It’s secure, and it provides a great value for the money if you pay for two years up front.

If you just want a way to get around some geographical restrictions on content (aka access Netflix) and protect your traffic while using an open Wi-Fi hot spot, Surfshark is a good choice. Surfshark wouldn’t be my top pick if my life depended on my VPN, but for most of us that’s not the case. Subscriptions help fund the work we do every day. This includes unlimited access to and our print magazine (if you’d like). Special offer for Gear readers: Get a 1-year subscription to WIRED for $5 ($25 off). Updated February 2023: We’ve included some updated speed test results, added some thoughts on Google’s new VPN, and noted that Surfshark’s no-logs policy has been independently verified. If you’re sure you want to use a VPN, here are our top picks among commercial VPN providers.

To help you sort out when and why you might want a VPN, as well as why you might not, be sure to read through our complete guide to VPNs below. For this reason, we’ve limited our testing to VPN providers that have been independently audited by security firms and have published the results. You’re stuck taking companies at their word. Most VPN providers say they keep no logs of their users’ activity, but this is rarely verified. Picking the right VPN service is serious business. Be sure you even need one before you read on. This makes VPN providers a target for hackers.

Using a VPN means your VPN provider will know everything about your browsing habits. However, while a VPN will keep you safe at your local coffee shop, it comes with a cost.

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