The Best VPNs for Windows 10 of 2023
Written by: Digital.com Staff
Updated November 21, 2022Our Top Picks
NordVPN
Best for Novice Users
- 30-day free trial
- 24/7 support
- 6 simultaneous connections
NordVPN is one of those names that ring a bell when you hear it. Most novice users are familiar with it out of the gate as it is widely advertised and touted as the best Windows experience. NordVPN supports all flavors of Windows; if you have older versions (still supported by Microsoft like Win 7 service pack 1), you are still being supported by Nord.
One of the most remarkable features that NordVPN offers is splitting tunneling and choosing the data you want to be protected by the VPN. This feature allows users to avoid hang ups with sites that may not play well with a VPN service. The quick-connect button is also unique to Nord, with a built-in AI algorithm to connect you to the most optimal server based on your location. Lastly, Nord has its own custom CyberSec feature, which actively protects your Windows device from phishing and botnets while browsing the internet.
NordVPN Pricing is comparable to what is commonly seen in the market. They do offer an incentive for subscribing to their 2-year plan, priced at 3.49 a month (which is not the cheapest for a 2-year deal either in the market). A 1-year plan comes in around 6.99 a month, and then the monthly plan is 11.95. NordVPN is more on the expensive side across the board for their services, no matter the plan.
One of the most remarkable features that NordVPN offers is splitting tunneling and choosing the data you want to be protected by the VPN. This feature allows users to avoid hang ups with sites that may not play well with a VPN service. The quick-connect button is also unique to Nord, with a built-in AI algorithm to connect you to the most optimal server based on your location. Lastly, Nord has its own custom CyberSec feature, which actively protects your Windows device from phishing and botnets while browsing the internet.
NordVPN Pricing is comparable to what is commonly seen in the market. They do offer an incentive for subscribing to their 2-year plan, priced at 3.49 a month (which is not the cheapest for a 2-year deal either in the market). A 1-year plan comes in around 6.99 a month, and then the monthly plan is 11.95. NordVPN is more on the expensive side across the board for their services, no matter the plan.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- 30-day free trial
- 24/7 support
- 6 simultaneous connections
What Customers Are Saying
Summary
NordVPN
- Starting Price
- One-month: $11.95
- 2-year plan: $3.49/month
- 1-year plan: $6.99/month
- Free Trial/Demo30-Day Free Trial
Yes
Yes
SurfShark
Best for Maximum Connections
- Unlimited Unmetered Connections
- Best Pricing on 2-year Plan
- Advanced Bypasser Feature
Surfsharkis known for providing its customers with unlimited, unmetered connections. This is a considerable benefit nowadays, where most households have numerous devices that need to be protected by a VPN. On top of this feature, Surfshark touts a strict no-logs policy as well as an intuitive safety net killswitch that works flawlessly on Windows 10.
Surfshark has further optimized its performance on Windows 10 devices by promoting its latest feature, the Bypasser. The bypasser feature allows the end-user to select specific apps to bypass the VPN without disabling the entire service. This feature works great for features like banking websites or torrenting sites that have access restrictions in place to prevent users from a VPN.
Surfshark comes in pretty expensive on a month-to-month basis (given you have unlimited connections, that price could be worth it), but they also offer a 1-year (5.99) and 2-year plan (1.99) as well to help incentivize Windows users to commit long term with them. As long as you do not have any issues committing to the 2-year plan, you will find the best deal for unlimited connections. Best of all, SurfShark offers its VPN for the first 30 days for free to allow users to test out its features before agreeing to a contract thoroughly.
Surfshark has further optimized its performance on Windows 10 devices by promoting its latest feature, the Bypasser. The bypasser feature allows the end-user to select specific apps to bypass the VPN without disabling the entire service. This feature works great for features like banking websites or torrenting sites that have access restrictions in place to prevent users from a VPN.
Surfshark comes in pretty expensive on a month-to-month basis (given you have unlimited connections, that price could be worth it), but they also offer a 1-year (5.99) and 2-year plan (1.99) as well to help incentivize Windows users to commit long term with them. As long as you do not have any issues committing to the 2-year plan, you will find the best deal for unlimited connections. Best of all, SurfShark offers its VPN for the first 30 days for free to allow users to test out its features before agreeing to a contract thoroughly.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Unlimited Unmetered Connections
- Best Pricing on 2-year Plan
- Advanced Bypasser Feature
What Customers Are Saying
Summary
SurfShark
- Starting Price
- One-month: $11.95
- 24-month plan: $1.99/month
- 12-month plan: $5.99/month
- Free Trial/Demo30-Day Free Trial
Yes
Yes
ExpressVPN
Best Overall
- Easy to Use
- Performance enhancement from ISP
- DDoS protection
ExpressVPN is one of the most well-known VPNs and rated the best overall. It is your typical run-of-the-mill VPN solution and the defacto standard for the industry. It is everything you would expect out of a VPN. Unfortunately, they drive one of the more expensive price points for a VPN as well. Let's take a closer look at some of the included features to see if ExpressVPN is worth its title.
To start, Windows support for ExpressVPN is well-versed. They cover all supported Windows OS versions (including 11). There interface is straightforward, easy to use, and consists of a push to start VPN connection button. They tout that they proudly support DDoS protecting for gamers and lower overall ping and latency times.
ExpressVPN only lacks in the pricing department; none of its plans is something to run home about. Its monthly plan is one of the most expensive coming in at 12.95, followed by a 6-month plan for 9.99 and a 15-month plan for 6.67. Another shocking relation is that they are one of the only providers that do not offer a free trial of their solution.
To start, Windows support for ExpressVPN is well-versed. They cover all supported Windows OS versions (including 11). There interface is straightforward, easy to use, and consists of a push to start VPN connection button. They tout that they proudly support DDoS protecting for gamers and lower overall ping and latency times.
ExpressVPN only lacks in the pricing department; none of its plans is something to run home about. Its monthly plan is one of the most expensive coming in at 12.95, followed by a 6-month plan for 9.99 and a 15-month plan for 6.67. Another shocking relation is that they are one of the only providers that do not offer a free trial of their solution.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Easy to Use
- Performance enhancement from ISP
- DDoS protection
What Customers Are Saying
Summary
ExpressVPN
- Starting Price
- One-month: $12.95
- Sixmonths: $9.99
- 15 months: $6.67
- Free Trial/DemoNot Provided
Yes
Yes
HotSpot Shield
Best Potential
- 24/7 tech support
- Free version
- Unlimited bandwidth
HotSpot Shield is one of the newer solutions that has the most upside potential compared to the competition. HotSpot was recently ranked the world's fastest VPN solution by Ookla Speedtest. They have a somewhat sizable worldwide infrastructure and can ensure security best practices. Let's take a closer look at some of their Windows ten specific features.
To start, HotSpot has a patented security protocol called Hydra that is proprietary to its solution. They offer unlimited bandwidth to allow users to stream as much as they desire up to 5 devices simultaneously. Lastly, HotSpot Shield has 24/7 live tech support on call, ready to assist within seconds of your request.
HotSpot Shield only has one price plan for its premium package at 7.99 a month. But they do offer their basic package for free. On top of this, they offer a free seven-day trial of premium and a 45-day money-back guarantee.
To start, HotSpot has a patented security protocol called Hydra that is proprietary to its solution. They offer unlimited bandwidth to allow users to stream as much as they desire up to 5 devices simultaneously. Lastly, HotSpot Shield has 24/7 live tech support on call, ready to assist within seconds of your request.
HotSpot Shield only has one price plan for its premium package at 7.99 a month. But they do offer their basic package for free. On top of this, they offer a free seven-day trial of premium and a 45-day money-back guarantee.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- 24/7 tech support
- Free version
- Unlimited bandwidth
What Customers Are Saying
Summary
HotSpot Shield
- Starting Price
- Free for Basic
- $7.99/month for Premium
- Free Trial/DemoNot Provided
Yes
Yes
PrivateVPN
Best Privacy for the Price
- Privacy First approach
- Affordable and Flexible Plans
- Killswitch just for Windows
PrivateVPN takes the privacy of its user's data very seriously. They have a slew of features that help to support a privacy-first environment. PrivateVPN is a part of the Swedish parliament, which means they follow a strict zero data logging policy (and can enforce it). Let's deep dive into some of the features that stand PrivateVPN apart from the rest, and if you are still not satisfied, they offer a full 30-day money-back guarantee.
PrivateVPN supports impressive 2048-bit encryption with AES-256 (government-grade) along with IPv6 leak protection so that your data and identity will stay safe. If you are disconnected. PrivateVPN pushes out unlimited speeds and bandwidth over si>simultaneous connections. Lastly, they support significant and minor VPN protocols, including OpenVPN, PPTP, L2TP, and IPSec.
Outside of its seven-day free trial, PrivateVPN offers its services in 3 package plans. A 13-month plan for 3.82 a month, a three-month plan for 4.88 a month, and a one-month plan for 7.67 a month. Overall all three plans are priced lower than the VPN average, including a full 30-day money-back guarantee.
PrivateVPN supports impressive 2048-bit encryption with AES-256 (government-grade) along with IPv6 leak protection so that your data and identity will stay safe. If you are disconnected. PrivateVPN pushes out unlimited speeds and bandwidth over si>simultaneous connections. Lastly, they support significant and minor VPN protocols, including OpenVPN, PPTP, L2TP, and IPSec.
Outside of its seven-day free trial, PrivateVPN offers its services in 3 package plans. A 13-month plan for 3.82 a month, a three-month plan for 4.88 a month, and a one-month plan for 7.67 a month. Overall all three plans are priced lower than the VPN average, including a full 30-day money-back guarantee.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Privacy First approach
- Affordable and Flexible Plans
- Killswitch just for Windows
What Customers Are Saying
Summary
PrivateVPN
- Starting Price
- One month: $7.67
- 3 months: $4.88/month
- 13 months: $3.82/month
- Free Trial/Demo7-Day Free Trial
Yes
Yes
IPVanish
Best for Beginners
- Unlimited connections and unlimited speed
- Reliable Killswitch
- Great Ad blocking
As one of the best VPN solutions for beginners, IPVanish is also one of the best supported Windows 10 operating systems. The Client is easy to use on any Windows 10 device and easily supports Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer browsers. Let's take a look at some of the unique features supported by IPVanish on the Windows 10 operating system.
IPVanish is another rare VPN service that permits unmetered VPN connections and can achieve this feat because it only uses its infrastructure (not rented out). IPVanish also has built-in modules that help to prevent targeted advertisements, including ones that perform deep packet inspection. Some of the newer features also include SOCKS5 web proxy support and 256- bit encryption on communications.
The one observed downfall pertains to its pricing model. Currently, IPVanish only offers its solution at a monthly price of 10.99, which is towards the more expensive side of the house. They have been known to provide promotional deals for longer-term plans, but these are limited offerings. Lastly, IPVanish does give a 30 day trial of its solution, but for iOS only, so Windows 10 is out of luck here.
IPVanish is another rare VPN service that permits unmetered VPN connections and can achieve this feat because it only uses its infrastructure (not rented out). IPVanish also has built-in modules that help to prevent targeted advertisements, including ones that perform deep packet inspection. Some of the newer features also include SOCKS5 web proxy support and 256- bit encryption on communications.
The one observed downfall pertains to its pricing model. Currently, IPVanish only offers its solution at a monthly price of 10.99, which is towards the more expensive side of the house. They have been known to provide promotional deals for longer-term plans, but these are limited offerings. Lastly, IPVanish does give a 30 day trial of its solution, but for iOS only, so Windows 10 is out of luck here.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Unlimited connections and unlimited speed
- Reliable Killswitch
- Great Ad blocking
What Customers Are Saying
Summary
IPVanish
- Starting Price
- One-month: $10.99
- Free Trial/Demo30 Days for iOS Only
Yes
Yes
CyberGhost
Best for Travelers
- 45-day money-back guarantee
- Free trial offered for Windows
- Large infrastructure
CyberGhost claims that it is best for users that are on the go. The reason for this claim is it has a ton of servers worldwide. Over 7100 servers spread out over almost 100 countries is a massive feat for a VPN company. CyberGhost is based in a strict no-logs country (Romania) to ensure they take the utmost effort against privacy protections. They do not want to collaborate with the five eyes agency, which means they do not have to share your data! Let's dig into some of the other features for windows ten specifically that make CyberGhost so attractive.
CyberGhost has an automatic killswitch that cuts off your internet if your VPN tunnel should randomly drop (specifically for Windows devices). CyberGhost claims to have complete Windows end-to-end coverage as far as encryption goes for your communications. Lastly, having extensive infrastructure means no bandwidth limitations (they are currently pushing out 10G on their servers).
CyberGhost offers a competitive yearly pricing package for 2.57 a month. For Windows systems, we can get a one-day free trial of the solution, along with a 45 day month back guarantee if you are not satisfied. They also offer a 7.99, 6-month plan and a 12.99 monthly plan that are at the top of the thresholds as far as VPN prices are concerned.
CyberGhost has an automatic killswitch that cuts off your internet if your VPN tunnel should randomly drop (specifically for Windows devices). CyberGhost claims to have complete Windows end-to-end coverage as far as encryption goes for your communications. Lastly, having extensive infrastructure means no bandwidth limitations (they are currently pushing out 10G on their servers).
CyberGhost offers a competitive yearly pricing package for 2.57 a month. For Windows systems, we can get a one-day free trial of the solution, along with a 45 day month back guarantee if you are not satisfied. They also offer a 7.99, 6-month plan and a 12.99 monthly plan that are at the top of the thresholds as far as VPN prices are concerned.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- 45-day money-back guarantee
- Free trial offered for Windows
- Large infrastructure
What Customers Are Saying
Summary
CyberGhost
- Starting Price
- One-month: $12.99
- Six-mont: $7.99/month
- 1 year plan: $2.75/month
- Free Trial/Demo1 Day Free Trial
Yes
Yes
Private Internet Access VPN
Best for Power Users
- Nice 2-Year package pricing
- Built-in Anti-virus solution
- Extremely large infrastructure
When we think about the Private Internet Access VPN, we think of power users or users on an operations team who need to customize network and security protocols to match day-to-day use cases. On top of having in-depth customization, PIA VPN comes with a reliable Killswitch for the Windows 10 OS. One of the best features is its ability to allow ten simultaneous connections as well.
PIA VPN has one of the largest infrastructures in the VPN space, counting up to almost 34000 servers worldwide! Speed and performance won't be an issue here. IT also comes prebuilt with a built-in antivirus solution that can scan and remove malware for any windows ten device (all while sustaining user privacy).
With such an extensive infrastructure to support, you might think that the price point would be outrageous. PIA VPNs 2 year plan only costs 2.69 a month! That is below average for other competitors of this size! Its one-year (3.33/month) plan isn't so bad either, but the best part is if you subscribe to the monthly plan and decide it isn't for you, PIZ offers a full money-back guarantee of up to 30 days anyway.
PIA VPN has one of the largest infrastructures in the VPN space, counting up to almost 34000 servers worldwide! Speed and performance won't be an issue here. IT also comes prebuilt with a built-in antivirus solution that can scan and remove malware for any windows ten device (all while sustaining user privacy).
With such an extensive infrastructure to support, you might think that the price point would be outrageous. PIA VPNs 2 year plan only costs 2.69 a month! That is below average for other competitors of this size! Its one-year (3.33/month) plan isn't so bad either, but the best part is if you subscribe to the monthly plan and decide it isn't for you, PIZ offers a full money-back guarantee of up to 30 days anyway.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Nice 2-Year package pricing
- Built-in Anti-virus solution
- Extremely large infrastructure
What Customers Are Saying
Summary
Private Internet Access VPN
- Starting Price
- One-month: $9.95
- 2 years plan: $2.69/month
- 1 year plan: $3.33/month
- Free Trial/Demo*30 Days Money Back Guarantee Only
Yes
Yes
ProtonVPN
Best for Privacy
- Totally Free Windows 10 version
- Integrated with Mail solution
- Killswitch
ProtonVPN is best known for its privacy stance as many are familiar with its Private email solution, ProtonMail. One of the main reasons it can keep up with its privacy badge is due in part to its location. Being located in Switzerland, the laws around privacy are much more strict than elsewhere in the world, thus giving products like ProtonVPN much more weight when it comes down to protecting its end-users' sensitive transactions.
Besides displaying a proud no-logs policy, ProtonVPN offers an unlimited, totally free version of their VPN on Windows 10 devices. The best part of all is that it is directly compatible with this sister tool, ProtonMail, allowing its users to create an anonymous account with their existing ProtonMail credentials quickly.
The Pricing for ProtonVPN is super flexible and offers different plans/features for various price points. They have their free version for Windows 10, but they also have a basic plan (4 dollars/month), their plus plan (8 dollars/month), and a visionary plan (24/month). ProtonVPN does offer a free seven-day trial of plus plans to entice users to upgrade. The visionary plan gives you all the features of the Plus plan and all the features for your ProtonMail account.
Besides displaying a proud no-logs policy, ProtonVPN offers an unlimited, totally free version of their VPN on Windows 10 devices. The best part of all is that it is directly compatible with this sister tool, ProtonMail, allowing its users to create an anonymous account with their existing ProtonMail credentials quickly.
The Pricing for ProtonVPN is super flexible and offers different plans/features for various price points. They have their free version for Windows 10, but they also have a basic plan (4 dollars/month), their plus plan (8 dollars/month), and a visionary plan (24/month). ProtonVPN does offer a free seven-day trial of plus plans to entice users to upgrade. The visionary plan gives you all the features of the Plus plan and all the features for your ProtonMail account.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Totally Free Windows 10 version
- Integrated with Mail solution
- Killswitch
What Customers Are Saying
Summary
ProtonVPN
- Starting Price
- Free version available
- $4/month for Basic
- $8/month for Plus
- $24/month for Visionary
- Free Trial/Demo7-Days Trial
Yes
Yes
hide.me
Best Free Option
- Totally Free Version without Ads
- Independently Owned
- 10 simultaneous connections
Hide.me VPN is a solution that is supported in the Microsoft store specifically for Windows. This VPN offers both paid and free versions. The paid version is advertised as a lifetime plan with no ads, trackers, or logs. Their paid version is highly touted by Microsoft, Forbes, PCmag, Techradar, and Trustpilot.
Hide.me claims to be a 99.9% uptime remark and a 100% independent ownership for ensuring a privacy-first approach. Hide.me claims to have support gigabit speeds and unlimited bandwidth as well. Lastly, They offer ten simultaneous connections to co-inside with their unlimited speeds.
Outside of their free basic plan, Hide.me offers three premium plans that include a 2-year plan for 2.45 a month, a 1-year plan for 3.66 a month, and a monthly plan for 9.95. Their model provides a sound system for gradually shifting from the free version to the paid version at a price model that works for the individual.
Hide.me claims to be a 99.9% uptime remark and a 100% independent ownership for ensuring a privacy-first approach. Hide.me claims to have support gigabit speeds and unlimited bandwidth as well. Lastly, They offer ten simultaneous connections to co-inside with their unlimited speeds.
Outside of their free basic plan, Hide.me offers three premium plans that include a 2-year plan for 2.45 a month, a 1-year plan for 3.66 a month, and a monthly plan for 9.95. Their model provides a sound system for gradually shifting from the free version to the paid version at a price model that works for the individual.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Totally Free Version without Ads
- Independently Owned
- 10 simultaneous connections
What Customers Are Saying
Summary
hide.me
- Starting Price
- 1 Year: $8.32/month
- 2 Years: $4.99/month
- 1 Month: $12.95/month
- Free Trial/DemoFree Trial
Yes
Yes