Regardless of how you intend to use your service—although even more so if you’ll likely be streaming or take your gaming seriously—you’ll want one that’s fast, with robust connections. If you use your monitor or laptop as a TV as well as a PC, we suspect that you’ll also want to make sure that your PC’s VPN can unlock content that’s usually geo-restricted: shows and movies that are exclusive to US Netflix and other streaming services, for example, or even sports that generally wouldn’t be available to live stream where you are.

If you tend to use your Windows computer on a public Wi-Fi network, you also need assurances about the extra layer of online security that the VPN offers. And that’s doubled if you’re traveling to a country with stronger online censorship (VPNs are a wonderful way to access social media apps and other sites in countries where they’ve been blocked) or that’s notorious for government surveillance.

And value deserves to be considered at all times, so below you’ll see the most productive existing rates for each of our recommended services. It’s no secret that ExpressVPN is more expensive than other top-tier services, but you can consider it worth it given that it’s a rugged VPN for PC (and other devices). If that’s not enough, remember that it comes with a year of unlimited cloud storage, a built-in password manager, and an additional 3 months. protection, all for free.

For over 15 years the VPN experts at TechRadar have used their technology backgrounds, hands-on experience, and research capabilities to dive deep into the weeds of dozens of VPN services. Some aren’t worthy of our stamp of approval, but those that are included in our Best VPN guides have passed our rigorous tests.

To begin with, we need to make sure that the VPNs we propose are suitable for your use. As part of our testing, our IT experts make any and all efforts to find vulnerabilities. This includes running tests to force the VPN down and, if successful, checking how well the delete transfer is being triggered. They also check to pass through the VPN running on a device with some other device to see if any data is leaked.

Because your privacy is so important, we spend a lot of time reading the fine print of VPN’s privacy policy. We take note of those that come with a no-logs clause and give additional problems to those that allow third-party audits. their claims. That’s not a lot of VPN services, but Surfshark is one of them.

Another thing when it comes to determining privacy is where the VPN is founded. Some countries are coming together to form the Five Eye Alliance. This organization promises that all online, software or generation systems of companies founded in their country will keep the records of their users for 30 days, in case the authorities want to read about them.

VPNs are also subject to the Five Eyes Alliance, so opting for one in a more unbiased location is a plus in terms of security. ExpressVPN is founded in the Virgin Islands, while Proton VPN is a Swiss company. This is one of the reasons why O turn to our advisor to buy the most secure VPN.

Speed is a must if you want a VPN for torrenting or streaming TV shows. Torrenting is the procedure of sending and receiving files, such as email attachments, to and from a specific person. This is known as person to person. (P2P) transfer.

Usually, you’d use a VPN for torrenting when the information you are sending is confidential, like a contract, or an application where personal information is provided. In order to reduce the risk of the file being intercepted – even though it will be encrypted and hard to decipher – a VPN with a high speed is important. VPN speeds refer to how fast information travels between two points including to VPN servers, or even two people’s personal devices.

We have several check machines installed in the U. S. We use the U. S. and U. K. and use check sites for servers around the world to help us with our checks.

For TV streaming, higher speeds mean it’s faster to download the movie you need to watch and there’s less risk of lag or buffering when watching live streams of your favorite real show or sports game.

In both cases, we take speed checks very seriously. First, we use functionality verification sites, adding SpeedTest, nPerf, and SpeedOfMe to the average speeds of our connections. These checks were run multiple times from other devices (PCs, mobile devices, etc. ) and from other locations. We have several check machines installed in the U. S. We use the US and UK and use any of the check sites to access servers around the world to help us with our checks.

We also connect using other encryption protocols. OpenVPN has been the preferred solution, but recently, WireGuard has proven to be more secure and faster. But we’re still testing either with the IKEv2 protocol that’s commonly used on Mac devices. Surfshark has come off the better with its impressive 960 Mbps speeds. But even VPNs, like Express, which only have a maximum speed of 560, are still fast enough to help TV streaming.

Speaking of streaming services, when you travel outside of your country or viewing area, your account will be locked because it detects that your device’s location is far away from your home or city. It uses an IP address to determine your location.

Connecting to a VPN server provides you with another IP address that matches the server’s location. For example, if you’re traveling to Australia from the US, connecting to a US VPN server is a key factor in the future. The U. S. IP address will provide you with a U. S. IP address. With this, you can open your online streaming accounts and watch your favorite shows.

As part of our extensive testing, we try to offer as many channels and streams as possible. And we don’t limit ourselves to a few countries. For example, we know precisely which VPNs unblock Netflix Japan, Netflix UK, and Netflix Canada.

Other regular channels we’re testing include Amazon Prime, Hulu, and Disney. We also take a look at BBC iPlayer, ITVX and Channel Four in the UK, as well as 9Now and 10Play in Australia. The best streaming VPN includes all the main points and effects of this component from our tests.

Our top pick is ExpressVPN as the best PC VPN for Windows. It’s an absolute dream to use on desktops and laptops (as well as mobiles and pretty much everything else, for that matter), and supplies fast, reliable server connections. It’s got a proven track record of unblocking Netflix and loads of other streaming services, while also having the security smarts to give you peace of mind that your online activities will always be anonymous when it’s switched on.

Although VPNs started out as a way to securely share data, their use has become much wider. If you’re using your Windows 10 computer as a portable media device, for example, you can geo-spoof your PC’s IP address to other parties. of the world to make sure you don’t miss out on your favorite content or even miss out on your favorite content. Movies, TV shows, and sports that air in other countries but not your own.

Virtual personal networks also have a key tool for unblocking limited internet sites on PC (one of the reasons why VPNs in China are so popular, with networks like Google, Facebook, BBC, CNN and many others blocked there) .

There are also plenty of other ancillary VPN uses you can explore – you can find out more by clicking on the link.

Once you’ve selected the best VPN for your PC, getting started is ridiculously simple. We’ve covered it in detail in our advisor for setting up a VPN, but anyone, from novice Windows users to absolute professionals, can get started with it. easily. Go to the online page of the seller of your selection and they will guide you to the download page for Windows. Once downloaded and installed, maximum VPN clients have a big “Power” button that you can’t miss that will give you a long list of countries from which their server is accessed.

Many people don’t know that Windows 10 has its own built-in VPN client. But before you rush to cancel your current VPN subscription, it’s worth taking a closer look at what the Windows option is capable of.

The most important thing to know about the built-in Windows option is that it’s not really a VPN service—or at least not the kind we’ve become accustomed to from third-party providers. Windows doesn’t give you access to a secure server network, which is what you pay for when using a VPN service. Instead, the built-in tool is just a desktop client for connecting to a third-party network, and it can’t help you with all the other use cases that we’ve described above and has limited features.

Also, setting it up is confusing and requires thorough research of your network settings and probably even some tweaks to your router. On the contrary, the VPNs mentioned above can protect you in seconds, are incredibly easy to use, and cost little. just a few dollars per month.

While not as secure as Windows 11, Windows 10 is a significant improvement in terms of security and protection over previous incarnations (especially with dedicated Windows antivirus). Even so, you can never be too secure, and a reliable VPN is an essential tool for anyone online nowadays.

Yes, you can—all of our recommended services above support the latest version of Windows. Windows 11 is no longer in its infancy, and VPN providers have adapted thoroughly to the changes present in the latest OS.

Adam is the Editorial Director of High Performance Content at Future. At the head of a team, he oversees many of the editor’s articles on subscriptions and services, adding VPNs, TV streaming, and broadband. In addition to identifying new e-commerce opportunities, it has produced in-depth buying guides, how-to content, deal news, and in-depth reviews. Adam’s paintings can be seen in many future brands, adding TechRadar, Tom’s Guide, T3, TTR, Android Central, iMore, Windows Central, and Real Homes. .

TechRadar is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

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