Microsoft Windows has been around for now almost 3 decades. They have dominated the marketplace against Mac’s OSX in terms of the most used operating system in homes and offices worldwide. Although it has lost lots market share overtime, it has remained extremely relevant and crossed over to mobile platforms, embedded technology and improved on server systems. Being that Windows still has a dominant presence in Operating System, it is critically important that systems are adequately protected. Some users just want key advantages that come with VPN services, such as unrestricted browsing or geo-unblocking of various websites for TV and movie streaming like Netflix, Hulu and BBC. However, with the dawn of the NSA spying agenda and copyright lawyers from the TPP wanting to sue citizens viewing or downloading copyright material online, we highly suggest to reconsider the importance of using an anonymous VPN shield.
SEE UPDATED: Best VPN Services for Windows 10
So without further ado, we present to you our top 4 VPN picks for Windows:
VPN for Windows – Top Picks:
IPVanish
With over 15 years of experience composing the IPVanish team, they have developed an award winning top of the line VPN service. Since their latest expansion, they doubled IPs and now claim to have the fastest servers in America and Europe! A tall order to deliver and customers have been raving their new found love for IPVanish all over the forums. Gamers and streamers to business server administrators alike who want fast, secure, anonymity while using Microsoft Windows, IPVanish is an equal #1 choice.
Security and Best Speed are the top two benefits of IPVanish. Operating their own tier-1 network with highly advanced network security systems such as NAT firewall protection with over 14,000 shared IPs. More than 100 servers in 47 countries provide low load and high speed coverage mainly concentrated over America and Europe. IPVanish offer a 1 click Windows Software setup (not yet available for Windows 8), that is rich in features and easily provides servers with great ping response time around the globe. We tested both OpenVPN TCP and UDP and the speeds are blazing fast. Making it a top contender for Windows users.
Private Internet Access
Next we have Private Internet Access, a product of London Trust Media, which operates out of the US. We like this VPN service because it offers extremely good flexibility in terms security and speed. PIA offers over 940 servers worldwide. Along with the company’s highly accessible servers, people can easily customize their surfing experience to their specific needs. For instance, PIA’s OpenVPN features allow users to quickly change from the ‘All Speed No Safety’ option (which involves very little security) to something like ‘Risky Business’, which strengthens your secured connection with AES-128 and RSA-2048. Another thing we especially like about this service is that it automatically disconnects you from the internet should you ever lose your connection with the VPN, meaning your PC or mobile device will stay off the map until a secured connection is back online.
Like VyprVPN, IPA offers great speed along with some quality security features. The company offers PPTP, OpenVPN, IPsec/L2TP and SOCKS5 (Proxy). Windows users have access to all these encryption protocols. IPA also offers a ‘no installation’ process that will protect all your Windows applications from snooping in addition to your browsers.
VyprVPN
When it comes to staying anonymous on the internet, VyprVPN is not everyone’s favorite provider, albeit the service being private and secure for the most part. Overall, it’s been a favorite of mine for many other reasons. Before we go over the details of the service, and why it’s so damn great let’s just point out the fact that VyprVPN is a ‘Swiss company [that’s] not subject to US agencies.’ How does that sound? Well, if that wasn’t enough to get your attention, then perhaps some other details will convince you to look further into it.
VyprVPN is a 100% owned and controlled by its parent company, Golden Frog, which means all their servers (including DNS) are controlled from top to bottom by one entity—so no third party companies are involved in the management of your VPN. Moreover, VyprVPN claims that they own over 700 VPN servers across North America, Europe and Asia, with more than 200,000 IP addresses to their name.
We can’t neglect to mention that VyprVPN has a one-click deployment software, which offers a slew of security features with little to no hassle from the get-go. While VyprVPN offers exceptional speed capabilities, it also caters to those that want some of the strictest security options around, including VyprVPN’s proprietary 256-bit SSL ‘Chameleon’ protocol.
So what’s the issue? They keep limited logs for a 30-day period, and don’t support illegal P2P traffic. They do abide to DMCA takedowns using the connection logs and terminate all accounts found violating their terms of service. Otherwise, they have been extremely trustworthy, and only action on take down notices. However, if you don’t plan on committing copyright infringement or any other crimes, you shouldn’t be quickly deterred.
HideMyAss
Lastly, we would like to give some props to Hide My Ass, which began as a proxy service but has since evolved into a highly reputable VPN service. One of the best things about HMA is that you can test the speed of the different servers before you connect. Switching between servers are also extremely simple, while still maintaining the same level of security without having to write up a new set of rules. HMA is an ideal service for gamers, as their geo-specific connections will (most of the time) allows you to maintain your high-speed internet connection. Since most computer games are developed for Windows-based OS, it’s a given that gamers with a need for privacy will also want to select the most gaming-friendly VPN.
Depending on your desired security levels and need for speed, any of the above VPN services will give you a wide range of flexibility. Internet privacy is a matter that only you can control, and it’s worth some digging into if you want to keep the eyes of hackers and government agencies from snooping on you while you go about your business.
