6 of the best VPNs to keep your Windows 10 system secure

ExpressVPN is a well established VPN service that should suit mostly everyone. Based in the British Virgin Islands, you won't have to worry about your data being targeted by nefarious government entities. Indeed, ExpressVPN follows a strict no logging policy and also never tracks data, DNS queries, or anything else that could make you easily traced by the authorities. 

ExpressVPN further backs that up with AES-256 encryption, which is pretty much the best level of encryption you could hope to see here. In addition, there are neat features such as split tunneling, which allows you to route some device traffic through a VPN while the rest of your data accesses the internet directly. There's a kill switch too, so if your connection ever drops unexpectedly, all internet traffic is blocked until protection is restored.

Other features include the option to pick from one of 160 server locations across 94 countries, as well as be able to use it to stream other countries' versions of Netflix and other streaming services. On the whole, it's also often one of the fastest VPN services out there. 

Throw in the ability to pay with Bitcoin or use Tor to browse ExpressVPN's hidden .onion site, and it's clear that this is a service that's rich in features for both newbies to VPN services and more experienced hands. There are clients available for all devices imaginable with the Windows 10 version being particularly simple to use. 

There's no free trial for ExpressVPN but users can take advantage of a 30 day money back guarantee if they're not satisfied. Prices start at $12.95 for a month by month subscription, with the best price stemming from a 12 month subscription which costs $99.95. For the price, you can use five devices simultaneously with unlimited bandwidth available to you. 

Why it's best for Windows 10: ExpressVPN is great for pretty much any device going but its Windows 10 app is a particular joy to use. It's straightforward enough that you don't have to feel knowledgeable in VPNs to still use it effectively. 

Note: NordVPN has announced that it suffered a breach in March 2018 when a hacker exploited an insecure remote management system at a Finnish data center from which the company was renting servers. However, we still think it's a strong contender in the VPN space. Click here to learn more.

NordVPN is a VPN service provider you've probably seen advertised extensively across the internet. Like ExpressVPN, it's one of the best out there. Unlike ExpressVPN, it's not quite as fast but it is much cheaper, providing you commit to a long term plan. 

NordVPN offers military-grade level AES-256 encryption and promises that no logs are kept so your browsing is entirely anonymous. It also uses something called CyberSec, which blocks ads and malicious websites for you, saving you the risk of inadvertently browsing a suspicious website. 

Elsewhere, there's also the Double VPN feature that enables you to encrypt your data twice, effectively hiding yourself twice as much as with a regular VPN client. It's a feature that's overkill for many users but every once in a while, you may find it reassuring.

For more regular use, there are useful features like an automatic kill switch, DNS leak protection (which covers an extra level of potential risk associated with sending unencrypted queries), and that all-important no logging policy. 

For those keen to use torrenting facilities or stream Netflix from other countries, NordVPN caters for such interests. While speeds aren't quite as impressive as ExpressVPN's, they're still more than good enough so you'll have no complaints. Don't expect the user interface of the app to look great though: NordVPN is full of great features hidden behind a fairly ugly and dated-looking server map.

Prices vary depending on how long you commit to NordVPN. The 3-year plan works out to be $2.99 per month (billed at $107.55 every three years) with the price creeping up to the equivalent of $6.99 per month for a year, or $11.95 on a monthly basis. For the price, you can connect six devices at the same time. 

Why it's best for Windows 10: Though we're not huge fans of NordVPN's app per se, NordVPN is still a solid bet for Windows users thanks to its fairly minimal footprint on your hard drive. It's also a great value.

IPVanish (which is owned by J2, the same parent company as Mashable) covers most requirements of a VPN service. It has a strict no-logs policy and promises to not record any of your activities, plus its wealth of 1300+ anonymous servers means you can browse through the VPN from anywhere in the world. There's unlimited bandwidth too, along with SOCKS5 web proxy, which masks your personal IP address while you use it.

Best of all, you can use IPVanish across 10 different devices at once. That's ideal in large households that may not wish to change settings on their router to hook up with the VPN. Such flexibility is great.

So, what's the catch? IPVanish is based in the US, which could potentially be an issue when it comes to criminal jurisdiction. It's unlikely to be a problem, but for the extra privacy conscious, it can seem more than a little off-putting. 

IPVanish's prices vary depending on how long you subscribe. A month by month plan works out at $10 per month with a yearly plan averaging out at $6.49 per month. 

What makes it best for Windows 10: It takes up a fairly minimal footprint on your hard drive and it's a great value.

CyberGhost starts well given it offers a rare free trial. It only lasts 24 hours, but that should be plenty of time for you to try out the app and its other features. It has standard military grade encryption as well as the option to connect via OpenVPN, which is great for people who want to set their routers up with a VPN. There's a strict no logging policy in place and since CyberGhost based in Romania, it's out of most jurisdictions. 

The service offers more than 4,700 servers across 61 different countries, so it's helpful that its app tailors servers for your needs. There are specific options for downloading and streaming, as well as services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, YouTube, and others. Unfortunately, at times, the CyberGhost VPN can be detected by Netflix, but it's a great idea in theory and there have been reports of success.

Elsewhere, you can use CyberGhost to block ads while browsing as well as malware, which can threaten your PC's safety. It's a good deal for the safety conscious VPN user.

The price of CyberGhost varies depending on how long you subscribe to it. At its most expensive, it's $12.99 per month on a rolling basis, or it can be as low as $2.75 per month if you subscribe for three years, thus making it a little cheaper than NordVPN.

Why it's best for Windows 10: 

Private Internet Access works like a lot of other VPNs. It has extensive military grade encryption, an easy-to-use app, and it works well with Netflix and other streaming services. For the price, you get access to over 3000 different servers across 32 different countries, and it takes seconds to switch around.

Impressively, each server is pretty speedy, and with Private Internet Access welcoming to P2P users, it's appealing to fans of torrenting. Netflix support is great too, although don't expect other streaming services to work like Amazon Prime. 

Where Private Internet Access falters is its default use of AES-128 encryption, making it slightly less secure than other services. It's also based in the US, which could make some users a little uneasy.

However, one substantial advantage is that you can subscribe to Private Internet Access through some pretty inventive ways. Don't want to pay with a credit card? Use a Starbucks or Walmart gift card to pay instead. A vast number of different options are available and it's ideal if you're a little unsure about having your card details held by a VPN service. 

Prices start at $6.95 per month or as low as $3.33 per month if you pay yearly. 

Why it's best for Windows 10:   

The Private Internet Access hides away snugly in the system bar so it's a good call for those that prefer a more minimalist approach to Windows 10 apps.

Most VPN clients focus on being practical and professional. TunnelBear has all the professional features you could want, but it also offers animations of cute cuddly bears tunneling around the world to provide you with a more secure connection. For that reason alone, it's one of the friendliest, and most easy-to-use VPN clients out there, especially for people who are new to the whole VPN game. Just pick a country and TunnelBear does the rest for you.

TunnelBear is smarter than your average bear, too. Its AES-256 encryption keeps your data secure from both hackers and ISPs, and you're able to access global content from elsewhere too. We've found mixed results when it comes to connecting to Netflix, but it's speedy enough when downloading torrents and other files.

TunnelBear is also the only VPN (that we know of) to publish regular, independent security audits of its apps, which is immensely reassuring for the security conscious. 

There's also the small matter of its pricing plan. If you only use a VPN very rarely, you can subscribe for free gaining 500mb of data a month. That price increases to $9.99 month by month, or the equivalent of $4.99 per month if you pay for a year at the time. The paid plans offer unlimited data along with up to five devices connected at any one time. So it's cute, but very practical too. 

What makes it best for Windows 10:   

TunnelBear slots into any system well but on Windows 10, it's subtle but gets to the point. You won't have to worry about this feeling like it's getting in the way while you browse.