Miss Travelling? One of the most important tools for securing your online network is to have the security of a VPN service. There are hundreds of VPNs to choose from – all offering a combination of privacy, security and speed for your Mac and Windows PC.
But like most other things in the digital sphere, it takes a bit of homework to find out which VPN is the best fit for you. Here, we took to search up the best VPN services as well as best cheap VPN service plans (best value), all chosen and rated by many user reviews on the internet.
If you'd like to learn more about what VPN can do for you, read up our short guide after our list!
- Price: From RM 35.96 per month
ExpressVPN is widely acclaimed to be one of the best VPN in the market thanks to its platform of 3,000 servers that spans across more than 90 countries. Coupled with an outstanding support website and live chat to troubleshoot any problems, ExpressVPN comes with speedy service and can support up to five simultaneous connections per user account.
To add, ExpressVPN has support for not just Windows PC and Android phones but also several smart TV systems and consoles like Nintendo and Sony Playstation!
- Price: RM 4.00 per month
Coming in at under RM4 a month if opting for a two-year subscription, this Singapore-based company provides strong encryption levels at a budget price. Equipped with smooth and consistent speeds, it covers a range of devices ranging from computers to mobile devices, as well as several platform OS such as macOS, Android, Linux, Windows & more.
Ivacy also offers you the option to protect up to 10 devices at once!
- Price: From RM 8.60 per month
Here's another affordable VPN service for you to consider. SurfShark supports all major platforms and mainly utilises their very own P2P-configured servers which mean it has a bigger bite on security than some of the industry’s more established players. Compatible with torrent software like BitTorrent and uTorrent, SurfShark also claims it hides P2P activity from ISPs. (Internet Service Providers)
- Price: From RM 14.05 per month
Numerous tests have shown that IPVanish consistently delivers the best speeds. Plus, its intuitive and easy-to-use interface is boosted by the fact that it operates on the same encryption protocol, the AES-256. That same protocol is also used by the world’s leading governments and security agencies.
- Price: Free | From RM 4.00 per month
Not does it have a free plan, but Windscribe also lets you use it on unlimited devices and has specific clients for Windows and Mac, iOS and Android. However, it is this same feature which makes its performance less than desirable for those who prioritize speed.
Windscribe supports the likes of several platforms including browsers like Chrome, PCs like Linux and smart TVs as well as routers. They also have a unique "Build-a-Plan" that lets you customise the location of the servers which are then priced accordingly.
- Price: Free | From RM 7.08 per month
While it may store connection logs and only allows one device per license, Finch VPN's free plan gives a sizable 3GB monthly bandwidth - although with a limited number of available servers. With only average speeds and encryption, it is no surprise that Finch VPN does not feature very highly on security tests either. Still, if a basic VPN is what you're after, Finch is great too, provided you are okay with its limited quota usage.
- Price: From RM 10.00 per month
Looking to support local? Look no further than Boleh VPN, Malaysia’s very own VPN provider. BolehVPN comes with an unlimited amount of bandwidth for gaming, streaming and P2P activity. Additionally, it uses SHA-2; a military-graded encryption that guarantees privacy and security.
Not forgetting to mention; customer support would be extremely easier to access due to the locality of the service.
- Price: Free | From RM13.32 per month
Its users praised hide.me for its straightforward user-interface and its efficient performance, and its speed is also generally faster than many other services out there. As one of the fastest VPN with millions of downloads growing monthly, hide.me comes with the basic security features that VPN users demand from a service.
- Price: From RM 43.18 per month
TorGuard is one of the many platforms offering a dedicated IP VPN service. A user is always given the same outgoing IP address, whenever connected to their servers, hence enhancing privacy. Besides, this VPN service has a strict no-logging policy that decent speeds with low latency.
- Price: From RM 9.00 per month
When it comes to the VPN business, you know you can’t go wrong with a name like CyberGhost. It only tracks the success of connection attempts, and it also offers double encryption. So, both the authentication connection and the VPN connection can be secured.
- Price: From RM 10.00 per month
VyprVPN allows users to access both American and UK Netflix, opening up a world of content for those looking to stream Netflix with a VPN. Boasting consistent performance and an easy user face, tests have also shown that VyprVPN has no issues with applications bugs or timed out connections.
- Price: From RM 38.90 per month
Run by network security professionals, VPN.ac offers secure proxy browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Opera. Ranking high in performance in the three key areas of security, speed and privacy, VPN.ac’s Mac OS platform comes with unique feature such as double-hop VPN configurations.
- Price: From RM 12.32 per month
While it may not win any awards for originality, the Private Internet Access VPN promises state of the art, multi-layered security for Android users. It boasts 10 simultaneous connections in a new, easy-to-use app interface. Also, like many other market leaders, it comes with an all-important VPN kill switch that automatically disconnects your device from the Internet until the VPN connection is restored.
- Price: From RM 12.92 per month
With servers in 51 different countries, VPNArea provides fast and efficient service with an unbreakable 256 bits AES encryption. It also allows unlimited bandwidth, and while some may feel the speed is not up to par, VPNArea is still one of the most popular VPNs for downloading or playing games on your PC.
- Price: From RM 10.81 per month
A safe bet for those just starting out with VPNs, SaferVPN comes with a Chrome extension and a setting which allows the ability to auto-connect whenever on a Wi-Fi connection. The Chrome extension comes in especially handy for novice users who haven’t quite figured out VPNs yet but still want to experiment.
What is a VPN and how does it work?
A Virtual Private Network or more popularly known as VPN, is a service that allows users to ‘change’ their IP address and access the Internet by routing the connection through a private server, thus encrypting traffic and private data.
In simple terms, it conceals your real IP address - a series of numbers unique to each device and wi-fi network that you use to visit sites. By using a VPN, it'll show your location (IP address) as somewhere else. Google then detects your 'VPN' location and automatically redirects you to content meant for that specific location.
Most importantly, using a VPN gives you more anonymity against hackers who may try to steal your data to creep into your browsing history as well as internet cookies, which tracks and saves information from your internet sessions.
VPNs can be used to access region-restricted websites, maintain safety on public Wi-Fi and keep users’ online activities safe from the prying eyes of hackers and surveillance agencies.
In short, a VPN is useful for:
- Hiding your real IP address (location)
- Protects information from being seen by hackers
- Bypass geo-restricted content online (you can watch USA-exclusive Netflix shows)
- Protect your information from being possibly tracked by your internet service provider and untrustworthy sites
Is VPN legal?
VPNs services are legal in Malaysia unless they are used for activities such as downloading X-rated movies and other criminal uses.
How to use a VPN?
The typical free VPN service tools are downloadable as a browser tool. Whereas, there are several that also acts as an independent software app on your computer.
To use after downloading, simply (1) Install and setup accordingly, (2) Select your free or paid plan, (3) Choose your preferred country as the server to connect to.
Differences between free versus paid VPN plans?
Most VPN services let you choose between their free or paid plans.
While most people are happy with their free plans, there are several reasons to choose a paid plan:
- More guarantees in securing your information from the services' potential bidders (paying for your security)
- Choose from any of the available country/servers
- No limitations to the usage period of the VPN services (many free ones only lets you use it for a few hours)
- Definitely no ads or obstruction in using the service