Best VPN 2021 | Which to Choose?

If you’re doing a search for the “best VPN 2021″…I have a bit of a surprise for you. Believe it or not, there’s no simple answer to this question. Different VPNs are designed for different situations and anybody who tells you “This is the BEST VPN!” is probably just looking to make some quick money.

Now, I’m not going to try to deceive you here – the links in this best VPN article are affiliate links, which means that at no extra cost to you, I will be paid a small commission if you decide to use one of the services below.

However, I don’t recommend anything that I haven’t personally tried, and that includes each of these VPN.

Over the past decade (that’s right, over 10 years!), I have downloaded, installed and used at least 40 different VPNs.

The following recommendations are based on my experience using each of these services. With all this experience, I have a good grasp of the difference between what makes a VPN “good” versus what makes it “great”.

I’m assuming at this point that you already know what a VPN is (if not, learn more about VPNs here) and the difference between a VPN and SmartDNS (if not, learn more about SmartDNS here).

Here’s what we’re going to cover:

So with all of that out of the way, let’s dive in!

What Makes a VPN “Good” vs “Great”

What are the differences between a “good” VPN and a “great” VPN? That’s an excellent question! Over the years, I’ve come to understand the features that really make the difference in determining the best VPN. Surprisingly, it’s rarely the features that get marketed on VPN websites.

As I rate each of the best VPN services below, I will be looking at a number of important VPN features you should consider such as:

1. Ease of Installation: How easy is the software to purchase and install? Does it take an IT professional to do it or can my mom do it?
2. User Interface: Essentially, this is a rating of how easy the VPN is to use once it’s been installed.
3. Company Transparency: The world of VPNs is frankly a bit shady. With a little know-how and some good design, any yahoo can start a VPN from their basement and use it to steal people’s information. If you look on the About page of a VPN, what do you see? This is what I call “company transparency.”
4. Customer Service: Do they respond quickly and efficiently with me when I run into problems?
5. Service Strength: Not every VPN is good for everything. Do you value security or speed? Are you in a closed country like China or an open country like the USA? Are you interested in streaming services?

Now if you’ve been doing any research on VPNs at all, you’ve probably read a lot of fluff about other features that everybody tries to convince you is SO IMPORTANT. You’ll notice that some of these things don’t factor into my rating system above. These include:

1. VPN Speeds: Oh man, I get tired of hearing about VPN speeds! I really don’t care. Why? Because there are too many factors that affect your internet speed. It could be your browser, your wifi network, your ISP (Internet Service Provider), etc. With every VPN I’ve tested, the difference in speeds is so insignificant that it’s not worth talking about. Perhaps we can discuss server loads, but even then I just tell people to move to another server. Ugh.
2. Logging Policies: “We don’t log your information!” they all say. Maybe. Maybe not. The truth is that every VPN service logs some information (don’t believe me? Just read the fine print), so the question is what kind of information do they log and how long do they keep it? The VPN company is the only one who knows this for sure and you’ll have to take their word for it. And wouldn’t you know it…they ALL say that they don’t log!? It’s unbelievable. (no really, I don’t believe it).

What is the Best VPN for 2021?

So without further ado, here’s a list of the best VPN in 2021 based on the rating factors I mentioned above.

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ExpressVPN | Most Popular VPN

ExpressVPN has established itself as the most popular VPN service in the world. A lot of this has to do with their great marketing and affiliate program.

However, because of their size, they’re able to offer some of the best customer support and an IT department to maintain strong server connections.

I’ve spent a little bit of time comparing ExpressVPN with NordVPN, and there’s really not much that separates the two.

But there are some places in the world where ExpressVPN seems to work better, and thankfully they offer all the features you would need in the best VPN in 2021.

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Surfshark | Best VPN based on value

Although Surfshark is the youngest company in this group, it has quickly become my go-to recommendation as the best VPN in 2021.

The software is excellent and the pricing makes it a no-brainer.

You can read my full Surfshark review here (which includes a video overview of the software). Or you can just try them for yourself right now 🙂

NordVPN | Best Overall VPN Apps

NordVPN has been a perennial favorite among internet users. You’ve probably even seen a bunch of YouTube personalities sharing about their experience using NordVPN.

Although I shared my primary concerns about this service in my NordVPN review, in the end, I recommend them to folks.

As with all of these VPNs, they have a 30 day money back guarantee in case it doesn’t fit your style.

IPVanish | Best VPN for US Residents

IPVanish offers everything that all of the other services on this best VPN list do, but there’s one thing they have that none of the others do:

Customer support via phone.

If you’re a US resident, you can literally pick up your phone, call and get a customer service rep located in the US who can help you with your problems.

Get all the rest of the details in my IPVanish VPN review, but that’s the big game changer.

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VyprVPN – Most Trustworthy VPN

If you go to pretty much any VPN’s about page and you’ll be met with the same thing:

Nothing.

Thankfully, that’s not the case with VyprVPN. They have some of the best transparency in the industry. They share with you not only their office location but also the names and pictures of all their leadership.

This is just one part of what makes VyprVPN a great option as a best VPN in 2021, but you can read the rest of my VyprVPN review for more.

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Final Thoughts | What is the Best VPN?

There are literally hundreds of VPNs on the market today (trust me, I get emails every day from new VPN companies).  I anticipate with the growing global concern for privacy that it will only continue to grow.

The VPNs listed above have been personally tested and are popular among users all over the globe. You can trust the fact that they’ve been around for a while and they’re not some shady startup that will take advantage of you.

And remember, getting set up with a VPN is just one of many steps you should take to secure yourself online.