I'm a VPN expert — these are the top three VPN services I recommend

VPNs are absolutely booming right now. From the UK's Online Safety Act introducing age verification to censorship being at an all-time high, everyone wants one.

The thing is, there's a huge amount of substandard VPNs out there. I've tested plenty of them. What's even more worrying is that some of the worst offenders often sit above legitimate options in the App Store.

Along with eating at McDonald's in every country I visit, it's pretty much my life's goal to give as many people good online privacy advice as I can. It's what I do all day, every day.

So, with demand for the best VPNs surging, I thought it would be the perfect time to distil all my know-how into a quick ready reckoner covering which VPNs are worth spending your hard-earned money on. Plus, there are a couple of very tempting VPN deals you might not want to miss out on.

1. NordVPN: the best VPN overall

You've heard of it. NordVPN is the most well-known VPN around, and according to my in-depth testing, I consider it the best as well. It's not too technical to use, but it also includes some useful advanced features like Double VPN and Meshnet.

If you're new to VPNs, it's a great starting point, although Surfshark and ExpressVPN are simpler alternatives. It's also one of the best VPNs for streaming, has had its privacy policies independently audited and is very reliable, whether you're on Wi-Fi or out and about using your data.

NordVPN: exclusive deal + free Amazon gift cards
Until August 12, NordVPN is offering Tom's Guide readers an extra four months on all two-year plans. That drops the equivalent monthly rate to a reasonable $2.91 / £2.31 per month, which is paid up front.

That means you'll pay $81.36 plus tax for 28 months of coverage. What's more, if you go for one of the more expensive tiers, you'll get up to $50 / £50 in Amazon gift cards for free. If you don't like it, there's a 30-day money back guarantee.

View Deal

2. Surfshark: the best cheap VPN

Surfshark doesn't like to be described as such, but it's essentially NordVPN Lite. It's owned by the same parent company, it's more targeted towards beginners, it isn't quite as configurable and costs considerably less. Thanks to this, I rate it as the best cheap VPN.

However, it's certainly not underpowered, and actually includes some unique features not available from any other VPN. A standout feature is Alternative ID, which allows you to make fake "personas," including disposable spoof email addresses that allow you to sign up to newsletters for discounts and then delete the inbox.

Surfshark: try it out with a seven-day free trial
Surfshark is one of the few premium VPNs to offer a true free trial on all platforms. You do have to input your payment information, but you'll get unlimited access to everything Surfshark offers for a week. If you cancel before your seven days are up, you won't have to pay a thing.

If you stay on, prices start at $1.99 / £1.49 per month. You'll get three months free, which works out at $53.73 plus tax for 27 months of cover. Just like NordVPN, there's a 30-day refund period if you don't like it.

View Deal

3. ExpressVPN: the best all-round privacy suite

ExpressVPN is the most premium-feeling of the big-name VPNs, and it has a price tag to match. However, in exchange for this, you get a huge amount of added features that NordVPN and Surfshark either don't offer, or charge extra for — plus super simple apps that are a pleasure to use.

These include cyber insurance to protect you from scams, a password manager, malware and phishing protection, personal data removal and more. It's a huge package that's excellent value if you'll actually use everything it comes with. But, if you just need a VPN and nothing else, one of the two above will be a better choice.

ExpressVPN: the most complete privacy package
ExpressVPN's package of tools – including a top-quality VPN – covers just about all of your online privacy needs. The cyber insurance is particularly appealing, and provides up to $1M in ID theft compensation and legal support.

Prices start at $4.99 / ~£3.99 per month (UK prices can vary). The two-year plan includes four months free, which works out at $139.72 overall. Again, there's a 30-day refund period so you can make sure you enjoy using it.

View Deal

What's the point of using a VPN?

VPNs are primarily designed to help you improve your online privacy. This is done by encrypting your data so your internet provider can't see what you're doing. They also send your traffic through an intermediary server that makes sure your internet provider can't see what website you're visiting, and hides your real IP address from that website.

You can also choose to connect to servers located all around the world. This allows you to see different regional pricing, access streaming content that's exclusive to another country and avoid censorship and internet restrictions in your own country.

Of course, VPNs aren't a silver bullet. Accessing illegal content with a VPN is still illegal. What's more, although a VPN can hide your real IP address from websites and mask what you're doing from your internet provider, there are still many ways you can compromise your privacy.

For example, if you want to avoid targeted ads, VPNs can help, but you still need to make conscious decisions about staying private. For instance, if you're using a VPN and log into your Facebook account, and then start searching for running shoes, websites with tracking cookies can link this activity to your social media accounts.

However, while they're not flawless, VPNs are the perfect starting place for improving your online privacy.