Which product is the best for VPN?

[phenomlab]

@JAC interesting you should mention this again. I never was completely happy with ExpressVPN, so never pursued it beyond a one-month trial. My go-to product still remains as NordVPN, although I have noticed some unexpected behaviour around suddenly logging out of the VPN itself, or simply disconnecting, which is a concern.

Having said that, I am also seriously looking at Proton VPN. The Android implementation just works without issue, but NordVPN has secure file transfer and VPN for TOR browser, which sets it apart from others.

I’ll be raising these issues with NordVPN support shortly.

[JAC]

@phenomlab The thing is I’ve tried what they say are the top 3 VPNs - Nord, Express & Surfshark.

All perform differently as you’d expect but overtime I have seen little things with each that do raise concerns.

Express VPN as mentioned above seemed to show three different locations for the one supposed IP that I was connected to.

Nord keeps logging me out randomly and disconnections are becoming more and more frequent.

Surfshark i[censored] and miss whether it actually connects or not, so you put your mobile data on or WIFI, if set to Auto-connect ideally Surfshark or any other VPN should be connecting pretty much straight away when connection is established. I didn’t see this, I saw it work great and then other times it wouldn’t connect, I’d have to go into the app then it would connect.

So as above in thread, I’m not with Proton. Don’t get me wrong it won’t be perfect and is always improving but so far it just does the basics well which is what I wanted out of the VPNs mention above.

Proton just feels that much more like they care about Privacy, you get the sense it’s not false but genuine and I see no reason not to put my trust in them, with scepticism of course but a brand you feel you can trust over let’s say Kape.

All in all, so far so good

[phenomlab]

@JAC said in Which product is the best for VPN?:

Nord keeps logging me out randomly and disconnections are becoming more and more frequent.

This is EXACTLY my issue - very annoying.

@JAC said in Which product is the best for VPN?:

Proton just feels that much more like they care about Privacy, you get the sense it’s not false but genuine and I see no reason not to put my trust in them, with scepticism of course but a brand you feel you can trust over let’s say Kape.

Yes, being a Swiss based firm, privacy is #1 on their agenda. The pricing doesn’t appear too steep in my view. I have a subscription (paid in advance) with NordVPN until November 2024, so over a year’s worth yet to use. However, I may try Proton VPN on my Android device. My only observation with the free plan is 3 locations - Netherlands, US, and Japan - obviously, the UK is the primary choice for latency reasons alone.

[phenomlab]

@jac I’m trialling for one month using Proton VPN. I really like its simplicity, and it seems very stable - time will tell of course. I’ve also installed it on my phone. One thing I have immediately noticed is that there is a VPN accelerator, which works very well and certainly does dramatically improve speed.

I’ll post back here with results.

[phenomlab]

@JAC ok, so I’m back here already. I’m glad I only opted for one month of Proton VPN because…

• The performance is lacklustre to say the least
• It’s as slow as hell which makes it almost unusable for day to day operations
• I also saw that the servers in the list had high loads - some around 80% meaning speed was being severely impacted
• Split Tunnel does not seem to work at all

There is also the issue that Proton VPN has a number of functions I’d consider basic that are missing - and I cannot really “do without them”. Based on this, I’ve uninstalled this product, and gone back to NordVPN. For the few faults it has, it is light years ahead of Proton VPN.

[JAC]

@phenomlab said in Which product is the best for VPN?:

@JAC ok, so I’m back here already. I’m glad I only opted for one month of Proton VPN because…

• The performance is lacklustre to say the least
• It’s as slow as hell which makes it almost unusable for day to day operations
• I also saw that the servers in the list had high loads - some around 80% meaning speed was being severely impacted
• Split Tunnel does not seem to work at all

There is also the issue that Proton VPN has a number of functions I’d consider basic that are missing - and I cannot really “do without them”. Based on this, I’ve uninstalled this product, and gone back to NordVPN. For the few faults it has, it is light years ahead of Proton VPN.

I’m yet to test it on PC pal, but on Android & Android TV it works fine and as it should.

As for Windows/ Mac etc I can’t comment on that but I do apologise if I’ve lead you down the wrong path.

I believe it has great potential and I’ve been following their updates closely, whilst saying that there are some features missing on Android TV & Firestick which I am told are coming soonish.

It’s frustrating that you’ve installed so quickly but it’s completely understandable, you know if it’s right for you .

[phenomlab]

@JAC Yes, it’s a pity really - I suppose I expected more. It’s not so much the lack of features, but the overall slowness and overloading of servers which is the primary concern. Ultimately, it means I can’t use it in the way I want to, which IS a show stopper.

[JAC]

@phenomlab said in Which product is the best for VPN?:

@JAC Yes, it’s a pity really - I suppose I expected more. It’s not so much the lack of features, but the overall slowness and overloading of servers which is the primary concern. Ultimately, it means I can’t use it in the way I want to, which IS a show stopper.

I do apologise mate for that, like I say I’m yet to test on PC, but for Android TV & Mobile I find it works perfectly as it should.

[phenomlab]

@JAC not at all mate. I took the decision to text it but it just didn’t work out how I expected. The real joy is that I spent 0.50€ so will get the rest back as a refund when I request it.

[JAC]

@phenomlab said in Which product is the best for VPN?:

@JAC not at all mate. I took the decision to text it but it just didn’t work out how I expected. The real joy is that I spent 0.50€ so will get the rest back as a refund when I request it.

Hopefully they can improve in the future.

I believe they can do a full refund or a refund in credits to use again or to go towards another of their services such as Mail.

[JAC]

@JAC said in Which product is the best for VPN?:

@phenomlab said in Which product is the best for VPN?:

@JAC not at all mate. I took the decision to text it but it just didn’t work out how I expected. The real joy is that I spent 0.50€ so will get the rest back as a refund when I request it.

Hopefully they can improve in the future.

I believe they can do a full refund or a refund in credits to use again or to go towards another of their services such as Mail.

I do actually prefer Surfshark over Nord too, and I hope they stay as two separate companies and products with Nord Security purchasing Surfshark I think in 2022.

[phenomlab]

@JAC yes, I read about that acquisition. Personally, I don’t think it’ll be long before surfshark gets consumed

[JAC]

@phenomlab said in Which product is the best for VPN?:

@JAC yes, I read about that acquisition. Personally, I don’t think it’ll be long before surfshark gets consumed

Definitely, there are infact already many similarities between the two, some that are so alike I think you’re right.

[JAC]

Looking further into it, Nord Security also purchased Atlas VPN in 2021 - https://atlasvpn.com/blog/press-release-nord-security-extends-its-portfolio-of-cybersecurity-brands-with-atlas-vpn

[JAC]

@JAC said in Which product is the best for VPN?:

Looking further into it, Nord Security also purchased Atlas VPN in 2021

https://atlasvpn.com/blog/press-release-nord-security-extends-its-portfolio-of-cybersecurity-brands-with-atlas-vpn

Strangely enough one I was looking into a few months back.

[phenomlab]

@JAC I think the only two worth looking at in my experience are either ExpressVPN or NordVPN. Whilst they are generally more expensive, performance, whilst important, isn’t the only factor to be considered when choosing a suitable product.

Admittedly, ProtonVPN has a strict no logs policy, but the performance is hugely disappointing with servers appearing to be overloaded or oversubscribed. Its a very brave decision from Proton to show the utilisation of each server, and I have to admire their honesty, but this also has the negative effect of consumers thinking twice before taking their services.

Their free offering would be great if it included the UK rather than the Netherlands, US, and Japan.

[JAC]

@phenomlab said in Which product is the best for VPN?:

ProtonVPN has a strict no logs policy, but the performance is hugely disappointing with servers appearing to be overloaded or oversubscribed. Its a very brave decision from Proton to show the utilisation of each server, and I have to admire their honesty, but this also has the negative effect of consumers thinking twice before taking their services.

I have to admit on the back of this I’ve been doing some testing tonight with Proton & Surfshark.

Proton is indeed a lot slower, I love their ethos and what they stand for but I’m literally thinking I’ve probably got 20 days left to decide whether I want to keep this or not.

The speed issue which you’ve mentioned too, I’ve not seen properly until tonight, Proton has stood up to the test previously but pretty much every server I’ve tried was way behind Surfsharks results.

I didn’t test against Nord as I keep getting logged out, I’ll keep it for the reminder of my sub but I’m done with them for now.

I do think it’s probably a case of keep an eye on things and re-subscribe in a year or so as far as things go with Proton.

What an eye opener! - this is not to say I won’t go back to them generally, but the fact you’ve tested it and I have now pretty much sums up your findings yesterday, which is a big shame as I thought I was onto a winner

And I do apologise Mark if I lead you down the wrong path yesterday, I was shocked to see your comments but I completely understand them now.

[JAC]

I suppose the question is, is Surfshark or Nord any less secure than Proton who are based in Switzerland with strong privacy laws?

As far as the reviews for these, the majority have passed audits, however the jurisdiction of some may be an issue if they belong to an alliance but that being said I’ve always felt quite safe using Surfshark & Express VPN despite their owners shady past.

[JAC]

@JAC said in Which product is the best for VPN?:

I suppose the question is, is Surfshark or Nord any less secure than Proton who are based in Switzerland with strong privacy laws?

As far as the reviews for these, the majority have passed audits, however the jurisdiction of some may be an issue if they belong to an alliance but that being said I’ve always felt quite safe using Surfshark & Express VPN despite their owners shady past.

Here’s how I’d rate the VPNs I’ve tried…

1. Express VPN - for simplicity, it just works!

With Kape technologies shady past put aside this is the winner for what I need it for.

2. Surfshark - A great second choice, lots of features to boot, but especially speed!
   Many kill switch issues on Android & Android TV so can be slightly unreliable if plays up.

Owned by Nord can be seen as a plus or minus.

3. Nord - Does everything you want from a VPN but lots of disconnects and app logging out issues with it lately but once these are ironed out it’ll be back to its best.

4. Proton VPN - Very security based, good android mobile app which works as it should but lacks speed compared with the top 3 giants.

[phenomlab]

@JAC I think the real defining property for an individual choice of VPN really depends on your need. Some users need it solely for streaming, whilst others really on it for privacy.

Based on this, there’s no real silver bullet in terms of a software product which is perfectly matched to the specific set of requirements. Nord is without question the most powerful product of them all, but, as you’ve pointed out - and I can attest based on my own experiences - is that the product is nuanced. Or has multiple complexities which when placed together provide a very powerful feature set not found in others, yet it’s clear vulnerability to simple issues like disconnects or random account log out means the overall experience is heavily impacted.

However, Nord has a proven and attestable no logs policy validated by external audit, and operates in Panama - a country with no mandatory privacy law, making it a clear choice in terms of privacy, and more importantly, your browsing history is not being sold to third parties as it would be with “free” offerings.