Best UK VPN Services Of 2024

We also tested the following VPNs, but did not find them to be among the top ten:

• VyprVPN
• TunnelBear
• Bitdefender
• Strong VPN
• VPN Unlimited
• Air VPN
• TorGuard VPN

When it comes to choosing the best VPN, there are a few key factors to consider. Customers should look for an ideal balance of affordability, helpful privacy features, server locations and an intuitive user experience. Taking these features into account can help you find a VPN that offers the protection and privacy you need. Here’s what to watch out for:

Essential VPN features

• Security and encryption: A VPN should offer robust security measures, such as AES-256 encryption, to protect your online data and activity from hackers and other malicious actors
• Privacy policy: A VPN’s privacy policy should be clear, transparent and not allow any logging of your online activity
• Network of server locations: A VPN should offer a wide network of server locations, allowing you to choose the server that best meets your needs in terms of location and performance
• Compatibility: Your VPN should be compatible with all your devices and operating systems, such as Mac, iOS, Windows, Android and Linux
• Performance and reliability: Your VPN should have fast and reliable connections with minimal lag or downtime
• Killswitch: A killswitch is a feature that terminates your internet connection automatically if the VPN connection drops. This helps to protect your online data and activity from being exposed in the event of a disconnection.

Types of VPN services

There are different types of VPN software that you may use in different situations. The most common of all are personal VPNs, but you may find that you’ll need a remote access VPN, site-to-site VPN or mobile VPN.

• Personal VPN: A personal VPN (also known as consumer VPN) shields your IP address and encrypts active data transfers (from you and to you). It also spoofs your location, which is how you can access previously inaccessible content from your country
• Remote access VPN: The most common use of a remote access VPN might be if you work for a company that requires you to log into a private network when you’re on open/public internet. The VPN protects the connection and the data transfer between the employee and the private network
• Site-to-site VPN: A site-to-site VPN is useful for companies that want to establish a single wide area network (WAN) between two or more other networks. A good example of this is a corporation that has multiple branches across the country with employees that need to access data across the combined network
• Mobile VPN: A mobile VPN is similar to a remote access VPN, except it’s designed for those using mobile devices when there’s an expectation that one’s internet service could be on Wi-Fi or a cellular network. So, if you log into a company’s network using Wi-Fi, but the Wi-Fi goes out, your phone may swap over to cellular data, but the VPN keeps the connection going
• Zero-trust VPN: Zero-trust VPN is a security model that assumes that all devices and users trying to access a network are untrusted until proven otherwise. This type of VPN is used by organisations with strict security requirements, such as financial institutions and government agencies
• Cloud VPN: Cloud VPN is a type of VPN that connects a user’s device to a cloud-based virtual private network. It allows users to access cloud-based applications and services securely and is particularly useful for organisations that use cloud-based infrastructure
• Free VPN: Free VPNs are VPNs that are offered for free, usually with limited features and capabilities. They may be suitable for casual internet users who want to protect their data on public Wi-Fi networks, but they may not be as secure or reliable as paid VPNs
• Split tunnelling VPN: A split tunnelling VPN allows you to route specific applications or web traffic through the VPN tunnel, while other traffic goes through your regular internet connection. This can be useful for organisations that want to protect sensitive data while still allowing employees to access non-sensitive information
• TOR over VPN: This type of VPN routes your internet connection through both a VPN and the TOR network. This provides an additional layer of encryption and anonymity, but it can also slow down your internet connection.

Server number and locations

Server numbers and locations are important factors to consider when choosing a VPN because they can affect the VPN’s overall performance and the level of privacy and security it can provide.

Server numbers: A VPN with a large number of servers is generally considered to be a good thing because it means that there are more options for connecting to the VPN and more servers to choose from.

This can help to ensure that you can find a server that is fast and reliable and that is located near your physical location.

A VPN with many servers also allows for more flexibility in terms of server switching and load balancing, which can help to improve the overall performance of the VPN.

Server locations: A VPN with a wide range of server locations is also considered to be a good thing because it allows you to choose a server that is located in a specific country or region.

This can be useful if you want to access geo-restricted content or if you want to ensure that your data is transmitted through a specific country’s jurisdiction.

The more server locations a VPN has, the more options you have to choose from and the more flexibility you have to ensure that your connection is fast and reliable.

A VPN service with few servers and few locations is considered bad because it could lead to over-congestion, low speed and difficulty in finding a server near your location.

It is also important that the VPN provider has servers in countries which are privacy-friendly and not part of any surveillance alliance, such as the 5-eyes, 9-eyes or 14-eyes.

Speed and performance

Speed is an important decision factor when choosing a VPN because it affects the overall performance of the VPN and your ability to use the internet effectively.

A VPN that’s slow can cause delays in loading web pages, buffering when streaming video and difficulty using real-time applications, such as online gaming or video conferencing.

Other performance factors include:

• Latency: Latency refers to the time it takes for data to travel from your device to the VPN server and back. A low latency is important for real-time applications such as online gaming or video conferencing
• Bandwidth: Bandwidth refers to the amount of data that can be transmitted over a connection. A VPN with high bandwidth can support more data-intensive activities such as streaming high-definition (HD) video
• Uptime: Uptime refers to the amount of time a VPN server is available and online. A VPN with high uptime will be more reliable and less likely to experience disruptions or downtime.

There may be some differences in speed across devices, as some devices may have faster processors or better network connectivity than others. However, a good VPN provider should be able to provide fast and reliable connections regardless of the device.

To evaluate a VPN’s performance, you can use online speed test tools to measure the VPN’s download and upload speeds, as well as its latency and jitter. They can also look at the VPN’s uptime records and read reviews from other users to get a general sense of the VPN’s performance.

Before subscribing to a VPN service, it’s important to have a free trial or money-back guarantee period. This way you can test the performance and see if it meets your needs prior to committing to a plan.

VPN pricing ranges from free to about £10 per month. Free VPNs usually limit you in the number of devices you can connect and locations. The cheapest VPNs generally give you deep discounts for agreeing to pay for a VPN for multiple years in advance. The higher prices are typically reserved for business VPNs, which usually have several devices connected simultaneously (justifying the premium cost).

Factors that impact the cost of a VPN

Factors that impact the cost of a VPN include:

• the number of devices that can be connected simultaneously
• the number of server locations available
• the level of security and encryption provided
• the quality of customer support.

Pricing plans for VPNs are typically structured as monthly, annual or mult-iyear subscriptions. Longer commitments tend to offer the best prices. Some VPNs offer a free version with limited features, while others offer a free trial period for users to test the service before committing to a paid subscription.

Promotional plans and discounts are often available, especially for new users or during special events, such as holiday sales. Check the provider’s website or subscribe to their newsletter to be informed of any promotions.

There’s an old adage that if you’re not paying for a product then you are the product. In the world of VPNs this could mean that your data (the sites you visit, the purchases you  make, the information you share and so forth) may be used and/or sold for other purposes, such as advertisement targeting.

Free VPNs are also limited in their utility and security. If a VPN provider has no incentive to satisfy paying customers, it’s probably not going to be investing in its infrastructure. This can lead poor connection speeds and stability, or worse, leaves your connection vulnerable to security breaches. If you’re not paying, there’s no obligation to protect your privacy, after all.

Even free versions of VPN products that exist alongside premium versions have their drawbacks. For example, ProtonVPN has a free version as well as a paid version. While the latter gives you access to more than 5,000 servers across more than 90 countries, the free version routes your traffic through just three servers – and you can’t choose which.

While there’s no suggestion the three servers are any less secure or private than its others, it’s likely that they will be overcrowded, leading to poor performance in the form of slow loading pages, buffering videos and so on.

Finally, free VPNs typically limit you to a single connection at a time. In other words, you won’t be able to connect various devices in your home – phones, tablets, laptops, games consoles etc, at the same time.

When you use the internet without a Virtual Private Network, you send and receive unencrypted data from your computer or device to the places you visit online.

This means the website, your Internet Service Provider (ISP) and potentially other third parties can see what you do online, where you are and lots more information about how you use the web.

When you connect to the internet via VPN, however, this data is first encrypted before being sent, via your ISP, to the places you visit online.

VPNs act as a shield against people looking to steal data, a cloak to those who want to invade your privacy, and as a key to access parts of the web that are normally locked because of your location.

The best way to think of a VPN is as a private tunnel between you and the website you’re visiting. Only you are allowed through this tunnel, and nobody (ISPs, criminals, governments, and so on) can see into the tunnel.

More than three quarters of Brits (76%) are familiar with Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), according to Forbes Advisor research.

Here are five of the most common VPN uses:

1. Keep data private from your ISP

Because of the relationship between you and your internet service provider (ISP), it can track what you do online – such as what sites you visit, the time you spend browsing, and more. Depending on the terms of service and what you’ve agreed to, your ISP may even sell your personal data to advertisers.

Since a VPN creates a private tunnel for data to travel to and from your devices, your ISP will not be able to easily track you online.

2. Use public wi-fi safely

Whether you’re at an airport waiting for a flight and checking your email or at a local restaurant reading news on your phone, you may be tempted to use public wi-fi. The good news is that browsing online has become safer in recent years, thanks to most people adopting HTTPS over HTTP.

However, most public wi-fi connections are open and not password protected, so you might put yourself at risk of your connection being intercepted by a hacker who is trolling the network.

If you have a VPN service to log into first, you can anonymously connect to public wi-fi and essentially remain hidden on the network. A VPN will hide your identity on an open internet connection and encrypt active data, so even if a cybercriminal is on the same network, you’ll be safe.

3. Protect your personal data from businesses

The places you visit online, the things you look at and the purchases you make are all data points that are sold on to advertisers to target you. A VPN can prevent this.

4. Protect proprietary information

Remote workers who need access to company networks from home can make their connections more secure using a VPN.

5. Access blocked content

State governments can prevent their citizens from seeing content online, but a VPN can circumvent these blocks. This also applies to geo-restricted material, as a VPN can allow you to access content not available in your country due to licensing restrictions.

However, while using a VPN to access geo-restricted content is not illegal, you may be breaking a website’s terms of service by deliberately doing so. Netflix, for example, specifically says users should not do this. It’s entirely possible that a website with these kinds of terms could ban your account for using a VPN to circumvent its geo-locked content. Netflix even has a specific error code (E106) for when it detects an VPN, and advises users to disconnect before trying again – so you may find a VPN simply won’t work.

On the other hand, if you’re travelling overseas and want to catch up on that series you were watching at home, but find it isn’t available in the country you’re visiting, you could reasonably use a VPN to access your usual UK content library to watch it.

While we’ve highlighted the number of servers, server locations and the number of devices each VPN supports, our rankings are based on a number of factors.

We started by whittling down a long-list of 17 VPNs to a shortlist of 10 by comparing each provider’s number of servers, server locations, number of simultaneous connections, encryption standards, pricing, support, content unblocking and the extent of their free trial periods.

We then put each VPN in the top 10 to the test to get a feel for their user experience, checking download* and connection speeds, content unblocking, user interface and unique features.

Finally, we totalled the scores – with special weighting given to user experience – and gave each a Forbes Advisor star-rating out of a possible five stars.

* Download-speed tests were not conducted under scientific conditions. The time of day/week each was tested, the broadband connections that were available to the reviewer and other factors are likely to have affected the results.