VPN Comparison for Beginners
This is Part-2 and a follow up to my previously published article “A Beginners Guide to VPN Software”.
By necessity, the language used here is a bit more technical in nature than in Part-1, I have tried my best to convey information so that layman readers will still understand the majority of the content. If you’re unsure of anything, feel free to comment below, and I’ll do my best to expand on whatever it is you don’t understand.
That said, on with the show…
The following VPN Services are covered in this analysis/review:
BASELINE SPEED TEST
The following are test results from my system without any VPN service active. They are provided as a comparison point. All results shown throughout this article are the best of several tests run at different times of the day and night.
Speed Testing Service Used – Speedtest by Ookla
No VPN Active
Notes on Testing Environment
- Tests were conducted over several days and nights – only the best results are reported.
- Network cache and Test computer (Windows 10 Pro) was restarted after each VPN was tested to provide a clean and equal testing platform for the next product. All VPNs were uninstalled for each test except for the one being tested.
- All Internet network activity was disabled during testing, such as email checking, Windows, AV, installed program updates, Instant Messaging utilities etc.
- All tests were conducted while connected to my Melbourne Optus NBN Internet Service.
- No tweaks of any kind were applied - All VPN’s were left at their default installed values.
- No network problems reported on any of the testing servers used at the times of testing.
VPN Active Speed Test Results
(Visual Snapshots)
Malwarebytes Privacy VPN Server – Sydney Australia
Malwarebytes Privacy VPN Server – NZ – Auckland
Malwarebytes Privacy VPN Server – USA New York, NY
Surfshark VPN Server – Sydney Australia
Surfshark VPN Server – NZ – Auckland
Surfshark VPN Server – USA New York, NY
NordVPN Server – Sydney Australia
NordVPN Server – NZ - Auckland
NordVPN Server – USA New York, NY
Proton (Free) VPN Server – United States
Proton (Free) VPN Server – Netherlands
Proton (Free) VPN Server – Japan
Summary of Plans and Features Provided
Malwarebytes Privacy VPN – Product Web Page: https://www.malwarebytes.com/vpn/
|
Cost |
Servers Available |
Installs Allowed |
Kill Switch |
Android Support |
iOS Support |
Speed Rating |
|
$69.99 for ONE Year |
245 in 25 Countries |
5 |
Yes |
NO |
NO |
Fair |
- Discount available if purchased with Malwarebytes Premium Antimalware
Not Yet Available for Mobile Devices
No Chat Support – Email only
Surfshark VPN – Product Web Page: https://surfshark.com/
|
Cost |
Servers Available |
Installs Allowed |
Kill Switch |
Android Support |
iOS Support |
Speed Rating |
|
$78.00 for TWO Years |
3,200 in 65 Countries |
Unlimited |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Very Good |
- 24/7 Live Chat and Email Support
Blocks ads and trackers
Sharing subscription with friends and family permitted
Whitelist apps and websites to bypass the VPN
Strict “No Logs” Policy
IKEv2/IPsec protocols by default, however, can be configured to use OpenVPN
Supports P2P, Torrenting, Linux OS & Fire TV Devices
Connect to multiple VPN Servers at once
Independently Audited
NordVPN – Product Web Page: https://nordvpn.com/
|
Cost |
Servers Available |
Installs Allowed |
Kill Switch |
Android Support |
iOS Support |
Speed Rating |
|
$97.90 for TWO Years |
5,450 in 59 Countries |
6 |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Average |
- 24/7 Live Chat and Email Support
Strict “No Logs” Policy
Dedicated IP available
Supports P2P and Torrenting
Onion Router Support
Blocks ads and trackers
Proton FREE VPN – Product Web Page: https://protonvpn.com/free-vpn
|
Cost |
Servers Available |
Installs Allowed |
Kill Switch |
Android Support |
iOS Support |
Speed Rating |
|
FREE |
Servers in 3 Countries |
N/A |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Poor |
Note: Only available VPN servers on the Free plan were able to be tested.
- Only Email Support
Adblocking
Strict “No Logs” Policy
1200+ Servers available (on Paid Plans Only)
Speeds on paid plans were unable to be tested
Usability
I considered all four offerings to be as easy to use and configure as each other. No real technical knowledge is required, either in the installation, configuration, or use of the VPN services tested.
Given the above results (and concentrating mostly on speed), Surfshark VPN services are the clear winner from my own extensive testing. It consistently outperformed the other offerings in Download and Upload speeds, as well as in Ping times. The service also comes feature-packed and is the most reasonably priced of the lot.
Note the above is mostly to do with the VPN servers outside of my country though. Within Australia, speed differences are fairly minor, but as soon as I test off-shore, Surfshark VPN's superior performance is clear as is evidenced by the tests.
Surprising, however, was the performance noted from Proton’s free VPN offering. Whilst upload speeds and Ping times were pretty woeful on their free service, there is an opportunity to upgrade to a Paid plan which unlocks a host of features as well as access to faster (less congested) servers around the world.
Conclusion
Though more VPN providers were tested than what’s been presented here, the four covered here were the ones that (for me) stood out the most.
For me, the one thing that surprised me the most is how important it is to read and digest the features pages of any VPN software you’re considering subscribing to. Always compare the price you’re being asked to pay for what you’re getting compared to other offerings. The differences can be very noticeable.
Just as an example, comparing Malwarebytes Privacy VPN to, say Surfshark VPN, the difference in price, features, performance, supported devices, and the number of devices you are allowed to protect is huge. Do your homework, read independent reviews (just like this one) and shop around. The best-known name brand is rarely the best to go with.
If you've not yet read it, a link to Part 1 of this series can be found here: https://www.experts-exchange.com/articles/35782/
I hope you found this VPN analysis/review useful.
Till the next time…
©Andrew Leniart
IT Professional | Freelance Journalist
Personal Blog: https://andrewleniart.com
Finally, please do not forget to press the "Thumbs Up" button if you think this article was helpful and useful. Thank you.
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Comments (7)
Author
Commented:Thanks so much for your kind comments and endorsement - both mean a great deal to me.
As to your other remarks:
VPNs have been of particular interest to me for quite some time and I've trialled several over the years, but unfortunately, never Mozilla VPN. You would be surprised at the huge number of VPN Service offerings there are! Though my suspicion (based on very slightly modified GUI's I've noticed) is that many may be just reselling other services without disclosing it. That last said I haven't bothered to trawl through all of the fine print of the ones I've tried over the years to find out for sure.
However, based on my knowledge of your considerable IT skillset and fondness for the Mozilla product, you've raised my curiosity. I will try and obtain a trial for Mozilla VPN and provide an update. The lack of an Australian server should not stop my ability to test, nor being able to use it - it just means there won't be a local VPN server to test performance from a different state within Australia. Not a big deal as I usually want to change the country of my location when I use a VPN, not just where in Australia I'm located.
I run my tests over several days and report on the best results only, so expect an update on that in the next week or so. I'll ping you when it's ready.
Indeed, thank you for pointing out the oversight. I just went through all the notes I made and found I did make a note about that but neglected to include the information in the article. I'll update the article soon accordingly. Unfortunately, a lot of my notes consist of bunches of paper stapled together on each service with relevant things highlighted with a highlighter and what I used while writing the article. <blush> I'd forgotten to highlight that it was a 'special deal' with Surfshark at the time, but then again, so were many of the others I looked at and the special pricings are clearly listed on their website. I will update the article nevertheless though as the info should be there. Thanks.
Regards, Andrew
Author
Commented:Further to my last, I just took a closer look at Mozilla VPN and it appears to be a relatively new product still under development. You were correct in that for some reason, they are restricting subscribers to countries where they have already established relations with VPN Server providers to use. That currently doesn't include Australia, so I've placed myself on the waiting list to be notified when it is available.
This restriction makes no sense to me though and I can't think of a valid reason for it. VPN software itself is just a tool (program) to connect to any VPN servers that can be located anywhere in the world, so it shouldn't matter where a user is connecting from, but it is what it is and they must have their own reasons for it.
That aside, I decided to look at their current offerings and based on the information given on their website, would currently put them in the low category of providers similar to the ones I tested that didn't make it into my review. For example, their "Feature list" includes:
A notable and what I consider an important "lack" of features listed include:
To my mind, that's a fairly extensive lack of features included by other VPN providers with comparable subscription costs. I would compare it to Malwarebytes VPN Privacy in features.
I'd still like to test it, but may I ask what your particular interest and fondness is in this particular VPN?
Also, Mozilla doesn't appear to be creating their own VPN service - rather, they are partnered with MULLVAD VPN who will be the company/provider that provides the actual VPN services Mozilla offers. In other words, they're simply reselling a select number of Mullvad's VPN services. Were you aware of that?
Best regards, Andrew
Commented:
> Thanks so much for your kind comments and endorsement
You're very welcome...and thanks back at you for such thorough replies to my post...much appreciated!
> it appears to be a relatively new product still under development
Good to know...I wasn't aware of that.
> That currently doesn't include Australia
Bummer!
> I've placed myself on the waiting list to be notified when it is available
Thanks for doing that.
> put them in the low category of providers similar to the ones I tested that didn't make it into my review
OK.
> their "Feature list" includes
> important "lack" of features listed include
Thanks for your analysis of that...very helpful!
> may I ask what your particular interest and fondness is in this particular VPN?
I have no interest or fondness in this VPN. My interest/fondness is in Mozilla as a developer, simply because I'm a big fan of Firefox and Thunderbird. But if their VPN doesn't cut the mustard, so be it.
> In other words, they're simply reselling a select number of Mullvad's VPN services. Were you aware of that?
No, I was not...thanks for letting me know.
Cheers, Joe
Commented:
Following up on our discussion above about the Surfshark pricing after the first 24 months, here's my chat session with Surfshark Support today:
Chat Transcript with Joe Winograd
Chat started on 02 Apr 2021, 06:42 PM (GMT+0)
(06:42:44) *** Joe Winograd joined the chat ***
(06:42:44) Joe Winograd: Your "Save 81%" plan says "Billed USD 59.76 now, & annually after the first 24 months" but it doesn't say how much the annual cost is after the first 24 months. How much is it?
(06:42:47) *** Ken joined the chat ***
(06:42:48) Ken: Hey!
(06:42:50) Ken: Welcome, Joe!
(06:43:00) Ken: It will be the same price!
(06:43:11) Ken: It won't change if you subscribe for that price. <smiley>
(06:43:46) Joe Winograd: thanks, ken, that's great!
(06:43:56) Ken: You are welcome, Joe!
(06:44:03) Ken: Let me know if you have any further questions!
(06:45:20) Joe Winograd: that'll do it for now. i'll close the chat now and will start a new one if i come up with more questions later.
(06:45:30) Ken: Okay, sure!
(06:46:25) *** Joe Winograd has rated the chat Good ***
(06:46:25) *** Joe Winograd has commented: Perfect! ***
(06:46:25) *** Joe Winograd left the chat ***
Regards, Joe
Update: It occurred to me that the annual vs. 24-month issue was not clear, so I did a second chat session that makes it perfectly clear:
Chat Transcript with Joe Winograd
Chat started on 02 Apr 2021, 07:10 PM (GMT+0)
(07:10:01) *** Joe Winograd joined the chat ***
(07:10:01) Joe Winograd: Hi Ken, Following up on our last chat session, I need a clarification. When you said, "It will be the same price!" and "It won't change if you subscribe for that price.", did you mean that it will be $59.76 annually (12 months) or $59.76 for 24 months. The former is *NOT* the same price...it is double the price of the initial subscription. The latter *IS* the same price as the initial subscription. I'll appreciate your clarifying this. Thanks, Joe
(07:10:50) *** Oscar joined the chat ***
(07:10:51) Oscar: Hello, Joe!
(07:10:55) Oscar: Let me transfer you to Ken. <shark icon>
(07:10:59) *** Ken joined the chat ***
(07:10:59) *** Oscar left the chat ***
(07:11:07) Ken: Hey!
(07:11:11) Ken: Welcome back, Joe!
(07:12:02) Ken: It will be annually every 2 years.
(07:12:16) Ken: If I understood well what you mean. <smiley>
(07:15:25) Joe Winograd: "annually every 2 years" is a contradiction in terms. Let me simplify the question: After the first two years, is the price $59.76 for one year of service or $59.76 for two years of service?
(07:15:38) Ken: Oh!
(07:15:44) Ken: It is for 2 years of service.
(07:17:48) Joe Winograd: OK, that clears it up. The price is $59.76 for two years of service, even after the first two years. In other words, the 81% discount remains in effect even after the first two years. Am I understanding this right?
(07:18:06) Ken: Yes, that's right.
(07:18:18) Ken: If you get a deal for a good price and subscribe for that - the price will never change.
(07:19:05) Joe Winograd: Got it! Thanks for the clarification. I'll close the chat now.
(07:19:23) Ken: No problem, Joe!
(07:19:25) Ken: <smiley>
(07:20:18) *** Joe Winograd has rated the chat Good ***
(07:20:18) *** Joe Winograd has commented: Perfect...again! ***
(07:20:18) *** Joe Winograd left the chat ***
Commented:
Great and very useful article indeed. I will definitely be honored to file it in my knowledge base and use it when I am ready to subscribe to the VPN.
Thank you Andrew,
Basem Khawaja
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