Looking for the best VPN for Windows 7, 8 and 10 in 2018? There is no wonder why you landed on this page.
VPNs, aka Virtual Private Networks, are now a digital necessity rather than a luxury. Due to the ever-growing menace of cyber threats and data breaches, it has become more important than ever to have a solution that can conceal your online activities and keep you as far away from any sort of online threats as possible including government surveillance, hacking, online identity theft attacks, etc.
Apart from that there is also the problem of content restriction. For instance, content creators want to maximize their return on their investment, so they put geo-restrictions on websites so they users from other cities or countries aren’t able to access that content. ISPs never deliver on the speed they promise. The ISP throttle their speed in the name of bandwidth control or network congestion.
To overcome spying by the government, geo-restrictions and speed throttling issues, a VPN is your best bet.
Why You Need a Windows VPN
Windows is the most popular Operating System in the world, used by nearly 46% of the total global population. Its growing popularity and usage is one of the major factors why it attracts a myriad of hackers, looking to exploit any and every security loophole they can get their hands on to.
Having a large user-base means that the devices and systems running Windows are always a target of hackers, plus the OS is notorious for having vulnerabilities.
Therefore, the need for a best Windows VPN is a must. With a VPN, you can secure your computer against all sorts of viruses, malware and other cyber security threats that can damage not just the system itself but also the confidential data on it.
How to Choose a Best VPN for Windows in 2022
You may have a slight idea of what a VPN is. However, if you want to pick out the best VPN for Windows from among a few hundreds, than you need to have more than just a “slight idea”.
You should at least have a good know-how of the important features best windows vpn should offer to best protect you against every online threat, give you seamless access to blocked websites, and do much more than anonymize your online presence.
Following are some of the important features an ideal Windows VPN should offer:
- Huge Pool of IPs: An excellent Windows VPN service should be able to provide users with a huge pool of IPs. With access to myriad of anonymous IPs, you can easily cloak your original IP for hiding your online activities and to bypass geo-blocked websites.
- Multiple Servers: Speed is impacted a lot with the server location. For instance, if you are connected to a server which is closest to your region, you can expect high speed. Good VPNs should have a huge network of servers and unlimited switching for optimal speed.
- Highest Level of Encryption: Perhaps the most important feature of a VPN is the level of encryption it offers. Encryption is what allows you to safeguard your data completely from unwanted access. An ideal VPN should be able to offer at least military-grade encryption for guaranteed data privacy and security.
- Protection from Malware and Viruses: Initially, VPNs were built to provide anonymity to the users. But with the growing development in the VPN industry, more and more VPN services are now offering protection from viruses and spyware.
- No Storage of Data Logs: If you want complete anonymity, you need to look for a VPN that have strict no log policy and doesn’t keep logs of your online activities. Ideally, the VPN should be based in a country where data retention laws are not strict.
- Multiple Protocols for Accessibility: Finally, a VPN should be able to provide access to multiple protocols. Accessibility to different protocols allow the users to set the security and speed parameter as per their needs, and have a desirable VPN experience.
Okay, we have the parameters for an ideal VPN service defined, now it is time to pick out the best Windows VPN that meets those parameters but if you are looking for a vpn for your phone than refer to best Android VPN of 2018.
4 Best Windows VPN of 2022
1-PureVPN
PureVPN tops our chart for the best VPN for Windows for 2018. There is not just one but many reasons that make PureVPN our first choice when it comes to best windows vpn. Operating from Hong Kong, PureVPN perfectly meets all the parameters we have defined for the best Windows VPN for 2018 above.
Secondly, PureVPN has a massive pool of over 80,000 IPs that allow users to connect to their desired website regardless of any geo restrictions. And with 750+ servers strategically placed all over the globe, users can expect much faster speed no matter where they are.
Also Read: Online Surveillance in UK and How VPN Helps You Stay Protected
One of the key traits that make PureVPN the best VPN for Windows 10 or just any Windows is its strict No-Logs policy. After all, users want complete anonymity and privacy of their data, be it against the ISPs, hackers or even the VPN service itself.
Fortunately, PureVPN does not store any data logs of its users, though it may store session logs, which is only used for improving customer experience.
The VPN comes with 128 bit to 256-bit military-grade encryption that guarantees total security and protection from any kind of unwanted interception or eavesdropping. With multiple protocols (PPTP/L2TP/ SSTP/ OpenVPN/ IKEv2/Stealth VPN) at users’ disposal, they can pick the one that best fits their need. For instance, users who want high speed but decent level of security, they may opt for PPTP. For those, who want a balance between high security and high speed, then OpenVPN is their best bet.
Ideal Customer Support
One of the key traits of a good service provider is its ability to respond to customer queries. PureVPN passes the customer support test with flying colors. PureVPN offers its apps in multiple languages including English, Arabic, Turkish, Spanish, French, German, Italian and Chinese, catering users with a variety of widely used languages, so we recommending Purevpn as the best windows vpn totally make sense.
DNS leaks are some of the major fears that terrify users who are concerned about having their data or online activity tracked by unwanted entities such as ISPs. DNS leaks mostly occur when there is a VPN connection breakdown, which ultimately leads to the ISPs knowing the online activity of the users. PureVPN nails the fear of DNS leak with its smart “Internet Kill Switch” feature. Whenever there is a connection breakdown from a VPN server, the Internet Kill Switch will immediately cease all the user’s activities, thereby protecting them from getting their confidential activities being exposed or worse, tracked.
DDoS protection, NAT Firewall and Dedicated IPs are some of the added features of PureVPN that users can avail for just $0.99 each and protect themselves for any kind of viruses, spyware and even DDoS attacks.
All in all, PureVPN is the best bet for optimal speed and highest level of security you can get with a VPN.
Experience the Best VPN for Windows
2- IVACY
Ivacy ranks second on our best windows VPN for 2018 list, and there are plenty of reasons for it. After all, it is not just one of the fastest VPN service providers in the world, but also the cheapest too.
Just like PureVPN, Ivacy is also operating from Hong Kong and it tops the chart by meeting all the parameters as we’ve defined for an the best Windows VPN.
Ivacy is the best VPN for Windows 10, and not just the Windows but all the other major operating systems for both desktops and mobile devices. With highest multi-logins capability, you can use Ivacy to log in up to not just 2 or 3, but 5 different devices simultaneously. Isn’t that amazing! Just imagine all your family members enjoying online freedom and security with a single Ivacy account.
Live Internet Freedom with Ivacy
Talking about internet freedom and security, Ivacy comes packed with highest level, 256 bit encryption. With such a robust encryption at your service, you can rest assured about your absolute protection from unsolicited access or interception, every time you log in using Ivacy. You will also be given complete freedom of switching to multiple protocols (namely PPTP/SSTP/L2TP/IPSec/OpenVPN and IKEv2) and for getting the most optimum speed and security, as you desire.
Yearn to binge watch your favorite TV shows and movies, but unable to do so due to annoying geo restrictions? Don’t worry, with Ivacy you can access any streaming website and watch your favorite content to your heart’s content. In fact, you can even access torrents and download anything without worrying about bandwidth limit or speed throttling.
Ivacy’s Global Presence
Ivacy has a global presence in over 100+ countries housing over 200+ high-speed servers. With so many servers at your disposal, you can join the servers nearest to your location and enjoy instant connectivity and high speed.
Finally, Ivacy offers a risk free 7-day money-back guarantee which is great for exploring the internet with complete peace of mind.
3- EarthVPN
Ranking at 3rd, EarthVPN made our list of best VPN for windows because of its reasonable set of features and price.
It offers all the basic set of features that you can expect from a VPN service. For instance, it has an adequate global presence in over 50+ countries accommodating over 400+ servers. Although the service claims to maintain high-speed servers, we have experienced connectivity issues with some servers.
Clear No Log Policy by Earth VPN
It proclaims to maintain a no-log policy. It doesn’t place any limit on the speed and bandwidth, although we have experience inconsistent speed on OpenVPN protocol.
Unlike our top 2 contenders, EarthVPN can only be connected to up to 3 devices simultaneously. And a real bummer is if you want to connect to a mobile device, you need to pay for a few bucks more for that.
Like many other VPN service providers, EarthVPN also offers high level encryptions, i.e., 128 bit AES encryption. It also provides 2048 RSA encryption, but it is nothing compared to a 256 bit encryption which it also provides but for an added cost.
Keeping that in view, EarthVPN can be considered as a reasonably adequate solution to all your online security and privacy problems.
4- VPNArea
Finally, we have VPNArea as our 4th best VPN for Windows 10 as well as other operating systems. It comes with almost all the standard features that a VPN should offer.
The service is though based in Bulgaria but its datacenter are based in Switzerland. VPNArea claims to offer a no-log policy but due to it having its server in Switzerland, it may have to comply with Swiss data retention policies. As a result, the service conflicts with its own no-log policy.
VPNArea retains up to 200 high performance servers spread across around 60 countries. It provides dedicated IPs at an added cost, internet kill switch that terminates all the activities in the event of a connection drop, 6 simultaneous logins, instant activation, 256 bit encryptions, and more.
You may want to try it if you are okay with the vague no-log policy.
How to Setup a VPN on Windows
Every version of the Windows has distinct functionalities when it comes to installing software or applications. Therefore, we have compiled different setup guides for Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 10.
How to Setup VPN on Windows 7
Before we proceed to the Windows 7 VPN setup guide, let’s take a look at the best VPNs that you can use on Windows 7.
5 Best VPNs for Windows 7
- PureVPN
- Private Internet Access
- NordVPN
- VyprVPN
- PrivateVPN
Let’s check the out the setup guide.
- Go to the Control Panel
- Click Network and Internet and go to Network and Sharing Centre
- Under Network Settings, click Setup a New Connection or Network
- On the popup windows, select Connect a Workplace and click Next
- Now select No and then create a new connection before you click Next again
- On the new window, select Use my Internet Connection (VPN)
- Fill out the Internet Address and Destination fields with the information provided by your network administrator
- Click Next
- In the succeeding screen, use the username and password given by your administrator
- Now click the Network icon on the system tray and click the new connection you have just created
- Enter the username or password if necessary
- Go to Properties and set your desired protocol and click Ok and then Connect
How to Setup VPN on Windows 8 & 8.1
Before we proceed to the Windows 8 VPN setup guide, let’s find out the best VPNs for Windows 8.
5 Best VPNs for Windows 8 & 8.1
- PureVPN
- Windscribe
- Hotspot Shield
- ExpressVPN
- Cyber Ghost
Let’s check the out the setup guide.
- Go to Settings
- Type VPN
- Select “Setup a Virtual Private Network (VPN) Connection”
- Click Setup a new connection or network
- Select Connect to a workplace
- Select Use my Internet Connection (VPN)
- Enter Internet Address and Destination Name and click Create
- You can now see VPN Connection under the Network list
- Right click and go to Connection Properties
- Under the Security tab, select desired protocol (SSTP/PPTP/IKEv2/L2TP/IPSec)
- Now open VPN Connection and enter Username and Password
How to Setup VPN on Windows 10
Before we proceed to the Windows 10 VPN setup guide, let’s find out the best VPNs for Windows 10.
5 Best VPNs for Windows 10
- PureVPN
- ExpressVPN
- Private VPN
- Cyber Ghost
- Ivacy
Let’s check the out the setup guide.
- Go to Control Panel
- Go to Network and Sharing and click Setup a New Network or Connection
- Choose Connect to a Workplace
- Click Use my Internet Connection
- Enter Internet Address and Destination Name, and click Create
- Go to the Network section and open your new connection
- Enter the credentials, configure properties and click Connect
Wrapping Up
The best windows VPN should be more than just a tool to bypass geo-restrictions. It should be able to cover all the online movements of its users, protect their data from getting intercepted, shield them against online threats like viruses or DDoS attacks, and, most important of all, offer maximum speed.
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By the looks of it, PureVPN is the only service that ticks all the right boxes. And not just that but it provides a great deal of other more functionalities that make your VPN experience simply incredible. For instance, it offers split-tunneling, unlimited server switching, an added router applet, manual and automated protocol selection, and more.
