Short description: Virtual private network (proxy server)

For the more general concept, see virtual private network.

A virtual private network (VPN) service provides a proxy server to users to bypass Internet censorship such as geoblocking or users who want to protect their communications against data profiling or MitM attacks on hostile networks.

A wide variety of entities provide "VPNs" for several purposes. But depending on the provider and the application, they do not always create a true private network. Instead, many providers simply provide an Internet proxy that uses VPN technologies such as OpenVPN or WireGuard. Commercial VPN services are often used by those wishing to disguise or obfuscate their physical location or IP address, typically as a means to evade Internet censorship or geo-blocking.

Providers often market VPN services as privacy-enhancing, citing security features, such as encryption, from the underlying VPN technology. However, users must consider that when the transmitted content is not encrypted before entering the proxy, that content is visible at the receiving endpoint (usually the VPN service provider's site) regardless of whether the VPN tunnel itself is encrypted for the inter-node transport. The only secure VPN is where the participants have oversight at both ends of the entire data path or when the content is encrypted before it enters the tunnel.

On the client side, configurations intended to use VPN services as proxies are not conventional VPN configurations. However, they do typically utilize the operating system's VPN interfaces to capture the user's data to send to the proxy. This includes virtual network adapters on computer OSes and specialized "VPN" interfaces on mobile operating systems. A less common alternative is to provide a SOCKS proxy interface.

In computer magazines, VPN services are typically judged on connection speeds; privacy protection, including privacy at signup and grade of encryption; server count and locations; interface usability; and cost.[1][2][3][4] In order to determine the degree of privacy and anonymity, various computer magazines, such as PC World and PC Magazine, also take the provider's own guarantees and its reputation among news items into consideration.[1][2]

Users are commonly exposed to misinformation on the VPN services market, which makes it difficult for them to tell apart vague and bold claims and facts in advertisements.[5]

## Contents

* 1 Definitions
* 2 Privacy
* 3 Technical features
* 4 Availability
* 5 Encryption
* 6 References

## Definitions

The following definitions clarify the meaning of the column headers in the comparison tables below.

## Privacy

PC Magazine recommends that users consider choosing a provider based in a country with no data retention laws, since that makes it easier for the service to keep a promise of no logging.[9] PC Magazine and TechRadar also suggest that users read the provider's logging policy before signing up for the service,[9][3] since some providers collect information about their customers' VPN usage.[10][11] PC World recommends that users avoid free services as a rule of thumb, and asserts that free services either sell their users' browsing data in aggregated form to researchers and marketers, or only offer a minimal amount of data transfer per month.[10] Logitheque explains why there are so many VPN comparison websites on the web.[12]

Service  | Based in  | Logging[lower-alpha 1] | Anonymous payment method  | Accepts bitcoin  | PGP key available

|
|
|
|
|

Traffic  | DNS requests  | Timestamps  | Bandwidth  | IP address
Avira Phantom VPN | Germany | No[lower-alpha 2] |  |  | Yes[lower-alpha 2] | No[lower-alpha 2] | No  | No  | No
ExpressVPN | British Virgin Islands[15][16][17] | No[18] | No[18] | Yes[19] | Yes[20] | No[18] | Email[17][16][21] | Yes[17][16][22] | No
Hotspot Shield Elite  | United States | Yes[lower-alpha 3] |  |  |  | Yes[24][25] | No  | No  | No
IPVanish  | United States | No[26] | No[26] | No[26] | No[26] | No[26] | No[27] | No  | No
IVPN | Gibraltar | No[28] | No[28] | No[28] | No[28] | Email
Mullvad | Sweden  | No[29] | No[29] | No[29] | No[29] | No[29] | Yes[30] | Yes[30] | Yes[31]
NordVPN | Panama  | No[32] | No[32] | No[32] | No[32] | Yes  | Yes[33]
Private Internet Access | United States | No[34] | No[34] | No[34] | No[34][35] | No[34] | Yes[36] | Yes[37] | Yes[38]
ProtonVPN | Switzerland |  | Yes[39] |  |  | Email  | Yes  | No
PureVPN | Hong Kong | No[40] |  | No[41] | Yes[42] | No[lower-alpha 4] | Email[lower-alpha 5] | Yes[46] | No
SaferVPN | Israel[47] | No[48] | Yes[48] | Yes[48] | No[48] | Email[49] | Yes[50]
TunnelBear | Canada [51][52][53] | No[54] | No[54][55] | No[56] | Yes[53][56] | No[54] | Email[51] | Yes[57][51][52] | No
VPNBook | unknown[lower-alpha 6] | No[58] |  | Yes[58] |  | Yes[58] | N/A[lower-alpha 7] | N/A[lower-alpha 7] | No

Notes

1. ↑ As claimed by provider unless otherwise noted.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 There is no mention of Avira's VPN logging policy in their privacy policy. However, it is stated in an FAQ section that neither traffic nor IP addresses are logged on their VPN service.[13] It is also stated that bandwidth is logged.[13] When visiting Avira's website, the visitor's IP address is logged by both Google Analytics and the CrazyEgg tool.[14]
3. ↑ Hotspot Shield claims to collect "anonymous, aggregate data about which websites you visit and which apps you use."[23]
4. ↑ "We DO NOT keep any record of your browsing activities, connection logs, records of the VPN IPs assigned to you, your original IPs, your connection time, the history of your browsing, the sites you visited, your outgoing traffic, the content or data you accessed, or the DNS queries generated by you."[43] However, in 2017, PureVPN provided connection logs including IP addresses to the FBI for use in a criminal investigation.[44]
5. ↑ Name and e-mail is required for every payment method.[45]
6. ↑ VPNBook does not disclose in which jurisdiction it operates.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 VPNBook is free and therefore doesn't require payment. However, it accepts donations in bitcoin and through PayPal.

## Technical features

Service  | Leak Protection  | Protocols  | Obfuscation / Censorship Avoidance  | Network Neutrality  | Server

|
|
|
|
|

First-party DNS servers  | IPv6 supported / blocked  | Offers OpenVPN  | Offers WireGuard  | Supports multihop  | Supports TCP port 443  | Supports Obfsproxy  | Offers SOCKS  | Supports SSL tunnel  | Supports SSH tunnel  | Other proprietary protocols  | Blocks SMTP (authent.)  | Blocks P2P  | Dedicated or Virtual  | Diskless
Avast SecureLine  | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | No  | No  | No  |  |  |  |  |  |  | Some[59] | Dedicated[60] | No
Avira Phantom VPN | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | No  | No  | Yes  | No  | No  |  |  |  |  |  | Dedicated  | No
ExpressVPN | Yes[15] | Yes  | Yes[15][16][17] | No  | No  |  |  |  | Yes[61] |  |  |  | No[15][16][17] | Both[62][63] | Yes
Hotspot Shield Elite  | No  | No  | No  | No  | No  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
IPVanish  | Yes[64] | Yes[65] | Yes[27] | Yes[66] | No  | Yes[67] | Yes[68] | Yes[27] | No  | No  | No  | No[27] | No[27] | Dedicated[69] | No
IVPN | Yes[70] | Yes  | Yes; OpenVPN  | Yes  | Yes  |  |  |  |
Mullvad | Yes[71] | Yes[71] | Yes[71] | Yes[72] | Yes; WireGuard[73] and SOCKS5  | Yes[71] | Yes[74][71] | Yes  | Yes[71] |  | No[71] | No[71] | Dedicated[75] |
NordVPN | Yes; NordLynx based on WireGuard[76] |  |  |  |  | Yes  | Dedicated  | Yes
Private Internet Access | Yes[77] | Yes[78] | Yes[79] | Beta[80] | Yes[81] | Yes[82] | No  | Yes[83][84] |  |  |  | Some[lower-alpha 1] | No[86] | Dedicated[87] |
ProtonVPN | Yes  | No  | Yes  | Beta[88] | Yes  | Yes  | No  | No  | Yes  | Yes  |  |  | Some  | Dedicated  |
PureVPN | Yes  | Yes  | Yes[89] | No  | No  | Only through SSTP[90] | No  | No  |  |  |  | No  | Some[91] | Both[92][63] | No
SaferVPN |  | No[93] | No  | Yes[94] | No  | No  |  |  |  |  |  | No
TunnelBear | Yes[55] |  | Yes[95][52] | No  | No  | No  | Yes[96][53] | Yes  |  |  |  | No[97] | Yes[98][51][52] |  |
VPNBook |  |  | Yes[99] | No  | No  | Yes[100] |  |  |  |  |  |  | Some[101] | Dedicated[102] | No

Notes

1. ↑ The support team may be willing to whitelist your email provider's SMTP server upon request.[85]

## Availability

Service  | No. of simultaneous connections  | No. of countries  | No. of servers  | Linux support (manual config.)

|
|
|
|

Avast SecureLine  | 5  | 34  | 54  | No
Avira Phantom VPN | Unlimited[103][104] | 25[105] | 36[105] | No
ExpressVPN | 5[106] | 94[107] | 3,000 circa[108] | Yes[15][17]
Hotspot Shield Elite  | 5[109] | 21  |  | No
IPVanish  | Unlimited[27] | 54[27] | 1,500[27] | Yes[110]
IVPN
Mullvad | 5[111] | 38[112] | 840[112] | Yes[113]
NordVPN | 6  | 5,607[114]
Private Internet Access | 10[115] | 84[116][117] | 11,254[116] | Yes[118]
ProtonVPN | 10[119] | 54[119] | 1,060[119] | Yes[120]
PureVPN | 10[89] | 140 circa[121] | 2,000 circa[121] | Yes[122]
SaferVPN | 5[123] | 700 circa[124] | Yes[118]
TunnelBear | 5[53][125] | 20[125] |  | Yes

## Encryption

Service  | Data Encryption  | Handshake Encryption  | Data Authentication

|
|
|

Default provided  | Strongest provided  | Weakest provided  | Strongest provided  | Weakest provided  | Strongest provided
Avast SecureLine  | AES-256 | AES-256 |  |  |  |
Avira Phantom VPN | AES-256 | AES-256 |  |  |  |
ExpressVPN |  | AES-256 |  | CA-4096 |  |
Hotspot Shield Elite  | AES-128[126] | AES-128[126] | TLS 1.2 ECDHE PFS[126] | TLS 1.2 ECDHE PFS[126] | HMAC[127] | HMAC[127]
IPVanish  | AES-256[128] | AES-256[128] | RSA-2048[128] | RSA-2048[128] | SHA-256[128] | SHA-256[128]
IVPN | AES-256[70] | AES-256[70] |  | RSA-4096[70] |  |
Mullvad | AES-256 (GCM)[71] | AES-256[71] | RSA-4096[71] | RSA-4096[71] | SHA-512[71] | SHA-512[71]
NordVPN | AES-256 (CBC)[129] | 2048-bit Diffie-Hellman[129] | 2048-bit Diffie-Hellman[129] |  |
Private Internet Access | AES-128 (CBC)[130] | AES-256[130] | ECC-256k1[130] | RSA-4096[130] | SHA-1[130] | SHA-256[130]
ProtonVPN | AES-256 | AES-256 | RSA-4096 | RSA-4096 | HMAC with SHA-384 | HMAC with SHA-384
PureVPN |  | AES-256 |  |  |  |
SaferVPN | AES-256[93] | AES-256[93] | 2048bit SSL/TLS[93] | 2048bit SSL/TLS[93] | SHA-256[93] | SHA-256[93]
TunnelBear | AES-128 (CBC)[lower-alpha 1] | AES-256 (CBC)[95] | 1548 bit Diffie-Hellman group[lower-alpha 2] | 4096 bit Diffie-Hellman group[95] | SHA-1[lower-alpha 3] | SHA-256[95]
VPNBook |  |  |  |  |  |

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Paul, Ian (2018-01-02). "Best VPN services of 2018: Reviews and buying advice". How we tested. PC World. Archived from the original on 2018-01-04. https://web.archive.org/web/20180104160416/https://www.pcworld.com/article/3198369/privacy/best-vpn-services-apps-reviews-buying-advice.html#toc-7.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Eddy, Max (2018-01-15). "The Best VPN Services of 2018". PC Magazine. Archived from the original on 2018-01-18. https://web.archive.org/web/20180118002225/http://uk.pcmag.com/software/138/guide/the-best-vpn-services-of-2018. "It's important to keep a few things in mind when evaluating which VPN service is right for you: reputation, performance, type of encryption used, transparency, ease of use, support, and extra features."
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Athow, Desire (2018-01-13). "The best VPN services for 2018". How to test a VPN. TechRadar. Archived from the original on 2018-01-17. https://web.archive.org/web/20180117232459/http://www.techradar.com/vpn/best-vpn#how-to-test-a-vpn. "We were looking for features, value, and clear and honest pricing. Free ways to learn more about a service - free plans, trial periods, refund periods - were important, and we also looked for companies which maintained your privacy when you signed up (no email address required, trials available without credit cards, Bitcoin available as a payment option)."
4. ↑ Athow, Desire (2018-01-13). "The best VPN services for 2018". How to choose a VPN: Here are 6 tips. TechRadar. Archived from the original on 2018-01-17. https://web.archive.org/web/20180117232459/http://www.techradar.com/vpn/best-vpn#how-to-choose-a-vpn-here-are-6-tips.
5. ↑ Perta, Vasile C.; Barbera, Marco V.; Tyson, Gareth; Haddadi, Hamed; Mei, Alessandro (2015-04-01). "A Glance through the VPN Looking Glass: IPv6 Leakage and DNS Hijacking in Commercial VPN clients". Proceedings on Privacy Enhancing Technologies 2015 (1): 77–91. doi:10.1515/popets-2015-0006. ISSN 2299-0984. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/popets-2015-0006.
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 "Cookie Privacy Impact Score". Archived from the original on 2017-12-30. https://web.archive.org/web/20171230101417/https://webcookies.org/doc/privacy-impact-score.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Tor (2012-02-16). "Obfsproxy: the next step in the censorship arms arce / Tor Blog". Tor Blog. Archived from the original on 2018-01-11. https://web.archive.org/web/20180111044351/https://blog.torproject.org/obfsproxy-next-step-censorship-arms-race.
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 OpenVPN. "TrafficObfuscation - OpenVPN Community". Wiki. Archived from the original on 2018-01-11. https://web.archive.org/web/20180111044622/https://community.openvpn.net/openvpn/wiki/TrafficObfuscation.
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Eddy, Max (2018-01-15). "The Best VPN Services of 2018". Can You Trust Your VPN Service?. PC Magazine. Archived from the original on 2018-01-18. https://web.archive.org/web/20180118002225/http://uk.pcmag.com/software/138/guide/the-best-vpn-services-of-2018.
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Paul, Ian (2018-01-02). "Best VPN services of 2018: Reviews and buying advice". What to look for in a VPN. PC World. Archived from the original on 2018-01-04. https://web.archive.org/web/20180104160416/https://www.pcworld.com/article/3198369/privacy/best-vpn-services-apps-reviews-buying-advice.html#toc-6.
11. ↑ Krebs, Brian (2017-03-17). "Post-FCC Privacy Rules, Should You VPN?". Krebs on Security. Archived from the original on 2018-01-18. https://web.archive.org/web/20180118024429/https://krebsonsecurity.com/2017/03/post-fcc-privacy-rules-should-you-vpn/.
12. ↑ "What's the point of a VPN comparison?" (in en-EN). https://www.logitheque.com/en/articles/what-s-the-point-of-a-vpn-comparison-14639.
13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "What, if anything, do you track?". Archived from the original on 2017-12-31. https://web.archive.org/web/20171231125532/https://www.avira.com/en/support-for-home-knowledgebase-detail/kbid/1890?navsrc=pp.
14. ↑ "Privacy policy". User Experience and Statistics. Archived from the original on 2017-12-31. https://web.archive.org/web/20171231132227/https://www.avira.com/en/general-privacy. "Information about your use of our website the Cookie generates is usually transferred to a Google server in the USA and saved there. However, before this happens, Google shortens and anonymizes your IP address [...] if located within a member state of the European Union or in other contracting member states to the Agreement on the European Economic Area. The entire IP address is transferred to a Google server in the USA and saved there only in exceptional cases. [...] Information about your use of our website (including your IP address) that Cookies generate is transferred to a CrazyEgg server in the USA and stored there."
15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 Eddy, Max (2017-05-12). "ExpressVPN". PC Magazine. Archived from the original on 2017-05-14. https://web.archive.org/web/20170514144901/http://uk.pcmag.com/expressvpn/83190/review/expressvpn.
16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 Williams, Mike (2017-10-23). "ExpressVPN review". TechRadar. Archived from the original on 2018-01-04. https://web.archive.org/web/20180104005945/http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/software/utilities/expressvpn-1325564/review.
17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 17.5 Paul, Ian (2017-09-20). "ExpressVPN review: A good service with no public leadership". PCWorld. Archived from the original on 2018-01-04. https://web.archive.org/web/20180104010156/https://www.pcworld.com/article/3223384/privacy/expressvpn-vpn-review.html.
18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 ExpressVPN. "ExpressVPN Privacy Policy". Archived from the original on 2018-01-04. https://web.archive.org/web/20180104021316/https://www.expressvpn.com/privacy-policy. Retrieved 2018-01-04. "We do not collect logs of your activity, including no logging of browsing history, traffic destination, data content, or DNS queries. We also never store connection logs, meaning no logs of your IP address, your outgoing VPN IP address, connection timestamp, or session duration."
19. ↑ ExpressVPN. "ExpressVPN Privacy Policy". Archived from the original on 2018-01-04. https://web.archive.org/web/20180104021316/https://www.expressvpn.com/privacy-policy. Retrieved 2018-01-04. "We collect information about whether you have successfully established a VPN connection on a particular day (but not a specific time of the day)."
20. ↑ ExpressVPN. "ExpressVPN Privacy Policy". Archived from the original on 2018-01-04. https://web.archive.org/web/20180104021316/https://www.expressvpn.com/privacy-policy. Retrieved 2018-01-04. "We may know, for example, that our customer John had connected to our New York VPN location on Tuesday and had transferred an aggregate of 823 MB of data across a 24-hour period."
21. ↑ ExpressVPN. "Buy VPN with Bitcoin, PayPal, Credit Card / ExpressVPN". 2\. Enter your email address. Archived from the original on 2018-01-04. https://web.archive.org/web/20180104022027/https://www.expressvpn.com/order. Retrieved 2018-01-04.
22. ↑ ExpressVPN. "Buy VPN with Bitcoin, PayPal, Credit Card / ExpressVPN". 3\. Select your preferred method of payment. Archived from the original on 2018-01-04. https://web.archive.org/web/20180104022027/https://www.expressvpn.com/order. Retrieved 2018-01-04. "Continue below to buy VPN with Bitcoin."
23. ↑ "AnchorFree Hotspot Shield Privacy Policy". When you launch Hotspot Shield. 2017-11-29. Archived from the original on 2017-12-28. https://archive.today/20171228152839/https://www.hotspotshield.com/privacy/. "When you use Hotspot Shield to access the internet, we collect only anonymous, aggregate data about which websites you visit and which apps you use."
24. ↑ "AnchorFree Hotspot Shield Privacy Policy". When you visit our websites. 2017-11-29. Archived from the original on 2017-12-28. https://archive.today/20171228152839/https://www.hotspotshield.com/privacy/. "Your IP address may be collected when you visit our websites."
25. ↑ "AnchorFree Hotspot Shield Privacy Policy". When you launch Hotspot Shield. 2017-11-29. Archived from the original on 2017-12-28. https://archive.today/20171228152839/https://www.hotspotshield.com/privacy/. "We collect your IP address [...]. We may also use your IP address to derive your approximate location [...]. Your true IP address is stored only for the duration of your VPN session and is cleared after your session is closed."
26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 26.3 26.4 "Privacy Policy - IPVanish VPN" (in en). https://www.ipvanish.com/privacy-policy.php.
27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 27.3 27.4 27.5 27.6 27.7 "The Best VPN Service Provider with Fast, Secure VPN Access" (in en). https://www.ipvanish.com/.
28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 28.3 Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `ivpn-privacy-policy`
29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 29.2 29.3 29.4 "No-logging data policy - Guides / Mullvad". What we don't log. Archived from the original on 2017-12-26. https://web.archive.org/web/20171226113621/https://www.mullvad.net/en/guides/no-logging-data-policy/. "We log nothing whatsoever that can be connected to a numbered account's activity: no logging of traffic; DNS requests; connections, including when one is made, when it disconnects, for how long, or any kind of timestamp; IP addresses; user bandwidth [or] account activity except total simultaneous connections [...] and the payment information detailed in this post."
30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 "No-logging data policy - Guides / Mullvad". How Mullvad handles payment information. Archived from the original on 2017-12-26. https://web.archive.org/web/20171226113621/https://www.mullvad.net/en/guides/no-logging-data-policy/. "Mullvad accepts Bitcoin, cash, bank wire, credit card, PayPal, and Swish."
31. ↑ "Mullvad client - Settings - Guides / Mullvad". Archived from the original on 2017-12-26. https://web.archive.org/web/20171226114824/https://www.mullvad.net/en/guides/mullvad-client-settings/. "You do have the option of sending an encrypted email to us using PGP. Mullvad's PGP key is found on our website."
32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 32.2 32.3 Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `nordvpn-logging`
33. ↑ "Do you have a PGP key so I could reach you anonymously?" (in en). https://support.nordvpn.com/#/General-Info/Features/1061814032/Do-you-have-a-PGP-key-so-I-could-reach-you-anonymously.htm.
34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 34.2 34.3 34.4 "Privacy Policy, VPN Network Services / Private Internet Access". 2016-08-11. Archived from the original on 2017-11-14. https://archive.today/20171114165616/https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/pages/privacy-policy/. "PrivateInternetAccess.com does not collect or log any traffic or use of its Virtual Private Network ("VPN") or Proxy."
35. ↑ "Do you impose any limitations on usage or bandwidth when using your service? / Private Internet Access". 2017-11-28. Archived from the original on 2017-12-26. https://archive.today/20171226130355/https://helpdesk.privateinternetaccess.com/hc/en-us/articles/219457517-Do-you-impose-any-limitations-on-usage-or-bandwidth-when-using-your-service-. "We do not impose any restrictions or limitations on usage and/or bandwidth consumption."
36. ↑ "We accept all kinds of payment methods... including all major gift cards!". https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/.
37. ↑ "What methods of payment do you accept for account purchases? / Private Internet Access". 2017-04-22. Archived from the original on 2017-12-26. https://archive.today/20171226125645/https://helpdesk.privateinternetaccess.com/hc/en-us/articles/219331288-What-methods-of-payment-do-you-accept-for-account-purchases-.
38. ↑ "Private Internet Access Management Team". https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/pages/team.
39. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `protonvpn_privacy-policy`
40. ↑ "PureVPN's Privacy Policy". 2016-01-15. Archived from the original on 2017-12-27. https://web.archive.org/web/20171227154944/https://www.purevpn.com/privacy-policy.php. "We do not monitor user activity [...]. We therefore have no record of your activities such as which software you used, which websites you visited, what content you downloaded, which apps you used, etc. after you connected to any of our servers."
41. ↑ "PureVPN's Privacy Policy". 2018-07-30. https://www.purevpn.com/privacy-policy.php. "We are unable to identify at what time you connected to the VPN, with which IP address and which VPN IP was assigned to you."
42. ↑ "PureVPN's Privacy Policy". 2016-01-15. Archived from the original on 2017-12-27. https://web.archive.org/web/20171227154944/https://www.purevpn.com/privacy-policy.php. "The time when a successful connection is made with our servers is counted as a “connection” and the total bandwidth used during this connection is called “bandwidth”. Connection and bandwidth are kept in record [...]."
43. ↑ "PureVPN's Privacy Policy". 2018-07-30. https://www.purevpn.com/privacy-policy.php. "From here on forward, we do not keep any records of anything that could associate any specific activity to a specific user."
44. ↑ U.S.A. v. Lin, p. 22 (D. Mass. 10/03/2017) ("Further, records from PureVPN show that the same email accounts - Lin's gmail account and the teleportfx gmail account - were accessed from the same WANSecurity IP address. Significantly, PureVPN was able to determine that their service was accessed by the same customer from two originating IP addresses: the RCN IP address from the home Lin was living in at the time, and the software company where Lin was employed at the time."). Text
45. ↑ "Buy VPN Service at an Amazing Discount!". Archived from the original on 2017-12-28. https://web.archive.org/web/20171228112806/https://www.purevpn.com/order?utm_source=CTA_home_1.
46. ↑ "PureVPN's Privacy Policy". 2016-01-15. Archived from the original on 2017-12-27. https://web.archive.org/web/20171227154944/https://www.purevpn.com/privacy-policy.php. "Since we are huge believers in anonymity, we have included Bitcoin and Gift Cards – 100% anonymous payment methods – in the payment methods accepted by us."
47. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `safervpn-pcworld`
48. ↑ 48.0 48.1 48.2 48.3 Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `safervpn-pripol-logging`
49. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `safervpn-blog-bitcoin`
50. ↑ "Do you have a PGP key so I could reach you securely and anonymously?". https://www.safervpn.com/support/articles/360001328769.
51. ↑ 51.0 51.1 51.2 51.3 Paul, Ian (2017-06-16). "TunnelBear review: If you can stand the puns, TunnelBear is a speedy VPN". PCWorld. Archived from the original on 2018-01-10. https://web.archive.org/web/20180110170622/https://www.pcworld.com/article/3201008/privacy/tunnelbear-vpn-review.html.
52. ↑ 52.0 52.1 52.2 52.3 Eddy, Max (2017-05-02). "TunnelBear VPN". PC Magazine. Archived from the original on 2018-01-10. https://web.archive.org/web/20180110165526/http://uk.pcmag.com/tunnelbear-vpn/83271/review/tunnelbear-vpn.
53. ↑ 53.0 53.1 53.2 53.3 Williams, Mike (2017-05-23). "TunnelBear VPN review". TechRadar. Archived from the original on 2018-01-10. https://web.archive.org/web/20180110164917/http://www.techradar.com/reviews/tunnelbear-vpn.
54. ↑ 54.0 54.1 54.2 "A Privacy Policy You Can Actually Understand". 1.5 Other Data TunnelBear Just does NOT Collect. Archived from the original on 2017-12-28. https://web.archive.org/web/20171228134356/https://www.tunnelbear.com/privacy-policy#1.5.
55. ↑ 55.0 55.1 "TunnelBear DNS: Protecting Your Privacy and Mauling DNS Leaks". 2017-06-22. Archived from the original on 2017-12-28. https://web.archive.org/web/20171228145059/https://www.tunnelbear.com/blog/tunnelbear-dns-protecting-your-privacy-and-mauling-dns-leaks/. "Every time you connect to TunnelBear, your DNS requests are directed to TunnelBear DNS servers, so your ISP can no longer see what websites you’re visiting. And because we don’t keep any records of your DNS, you’re the only one that knows your browsing history."
56. ↑ 56.0 56.1 "A Privacy Policy You Can Actually Understand". 1.5 Operational Data. Archived from the original on 2017-12-28. https://web.archive.org/web/20171228134356/https://www.tunnelbear.com/privacy-policy#1.3. "Understanding how much data people are using is a critical metric for TunnelBear. [...] We felt that overall usage would respect individual user privacy (i.e. no login timestamps [...]) [...]."
57. ↑ "Buy TunnelBear VPN with Credit Card, Bitcoin". Archived from the original on 2018-01-03. https://web.archive.org/web/20180103172152/https://www.tunnelbear.com/pricing.
58. ↑ 58.0 58.1 58.2 "Contact Us - 100% Free PPTP and OpenVPN Service". Privacy Policy. Archived from the original on 2018-01-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20180102144034/https://www.vpnbook.com/contact. "We do not collect any personal information or store any user's internet data. The only thing we log is the IP address and time the connection was made. We log connection information in order to reduce abusive activities [...]. Connection logs are automatically deleted every week."
59. ↑ "Avast SecureLine / A VPN to protect your online activities". It’s your Internet. Take it back - Connect with your peers. No tricks. Archived from the original on 2017-12-29. https://web.archive.org/web/20171229094517/https://www.avast.com/secureline-vpn#pc. "We support peer-2-peer (P2P) networking in some of our server locations."
60. ↑ "Avast SecureLine / A VPN to protect your online activities". Where speed meets capacity - Rows upon rows of dedication. Archived from the original on 2017-12-29. https://web.archive.org/web/20171229094517/https://www.avast.com/secureline-vpn#pc. "All of our VPN gateways run on dedicated hardware servers."
61. ↑ ExpressVPN. "Stay Safe and Keep Your Online Privacy With a Secure VPN". ExpressVPN Features. Archived from the original on 2018-01-04. https://web.archive.org/web/20180104015732/https://www.expressvpn.com/what-is-vpn/secure-vpn. "Our network is SSL-secured [...]."
62. ↑ ExpressVPN (2017-12-04). "Virtual server locations". Archived from the original on 2018-01-04. https://web.archive.org/web/20180104013616/https://www.expressvpn.com/support/troubleshooting/virtual-server-locations/.
63. ↑ 63.0 63.1 Paul, Ian (2017-09-20). "ExpressVPN review: A good service with no public leadership". PCWorld. Archived from the original on 2018-01-04. https://web.archive.org/web/20180104010156/https://www.pcworld.com/article/3223384/privacy/expressvpn-vpn-review.html. "Similar to PureVPN, ExpressVPN says it uses virtual servers in certain locations due to infrastructure issues."
64. ↑ "DNS Leaks". https://support.ipvanish.com/hc/en-us/articles/115002079853-DNS-Leaks.
65. ↑ "IPv6". https://support.ipvanish.com/hc/en-us/articles/115002074754-IPv6.
66. ↑ "WireGuard® VPN Protocol - What is WireGuard? | IPVanish". https://www.ipvanish.com/wireguard-vpn/.
67. ↑ "Ports used for VPN Protocols". https://support.ipvanish.com/hc/en-us/articles/115002074594-Ports-used-for-VPN-Protocols.
68. ↑ "Android VPN Software Setup - IPVanish" (in en). https://www.ipvanish.com/vpn-setup/android/.
69. ↑ "IPVanish Interview - BestVPN.com". 7 March 2018. https://www.bestvpn.com/ipvanish-interview/.
70. ↑ 70.0 70.1 70.2 70.3 Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `ivpn-features`
71. ↑ 71.00 71.01 71.02 71.03 71.04 71.05 71.06 71.07 71.08 71.09 71.10 71.11 71.12 71.13 "Features / Mullvad". Details. Archived from the original on 2017-12-22. https://web.archive.org/web/20171222160219/https://www.mullvad.net/en/features/.
72. ↑ "WireGuard is no longer the new kid - Blog / Mullvad VPN". 2020-03-30. https://mullvad.net/es/blog/2020/3/30/wireguard-no-longer-new-kid/.
73. ↑ "New features for WireGuard users". 2017-08-07. Archived from the original on 2018-03-24. https://web.archive.org/web/20180324045323/https://www.mullvad.net/en/blog/2017/8/7/new-features-wireguard-users/.
74. ↑ "Increased security with SOCKS5 proxy - Blog / Mullvad". 2016-11-29. Archived from the original on 2017-12-27. https://web.archive.org/web/20171227150919/https://mullvad.net/en/blog/2016/11/29/increased-security-socks5-proxy/.
75. ↑ "Features / Mullvad". Technical. Archived from the original on 2017-12-22. https://web.archive.org/web/20171222160219/https://www.mullvad.net/en/features/.
76. ↑ Eddy, Max (August 14, 2019). "The VPN Industry Is on the Cusp of a Major Breakthrough". https://www.pcmag.com/commentary/369921/the-vpn-industry-is-on-the-cusp-of-a-major-breakthrough. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
77. ↑ "Client Support Area / Private Internet Access VPN Service". DNS Leak Protection. Archived from the original on 2017-12-31. https://archive.today/20171231150012/https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/pages/client-support/. "We use our own private DNS servers for your DNS queries while on the VPN."
78. ↑ "Client Support Area / Private Internet Access VPN Service". IPv6 Leak Protection. Archived from the original on 2017-12-31. https://archive.today/20171231150012/https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/pages/client-support/. "IPv6 leak protection disables IPv6 traffic while on the VPN. This includes 6to4 and Teredo tunneled IPv6 traffic."
79. ↑ "How a VPN Tunnel Works / Private Internet Access VPN Service". Archived from the original on 2017-12-27. https://archive.today/20171227092922/https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/pages/how-it-works/#. "This is used in conjunction with the OpenVPN protocol [...]"
80. ↑ "March 18, 2020 - Introducing Wireguard -News/Announcements". 2020-03-18. https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/helpdesk/news/posts/march-18-2020-introducing-wireguard.
81. ↑ "Understanding the Multi-Hop Feature - Knowledgebase / Technical / Application Settings and Features / Application & Features - PIA Support Portal". https://helpdesk.privateinternetaccess.com/kb/articles/understanding-the-multi-hop-feature.
82. ↑ "What ports are used by your VPN service? / Private Internet Access". 2016-08-29. Archived from the original on 2017-01-31. https://archive.today/20170131093923/https://helpdesk.privateinternetaccess.com/hc/en-us/articles/220934827-What-ports-are-used-by-your-VPN-service-.
83. ↑ "How a VPN Tunnel Works / Private Internet Access". Archived from the original on 2017-12-27. https://archive.today/20171227092922/https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/pages/how-it-works/#. "We also offer IPSec/L2TP, PPTP and SOCKS5 technologies."
84. ↑ "Client Support Area / Private Internet Access VPN Service". SOCKS5 Proxy Usage Guides. Archived from the original on 2017-12-31. https://archive.today/20171231150012/https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/pages/client-support/. "Although quite different from a VPN, we provide a SOCKS5 Proxy with all accounts in the event users require this feature."
85. ↑ "Why can't I send email when on the VPN? / Private Internet Access". 2017-10-31. Archived from the original on 2017-12-27. https://archive.today/20171227101314/https://helpdesk.privateinternetaccess.com/hc/en-us/articles/219457007-Why-can-t-I-send-email-when-on-the-VPN-. "Any VPN provider that does not retain logs must block outgoing SMTP traffic due to rampant spam associated with usage of VPN services. With that said, we can whitelist (allow) any outgoing email server that a) require authentication, and b) is correctly setup so as not to be an open relay."
86. ↑ "How a VPN Tunnel Works / Private Internet Access VPN Service". Archived from the original on 2017-12-27. https://archive.today/20171227092922/https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/pages/how-it-works/#. "In addition, any blocked software by your ISP including P2P and other various software applications will be unblocked and unrestricted on our systems."
87. ↑ Private Internet Access™ is default secure from this vulnerability since we use real bare metal servers.
88. ↑ "How to change VPN protocols or select Smart Protocol". 2021-08-31. https://protonvpn.com/support/how-to-change-vpn-protocols/.
89. ↑ 89.0 89.1 "PureVPN Features - Get Premium Anonymity, Security, & Privacy All In One!". Archived on 2020-11-12. Error: If you specify `|archivedate=`, you must also specify `|archiveurl=`. https://www.purevpn.com/features.php. ""10 Multi-Logins per Household""
90. ↑ "PureVPN Supported Ports". 2017-07-27. Archived from the original on 2017-12-27. https://web.archive.org/web/20171227162743/https://support.purevpn.com/on-what-ports-purevpn-work-and-should-i-allow-them-on-my-anti-virus-programfirewall.
91. ↑ "PureVPN P2P File Sharing - Break P2P barriers anonymously!". 2014-07-08. Archived from the original on 2018-01-03. https://web.archive.org/web/20180103185035/https://support.purevpn.com/p2p-file-sharing. "Furthermore, we have blocked P2P on some of our servers as per changing Global Web Policy. We don’t allow p2p/filesharing where it’s illegal by law named United Kingdom (UK), United States (US), Canada, Australia etc."
92. ↑ "PureVPN Servers". Virtual Servers and When you Should Use them?. 2017-11-11. Archived from the original on 2018-01-04. https://web.archive.org/web/20180104011633/https://support.purevpn.com/virtual-servers-and-when-you-should-use-them. "PureVPN has never denied using virtual servers. To make matters simpler, an update on our Server Location page will state which servers are virtual and which are physical."
93. ↑ 93.0 93.1 93.2 93.3 93.4 93.5 93.6 Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `safervpn-protocols`
94. ↑ "SaferVPN's OpenVPN TCP Configuration". https://www.safervpn.com/support/articles/214036025-What-are-SaferVPN-s-OpenVPN-configuration-ovpn-files-for-manual-setup-.
95. ↑ 95.0 95.1 95.2 95.3 95.4 95.5 95.6 "Rawwwr! Even Stronger Encryption". 2015-03-17. Archived from the original on 2017-08-14. https://web.archive.org/web/20170814150250/https://www.tunnelbear.com/blog/stronger-encryption/.
96. ↑ "GhostBear: How to Hide Your VPN From DPI". 2017-07-18. Archived from the original on 2017-12-28. https://web.archive.org/web/20171228143716/https://www.tunnelbear.com/blog/how-to-hide-your-vpn-from-dpi/. "When you turn GhostBear on, it changes your VPN traffic signature to look like a different kind of traffic. To do this, GhostBear uses a technology called Obfsproxy."
97. ↑ "TunnelBear / Search Results". Archived from the original on 2018-01-03. https://web.archive.org/web/20180103190929/https://help.tunnelbear.com/customer/portal/articles/search?b_id=17004&q=smtp. "TunnelBear does not block SMTP on our network."
98. ↑ "TunnelBear / Can I torrent with TunnelBear?". Archived from the original on 2017-07-18. https://web.archive.org/web/20170718101247/https://help.tunnelbear.com/customer/en/portal/articles/2419827-can-i-torrent-with-tunnelbear-.
99. ↑ "Free VPN Accounts - 100% Free PPTP and OpenVPN Service". Free OpenVPN. Archived from the original on 2018-01-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20180102181520/https://www.vpnbook.com/freevpn.
100. ↑ "Free VPN - 100% Free PPTP and OpenVPN Service". Free OpenVPN and PPTP VPN - OpenVPN. Archived from the original on 2018-01-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20180102181004/https://www.vpnbook.com/. "All bundles include UDP53, UDP 25000, TCP 80, TCP 443 profile."
101. ↑ "Free VPN - 100% Free PPTP and OpenVPN Service". Free OpenVPN and PPTP VPN - OpenVPN. Archived from the original on 2018-01-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20180102181004/https://www.vpnbook.com/.
102. ↑ "Free VPN Features - 100% Free PPTP and OpenVPN Service". Archived from the original on 2018-01-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20180102183506/https://www.vpnbook.com/features.
103. ↑ "Avira Phantom VPN Pro / Secure and private Surfing". Simultaneous Connections. Archived from the original on 2017-12-31. https://web.archive.org/web/20171231121934/https://www.avira.com/en/avira-phantom-vpn-pro. "Connect as many devices as you like."
104. ↑ "How many devices can be connected to Avira Phantom VPN simultaneously? - Avira Answers". 2016. Archived from the original on 2017-12-31. https://web.archive.org/web/20171231123059/https://answers.avira.com/en/question/how-many-devices-can-be-connected-to-avira-phantom-vpn-simultaneously-61492. "As many [simultaneous connections] as you like. Avira Phantom VPN is one of the very few available solutions that does not restrict the amount of devices you can use on the same account. That goes for the free version too!"
105. ↑ 105.0 105.1 "What are the virtual locations of Avira Phantom VPN? - Avira Answers". Archived from the original on 2017-12-31. https://web.archive.org/web/20171231123402/https://answers.avira.com/en/question/what-are-the-virtual-locations-of-avira-phantom-vpn-61489.
106. ↑ ExpressVPN (2020-11-29). "How many devices can be connected to VPN simultaneously?". Troubleshooting. Archived from the original on 2018-01-04. https://web.archive.org/web/20180104014859/https://www.expressvpn.com/support/troubleshooting/simultaneous-connections/. ""five devices can be connected to the VPN at a time""
107. ↑ ExpressVPN. "High-Speed, Secure & Anonymous VPN Service / ExpressVPN". 148+ VPN locations… and counting!. Archived from the original on 2020-11-19. https://web.archive.org/web/20201119055423/https://www.expressvpn.com/support/troubleshooting/simultaneous-connections/. Retrieved 2020-02-29. "Choose from 148 cities in 94 countries."
108. ↑ ExpressVPN. "ExpressVPN's VPN server locations / ExpressVPN". https://www.expressvpn.com/vpn-server. Retrieved 2020-02-29. "3000+ VPN servers [...]."
109. ↑ "Hotspot Shield Elite - Hotspot Shield Help Center". 2017-12-27. Archived from the original on 2017-12-28. https://archive.today/20171228155318/https://support.hotspotshield.com/hc/en-us/articles/207150706-Hotspot-Shield-Elite. "Our Elite subscription adds more features to your Hotspot Shield account such as: Ability to use the same subscription on up to 5 devices."
110. ↑ "VPN Software Setup - Choose Your Platform - IPVanish" (in en). https://www.ipvanish.com/vpn-setup/.
111. ↑ "FAQ / Mullvad". Most common. Archived from the original on 2017-12-26. https://web.archive.org/web/20171226120650/https://www.mullvad.net/en/faq/. "You can install the client on as many [devices] as you wish; however, each account is limited to 5 simultaneous connections."
112. ↑ 112.0 112.1 "Servers / Mullvad VPN". https://mullvad.net/en/servers/.
113. ↑ "Linux OpenVPN Installation - Guides / Mullvad". Archived from the original on 2017-12-26. https://web.archive.org/web/20171226121448/https://mullvad.net/en/guides/linux-openvpn-installation/.
114. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `nordvpn-servers`
115. ↑ "How many devices can I use simultaneously while connected to the VPN service? / Private Internet Access". Archived from the original on 2017-10-28. https://archive.today/20171028201038/https://helpdesk.privateinternetaccess.com/hc/en-us/articles/219498687-How-many-devices-can-I-use-simultaneously-while-connected-to-the-VPN-service-. "We permit 5 simultaneous connections to our services from a single subscription."
116. ↑ 116.0 116.1 "VPN Virtual Private Network Services / Private Internet Access". Archived from the original on 2017-12-26. https://archive.today/20171226123309/https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/pages/network/.
117. ↑ Inc, Private Internet Access. "Private Internet Access VPN Full Server List [Over 80 Countries"] (in en). https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/vpn-server.
118. ↑ 118.0 118.1 "Stats on 89 Linux VPN Providers Across 16 Linux Distributions" (in English). https://vpn.com. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
119. ↑ 119.0 119.1 119.2 ProtonVPN. "About Us". About ProtonVPN. https://protonvpn.com/about.
120. ↑ ProtonVPN. "Free Downloads". https://protonvpn.com/download.
121. ↑ 121.0 121.1 "VPN Servers - Here is PureVPN Server Locations". Archived from the original on 2017-12-27. https://web.archive.org/web/20171227161135/https://www.purevpn.com/server_location.php.
122. ↑ "Download PureVPN on different devices" (in English). https://www.purevpn.com/download. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
123. ↑ SaferVPN (2017-07-12). "How many devices can I use at once with my SaferVPN account?". Archived from the original on 2018-01-16. https://web.archive.org/web/20180116205811/https://www.safervpn.com/support/articles/213339089-How-many-devices-can-I-use-at-once-with-my-SaferVPN-account-.
124. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `safervpn-servers`
125. ↑ 125.0 125.1 "Powerful Features for All Your Privacy Needs". Archived from the original on 2017-12-28. https://web.archive.org/web/20171228135848/https://www.tunnelbear.com/features. "Add up to 5 devices [...]. Browse up to 20 countries [...]."
126. ↑ 126.0 126.1 126.2 126.3 "Hotspot Shield Privacy Frequently Asked Questions / Hotspot Shield". How does Hotspot Shield secure my Internet connection?. Archived from the original on 2017-12-28. https://archive.today/20171228150759/https://www.hotspotshield.com/privacy-faq/. "Turning Hotspot Shield on encrypts all of the traffic between your device and our servers using TLS 1.2 with perfect forward secrecy (ECDHE), 128-bit AES data encryption."
127. ↑ 127.0 127.1 "AnchorFree Hotspot Shield Privacy Policy". Security. 2017-11-29. Archived from the original on 2017-12-28. https://archive.today/20171228152839/https://www.hotspotshield.com/privacy/. "We encrypt all of the traffic between your device and our servers using TLS 1.2 with perfect forward secrecy (ECDHE), 128-bit AES data encryption, and HMAC message authentication."
128. ↑ 128.0 128.1 128.2 128.3 128.4 128.5 "Online Data Encryption - IPVanish VPN" (in en). https://www.ipvanish.com/vpn-encryption/.
129. ↑ 129.0 129.1 129.2 Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `nordvpn-encryption`
130. ↑ 130.0 130.1 130.2 130.3 130.4 130.5 "Private Internet Access / VPN Encryption". Archived from the original on 2017-12-27. https://archive.today/20171227094141/https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/pages/vpn-encryption.

* v
* t
* e

Virtual private networking

Communications protocol|

* SSTP
* IPsec
* L2TP
* L2TPv3
* PPTP
* Split tunneling
* SSL/TLS
* (Opportunistic: tcpcrypt)

Free software|

* Cloudvpn
* FreeLAN
* FreeS/WAN
* Libreswan
* n2n
* OpenConnect
* OpenIKED
* Openswan
* OpenVPN
* Social VPN
* SoftEther VPN
* strongSwan
* tcpcrypt
* tinc
* VTun
* WireGuard
* Shadowsocks

Vendor-driven protocols|

* Layer 2 Forwarding Protocol
* DirectAccess

Proprietary software|

* Avast SecureLine VPN
* Check Point VPN-1
* Cisco Systems VPN Client
* LogMeIn Hamachi
* Microsoft Forefront Unified Access Gateway
* Hola
* Tunnelbear
* NordVPN
* SaferVPN
* ExpressVPN
* ProtonVPN
* PureVPN
* VPN.ht
* Private Internet Access

Risk vectors|

* Content-control software
* Deep content inspection
* Deep packet inspection
* IP address blocking
* Network enumeration
* Stateful firewall
* TCP reset attack
* VPN blocking

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