Privacy and security have never been so important as they are in today’s digital world, where stealing your work or misusing your personal information is a real and constant danger for anyone who uses the internet on a regular basis. As a personal user, you have as much right to feel secure from hackers, identity thieves and those who would like to get their hands on your file as big business does. Fortunately, Virtual Private Networks are as easily available and as cost-effective for the personal user as they are for corporations.
What Can you Do with a VPN for Personal Use?
A Virtual Private Network ensures that your internet browsing is anonymous and private. Aside from keeping your data safe through encryption and hiding you from nefarious infiltrators, this has a number of benefits during your time on the web:
- If allows you to use your Virtual Private Network on a public Wi-Fi service without worrying about who is snooping into your data and using data sniffers to steal the parts of it that will help them start shopping on expensive-fripperies-r-us.com with your credit card before you can even blink an eye
- It allows you to use torrents and other download services without anyone knowing you are doing so – helpful even when your intentions are absolutely pure, because it can prevent misunderstandings.
- It allows you to access websites that are banned in the country or region you are currently visiting or living in, giving you access to all the parts of the web you want to be spending time on, no matter where you are
- You can watch online television from another part of the world, bypassing the location regulations that usually render such services as Hulu or the BBC iPlayer unwatchable outside their home countries.
What Should I Look For in a Virtual Private Network for Personal Use?
The best VPNs for personal use will balance the features they offer with server locations in multiple countries and city, along with a reasonable price and good connectivity protocols. If you want to use your VPN to watch television while you’re abroad, for example, you’ll want to be sure that your VPN provider offers servers in the country offering the tv shows. If your main concern is privacy and snooping, it can help to choose a service that operates in another country – particularly if you reside in a country with strict laws and censorship. You’ll want to make sure your VPN service doesn’t log your activity, so that it cannot later be handed over to a third party against your will or without your knowledge, and you will want to be sure that you can use all the peripheral devices you use on an everyday basis with your VPN too. Here are a few of the best to get you started:
| Rank | Provider | Starting Price | Money Back |
Visit Provider |
| 1 | ExpressVPN | $6.67 /Month | 30 Days |  |
| 2 | Hidemyass | $6.55/ Month | 30 Days | |
| 3 | iPVanish | $10.00/Month | 7 Days | |
| 4 | StrongVPN | $21/ 3 Months | 7 Days | |
| 5 | VyprVPN | $14.95/Month | 7 Days | |
