Have you already decided to buy a VPN service? Good for you! However, you’re facing a tough problem now – how to choose the best option for your needs. You can find many VPN service offers on the market, so first, you need to identify your personal priorities. Our guide presents the seven most important factors to look for when buying a VPN.
The guide is based on tips from the article: https://vpnperf.net/what-is-a-vpn/
1. Data transfer (bandwidth) limit
In the age of great streaming platforms, bandwidth restrictions sound like a joke. They just won’t work for you. Nowadays videos, photos, and music services consume huge amounts of data during regular use. And you definitely don’t want to limit yourself. Therefore, when selecting a VPN provider, look for the one without any data transfer restrictions.
2. The number of servers and their location
As you certainly expect, the greater the number of servers, the greater the chance that a VPN will meet all your expectations. The top VPN providers offer as good as thousands of servers in dozens of countries.However, numerous servers are not enough.
You should also look at their location. For example, if you want access to the largest content libraries, such as Netflix, you won’t be satisfied with hundreds of Asian or African servers. On the other hand, servers in developing countries can be suitable for other purposes, like hiding from government surveillance. The key to the perfect choice is, as usual, your needs, and priorities.
3. The number of devices that can be used concurrently with the VPN
Another important factor you should consider when choosing a VPN is the maximum number of devices that can be connected to the VPN at the same time. You may think you don’t need multiple concurrent connections to the service. However, chances are you have more than one device, and they all should be equally protected.
You should also be prepared in case a family member or colleague needs to use a VPN on their equipment. Therefore, before buying a VPN service, make sure all your devices will be covered.
4. Connection speed
Let’s do a little experiment. Imagine a little loading icon rolling on your screen in the middle of the last episode of your favorite Netflix series. What do you feel? Impatience? Anger? Frustration? You can’t deny that slow internet is a nightmare.
Some people hesitate to use a VPN due to the expected loss of speed. We have to admit, VPN always slows down your connection a bit. However, the top VPN providers guarantee that speed changes are practically unnoticeable. However, it’s always good to find out if the provider maintains sufficient infrastructure to prevent potential overloading. Choose the best option to enjoy fast connectivity while protecting your data.
5. Logging policy
At the end of the day, the primary reason you buy a VPN is to protect your data from strangers, such as ISPs, advertisers, governments, and scammers. Obviously, you also don’t want a VPN provider to store the logs that should remain private. To avoid breach of security and privacy look for a VPN with a No Logs Policy. Unless the provider operates on a zero-log policy, you miss the whole point of using a VPN. Remember that if the data is collected, it can also be released.
6. Ease of use
Unless you are tech-savvy and have plenty of time to study the service user guide, the ideal VPN should be easy to use. Online security and privacy are important issues, but you certainly have other things to do besides protecting your sensitive data. So don’t waste your precious time on unnecessary technical training and look for a VPN with a user-friendly interface. Fortunately, there is a lot to choose from.
7. Cross-platform compatibility
The average internet user has at least three connected devices. The VPN of your choice should support all of them. Let’s face it, there is no point in buying a VPN service if you’re not going to use it on every device. When selecting a VPN, make sure that it is compatible with the most popular platforms, such as Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Linux, etc.