Most Secure VPN – Feature and Privacy Comparison 2024

Based on the results from our recent testing series, the most secure VPN we recommend is Surfshark, thanks to its high speeds and bounty of security features to stay safe online. Plus, at only $2.39 per month for its two-year plan, the VPN is easy on your wallet while being incredibly secure.

Tech.co ran over two dozen VPN services through an intense testing process before culling the list down to Surfshark and other reliable providers. PureVPN, for example, offers an even more affordable option at only $2.11 per month for two years, and comes with a unique “always-on audit agreement” with KPMG.

In this guide, we’ll cover the top providers in detail and discuss which security features are most important for a secure browsing experience. We’ll also take a look at why free VPNs rarely represent a genuinely secure option, and why you should avoid using most of them if security is your priority.

In this guide:

• What is the Most Secure VPN?
• VPN Security Features to Look For
• How We Research VPN Services
• Why Free VPNs Are Rarely Secure
• Verdict: What Is the Most Secure VPN?

What Is the Most Secure VPN?

According to our test results, if you’re after a safe VPN solution, then the most secure options you can choose are Surfshark, ExpressVPN, or PureVPN. Each of these providers was impressed with their excellent security and privacy features and reassuring approach to how they handle data.

If you travel for work and do business on unsecured public networks, you’ll likely need the most secure VPN available. You’ll also need one if VPNs are illegal or restricted in your country, and more specifically, one that obfuscates your data to make it appear like “normal” traffic.

Even if you just want a VPN to access a website in another territory, an absolutely secure connection can offer peace of mind. Here’s our top five picks:

1. Surfshark

Surfshark is our top choice for a secure VPN, offering users a large server network, excellent security features, and very commendable speeds. The mobile app is just as easy to use as NordVPN’s (although there’s no map), and Surfshark runs a 30-day money-back guarantee so you can try before you buy.

What’s more, Surfshark now offers a package called Surfshark One which, for just $1.19 on top of a Surfshark VPN subscription, will grant you access to Surfshark’s antivirus program, a safe search tool that won’t track you while you browse, and a data breach alert system that will scan breached databases for mentions of your personal information

Surfshark security features

Surfshark doesn’t cut corners when it comes to security. Surfshark keeps no logs at all and uses completely diskless RAM servers that wipe themselves whenever a server is powered down. AES-256 encryption — the strongest around — is used to secure traffic, and a kill switch is available for Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS.

Surfshark — who’ve never suffered a data breach in their six-year history — has several additional features you won’t necessarily see every VPN provider include in their packages. For instance, multi-hop will reroute your VPN connection through two servers rather than one, Bypasser will let you push some of your traffic through Surfshark’s VPN tunnels, and keep other traffic separate, and Camouflage Mode will disguise your VPN traffic as regular traffic.

Surfshark’s color scheme is a bit darker than the likes of PureVPN, but it’s just as easy to work your way around. Source: Surfshark

Surfshark pricing

Surfshark is the best cheap VPN available, with low prices that don’t sacrifice features. Check out how much you can save on Surfshark if you opt for a longer contract below:

2. ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN doesn’t offer quite the range of privacy tools that PureVPN and Surfshark do, but it’s a great choice for anyone who’s new to VPNs and just wants an option that’s quick, easy, and keeps their private traffic private. The downside? It’s very expensive.

ExpressVPN security features

ExpressVPN uses state-of-the-art, Trusted Server Technology (ExpressVPN’s version of RAM-only servers) which will give users peace of mind that none of their activity will ever be written to hard drives. Standard features like a killswitch and a split tunneller are also included.

While ExpressVPN doesn’t add in many security bells and whistles, it now has a Threat Manager that will prevent your device from communicating with malicious websites and trackers listed on ExpressVPN’s blocklist. It also has its own, custom VPN protocol, called Lightway, which is built on top of WireGuard and (at least in my experience) leads to quicker connections.

Read our full review of Express VPN

ExpressVPN has an incredibly basic interface, but regular updates ensure it is one of the most simple yet reliable VPNs around. Source: Tech.co

ExpressVPN pricing

Compared to other options on this list, ExpressVPN is very expensive, even when you opt for longer contracts. You’ll have three options, one month, six months, or one year, and all the monthly charges are well above the industry average. You admittedly get a lot for your money, but be sure you can afford it if this is your choice. Check out how the pricing plans match up against each other below.

3. PureVPN

PureVPN is another top recommendation for the best and most secure VPN. It’s fast, private, and packaged inside an intuitive, easy-to-set-up interface which is a bit friendlier than ExpressVPN’s, which is cramped by comparison. The readable interface retains the same layout and features across Windows and Macs, as well as iOS and Android devices.

PureVPN security features

In terms of security, PureVPN includes additional precautions, which are powered by Ozone and Gravity servers. Ozone servers will filter your content for malware, while Gravity gets rid of intrusive ads for a better online experience. While PureVPN doesn’t have RAM servers in its network, for just $2.11 per month, it’s also the cheapest long-term option on the list.

Plus, it still includes all the basic things you’d expect from a secure VPN – an independently audited no-logs promise, a killswitch, split tunneling, AES 256-bit encryption, and IPv6 leak protection. There are also servers specifically built to withstand quantum-powered encryption cracking attempts, which is pretty unique in the VPN industry.

The “always-on audit” mentioned in the intro is also a one-of-a-kind feature that keeps PureVPN accountable to its logging promises in a way other providers aren’t. This is a big improvement from a provider that wouldn’t have always made this list – which we talk about in our PureVPN review. Other additional security features include the functionality to turn your PC into a VPN hotspot or configure it so only specific apps use the VPN.

Check out our PureVPN review for more information

Selecting a server with PureVPN is simple even for beginners. Source: Tech.co

PureVPN pricing

PureVPN is one of the most affordable options you can go for when it comes to VPN, offering a rock bottom price for its 2-year plan that will cost you barely more than two dollars per month. Plus, you can use it on up to 10 devices (twice as  Check out the rest of the pricing options below:

4. NordVPN

You may be wondering how NordVPN could even be on this list, given that NordVPN suffered a data breach in March 2018. In fact, this potential catastrophe perfectly demonstrated the security measures NordVPN has in place. The breach affected a single one of its 5,000-strong server network at the time, and NordVPN promptly identified the issue, analyzed the threat, and ensured users remained safe.

Above all, no user data was compromised – NordVPN has a strict “zero logging” policy, so even in the brief window where the server was affected, the risk was minimal. Since that incident, they’ve become one of the most trustworthy companies to connect to the internet with, and have expanded their security package in a similar way to Surfshark.

NordVPN security features

NordVPN takes security seriously, securing user traffic with 256-bit AES encryption and exclusively using RAM-only, bare metal servers throughout its network. NordVPN offers all the VPN basics, like the killswitch feature, but also advanced features like a Threat Protection tool that scans websites for malicious links and software and checks files you download too. There’s also a Double VPN and Onion-Over-VPN feature for even more protection and privacy than a standard VPN offers.

Granted, some of the advanced settings might leave you scratching your head if you don’t have the tech-savvy to interpret them. Still, top-notch security, features and speed are more than welcome, and everything is wrapped up with a very reasonable price tag to boot.

On top of security features, NordVPN is one of the speediest VPNs we’ve tested at Tech.co. What’s more, it has servers in more countries than the other providers on this list, operating on 6,000 servers across 111 countries internationally. This means there’s always a safe place to connect to – and plenty of servers in countries where internet services are heavily restricted.

Check out our NordVPN vs Surfshark comparison guide for more information

The NordVPN interface offers flexible settings to match your needs. Source: NordVPN

NordVPN pricing

NordVPN is right in the middle of the pack when it comes to price, offering a respectable feature set at a price that is just outside of our most affordable options. Here are how the NordVPN pricing options compare to each other:

5. Private Internet Access

Private Internet Access has a track history of ignoring government subpoenas and passing independent, third-party logging audits that most VPNs would dream of having, which is why it’s considered one of our most secure VPNs. That’s not all, though, because it also offers an array of security features that make it an excellent choice, particularly if you’re willing to sign up for three years for a very low price.

Private Internet Access features and security

This is a great VPN for more advanced users keen to use all the security settings. The text-heavy interface can be a little intimidating, but it lets you access some advanced granular features. Features include the usual suspects: A killswitch, split-tunneling, and detailed encryption settings. A dedicated IP is included at no extra cost, and the security features include some impressive ad and malware-blocking software functions, dubbed “PIA Mace” the advanced settings.

However, the one downside to PIA is that it doesn’t obfuscate VPN traffic passing through any of its servers. Obfuscation technology scrambles the packets of data coming from your device and makes them look like they’re coming from a device not using a VPN, and is provided by NordVPN and Surfshark, to name a few.

Private Internet Access networks are simple to access, even in dark mode. Source: Private Internet Access

Private Internet Access pricing

Private Internet Access offers one of the more competitive starting prices, with a monthly plan that will cost you barely two dollars. However, the catch is that you’ll have to sign up for a three-year contract, which is one of the longer requirements on this list. Still, you get a free three months to go along with it, which is definitely one of the better deals in the world of VPNs. Check out the other pricing options for PIA below:

VPN Security Features to Look For

For the average internet user, the world of VPNs might not make a lot of sense. Why does the number of servers matter? What does that ominous sounding killswitch really do? If you want to make an informed decision about which VPN is right for you, you need to know what each security feature can do for you.

If you’re doing your own VPN security research, or if you’re simply trying to better understand the pros and cons of each of the top ten VPNs we’ve listed above, here’s a bullet point list of the terms you should know.

• Strong encryption – The stronger the encryption, the lower the likelihood of a breach.
• A killswitch – This is an essential security feature: It’s an automated process that blocks all outgoing and incoming traffic if the internet connection happens to drop. Without it, your device might try to reconnect outside of the secured VPN line, defeating the whole point of using a VPN.
• No-logging policy – Some VPNs will record a log of your online activity data. While this isn’t a deal breaker, you’ll boost security by opting for a company with a policy not to log anything.
• HTTPS when entering payment details – The extra “S” in your URL means the difference between an encrypted website and an unsecured one.
• Help and support options – Security is all about being proactive. You can have the most secure VPN out there and still be vulnerable if it goes down and the support team isn’t available.

How We Research VPN Services

At Tech.co, we take our research seriously, particularly when it comes to something as important as online security. VPN services are only as good as they are secure, which is why we took extra special care to ensure we provide the most in-depth research to help you make your decision.

Here is some of the criteria we used to measure VPN services up against each other:

• Infrastructure – Basic information about the VPN, like headquarters location, number of servers, available countries, and number of allowed simultaneous connections.
• Features – What features are available, like killswitch, double VPN, auto-activate, split tunneling, and many others.
• Protocol – What kinn of encryption protocol is available, like OpenVPN, IKEv2, Wireguide, among others.
• Speed – How fast a VPN service is, including how fast it boots up and connects to servers.
• Service – Whether or not a VPN works with certain services, like Netflix, Disney+, Now TV, and Channel 4.
• Price – How much a VPN costs, based on monthly, yearly, and multi-yearly plans.

Check out our in-depth research guide for more information about our process

Why Free VPNs Are Rarely Secure

Almost any software subscription service is available somewhere on the internet, and they all have the same issue: You get what you pay for.

Granted, this doesn’t mean that a free software can’t be useful. It’s just a trade-off in which you lose a few features, or use a clunkier interface, in exchange for keeping your budget slim. But when it comes to VPNs, even the best free VPN services are rarely the right choice: The data is limited, and most services will restrict you to just one device or only one browser. In some cases, you’ll see an increase in annoying ads and pop-ups rather than a decrease.

More importantly, you can’t trust most free services not to log your data, which is the opposite of what anyone on a VPN wants. Sure, some VPN services out there are free, but there’s one priceless benefit that a paid service has to offer: True peace of mind that your data is safe.