When selecting the best VPN service, price and account type are probably the two most important factors to consider. Some VPN providers present different price points with various options to choose from. Including metered vs. unlimited usage, shared vs. dedicated IP’s, port forwarding and DD-WRT router support. If you look at all the different VPN options and price points the selection process can be very complicated. Hopefully our VPN buyers guide will make it easier by prioritizing what is important when selecting a personal VPN service.
VPN accounts come in all different flavors. For short-term use, you can buy a temporary VPN account. For example, if you happen to be out of town for a few days and want to secure your public Wi-Fi connection. Other VPN packages last for a week or more. Most VPN providers offer a monthly and sometimes a yearly VPN plan. These VPN accounts are usually the most popular for a few reasons. Longer service plans typically include deep discounts. In addition to the savings, having a longer term account allows you to use the VPN service more often. The more often you use a VPN service, the less likely 3rd party snoopers or hackers will access your personal data. So once you have a VPN service make full use of it. Do you leave your door unlocked when leaving your house? Most likely not. Then why not secure your internet connection every time you log on? Ask yourself if you would leave your internet connection open so others can see your browsing history, online chat sessions, passwords and other private information.
Some providers offer free VPN trials to give new users the opportunity to test their service. These free VPN trials can last anywhere from a few hours up to 30 days . Free trials allow a new VPN user to get a feel for the service. Some VPN trial accounts do not come with all the options of the full VPN service. If you’re in a hurry and need a working VPN service, you could always check out the reviews of various personal VPN services. Some providers are confident about their offerings and offer a “money back guarantee” if you’re not satisfied with their VPN service. Again, the best choice is to sign up for a provider that best meets your needs. Whether it is a free trial or short-term paid account, gaining the security and privacy you need online will outweigh any small one-time fee that you may have to pay to test out a personal VPN service.
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VPN Buyer’s Guide:
Part 1 – VPN Server Locations – consider which countries you’d like to access VPN servers in. This is especially important for those who travel frequently and others who are focused on avoiding geo restrictions.
Part 2 – VPN Protocols – without boring you with too much technical jargon we’ll explain what terms like OpenVPN, SSL, PPTP, L2TP and SSTP mean and the advantages of each for VPN connections.
Part 3 – VPN Account Types – this is the most important section of the guide. Don’t pay anymore than you need to for VPN access. Here we suggest tips for finding a high quality service at the lowest possible price.
Part 4 – Performance – we focus a lot on the reliability and performance of VPN services. Testing the speed of several top services. You’ll want to do the same. Both be reviewing our results and testing for yourself.
Part 5 – VPN Routers – this is a more advanced section of the manual. Using a router flashed with DD-WRT firmware will allow you to run every connected device through a single VPN account.
