Top 10 paid for VPNs available online

The Best Premium VPNs On The Market

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Intro

With nearly everything we do in life now involving the internet to some capacity- our work, our schools, our finances, our social lives- privacy from advertisers and safety from potential attackers are imperative to our online existence. We’ve already profiled the best free VPNs money can’t buy, so now it’s time to look at the best names on the market and figure out who’s best for you should you decide to jump into a paid-for VPN plan. 

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NordVPN

Many, even those with no real knowledge about VPNs, will likely be familiar with Nord. Nord has historically been the leading name in the VPN world, with its extensive online advertisement presence having played a significant part in popularising VPNs in the first place. Today, Nord remains solidly on top, with continued innovations to find new ways to keep you secure, but at a premium price. 

Security

As a leading innovator in encryption technology, Nord goes beyond the gold standard AES-256 encryption to provide the AES-256-GCM, which not only provides additional security but also offers additional VPN protocols (e.g an automatic kill switch if your encryption is compromised) to guarantee absolute protection. Furthermore, with malware protection software, an effective ad and tracker blocker, Nord offers a very strong deal for those to whom safety is their top priority in a VPN. 

Servers

When it comes to server variety and strength, NordVPN is a very strong option. Nord gives its users access to over 6,400 servers all across the globe, allowing them to bypass any geoblocking one could imagine. Furthermore, with an average speed of up to 250 mbps, Nord offers rapid speeds for those looking for a VPN that can cover intensive use. 

Price

Like most, Nord offers a 30 day free trial where users can tip their toes into the water and see what Nord can offer them. Additionally, with Nord being a major social media sponsor, it won’t be difficult for a prospective customer to find a discount code for Nord from one of their favourite content creators. Beyond that, Nord costs either £13.19, £11.19 or £10.39 depending on whether you want their Premium, Standard or Basic package. This puts it as a bit more expensive than some of the other options, but that's to be expected from the current VPN market leader. 

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Ultimately, if you’re someone who's willing to fork out a bit more cash than some of the other options here might take, we’d definitely recommend Nord. It’s a very secure pick, with decent performance, so it’ll remain the best port of call whether you're a casual user just wanting a VPN for personal protection or someone looking to use your VPN extensively for work or school. 

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Surfshark

Surfshark is another major name that has emerged alongside Nord, with an equally notable presence on social media. Like Nord, Surfshark offers an innovative range of security features in an effort to keep your details safe. That said, where Surfshark thrives is its affordability, as it offers the same top-level security as Nord, but with a decreased range of servers in order to give consumers the best price.  

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Security

Like NordVPN, Surfshark offers a competitive level of encryption with the AES-256-GCM encryption grade across all its servers. Not only does Surfshark offer malware protection, tracker blocker and ad blocker software to keep it competitive, it also offers data breach alerts should your personal information be compromised, and the option to generate fake emails if you want to maintain absolute anonymity. 

Servers

Surfshark offers around 100 servers around the globe, with an average speed of around 300mbps. Overall, this is a really good speed as it doesn’t just mean that most basic browsing functions can be done without any hassle, but downloads, streaming and gaming can also be done with really consistent performance.  Furthermore, Surfshark allows you to connect through one server to another (e.g connect to New York then connect through the New York server to California) allowing you to double down on security at the cost of slightly higher latency.  

Price

Surfshark offers a 30-day free money-back guarantee, and is very active in online sponsorships meaning finding a discount code won’t be too hard. While it offers competitive pricing for long-term plans (e.g only £89 for a 2 year deal- the equivalent of £3.29 a month), its month-to-month subscriptions are a bit more pricey, sitting at a maximum of £14.29. While the aforementioned calculations were taken from Surfshark’s premium plan, Surfshark One+, it also offers a slightly cheaper standard and basic plan called Surfshark Starter and Surfshark One respectively. 

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If Nord caught your eye but the hefty price turned you off, Surfshark might be a great alternative. While month-to-month it is definitely quite a price, if you wanted to just put in one large payment for a year or two year plan, Surfshark offers that same level of quality with a degree of affordability that isn’t necessarily found with Nord. 

Express VPN

Express is a solid pick that really sets the standard for what you might want in a premium VPN. With market standard security features, a strong range of servers and a middling price, you really can't go wrong with Express. 

Security

Express uses the industry standard AES-256 to provide a high level of encryption across all its servers. Express also uses a lot of the top VPN protocols to provide further protection, including a kill switch in case of encryption breaches. That said, Express doesn’t have anything particularly special in this regard, making it a fairly standard VPN in terms of protection. 

Servers

ExpressVPN offers around 3,000 servers in 94 countries, with an average speed of 200mbps. This makes Express a solid choice for those looking to bypass regional restrictions, download location-specific content or generally browse the web safely and securely at reasonable speeds. Express can also cover some more complex functions beyond just web searches, as it can sustain 4K streaming or 60FPS gaming with relative ease and consistency. 

Price

On a monthly plan, Express costs £10.64, making it one of the pricier market choices. That said, Express only has one plan with all its protections included, which might be more palatable to somebody not interested in having to jump from plan to plan to get the best deal. 

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Overall, Express is a very solid and respected VPN, and while it might not offer anything too radical, it still offers a premium standard of protection with a range of reasonably powerful and consistently performing servers that might be of utility for someone looking for a VPN for personal use. 

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Proton VPN

Proton was one of our top champions when we looked at free VPNs, so its a welcome surprise to see its premium service is equally as competitive. With a guarantee of privacy, a wide range of servers, decent performance and a really attractive price, Proton might be great for a first-time VPN user who wants to try out a quality free service before making the step up into a premium subscription. 

Security

Proton offers the industry standard AES-256 once again, but also benefits massively from the fact that it is based in Switzerland. That means, not only can Proton protect you from advertisers and trackers, but through Switzerland’s privacy laws, the VPN also keeps you safe from surveillance or intrusive observation.

Servers

Proton has over 6,000 servers across 100 countries. While only 100 of those servers across 10 countries are available to free members, once you pay up, Proton gives you access to a competitive range of secure servers across a variety of locations. What's more, Proton offers strong performance, with speeds rising as high as 300mbps, making it a very competitive choice for server variety and quality. 

Price

Proton VPN offers a free version you can use for as long as you like, making it a very strong option if you’re a first-time VPN user who wants some added security but wants to judge whether or not it's worth paying a price. Past that, Proton costs £8.40 a month, making it a decently cheap choice compared to many on this list. Indeed, I would argue Proton is definitely a good recommendation for a first-time VPN user, who first wants to trial what a VPN is like for free and then might want to move to an affordable plan that provides a basic level of protection. 

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As you can see, Proton isn’t a market leader by any regard, but its bread and butter is affordability. Proton can offer you the best elements of many of the best VPN providers on this list, wrapped up into one cheap little bundle. 

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Norton Secure VPN

Norton is an online security name many will be familiar with, so it makes sense that Norton’s foray into the world of VPNs with Norton Secure is an attractive sell. With top-level security and a decent number of servers, Norton offers a strong package for those willing to fork out quite a bit of cash. 

Security

With AES-256 protection, Norton offers that quality, ‘military-grade’ encryption we’ve come to expect from our premium VPNs. Furthermore, Norton offers the leading VPN protocols, including the kill switch (which at this point is a must-have), meaning it can provide you with the essential security benefits you need. 

Servers

Norton has a decent array of servers, offering around 1,500 servers. However, these are only stretched around 29 countries, a number relatively lower compared to its competitors, and thus potentially limiting its utility as a tool for avoiding regional restrictions. Furthermore, Norton servers have dubious effectiveness, with some reviewers noting decreases in speed anywhere from 8% to 20%. As a result, the quality security provided by Norton clearly does come at a cost, making it less viable as a VPN for all-around use. 

Price

When it comes to price, Norton offers competitive- albeit somewhat inflexible- pricing. Norton only offers year-long plans, and while this makes Norton slightly cheaper than some competitors (e.g NordVPN is £80/year for its premium plan, Norton is only $60), it does come with a notable downside. Norton doesn’t offer unlimited device connections- something we haven’t really mentioned thus far as it's a fairly basic utility to expect from a premium VPN. Instead, Norton makes you pay for a package consisting of either 1, 5 or 10 devices which fluctuate in price accordingly, something that might make Norton less attractive for a user looking to cover all their home devices and potentially all the devices in their household. 

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Ultimately, Norton’s price can largely be chalked down to brand familiarity- Norton is a big name in online security, so there will be many who are willing to cough up the extra cash just to go with a brand they trust. That said, while Norton does offer the kinds of security features you’d want from a premium VPN, the price is a downside that shouldn’t be looked over, and might alienate some. 

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Hide.me

Finally, Hide.me is a really strong option when it comes to online security, offering really good server performance, P2P protection and really strong consistency. Ultimately, it might not be the strongest name on this list, but it's a respectable pick for any prospective buyer. 

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Security

Hide.Me once again offers us the industry standard of protection, with AES-256 encryption and a strong array of VPN protocols able to keep you safe while you browse. What's more, Hide.Me- like Surfshark- enables you to travel through multiple servers, giving it just that little boost to protection at the cost of some higher latency. Hide.Me also offers P2P protection, enabling you to safely download files from any corner of the world. 

Servers

With 2,600 servers across 90 locations, not only does Hide.Me offer a strong selling point for a user looking to binge foreign shows or download some region-specific games, but the large number of servers spread over a relatively fewer number of locations means that at peak usage times, Hide.Me will be able to maintain a solid performance by managing server traffic. Indeed, most reviewers have credited Hide.Me’s servers for having a consistency in performance, meaning it is a solid choice for those looking for a consistent, all-round type of VPN. 

Price

Hide.Me offers an unlimited free plan, meaning you can try a limited version of the VPN before you fork out the cash for the premium. In fact, Hide.Me is one of the better choices for those looking for a free VPN, meaning you can smoothly transition from free usage to a premium plan. Hide.Me offers a competitive affordable price, with its monthly plan being under £8.

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As you can see, nothing Hide.me does is especially revolutionary, but what it does do, it does right. With a solid price, a free alternative, some really well-performing servers and the premium standard of encryption software, you can put your trust (and your cash, if so inclined) in Hide.me.

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Closing Thoughts

As you can see, there really is a wide variety of VPNs on the market to meet a variety of needs. Indeed, as with almost all things in life, there won’t be just one objectively perfect VPN we’d recommend for all users, but instead each of these VPNs serves a variety of purposes to a range of users. Ultimately, my advice would be to try as many as you can- most offer either free trial, full-on free versions or money back guarantees within a certain timeframe, so there really isn’t any reason not to. At the end of the day, while I hope this list has provided some guidance in your shop for a VPN, it's you, the customer, who has the final say in which is best. 

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