Best VPNs for Windows 10 of 2024

Betternet

Betternet is a VPN that supports all major operating systems, including Windows, iOS, Mac, and Android. You can sign up for a 12-month subscription or a 1-month plan, and you won’t be charged for the first seven days, which serve as a free trial.

Betternet is based in Canada, and was initially developed as a free browser extension that doesn’t require an account. However, the free version’s features are limited and it doesn’t have the same privacy policies as the premium service.

CyberGhost

CyberGhost only offers a one-day free trial, but they have a 45-day money-back guarantee if you aren’t satisfied with the product. You can choose from several subscription plans, including one-, two-, and three-year options, or pay month-to-month for $12.99. They also offer 24/7 live chat support in English, French, German, and Romanian.

CyberGhost claims to work with all major streaming platforms, and it can be installed on a variety of operating systems, including Windows 10, macOS, Android, and Linux. With up to seven simultaneous connections permitted, you can use this VPN to connect to over 6,100 servers in 60+ countries.

As for security, you’ll get AES 256-bit encryption, three different protocols (OpenVPN, IKEv2, and WireGuard®), and a strict no-logs policy. Based in Romania, CyberGhost operates under favorable privacy laws and publishes an annual Transparency Report detailing Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) complaints, malware activity flags, and police requests that they’ve received.

Read our full CyberGhost review.

ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN is compatible with Windows 10, 8, and 7, as well as a wide range of other operating systems, and it can be installed on up to five devices. With 160 locations in 94 countries, you can use ExpressVPN for browsing, torrenting, and streaming. You can also install it on your smart TV, game console, or router.

There’s no free trial, but you get a 30-day money-back guarantee and 24-hour live chat support to help troubleshoot any issues. Plans cost $12.95 per month, with discounts if you subscribe for 6 or 12 months up front. You can pay via credit card, PayPal, Bitcoin, and global payment processors like Alipay.

ExpressVPN has a good reputation from a security standpoint, with advanced features like split tunneling and a Network Lock kill switch. You can count on industry-standard 256-bit AES encryption and a strict no-log policy. The ExpressVPN app is available in 16 different languages, making it user-friendly for international customers.

Read our full ExpressVPN review.

Hide.me

Hide.me puts its no-log policy front and center, and has been independently audited by security analysts. Hide.me has a free plan that doesn’t require any personal details, but its features are limited and won’t be suitable for frequent use.

To unlock all of Hide.me’s features, you can pay for a month-to-month plan ($12.95), or sign up for a one- or two-year plan up front to bring down the price. Payments are accepted via credit card, PayPal, and over a dozen cryptocurrencies. If you aren’t satisfied, you can request a full refund within 30 days.

Hide.me is based in Malaysia, but has 1,800+ servers in 72 locations, providing a range of connections all over the world. You can download the Windows client for Windows 7, 8, and 10, or install it on Mac, Android, and other operating systems.

Hotspot Shield

Hotspot Shield provides a 45-day money-back guarantee on all of its paid plans, which include a premium plan for $7.99 per month and a family plan for $11.99 per month when billed annually. The premium plan supports up to 5 devices, while the family plan supports up to 25 devices, 5 for each family member. You can also try out the free plan, but this will only allow you to connect a single device with a 500 MB daily data limit.

Other services that come with your subscription are Robo Shield, a spam call blocker, and 1Password, a password manager. Aside from these special features, you’ll get an internet kill switch, multiple VPN protocols, and military-grade encryption.

Hotspot Shield is optimized for streaming platforms like Netflix and Hulu, with over 115 locations in 80+ countries to help you get around geo-restrictions. You can install it on all of your favorite operating systems, including Windows 10, macOS, and Android.

Read our full Hotspot Shield review.

IPVanish

IPVanish is one of a small but growing number of VPNs to offer unlimited connections, so you can keep all of your devices secure at all times. IPVanish has apps for all of the most popular operating systems, making it a great VPN for Windows 10, 8, 8.1, and 7, as well as devices running macOS, Android, Linux, and more.

IPVanish has a zero-log policy and uses 256-bit AES encryption. You’ll also get 250 GB of encrypted storage offered by SugarSync® to help keep your files secure.

Plans range from $6.49 to $10 per month. All plans come with access to 1,500+ servers in 75 countries and a 30-day money-back guarantee if you aren’t satisfied.

Read our full IPVanish review.

Mullvad

Mullvad is a VPN based out of Sweden that believes that “privacy is a universal right.” That’s why they provide you with a unique account number when you sign up, without requiring your email, phone number, or other identifiable information. All you’ll need to do is reference that account number when you send your payment via bank transfer, credit card, cryptocurrency, or whichever method you prefer.

With Mullvad, you get AES-256-CBC encryption and access to 667 server locations in 36 countries. Mullvad offers open-source apps for Windows, MacOS, Linux, iOS, and Android, all of which have undergone an independent security audit.

Plans cost a flat rate of $5.50 per month, so you won’t get any multi-year discounts, but you do get a 30-day money-back guarantee.

NordVPN

NordVPN is known for its 24/7 customer support and large number of servers, with over 5,100 locations in 59 countries. Subscriptions cost $11.95 per month, or as little as $4.08 per month paid annually, with a 30-day money-back guarantee. They also offer reduced rates for eligible nonprofits, and six months free in humanitarian emergencies.

NordVPN’s standard features include AES-256-GCM encryption, a no-log policy, and up to six simultaneous connections. You can also add on several additional features, such as the NordPass password manager and NordLocker file storage.

This service is based in Panama, a country with strong privacy protections. NordVPN also works well with many streaming platforms, including Netflix, Disney+, and Hulu. You can download the app for Windows 10 and most other operating systems.

Read our full NordVPN review.

Private Internet Access

Private Internet Access offers a relatively low-cost VPN at only $9.95 paid monthly, or $2.69 per month on a 2-year plan. You can pay by credit card, Paypal, or Bitcoin, and even by gift cards from major retailers like Best Buy and Target. There’s no free trial, although you can request a full refund within 30 days if you aren’t satisfied.

Private Internet Access provides apps for Windows 7 and higher, as well as for macOS, iOS, Android, and Linux. Browser extensions are available to install on Chrome, Firefox, and Opera, and you can connect up to 10 devices at once.

As for coverage, you’ll get access to 3,341 servers in 52 locations, using 256-bit AES encryption. Advanced users can make use of multiple VPN protocols, including PPTP, WireGuard®, OpenVPN, and L2TP/IPSec, as well as a SOCKS5 proxy.

Read our full Private Internet Access review.

Private VPN

Whether you use Windows 10, Mac, or Android devices, PrivateVPN will get you up and running in under a minute with its one-click setup. You’ll also have access to 24/7 live chat support and remote help if you need any setup assistance.

PrivateVPN offers 2048-bit encryption with AES-256, as well as IPv6 Leak Protection, and a no-logs policy based on Swedish privacy laws. You can use the VPN on up to six devices at once with unlimited bandwidth and access to 150+ servers in 60 countries. Other features include a kill switch, port forwarding, and P2P torrenting.

Special offers change frequently, but the current best deal is $3.82 for 13 months, with one- and three-month plans available if you don’t want to commit for that length of time. You can also rely on the 30-day money-back guarantee if you just want to try it out.

ProtonVPN

ProtonVPN is great for journalists and activists because of its strong privacy practices and Swiss jurisdiction. It also offers ProtonMail, which is an encrypted email service. With ProtonVPN, you can expect 256-bit AES encryption and Perfect Forward Secrecy, as well as the most secure VPN protocols, IKEv2/IPSec, and OpenVPN.

ProtonVPN offers a free service that can be useful in limited circumstances, but only a paid plan will get you access to 1,000+ servers in 54 countries. These include the Basic plan for $4, with two simultaneous connections and P2P/BitTorrent support, and the Plus plan for $8, with five simultaneous connections and TOR over VPN access.

If you’re interested in ProtonMail too, then you can pay $24 per month for a Visionary account, which unlocks all of the premium features for both services.

Read our full ProtonVPN review.

Surfshark

Surfshark offers a great deal on long-term plans, charging only $1.99 per month for a two-year plan, compared to $11.95 paid monthly. Your subscription gets you access to 15 Netflix libraries and can be used on an unlimited number of devices.

Surfshark is based in the British Virgin Islands and has a no-logging policy to keep your data secure. It uses 256-bit AES encryption and has a kill switch feature to prevent any data leaks. There’s also a built-in ad-blocker to block unwanted pop-ups.

As for coverage, you can connect to over 1,700 servers in 63 countries, helping you get around geo-restrictions and access all of your favorite streaming services. You can use the Surfshark app on Windows PCs, Android devices, and more, or download browser extensions for Firefox and Chrome. You can also install it on Smart TVs, routers, and gaming consoles to have all of the devices in your household covered.

Read our full Surfshark review.

TunnelBear

TunnelBear provides a free VPN service as well as paid plans for individuals and teams. Unlike many free VPNs, TunnelBear claims not to make money off of data mining or ad retargeting, and undergoes independent security audits on a regular basis. TunnelBear was acquired by McAfee in 2018, so depending on your views, that may be either a pro or a con in the privacy department. It’s subject to U.S. and Canadian data laws, but it has the backing of a major antivirus company behind it.

When it comes to specs, TunnelBear uses 256-bit AES encryption and provides 1,800+ servers in 22+ countries. You can connect up to 5 devices on an individual subscription, which costs as little as $3.33 per month. Teams pay $5.75 per user per month. There’s also a password manager offered by the same company called RememBear.

You can install TunnelBear on your browser, or download apps for Windows, Android, and more. Use the GhostBear feature to hide your VPN use from your ISP.

Read our full TunnelBear review.

VyprVPN

VyprVPN uses up-to-date encryption protocols, including secure DNS and WireGuard®, as well as a proprietary VPN technology called Chameleon™. This serves to scramble your metadata and avoid Deep Packet Inspection (DPI), which is what some restrictive networks and countries use to limit your VPN use.

VyprVPN provides access to over 700 servers in 64 countries, and you can connect up to 5 devices at once. Plans cost as little as $2.50 per month for 24 months, or $12.95 billed monthly, and come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

You can download VyprVPN for Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, and more, or manually set it up on your router. Public WiFi protection kicks in when you access an unfamiliar network, and the kill switch blocks all internet traffic if your connection drops.

Read our full VyprVPN review.

Windscribe

Windscribe has some of the most customizable pricing on the market, with the option to Build-A-Plan at $1.00 per location per month. You can also subscribe to a monthly plan for $9.00 per month, or a yearly plan for $4.08 per month. Their other optional add-ons include static IP addresses and team accounts.

Windscribe also promises to unlock streaming platforms and block annoying ads. You can connect to at least 610 servers in over 60 countries, and use split tunneling to set different VPN usage preferences for different apps.

Windscribe apps are available for Windows, Macs, Linux, and more, although there are some differences in features depending on whether you’re using a browser extension or an app. The browser extensions offer some unique features like TimeWarp, which sets your timezone to match the location of the server you’re connected to.

Read our full Windscribe review.