Which Are The Most Secure VPN Services In 2017

Since proxies became a method for websites to track you, many users have switched to VPN services. There is a good reason for that – the private encrypted tunnels they offer are much faster, more secure and offer greater flexibility in terms of accessing geo-restricted websites. And many companies who were using third-party VPN services now implement internal and custom VPN solutions between them to further anonymize inner-company communication and prevent corporate espionage as well.

However, over history VPN services have had their downsides as well, especially the user-based ones. Not only data leaks have been discovered among many security gaps and problems, such as sniffing of data by hacked companies, but also some organizations aggregating traffic data as well.

This has pushed many companies that target end-users to implement policies that prevent even them from accessing the master keys used to decrypt the traffic data in real time. This is the main reason why we, as a security-oriented website have decided to research the top-notch companies in the VPN sector and explain what are their pros and cons and which one we think is the best in terms of security, privacy, speed and availability.

Based in the Birtish Virgin Islands, this VPN service has expanded to a global company, that is actually a very fast and secure one. The encryption protocols it uses are among the best and the service is available on almost all modern and well-known platforms:

• Windows
• MacOS
• iOS
• Android
• Various Router brands
• Linux

With an excellent 24-hour customer support and no log keeping, the company is perfect if you are a security conscious person and are willing to pay the price for that.

Privacy

Regarding privacy, do not worry, because not only ExpressVPN does not keep logs of any of your traffic, but it also uses a strong 256-bit strength encryption protocol, to keep your communication and traffic flow from sniffers and prying eyes.

Security

Besides the strong encryption, the company also has the latest standards in terms of security and also supports OpenVPN encryption, allowing top-notch security level to be achieved.

Servers

The servers of the company are spread on more than 130 locations over the globe and their exact number is disclosed. The company supports stable and fast connection in more than 94 countries and it also allows for multiple devices (up to 3) to use it’s service.

Speed

If we had to compare the speed with the competition, the reports by experts indicate only one result – that not only the coverage of ExpressVPN is wide, but the connection is very stable and extremely fast as well with minimum speed drops. Many experts who tested the service report that it is the fastest one among the companies in this list. If only it could be the cheapest.

Located in Hong Kong, this service has an extremely large network, spanning 180 server locations spread out in more than 141 countries. The servers are not few either – over 760 in total, giving the company the ability to provide a multi-user experience, even though they are spread in so many countries – you can use 5 computers with one PureVPN License.

Privacy

When we talk about privacy, PureVPN is a decent choice as well. It not only offers high-end encryption and also has a no-logging policy. And in case something goes wrong, like several concerns because of DNS leaks, connected with PureVPN, you also have a money-back guarantee as well.

Security

When it comes to security, the company definitely lives up to it’s good reputation, using AES-256 bit encryption and the latest security protocols – IKEv2, OpenVPN, PPTP, SSTP, L2TP/IPSec and others. But the best technologies that it offers inclusive are Split Tunneling and Virtual Router. The primary reason for that is that while Virtual Router offers high-end router protection, the Split Tunneling service allows for encrypting only the important data, thus keeping you protected while minimizing the slow-downs of your connection as a result of encryption.

Servers
PureVPN is definitely far away from being short on servers. The company has over 750 servers located in 180 locations in more than 140 countries around the globe.

Speed
The performance of the servers of PureVPN shows that their management is very decent. They do not lag and are with a very good uptime, so speed is not an issue if you prefer this product.

“Private Internet Access” or PIA for short is another VPN that you can consider if you need a high quality service for a cheaper price compared to the competition of this ranking. Located in the United States, PIA uses a state of the art, tier-1 multi-gigabit private network and allows you to run five different devices simultaneously with it.

Privacy

In terms of privacy, Private Internet Access is a good choice, due to the fact that it does exactly what is stated on its website. It uses a SOCKS5 proxy, plus multiple protocols to hide your IP address and keeps no logging information anywhere, so you can’t be identified by anyone.

Security

Private Internet Access has built-in system for malware and advertisement blocking along with the security protocols PPTP, L2TP/IPSec and OpenVPN. When you add the proxy it uses, this makes for a very secure VPN service that puts its users inside a private, encrypted network (which includes Wi-Fi) with unique ports. All of the above listed features ensure an anonymous and safe browsing experience for users.

Servers

The servers of Private Internet Access are more in number than most VPNs, especially in that price range. To be more specific, PIA has more than 3,250 servers at their disposal, scattered across 25 countries, while these numbers are slowly, but steadily growing. That big range of availability in terms of servers offers ease of access for users, which makes some websites and services to block you from using them, such as Netflix for instance.

Speed
Unfortunately, the speed of the Private Internet Access can sometimes be slower than advertised. Even if you get a higher range of servers and availability, when downloading files the speed might be a bit slower than other VPN services of that range. Still, the service remains fairly fast and easy to set up.

The last virtual private network on the list is called “IvacyVPN” or Ivacy for short. The service is based in Singapore, and has servers across six continents, covering over 50 countries. Using a revolutionary Stealth protocol and a 256-bit encryption, Ivacy keeps both privacy and protection for their user base at a top standard for an affordable price.

Privacy
IvacyVPN values privacy to the extent that they stop your Internet Service Provider and everyone else from tracking you. That is done mostly by not keeping any logs about your activity on the World Wide Web. All users remain anonymous while using Ivacy, which has the revolutionary Stealth protocol enabled.

Security
Ivacy supports all encryption levels ranging from ‘None’ to the highest SSL or AES 256 bit encryption. In addition, that is also a modifiable setting, so users can switch to any desired encryption level and also avoid Identity Theft in that way. Every public Wi-Fi network will be forced to go through the IvacyVPN service, thus securing it. The protocols PPTP, SSTP, L2TP, OpenVPN and IKEv2 are all supported. Ivacy also enforces all IPv6 traffic to via its network and avoid any IPv6 leaks. Overall, that is a very secure VPN.

Servers
Ivacy offers servers covering six continents and over 50 countries in 100 locations, including:

• Over 80 servers in Europe.
• Over 70 servers in North America including servers in Canada and US.
• Over 50 servers in Asia.
• Over 12 servers in Australia and New Zealand.
• Over 6 servers in South America.
• Over 6 servers in Africa.

In that way, IvacyVPN offers diversity and ease of access for its users.

Speed
IvacyVPN offers good, constant speeds and it is greatly optimized in terms of traffic and P2P torrenting. In contrast, the mobile support provided by Ivacy is not as efficient, but it is cluttered which results in lower speeds for mobile users. However, if you are not a mobile user, Ivacy is a great choice for speedy surfing and downloads.