Best VPN for Windows in 2024
Although Windows OS has many built-in tools that help you to keep your data private, numerous security vulnerabilities are constantly threatening your cybersafety. The average number of security breaches is on the rise, this is affecting businesses and private individuals alike, so it's never a bad idea to add an additional layer of protection. For many users that layer is a reliable VPN software.
A good VPN for Windows will increase your security and privacy online.
This simple tool can encrypt your network traffic so that it could be safe from anyone who might want to snoop out what you're doing. Your real IP address and location become hidden as you now can surf the web anonymously.
You'll also be able to unblock Netflix, Disney+, BBC iPlayer, download torrent files, and in some cases even improve your gaming ping. All VPN's for Windows selected for this list meet high-quality standards and deliver their advertised features. All that is left for you to do is pick yours and enjoy the secure and private experience on the web.
1. NordVPN
- Location: Panama
- Pricing: starts at $2.99/month
- Supports: Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10
- Features: extremely fast VPN service, advanced security tools, supports torrenting
Laptop or desktop, NordVPN is the best VPN for Windows 10 devices. This VPN is great for free public wi-fi spots as well as at home. It's known for including the latest security features, like its proprietary NordLynx protocol or Double VPN.
With this VPN on Windows you can browse safely and avoid annoying geo-restrictions when it comes to streaming Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, or Amazon Prime. Their own SmartPlay feature can unblock all of these platforms without reducing the connection speed.
We also found NordVPN great for torrenting – its huge network of 7000+ servers in 118 countries includes special P2P servers and the free SOCKS5 proxy capability ensures speed and safety. NordVPN runs a strict no-logs policy, ensuring full anonymity.
If you need more reasons to get NordVPN, it's cheap, allows 6 connections per account, and offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
For a deeper investigation of NordVPN, read our NordVPN review.
2. Surfshark
- Location: British Virgin Islands
- Pricing: starts at $2.19/month
- Supports: Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10
- Features: low priced VPN for Windows, many security features, unlimited connected devices
If you're looking for a premium VPN for Windows that's so cheap is practically free of charge, it's definitely SurfShark.
Their fleet of 3200+ servers in 100+ countries makes Surfshark super-fast. And, with the help of Camouflage Mode, you can even use it in high-censorship countries.
Surfshark VPN was our best friend when streaming and torrenting. It easily unblocks Netflix, Hulu, Disney+ and other streaming platforms so you can enjoy all the content the internet has to offer.
Most importantly, Surfshark comes with an unlimited number of simultaneous connections per account, meaning you can use it on as many devices as you like. If you're disappointed by the low-quality free Windows VPN services, install Surfshark to get one of the best VPN experiences for PC you can get.
For a deeper investigation of Surfshark VPN, read our Surfshark VPN review.
3. VyprVPN
- Location: Switzerland
- Pricing: starts at $5.00/month
- Supports: Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10
- Features: zero-knowledge VyprDNS™ service, proprietary Chameleon™ protocol, additional layer of security via NAT Firewall
VyprVPN is a truly unique VPN service for Windows providing a blend of security measures. With their 256-bit encryption and custom-made Chameleon protocol, you can be sure that your location and browsing activity will remain hidden forever.
This Windows VPN not only will make your device and your data more secure, it also provides enough entertainment value to justify its price even when you main goal of using a VPN is unblocking Netflix, Twitch or other streams even in 4K. You may also use P2P services but be advised, as your account can be suspended due to copyright infringement.
What we find lacking in this otherwise amazing VPN for Windows, is anonymity: the signup and payment methods require you to use a credit card or other non-anonymous payment methods. We hope to see some changes in the sign-up process in the future.
If you're looking for a solid VPN for PC that unblocks internet even in restrictive countries like China and Iran – get VyprVPN.
For a deeper investigation of VyprVPN, read our VyprVPN review.
4. PrivateVPN
- Location: Sweden
- Pricing: starts at $2.00/month
- Supports: Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10
- Features: great VPN for PC users, very cheap, excellent for Netflix
PrivateVPN manages a fleet of 200+ servers spread over 63+ countries. It may not seem much, but this service is a fast VPN for Windows PC, allowing comfortable torrenting, streaming, and gaming.
This provider has an easy-to-use Windows app, aimed at casual users. We liked that it lists dedicated P2P and streaming services separately. After all, PrivateVPN has plenty of them, and sorting everything alphabetically would create a mess.
This provider unblocks Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and Disney+, among others. PrivateVPN offers military-grade encryption and a strict no-logs policy, but what really makes it shine is the bang-for-the-buck ratio.
Once you download PrivateVPN for Windows, you'll get 6 connections per account, a free 7-day trial, and a 30-day money-back guarantee to test the service out.
For a deeper investigation of PrivateVPN, read our PrivateVPN review.
5. Private Internet Access
- Location: US
- Pricing: starts at $2.03/month
- Supports: Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10
- Features: re-designed Windows app, very cheap, 10 simultaneous connections
If you're looking for a truly cheap premium VPN for Windows PC, Private Internet Access (PIA) is your bet. This service boasts 29300+ servers in more than 90 countries. Unless you’re in Asia – expect decent VPN speeds from PIA.
Private Internet Access Windows 10 client is elegant, simplistic, well-organized. This means you will be watching Netflix and downloading torrents in no time. What’s more – you can do that on 10 devices simultaneously!
PIA encrypts data using the military-grade cipher, has a great kill switch, and no leaking issues.
The only real handicap is the customer support – this service doesn't have a live chat and none of the help options are 24/7. However, you can try Private Internet Access using its 7-day money-back guarantee.
For a deeper investigation of Private Internet Access VPN, read our Private Internet Access VPN review.
Why do I need a VPN for Windows?
With the release of Windows 10, Microsoft gave this OS away pretty much for free. With integrated advertising, Cortana, and background information synchronizations with their servers, your Windows experience got a lot less private and many users think that they're paying with their own data.
Microsoft is also known to have complied with NSA's bulk surveillance program and GCHQ (Britain’s equivalent to the NSA) in the past. The US government is one of Microsoft's top customers each year paying tens of millions a year. This should be a point of concern since you can never know what is done with your data once it leaves your PC when you account possible exchanges between the US government and this corporation.
Windows 10 also suffer from patches that sometimes leave open security vulnerabilities. It's unreasonable to stop using your computer while you wait for hotfixes, which is why a VPN is one of the tools that can protect your privacy while using Windows.
How to choose the best VPN for Windows
While Windows keeps getting more secure, it's still far from providing its users with solid protection. This means that a third-party VPN download for PC would give you more guarantees that your online presence is safe. While we've already established some criteria in the introduction, there's certainly more to it when it comes to picking the best VPN for Windows 10.
Here are the basics that your VPN for Windows should have.
- Encryption. Most third party VPNs provide the military-grade 256-bit cipher, which is the gold standard in today's VPN industry.
- Protocol. OpenVPN and IKEv2 are the two most secure popular tunneling protocols out there. Search for a VPN service that offers these protocols or WireGuard - a new and extremely promising tunneling protocol.
- No-logs policy. The more data your provider stores about you, the easier it is for your government to track you down. That's why your VPN shouldn't be keeping any logs or keeping them at a minimum.
- Jurisdiction. While for most users this doesn't play a significant role, it's still better to use a VPN that operated from a privacy-friendly location.
- Speed. A very important criterion for many - VPNs slow down your connection due to the fact that your traffic is being encrypted and routed through a remote server. Some services have hundreds of servers, some have thousands, but you won't really know how it performs until you test it for yourself. Or check our list of the fastest VPN services in 2020.
- Entertainment. Most users get a VPN for torrenting, streaming, or both. Therefore, when looking for the best VPN for PC, make sure it allows P2P and unblocks Netflix or any other streaming service you wish to use.
- Customer support. Having a 24/7 live chat is not that important until you actually need it. That's why you should take it as the industry standard, rather than some premium feature. Having a good knowledge base with tutorials and FAQs is crucial too, in case the live support is temporarily unavailable.
- Price. Last, but definitely not least, price is the deciding factor when choosing the best VPN for Windows 10. Ask yourself – am I getting my money's worth? Is the money-back guarantee long enough? Am I entitled to try the service for free, without entering my payment details?
Considering these points will allow you to get just what you need – the best VPN for PC.
Is Windows 10 built-in VPN good enough?
Some Windows 10 users consider using the built-in VPN to encrypt their traffic and hide their IP address. If we thought this was a good idea, we probably would have included in our best VPNs for PC list. Let's look at the differences between the default Windows VPN functionality and a quality third-party service.
- Self-sustenance: Windows built-in VPN is just a piece of client software that doesn't provide any servers of its own. That means that to make it work, you'll still need to connect to some third-party provider that would allow such a connection. In contrast, premium VPNs have their own networks of servers.
- Security: the built-in version is included with every PC computer, meaning it has a huge footprint and is vulnerable to all the typical Windows issues. You're far more likely to suffer IP leaks and other issues with the built-in Windows VPN functionality. In the meantime, a top VPN like NordVPN has dedicated teams working specifically on the security of the VPN. As a result, these services have significantly fewer security holes.
- Protocols: Windows 10 built-in client doesn't support the OpenVPN protocol, which is the most popular one. That leaves users with the next best choice – IKEv2. Beyond that, the choices are less secure and/or slower, such as L2TP/IPSec, SSTP, or, god forbid, PPTP. Third-party VPN services almost always support OpenVPN, and occasionally also more advanced protocols like WireGuard.
- Supported platforms: Windows VPN client works only on Windows! While you're precisely looking for a VPN that's best for PC, chances are you own an Android or iOS device and want to keep it safe as well. Most top VPN services happen to offer apps for all major platforms with the same subscription.
- Features: Starting from the basic ones like a kill switch and ending with stealth protocols, premium VPN services have prepared their product for any eventuality. All these features are accessible with the click of a mouse, whereas someone using the Windows VPN would have to work hard to configure them. Even then, some are simply impossible to configure using native tools.
- Price: Perhaps the only area where Windows built-in VPN stands high is the price – it's completely free. With that said, since Windows doesn't run a VPN server network, you would likely have to pay for a VPN server somewhere around the world.
How to set up a VPN on Windows 10?
- Right-click the "Start" button and select "Settings"
- In the new window click "Network & Internet", then "VPN"
- Click on "+" to add a new VPN connection
- In the new screen, under drop-down menu select "Windows (built-in)"
- Give a name to this connection and type the address of the server you're connecting to
- Choose a protocol that is supported by your VPN provider
- In the type of sign-in menu choose the method of authentification, likely username and password
- Click "Save".
That's it, you've configured your VPN. If you want to connect through it, you may click wi-fi or ethernet sign on the taskbar and choose this profile to connect.
Is free VPN for Windows safe?
A free service will always make compromises: be it the level of security features, numbers of servers, speed or versatility. Always ask questions like "why is this service free?", maybe they're getting some revenue through ads, maybe they sell your private data to third parties, maybe they're even injecting your device with malware to add it to a botnet.
Point is, with free VPN you can never know for certain unless you have a habit of reading terms of service for everything that you download off the web.
It's also unlikely that you'll be able to use a free VPN for torrenting, Netflix, Hulu or truly remain anonymous. If you still remain unconvinced, you're welcome to check our free VPNs for Windows list.
Windows VPN FAQ
[expander title="Does Windows 10 have a VPN?"]
Yes, however, it's not without shortcomings.[/expander]
[expander title="Is Windows built-in VPN good?"]
It has major security flaws when compared to third-party VPN providers and you'll still need an address and credentials of an actual server through which you're trying to connect.[/expander]
[expander title="Which is the best free VPN for Windows PC?"]
Of all the options, Proton VPN provides the most secure free VPN service for Windows. It has no data caps, however, you get only 3 servers with 1 device. Plus, torrenting is not really possible using it, and neither is unblocking some of the major streaming platforms.[/expander]
[expander title="Which is the best VPN for Windows?"]
When it comes down to it, NordVPN will be your best bet for a great VPN for Windows. It has industry-leading features, as well as an amazing price.[/expander]
[expander title="Which VPN is the safest?"]
All of the services on this list are great for their own reasons and all are extremely safe. We would say that NordVPN, SurfShark, and VyprVPN are the best for security due to their offered amazing safety features.[/expander]
