You think that VPNs are for geeks, right? Paranoid hackers, tinfoil hatted conspiracy theorists, maybe. Certainly, society’s outliers.

But the truth is, these guys are ahead of the game. For around £10 a month – often less – you can secure everything you do online. This has massive implications for your personal privacy, household security, and can even save you some money.

Here’s how.

• Encrypt your internet activity: using a VPN means that your activity is protected, secured with military grade encryption.
• Gain protection on open Wi-Fi networks: whether you’re in a café, restaurant, shopping mall, airport, wherever, open Wi-Fi is everywhere. But it’s rarely secure. Hackers can intercept personal data like passwords using “sniffer” software. Use a VPN to encrypt your data and they’re helpless.
• Beat internet censorship: whether your ISP has enabled an adult content filter, or you live in an oppressive regime, using a VPN server based in a more liberal location circumvents such restrictions.
• Bypass web filters: need to access a particular website from work? Important internet source blocked in your local library? Want to bypass your school’s network? A VPN avoids blocks on all these locations.
• Enjoy overseas Netflix libraries: You’ve probably been frustrated by Netflix’s different regional libraries. A VPN connecting to a server in the USA permits access to Netflix US.
• Increase your internet speed: your ISP manages data using a technique called “throttling”. “Unimportant” traffic such as streaming video or online gaming is given a lower priority. But encrypting data with a VPN prevents the ISP from identifying the traffic. The result is faster internet at peak times.
• Secure remote working activity: whether working from home occasionally or to cope with a pandemic, using a VPN can help to keep your activity safe and secure, hidden from the eyes of cyber criminals looking for a high value corporate scalp.
• Save money shopping online: VPNs let you shop around like never before. Merchandise can be bought from the same retailer from different international locations for vastly different prices. This applies to consumables as well as hotels and flights. Simply use a VPN to view an online retailer from several key cities and buy with the cheapest.
• Improve online gaming speed: VPN companies ensure they keep speed as fast as possible which helps to reduce online gaming latency.
• Protect your family online: children, wives, husbands, partners, parents – everyone needs a VPN to encrypt their activity and keep it from the watchful eyes of ISPs, governments, and hackers. Cybercriminals prefer low-hanging fruit. If they see an encrypted connection, they’ll move onto another victim.

Don’t let that be you.

Many VPN services are available, some good and some bad. We’ve taken steps to recommend and feature only those we believe offer a top-quality service with reliable apps and trustworthy privacy policies.

Find your VPN in our table of our favourite VPNs.