As you may appreciate, being a tech journalist I'm often asked by friends and family about the best hardware and software choices. And, of late, many of those requests have been about what to look for when selecting a VPN.
As online activity becomes more potentially exposing and the role of a VPN more important than ever, it's little wonder these are becoming an increasingly popular mainstay of our cybersecurity defenses.
With such demand, there are of course many options to pick from an ever expanding list. So, I thought, rather than always fielding these questions, writing a helpful article may be a helpful move for everyone involved — me included.
1. Security transparency, logging and audits
While VPNs have lots of features, they're not worth very much if one key component is missing — your anonymity. For this reason I always focus initially on what the VPN provider does in terms of privacy.
First and foremost, that means a no-logs policy which is clear, transparent and ideally audited by a third-party. That combination should mean you can relax knowing that there is no way your provider, or network operator, can identify you — even if they were compelled to do so.
While some providers claim they don't keep browsing activity, they still record connection timestamps, bandwidth use, or IP addresses. These are all red flags.
If there is any vagueness, legalese or marketing speak in the no-logs policy, I tend to move on to the next one. I search for clarity and a list of what is and is not recorded, laid out succinctly and honestly. A strict, verifiable no-logs policy is the foundation everything else is built on.
2. Ease-of-use and protection
The next most important feature has to be ease-of-use. Most of the people asking my advice aren't particularly technical, nor do they want the more complex features, instead favouring simplicity.
For that reason I'll always look for a VPN that offers a wide variety of apps so it can be easily installed and used on multiple devices. They also need to be easy to use with clear controls and a clean UI across devices.
Automation is always really valuable, as this can be the difference between being protected or not. That's why features like automatic detection of unsecured networks — and subsequent connection to the VPN — can be super helpful to most real-world users.
Privacy tools only work when in use, so getting one that will take care of that in the background, even when you're moving and changing networks, is a really valuable feature.
3. Protocol choices
Next up on my list of most important aspects to look for is protocols — both in terms of the types and variety on offer. This is important as these are what determine how fast and secure your online connection can actually be.
These days I usually insist on a VPN having WireGuard as it's one of the most modern options and, as such, offers a good balance of fast speeds while still delivering solid security.
While that speed can be ideal for downloading, streaming or gaming there are other needs which might have other demands. For this reason I also look for obfuscation as an option.
Using obfuscation allows you to go in stealth mode, effectively. This is what a VPN is for, only with this option you can ramp that up a notch.
This is ideal if you don't want to be detected for using a VPN. That might be on networks where they are blocked by streaming services, or in countries with heavy censorship.
Having this option, and a range of protocol choices, should mean your VPN is a do-it-all service that can adapt to serve your needs as they arise. Norton VPN offers a good variety of protocols, for example, with four to choose from including its proprietary Mimic protocol.
4. Practical features
Some, but not all VPNs, offer a selection of practical features that I look for. These include split tunnelling, P2P support and unlimited data access.
Split tunnelling is a really useful option as this allows you to keep some apps or access points as private behind the VPN, with others unaffected. This is ideal if you want your bank to see you're at home and not using a VPN, for example, while still keeping everything else in privacy mode.
P2P support is a must for anyone that wants to download content across other devices but without being under threat from an agency or government that may not condone this in the location you're in.
Unlimited downloads are also important, so you can actually use your VPN as much as you want and whenever you want. Any cap on this and you're potentially forced to go online without your VPN, which defeats the object of paying for one in the first place.
5. Streaming content access
Using a favorite streaming service when in another country, appears to be a very big reason to get a VPN — at least as far as the people who ask me about them are concerned.
For this reason, I've added to my list, but specifically focusing on how the VPN does with the major services. Most VPNs will fall down at some point and on certain streaming services, so having the big names covered is important to me.
That means I look for a VPN that can reliably and consistently unblock Netflix. Since that service is always attempting to vanquish VPNs use, I find it a good measure of how a VPN performs now and is likely to in the future.
Being able to pick the right region, from a good selection of servers, is also a part of this consideration when choosing your ideal VPN. And, of course, streaming at speed for good, uninterrupted quality is also a big part of this choice.
We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
