If you’re looking to enlist a VPN service, wait until you’ve read this detailed guide explaining the five most important factors to consider when selecting a VPN. Surely, you’ll be in a position to select the best VPN for your needs. It can save you a lot of trouble and ensure you get value for money from your chosen VPN.
You probably already know the benefits of enlisting a Virtual Private Network service, such as privacy, anonymity, security, bypassing censorship, among others. You also know what you want from a VPN service, but how do you choose the best? Here’s what to consider.
- Find details of server locations
One of the benefits of a Virtual Private Network is to allow access to bypass censorship by Governments or private content on certain websites. If you travel often, you want to find a VPN with enough flexibility in server locations. A VPN with more server locations offers the most flexibility to frequent travelers.
- What Protocols are available?
Another significant benefit of a Virtual Private Network is security, and many users enlist a VPN to secure their online activities. A VPN protocol provides the security implementation of your connection. The type of protocol used will also determine the level of protection your connection will have. The most common protocols for personal VPN connections include OpenVPN, L2TP/IPSec, and PPTP protocols. Some VPN services may also offer SSL VPN and SSTP protocols.
The security level you need will determine an ideal protocol for you. PPTP offers basic Internet security with 128-bit encryption but also imposes fewer demands on the system resources of your device. On the other hand, OpenVPN offers 256-bit encryption and uses many system resources, while L2TP/IPSec and SSL VPN are relatively harder to implement.
- Performance
Performance is perhaps the most critical point you should consider when shopping for a VPN service because it will greatly affect your internet connection speed. Many factors affect the performance of a VPN server, including speed, capacity, and reliability. Capacity is the maximum number of IPs that a server can support at a time. Larger capacity means better reliability, so you’ll want to find out about the server capacity of your prospect VPN service. Note that your ultimate connection speed will also be affected by your ISP connection.
While checking performance, be sure to find out about IP switching. Some Virtual Private Network providers are rigid with switching and even cap the number of switches you can make. A good VPN allows free and unlimited IP switching.
- Subscription Plans
Of course, price is a big consideration for many users, especially those with basic security and privacy needs. Every VPN offers a different set of subscription plans ranging from one month to yearly subscriptions. Typically, a yearly subscription offers great discounts with most VPNs. There’s a package for every type of user. Choose one that meets your particular needs and budget. Of course, service with flexible subscription plans is better than one with rigid plans.
- Extra Features
After covering the four basics above, you should consider any extra features that come with your subscription plan. Things that increase convenience and ease of use are especially attractive. Some services allow multiple device connections on one account, while others provide access to additional Internet services at no cost. Competition among VPNs is stiff, so extra features are what make the difference many times.
You should also consider the quality of customer support, especially post-sales support.
After going through the above list, you should now be in a position to choose a VPN service that will meet your needs and is within your budget.
