I know that most top 10 VPN lists come in the form of a chart that lays out all the reviews in a start system, but I’m going to do things a bit differently.  To tell you the truth, many of these ‘star rated’ VPN charts are arbitrarily assigned by the owner of the site.  They often reflect the percent of commission that is paid for each sale, rather than the actual quality of the VPN service, which defeats the purpose of the review.  In fact, not all VPN services are suited to all people, and each user experience is going to be different.

So my Top 10 VPN list highlights some of the features, and I may make a few comments about which ones I like better than others.  This is not an ‘official review’, there is not rush to ‘order now’ because the deals are going fast, and there are not ‘exclusive offers’.  Just plain old facts. And if you want to know, yes, I make a commission off of these.  I believe in full transparency, unlike some blogs about personal VPNs or online privacy.  VPNs are listed in random order.

1.
StrongVPN

A reliable, and well established service.  If you want it, they have it.  PPTP, L2TP, OpenVPN, and SSTP.  Smartphone, PC, Mac, and Linux VPN, live support, and a wide range of options.  Choose plans based on your region, level of security desired, and budget.  314 servers in 19 countries.

• Best Deal: $55 / Year
• Best Feature: Fast, Reliable Servers
• Visit StrongVPN

2.
Hide My Ass

Come for the FREE stuff: Web based proxy, link cloaker, anonymous uploader, and anonymous email.  ProVPN is cheap and gives you free access to (2012) 43 server locations.  Simple download and installation, and choose servers based on speed. PPTP, L2TP, and SSTP for iOS, Android, Mac, Linux, and Windows.

• Best Deal: $ $6.55 / Month
• Best Feature: VPN Servers in 43 Countries, 30 day guarantee
• Visit HMA

3.
PureVPN

Live support, PPTP, L2TP, SSTP, dedicated IP servers, dynamic IP servers, and custom VPNs for China or other blocked regions. 3 plan options, 14 countries, and torrent access to dynamic IP servers.

• Best Deal: $74.95 / Year
• Best Feature: SSTP for Win 7, Dedicated IP Servers
• Visit PureVPN

4.
12VPN

Widest support for internet devices including DD-WRT, Nokia, Windows Phone (some models), and more. Custom VPNs for China and Middle East.  Friendly and fast support team, and simple installation are some of the highlights of 12VPN.

• Best Deal: $79 / Year
• Best Feature: Broadest Device Support, Military Encryption Upgrade
• Visit 12VPN

5.
SwitchVPN

Mega-cheap plan and 11 server locations.  Live support, and VPNs for most devices.  Good VPN service for the price you pay.

• Best Deal: $3.95 / Month
• Best Feature: Live Support
• Visit SwitchVPN

6.
IP Vanish

Simple plans means no headache for you.  $10 a month across the board – for anything and everything. It’s as simple as that.  Choose servers based on speed. 39 servers is 15 countries, and 29,000 IP addresses.

• Best Deal: $10 / Month
• Best Feature: Choose Servers Based On Speed
• Visit IP Vanish

7.
ibVPN

They’ve definitely got a unique setup, and divide plans based on user needs.  VPNs for families and small businesses available, and torrent ready VPN servers are also on the menu.  This is a very budget minded VPN service, and the even offer a free trial.

• Best Deal: $36.95 / Year
• Best Feature: Package Deals: Torrent VPN, Multi-VPN (family,business), +more
• Visit ibVPN

8.
My Private Network

This is a UK oriented VPN service that also simplifies things.  Privacy, security, and a fake IP address for one price – 5 GBP per month for 1 location, 9 GBP for full access.  Sometimes simplicity says a lot. A cute dog says more.

• Best Deal: 5 GBP / month
• Best Feature: UK based, Easy To Use
• Visit MPN

9.
Black Logic

There seems to be a difference between ‘anonymity’ and ‘privacy’.  With a man in a black trench coat and shaded glasses, this is clearly a service for anonymous-minded individuals.  Just remember – no illegal stuff compadres.  Kind of a low-key service, they’ve been around for a couple of years and mentioned in several PC magazines over the years.

• Best Deal: $8 / Month
• Best Feature: Anonymity
• Visit Black Logic

10.
IAPS Security Services

With recent improvements to the site, and plans for expansion, IAPS is upping their game.  They already offer a pretty comprehensive service – over 100 countries, various types of encryption, SSH proxies, SSL encryption upgrades, and more. They are clearly dedicated to your PRIVACY, as clearly stated in their ‘about-us’ page.  It’s a pit I’ve got this as number ten, because it truly is an amazing service.  Transparency is a key highlight of IAPS, and they really lay everything out on the table so there are no misunderstandings about what their service provides.

• Best Deal:  $30 / Year
• Best Feature: IP Address in Antarctica? Yeah, it’s true. + 120 other countries you’ve never heard of
• Visit IAPS

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Having a private IP address on the internet can keep your online activity anonymous.  What sites your visit, what you download/upload, who you chat with, the contents of your emails, and even your physical location can be discovered and hijacked while you surf the net with your real IP, especially on public networks.  A private IP from a VPN service does a couple of things.

1. It replaces your real IP with a VPN IP
2. It passively protects you against deep packet searching, spying, and identity theft by making you anonymous online
3. It actively protects you against full-on hacks with VPN tunneling and SSL encryption
4. It can bypass firewalls, unblock sites, and even speed up you internet connection on restricted networks

Virtual private networks are a monthly service, and there are a variety of companies, with a range of packages. Each services has unique features and servers in different locations. Server location will affect the type of IP you have – for example, if you sign into a VPN server in The USA, you’ll get an American IP address. The same would apply if you signed into a server in The UK – you’ll get a British IP address.  Prices will vary from less than $10 dollars a month, to more than $20, depending on the service you choose.  Number and reliability of servers, as well as customer support will of course influence this price.

Best VPN services

……….

+ Hide My Ass for Privacy and Features

Hide My Ass is a very popular VPN service because it takes care of just about everything. First off, it has lots of free stuff for being anonymous online.

• Free Web Based Proxy
• Free Link Cloaker (for anonymous site linking)
• Free Anonymous Uploading
• Free Open Proxy List

They’ve of course got a ProVPN service as well.  With 37 country IP address, over 200 VPN servers, and 22500 IP addresses, they’ve got the most comprehensive network of private IP addresses I’ve ever come across.  They allow P2P and torrents, have their own Wiki forum for troubleshooting, and even a 30 day money back guarantee if this is your first time signing up. You can choose servers based on speed, or based on how many users are signed in.  You also get free server switching, unlimited bandwidth, and VPN protocols or iOS/Android/Windows/Mac/Linux.  It’s easy to see why I’ve got HMA listed for features.

As for privacy, they’re also very clear.  They DO NOT monitor your online activity. They’re clear about that, and they’ve reiterated that point over and over on their blog, public forums, and even commenting on personal reviews and blogs.  They’re pretty cool about communicating with people reviewing their service.  However, they’re also clear about not supporting illegal activity.  They do log in times you sign into servers, and if they receive complaints from individuals, the DMCA (The Digital Millennium Copyright Act – USA), or UK court orders, they can find you.

>>> Go To Hide My Ass

……….

+ 12VPN For Customer Service and User Friendliness

This is a very easy to install VPN, with a great customer service team.  Setup is super easy, and ticket-support customer service is clear, concise, and friendly.  This is the VPN service I signed up for quite a few years back, and I’ve signed up again every year after that.  It’s reliable, its fast, and getting started only takes a few minutes.  There’s a VPN servers in Japan is something that makes them quite unique from other VPN services.  The majority of their servers are in The US and Europe however. $79 for 10 US city locations is a great price as well.  For users seeking VPNs for less common smart phone or computer operating systems, data encryption upgrades, or for users in China/The Middle East, this is the service for you.

>>> Go To 12VPN

<<< Alternate Site for China

……….

+ StrongVPN for Overall VPN Service

With plans starting at $55 per year, and going up to $30 per month, you can imagine that there’s a wide variety of choice in between.  Some plans feature just one or two VPN server country locations, and some plans offer 19.  Dedicated IP addresses as well as dynamic IP addresses are available.  They provide support for Nokia, Mac, Linux, DD-WRT, Windows, iOS, and maybe others (but who really uses anything else?). SSTP, PPTP, L2TP, IPSec, and OpenVPN means they have pretty much all their bases covered.  They also have live support and a 7 day money back guarantee.  Need I say more? Oh yeah, and they’re cool with torrents.

>>> Go To StrongVPN

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