We put these VPNs to the test to find out which is the best!
Any VPN service should have two crucial things: It should be fast and safe. Although HideMyAss faces criticisms for having a slow connection, we discovered that such findings were not totally accurate. It has over 860 servers around the world, and all of them are relatively quick. It also offers a 10GB bandwidth which is enough for streaming or downloading content.
NordVPN, on the other hand, was noticeably faster thanks to its unlimited bandwidth and 4,600 servers around the globe.. So, with it, you can enjoy an uninterrupted internet connection whenever you want to catch your favorite TV shows or download torrents.
| VPN vendor |
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Download speed reduction | 35% (UK) | 10% (UK) |
| Upload speed reduction | 36% (FRA) | 14% (FRA) |
| Ping time to google.com | 320.13ms | 2ms |
| Average time to connect (sec.) | 23ms | 9ms |
| Unblock successful for |
|
|
| Visit Site | Visit Site |
Speed determines how fast content uploads, so if you're torrenting or streaming, you want the speed to be somewhat identical to your regular internet speed. Since a VPN encrypts your data, it usually takes a bit longer to send your data back and forth, which can slow down your connection. However, if your ISP deliberately slows down your connection (also known as throttling) a VPN might increase your internet speed. Testing a VPN is somewhat pointless because new servers pop up and affect speed. Your speed can also differ according to your location, so your speed test might not match ours. Having said that, we tested the speed in numerous locations to provide you with the average.
A VPN which has a lot of server locations gives its users a better ability to bypass geographically restricted content and provide a more stable network connection. Do you love downloading torrents? If you do, then you’ll be pleased to know that both of these VPN services come with torrenting servers. Most importantly, their extensive selections of servers ensure that you’ll always get one that’s very close to you.
| VPN vendor |
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Server Locations | 280 | 60 |
| Server Countries | 190 | 60 |
| IP Addresses | 3479 | 5,201+ |
| Dynamic Server Switching | ||
| Visit Site | Visit Site |
The ratio of servers to countries is an important factor to look at when choosing a VPN. Only paying attention to location or number of servers can get you in trouble. More servers generally means faster speeds, but if VPN X has a few more servers than VPN Y but twice as many users, VPN X will typically have slower speeds. Ideally, you want a VPN that has a lot of servers in every location. This way you won’t have to worry that server/country that you want will be overburdened and running slow.
It’s important to get a helpful team that can answer any question you may have. HideMyAss has a desk staff available for you in two separate mediums. You can choose to talk to them via email or through their 24/7 live chat feature. Sadly though, a good number of customers keep complaining that the site is entirely unresponsive. On the other hand, Nord has three communication platforms, and its staff respond to all questions promptly.
| VPN vendor |
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Email Response Time | 0.1 | 3 |
| 24/7 Support | ||
| Live Chat | ||
| Knowledge Base | ||
| Video Tutorials | ||
| Visit Site | Visit Site |
We personally test the customer support team of every VPN we review. This means asking technical question through the live chat feature (where applicable) and measuring the response time for email questions. Whether you need to connect to a specific server, change your security protocol, or configure a VPN on your router, finding a VPN with quality customer support should be important to you.
The NordVPN app for Windows is maybe the best service in today’s industry. Connecting to a server only takes one click. This VPN even has a feature which shows you the statistics to use for each server, for examples things like capacity and speed. Such allows you to make an informed decision before picking any server.
NordVPN has robust security features ranging from L2TP, PPTP, and OpenVPN. All these protocols have a stable SSL-based 2048-bit encryption for increased internet anonymity. It also comes with an automatic kill switch which safeguards your internet activity in case your connection breaks. Finally, it has apps available for Windows, Mac, Android, Apple, and Chrome, and you can use the VPN on six devices all at the same time!
You can download the app from the company’s website quite easily. First, log onto their page and click on their ‘help’ and ‘software’ button. First, select an appropriate client for your specific operating system. We have discovered that the installation procedure is quite simple as long as you carefully follow their detailed instructions.
This VPN also has the necessary security features. They include OpenVPN, PPTP, and L2TP/IPSec. All these protocols are relatively easy to change. It also has an automatic Killswitch to protect you from DNS leaks. Lastly, you can use HideMyAss on almost all operating systems, for instance, on Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS. You can even log in using five different devices simultaneously.
