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Free, scriptable, and as our IT service company installs it for their customers, I suppose it is safe
Free, scriptable, and as our IT service company installs it for their customers, I suppose it is safe
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Can Anybody Recommend a Great VPN?
- Thread starter HappyDude20
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Would never use a free VPN. Especially these days. I use Nord which comes with anti-virus, NordPass and NordLocker.
Head on to StackSocial, usually they have inexpensive lifetime VPN options.
I’ve bought a lifetime KeepSolid from them for ~30$ (5 devices, 99 years), and it has been a quite good four years and counting now.
I've used several of them. I used PIA for a couple of years, Torguard, Nord VPN
The best one and they one I've stuck with for a long time is ExpressVPN especially for what you want to do with it.
The best one and they one I've stuck with for a long time is ExpressVPN especially for what you want to do with it.
+1 for NordVPN, reasonable price, very rarely have trouble with speeds and if I do I just change servers.
Free and VPN are mutually exclusive words.
Free and VPN are mutually exclusive words.
In my opinion, $100 a year for a VPN is rather expensive, compared to the other reputable services you mentioned.
What makes Express worth the extra money?
I'm looking for a VPN myself, and I've been trying both ExpressVPN and NordVPN.
Thanks to the incentives, nordVPN is 100 dollars for 2 years, where is ExpressVPN is 100 dollars for 15 months. Both have a money back guarantee and I'm still researching but here's my take
1. Speed - both are nearly identical for domestic servers in the US. I'll give a slight edge to Nord as they seem to have about 50mbps faster but as I keep testing it seems to normalize to a full on tie.
2. Software. I think ExpressVPN provides a better experience in the application and web site. This may boil down to personal preference plus their software seems less bloated - Nord's takes longer to start up - at least on windows.
3. Servers/countries. ExpressVPN offers more countries but less servers overall. I guess depending on your needs, its a toss up. Internationally it appears that Nord is faster but I've not really put it through its paces
4. Streaming - ExpressVPN seems to offer more hand holding and/or guidance to unlock streaming services so you can watch items outside of your local area - my kids want this, I personally don't care
5. Support, I've not used this, but based on reviews, ExpressVPN offers a slightly better experience.
6. Security - Nord offers a bit more onion over vpn,
7. Reputation - ExpressVPN seems to have a better more transparent stance. They publish their security audits and have seem to be upfront with their systems. Back when NordVPN was hacked they basically tried to sweep that under the rug and state that it wasn't a big deal, even though their encryption keys were stolen. They also were not up front with the hacking - it was only when a tech crunch article uncovered the issue. This kind of rubs me the wrong way, for a company that is supposed to be privacy minded.
For people reading my post, it would seem i'm favoring ExpressVPN and you're right, I seemed to be biased towards them. I'm not sure why, but i seem to prefer them given what I posted above. I'm not sure if the price which is effectively 2x of Nord is worth that though.
My computer habits are incredibly tame, I don't torrent, i'm not doing much other then playing some games, youtube and minor browsing to tech sites, like MacRumors.
Here's a set of reviews from security,org - I have no idea if they're a good/bad sight, I just pulled them up thanks to the all knowing and all seeing google.
ExpressVPN Review 2024: Powerful Encryption & Security
When it comes to a VPN, you don't want to take a risk with a company you don't know that much about. That's why I'm excited to review ExpressVPN. They're one of
www.security.org
NordVPN Review 2024: A Top VPN Option Tested by Experts
A VPN is one of the most important tools you can have in your cybersecurity toolbox. VPNs keep your identity hidden and your browser history secure. In this
www.security.org
Here's jayztwocent's dialog regarding the hacking - its less about that they got hacked and more about how they handled themselves
Fair assessment thus far.I'm looking for a VPN myself, and I've been trying both ExpressVPN and NordVPN.
Thanks to the incentives, nordVPN is 100 dollars for 2 years, where is ExpressVPN is 100 dollars for 15 months. Both have a money back guarantee and I'm still researching but here's my take
1. Speed - both are nearly identical for domestic servers in the US. I'll give a slight edge to Nord as they seem to have about 50mbps faster but as I keep testing it seems to normalize to a full on tie.
2. Software. I think ExpressVPN provides a better experience in the application and web site. This may boil down to personal preference plus their software seems less bloated - Nord's takes longer to start up - at least on windows.
3. Servers/countries. ExpressVPN offers more countries but less servers overall. I guess depending on your needs, its a toss up. Internationally it appears that Nord is faster but I've not really put it through its paces
4. Streaming - ExpressVPN seems to offer more hand holding and/or guidance to unlock streaming services so you can watch items outside of your local area - my kids want this, I personally don't care
5. Support, I've not used this, but based on reviews, ExpressVPN offers a slightly better experience.
6. Security - Nord offers a bit more onion over vpn,
7. Reputation - ExpressVPN seems to have a better more transparent stance. They publish their security audits and have seem to be upfront with their systems. Back when NordVPN was hacked they basically tried to sweep that under the rug and state that it wasn't a big deal, even though their encryption keys were stolen. They also were not up front with the hacking - it was only when a tech crunch article uncovered the issue. This kind of rubs me the wrong way, for a company that is supposed to be privacy minded.
For people reading my post, it would seem i'm favoring ExpressVPN and you're right, I seemed to be biased towards them. I'm not sure why, but i seem to prefer them given what I posted above. I'm not sure if the price which is effectively 2x of Nord is worth that though.
My computer habits are incredibly tame, I don't torrent, i'm not doing much other then playing some games, youtube and minor browsing to tech sites, like MacRumors.
Here's a set of reviews from security,org - I have no idea if they're a good/bad sight, I just pulled them up thanks to the all knowing and all seeing google.
ExpressVPN Review 2024: Powerful Encryption & Security
When it comes to a VPN, you don't want to take a risk with a company you don't know that much about. That's why I'm excited to review ExpressVPN. They're one ofNordVPN Review 2024: A Top VPN Option Tested by Experts
A VPN is one of the most important tools you can have in your cybersecurity toolbox. VPNs keep your identity hidden and your browser history secure. In this
Here's jayztwocent's dialog regarding the hacking - its less about that they got hacked and more about how they handled themselves
I did test ExpressVPN a few years ago. I think I made thread about it when I tested several VPN at once. From what I recall, Express gave me quick customer service the few times I tested them. The UI for Express is nice and easy to navigate. My usage correlates to yours. As such, I couldn’t justify the cost for Express, especially when there is Nord, PIA or SurfShark (which is what i use now).
I can't disagree, though I'm willing to pay more for what I would say is perceived benefit for my money. I'm about 90% sure i'll be cancelling Nord and maybe I'll take a look at Pia and Surfshark. I've been playing with Express for about a week and so far I do like it
So I'm trying SurfShark
My initial thoughts are colored with being underwhelmed. The good news is there's a Boston server, the bad news is that at times performance is pitiful. Re-running the test via the app and web shows a wide swing on performance. While i do expect to see some degradation, and time of day can and will affect this, I'm shocked to see things go so slow for a while and then perk back up.
![1622735385079.png]( "1622735385079.png")
My initial thoughts are colored with being underwhelmed. The good news is there's a Boston server, the bad news is that at times performance is pitiful. Re-running the test via the app and web shows a wide swing on performance. While i do expect to see some degradation, and time of day can and will affect this, I'm shocked to see things go so slow for a while and then perk back up.
For me, those actions instantly make NordVPN a non-starter. When clients pay a company for security and privacy services, hiding and then PR-spinning a serious and foundational breach is outrageous. Business users, especially small businesses that do not have a lot of in-house network expertise or time to devote to running their computers, could face regulatory, technology, and reputation problems for years to come.
If one of my financial services providers did something similar, I would immediately transfer my assets and funds to another institution. Banks, stock brokerages, money transfer services, financial advisors, and the like are in a similar position of trust. Transparency and accountability are extremely important in these relationships.
I've been waiting for Mozilla VPN to be reviewed and tested by multiple sources to help me decide between Mozilla VPN (powered by Mullvad) and Mullvad's direct offering.
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I would just go with Mullvad. I'm not sure Mozilla VPN offers anything additional. It's basically just a rebranded Mullvad.
I've been using Mullvad for quite a while now and I'm very happy with it.
Try a different city. I never use a local connection. I have had excellent results with the Seattle server. I usually get well over 300 down / 200 - 225 up with Seattle.
Oh no question, but the thing is, if you're going to get the best performance, its going to be on a server closest to your location.
I've just cancelled my "trial' of NordVPN, it seems the only way to cancel these is to go through the chat process. It was a bit of a pain because the first level was a bot, and then when I finally got a human, he was pushing to keep me on for the full 30 days. My issue is that I'm easily distracted and if I let it go for the full 30, then there's a chance I'd miss the deadline. I get why they're doing it, but I hate having to "convince" the support folks that I want my money back.
As for SurfShark, one other concern was niggling at me, they're discounting the cost so much - which seems like a loss leader to build up their customer base, its possible to see higher prices when renewal time comes around. I'm not saying that will happen but its something to keep in mind
I agree about server location. Most of the time when I tried the local area server, which seemed to connect very quickly, I noticed it was rather slow compared to Seattle. I don't know why that is.
I did get a excellent deal on a 2 year sub with SurfShark. And the price will probably be higher after that. Usually there are sales 3 times (or so) a year with all of the VPNs so, I don't really worry about it.
While I still have subs to PIA and Nord (5 year deal and 2 year deal respectively) I quit using Nord because of their lack of transparency and honesty when they were hacked. PIA has always been reliable with a pretty consistent sub price when on sale. Their servers are ok although most of them (U.S.) seem to get a lot of heavy use, which is why when I got the M1 and saw SurfShark in the App Store, I decided to get them a shot.
That's why I really didn't seriously consdier them. I tried them, but it was merely a curiously look. As I said I think I'm getting value for my money at ExpressVPN so I'll just keep what I have ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
If you want value and good you could check out trust.zone . I've been using it for years and never had a problem other than the odd server not being available or the connection dropping out after a few days, forcing me to switch to another one. They have plenty of servers around the globe and streaming is fast enough for the odd geo fencing case.
You can use up to 5 devices and they swear they don't monitor or log anything but they would at least have to monitor the number of connections per account to enforce that 5 device limit...
I mostly use it for other things than streaming though so your use case may differ. You can try them for free and they are always running specials such as 2 years for $56 right now but I've seen better especially during CyberMonday sales. They also have good 3 year deals which is obviously to be weighted against the chances of them closing shop but they've been around for many years now.
They also accept BTC payment if you're so inclined.
You can pretty much use all VPN protocols under the sun and no 3rd party client is required but one is provided if you just want to click a button without having to think about the details. Therefore works with pretty much anything. iOS, Android, Linux, Windows, XBox, Play Station, Smart TV, Amazon Fire Stick, Routers like Asus Merlin... The list goes on.
They have a Warrant Canary as well.
You can use up to 5 devices and they swear they don't monitor or log anything but they would at least have to monitor the number of connections per account to enforce that 5 device limit...
I mostly use it for other things than streaming though so your use case may differ. You can try them for free and they are always running specials such as 2 years for $56 right now but I've seen better especially during CyberMonday sales. They also have good 3 year deals which is obviously to be weighted against the chances of them closing shop but they've been around for many years now.
They also accept BTC payment if you're so inclined.
You can pretty much use all VPN protocols under the sun and no 3rd party client is required but one is provided if you just want to click a button without having to think about the details. Therefore works with pretty much anything. iOS, Android, Linux, Windows, XBox, Play Station, Smart TV, Amazon Fire Stick, Routers like Asus Merlin... The list goes on.
They have a Warrant Canary as well.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warrant_canary
I agree and to an extent, find one that you trust (I use that word loosely) in that you're stuff isn't being logged, there's no data retention and they're transparent with their business - for me, ExpressVPN checks off most of those items
This WireGuard feature mentioned here, I see SurfShark, Mullvad and PIA offer it. Do I have to do anything else to configure this or it just works for the end user? Am assuming this just means safer more complicated encryptions?
I know I made this thread like well over 2 years ago and I really only stuck with using free slow vpns from time to time.
am heavily considering getting SurfShark today. Has simple looking apps on Mac and iPhone and I think I’ll be happy.
I know I made this thread like well over 2 years ago and I really only stuck with using free slow vpns from time to time.
am heavily considering getting SurfShark today. Has simple looking apps on Mac and iPhone and I think I’ll be happy.