Should you be worried right now while browsing a smartphone and sipping your coffee? What threats are you vulnerable to at the moment? What can affect you specifically?
The problem of cybersecurity is huge, especially when it comes to smartphones. Mobile devices have become something more than just the devices to text and call. Almost 60% of all information we have on our smartphones can be used to compromise us. Malware spreading through a Windows weakness is not on the top of concern. What we should take care of is our mobile device. Just imagine a situation when a cybercriminal hacks your Android or iOS tracking the traffic, pulling out your private or financial data. The chances to identify the hacker is substantially low. So, the only thing you can do is to take the measures to prevent that from happening. In this case, the most optimal option for a smartphone may be a Virtual Private Network (VPN) security system. It combines both an effective result and a reasonable price, which is important in times when every type of customer can be easily hit by a cyber attack. But it is not an easy task to choose a good VPN service. The market is overwhelmed.
How to Choose a VPN for a Smartphone
Choosing the right Virtual Private Network may be even harder than choosing a smartphone. When it comes to a VPN, we should think about security but not the functionality and performance levels as it is in the case with a smartphone. That is why there is a lot of confusion about the VPNs. Everyone wants to have a VPN with a high level of protection, excellent performance, and additional options available for free or at a reasonable price at least. But not everything that is expensive is good enough. And vice versa, not everything cheap is good enough too. Multiple reviews from other users make it even harder to pick one service for your smartphone. Some people advise to download this while others claim you shouldn’t be streaming that, and so on.
There are 5 aspects, which influence the VPN you’re going to choose. First of all, check your budget. If you’re not ready to spend $12 a month to support a service, it is better to find something cheaper. If you want an expensive VPN but not sure whether you are ready to sign in for the next year, look for something with a free trial period or a money-back guarantee program. The second thing you have to pay attention to is a set of security features. What does a VPN support? Does it have a customization, proxy support, script support? Is it suitable for a smartphone only or you can use it with other devices you have? What level of encryption does it offer? All of these are very important, especially when you choose quite a pricey service. And last, but not the least, is the number of servers a VPN has. Does it have enough servers to be able to work correctly no matter which country you are in? This influences whether you’re going to get access to all the content you want to read, watch, or listen to or just a part of it.
To make a process of choosing a VPN a little bit easier for you, we’ve analyzed all popular VPN apps on the market for now. The following list consists 10 best VPN applications for both iOS and Android users. We’ve gathered some reliable and proven services, which are solid enough to prevent serious cyber attacks, which have become more and more sophisticated through the years.
10 Best VPN Apps in 2018
- ExpressVPN. Advantages: has a 30-day money-back guarantee program, a long list of servers, high-performance speed. Disadvantages: it is a pricey service.
- NordVPN. Advantages: has a high number of locations all over the world and high speed without ads. The data security system and the encryption level are near perfect, but the stability of work is not so good. NordVPN has a 30-day money-back guarantee program. Disadvantages: has a limited package of settings and a very simple customization system.
- Turbo VPN. Advantages: works very fast and has a simple user interface. The service has a clear privacy policy, it doesn’t collect logs and other stuff like that. And it is a FREE service, which is probably the biggest advantage. Disadvantages: contains advertisements, collect basic information to improve the business.
- IPVanish. Advantages: has a bunch of different servers divided by countries and cities, keeps no logs, has no restrictions on torrenting and P2P traffic. It has an extensive level of customization with multiple protocol settings. Disadvantages: it is a pricey service, but not the fastest one.
- TunnelBear. Advantages: has a long list of servers available and high connection speed with no-logging policy. The best part of TunnelBear is a payment option you have – little (free), giant (over 9$/month), and grizzly (over 4$/month, but with annual payment). It accepts almost all types of payment, including a Bitcoin. Disadvantages: has a monthly payment for those who want to get unlimited data access.
- VyprVPN. Advantages: offers unlimited data usage and no download caps. One of the most established providers out there with a truly global coverage (over 70 locations available). VyprVPN has Chameleon technology, which is used to combat VPN blocking worldwide. It is especially useful for customers who’re reaching Netflix content from other regions. Disadvantages: has up to 3 devices only for a standard program and 5 devices for a premium one. Chameleon technology comes for free only with a premium package.
- Opera VPN. Advantages: has no time restrictions and quite a good speed. Opera VPN requires no subscription and payment, promising no ads at all. Disadvantages: offers a limited number of locations and can be down from time to time. Sometimes, the performance is unstable.
- Ultrasurf. Advantages: has no ads. Disadvantages: doesn’t offer a lot of options to select a country you need.
- TouchVPN. Advantages: a free and fast service with more than 25 locations available. No speed or bandwidth limitations. Disadvantages: contains ads, which can be removed by choosing a premium package only.
- Betternet Free VPN Proxy. Advantages: a free and fast app with no time restrictions. Disadvantages: most locations are closed and the connection speed is low. A free version comes with ads. A premium version without ads is also available.
How to Set Up a VPN App
To set up a VPN app on your smartphone, find it in AppStore or Google Play depending on what kind of smartphone and operating system you have. Download, open, and sign in if it is required. Choose the level of security from the list – PPTP, L2TP encryption, etc. Create a server name and connect by clicking “On” button. Go to the list of servers available and change it to whatever server you want to connect to.
So, choose a service you like the most and be sure that your smartphone and the data it has are 100% protected from hacker attacks. Don’t neglect a VPN as it allows you to do tons of cool things like reaching any entertaining or educational content from whatever place you are, hiding your IP address from irritating spam websites, and accessing secure networks remotely not being afraid to lose your business files or private data you have on a smartphone.