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Best VPN
service of 2021
A virtual private network can help maximize your se-
curity and anonymity online.
Whether you're working remotely or you simply want
to keep your information safe from prying eyes, a
VPN is key. Here's how it works: A VPN encrypts the
connection between you and the internet, keeping
your data secure and your browsing habits private.
However, there are a multitude of VPN providers to
choose from, and not every VPN service offers the
same level of security, reliability and speed. That can
make it tricky to find the best VPN service to meet
your particular needs. Our best VPN guide is here to
help.
What is a VPN?
A commercial virtual private network is technology
that allows you to create a private connection over a
less private network by creating an encrypted tunnel
between your computer and the internet. You
can install a VPN just like you would any other app or
program on your smartphone or computer. A VPN
can let you get around censorship in your country or
access geo-restricted media content from another
country -- and prevents your internet service provider
from being able to intrude on your privacy by snoop-
ing on your web browsing. VPNs do this by allowing
you to appear as though you're connecting from a
different location or country.
A VPN is great for anyone using public, unprotected
Wi-Fi, such as what's offered in airports, bars or cof-
fee shops. Your VPN protects your sensitive infor-
mation -- from your work projects to bank account
login information -- from being seen by malicious ac-
tors who trawl public Wi-Fi networks. When you
browse the internet while on a VPN, your computer
will contact the website through your VPN's encrypted
connection. The VPN will then forward the request for
you and forward the response from the website back
through its secure connection.
For more beginner-focused VPN help, we've demysti-
fied some of the jargon in our guide to all the VPN
terms you need to know.
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Do I need a VPN?
People who access the internet from a computer,
tablet or smartphone will benefit from VPN us-
age. A VPN service will almost always boost your
privacy by encrypting your online activity. Com-
munications that happen between the VPN serv-
er and your device are encrypted, so an internet
service provider or someone on your Wi-Fi net-
work spying on you wouldn't know which
webpages you access. They also won't be able
to see private information like passwords,
usernames and bank or shopping details and so
on. Anyone who wants to protect their privacy
and security online should use a VPN.
Does everything I use need a VPN?
If your goal is to protect your personal data from
prying eyes, you want a VPN on whatever you
are using. That means having a VPN to protect
your laptop, your phone, your Xbox and your
smart TV.
If your goal is to use a VPN to gain access to
streaming services which have been made una-
vailable in your country for whatever reason, you
want a VPN on whatever you are using to access
those streaming services. This could be as sim-
ple as a VPN for your Chrome browser or setting
up a VPN for your Amazon Fire TV Stick.
Whatever your reason for wanting a VPN, it's
usually a good idea to have it set up on as many
of your web-connected things as possible.
What is a mobile VPN?
Use a mobile-friendly VPN to avoid slower
speeds and ensure greater data privacy for your
whole device. Mobile VPNs generally have a
smaller memory footprint, and require less pro-
cessing power than desktop VPNs, so they run
faster and save more battery. Our top three VPN
picks all have excellent, easy-to-use mobile app
options for their services. Some VPNs will only
work with one type of platform -- like Apple or An-
droid -- and some are universally compatible. To
find the right mobile VPN for you, check out our
mobile-specific VPN guides below. We routinely
update them with our retesting information, so