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A Virtual Private Network (VPN) should be fast, secure, and anonymous.

Unfortunately, many Mac VPNs fail to meet these simple, yet crucial factors. Even worse, many VPNs we’ve reviewed don’t even have a standalone app for Mac devices.

That means you’d need to install a third-party software (like the separate OpenVPN client) and manually set it up. So instead of downloading a simple Mac app and getting connected instantly, you’ll have to fumble around with this complicated workaround to manually connect to the VPN.

A dedicated Mac app is just the beginning, though. You don’t want to sacrifice security for convenience, even though many VPNs do just that by leaking your IP or DNS information. The latest protocol and encryption options, like OpenVPN and 256-bit AES, should be required in this case. And only strict “no-logging” policies are acceptable, otherwise the VPN could track your activity and sell it off to the highest advertiser.

Finally, you won’t really be able to stream anything on Netflix or use torrenting unless your server speeds remain fast. So your VPN connection can’t tank download or upload speeds too much, either.

Luckily, we’ve done all the research and we can recommend the top 7 VPN services for Mac (out of 78 VPN reviews) below:

1. NordVPN – Best VPN for Mac ($3.99/mo)

NordVPN is the best pick for regular MacBook users based on our tests.

The Mac app features a drag-and-drop map to select a new server location.

All 5,200 servers in 62 countries are also featured on the left-sided menu. And it comes with a built-in kill switch that will automatically cut your connection if your WiFi drops (so your true location isn’t accidentally exposed).

NordVPN is available across Mac, iOS, Windows, Android, and Linux. Plus, about 40 other operating systems and routers. You can use up to six simultaneous connections at any time.

The industry standard, OpenVPN, is the default protocol on the Mac app. But they also allow you to switch over to IKEv2/IPSec if needed.

NordVPN is also the only VPN provider on this list that features both a double VPN and obfuscated servers. The Double Data Encryption wraps your connection in two VPN layers for additional security. While the obfuscated servers can help you bypass network firewalls, so it’s perfect for people with restricted access in your home country.

Their connection speeds are solid, too. We started off with a speed of around 98 Mbps (without a VPN), and after connecting to NordVPN, we averaged 74 Mbps. That’s still plenty of speed to get lag-free streaming on Netflix (no restrictions) or torrenting (on their specially-designed P2P servers).

But the best part about NordVPN?

They’re currently running a special where you can get NordVPN for just $3.99 per month with a three-year commitment. That’s a massive cost savings from the $13.99/month normal price, so locking-in that low deal makes sense if you’re serious about privacy and security.

Visit NordVPN.com to get the Mac app
Read more in our full NordVPN Review

2. ExpressVPN – Fastest Speed Performance on Mac ($8.32/mo)

The ExpressVPN Mac app features one-click connection that automatically joins the closest Smart Location.

These VPN servers are optimized to deliver the best performance out of the box. Just open the app, hit the “Connect” button, and you’re logged on in seconds.

If you’re trying to bypass local restrictions, you can manually select any international server directly from the main screen (without having to dig through countless menu options).

ExpressVPN’s Mac app isn’t just pretty to look at, though. It’s also blazing fast. We started with a 100 Mbps connection before logging in, and the secure connection only dropped the download speed to 83.15 Mbps. Barely noticeable!

ExpressVPN doesn’t skimp on security to deliver these speeds, either. They have a kill switch and anonymous IP address available for all of their 3,000+ servers in 93 countries. Netflix, torrenting, and P2P servers all worked like a dream as well.

We’re happy to report that their Mac app is 100% leak-free. And it defaults to OpenVPN, the best protocol in the world with rock-solid AES 256-bit encryption, while still offering access to SSTP, L2Tp/IPsec, and PPTP protocols.

As good as all of that sounds (and it is good), there are two drawbacks with the service.

The first is that you can only connect three devices simultaneously (vs. the five to ten from other services).

The second issue is the price. It’s more expensive at $8.32/month (for annual plans with our deal). All plans do come with a 30-day money-back guarantee. But this isn’t a wallet-friendly service for people on a strict budget.

Visit ExpressVPN.com to get the Mac app
Read more in our full ExpressVPN Review

3. Surfshark – Cheapest Quality VPN for MacBook ($2.49/mo)

The Surfshark Mac app has a “Quick Connect” button that will instantly get you on one of their servers within seconds.

From there, you can switch to any of the other 800+ servers in 50 countries or change protocols from OpenVPN to IKEv2/IPsec within about two clicks each.

Beyond Mac devices, Surfshark has prebuilt apps for iOS, Windows, Android, Linux, Chrome, Firefox, and routers (through OpenVPN).

Most of these apps have a kill switch, except for the Android version (currently in development).

Surfshark has a legitimate no-logging policy. We even ran their connection through five different leak tests and found that all of them came back negative.

I was able to easily stream Netflix on six different servers (from LA to South Korea). Torrenting and TOR are also 100% allowed.

The only slight hiccup was some speed inconsistencies. For example, our initial download speed was 98.71 Mbps. A Netherlands server was 25% slower (71.06 Mbps), while a U.S. server was 50% slower (48.99 Mbps) and the Hong Kong one was nearly 75% slower (25.74 Mbps).

The sliver lining is that the pricing is the lowest we’ve seen from over 70+ different VPN companies. The two-year plan is only $2.49 a month!

You can sign up for the free 30-day trial to try them out. Then, if everything looks good, use everything from major credit cards to PayPal, cryptocurrencies, Dragonpay, Tenpay, and Alipay to pay.

Surfshark even throws in a 30-day money-back guarantee if anything happens during the first few weeks.

Visit Surfshark.com to get the Mac app
Read more in our full Surfshark VPN Review

4. ProtonVPN ($4.00/mo)

ProtonVPN’s Mac app features a giant map with tiny pins that highlight all 345 servers in 32 countries.

Thats not the largest number of servers, but it does make it easy to flip through them all on the map or menu on the left-hand side.

If you’re looking for an automatic connection, the “Quick Connect” button will log you on to a smart server ASAP.

ProtonVPN has a ready-made apps for Mac, iOS, Windows, Android, and Linux, in addition to DD-WRT, AsusWRT, and Tomato routers.

Even though the total server count might be on the low side, they allow you to connect up to ten devices at once.

The ProtonVPN Mac app defaults to OpenVPN (UDP/TCP) with best-in-class AES-256 encryption. Except, this is also the only protocol that they offer. So that might not work if you’re using older (or limited) devices like Chromebooks.

Fortunately, we didn’t find any leaks on this connection and Proton has a strict no-logging policy in place.

However, their speed tests left a lot to be desired. We started with the same benchmark connection speed as the others. Then, we connected to their servers in the US, Switzerland, Hong Kong, and the UK. Almost all of them were slow, killing our Internet speed anywhere from ~40% to ~80%.

We were able to stream Netflix on one of ProtonVPN’s Netherland servers, but the other four failed. They also don’t allow restriction-free torrenting, limiting you to certain P2P servers and reiterating that you should only be using them for personal (not commercial) use.

ProtonVPN’s main paid option (“Basic”) starts at $4/month for the year (with upgrade plans that get even more expensive).

All plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee, with a catch that your refund balance will be prorated based on use.

Visit ProtonVPN.com to get the Mac app
Read more in our full ProtonVPN Review

5. IPVanish ($6.99/mo)

IPVanish offers a fully-featured Mac app.

You can customize nearly anything on it. However, that also means there are more settings and options to filter through initially.

IPVanish provides access to over 60 countries and 1,200 different servers. And you can connect up to ten devices to these servers. The Mac and Windows apps do now come with kill switches, too.

You’ll be happy to know that IPVanish gives you access to OpenVPN, PPTP, and L2TP protocols. (Stick with OpenVPN and its bank-grade AES-256 encryption if you’re unsure.) They also have a SOCKS proxy server that gives you privacy without needing to download any app at all.

Our leak tests all came out clean. However, IPVanish’s history with logging gave us a slight pause. On paper, it’s a legit “no logs” policy. But in 2016 there was some news about their user data ending up in the hands of Homeland Security.

Only one of the four servers we tested with Netflix worked (Chicago).  Though, they do highly encourage both torrenting and TOR.

IPVanish also delivered inconsistent speed tests. The EU (Amsterdam) server only dropped a little from ~100 Mbps to 82.67, but the US (New York) one fell all the way to 34.71 Mbps.

The best deal I was able to find was the $77.99 annual plan ($6.49 per month), which is still pretty high when you compare it to the top three cheaper (and better) options on this list.

If you’re interested, you can give them a go using credit, PayPal, or Bitcoin, and enjoy a 7-day money-back guarantee.

Visit IPVanish.com to get the Mac app
Read more in our full IPVanish Review

6. TunnelBear ($4.99/mo)

TunnelBear might have the most enjoyable Mac app out of all 70+ VPNs we’ve reviewed.

The visual interface shows you a little bear next to your location. When you click on a server location that’s close by, the bear literally tunnels to the new destination.

They’ve managed to make something as dry and boring as picking a server location entertaining. You could probably spend an entire afternoon clicking through each of their 350 servers in 22 countries and not completely hate it.

Besides the Mac app, this same fun plays out on iOS, Windows, Android, Chrome, and Opera. These come with kill switches, an anonymous IP, “Ghostbear” that will hide mask your VPN connection, and up to five device connections.

The Mac, Windows, and Android apps default to OpenVPN, while iOS apps get IPSec/IKEv2.

TunnelBear did not leak any data in our five tests, and they do not log any of your personal information, either.

But even though TunnelBear’s support claimed that their servers worked with Netflix, we weren’t able to successfully stream anything. Thankfully, torrenting and TOR are allowed.

The other downside was the speed decrease. Our 100 Mbps connection was quickly slashed in half to 52.26 Mbps on their EU servers, and it continued to get worse — a London server only managed a 7.54 Mbps (!) download speed.

TunnelBear’s lowest pricing is $59.99 for the year (~$4.99/month). However, instead of a money-back guarantee (there is none), they provide access to a limited free version for you to try out.

Visit TunnelBear.com to get the Mac app
Read more in our full TunnelBear Review

7. Windscribe ($4.08/mo)

Windscribe’s Mac client has zero frills.

Click on the icon at the top, and it drops down a few different server options.

That’s about it. No as much fun as TunnelBear, but it does exactly what it’s supposed to: connect you within seconds.

You can access over 480 servers in 50 countries on pretty much any device in your home, including iOS, Window, Mac, Linux, Chrome, Opera, Firefox, select routers, Amazon, Nvidia Shield, and even Kodi!

We did spot an issue with that server number claim, though. Their website listed New Zealand as a location. However, when we tried looking for it inside the app, it didn’t exist! So you might not actually get up to the 480 they’re claiming.

On the other hand, Windscribe did not have any leaks or logging in our tests.

Major protocols, including OpenVPN, IKEv2, and SOCKS5, are all offered. But you might want to switch the default IKEv2 back over to OpenVPN in most cases to get the strongest encryption.

Windscribe’s speeds let us down, getting anywhere from 56% slower in some cases (EU server) to 82% in others (UK).

You’ll have to use their special “Windflix” servers to stream Netflix (‘normal’ ones didn’t work). And you will also need to use special servers to torrent, too.

Windscribe’s cheapest plan comes down to $4.08/month for a year. They also have a “Build a Plan” plan that only costs a dollar per location. You can pay with credit, PayPal, or Bitcoin.

But if you think you might want to get a refund, you’ll need to do it within three days of purchasing the product and you can’t go over 10GB of bandwidth during that time.

Visit Windscribe.com to get the Mac app
Read more in our full Windscribe Review

Which VPN Mac App Should You Choose?

Unfortunately, not all Mac VPN apps are secure or fast.

Some “Mac” ones don’t even actually work on Macs without jumping through a ton of confusing, time-consuming hoops.

That’s why we picked out the top 7 VPNs for Mac devices based on our actual experience testing each one.

NordVPN comes out at the top of the list with a winning combination of strong security, tons of features, the most available servers, and affordable pricing.

ExpressVPN and Surfshark are a close second and third respectively. The first one will get you better speeds, but the second one is significantly cheaper.

ProtonVPN, IPVanish, and TunnelBear all have a few positives… with a few glaring negatives as well. They’re OK overall, but not anywhere near the top three.

And Windscribe had issue after issue, so we can’t recommend it at all.

Virtual private networks (VPNs) have a vast array of benefits, but they can also suffer from some very annoying problems. A non-functional VPN is infuriating, and a semi-functional one isn’t much better.

When your VPN is slow, won’t connect, keeps disconnecting, or crashes, there are some things you can do to fix the problem. Let’s take a look.

Jump links / Table of contents:

• fixes for a slow VPN connection
• fixes for a VPN that won’t connect
• fixes for a VPN that keeps disconnecting
• fixes for a VPN that keeps crashing

 

Fixing a VPN That Slows Your Internet Speed

VPNs will always make your connection slower, but they shouldn’t cause a huge drop in speed. If your connection is so slow that it’s making it difficult to browse, it’s time to take action.

1. Use a Fast, Premium VPN

If you’re on a free VPN, you’re almost certain to get pretty slow speeds on your connection. Understandably, VPN providers prioritize their paying customers. Even if they say their free VPN is as fast as their paid option, you might find that you disagree.

There are plenty of affordable VPNs with respectively high speeds, and if you haven’t upgraded to one, we highly recommend it. You may see your speeds increase immediately.

One of the most reliable VPN providers, we’ve found (out of 78 we tested) is NordVPN. You can read our full review of them here.

2. Change Servers

The server you use for your VPN connection can make a big difference to the connection speeds you get. The closer you are to the server you’re connecting to, the better speeds you’ll get (in almost every case). You may also get improved speeds from servers that aren’t being used as much.

Most VPN clients make it easy to change servers. Just open the client, select a new server, and confirm your selection. You can then run a speed test or continue browsing to see if the new server is running faster.

If you run a VPN through your router, the process may be more complicated, and it may differ depending on your specific VPN provider. If you remember the process you went through to set up your router VPN, you can likely access your router settings to change the server you access. If you don’t remember the process, or anything has changed, consult the user manuals for your router firmware and your VPN.

3. Change Ports

The connection between your computer and the VPN server uses a networking port on your computer. You can think of this port like you would a physical port; your computer routes traffic from the VPN server to a specific port, and traffic from other places to other ports. It helps keep traffic from various sources separated.

While you might think that every port is as fast as every other, you might be surprised to find out that occasionally changing the port your VPN is connected to will help. Some ISPs slow traffic on specific ports, and sometimes you’ll find that some ports are faster than others for no apparent reason. Try switching your VPN connection through different ports to see if any are faster.

4. Change IP Protocols

Most VPNs allow you to connect via Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) or User Datagram Protocol (UDP). TCP is more commonly used across the internet, as it includes error correction, so if there’s a connection problem or some of the data is corrupted, the transmission is still successful, and the sending computer knows to resend anything that didn’t arrive correctly.

UDP, while not as common, is notably faster than TCP. It doesn’t provide error correction, so if something is lost in transit, it won’t resend the information. This cuts down on the time it takes to transfer information, but may also create a less-reliable connection.

Changing between these two protocols might help you achieve higher speeds, especially if you’re going from TCP to UDP. Keep an eye out for poor connection quality, though.

5. Change VPN Tunneling Protocols

While OpenVPN is generally considered to be the best protocol for VPN traffic, there are sometimes when you may want to use L2TP/IPSec. While it doesn’t provide as much security and doesn’t have as many features, it’s also possible that it will slip by filters that slow down OpenVPN traffic.

If you’re using the VPN for security or privacy, we don’t recommend using L2TP/IPSec if you can help it. If you’re just trying to get past region restrictions, it will work. But it won’t be as secure.

6. Disable Local Security Software

Again, this isn’t something we recommend lightly, and if you can avoid it, you should. But if your antivirus program is scanning all of the outbound packets you send, it could be slowing down your connection. Disable it temporarily to see if it speeds up your connection.

 

Fixing a VPN That Won’t Connect

When all you want to do is get on the internet without being vulnerable to surveillance, censorship, or region blocking, a VPN that won’t connect is a big pain. Here’s what you can do to fix the problem.

1. Make Sure You (and the Server) Are Online

The simplest things are the easiest to overlook. If your VPN client isn’t connecting, try opening a website without connecting through a VPN to see if your internet connection is working. If it’s not, restart your router by unplugging it for 30 seconds and plugging it back in. If your internet is still down, it may be a problem at your ISP’s end.

Check your VPN provider’s website, too, to make sure that the server you’re trying to connect to isn’t down. Every once in a while a VPN server will go offline for maintenance—or just because servers aren’t 100% reliable—and you’ll need to connect to another one or wait a while.

2. Make Sure Your Username and Password Are Correct

In many cases, your inability to connect comes from a very simple problem: you typed your password wrong. Or you entered your email address instead of your username. If you’re getting an authentication error, it’s likely related to one of these two issues.

Retype your username and password, and if that doesn’t work, try resetting your password and attempting to connect again.

3. Change Ports

Again, try connecting to the VPN through a different port. Some ISPs and networks block traffic on specific ports, and that can deny your VPN connection request.

Check your VPN’s documentation to see if it suggests or requires connections on specific ports.

4. Try Connecting on a Different Network

Sometimes the problem isn’t with you, it’s with the VPN. One of the best ways to check this is to join a different network. You can try a nearby public wifi spot, like a coffee shop or a grocery store, a friend’s wireless network, or a public hotspot.

If you find that you can connect on the other network, you’ll know that it’s something about your own that’s causing the problem. Check your wifi and internet settings to see if you can find what’s keeping you from signing in.

 

Fixing a VPN That Keeps Disconnecting

Possibly even more irritating than not being able to connect to your VPN is successfully connecting and then dropping out. Especially if it happens over and over. Here’s what to do.

1. Temporarily Disable Your Firewall

While firewalls are important security measures, they can also cause some problem with VPNs. They’ll likely slow down your connection, and if it gets slow enough, the VPN connection may simply shut down.

Firewalls, in short, scan the data going in and out of your private network where it connects to the wider internet. And if it sees something that shouldn’t be there, it’ll prevent the transmission. Some firewalls have difficulty keeping up with VPN traffic.

2. Connect to a Nearby Server

Sometimes the problem that causes you to disconnect isn’t with you, but with your VPN provider. If a server isn’t behaving normally, you might be disconnected. Try connecting to another server, preferably one close by, to see if you get a better connection.

3. Change Protocols

Sometimes certain VPN protocols will have difficulty keeping a strong connection. If you’re using OpenVPN (which we generally recommend), try connecting over L2TP/IPSec; if you’re already on L2TP, try OpenVPN. You could also try PPTP, though that’s less ideal.

Again, we recommend sticking with OpenVPN whenever you can, because it’s the most secure of these three common connection protocols. If you can only use your VPN on L2TP, that’s not a big issue, but when at all possible, use OpenVPN.

Changing from UDP to TCP (or vice versa), as discussed above, can also help.

4. Connect via Ethernet

While it’s not common, it’s possible that something at the router level of your network could be causing connection difficulties that will kick you off of the VPN. Plugging directly into the cable jack with an ethernet cable may solve the problem.

The issues often lies in a situation called “double NAT,” which can happen when you have one router behind another. This can happen if you have different routers for different devices or another router connected to your ISP-provided one.

In short, you’ll need to enable bridge mode to make two routers work together. How you make this happen will depend on your router, so you’ll need to dig into the documentation. For a quick explanation of wifi bridging, check out this introduction from Lifewire.

5. Change DNS Servers

Occasionally, using a DNS server other than the default supplied by your VPN can help you stay connected. Many VPNs provide their own DNS services for additional privacy, but that can sometimes mess with your connection.

Each VPN will have different steps required for changing DNS servers. Many of them include options that say something like “Only use VPN DNS servers while connected.” You’ll need to turn this option off.

Using other DNS servers might make you slightly more vulnerable to DNS leaks, but if you can’t stay connected long enough to get anything done, that’s probably a tradeoff you’re willing to make.

 

Fixing VPN Software Crashes

Like any other software, your VPN client might crash. If this happens every once in a great while, it’s probably nothing to worry about. But if you’re getting crashes often, and it’s disrupting your browsing experience, you’ll want to take action.

1. Make Sure You Have the Latest Software Version

VPN providers work with developers to make sure that their software is as stable and effective as possible. If you’re not running the most current version, you might have some stability issues.

If at all possible, allow automatic updates to your VPN software. Dig into your VPN client’s settings to see if this is possible. If it’s not, be sure to check for updates regularly.

2. Close Other Apps

If you have a lot of other apps open, they can cause problems with your VPN client, especially if you’re using an older computer. Close anything that you don’t need.

3. Restart Your Computer

Sometimes turning it off and back on again actually does solve the problem. Restart your computer to make sure all updates have been applied and that erroneous processes have been killed off.

4. Reinstall the VPN Client

If worse comes to worst, delete and reinstall your VPN client.

 

Solve Problems with Your VPN Fast

If your VPN isn’t working, it’s in your best interest to solve the problem fast. It’s easy to get out of the habit of starting up your VPN every time you want to get on the internet.

But that exposes you to more surveillance and security issues. If your VPN isn’t working, troubleshoot it immediately—you’ll be glad you did.

If you’re still unable to fix your VPN connection, don’t hesitate to leave a comment and we’ll try to help!

The completely-free, open-sourced Linux operating system is a favorite for power users everywhere.

That’s because beyond the price tag, it’s almost completely customizable, too.

Together with Ubuntu, most of the apps you can use are completely (or mostly) free.

The downside, of course, is the fact that the setup process is more difficult since you don’t have the one-click installation option as you would on Mac or Windows.

It’s not as widely supported by VPN companies, either.

Only a handful of the better ones even support Linux at all. And as you’ll see, you still have to fire up the built-in terminal to run installations, connect, switch servers or protocols, and disconnect.

Here is the list of the best VPNs for Linux based on our hands-on tests:

1) Surfshark – Simplest, Cheapest Linux VPN ($1.99/mo)

Surfshark’s Linux connection runs on OpenVPN, so you can connect through either the UDP or TCP protocols.

UDP will generally get you faster speeds for gaming or streaming, while TCP’s extra security is slower but better for privacy, unblocking geo-restricted content and sensitive activities like online banking.

The Linux installation process was pretty smooth through Ubuntu’s built-in terminal. And unlike a few others on our list where you had to guess or look up the proper server code, Surfshark displays them as a numbered list to help you make a quick decision.

Across all apps, SurfShark boasts 800+ servers across 50 countries. You can use it on everything from iOS, to Android, Windows, Mac, Firefox, Chrome, and even routers.

A kill switch comes standard on these apps (outside of Android — currently in development). But don’t worry, because their connection came out clean across all five DNS leak tests we ran. Plus, they don’t log any of your activities.

The only slight blemish was a 32.52% slowdown on our Linux connection (from 61.59 Mbps to 41.56).

The good news, though, is the rock-bottom price of only $1.99/month for the two-year plan. You won’t find anything else this low. You can give it a try for a full 30-days and get your money back for any reason. And they accept everything from PayPal to credit, debit, Tenpay, Alipay, Dragonpay, and cryptocurrencies.

Visit Surfshark.com to get the Linux app
Read more in our full Surfshark VPN Review

2) NordVPN – Best Overall, Smooth on Linux ($2.99/mo)

NordVPN features the best all-around performance across all the VPNs we’ve reviewed, despite showing up second on the Linux plan.

Installation on Linux was painless. Download the .deb install file, punch in a few commands, select either UDP or TCP on the OpenVPN connection, and you’re ready to go.

Server switching was a little bit of a hassle at first. You have to hunt down the server codes each time (they don’t display them by default unless you call them up). But after using it a little you can memorize them or use the quick connect feature.

Beyond Linux, NordVPN has ready-made apps for all major platforms. That includes the most popular, like Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android. But it also includes a few dozen other routers and operations systems, too.

NordVPN also features the largest network of servers out of any VPN providers we’ve reviewed, totaling 5,200+ in 62 countries and with their top of the line AES-256 encryption, you know they’ll keep you protected.

This Linux connection features a kill switch so your online activity and location will stay out of harms reach if your connection suddenly drops.

The biggest drawback, once again, was the speed loss. My connection slowed from 61.59 Mbps to 21.14, a huge 65.68% drop! I had to check it twice because I haven’t seen performance this bad out of Nord across all of their other apps.

The silver lining is that Nord comes fully-loaded with a few special features like obfuscated servers (to get around firewalls) and double encryption (that wraps your VPN connection in two private layers). So a few setting tweaks can probably help bring performance back up.

NordVPN is also running a $2.99 monthly special on their three-year plans. This brings the cost down over 50% from the shorter, regular, $6.99/month cost.

Visit NordVPN.com to get the Linux app
Read more in our full NordVPN Review

3) ExpressVPN –  Fast Connection, but Expensive ($6.67/mo)

ExpressVPN took only about two minutes to install and run on Linux. The setup process was a breeze, just download the .deb file, run your installation commands, and it’ll quick connect after entering your activation code.

By default, they’re running OpenVPN again on either TCP or UDP protocol. But they also have a PPTP protocol option for Linux, too.

ExpressVPN supports & enables for it to work with 15 different distros, most popular ones being Ubuntu, Debian and Fedora.

On their other apps we’ve tested, like Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android, they’re almost always in the top three for speed. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the same here.

The 59.17% slowdown (from 61.59 Mbps to 25.15) was a disappointment from usually one of the fastest performers out there.

Outside of that, though, it was smooth sailing. Their no-logging policy is as good as it gets. They have an abundance of servers (over 3,000 across 93 countries) that work flawlessly on Netflix or torrenting. You also get a kill switch and anonymous IP addresses.

You can use ExpressVPN on three devices simultaneously, which is a little low considering their $6.67/month price tag. But you are getting an excellent all-around service if you plan on using it across other platforms or devices in your house.

It’s not necessarily the cheapest option out there. However, it might be the easiest to use for mainstream users.

Visit ExpressVPN.com to get the Linux app
Read more in our full ExpressVPN Review

4) ProtonVPN ($4.00/mo)

ProtonVPN’s website talks a big game about their Linux VPN Tool.

But to be honest? It’s kind of a pain to get through all the configurations. But don’t worry, we’ll give you a short tutorial:

First, you have to install a variety of updates, including

• python
• dialog
• wget

Then, you have to install OpenVPN. Then, you’ll need to copy and paste a few commands from their docs. Then, go back into your account and copy the automatically-generated OpenVPN username and password.

Then, you’re still not done! You still have to pick the plan you’re on before being allowed to view a single server connection.

It runs fine once you’re past this point. But it’ll probably take a good ~10-minutes bouncing back and forth to get to this point.

Long enough to make you dream about using any of the Mac, iOS, Windows, Android, or router-based connections, instead.

Luckily, they do offer step-by-step instructions on their website. Check out the guide here.

To their credit, ProtonVPN allows you to connect up to 10 devices at a single time. They won’t log your data, and they won’t leak through your connection, either.

The 33.56% drop in speed (61.59 Mbps to 40.92) wasn’t the worst I saw, but was far from the best, too.

Only a single Netflix server worked (out of five total). Torrenting is limited only to personal use on select P2P servers.

And like the rest of the service, the pricing terms were a little mixed.

The price is only $4.00/month on the surface, with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Great, right? Except, the fine print says that they will only give you a prorated portion of said refund.

Overall, not great. Not terrible, but not great.

Visit ProtonVPN.com to get the Linux app
Read more in our full ProtonVPN Review

5) Private Internet Access ($3.49/mo)

Private Internet Access (PIA) features one of the faster connections across all of the VPNs we’ve tested.

Their Linux connection didn’t disappoint here, either. Somehow, it was actually 16.19% faster than our default connection (going from 61.59 Mbps up to 71.56).

The installation process was quick, and they were one of the only ones to feature a Graphical user interface (GUI) so you could just push a big button (instead of typing out commands for servers or protocols). That’s a cool feature, but most of us Linux guys will probably prefer TUI over GUI anyway, so each to their own.

We haven’t seen any leaks while using a few of PIA’s 3,200 servers. Netflix worked on a single test server, while torrenting is allowed, too.

However, the downsides of PIA weren’t necessarily on Linux, directly, but across the rest of the company.

They claim not to log your activities, but they do hang on to your email and payment details. That, in addition to the fact that they have a US-based jurisdiction, spells potential trouble if your main concern is privacy.

The $3.49/month price is pretty good, though. Payment options are pretty open (including anonymous ones like Bitcoin & Ripple). The money-back guarantee, on the other hand, only has you covered for a single week. So you better make a quick decision one way or another!

Visit PrivateInternetAccess.com to get the Linux app
Read more in our full Private Internet Access Review

The Best VPN for Linux Goes to…

Only a fraction of the 70+ VPNs we’ve reviewed even support Linux.

However, the good news is that most of the ones that do also rank near the top of our rankings.

Surfshark leapfrogged everyone to lock down the first position. The Linux install and connection was a breeze. The speed was pretty good. And then $1.99/mo price is as cheap as it gets.

NordVPN and ExpressVPN are among the best all-around backup options. Their experience was good on Linux, they’re both secure and compatible with a wide variety of distros, but the speeds slowdowns were pretty serious. So we had to dock them a few points.

ProtonVPN delivered a mixed performance. The install process was probably the worst of the five. The speeds were OK, though, and it was more user-friendly after installation.

Surprisingly, PIA was able to overcome a few of the company-wide concerns to deliver a really fast connection with a standalone VPN client that wouldn’t look out of place on your Mac OS X or iOS.

Overall, I’d say the best Linux VPN provider comes down to Surfshark, NordVPN, and ExpressVPN. In that order.

For the average internet user, there are many benefits of using VPN service.

By ensuring an encrypted browsing experience, VPNs allow you to bypass regional internet restrictions, protect your data from hackers, save money on expenses like airfare or car rentals and browse from different locations, among others.

But less people are aware of the benefits of connecting a VPN to their router.

Doing so, allows you to connect all your devices to your private network via your Wi-Fi connection.

But how do you create a VPN router?

• Why Router + VPN = WIN?
• How to Choose a VPN Router
• How to Choose a VPN Provider
• Step-by-Step: How to Set Up a VPN On a Router

Full disclosure: To compensate our time and money spent in testing VPNs, we’re using affiliate links. However, we never recommend a VPN service in exchange for money – find detailed review process here.

Why Router + VPN = WIN?

If you’re still new to VPNs, or are still using a free VPN browser service, then it may seem like a leap to invest in a new router setup for your computer. And that’s understandable: it’s a big investment, and there is a lot to learn if you aren’t familiar with the technology.

To ease your mind, it’s worth noting that once you’ve purchased a router, the cost to maintain a monthly subscription is very affordable (between $5 to $8 a month, even you use a premium VPN like NordVPN), which is a small price to pay for your privacy and security.

Nonetheless, it still helps to see what advantages a VPN router provides. Some benefits of installing a VPN to your router are:

1. Keeps VPN service up and running all the time

Downloadable and browser VPNs require you to sign in to the service each time you want to access them. By having a VPN service tethered to your router, the service runs continuously, so logging in is no longer necessary.

2. You can connect multiple devices

Browser-based and downloadable VPNs require you to manually log in each device every time they access your private network. If you’re not using a VPN router, then you’ll need to insert your login credentials each time you want to access your VPN.

When you set up a VPN on your router, you only have to log in the first time, just like a traditional Wi-Fi network. This goes for each device you connect to your VPN router.

3. Provides more security for all devices

Any device that connects to your router’s Wi-Fi receives the benefits afforded by your VPN. That means any time you have friends over, or want to use several devices simultaneously (like your smart TV, smartphone and laptop), all of your devices will be rerouted through the VPN, ensuring private browsing.

The only drawback is bandwidth: With multiple devices connected to the same VPN source, you should expect a slower internet connection. Just how much it will slow down depends on several factors, like who your VPN provider is and your connection speed.

Now that we’ve covered the advantages of buying a VPN router, let’s discuss what you should look for when purchasing one.

How to Choose a Router to Connect Your VPN

When searching for a VPN router, what you’re really looking for is a router that can run VPN client software.

As a VPN client, your router — and any device connected to it — has direct access to the VPN server. To determine if a router is compatible with a VPN, you should consult the router’s manual, or simply Google it.

If you use an ISP modem (they usually come as a combined router and modem device), then you most likely can’t use your router as a VPN client. In this case, you would need to purchase an additional VPN-compatible router and connect it to your current router, but we will touch more on this later.

Whatever the case may be, it should be noted that most store-bought routers do not come pre-installed with a VPN, and more importantly, that not all routers can run VPN software. That’s why you need to know what’s out there so you can make an informed choice.

There are several VPN router options that can get the job done, including:

A) Pre-flashed routers

The easiest option for both savvy VPN enthusiasts and novices is to purchase a pre-flashed VPN router. Doing so allows you to skip the complicated process of flashing (more on this term below) the proper firmware to your VPN, which varies depending on the type of router and its specs.

Purchasing a pre-installed VPN router will cost you a bit more. That’s because companies  like Flashrouters, which only sell pre-flashed routers, take care of the installation for you. Complete with features like encrypted plug-and-play and added performance enhancements, the price markup is well worth it.

B) Out-of-the-box VPN-compatible routers

Another easy option is to purchase a router that supports VPN firmware out of the box. These routers come pre-installed with stock firmware that can connect to a range of VPN servers already. With baked in VPN capabilities, you won’t have to flash new firmware or connect such a router to a secondary router.

Most VPN-compatible routers allow you to connect to a wide range of different VPN servers, and they usually support the OpenVPN protocol, which gives you the advantage of using almost any VPN provider you want.

C) Flash router with new VPN firmware

The last option, and the most complicated, is to flash your router with new firmware. To clarify, the term “flashing” means to install new firmware; “firmware” is the Operating System within your router that determines what its capabilities and/or limitations are.

To enable your router to function as a VPN client, you need to flash it with new firmware. The two most common and established types of firmware out there are DD-WRT and Tomato.

DD-WRT and Tomato are open source, third-party firmware that are available online for free, and each has its own pros and cons. But first, let’s see what they have in common. Both DD-WRT and Tomato can:

• Extend your wireless range
• Regulate your bandwidth 
• Improve security 
• Access multiple VPN protocols 
• Disable manufacturer backdoors, among others 

Here is where they differ:

DD-WRT is more accessible and available on more devices than Tomato. As far as exclusive features, DD-WRT allows users to adjust the strength of their Wi-Fi signal, manage quality-of-service settings to prioritize specific types of traffic, access your home network from afar, and more.

Tomato offers better bandwidth monitoring options, permits up to two VPN servers to run at the same time, and offers a more user-friendly interface. It also connects better to various VPN service providers, but is not supported on as many routers. To see an in-depth comparison of the two types of firmware, you can view Flashrouter’s article here.

Just to be clear, if you search for DD-WRT or Tomato online, what you find can be misleading, as you will come across results like “DD-WRT router” or “Tomato router.” To clarify, both DD-WRT and Tomato firmware were originally made for specific types of wireless router models.

These models support specific firmware, but they usually need to be flashed with the new firmware to rid the router of its stock firmware first. So, if you want a router that supports DD-WRT, you need to check the DD-WRT database; otherwise, you may purchase a router that is not compatible with the firmware, which will break — or “brick” — your router should you flash it onto your device.

How to Choose a VPN Provider for Router

First things, first.

If you’re already paying for a premium VPN, great! If not, it’s time to do some research.

Most VPNs (like NordVPN and ExpressVPN) can easily be installed on DD-WRT or Tomato routers.

Others, like Hotspot Shield, don’t work so easily.

There are two key aspects to look for in a VPN provider: speed and accessible online support. Your private network will handle everything from streaming to downloading, gaming, etc., so it’s important that you pick a provider that can do the heavy lifting. To make your life easier, it also helps if your provider offers online tutorials to get you started.

In general, you’ll also want to check your VPN provider’s server locations, speed reports and whether or not they maintain logs. Or, if you don’t want to delve into this research yourself, you can read our review about the best VPNs of 2020.

While there are many providers to choose from, we will use NordVPN’s service in this article. To be clear, NordVPN is not a router manufacturer; they simply provide a VPN service that works in conjunction with select router models.

NordVPN’s service streamlines the installation process. Their Flashrouters app easily plugs into any DD-WRT router and does the work for you. Here’s their guide.

How to Set Up a Router on a VPN

Now that you’ve found a VPN provider, you’ll want to follow any instructions they provide on their website.

• If your router is already compatible with your VPN, simply log in and configure it to connect with your VPN provider’s servers. Our example, NordVPN, has detailed router tutorials for every router and firmware that they support.
• If your router isn’t compatible with a VPN out of the box but is compatible with DD-WRT or Tomato, then you will need to flash it and install your new firmware of choice before configuring your VPN. This is a longer process but it isn’t too complicated either.

For this tutorial, we’ll be using NordVPN’s Flashrouter security app as an example. Follow our step-by-step guide below.

Step 1: Download your router firmware

Once you’ve decided whether you want to use DD-WRT or Tomato, you can download the firmware so you can put it on your router. You’ll have to download it first because your router won’t work after it has been flashed and before you’ve installed the new firmware.

Click here to see if your router is compatible with DD-WRT. The same link will also provide you with a download for your router model.

The vast number of Tomato forks make it harder to answer whether your router is supported. Googling your router’s name and Tomato may help you determine whether you can use Tomato with your device.

Step 2: Connect your router

Assemble your router. While your setup will vary depending on your router model, the recommended apparatus for most models is two routers and an internet connection.

To set up both routers correctly, the first thing you need to do is configure your primary router to enable VPN passthrough. By activating this feature, you allow any device connected to your primary router to run VPN client software. Once activated, you need to connect your primary and secondary routers.

The basic setup goes like this:

• Plug an Ethernet cable into the LAN port on your primary router, and connect it to the WAN (“Internet”) port on your secondary VPN router.
• Connect your primary router to your computer using another Ethernet cable by connecting its LAN port to your computer’s LAN port.

Or, if you’re using a wireless connection, make sure the primary router is connected to the internet:

Both configurations allow your VPN router to piggyback on your primary router’s internet connection.

Note: Though it is recommended to use two routers, not all routers require it. For example, some Linksys routers can and should be set up as your sole primary router.

Step 3: Flash your router

Now that you have your router(s) connected and your new firmware ready, it’s time to flash them. Every router works differently and will have to be flashed differently. If your user manual doesn’t have flashing instructions, you will definitely be able to find instructions online.

Step 4: Connect your VPN

Once your router is running with DD-WRT or Tomato, you can connect it to your VPN provider. These instructions can depend on your VPN provider, so we’ll use our example, NordVPN. They make it very easy to connect your DD-WRT router to their service. Just click on this tutorial to get their app.

Now, you should be connected!

Step 5: How to use your VPN router

Using your new VPN router and changing the settings can be easy or difficult depending on the firmware you chose. If you used our example, however, changing your settings is easy. You can even change them with your mobile device!

Once you log in, you can use NordVPN’s Flashrouter app to:

• Change your server
• Change your country
• Toggle the kill switch feature

Upgrading to a VPN router might seem like a big leap, especially if you’re used to using free browser VPNs. But, if you’re serious about your privacy and want the most secure browsing experience possible, then the extra cost is worth it.

Although getting set up can be tricky, the greatest resource is the internet. Remember: your setup will vary depending on the factors we covered in the article, like what router you purchase and the VPN provider you choose. Be thorough, proceed step by step and your private network should be up in no time!

 

Every day we use email to communicate with our colleagues, friends, and family. Usually, we never give privacy a second thought when writing out a quick email.

But, there are times when sending an email anonymously is an absolute necessity. If the information got out it would be compromising, embarrassing, or even dangerous.

Chances are, you don’t need to send 100% of your emails anonymously, but when the need arises you’ll want to know how to do it.

Below you’ll learn what anonymous email is and how it works, so you can start sending your own anonymous emails.

Table of contents

What is Anonymous Email?

In our digital world, almost every facet of our lives is out in the open. Unless you take the extra steps to protect and defend your privacy.

Email is something we use every single day. We spend hours in our inboxes and often share personal information we want to keep private.

An anonymous email account is a must-have for situations like:

• Journalists who need to communicate privately with a source
• People who are concerned about privacy and feel the need to go anonymous
• Telling the truth, or whistleblowing, without a connection to your identity

Anonymous email gives you the ability to send an email that can’t trace back to you. It won’t contain any personal identifying information.

There are multiple methods of achieving this:

• Sending emails through a proxy server, so your location is invisible.
• Omitting personal information, like the identity of the user, the reply address, or the message time stamp
• Using fake contact information when creating a general email account to mask your identity

Still, anonymous email accounts can be used for less than upstanding purposes. Like a hacker using an anonymous email address to send a malicious email containing a virus.

These emails will contain a link that’ll install a virus or malware on the user’s computer to gain sensitive information. I know you won’t do this, but there can be some negative associations built into anonymous emailing.

How Anonymous Email Works

There are many ways to send emails at varying degrees of anonymity.

The basic method involves entering a fake name and personal information when creating a Hotmail, Outlook, or Gmail account. This approach won’t get you complete privacy, and you’ll need a personal phone number to verify your account. But, it’ll grant you more privacy than your standard account.

The truly anonymous approach involves using a private email service. These tools and services need minimal personal information to get started.

Plus, they’re often equipped with features like:

• Two-way email encryption
• Hidden IP address, or IP address blocker
• Email password protect
• Automated email deletion or expiration

We’ll get more into these services and tools, and how to use them, below.

Anonymous Email vs. Regular Email

You’re probably wondering, what’s the difference between anonymous email and regular email?

They both accomplish the same core goal of sending an email. But, they differ in the level of privacy and protection each provides.

Why Use Anonymous Email?

Anonymous email affords you levels of security and privacy you can’t get anywhere else. You might not need it 24/7, but it does have certain benefits.

1. Freedom of Expression

Sometimes you need to convey information to a person, but don’t want to compromise your identity. It could be something that’ll ruin the relationship, or you’d like to remain anonymous nonetheless.

2. Send Private Confidential Information

If you have sensitive information you want to send to the authorities without revealing your true identity, then you can use anonymous email for this purpose.

You can easily send confidential information without fear of your identity being brought to light.

3. Whistleblowing Purposes

Whistleblowing can be a scary and stressful situation. With anonymous email, you can help to escape any harassment and persecution that might come with.

Think of it as giving an anonymous phone tip from a pay phone. Using anonymous email can be a way to whistleblow about any wrongdoing while protecting your identity.

4. Hide From Spammers

You could use a throwaway email account whenever you enter your email anywhere online. This can help to isolate your identity and any spam emails from your main inbox. But, you’ll still have a link back to your true identity.

With an anonymous email account, you can create aliases and segment your account to keep your information safe from spammers.

Why Use a Regular Email Account?

Even with the security and privacy anonymous email affords, a regular email account can be useful.

1. Build a Tangible Relationship

It can be tough to build a relationship with anyone over email if you’re completely anonymous. Think of it like contributing to an online forum. You may be able to help and make connections with people. But, it’ll be difficult to build a deep connection without actually knowing who you’re talking to.

2. Ease of Use

For those who aren’t very tech-savvy signing up and using a service like Gmail couldn’t be easier. This service, and others like it, are created to deliver the best user experience possible. They’re engineered so you need zero tech knowledge to get started.

3. Link to Apps and Services

Services like Gmail give you login privileges to other sites. Privacy buffs may scoff at this, but for some users, speedy login is a necessity.

Instead of creating multiple accounts, you can login to various sites and apps with your Google account.

How Much Does it Cost?

Some people shy away from using anonymous email, because of the associated costs. After all, services like Gmail and Hotmail are free. But, these services do run ads in your email account to make up for the “free” service.

The question becomes:

Would you rather pay for your email service with cash, or with your personal information that’s sold to third-party advertisers?

You’ll find a variety of paid and free anonymous email options.

There are pricier anonymous email services. But, you’ll also find a ton of free and cheap options.

Anonymous email, with all the protection features they provide, aren’t that pricey. Especially if you’re purchasing an account for yourself, and not for your entire organization.

Individual costs for an anonymous email account range from $25—$80+ for the entire year, with an average monthly cost of $5 per month.

And that’s just for the premium accounts, which are equipped with extra storage, and security features.

Almost every anonymous email provider also offers free accounts. These accounts are limited by the amount of email storage provided or the number of emails you can send per month.

How to Create Anonymous Email Account

Creating an anonymous email account is similar to creating any other form of email account.

For the tutorial below we’ll setup a free account with ProtonMail. The only limitation to the free account is the amount of storage provided. You’ll still have access to all the privacy features.

1. Select your account type

On this screen choose the ‘Select Free Plan’ option, unless you want to upgrade to a paid account.

2. Choose your username and password

Here you’ll create your anonymous email address and password.

You have the option to add a recovery email, in case you ever forget your password. But, this could create a link to an existing email account, so those looking for complete anonymity might want to leave this blank.

3. Prove you’re human

Now it’s time to prove you’re not a robot. Choose one of the four options to show that you’re a living breathing human being.

Then, click ‘Complete Setup’ and your account will be automatically created.

4. Complete your account setup

You’re now ready to send completely anonymous emails.

On this screen, you’ll see what looks like any traditional inbox. Here you can send and receive emails, as you would any other type of email account.

You’ll also be able to upgrade your account to further support the service an unlock additional features.

How to Send Anonymous Email

Sending an anonymous email couldn’t be easier. For this example, we’re going to use the same service from the example above ProtonMail.

First, navigate to the backend of your account, and click on the ‘Compose’ button.

Here a window will pop up and you’ll be able to compose an email, just as you would in Gmail.

You’ll also have additional options to further secure your email.

In the left-hand corner of the window, you can password-protect your email, and set an expiration date.

To set a password for the email click the box that looks like a lock.

Then, type in your secure password. Note that the recipient must have access to this password in order to view your email.

To set an expiration date for the email click on the box that looks like an hourglass.

Here you’ll be able to set a time window where the recipient can view the message before it’s deleted.

Once you’ve configured your privacy settings, then click the ‘Send’ button and your email will be delivered.

There are many different anonymous email providers. But, you’ll find that most have a simple setup process and mirror the features of your traditional email provider.

How to Send Anonymous Email Without an Account

Maybe you just want to send an anonymous email without a needing a response. There are multiple tools that’ll let you send one-way anonymous email without having to register an account.

The simplest method is using an online tool called Anonymous Email.

To do this, navigate to the site.

Fill out the form on the homepage as if you were sending a normal email, then scroll down and click ‘Send’.

You’ll also have the ability to forward and track any responses to an existing email address, like Gmail.

There are other tools that let you send anonymous emails without an account like:

• CyberAtlantis
• 5ymail
• W3 Anonymous Remailer
• AnonEmail

ProtonMail Alternatives

Beyond ProtonMail and the other anonymous email providers above, there are many other tools and services you can use to send emails anonymously.

Here are 7 of the best tools:

1. Guerilla Mail

Guerrilla Mail is an encrypted email service that’s been operating for over a decade. Plus, you don’t have to sign up to send emails with the service. Just create your own email address, or use the scramble address feature for an entirely random email address.

 

2. MailFence

MailFence offers you a complete email suite, along with features like encrypted email, no tracking or spam, and freedom from surveillance. Plus, with its location in Belgium, it has very strong privacy protection laws surrounding the company.

 

3. Mailinator

Mailinator lets you create and give out unlimited email addresses, and check messages for those addresses on their site. This helps to keep your identity private and effectively shield you from any risk. The email address itself is public, but you’re not connected to the email address in any way.

 

4. Tutanota

Tutanota is a secure email provider that offers end-to-end email encryption. Plus, it’s open source so it’s entirely free. Since IP addresses aren’t recorded, and you don’t need to provide any personal information to setup an account, you can use the service completely anonymously.

 

5. The Anonymous Email

The Anonymous Email is a pretty basic tool that lets you send anonymous emails. The only information required to create an account is an existing email account. If you’re concerned about sharing your personal email, then you can create a burner email account to register for the service.

 

6. Secure Email

Secure Email is a fully anonymous email service. It routes all email traffic through an encrypted SSL connection, hides your IP address, and requires zero personal information to sign up. With the high-level of encryption offered no one will be able to read your emails, except you.

 

7. TorGuard

TorGuard has a built-in anonymous email service. If you’re already a member of their VPN service, then the service is free. This service has a lot of advanced privacy and encryption features to protect your emails. Plus, no personal information is required to create an account, so you can send emails totally anonymously.

Transitioning From Gmail to Private Email

If you’re concerned about your privacy and want to use an anonymous email provider 100% of the time, then you can transfer your existing traditional email account to a secure provider.

Below you’ll find a few walkthroughs that’ll help you transition from Gmail to three of the most widely used secure email providers.

The first transition step is emailing your most common contacts and letting them know about your email address change. The best way to do this is send an email from your Gmail account with your new ProtonMail address CC’d.

With that completed, follow the steps below:

1. Export and import your contacts

The first thing we need to do is export our contacts from Gmail.

Open up your Gmail account. On the top left-hand corner click the Gmail logo and then select ‘Contacts’.

Then, on the Google Contacts page select the ‘More’ option from the left-hand menu.

Finally, select ‘Export’ and choose the ‘Google CSV’ format.

Now, open up your ProtonMail account, and select ‘Contacts’ from the top menu.

Select the ‘Import’ option and upload the .csv file you just downloaded.

Your contact list has now been migrated to ProtonMail.

2. Import your Messages

The only way to import your existing messages to ProtonMail is to use a paid add-on called ProtonMail Bridge.

If you don’t want to upgrade to a paid account, then your best course of action is forwarding your Gmail messages to ProtonMail.

3. Setup Gmail forwarding

Login to your Gmail account and click on the gear icon, then select ‘Settings’.

Then select ‘Forwarding and POP/IMAP’.

Select ‘Add a forwarding address’, and enter your new ProtonMail email address.

Then you’ll receive a confirmation email in your ProtonMail account. Verify your email address and you’re all set.

Transitioning from Gmail to MailFence

If you’re a MailFence user then follow the steps below to add your Gmail contacts to MailFence and forward any new messages to your MailFence account.

Like the ProtonMail transition tutorial above it’s a good idea to send out emails to any contacts you regularly email about your contact change. That way they can add your email to their contacts and it won’t be marked as spam.

With that done, follow the steps below:

1. Link your Gmail account and migrate contacts

If you decided to use MailFence, then migrating your contacts over to Gmail is a very straightforward process.

First, you’ll need a MailFence account, so if you don’t have one do that now.

Once you’ve activated your account, click on the ‘Contacts’ button on the top navigation bar.

Then, click the three dots, and select Import.

Select ‘Google contacts’ and click ‘Import’.

On the next screen you’ll be asked to enter your Google credentials, and once it’s verified your Gmail contacts will be imported into MailFence.

2. Setup email forwarding within Gmail

To setup email forwarding between Gmail and MailFence, you’ll follow the exact same steps as the Gmail Forwarding section above.

So, scroll up a tiny bit and follow those same instructions.

Just enter your MailFence email address instead of the ProtonMail address.

Transitioning from Gmail to Mailinator

Since Mailinator is such a simple tool it isn’t something you’ll want to use as a replacement for Gmail.

That being said, you can still manage your anonymous emails sent from Mailinator within your Gmail inbox.

Here’s how you do it:

1. Login to your current Gmail account and select the gear icon in the upper right-hand corner, and select ‘Settings’.

2. Find the ‘Check email from other accounts:’ section and click on ‘Add an email account’.

3. Enter your email and click the ‘Next’ button.

4. Select the ‘Import emails from my other account (POP3)’ option and click ‘Next’.

5. Then enter your full email address in the ‘Username’ field, enter your account password into the ‘Password’ field, and leave the dropbox box as ‘pop.mailinator.com’ in the ‘POP Server’ field.

6. Click ‘Add Account’ and you’re all set. Your anonymous Mailinator emails will now show up in your existing Gmail account.

Can You Use Outlook for Anonymous Email?

A lot of people think that you can use aliases to hide your true identity when using Outlook.

Aliases can be used for purposes like creating a more secure password recovery address or creating a junk email account for those times when you’re forced to register for an online service.

But, these aliases don’t allow you to remain truly anonymous like the tools and services highlighted above. It’s simply a pathway to create a throw-away email address.

Now, if you want to use Outlook with the greatest level of anonymity possible, then you’ll want to use the Tor browser, and send emails from an Outlook alias.

That way your location won’t be known. But, your alias can still be traced back to you as a person.

If you truly want to send anonymous emails, then use some of the tools and services highlighted above.

Conclusion

There are a variety of different tools and services you can use to send anonymous emails. Some have powerful encryption protocols to secure your messages, while others do a great job of allowing you to send one-off anonymous messages.

If you’re serious about sending anonymous emails and also want your email communication to remain encrypted, then your best option is using a service like ProtonMail, MailFence, or Tutanota.

Services like these allow you to send and track your anonymous emails, send encrypted and password protected emails, create account aliases, and even have your emails deleted after a set period of time.

The method you choose for managing and sending anonymous emails depends upon your needs and privacy concerns.

Hopefully, you’re better equipped to navigate the world of anonymous email and can protect your privacy and personal information from falling into the wrong hands.

Have any questions about which anonymous email service is best for your needs? Please share your questions and concerns in the comments below.

Here’s all you need to know about VPN jurisdiction, five eyes, nine eyes and fourteen-eyes alliances and countries. It’s highly recommended that you choose a VPN outside these jurisdiction for full anonymity and data protection.

Important Factors of a VPN Company Jurisdiction

VPN Jurisdiction – This refers to the laws and regulations surrounding virtual private networks in a given country. Most countries allow citizens and residents to use VPNs under their legal system, but it is important to consider the level of control a given national government retains over your VPN use.

VPN Provider Location – This refers to where the VPN provider is located as a business, which may not be the same as where the company maintains its VPN servers. Again, depending on the extent to which the relevant authorities oversee VPN use, you may want to choose a VPN provider located outside of your country of residence.

VPN Server Location – This refers to where the VPN provider has decided to set up servers, which may not be the same as where they operate on a day-to-day basis. One VPN provider may have servers in multiple locations, and often, you the user will be able to choose from a number of VPN server locations from a single VPN provider.

Country-by-Country Guide to VPN Jurisdictions

At TheBestVPN, we always try to be as thorough as possible. Below you will find 31 countries listed with the legality of VPNs in that country, whether or not they are a member of a 5, 9 or 14-Eyes member, some commentary and one or more VPN providers you can start your search with.

For your convenience, here is a list with jump-to links for easy reference:

 

VPN Jurisdiction: Australia

• Are VPNs legal in Australia? Yes
• Five Eyes Alliance member
• VPN use is completely legal in the land down under. However, since Australia is a member of the Five Eyes alliance, any data passing through and stored on VPN systems domiciled in the country is still subject to the surveillance protocols implemented by the intelligence-sharing alliance.

Sources:
Regional Overview: Australia & New Zealand. Open Net Initiative.
Freedom on the Net 2017 Country Profile: Australia. Freedom House.

Popular Australia-based VPN providers:

• Celo VPN
• VPNSecure Me

 

VPN Jurisdiction: British Virgin Islands

• Are VPNs legal in the British Virgin Islands? Yes
• Non-member to Five-, Nine-, 14 Eyes alliances
• While an overseas territory of the UK, the British Virgin Islands (BVI) is an autonomous nation with its own legislature and code of laws. Lacking its own foreign intelligence apparatus, the BVI is not a member of any international signals intelligence-sharing alliance. That means VPN systems based in the territory are not subject to surveillance laws enabling intelligence agencies to legally access or intercept customer data. Moreover, there are no data retention laws in the territory.
• BVI-based ExpressVPN consistently ranks among the top-rated VPN providers around the world.

Sources:
Regional Overview: Australia & New Zealand. Open Net Initiative.
Freedom on the Net 2017 Country Profile: Australia. Freedom House.

Popular BVI-based VPN providers:

• ExpressVPN
• Surfshark

 

VPN Jurisdiction: Bulgaria

• Are VPNs legal in Bulgaria? Yes
• Non-member to Five-, Nine-, 14 Eyes alliances
• A member nation of both the EU and NATO, Bulgaria embraces freedom of speech and a free press but reportedly monitors citizen’s internet usage. The country’s constitution prohibits arbitrary incursions into citizens’ privacy and there are no reported government restrictions on internet access. However, Bulgaria’s intelligence services can legally access digital data related to cyber crimes and serious national security threats, having the ability to request such data from VPN providers even without court authorization.

Sources:
Internet Censorship and Surveillance per Country: Bulgaria. Wikipedia

Popular Bulgarian-based VPN provider:

• VPNArea

 

VPN Jurisdiction: Canada

• Are VPNs legal in Canada? Yes
• Five Eyes Alliance member
• Canada consistently ranks in the top ten happiest countries in the world and is among the freest territories on the planet. However, it adopts comparatively stricter policies on issues such as net neutrality, data retention, and surveillance. Some government- sanctioned ISPs are authorized to block access to certain sites such as those related to child pornography. As a Five Eyes alliance member, Canada also implements a legal framework that empowers its intelligence agencies to access and share electronic data with other member nations in certain situations.

Sources:
Freedom on the Net 2017 Country Profile: Canada. Freedom House.

Popular Canadian-based VPN providers:

• Betternet
• BTGuard VPN
• SurfEasy
• TunnelBear
• WindScribe

 

VPN Jurisdiction: Cayman Islands

• Are VPNs legal in the Cayman Islands? Yes
• Non-member to Five-, Nine-, 14 Eyes alliances
• Like the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands is an autonomous territory in the Caribbean Sea associated with the British constitutional monarchy. The Cayman Islands also has its own legislation and policies governing privacy and electronic data. The territory passed a comprehensive Data Protection Law in 2017 that reflects many of the principles underlying EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), a legal framework strongly safeguarding privacy and consumer data.

Sources:
Cayman Islands Seek to Supplement Its Data Protection Law. Lexology.

Popular Cayman-based VPN provider:

• FastestVPN

 

VPN Jurisdiction: China

• Are VPNs legal in China? Not all. Only government-approved VPNs are allowed to operate.
• Non-member to Five-, Nine-, 14 Eyes alliances
• While running the planet’s second-biggest economy and pioneering many innovations in IT, China remains a repressive regime when it comes to what its citizens can access and use online. This long-standing policy led to the spread of the internet meme “The Great Firewall of China.” For purposes of personal safety and to mitigate liability, consider VPNs illegal. The only legal cross-border private networks are those that can be leased from or duly approved by government agencies. Any person in the country who gets caught using any other type of VPN will be apprehended and fined up to a few thousand dollars.
• Many popular VPNs have been blocked by the government. Turbo VPN is among the few based in the country that still operates but glitches, warning notices, and other usage issues have been reported. If you can take the risk, consider using offshore VPN providers instead.

Sources:
Freedom on the Net 2017 Country Profile: China. Freedom House.
Country Profile: China. Open Net Initiative.
Internet Censorship and Surveillance per Country: China. Wikipedia.

Popular Chinese VPNs:

• TurboVPN

 

VPN Jurisdiction: Czech Republic

• Are VPNs legal in the Czech Republic? Yes
• Non-member to Five-, Nine-, 14 Eyes alliances
• The Czech Republic is a high-income market economy, considered among the freest, safest, and most egalitarian countries in the world. Its citizens are also among the least restricted internet users on the planet. Freedom of speech and of the press are safeguarded, with the law prohibiting arbitrary interference on privacy, family, or home. However, exceptions apply against hate speech, Holocaust denial, and websites promoting child pornography and racist content. Based on reports, the government has been initiating moves to gain more control over Internet activity using a proposed but currently unpopular ID system.

Sources:
Internet Censorship and Surveillance per Country: Czech Republic. Wikipedia.

Popular Czech Republic-based VPN providers:

• Avast Secureline
• AVG Secure VPN

 

VPN Jurisdiction: Denmark

• Are VPNs legal in Denmark? Yes
• Nine Eyes Alliance member
• As part of EU, Denmark implements the sweeping privacy standards of GDPR and remains one of the freest jurisdictions when it comes to online access. However, the country is known for drafting and promulgating laws that make it easier for the state to control access to or filter certain websites. To date, the country has already censored more than 3,000 websites including those that promote child pornography, facilitate digital piracy, and sell regulated drugs. Its membership to the Nine Eyes alliance also binds Denmark to share electronic data with other member countries in certain situations.
• While Denmark has the legal authority to restrict online access, VPN use remains legal.

Sources:
Regional Overview: Nordic Countries. Open Net Initiative.
Internet Censorship and Surveillance per Country: Denmark. Wikipedia.

 

VPN Jurisdiction: Finland

• Are VPNs legal in Finland? Yes
• Non-member to Five-, Nine-, 14 Eyes alliances
• Finland is among the most prosperous countries in the world and its citizens – who consistently rank among the happiest – can access considerable social safety nets. Democracy, republicanism, human rights, and equality encapsulate the socio-political history of Finland which was the first country in the world to grant all its adult citizens the right to run for public office. While its citizens enjoy considerable freedom, however, Finland is known for filtering or attempting to restrict access to unwanted websites (child pornography, piracy, gambling, etc.). The government has been reported to have wrongfully censored non-malicious sites in the process.

Sources:
Internet Censorship and Surveillance per Country: Finland. Wikipedia.
Regional Overview: Nordic Countries. Open Net Initiative.

Popular Finland-based VPN provider:

• F-Secure Freedome

 

VPN Jurisdiction: Germany

• Are VPNs legal in Germany? Yes
• 14 Eyes Alliance member
• Germany strongly supports people’s right to privacy and is a driving force in the enactment and implementation of GDPR. While having long established a comparatively free online environment for its citizens, Germany has not escaped criticism for some of its actions viewed by many as attempts to censor the Internet to protect minors, eradicate hate speech, suppress fake news, and curb terror-related extremism. Proposals have been filed to enable the state to monitor social media sites.
• Even amid these issues, it is perfectly legal to use VPN in Germany.

Sources:
Freedom on the Net 2017 Country Profile: Germany. Freedom House.
Country Profile: Germany. Open Net Initiative.
Are VPNs Legal In Your Country? TheBestVPN.
Internet Censorship and Surveillance per Country: Germany. Wikipedia.

Popular Germany-based VPN providers:

• Avira Phantom
• Zenmate

 

VPN Jurisdiction: Gibraltar

• Are VPNs legal in Gibraltar? Yes
• Non-member to Five-, Nine-, 14 Eyes alliances
• Gibraltar is an autonomous British overseas territory that governs its internal affairs via an elected parliament. In matters of defence, foreign policy, and security, however, the UK – represented by a governor – assumes decision-making and executive powers. This means that in certain circumstances, British intelligence agencies may have the authority to monitor the Gibraltarians’ online activities. As part of Europe, the island territory is also subject to GDPR which provides strong protections for privacy and personal data.
• You can use VPNs legally in Gibraltar.

Sources:
Jurisdiction snapshot: Data Security & Cybercrime | Gibraltar. Lexology.

Popular Gibraltar-based VPN providers:

• Buffered
• IVPN

 

VPN Jurisdiction: Hong Kong

• Are VPNs legal in Hong Kong? Yes
• Non-member to Five-, Nine-, 14 Eyes alliances
• As a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China, Hong Kong enjoys a high degree of autonomy, with the territory’s Basic Law outlining residents’ rights to privacy, association, and freedom of expression. Compared to their compatriots in the mainland, Hong Kong residents are not hindered by the notorious Great Firewall of China and they can access virtually any site on the Web, even those that advocate positions that differ from the official party line of the ruling Chinese Communist Party. There is minimal censorship beyond legislation that penalizes digital piracy, pornography, and other crimes. However, government agencies do monitor Internet use, with some activists claiming their emails and other online activities are being surveilled.
• In recent years, the territory has been under increasing threat of greater interference and control from Beijing. The advocacy group Freedom House downgraded the territory’s internet freedom status from “free” to just “partly free.” Nonetheless, VPN use is still considered legal in Hong Kong.

Sources:
Country Profile: China including Hong Kong. Open Net Initiative.
Internet censorship in Hong Kong. Wikipedia.
Freedom in the World 2017. Freedom House.

Popular Hong Kong-based VPN providers:

• BlackVPN
• DotVPN
• OneVPN
• PureVPN
• VPN.ht

 

VPN Jurisdiction: Israel

• Are VPNs legal in Israel? Yes
• Non-member to Five-, Nine-, 14 Eyes alliances
• Israel is a representative democracy in the Middle East with an advanced economy and one of the highest living standards in the region. The government generally seeks to maintain a free online environment and rarely attempts to interfere with or censor internet activity. However, legislation enabling the government to fight crime more effectively by blocking certain websites has been recently introduced. Previously, a few sites and hateful posts on social media have been blocked.
• VPN use in Israel is legal.

Sources:
Internet Censorship and Surveillance per Country: Israel. Wikipedia.
Are VPNs Legal In Your Country? TheBestVPN.
Country Profile: Israel. Open Net Initiative.

Popular Israel-based VPN provider:

• Hola VPN

 

VPN Jurisdiction: Italy

• Are VPNs legal in Italy? Yes
• 14 Eyes Alliance member
• The Italian constitution guarantees press freedom. The country, however, has censored many mass media materials over the years for largely socio-cultural reasons. Italy has also restricted access to around 7,000 websites including those that promote child pornography, gambling, hate, and intellectual copyright infringement. Following terror attacks in other European countries, measures that limit wi-fi access have been initiated to counter the threat. Currently, the state legislature is drafting laws that further strengthen the government’s ability to censor and monitor online access and content. Despite these restrictions, general internet usage in Italy can still be considered free.
• Using VPN is legal.

Sources:
Internet Censorship and Surveillance per Country: Italy. Wikipedia.
Are VPNs Legal In Your Country? TheBestVPN.
Country Profile: Italy. Open Net Initiative.

Popular Italy-based VPN provider:

• AirVPN

 

VPN Jurisdiction: Japan

• Are VPNs legal in Japan? Yes
• Non-member to Five-, Nine-, 14 Eyes alliances
• Freedom of speech and of the press are protected under Japanese law, with government adhering to its principles in practice. There are no notable restrictions on internet access (penetration rate is at 90%) nor overt censure of online content. Instead, ISPs adopt self-censorship in filtering pornographic and “immoral” materials.
• Virtual private networks such as University of Tsukuba’s VPN Gate are completely legal to use.

Sources:
Freedom on the Net 2017 Country Profile: Japan. Freedom House.
Are VPNs Legal In Your Country? TheBestVPN.
Internet Censorship and Surveillance per Country: Japan. Wikipedia.

Popular Japan-based VPN provider:

• VPN Gate

VPN Jurisdiction: Malaysia

• Are VPNs legal in Malaysia? Yes
• Non-member to Five-, Nine-, 14 Eyes alliances
• Malaysia’s internet climate has been promising until corruption scandals associated with key political figures triggered a wave of censorship, clampdowns on websites, and arrests of bloggers and internet users critical of the government or espousing controversial views. Freedom House rates the country’s internet status as “partly free” while it is listed by Reporters Without Borders (RWB) as “under surveillance.” With a recent election toppling politicians associated with the corruption scandal, a return to a freer internet might be on the horizon.
• Normally, the government refrains from censoring online content, upholds internet users’ civil liberties, and enforces no mandatory data retention laws.

Sources:
Internet Censorship and Surveillance per Country: Malaysia. Wikipedia.
Freedom on the Net 2017 Country Profile: Malaysia. Freedom House.
Country Profile: Malaysia. Open Net Initiative.
World Press Freedom Index: Malaysia. Reporters Without Borders.

Popular Malaysia-based VPN provider:

• Hide Me VPN

 

VPN Jurisdiction: Moldova

• Are VPNs legal in Moldova? Yes
• Non-member to Five-, Nine-, 14 Eyes alliances
• Moldovans generally enjoy unrestricted internet access but notable legislation and government action prompted the OpenNet Initiative (ONI) to classify the country’s web openness as “selective” when it comes to online political content. Industry stakeholders believe a new bill introduced by the government grants it more power to censor the internet. Authorized to monitor the internet and collect information related to unlawful activities, state agencies have directly interfered with internet access to stem dissent.
• Even amid government’s selective surveillance, access to the internet can still be considered unfettered.

Sources:
Are VPNs Legal In Your Country? TheBestVPN.
Country Profile: Moldova. Open Net Initiative.
Internet Censorship and Surveillance per Country: Moldova. Wikipedia.

Popular Moldova-based VPN provider:

• Cactus VPN

 

VPN Jurisdiction: Netherlands

• Are VPNs legal in the Netherlands? Yes
• Nine Eyes Alliance member
• Residents of the Netherlands enjoy one of freest internet systems in the world, with virtually no government censorship of online content nor restrictions on internet access (with the notable exception of Pirate Bay, access to which has been blocked as ordered by the Dutch Court in 2017). The Netherlands is also a member of the Nine Eyes Alliance which establishes an intelligence-sharing framework where members can cooperate to circumvent local laws related to gathering and sharing of electronic data.
• VPN use is completely legal in the country.

Sources:
Internet Censorship and Surveillance per Country: Netherlands. Wikipedia.

Popular Nethelands-based VPN provider:

• Goose VPN

VPN Jurisdiction: Norway

• Are VPNs legal in Norway? Yes
• Nine Eyes Alliance member
• Norway has one of the world’s most open environments when it comes to media and freedom of expression. The right of the public to access government information is guaranteed by the constitution. Internet penetration is also among the highest at around 97% in 2017. There are no government restrictions and censorship, with major ISPs volunteering to use DNS filters that block child pornography sites.
• VPN use is completely legal in Norway.

Sources:
Regional Overview: Nordic Countries. Open Net Initiative.
Internet Censorship and Surveillance per Country: Norway. Wikipedia.

Popular Norway-based VPN provider:

• Opera VPN

 

VPN Jurisdiction: Panama

• Are VPNs legal in Panama? Yes
• Non-member to Five-, Nine-, 14 Eyes alliances
• Panama’s constitution safeguards the freedoms of expression, association, and the press. Arbitrary interference with privacy, correspondence, family, or home is prohibited. However, corruption remains a challenge that often leads to government attempts to repress criticism of public officials and to cut off mobile and internet access in some volatile areas. Wiretaps related to criminal prosecution requires judicial oversight and incidence of email monitoring have been reported. Amid these exceptions, Panamanians still generally enjoy unhindered access to the internet.
• Panama residents can legally use VPNs.

Sources:
Internet Censorship and Surveillance per Country: Panama. Wikipedia.

Popular Panama-based VPN provider:

• NordVPN

 

VPN Jurisdiction: Romania

• Are VPNs legal in Romania? Yes
• Non-member to Five-, Nine-, 14 Eyes alliances
• Romanians enjoy relatively unrestricted access to the internet with the exception of sites related to gambling, pornography, and paedophilia that have been blocked or filtered by the government. Many observers claim that laws aimed at curbing gambling websites may be abused to censor citizen’s online activities.
• The use of VPNs is legal in Romania.

Sources:
Are VPNs Legal In Your Country? TheBestVPN.
Internet Censorship and Surveillance per Country: Romania. Wikipedia.

Popular Romania-based VPN providers:

• CyberGhost
• IBVPN
• VPN.ac
• Bitdefender VPN

 

VPN Jurisdiction: Russia

• Are VPNs legal in Russia? Not all. Only government-sanctioned VPNs allowed.
• Non-member to Five-, Nine-, 14 Eyes alliances
• Given its recent track record of filtering mass media materials, surveilling citizens, and leaning further towards authoritarian tendencies, Russia understandably receives less-than-ideal scores from rating organizations. Freedom House gives the country a “not free” rating on internet freedom in 2017 while Reporters Without Borders (RWB) lists Russia as an “internet enemy” in 2014. The Russian government also actively participates in shaping public opinion in cyberspace using mass information campaigns. Moreover, a blacklist of internet sites including those on child pornography, prohibited drugs, and extremist content was implemented in 2012 amid widespread criticism. The professional networking site LinkedIn has been blocked in Russia since late 2016.
• As of November 2017, residents in Russia can only use government-sanctioned VPNs allegedly to prevent the spread of extremist materials and unlawful content. The penalty for non-compliance was set at around US$5,100 for the user and US$12,000 for the service provider.

Sources:
Freedom on the Net 2017 Country Profile: Russia. Freedom House.
Country Profile: Russia. Open Net Initiative.

Popular Russia-based VPN providers:

• Kapersky Secure Connection
• Browsec VPN

 

VPN Jurisdiction: San Marino

• Are VPNs legal in San Marino? Yes
• Non-member to Five-, Nine-, 14 Eyes alliances
• San Marino is a republic that safeguards its citizens’ full internet rights and does not impose censorship on online content. All independent observers rate the country’s media and internet systems as “free.”
• Not surprisingly, VPN use is completely legal in San Marino.

Sources:
Are VPNs Legal In Your Country? TheBestVPN.

Popular San Marion-based VPN provider:

• SpyOFF

 

VPN Jurisdiction: Seychelles

• Are VPNs legal in Seychelles? Yes
• Non-member to Five-, Nine-, 14 Eyes alliances
• Seychelles is a sovereign state in the Indian Ocean composed of dozens of islands and characterized by an unusually high Human Development Index (HDI) for an African country. However, it also faces long-standing problems of unequal wealth distribution, corruption, drug trafficking, and money laundering. Internet usage in the country is generally unfettered but occasional access restrictions occur due to an extreme case of partisan politics. There are strict defamation laws in place.
• VPN use is legal.

Sources:
2016 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Seychelles. The US State Department.
The 2018 World Press Freedom Index: Seychelles. Reporters Without Borders.

Popular Seychelles-based VPN providers:

• Anonymous VPN
• Astrill VPN
• BolehVPN
• Trust.Zone
• VPNTunnel

 

VPN Jurisdiction: Singapore

• Are VPNs legal in Singapore? Yes
• Non-member to Five-, Nine-, 14 Eyes alliances
• While a prosperous and technologically advanced nation in South East Asia, Singapore implements a less open internet environment compared to those of similarly affluent countries. To suppress political dissent, the government actively censors internet content and even shuts down websites that are highly critical of public policies. Due to its well-documented stance and actions on press freedom and the freedom of expression, Singapore earns only a “partly free” rating from Freedom House. The government uses licensing controls and legal tactics to regulate internet access and to curb unwanted online content and activities. State authorities maintain a list of blocked websites that are inaccessible within the territory.
• Despite aforementioned restrictions, VPN use is legal in Singapore.

Sources:
Freedom on the Net 2017 Country Profile: Singapore. Freedom House.
Internet Censorship and Surveillance per Country: Singapore. Wikipedia.
Country Profile: Singapore. Open Net Initiative.

Popular Singapore-based VPN provider:

• Ivacy

 

VPN Jurisdiction: Slovakia

• Are VPNs legal in Slovakia? Yes
• Non-member to Five-, Nine-, 14 Eyes alliances
• Slovakia’s constitution safeguards the freedoms of speech and the press. However, media outlets occasionally experience political pressure. Even if the government’s relations with journalists is, Slovakia still earns a “free” rating from the Freedom House primarily due to the state’s minimal to zero interference in citizens’ internet access. With the exception of sites spreading hate speech, state authorities do not monitor emails, online chat rooms, and other activities without judicial oversight.
• Using virtual private networks is legal.

Sources:
Freedom in the World 2017: Slovakia. Freedom House.
Internet Censorship and Surveillance per Country: Slovakia. Wikipedia.

Popular Slovakia-based VPN provider:

• TigerVPN

VPN Jurisdiction: South Korea

• Are VPNs legal in South Korea? Yes
• Non-member to Five-, Nine-, 14 Eyes alliances
• South Korea is among the most technologically and economically advanced countries in the world. The country’s internet landscape is innovative and thriving even amid restrictions on content that undermines the country’s “traditional values,” offends public morality, or threatens national security. The government is known for censoring, monitoring, and blocking such online content and activity. Reports of systematic manipulation of online discussions have also been documented. Service providers that break internet policies face fines of up to US$18,000.
• VPN use is completely legal.

Sources:
Freedom on the Net 2017 Country Profile: South Korea. Freedom House.
Internet Censorship and Surveillance per Country: South Korea. Wikipedia.
Country Profile: South Korea. Open Net Initiative.

 

VPN Jurisdiction: Sweden

• Are VPNs legal in Sweden? Yes
• Nine Eyes Alliance member
• Sweden is an affluent European monarchy with a parliamentary form of government. The country’s constitution guarantees civil liberties and prohibits arbitrary interference on privacy, correspondence, home and family. The government strongly respects these rights, establishing one of the freest socio-political environments in the world. The law requires intelligence agencies to obtain court permission before monitoring cross-border online traffic to combat national security threats. With the exception of blocking Pirate Bay, the state does not interfere with citizen’s access to the internet.
• VPN use is completely legal.

Sources:
Regional Overview: Nordic Countries. Open Net Initiative.
Internet Censorship and Surveillance per Country: Sweden. Wikipedia.
Freedom in the World 2018: Sweden. Freedom House.

Popular Sweden-based VPN providers:

• AzireVPN
• FrootVPN
• Mullvad
• PrivateVPN

 

VPN Jurisdiction: Switzerland

• Are VPNs legal in Switzerland? Yes
• Non-member to Five-, Nine-, 14 Eyes alliances
• Founded in 1300, Switzerland is a federal republic whose constitution guarantees freedoms of speech and of the press while penalizing discrimination, hate speech, and breach of privacy. The government does not restrict its citizens’ access to the internet nor does it monitor email or chat rooms without judicial oversight. However, nearly 70% of its citizens voted in a referendum in support of a bill enabling the state to legally surveil its citizens’ online activities. Even then, no incidence of abuse of authority has been reported.
• VPN use is completely legal in Switzerland.

Sources:
Internet Censorship and Surveillance per Country: Switzerland. Wikipedia.
Freedom in the World 2017: Switzerland. Freedom House.

Popular Switzerland-based VPN providers:

• Perfect Privacy
• ProtonVPN
• VyprVPN

 

VPN Jurisdiction: United Kingdom

• Are VPNs legal in the United Kingdom? Yes
• Founding member of the Five, Nine, and 14 Eyes Alliances
• The United Kingdom (UK) is a constitutional monarchy that has adopted democratic values through a parliamentary form of government. The UK implements strong safeguards for civil liberties, freedom of expression, privacy, and political rights. However, it also sanctions surveillance activities on residents, an example of which is the Investigatory Powers Act that authorizes state agencies to monitor any online activity. It has taken surveillance and police measures to combat child abuse and terrorism. The Freedom House rates the UK as “free” when it comes to internet freedoms while Reporters Without Borders list it as an “Internet Enemy.”
• While using VPN is legal, VPN companies based in the UK may be subject to the same data retention laws applicable to internet service providers. The UK has also reportedly blocked some VPNs.

Sources:
Country Profile: United Kingdom. Open Net Initiative.
Internet Censorship and Surveillance per Country: United Kingdom. Wikipedia.
Freedom on the Net 2017 Country Profile: United Kingdom. Freedom House.

Popular UK-based VPN providers:

• HideMyAss!
• SaferVPN
• ZoogVPN

 

VPN Jurisdiction: United States of America

• Are VPNs legal in the United States of America? Yes
• Founding member of the Five, Nine, and 14 Eyes Alliances
• The United States of America is known for its staunch support for human rights, civil liberties, privacy, and freedoms of speech and of the press. However, the country – which functions as a federal republic – has been involved in controversies concerning internet use and regulation. While the state does not actively censor online content, there have been reports that its intelligence agencies have been monitoring ISPs. Furthermore, recently introduced laws grant more legal space for ISP monitoring. Freedom House rates the country’s internet policies and actions as “free” while Reporters Without Borders listed the US in 2014 as an “Internet Enemy.”
• VPN use is completely legal. The US arguably hosts the world’s largest number of VPN service providers.

Sources:
Freedom on the Net 2017 Country Profile: United States. Freedom House.
Regional Overview: United States & Canada. Open Net Initiative.
Internet Censorship and Surveillance per Country: United States. Wikipedia.
2018 World Press Freedom Index: United States. Reporters Without Borders.

Popular USA-based VPN providers:

• Ace VPN
• Anonmizer VPN
• Encrypt Me
• Hide All IP
• Hide My IP
• HotSpot Shield
• Hoxx VPN
• IPVanish
• LiquidVPN
• Norton Wifi Privacy
• PersonalVPN
• Private Internet Access
• Private Tunnel
• ProxPN
• Ra4w VPN
• SecureVPN
• SlickVPN
• Speedify
• StrongVPN
• SwitchVPN
• TorGuard
• Touch VPN
• VPN Unlimited

 

AES, or Advanced Encryption Standards, is a cryptographic cipher that is responsible for a large amount of the information security that you enjoy on a daily basis.

Applied by everyone from the NSA to Microsoft to Apple, AES is one of the most important cryptographic algorithms being used in 2022.

What exactly is AES? How does it work? And can “non-techie” people like you and me apply it to be more secure in our daily lives?

That’s exactly what we will be discussing in this guide.

• What is AES 
• AES vs. DES (Background story)
• Common uses of AES
• What is AES Cipher
• Symmetric vs. Asymmetric Ciphers
• Cyber Attacks Related to AES
• Conclusion

What is AES?

AES or Advanced Encryption Standards (also known as Rijndael) is one of the most widely used methods for encrypting and decrypting sensitive information in 2022.

This encryption method uses what is known as a block cipher algorithm (which I will explain later) to ensure that data can be stored securely.

And while I will dive into the technical nuances and plenty of fun cryptography jargon in a moment, in order to fully appreciate AES we must first backtrack for a brief history lesson.

AES vs. DES (Background story)

Before diving into AES in all of its encrypted glory, I want to discuss how AES achieved standardization and briefly talk about its predecessor DES or Data Encryption Standards.

Basing their development on a prototype algorithm designed by Horst Feistel, IBM developed the initial DES algorithm in the early 1970’s.

The encryption was then submitted to the National Bureau of Standards who, in a later collaboration with the NSA, modified the original algorithm and later published it as a Federal Information Processing Standard in 1977.

DES became the standard algorithm used by the United States government for over two decades, until, in January of 1999, distributed.net and the Electronic Frontier Foundation collaborated to publicly break a DES key in under 24 hours.

They successfully concluded their efforts after only 22 hours and 15 minutes, bringing the algorithms weakness into the spotlight for all to see.

Over 5-years, the National Institute of Standards and Technology stringently evaluated cipher designs from 15 competing parties including, MARS from IBM, RC6 from RSA Security, Serpent, Twofish, and Rijndael, among many others.

Their decision was not made lightly, and throughout the 5-year process, the entire cryptographic community banded together to execute detailed tests, discussions, and mock attacks in order to find potential weaknesses and vulnerabilities that could compromise each cipher’s security.

While the strength of the competing cipher’s was obviously of paramount importance, it was not the only factor assessed by the various panels. Speed, versatility, and computational requirements were also reviewed as the government needed an encryption that was easy to implement, reliable, and fast.

And while there were many other algorithms that performed admirably (in fact many of them are still widely used today), the Rijndael cipher ultimately took home the trophy and was declared a federal standard.

Upon its victory, the Rijndael cipher, designed by two Belgian cryptographers (Joan Daemen and Vincent Rijmen) was renamed Advanced Encryption Standard.

But this cipher’s success didn’t end with its standardization.

In fact, after the standardization of AES, the cipher continued to rise through the ranks, and in 2003 it was deemed suitable by the NSA for guarding Top Secret Information.

So why exactly am I telling you all of this?

Well, in recent years, AES has been the subject of much controversy as many cryptographers and hackers questions its suitability for continued use. And while I am not posing as an industry expert, I want you to understand the process required to develop the algorithm and the tremendous amount of confidence that even the most secretive agencies place in the Rijndael cipher.

 

Common Uses of AES in 2022

Before I dive into some of the more technical details about how AES works, let’s first discuss how it’s being used in 2022.

It should be noted that AES is free for any public, private, commercial, or non-commercial use. (Although you should proceed with caution when implementing AES in software since the algorithm was designed on a big-endian system and the majority of personal computers run on little-endian systems.)

1. Archive and Compression Tools

If any of you have ever downloaded a file off the internet and then gone to open that file only to notice that the file was compressed, (meaning that the original file size was reduced to minimize its affect on your hard drive) then you have likely installed software that relies on an AES encryption.

Common compression tools like WinZip, 7 Zip, and RAR allow you to compress and then decompress files in order to optimize storage space, and nearly all of them use AES to ensure file security.

2. Disk/Partition Encryption

If you’re already familiar with the concept of cryptography and have taken extra measures to ensure the security of your personal data, the disk/partition encryption software that you use likely uses an AES algorithm.

BitLocker, FileVault, and CipherShed are all encryption software that run on AES to keep your information private.

3. VPNs

The AES algorithm is also commonly applied to VPNs, or Virtual Private Networks.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the term, a VPN is a tool that allows you to use a public internet connection in order to connect to a more secure network.

VPNs work by creating a “tunnel” between your public network connection and an encrypted network on a server operated by the VPN provider.

For example, if you regularly do work from your local coffee shop, you are probably aware that the public connection is incredibly insecure and leaves you vulnerable to all types of hacking.

With a VPN, you can easily solve this problem by connecting to a private network that will mask your online activities and keep your data secure.

Or, let’s say that you are traveling to a country with stringent censorship laws and you notice that all of your favorite sites are restricted.

Once again, with a simple VPN setup, you can quickly regain access to these websites by connecting to a private network in your home country.

It should be noted, however, that not all VPNs are created equally.

While the best VPNs (like ExpressVPN, NordVPN and Surfshark) rely on an AES-256 encryption, there are a number of outdated services that still rely on PPTP and Blowfish (a long since obsolete 64-bit encryption), so be sure to do your research before selecting a provider.

4. Other Mainstream Applications

In addition to the above applications, AES is used in a plethora of different software and applications with which you are undoubtedly familiar.

If you use any sort of master password tools like LastPass or 1Password, then you have been privy to the benefits of 256-bit AES encryption.

Have you ever played Grand Theft Auto? Well, the folks over at Rockstar developed a game engine that uses AES in order to prevent multiplayer hacking.

Oh, and let’s not forget, any of you who like to send messages over WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger… You guessed it! AES in action.

Hopefully, you are now beginning to realize just how integral AES in running the entire framework of modern society.

And now that you understand what it is and how it’s used, it’s time to get into the fun stuff. How this bad boy works.

 

The AES Cipher

The AES cipher is part of a family known as block ciphers, which are algorithms that encrypt data on a per-block basis.

These “blocks” which are measured in bits determine the input of plaintext and output of ciphertext. So for example, since AES is 128 bits long, for every 128 bits of plaintext, 128 bits of ciphertext are produced.

Like nearly all encryption algorithms, AES relies on the use of keys during the encryption and decryption process. Since the AES algorithm is symmetric, the same key is used for both encryption and decryption (I will talk more about what this means in a moment).

AES operates on what is known as a 4 x 4 column major order matrix of bytes. If that seems like too much of a mouthful to you, the cryptography community agrees and termed this process the state.

The key size used for this cipher specifies the number of repetitions or “rounds” required to put the plaintext through the cipher and convert it into ciphertext.

Here’s how the cycles break down.

• 10 rounds are required for a 128-bit key
• 12 Rounds are required for a 192-bit key
• 14 Rounds are required for a 256-bit key

While longer keys provide the users with stronger encryptions, the strength comes at the cost of performance, meaning that they will take longer to encrypt.

Conversely, while the shorter keys aren’t as strong as the longer ones, they provide much faster encryption times for the user.

Aren’t Symmetric Ciphers Easier to Break than Asymmetric?

Now before we move on, I want to briefly touch on a topic that has sparked a significant amount of controversy within the cryptographic community.

As I noted earlier, AES relies on a symmetric algorithm, meaning that the key used to encrypt information is the same one used to decrypt it. When compared to an asymmetric algorithm, which relies on a private key for decryption and a separate public key for file encryption, symmetric algorithms are often said to be less secure.

And while it is true that asymmetric encryptions do have an added layer of security because they do not require the distribution of your private key, this does not necessarily mean that they are better in every scenario.

Symmetric algorithms do not require the same computational power as asymmetric keys, making them significantly faster than their counterparts.

However, where symmetric keys fall short is within the realm of file transferring. Because they rely on the same key for encryption and decryption, symmetric algorithms require you to find a secure method of transferring the key to the desired recipient.

With asymmetric algorithms, you can safely distribute your public key to anyone and everyone without worry, because only your private key can decrypt encrypted files.

So while asymmetric algorithms are certainly better for file transfers, I wanted to point out that AES is not necessarily less secure because it relies on symmetric cryptography, it is simply limited in its application.

Attacks and Security Breaches Related to AES

AES has yet to be broken in the same way that DES was back in 1999, and the largest successful brute-force attack against any block cipher was only against a 64-bit encryption (at least to public knowledge).

The majority of cryptographers agree that, with current hardware, successfully attacking the AES algorithm, even on a 128-bit key would take billions of years and is, therefore, highly improbable.

At the present moment, there isn’t a single known method that would allow someone to attack and decrypt data encrypted by AES so long as the algorithm was properly implemented.

However, many of the documents leaked by Edward Snowden show that the NSA is researching whether or not something known as the tau statistic could be used to break AES.

Side Channel Attacks

Despite all of the evidence pointing to the impracticality of an AES attack with current hardware, this doesn’t mean that AES is completely secure.

Side channel attacks, which are an attack based on information gained from the physical implementation of a cryptosystem, can still be exploited to attack a system encrypted with AES. These attacks are not based on weaknesses in the algorithm, but rather physical indications of a potential weakness that can be exploited to breach the system.

Here are a few common examples.

• Timing Attack: These attacks are based on attackers measuring how much time various computations need to perform.
• Power-monitoring Attack: These attacks rely on the variability of power consumption by hardware during computation
• Electromagnetic Attacks: These attacks, which are based on leaked electromagnetic radiation, can directly provide attackers with plaintext and other information. This information can be used to surmise the cryptographic keys by using methods similar to those used by the NSA with TEMPEST.

The Anthem Hacking: How AES Could Have Saved 80 Million People’s Personal Data

During February of 2015, the database for the Anthem insurance company was hacked, compromising the personal data of over 80 million Americans.

The personal data in question included everything from the names, addresses, and social security numbers of the victims.

And while the CEO of Anthem reassured the public by stating the credit card information of their clients was not compromised, any hacker worth his salt can easily commit financial fraud with the stolen information.

While the company’s spokesperson claimed that the attack was unpreventable and that they had taken every measure to ensure the security of their client’s information, nearly every major data security company in the world disputed this claim, pointing out that the breach was, in fact, completely preventable.

While Anthem encrypted data in transit, they did not encrypt that same data while it was at rest. Meaning that their entire database.

So even though the attack itself might have been unpreventable, by applying a simple AES encryption to the data at rest, Anthem could have prevented the hackers from viewing their customer’s data.

Conclusion

With the increasing prevalence of cyber-attacks and the growing concerns surrounding information security, it is more important now than ever before to have a strong understanding of the systems that keep you and your personal information safe.

And hopefully, this guide has helped you gain a general understanding of one of the most important security algorithms currently in use today.

AES is here to stay and understanding not only how it works, but how you can make it work for you will help you to maximize your digital security and mitigate your vulnerability to online attacks.

If you really want to dig into AES, I consider watching the video below by Christof Paar (it goes in-depth and it’s interesting, too):

If you have any further questions about AES or any insights that you have gained from cryptography-related research, please feel free to comment below and I will do my best to get back to you.

To determine the best VPN for Firestick, we tried out the following key factors:

• Speed: Since Amazon’s Fire TV Stick is mainly designed to stream content, speed is the most important factor we pay attention to.
• Amazon Fire TV Stick compatibility: Besides speed, we also pay careful attention to a device’s support for Firestick. Unlike Chromecast devices, that do not allow installing a VPN on your device, it is still possible to install a VPN on Firestick. For this reason, we give preference to VPNs that have a native Firestick VPN app.
• Servers and locations: Obviously, many are interested in a VPN for Firestick to access geo-restricted content that wouldn’t ordinarily be available in their location. For this reason, the more servers and locations a VPN offers, the better it is.
• Security: Due to Amazon’s history of turning over user data to law enforcement, our ranking is determined to a great extent by a VPN’s actual logging policy (not just what they say on their website).

Based on the above factors, here the VPNs we consider to be the best for Firestick:

1. NordVPN – Best Value & Biggest Server Park

Two VPNs stand out among our best VPN for Firestick: NordVPN and ExpressVPN.

NordVPN, however, easily takes the #1 spot. Speed is a very important consideration for a device like the Firestick, which is mainly used to stream content, and NordVPN is one of our fastest VPNs for Firestick. Our test reveals a download speed of 74.15 Mbps against a benchmark of 98 Mbps without a VPN — or a 24 percent drop, which isn’t bad when we compare results from other VPN providers.

NordVPN has the widest range of servers among all the VPNs on this list: a whopping 5,200+ servers in 62 locations. Access to that many servers, in a lot of different locations, ensures that bypassing any form of geo-restricted content is pretty much guaranteed.

We consider NordVPN’s privacy and security features even more impressive: their double encryption feature, which routes your connection through two different servers (equivalent to using a VPN on top of a VPN), stands out among VPN providers. This, and really strong AES 256-bit encryption ensures complete security. A strict no logs policy, and being based in Panama (a VPN-friendly jurisdiction), gives the assurance that no data on you can ever be turned over to a third-party.

You can setup NordVPN to work with Firestick through a native Firestick app that can be installed with one click or you can install NordVPN on your router and then connect your Firestick device to your router.

All these must cost an arm and a leg, right? Nah! NordVPN’s cheapest plan costs just $2.99 per month (less than half that of our next best option), and you can trial their service without paying a cent for 7 full days.

The facts:

• Speed test results: We had a connection speed of 98 Mbps without a VPN. While using NordVPN the speed was 74.15 Mbps. It’s only a 24% drop, which isn’t bad at all compared to some providers.
• Native Firestick app: Yes.
• Servers and locations: Over 5,200 servers in 62 locations.
• Logging policy: No logs.
• Cost: $2.99/mo

2. ExpressVPN – Fastest & Most Locations

While testing ExpressVPN, the first thing that caught our attention was its download speed of 83 Mbps, which  is just a 15 percent drop compared to our benchmark speed without a VPN. This makes it the fastest VPN on this list as well as a very good option for streaming content.

The fact that ExpressVPN has more than 2,000 servers in 148 locations, which is more than every other provider on this list, also makes it very competitive. For comparison, the VPN with the most location on this list after ExpressVPN is Ivacy. It has about 100 locations, and its runner up, VyprVPN, has 70 locations.

Besides speed and server park, ExpressVPN boasts a strict no-logs policy that our independent investigations have shown to be true: in fact, when the Turkish government seized their servers in 2017, with hopes of finding logs to help in the arrest of a criminal who used ExpressVPN, they found nothing on the seized servers — because ExpressVPN truly keeps no logs.

What are your options when it comes to actually using ExpressVPN with Firestick, though? You have the easy option of using their native Firestick application that you can install very quickly. The second option is by setting up ExpressVPN on your router (either manually or by using an ExpressVPN app) and then connecting your Firestick device to your router.

While ExpressVPN doesn’t offer a free trial, its 30 days money-back guarantee allows you to get a full refund within the first 30 days of paying for the service.

The facts:

• Speed test results: We had a connection speed of 98 Mbps without a VPN. While using ExpressVPN the speed was 83.15 Mbps. It’s only a 15% drop, which makes it one of the fastest VPNs we’ve tested.
• Native Firestick app: Yes.
• Servers and locations: Over 2,000 servers in 148 locations.
• Logging policy: No logs.
• Cost: $6.67/mo

3. IPVanish

When we tested IPVanish for Firestick, one thing that quickly stood out is its speed: at 82 Mbps, it is our second fastest VPN for Firestick and a very good option for streaming content. It also offers really strong encryption (AES 256-bit) and boasts a no logging policy that makes us feel comfortable as far as security is concerned. It has fewer servers compared to our top two picks, but 1,100 servers in 60 countries is more than enough for the average Firestick user!

Setting up IPVanish with Firestick is quite easy: you can install IPVanish’s native Firestick app with one click, you can sideload IPVanish’s APK file on your Firestick device (using method #2 from our “How to Use a VPN With Firestick” section), or you can install IPVanish on your router and connect your Firestick device to it.

IPVanish is a bit on the high end in terms of cost and has no free trial, but you can take advantage of their 7-day money back guarantee if you do not like their service.

The facts:

• Speed test results: We had a connection speed of 98 Mbps without a VPN. While using IPVanish the speed was 82.67 Mbps. It’s only a 16% drop, also making IPVanish of the fastest VPNs we’ve tested.
• Native Firestick app: Yes.
• Servers and locations: Over 1,100 servers in over 60 countries.
• Logging policy: No logs.
• Cost: $6.49/mo.

4. Private Internet Access

Private Internet Access (PIA) has a lot going for it that makes it one of our best VPNs for Firestick: while we try not to use price alone as a factor for ranking a VPN service, there aren’t many VPN services that offer really impressive service at a measly rate. With its cheapest plan costing just $2.91 per month, the monthly cost of using PIA is less than that of the average cup of coffee.

Cheap doesn’t always equal quality, however. So, how does PIA stack up feature-wise? Our tests show PIA to be quite fast for Firestick and for streaming in general. With a speed of 81 Mbps, PIA managed to sneak into the “top 3” spot!

Unlike many other VPN providers, PIA also offers multiple levels of encryption — if you’re more concerned about speed than security, for example, you can use their “All Speed No Safety” encryption setting (with no data encryption or authentication and with the ECC-256k1 handshake). If you are more concerned about security than speed, however, you can use their “Maximum Protection” encryption setting (with AES-256 data encryption, SHA256 data authentication, and RSA-4096 handshake).

PIA also has quite a lot of servers: 3,180 servers in 52 locations, giving us a lot of options and flexibility for bypassing content restrictions.

What leaves us unimpressed, however, is the fact that PIA does not have a native Firestick app that you can install with one click. Instead, you need to sideload their APK file unto your Firestick device — while we share a method for doing this later in this article, we felt a native Firestick app is at least needed to be competitive. They also do not have a free trial.

The facts:

• Speed test results: We had a connection speed of 98 Mbps without a VPN. While using PIA the speed was 81.46 Mbps. It’s only a 17% drop, also putting PIA among the fastest VPNs we’ve tested.
• Native Firestick app: No.
• Servers and locations: 3,180 servers in 52 locations.
• Logging policy: No logs.
• Cost: $2.91/mo and up.

5. VyprVPN

VyprVPN is run by Golden Frog, a company that was established in response to NSA’s illegal surveillance of Americans in the Room 641a incident that began in 2003. This, as well as the fact that VyprVPN is located in Switzerland, a country with a very long history of fighting for user privacy, gives a level assurance about security expectations. VyprVPN does not disappoint; they use the ultra-secure AES-256-bit and the OpenVPN protocol as far as encryption is concerned, and they developed a proprietary technology, called Chameleon™, to protect against Deep Packet Inspection.

VyprVPN is also quite fast. At 74 Mbps, it is one of the fastest VPN services we have reviewed, and our speed test shows a really favorable experience when it comes to streaming content on Firestick. It is also quite easy to set VyprVPN up on your Firestick device through their native, one-click Firestick app. If you don’t want to go this route, VyprVPN can be installed on your router which your Firestick device then connects to.

While they only have 700 servers, they provide access to servers in 70 locations — which is quite generous in the VPN world. They also allow you to trial their service for 3 days if you so choose.

What we find to be the only downside to using this service is their logging policy — they keep logs such as the VyprVPN IP address used by the user, the connection start and stop time, and the total number of bytes used for a period of 30 days. While this would most likely not reveal anything about you, we’re very wary about any kind of logs being kept at all.

The facts:

• Speed test results: We had a connection speed of 98 Mbps without a VPN. While using VyprVPN the speed was 74.48 Mbps. It’s only a 24% drop, and isn’t bad compared to other providers.
• Native Firestick app: Yes.
• Servers and locations: Over 700 servers in more than 70 locations.
• Logging policy: Some logs.
• Cost: $4.98/mo and up.

6. Ivacy

Ivacy is more of an “average” VPN for Firestick, but it’ll get the job done: starting at $4.08 per month, it’s quite costly compared to NordVPN and is of inferior quality. However, the first thing Ivacy gets right is the fact that it makes it easy to use your Firestick device with its VPN; either through a native, one-click Firestick app or by connecting to a router that has Ivacy installed. It also offers really strong encryption (AES 256-bit and the OpenVPN protocol), and boasts a strict no logs policy we’ve found to be true.

Our tests show that Ivacy will work fine for streaming content on Firestick, although it is much slower compared to other VPN services at 53 Mbps (a 45 percent drop compared to not using a VPN), and you have a whole 7 days to test drive the service before paying anything.

We would shy away from giving Ivacy our full recommendation for two key reasons: 1) Our tests show that they don’t work with Netflix. VPNs that work well with Netflix generally have an advantage for Firestick, as many Firestick users are particular about being able to use Netflix on their device. 2) They are located in Singapore, a “Five Eyes” jurisdiction that we consider to be unfriendly for VPN services.

The facts:

• Speed test results: We had a connection speed of 98 Mbps without a VPN. While using Ivacy the speed was 53.04 Mbps. It’s a sharp 45% drop, and is one one the slowest options on this list.
• Native Firestick app: Yes.
• Servers and locations: Over 1,000 servers in more than 100 locations.
• Logging policy: No logs.
• Cost: $4.08/mo and up.

7. Windscribe

We would have loved to rank Windscribe higher because we find it to be quite impressive:

Unlike the other VPNs on this list, it has a permanently-free option limited to 10GB data transfer monthly and over a dozen server locations (which is still more than sufficient to see how it works with Firestick).

Windscribe uses the really strong AES 256-bit encryption and offers OpenVPN support (although it uses the IKEv2 protocol by default, so you might want to take note of that fact and make necessary changes before connecting). And it keeps no logs.

While Windscribe doesn’t have many servers (just 480), you have access to servers in 51 locations which is still good enough as far as VPNs are concerned.

In terms of actually using Windscribe with Firestick, you can install their native Firestick app (boom, one click!) or simply install Windscribe on your router and connect your Firestick device to your router.

However:

We are put off by the fact that Windscribe is the slowest of all the VPN providers on this list and also by the fact that it is located in Canada — a country we are very wary of due to it being a Five Eyes jurisdiction.

The facts:

• Speed test results: We had a connection speed of 98 Mbps without a VPN. While using Windscribe the speed was 42.97 Mbps. It’s a sharp 56% drop, and is by far the slowest of the providers on this list.
• Native Firestick app: Yes.
• Servers and locations: Over 480 servers in 51 countries.
• Logging policy: No logs.
• Cost: $3.70/mo and up.

How to Use a VPN With Firestick

There are several ways to use a VPN with Firestick. Most of these methods will take a minute or two. These steps assume that you have already chosen a VPN from the above list and have created an account with them:

Method 1: Install a VPN through the Amazon Fire TV App Store

• Step 1: Search for the name of your VPN in the Fire TV app store by selecting the search icon on your Firestick device. Example: “NordVPN” or “Ivacy”.
• Step 2: Select the VPN app that appears and download it (if nothing comes up, you can use the other methods listed after this).
• Step 3: Open the VPN app you just downloaded and sign in with your VPN login details.
• Step 4: Select your desired VPN location and connect.

Method 2: Download a VPN’s APK and Install on Firestick

This method involves five steps. It requires that your VPN service provider offer an APK file and will require you to use a third-party application called “Downloader”:

• Step 1: Using the search option in Firestick, search for the app called “Downloader.” Once found, install and open this app.
• Step 2: Locate the URL of the APK file offered by your VPN service provider and type it into the box provided by the “Downloader” app and start downloading it.
• Step 3: Once downloading of the VPN app is complete, install it by following the prompt OR go to the downloads section in the “Downloader” app to find and install it.
• Step 4: Because you did not install the app through the Firestick store, it won’t show up in the Apps menu.
  To locate the newly-installed VPN app, go to Settings >> Applications >> Manage Installed Applications. You should find the app there and be able to launch it from there.
• Step 5: Open the VPN app you just installed and login with your VPN login credentials.
• Step 6: Select the server of your choice, connect and you’re protected.

Method 3: Install Your VPN on Your Router

If method 1 or 2 isn’t an option with your VPN service provider, most VPN service providers support installing their VPN directly on your router.

Simply find the instruction on how to do this on your VPN service provider’s website, follow the instructions, and have your router automatically connect to the VPN network.

Once your router is connected, your Firestick device is automatically covered whenever you connect to the Internet through your router.

Conclusion

Impressive download speeds, a native Firestick app, a large server park, strict zero logs policy, and the fact that you can trial it for 7 days makes NordVPN the best VPN for Firestick in our book.

Even if you decide not to go with NordVPN, the other six VPN services on this list are really good alternatives for Firestick and all Amazon Fire TV devices.