Widely used to secure connections, bypass geographical restrictions or hide IP addresses, VPNs are now numerous on the market. So, how to choose your VPN among the many offers available?
1. Encryption
First, check what encryption method your VPN uses to encode your information and make it inaccessible to unauthorized third parties.
Preferably choose a VPN that uses the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), an advanced encryption standard popular with governments and military forces for its security.
You will find VPNs on the market that certify AES-128, for 128-bit, or AES-256, 256-bit encryption. These numbers indicate the length of the encryption key 2^128 or 2^256. The higher this number is, the higher the number of possible combinations to unlock the encryption key (up to 115 duodecillion possibilities for an AES-256 encryption!).
So prefer VPNs that certify AES-256 encryption, like CyberGhost VPN, impossible to hack.
2. VPN protocols
Your VPN must be based on a reliable security protocol to guarantee the security of your data. There are several VPN protocols:
- OpenVPNa versatile open source protocol that is very reliable and compatible with most platforms.
- IKEv2a protocol developed by Microsoft and Cisco, widely used for mobile devices because of its speed.
- SSTPa Microsoft protocol developed only for Windows.
- PPTPthe historical VPN protocol, now obsolete.
- WireGuard®the latest VPN protocol on the market. It benefits from the speed of IKEv2 and the reliability of OpenVPN.
For optimal security, choose VPNs using OpenVPN. If you prefer to focus on speed, choose VPNs with IKEv2 or WireGuard®. CyberGhost VPN offers all 3 protocols for fast and secure browsing.
3. Log management
Why use a VPN to hide your activity if it keeps your logs? These data collected throughout your browsing can tell a lot about your preferences and your identity… To guarantee your anonymity on the web, you will have to check that your VPN commits to not collect, keep and share any user data, like CyberGhost VPN does.
4. VPN speed
Will activating your VPN slow down your connection? To ensure that the VPN tunnel does not cause slow browsing, choose a VPN with many servers, spread around the world and powerful protocols.
Proximity to the servers will improve your speed. Also, if the server you are connected to is saturated, you can be immediately connected to another one.
5. The number of servers
As you can see, a high number of servers will allow you to browse faster, but also more freely.
So check the number of servers the VPN has. This number will determine the stability of your connection, your anonymity and your browsing speed.
6. The location of the servers
If you need a lot of servers to make a good VPN, you still need them to be well distributed on the globe. This is essential if you want to bypass geolocation-based blocks. Your VPN will connect from the right country to access the content you want to view.
With 113 server locations in 91 countries, there’s no doubt that you’ll be able to access all of the Netflix catalogs using CyberGhost VPN.
7. Access to streaming platforms
Video streaming platforms offer different video content depending on the country you are in. To avoid content restrictions based on geographic location, more and more users are turning to VPNs.
However, Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime, Disney+ and other platforms are not taking it easy and detect most VPNs to block access to their local content.
Some VPNs still manage to slip through the cracks. This is the case of CyberGhost VPN for example.
8. Downloading torrents
If you want to exchange content via torrents, check that your VPN is suitable for this practice.
Indeed, some VPNs choose to block P2P downloads.Others, like CyberGhost VPN, offer optimized servers so you can download and share your torrents without restriction, anonymously.
9. Number of supported devices
You want to use your VPN on your computer, but also your mobile, your tablet or your connected TV? For that, your VPN must offer protocols adapted to cover all uses. This is the case with CyberGhost VPN, which protects up to 7 devices per subscription.
10. Price
Free VPNs are often very limited, so you’ll have to pay a little to fully protect your web browsing. Each player offers subscriptions at varying prices, so compare the services included in each offer to choose the VPN that best suits your needs and budget.
Generally, rates are better for longer subscription periods.
11. Customer service
If you prefer to be able to reach a team in case of problems, check that the VPN offers easily available customer service in your language.
12. VPN reputation and transparency
Finally, check that you can find all the information you want to know about the VPN (headquarters, privacy policy) and that it hasn’t been hacked or leaked in the past. Also, check customer reviews to avoid any scams.
CyberGhost VPN is located in Romania, a country where data privacy is king… Indeed, the country decreed in 2009 that data retention policies were against its constitution, unlike most European Union countries – including France – which keep Internet users’ data for 2 years.
By carefully studying these 12 criteria, you will be able to choose the best VPN for your needs, for example from our list of the best VPNs.
Among these is CyberGhost VPN, a powerful virtual private server that will protect your data and guarantee your anonymity anywhere on the web.