Best VPN 2023 For Speed, Netflix & No Logging
If you’re looking for a no-log VPN for your phone, PC, or home, then look no further: these are the best no-log VPN providers right now on the market right now. In order to generate this list, we tested over 30 of the most popular VPNs on the market. After careful deliberation, we finally managed to come up with several options that are detailed in full below…
Top-Rated No Log VPNs
When it comes to VPNs, you have plenty of good options to choose from. But if you’re going to pay for a VPN, you don’t want “good” – you want great. And the difference between a “good” VPN and a “great” VPN is how we choose the options listed below.
With respect to overall download speeds, security, and platform performance, all of the VPNs listed below were exceptional. They’re also all 100% no-logs too which means they do not store ANY data about what you do while using their network.
This is important too, and it is the #1 reason why you should NOT use free VPNs – they harvest your data for profit. And when you’re looking to be more private online, you do not want this.
All of the VPNs listed below are very impressive. My personal favorite right now would be ExpressVPN. I do really like NordVPN though too – there really isn’t much to separate these two platforms.
If you want a properly inexpensive but very impressive VPN, you’ll want to check out PureVPN – it has some of the best prices in the game.
Comparison Table of Top VPN’s Features & Pricing
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Pros:
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Pros:
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Pros:
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- TrustedServer Technology
- Anonymous IP
- Kill-Switch
- Works With Netflix
- Apps For Android, iPhone, Windows, Mac
- Only VPN provider with designated router app
- P2P services
- 5 simultaneous connections
- 3000+ servers in 160 locations
Which VPN is Best Overall?
VPNs are a bit like energy drinks. Some are better than others, sure, but generally speaking, they all do much the same thing. When it comes to modern, secure VPNs all of the top recommended options have more or less the same level of security and protections in place. All things being equal, what you’re really paying for is features and abilities.
In this respect, PureVPN is arguably the best as it has the best track record with unlocking sites like Netflix, BBC iPlayer, HULU, and other streaming platforms. If that’s what you’re going to be using your VPN for, I’d advise you to go with PureVPN – unlocking Netflix is kind of its thang.
Which VPN is Best For iPhone?
With iPhone, the best VPN is the one you can afford to run. If price is an issue or you don’t want to spend a lot of money per month, go with Surfshark; it is the least expensive of our top three options and it has much the same level of security and protections in place.
- Safe & private connection
- Multi-hop connection available
- Available on many platforms
- Good speed
- Strong global server presence
- Smooth streaming of geo-blocked content
- Great prices
- Smooth user experience
You do lose out with speed compared to PureVPN and ExpressVPN, but that’s what happens when you go with a cheaper option. If you want the best of the best, with respect to speed, usability, and security, I’d go with ExpressVPN – it is the fastest VPN on the market right now.
Which VPN is Safe To Use?
All of the VPNs listed above are completely safe to use. The only countries that take issue with VPN usage are those that have dictatorships in place – or seriously corrupt governments. Places like China, India, North Korea, and Crimea for instance. If you don’t live in any of those places, a VPN is safe and legal to use.
Which VPN is Fastest?
PureVPN is very fast, and reliable and is one of the most cost effective VPNs on the market, all without scrimping on features and/or security. But for all-out speed, ExpressVPN is the gold standard when it comes to speed and overall performance. If speed is important to you, go with Express VPN.
Which VPN is Best For Android?
The best VPN for Android is either PureVPN, ExpressVPN, or Surfshark. These are the three best VPNs on the market right now – with respect to the monthly cost, logging policies, features, and security. If you’re running Android, any of these VPNs will be perfect for your phone.
As noted before, PureVPN offers the best speed and features to cost ratio, Surfshark is the cheapest and most affordable, and ExpressVPN is the fastest overall with some of the best overall security and features. Me? I use PureVPN because, well… it’s cheap, secure, and it unlocks loads of streaming platforms.
- Network lock
- No logging policy
- Split tunnelling
- It's VERY Fast
- Military-grade encryption
- Choice of MANY protocols
- Huge number of server locations
Which VPN Unlocks Netflix?
This one’s simple: if you want to unlock Netflix, as well as other streaming platforms like BBC iPlayer, Amazon, HBO Max, HULU, and other platforms, the only game in town right now is PureVPN. Unlike most other VPNs, PureVPN has been unlocking Netflix and other streaming platforms consistently for years now. This is one of the reasons why it is so popular.
What VPN should I Use?
Again, when it comes to what VPN you should use, there are a few things you need to factor into your choice:
- What do you want to do with it?
- Do you want the cheapest possible option?
- Do you care about speed?
- Do you want to unlock Netflix?
If you want the best possible security, features, and overall speed, your best bet is either PureVPN or ExpressVPN – these are the creme de la creme of VPN networks.
If you want a VPN with great security, above-average speed, and plenty of additional features, go with Surfshark – it costs the least amount of money to run but it doesn’t scrimp on the big stuff, meaning the stuff you’ll actually want.
- Safe & private connection
- Multi-hop connection available
- Available on many platforms
- Good speed
- Strong global server presence
- Smooth streaming of geo-blocked content
- Great prices
- Smooth user experience
Again, I use PureVPN because it suits my own personal needs. I don’t want to pay a lot for a VPN, I want to be able to unlock streaming platforms like Netflix in other regions, and I want rock-solid security and good speeds. PureVPN does all of these things and it doesn’t cost much on monthly or yearly subscriptions.
What is a No Log VPN?
No log VPN means that your providers do not collect or log any of your activity online. It doesn’t collect or keep any information transmitted through the VPN. You are browsing 100% anonymously, just as you should be if you’re using a VPN.
VPNs are designed to make your digital life more secure. But plenty of popular VPNs keep logs of your browsing sessions (like these 40 VPNs, for instance). This means you’re not entirely secure or private. For maximum privacy, you need to go with a no log VPN provider (like the ones listed in the table above).
No Log VPN Benefits
When you use a free VPN, like millions of people do around the globe, you’re effectively handing over your data to the company to sell onto third-parties (ad networks and the like). You DO NOT want this. It’s bad and it completely defeats the purpose of using a VPN, anonymity.
Over the years, there have been a few instances where VPN companies have been caught out doing dodgy things with their users’ data. The most well known was the Hola VPN scandal, whereby Hola VPN was using its customers’ bandwidth to make money.
With a premium, no-log VPN, you’re not only getting state of the art security and encryption (the very same encryption the US government uses to protect all of its secret files), but you get speedy internet connections too, as well as full support for P2P and torrenting.
And if you’re doing ANY P2P or torrenting, you 100% need a no log VPN provider. Why? Simple: because if your VPN provider keeps logs, they can hand your ass over to the authorities for downloading illegal content from places like PirateBay.
“We do not store connection timestamps, session information, bandwidth used, traffic data, IP addresses and any other data. If there is nothing to store, then there is nothing to share with others,” said NordVPN. “We invited one of the Big Four audit firms to conduct the industry’s first audit of our allegations of the absence of registration journals. The report concluded that the description of our policy is fair and accurate.”
Are Any Free VPNs Worth It?
Sadly, not. All free VPNS come at a cost. They’re free for a reason, and that reason is your data, which is a hot commodity these days. Not only that but most free VPNs have terrible speeds and limit how much data you can send through them. Some free VPNs offer as little as 500MB per month which, compared to NordVPN’s unlimited data, is utter pants.
Aside from the fact that free VPNs use your data to make money, speed is the next biggest issue with them. A good VPN – like the ones listed inside our Best VPN Guide – will offer you plenty of bandwidth, so you can download and watch content almost as fast as if you were connected to the internet without a VPN. And this is key.
Why? Simple: if you’re using your VPN to watch videos, on a service like Netflix 4K, you’re going to need plenty of speed because 4K content on Netflix runs at around 25MB/s. That’s a lot of data to process, so in order to actually do this, you need a proper VPN with an excellent network, which is something you simply DO NOT get with free VPNs.
Free VPN With No Logging Policy?
I’m not a big fan of free VPNs. Most free VPNs are dodgy (remember the Hola VPN fiasco), track your activities, and/or share your data with advertisers. For this reason, I would ALWAYS use a paid, no-logs VPN over a free one on my personal network.
However, as with most things in life, there are exceptions to the rule. In this case, it’s ProtonVPN, a Swiss-based VPN provider. Being based in Switzerland has many benefits for a VPN service (it’s outside US and EU jurisdiction and it isn’t a member of the 14 Eyes surveillance network). And ProtonVPN’s free version is actually pretty good too.
Again, you’re better off going with the paid version. But to give a VPN a try, ProtonVPN’s free VPN service is definitely one of the better options, as it is 100% no logs, and your payment details (if you use PayPal are 100% anonymous). ProtonVPN is available on all major platforms too, including iPhone, Android, Mac, and Windows.
But if you want to unlock things like Netflix and iPlayer, you’ll have to pay for the premium option (view pricing options here). And if you want to do things like this, you’re better off with PureVPN as it is considerably faster than ProtonVPN – like 2x to 4x faster in most cases. And that is very important if you want to access things like video content.
Free VPNs ARE NOT Secure (And This Should Concern You)
Premium VPNs like NordVPN are ALL about the network. It invests millions in developing and evolving its VPN to be water-tight with respect to security, using protocols like OpenVPN and AES-256-bit encryption, the very same encryption used by the US government, so your data and personal information are always safe.
Conversely, around 85% of free VPNs have been shown to leak the IP details of their users, leaving them open to hackers and malware. 85% is not a small number, either. But it demonstrates the #1 key point I’m trying to get across here: a VPN is only as good as its network and security features. Don’t take chances here, always go with the best VPN possible – something like NordVPN.
“I don’t think VPN apps are secure, especially free ones,” said Joe Carson, chief security scientist with Thycotic, an information-security provider based in Washington, D.C. “The lower the cost of the app, the greater the chance they have security problems. At best they are using ads to earn income. At worst, they are selling your private information.”
NordVPN is rock-solid with respect to speed and security, and prices start from as little as $3 per month. That’s not a lot of money. And it’s a damn sight cheaper than having to deal with a case of identity theft because you decided to watch Parks & Recreation one night on Netflix using a dodgy free VPN.
And because NordVPN is based outside of US/EU regulation, it is not bound by statuary obligations to collect your data. This is why the company is located in Panama – it’s not just for the weather. Housing its base of operations there means NordVPN can be a true no-log VPN that cannot be touched by government agencies like the NSA and MI5. Hell, you can even use cryptocurrencies to pay your NordVPN membership fees, meaning you can be 100% anonymous.
Bottom line? If you want to be using the most secure and speedy VPN on the planet right now, make sure it is one of these:
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Pros:
|
Pros:
|
Pros:
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- TrustedServer Technology
- Anonymous IP
- Kill-Switch
- Works With Netflix
- Apps For Android, iPhone, Windows, Mac
- Only VPN provider with designated router app
- P2P services
- 5 simultaneous connections
- 3000+ servers in 160 locations
Does Apple make a VPN? Here’s what you need to know about iCloud Private Relay.
Richard Goodwin
Richard Goodwin has been working as a tech journalist for over 10 years. He is the editor and owner of KnowYourMobile.Comments are closed.
