Best VPN for PC: Our 5 top choices

It’s clear that the shift to mobile devices is accelerating, and the slump in the sales of PCs has been well-documented over the past few years. That said, the PC is still holding its own, and indeed there have been some more positive signs in terms of sales recently.

There are certainly plenty of folks out there who still prefer desktop computers, or at least use a PC to do the odd task here and there – and if they wish to do so with the maximum levels of privacy and security, then they’ll need to use a VPN service.

How to choose the best VPN service for PC

As a service that was initially built for PCs, the VPN market has rapidly expanded over the years, catering to the general public’s growing concerns about cybersecurity. But what are the really important considerations in terms of choosing a good VPN for your personal computer?

Naturally, you want a VPN provider with a clear privacy policy, and obviously high levels of security. Solid server coverage and a plentiful number of locations is an obvious boon, and will help in the quest to find the fastest connection possible.

A user-friendly client is a must, while the service should also have readily available customer support to swiftly address any issues. For more tech-savvy users, advanced features are always a welcome sight, while mobile support is not necessarily important if a PC is your sole weapon of choice.

Bearing all that in mind, here are our top five choices for the best VPN for PC.

The best VPN services of 2017

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IPVanish has it all – lots of servers, excellent download speeds, and great desktop clients. During our performance tests, this VPN actually improved our download speeds by almost 20%, which is one of the best results we’ve seen.

As mentioned, there are plenty of servers to choose from and the rather intuitive client offers a number of options to take advantage of. There are preconfigured settings for specific usages like media or gaming, and advanced options include a kill switch, split tunnelling and much more.

IPVanish has a solid privacy policy, and there is no logging of your online activities. Security-wise, there are OpenVPN, PPTP, and L2TP/IPsec protocols, plus you get round-the-clock 24/7 customer support.

What spoils the fun just a little bit is IPVanish’s pricing. There are more affordable options out there and the service doesn’t offer a free trial to allow for a test run. That said, the yearly plan still remains a nicely affordable option. The packages available are:

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VyprVPN fully owns and manages every bit of its hardware, network, and software, which certainly helps on the performance front. In our testing, we found that the service more than doubled our download speed compared to the rates we got with the VPN turned off.

There is a client for nearly every device, including Linux, Mac, and Windows PCs. We used the latter and it’s commendably simple to operate, if nothing particularly to write home about. It does offer some interesting extra features like a kill switch, various auto-connect options and – if you commit to the premium plan – VyprVPN’s own Chameleon protocol which helps users to overcome VPN blocking.

On the security front, all the standard security protocols are present with 256-bit encryption. Apart from the aforementioned Chameleon technology, the company also delivers VyprDNS and third-party DNS solutions. The privacy policy is clear and straightforward and there is a live chat support for any problems which may crop up.

If you are looking for a rolling monthly subscription, be prepared to reach deep into your wallet as VyprVPN is relatively expensive on a month-to-month basis. There are two plans available, with premium being the option with all the good stuff – you can subscribe to basic or premium plans on a monthly or annual basis.

This provider does not offer refunds at any point so make sure you use the 3-day free trial to thoroughly test the service before you commit. The packages available are:

You’ll have no trouble finding a good server with KeepSolid as you get over a thousand options here. Performance levels are good on the whole, and in our tests we found that our download rates were only minimally affected by the VPN service.

The PC clients benefit from a neat design, offering a clear overview of the service and its features. Unfortunately, the majority of KeepSolid’s servers are not open to P2P, meaning torrents are not supported for the most part.

The provider puts a lot of effort into security, incorporating additional options like a personal VPN server, or a personal IP address. You also get a DNS Firewall feature that’s designed to block malware, adverts and web tracking. The privacy policy seems very fair with no routine logging of online activities.

KeepSolid VPN Unlimited offers a free 7-day trial, which is always welcome. If you opt to buy the service, you can choose from three price plans, the third being the super-affordable lifetime option. But if you’re not looking for such a long-term commitment, the 1-year plan is a steal. The packages available are:

This British Virgin Islands-based provider offers wide server coverage with 145 locations across 94 countries, and it’s a P2P-friendly service. In our tests, we witnessed very good performance for local servers, with slightly lower but still very acceptable results for longer distance connections. The PC clients are designed to be intuitive and easy-to-use with a good smattering of extras like a Speed Test module, diagnostics report and kill switch to satisfy more advanced users.

On the security front, ExpressVPN ticks all the right boxes in terms of protocols and strong encryption, while the privacy policy clearly states there is no gathering or logging of traffic data or online activities. Should the user encounter any problems, round-the-clock customer support is provided via live chat or email.

Price-wise, the service sports above-average prices (especially the monthly plan), which might put some folks off. ExpressVPN doesn’t offer a free plan or trial but all the plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Out of the three plans, the annual subscription offers the best value-for-money. The packages available are:

Based in Slovakia, TigerVPN owns its infrastructure, which helps the firm deliver consistent and above-average performance levels. This provider offers decent server coverage, and in our tests allowed for fast download speeds, which were in fact very close to our regular rates without the VPN turned on.

The PC clients, and the Windows effort in particular, are pretty basic, with very few advanced features. However, that’s likely to appeal to novice users who are just getting their first taste of the VPN world.

In terms of security, you benefit from meshed IPs and strong encryption. And as for privacy, TigerVPN states that it “[doesn’t] log any activities – period”, which is pretty much what you want to hear.

TigerVPN offers three price plans that come with a 7-day money-back guarantee. The monthly subscription is expensive and offers only two connections, so your best bet is the yearly subscription which is better value-for-money, allowing for up to five simultaneous connections (and also giving you additional benefits such as a password manager). The packages available are:

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