Looking for a VPN recommendation
Been using PIA for the past few years but I'm not seeing them recommended anymore (meaning there's better choices out there), but also pretty much every PIA server I connect to is either blocked on sites or breaks sites by having some elements blocked.
Did some research and the best four seem to be ExpressVPN, NordVPN, SurfShark (owned by NordVPN), and ProtonVPN
Only real requirements I have are:
1. Doesn't break sites like PIA does
2. Works on pretty much all devices
3. Has split tunneling on a per-app basis
Was hoping someone could give their recommendations and/or experiences with whatever VPN solution they're using
28 Replies
What is your use case for a VPN?
My Top 4 are ProtonVPN, Mullvad, IVPN, and Windscribe
Just wanting to stay secure online, not doing anything like piracy or anything shady online
Was doing that with PIA by having it autostart on boot for my devices, but since sites often break with it on I stopped using it
I would say take this questionnaire first, and if it still says you should look into a VPN then I think Windscribe would fit your needs https://www.doineedavpn.com/
Do I need a VPN?
Share your privacy and security concerns, and we help you decide whether you need a commercial VPN. In some cases you don't, or Tor might be a better choice for you.
Mullvad and Windscribe support split tunneling. Can't find info if Proton or IVPN do
Some sites just don't like data center IPs, so they will block a VPN once it gets wind of that IP being used for that purpose
ExpressVPN, NordVPN, and SurfShark just don't have a good history of both customer security and their privacy policy, so I stay away from them
I like Mullvads apps, the pricing is simple AF and they don't have any identifiable info on you for the most part
My preference is for Windscribe. They don't have any lifetime licenses but every 3 years or so theres a cheap subscription you can get from like Stacksocial and things like that. i have tried mullvad in the past and i always went back to Windscribe.
Windscribe has their own ad blocker service called Robert and they just announced a week or two ago their new DNS called ControlDNS.
In terms of devices the only one i had issue installing was on my steamdeck. Lol.
You can install using a bog standard OpenVPN/Wireguard config, but that takes a little more effort
Need to look into it again. I believe that gets wiped every steamos update. But that was when the deck was still new last year. That might have changed already
Took that questionnaire, went to their three recommended independent sources which all consistently ranked ProtonVPN in their top 3, I think I'll be going with that
A 2-year thing with ProtonVPN is 2x more expensive than PIA's 2-year subscription but at least ProtonVPN isn't listed as "questionable" all over the internet lol
I use Proton as my email provider. Can't say enough good things about them
Unknown User•2y ago
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These are the ones that questionnaire linked to
https://www.privacyguides.org/vpn/
https://techlore.tech/vpnchart.html
https://freedom.press/training/choosing-a-vpn/
VPN Services - Privacy Guides
Privacy Guides is your central privacy and security resource to protect yourself online.
Techlore: Spreading Privacy To The Masses
The open source Techlore VPN Toolkit aims to bring transparency to the VPN industry.
Freedom of the Press
An in-depth guide to choosing a VPN
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a useful tool for protecting your online activity. Figuring out which VPN to use and finding security among the snake oil can be a challenge. This guide will show you what to look for when shopping for a VPN.
Unknown User•2y ago
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The PrivacyTools guy has removed many tools that actually support privacy and have referral links everywhere
Well, he did at one time
Looks like many of the tools are back up
Still don't get why he has Nord up there given their track record
I just get a lot of conflicting info from both sides, and I wish I had receipts for several of the quotes from that post about the takeover. I am skeptical of both sides at this point in time
Unknown User•2y ago
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Probably doesn't know about it, tbh
Unknown User•2y ago
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He uses some online service like inccogni or DeleteMe IIRC
Last thing I will post on this since we are off topic, however I would just like everyone to see things from both sides and decide by themselves. Hopefully ProtonVPN works well for Hunter lol https://www.privacyguides.org/about/privacytools/
PrivacyTools FAQ - Privacy Guides
Privacy Guides is your central privacy and security resource to protect yourself online.
So far it's actually great - sites aren't breaking and I'm getting about the same throughput
There are times where the VPN server load is a little high and stuff like YouTube videos have to buffer, but if that happens for more than a few minutes I just switch to a lower-load server, which ProtonVPN has a TON of
And yeah ProtonVPN does have split tunneling which is great
One other thing to note about why I wanted to switch off of PIA is that Malwarebytes would regularly block PIA even when I wasn't connected to their VPN servers, saying that some outbound connections from it were known to have malware so that was really sus
Yeah, PIA is owned by the shady people that own ExpressVPN and the like IIRC
Just to throw in my 2 cents, ProtonVPN and Mullvad VPN are the best options IMO. They offer the most features, security/privacy, and have a ton of servers with good speeds.
Most other VPNs are either part of the same network and do some sort of user tracking or data collection, or they just don't have a good track record.
Also I believe PIA is also under the company that owns CyberGhost and many others like Greg said
Additional material for those interested
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MHBMdTBlok
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fTxngACslQ
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VPNs can be super useful: to help yo...
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▶ ExpressVPN: https://www.allthingssecured.com/yt/...
To be fair his full name was only leaked because somebody doxxed him from what I know.
But a lot of the "allegations" are just that he is a shill for certain companies or his early YouTube videos, even though he didn't think his channel would get as popular as it did as fast as it did, so they were mostly mistakes most people make early on in their YouTube career. Things like taking sponsorships from certain companies, being paid to say certain things about a product, etc. Most of the things as far as I know were things he either apologized for or were deleted early on. IDK, I don't think Henry has ill intentions from my interactions with him.
Unknown User•2y ago
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And I personally use privacytools.io and privacyguides.org, I never followed the drama and didn't want to get involved. I am thinking of making my own sort of thing and sort of replacing those for myself anyway.
I also use prismbreak as well
It's pretty outdated though
I've been using Express VPN for a few years and I can't complain much at all about their service. Some of the fastest throughput I've gotten from any service, their app is pretty robust, affordable pricing, etc
Unknown User•2y ago
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GG @thenicholasnick, you just advanced to level 1 !