The VPN market is quite saturated these days with a lot of different providers. Each has its own pros, and some VPNs have unique features unavailable in others. With so many choices, selecting the best VPN for the UK can be a daunting task. Hence, in this guide, we will help you determine the ideal VPN that suits your needs.
This provider offers great speeds for unlimited streaming, torrenting and gaming. Try it today, risk-free, for 30 days and get 3 months FREE.
Why do we need a VPN?
First, let’s have a look at the reasons for having the best VPN for the UK.
Today, most of the things we do are done through the Internet. From ordering food to banking, nearly everything can be accomplished online. Many of these activities involve us sending critical information, such as credit card numbers, passwords, addresses, and many others. We take the online services we use for granted, and most of the time, we are oblivious to dangers that lurk around the Internet.
Hackers, phishers – protect yourself from them
For instance, merely connecting to a WiFi network in public can open yourself to threats. Hackers can easily steal your personal information in those public networks. Even in your more secure office and home networks, you can still be vulnerable when you access the Internet the usual way.
This is because your Internet traffic, or the data that is sent and received while online, is not encrypted. In other words, hackers can easily read the information passing through the Internet. Not only that, but they would also have access to your IP address, and with that, they can figure out where you are.
Try ExpressVPN Now
49% Off + 3 Months FREE (Valid Until April 2024)
When you enter, say, financial information onto a website, a clear danger is online identity theft. If a hacker could intercept your credit card number, account name, PIN, or password, they would have complete access to your account. In turn, they can easily use your credentials for their own ends. Many cases of fraudulent transactions stem from stolen login credentials.
There are other cases of identity theft, such as unauthorised individuals using people’s social media accounts. Similarly, the root causes for many of these are stolen usernames and passwords.
With these dangers that are prevalent on the Internet today, you need to defend yourself.
Best VPN for the UK: What can it do?
The best VPN solution? A VPN, short for Virtual Private Network. What a VPN does is it encrypts your data so it can’t easily be seen by hackers or anyone from the outside. Also, it hides your real IP address, so it would appear that you’re accessing the Internet from another location. With that, no one would know where you are actually located.
Aside from these, another reason that people use UK VPNs is region unblocking. This phenomenon is when you can watch your favourite Netflix shows from anywhere in the world. You won’t get those error messages that read “This show is not available in your region.” Also, you’d be able to access websites and online services that have similar region locks.
Beyond essential security functions already mentioned, the best VPN for the UK also has other features that help keep your online activity safe. Let’s dive through those features in more detail.
How to choose the best VPN for the UK?
To help you pick the best UK VPN service, here are several things you should consider.
1. A wide selection of servers
The best VPN in UK is the provider with lots of servers located in many countries. This feature provides many advantages. One, it can effectively hide your real IP address. When connecting to a VPN server, you get the server’s IP address, and it becomes visible to the outside instead of your actual IP address. With that, you would seem like you’re browsing the Internet from another country. And when there are lots of servers to choose from, you can pick different countries depending on what you need.
Having servers in many locations also helps in region unblocking. This makes the best VPN provider UK stand out from the rest. For example, you’re in the UK and want to access a site that is only available in the USA. With a British VPN, you would connect to a US server, which would grant you a US IP address. In turn, you would be able to access the restricted site.
Also, servers may go down from time to time, so a VPN with lots of them continue to be reliable even if some servers encounter problems.
2. Best VPN for UK: Encryption
Encryption is another crucial aspect of choosing what’s the best VPN UK. The best ones available utilise an encryption algorithm known as 256-bit AES. This is the same thing used by the military and intelligence services, as the code is almost impossible to crack.
When your data is encrypted in 256-bit AES, it becomes scrambled as it moves through the Internet. In practical terms, if the data were intercepted, the hacker would only see a hotchpotch of code that makes no sense.
This feature is quite useful when you want to download torrents anonymously. Governments of some countries are notorious for snooping into users’ torrenting activity, and some would even press charges against torrents. If you like to torrent a lot and prefer to stay hidden from state surveillance, encryption is a must.
The best VPN for the UK also has a feature known as perfect forward secrecy. With this, the encryption codes change every time you log into a VPN server. In other words, your data gets scrambled in different ways each time. This process adds a layer of security whenever you go online.
One other thing to look for in the best UK VPN service is a protocol known as OpenVPN, which helps keep connections to the VPN servers secure. It is an industry-standard VPN protocol used by most providers, so the best VPN for the UK must have this feature.
3. Best VPN for UK: Strict no-logging policies
The best VPN for UK users also would not keep records of user data or activity. This way, your online activity truly stays hidden. No one would know what sites you visited, what products you purchased, or what movies you watched.
4. Best UK VPN service: Kill switch
The best UK VPN service would also employ what’s known as a kill switch for added protection. What a kill switch does is it cuts off Internet access if the connection to the VPN server becomes unstable. This way, there are no opportunities for your real IP address and unencrypted data to be released accidentally.
5. Strong region unblocking capability
We mentioned earlier that a VPN with lots of servers would provide excellent region unblocking. This is true, but not all VPNs with many servers can successfully unblock geo-restrictions. Netflix and other streaming providers are particularly notorious for blocking VPNs.
Therefore, in choosing the best UK VPN service, a crucial factor is that it can easily bypass these restrictions. As a result, you can stream any show or movie you want even if they are region-locked.
6. Speed
Users have one common notion about VPNs: when you’re going online through one, your Internet speed slows down. While it is true that security does compromise speed to some extent, the best UK VPN service would not have that problem. Its servers are designed to provide fast speeds while maintaining high security.
With the best VPN for UK, you can stream movies in ultra-high-definition without buffering. Also, torrents would have lightning-fast download speeds while your activity stays hidden from prying eyes.
Some of the best VPN for the UK providers also have servers that are dedicated to streaming and torrenting. These servers guarantee the best possible speeds for those applications.
Try ExpressVPN Now
49% Off + 3 Months FREE (Valid Until April 2024)
7. Best VPN for UK: Price
Excellence comes at a cost, and this rule applies to the best VPN for the UK. Different VPN providers have various pricing structures, with some being more affordable than others. However, there are no definite criteria when it comes to VPN pricing. The most expensive ones don’t necessarily mean they’re the best, while the most affordable ones may not perform well enough.
The key to finding the best UK VPN service lies in balancing price and feature set. First, look for the features that would make a great VPN, then find providers that satisfy what you need. Afterwards, compare the prices of each.
Typically, VPNs function as subscription services so that they would have several plans. They could be monthly or annual, and the more extended contracts usually are cheaper per month. For short-term use, 1-month plans are often available for most VPNs, but these tend to be the most expensive tiers. Subscriptions that last for one, two, or three years usually cost the least per month. Just be prepared to shell out a good amount initially, as these plans are typically billed once per year.
8. Customer Support
Throughout using a VPN, you would probably run into a few issues. Therefore, you also want the best VPN for the UK to have an excellent support team to help you solve any problems. The best VPN for UK services often provide 24/7 live chat support so that whenever anything arises, you can easily ask for help on their website.
9. Best VPN for UK: Money-back guarantee
Last but not least, you need to make sure you would get your money’s worth; otherwise, you can get the money back. The best VPN for the UK ought to offer such a money-back guarantee. The refund process should also be as hassle-free as possible. In this way, the moment you become disappointed with the VPN, your money will be returned promptly.
What’s the best VPN for the UK?
We’ve ranked the Best VPN for UK services.
Considering all of those factors, we have determined ExpressVPN to be at the #1 spot and is the best VPN for UK. This VPN provider has a proven track record and a user base of millions across the world. It has servers located in 94 countries, and their speeds are quite impressive. With this, ExpressVPN is good for gaming, streaming, and torrenting as well.
As for security features, you can feel quite safe with this VPN protecting you. It uses 256-bit AES encryption coupled with the industry-standard OpenVPN protocol. Combined with its strict zero-logs policy, your online activity stays invisible to the outside world. It has several security enhancements as well, including a kill switch, DNS leak protection, and server obfuscation. With all of these features working together, you can be assured that your online identity is always safe.
While ExpressVPN is a tad pricier than other VPNs, its features are quite hard to beat. It has nearly all the things that we are looking for in the best VPN or UK – so it’s definitely worth the money.
Conclusion
Are you shopping for the best VPN for the UK? Give ExpressVPN a try. It keeps you safe and secure online while still providing a remarkable web browsing experience. It is even fast enough for streaming, torrenting, and online gaming. ExpressVPN is a versatile VPN that’s worth every penny.
