The Five Best VPNs For 2019

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We last updated our list of best VPN providers in early 2018, but a lot has changed since then. Some popular choices have fallen out of favour of late, so we’ve had a look at what VPN users in Australia are recommending now and which services they have moved from.

It’s 2019 and having a reliable VPN is an essential tool for anyone connecting to networks they don’t trust. They’re also very handy if you want to browse the web without giving away your location. Some even let you access American Netflix and other geo-blocked sites with the click of a button.

There are literally thousands of different options to choose from, so using a search engine to pick the “best” can be pretty challenging. Based on our own use and after talking with experts and asking our friends and peers, here are the five VPN services we suggest will meet the needs of most people.

PureVPN


    At a glance:

  • Monthly Subscription: from $2.95 for a 12 month subscription
  • Over 2000 servers in 140+countries
  • Connection logs: No

PureVPN boasts multi-platform access including browser plug-ins as well as computer, smartphone and tablet apps. It is constantly ranked as one of the speediest VPNs available and is pitched at folks trying to access Netflix from outside their home country. That feature requires an extra purchase of a dedicated IP address.

PureVPN offers a 31 day money back guarantee so you can try it out to see if it delivers the performance and access you need.

Get it here.


NordVPN


    At a glance:

  • Monthly Subscription: from $US2.99 per month
  • Over 5000 servers in 60 countries
  • Connection logs: No

When I was looking for a VPN a couple of years ago, I settled on NordVPN. It’s a good value option that offers good privacy and a broad range of connection points. It offers a wide range of compatibility for a whole bunch of different devices and operating systems.

My experience has been that it works reliably almost everywhere – China was a problem unsurprisingly – although performance can take a hit. It works on macOS, Windows 10, iOS and Android.

Get it here.


Ivacy


    At a glance:

  • Monthly Subscription: $9.95
  • Yearly Subscription: $40 ($3.33/month)
  • 250 VPN locations in 40 countries
  • Can you access US Netflix?: Yes (with troubleshooting)

While Ivacy isn’t quite as reputable as the other VPNs listed here, it’s dirt cheap for quite a speedy service – one speedtest on the Whirlpool forums had the VPN performing at the same speeds as their connection did without the VPN. At $1.33 a month (when you purchase a multi-year plan) it’s not a hard sell for anyone who might be strapped for cash. Just be careful about their 7-day money-back guarantee, which is only valid if less than 500mb in data transfers have been made.

While Ivacy do offer live chat support, the service isn’t available 24 hours a day – though you can leave a message for support staff to get back to you as soon as they’re able. Ivacy doesn’t keep logs and does have a kill switch, as well as allowing the connection of a decent 5 devices simultaneously.

Ivacy does seem able to unblock US Netflix, and though it can be a bit of a process that’s not unusual for anyone who’s been playing VPN hopscotch with Netflix. Their support staff are reportedly happy to help you connect.

It does have a slightly dodgy history of essentially bribing bloggers and reviewers with free subscriptions, however, so some of the more glowingly positive reviews and comments should be taken with a very large grain of salt.

Get it here.


ProtonVPN


    At a glance:

  • Monthly Subscription: Free for one device and three countries, then from 4/month
  • Swiss-based
  • Connection logs: No

Made by the same people that created the highly secure ProtonMail service, ProtonVPN routes all traffic through secure servers in Switzerland – a country highly regarded (or notorious depending on your perspective) for its focus on maintaining privacy.

Performance isn’t ProtonVPN’s strongest suit but it’s focus is strongly on privacy. It lacks the features and broad server coverage of others but that’s the price that’s paid for ensuring privacy.

Get it here.


ExpressVPN


    At a glance:

  • Yearly Subscription: ~US$130 ($8.32/month)
  • Servers in 94 countries, 160 locations
  • Connection logs: No


ExpressVPN enjoys a solid reputation and is recommended by many friends and experts. Performance is good and your IP address, location and other personal information is obfuscated to maintain your online privacy.

You can connect up to three devices at a time from one account which is handy if you’re using a smartphone, tablet and computer at the same time. It’s multi-platform with support for some smart TVs as well as all the usual computing and mobile devices OSes.

Get it here.


Honorable mentions:

Are there any VPNs that we missed out on that you’re using everyday? Have you had a good (or terrible) experience with any of the above? Let us know in the comments.

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