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choose VPN provider. Helping
clnodem112
Member
Hey everyone! Im in search of a reliable VPN that can support at least 5 devices together. Im primary looking for something that has good speed for streaming and allows me to bybass regional restrictions (for example Netflix). Privacy is also a key-factor, so no-log policies are a-must. I have heard good things about Mullvad and Wndscribe but would love hear your experiences and any suggestions! Thank you all n advance!
Thanked by 110thHouse
Comments
@Ympker
(Highlighted one of the guys who has some experience with this stuff.)
Been using Windscribe as my default for over 5y. Also been using it as a default on my TVs to bypass Geolocked content. Always worked like a charm and have managed to max my line out when needed. Was lucky enough to get in on the Lifetime deal a few years ago.
How fast do you need it?
I have good experience with both Mullvad and Windscribe (not streaming Netflix though, I don't use it).
However, Mullvad isn't exactly cheap and very rarely (never?) run any kind of deals. Windscribe often run good yearly deals, and so I guess at the latest, the coming Black Friday we'll see a good deal on it.
For example, I pay $29 a year for the whole thing. I know some pay even less.
Mullvad is good in terms of privacy. However, they don't really focus on streaming services. That means that most likely you won't be able to access the service. For streaming I use Warp, which is pretty good. Speed is fine, content is mostly available
Buy a cheap VPS here and set up your own VPN tunnel. This will help you resolve the requests and issues you're facing.
Windscribe or personal VPN, depends on your usage and what you wish to archive? A few decent scripts available on GitHub if you wish to have own VPN, example: https://github.com/ngoduykhanh/wireguard-ui
Windscribe is good. They have servers for unlocking Netflix. If streaming is the only use case, I would suggest getting a cheap VPS with an IP classified as Business/Corporate and running Wireguard. It would be way cheaper this way.
Windscribe hasn't let me down for streaming purposes yet. Should be a solid pick
Mullvad’s privacy features definitely stand out, but it’s a bit disappointing if it struggles with streaming. I hadn’t considered Warp before — how’s the speed compared to other VPNs for streaming content?
Setting up my own VPN on a VPS sounds intriguing, but I’m not super experienced with that. Is it something a beginner could manage without too much trouble?
The setup shouldn't be the issue. The issue will be the cat and mouse game of getting your vps ip blacklisted by Flix and other streaming services. I prefer leaving that to the vpn provider and just enjoy a working service
I didn't really measure it. Up to 100 mbps IIRC. The problem is that you can't really control your location, but it's free, so I can't complain. There's also Warp+ available, but I haven't checked it out yet.
If you're interested in VPS, make sure to ask your provider if they allow this or not (many provider allow this for personal usage though). Also you can check if your VPS is suitable for your use-case using this script. The problem with VPS is that you're limited to a specific location and your ip is static. It's not difficult to make though, there's lots of auto-installers for this if you struggle to do it yourself
Speed-wise, ProtonVPN is the best.
Privacy, Mullvad.
A bit of both but not perfect, Windscribe.
None of the above, NordVPN.
Anything else advertised by influencers are the ones to get away from.
incognet vpn
Yeah, I mean, in summary, Windscribe is great for its price. Especially on yearly deals.
+1 Windscribe
The experience with protonVPN is very good and you can use the free version for that!
Thanks for the recommendation!
Mullvad best
currently im using protonvpn because my isp routing sucks.
so far for my netflix usage can unblock id, sg and us content.
For some apps, tools, ... im using ssh-tunnels instead of a vpn. Im pretty happy with torguard for my use case. 1 year for 40$
+1 mullvad
From experience/anecdotes of friends, the best ones are ProtonVPN, Mullvad, and IncogVPN (thank @MannDude for the last one)
My ranking for streaming/accessibility:
Proton (generally clean IPs, some locations are geared toward streaming, lots of variety in terms of geographic location, many different protocols)
Incog (clean IPs, higher plans have better speeds, less geographic diversity but lacks the issues that Mullvad has)
Mullvad (not engineered for streaming, commonly-used IPs may be blocked)
For privacy:
Mullvad (No PII needed, accepts XMR and BTC)
Incog (Needs email only, accepts XMR and other crypto)
Proton (Needs email and other account stuff, accepts BTC)
For pricing/business model:
Incog (As low as $2/month, three tiers for different types of users, has monthly, annual, biennial, or triennial plans. Also, the VPN service is subsidized by IncogNET's domain selling, web hosting, VPS and VDS sales, and other future services, so the VPN service doesn't necessarily need to be self-sustaining)
Mullvad ($5/month minimum, you can add as much account credit as you want and aren't restricted to specific increments of time, more expensive when paying with non-gift card, non-crypto methods. Also only offers VPN service, so if that goes under, the whole operation goes under)
Proton (The business model and pricing are incentivized to make you buy packages, like Proton Unlimited or Proton Family, which many people won't need. The only conceivable benefit to Proton VPN is that it has a free tier, but it's barebones and probably won't cover your needs for streaming.)
Other Notes:
IncogNET LLC is a pretty young company, getting its roots in the ground in the beginning of the 2020s. However, it is run by @MannDude, who has been active in this industry for ~20 years, and his services, especially hosting, have striking reputations for support of privacy and freedom of speech. IncogNET stands by its values and is unlikely to sell out or go under (and due to the niche market, I think it will remain this way for a long time). I have personally had good experiences with @MannDude when registering domains and hosting my sites. The company is based in Wyoming, USA.
Proton AG has been around since 2014, started by CERN scientists, and having expanded its team considerably since then. It is now transitioning to a nonprofit structure. Probably the most popular privacy-focused service provider at this moment, Proton has been both praised and criticized for trying to take on the big players of the cloud service world, most notably, Google and Microsoft. However, due to its size, Proton has had a number of run-ins with law enforcement, some of which resulted in their email users' IP addresses being turned in to the French authorities (reportedly, these email users were not using a VPN). Proton claims that it contests baseless warrants, and that all warrants must be approved by Swiss courts before they can proceed to hand over data, but they have removed "no logging" as a selling point of their VPN from their website. The company is based in Switzerland.
Mullvad AB is the oldest of the three companies, around since 2009. The company has collaborated with the Tor project to build Mullvad Browser, a clearnet browser that takes cues from the Tor browser in its privacy protections and anti-fingerprinting technology. Mullvad made headlines when police raided their headquarters, but were unable to extract any information about user data, seemingly supporting Mullvad's claims that it does not log user IP data. The company is based in Sweden.
https://techcrunch.com/2021/09/06/protonmail-logged-ip-address-of-french-activist-after-order-by-swiss-authorities/
https://proton.me/blog/climate-activist-arrest
https://www.pcmag.com/news/mullvad-vpn-hit-with-search-warrant-in-attempted-police-raid
Overall, IncogVPN is the best compromise between the three, IMO.
@MannDude is prem
From my personal experience I can recommend the following:
Hide.me VPN -> very privacy focused and stable
IVPN -> very privacy focused and stable (not that much locations avaliable)
Surfshark VPN -> stable and safe (things changed a little since they moved their HQ from the british virgin islands to NL)
Thanks for the breakdown, it's really helpful to see how these VPNs compare. I’ve heard a lot about ProtonVPN’s reliability for streaming, but it’s interesting that IncogNET seems to offer a solid privacy approach with competitive pricing.
I’m curious, though—what’s your take on https://nordvpn.com/download/windows? It’s pretty popular, but I’ve heard mixed reviews in terms of privacy and streaming performance. Do you think it’s worth considering alongside the three you mentioned? I'd appreciate your insight!
Thanks again for the detailed comparison!
iVPN.net and Mullvad they don't let their crowns fall in terms of Privacy.
iVPN.net is one of side-to-side competitor of Mullvad.
Thanks for the reply! I'm happy to spread awareness about privacy supporting VPNs and other services. I don't have enough personal or anecdotal experience with Nord to judge one way or another, but I would stress that to make a solid evaluation of a VPN company, you need to look at its payment options, its business model, and its corporate behavior.
Unless explicitly proven otherwise, assume that all VPN services log IPs and are thus no better than your own ISP when it comes to protecting network traffic.
Some things to note:
Are you OK with a company like Nord seeing your internet traffic, or holding your financial information, especially if it is sold to another VPN company that is less strict about privacy and user data protections?
My personal conclusion that if privacy is not a moderate or high priority, Nord is a reasonable choice for streaming and price, but if you don't want the uncertainty of Nord's corporate history and practices, why not just go with one of the privacy-focused VPNs?
https://www.techradar.com/news/whats-the-truth-about-the-nordvpn-breach-heres-what-we-now-know
https://vpnpro.com/blog/hidden-vpn-owners-unveiled-97-vpns-23-companies/
Echoing other LET members, Proton VPN is an s-tier VPN provider.
I use Mullvad as a standalone and another subscribe in my Tailscale net. But Mullvad sometimes got me blocked on some websites. And sometimes gaming got loss & high ping.
I wasn't consider Proton before in terms of privacy, but reading comments might change my mind. Should give them a try soon.
Incog is a new name I just heard lately, would love to see how they performs.