The Virtual Private Network (VPN) has become everyone’s new must-have app in the past few years, around the world for privacy reasons ,back in China where I live because it is the only way I can access the internet the way I’m used to and back home in Zimbabwe every time  things get a little erm ….. tense to say the least. But what is a VPN? Why has everyone suddenly become so aware of them? And most importantly, which one is the best one for you? Well allow us to give you a crash course on VPNs and which ones to use for your devices.

Virtual Private Networks or VPN for short, allow you to access the internet on a private connection. They basically encrypt the data sent between you and your server making sure that no third party can gain access to it or spy on you.

VPNs keep your data safe especially if you’re on public networks often. They also allow you to bypass geo-blocks i.e. when you can’t access something e.g. a movie, video song etc. and get an error stating that your geographic location does not allow you to access the site at hand.

A major question when it comes to VPNs is whether they use more data than you normally would. The answer is yes. This is because of the encryption. A VPN encrypts your traffic to protect it from all online threats. Encrypted files take up more space than unencrypted files therefore, your data usage will increase by 5-10%.  Typically, if you use a superior or stronger VPN encryption it means your data becomes larger and your data usage will go up. And when a VPN uses more data it also affects the speed i.e. the stronger the encryption, the slower the speed. We’ll try and recommend VPNs that find a sweet spot between both so you can get the best speed and encryption. Also another quick note, a lot of VPN services , some of the best ones to be honest, are paid services. However the beauty of tech is you can find a lot of comparable and sometimes better services for free, which is the case with most of the VPNs you will find below.

Mobile

Star VPN(iOS and Android)

I’ve used this VPN on both IOS and Android. Compared to other VPNs on this list its really reliable, fast and I have never experienced any timeouts with it. Like most VPNs its layout is pretty simple and anyone can immediately know how to use it. Its free but offers you the option to become a premium member allowing you to connect via 26 locations and have access to stronger encryptions and more stable connections. The default or free location is the United States and that’s the one I have always used and it gets the job done. Data usage is pretty low given the high speed. Honestly, I am yet to find a downside to this one.

TouchVPN/BestVPN (Android)

It’s odd naming situation aside, TouchVPN is honestly the easiest VPN to use on this list. It offers a 100% free service, with minimalistic adds and has a simple one button interface that lets you just click on it and you’re connected. You can manually pick a VPN server if you need to connect to a specific country (e.g. to fool Netflix that you have a U.S.A. account so you can watch shows they lock away from African ones), but usually you won’t need to and it automatically picks the fastest server for you. The Android version also barely suffers from timeouts while the PC version (which you’ll find later on in this list) can timeout under heavy loads. However this is still by far one of the best options you will find on this list.

Hexatech/VPN Proxy (iOS &android)

I used this on IOS before switching to Star VPN. In many ways they are similar, simple layout and subscription-based service. If you subscribe you get better speeds and stable better encryptions and they remove the ads which pop up when you open the app and press the connect button, mildly annoying but you can always have them removed. Its reliability is not the best but it’s definitely fast, streaming videos never felt better. However, it timed out a lot and sometimes when it connected, I couldn’t access the internet altogether.

SuperVPN(iOS & Android)

I’ve used this on Android (though there is also a near identical iOS version). Its not as popular as the other VPNs likely due to it seemingly mainly being used in China here but I feel it deserves a spot as it does a pretty decent job. Its free with the option to subscribe and become a VIP where you get access to two more locations in addition to the initial 5 free ones stronger encrypts… etc. You also get to remove ads but those never bothered me. Its quite fast but not as reliable in as the others here. One thing I liked about it though is that once you’re connected it connects you for 1 hour 10 minutes after which it disconnects and you have to reconnect again. I liked this feature because it helped managed my data usage. For instance, I could fall asleep whilst on the internet with my VPN on but I wouldn’t have to worry about it running through the whole night using my data unnecessarily because it would eventually switch off So, this feature came in real handy.  A takeaway would definitely be the startup time. It took a relatively long time which was really unusual.

Windows 10 Mobile/Windows Phone

Sigh , Windows Phone; the unfortunate, sad and anemic child of the Microsoft Family. Ever since Microsoft Admitted that the platform was dead in late 2017, the already flimsy app situation of both its mobile platforms just began a descent that will likely continue until no one uses those tiled little marvels anymore. The case with VPNs is no exception. In fact, to find a free and reliable VPN on windows phone or windows 10 mobile was a struggle the whole team here endured in hopes of making it easier for you all. Some of these apps will only work properly on windows phone 8 , while for windows 10 mobile we actually found the best alternative was to use a PC based vpn for windows 10 and use the manual setup option that windows 10 mobile also offers ( if you’re rolling your eyes over how strenuous this sounds, it’s because it really was). Anyway, allow us to share the few good remaining options for Microsoft’s dying platform.

Vpn 0ne-Click (WP8 & W10M)

One of the few that still work reliably across both platforms, Vpn One-click offers a free tier offering for (sigh) a week and will require a payment option afterwards. Despite its terms however, it offers reliable and efficient service. Even restricted to a 2g connection in a pretty terrible area for reception, it still holds up. Again, we wouldn’t even bring it up if there where better, free alternatives on the windows phone 8 store, but unfortunately that is no longer the case.

Hide.ME VPN(WP8)

This VPN is actually available for free on windows 10 mobile. Except it for some reason does not work. This is likely a bug the Hide.me could fix if they bothered to keep an eye on their windows phone store apps, but with the shifting market , they probably have close to zero users on those and hence they focus on their PC offerings instead. Regardless this service offers you two weeks of free usage before a paid tier is required. Service is again, great, but it’s another case of try for a little, cry a lot afterwards.

Touch VPN(W10M)

A beloved VPN that we praise on PC and Android, is also available on windows 10 mobile. And unlike most vpns on this list , it’s totally free . We’re not joking here. Touch VPn maintains its totally free approach from android and Windows 10 pc, when it works. We’ve tested it on a few windows 10 mobile phones and it installs on some, fails to on others. It’s this inconscistency that makes people leave windows phone in the first place, and TouchVPN doesn’t help redeem the platform. We actually sent a few support messages to them but have gotten no response so far.

SecurityKISS VPN(W10M)

The saving grace of Windows 10 mobile is that it’s built on the same software core as normal windows 10, meaning that a lot of the features that make windows 10 a great OS are technically built into the mobile platform as well, many where just never activated and utilized. SecurityKISS VPN is a free browser based vpn service that you can manually set up sor windows 10 and windows 10 mobile ( theoretically for windows phone 8 as well if you configure it right). The manual setup process is on their website which you first sign up for in a thankfully quick process. While their guide show a windows 10 pc the credentials are exactly the same for mobile platforms. Once you do set it up you get 300MB of data to use per day for as long as you wish, which for a lot of people is more than the data they use on a mobile VPN anyway. It was actually a relief finding this VPN and hopefully it offers you the same reliable service it offered us.

PC & Mac

Now the PC VPN Situation , especially for Windows and Windows 10 , is a little different. There are general VPN here that will work on almost any Windows version (7,8 and 10), while some where specifically built for windows 10 . I’ll highlight those specifically made for Windows 10 and for our Mac users, don’t worry we haven’t forgotten you, I’ll highlight which specific ones can be used for Apple’s offerings as well. There also VPN that can be manually configured for windows 8 and 10. A process that is a little tricky at first but becomes amazingly convenient once you set it up the first time. This is the same process we Highlighted for Windows 10 Mobile before.

Psiphon(Windows 10 and Mac)

Whilst its available on mobile, I had my best experience with it on PC. It’s really fast, reliable and rarely times out. When it did time out, I found it was mainly due to the poor connection I was on. It has a simplistic and beautiful layout, but where it stood out for me the most is the degree of options it offers. Of all the VPNs I have ever used, whether on mobile or PC, Psiphon offers the greatest amount of control and flexibility. A favorite of mine is the option to disable timeouts for slower networks meaning if your network slows down for a while, Psiphon can wait for it to pick up speed again without disconnecting, no need to reload pages, restart downloads etc. You can connect on 23 different locations but Psiphon typically connects via the fastest location at the time ensuring you always get the best speed available. Unfortunately, I began having problems with it here, less reliable connections slower speeds etc. regardless of my connection. (Maybe cause of the whole Great Wall thing going on out here, maybe the cyber security division blacklisted it or something I don’t know, but it’s definitely worth a shot elsewhere though.)

Ultrasurf

After my emotional breakup with Psiphon, I found Ultrasurf and it had everything. I think all its servers are in the States but in different locales within the country. It gives you three options all of which almost always have a 95+ percent speed rating. It doesn’t offer the same degree of options that Psiphon offers and it can time out though not too much. Ultrasurf is always updating, making sure that connections are always as best as possible. When an update is released, the moment you open the application, it updates within seconds. My major issue with it was that there were moments it just timed out or flat out disconnected when I opened it up it showed me that it’s connected at 97% speed. I later found out the solution to be simply restarting the connection and I believe it to be a bug which I hope they fix soon. Overall, it’s a great VPN.

Freegate

A friend told me of this one during the time I was facing problems with Psiphon, I found Ultrasurf first so I never got the chance to try it out but I recently checked it out and I was impressed. It’s fast, reliable and just like Psiphon, it typically timed out when my network was poor. Unlike Psiphon though, it doesn’t really offer a great degree of options to work with but it’s still a really good VPN. It connects you on a maximum of 7 different servers which probably accounts for its speed and it is optimized for Internet Explorer. Much of its customizable options are related to Internet Explorer. Even when it connects it opens its home page in Internet Explorer (although you can always change this setting). This of course, isn’t a bad thing at all, I just wasn’t expecting it. Like Ultrasurf, Freegate releases updates regularly, which is always a good thing. A downside is that there were times where it would stop responding especially when you start it up, my friend told me they had the same issue and again, I think it may just be a bug which hopefully will get fixed.

TouchVPN (Windows 8 & 10)

One of our favorite VPNs on this list still, TouchVPN has near unparalleled conditions offering a totally FREE VPN service with lots of servers, no sign up required and the easiest interface to use in this whole list. Oh, plus no ads, imagine that. It does falter by not being available for Windows 7, and disconnecting after a while if you’re dealing with strenuous processes. Either way, this is still one of the best VPNs you can get on a pc.

Windscribe(Windows and Mac)

A paid VPN that still offers a really compelling free option, Windscribe gives you a 10GB on pretty worthwhile servers. It also has great connection quality and is greatly reliable. You can also get it as just a browser plugin for Firefox and Chrome, saving you the hassle of a full old school program installation.

Betternet VPN

A really fast VPN which unfortunately sometimes has trouble connecting especially if you live in a heavily proxied environment like a workplace or school. Still has a great free service however and is definitely worth trying.

So there you have it, we’ll keep scouring the net for great VPN services for you, but I think this will be a great start for you guys . Tell us any VPNs you use that we may have missed and for more tips on ways to maximise the capabilities of your device, keep it here on The Zimbabwean Perspective