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Anyone in the UK should put getting a good UK VPN at the top of their list. You might be surprised to learn that the country has a lot of rules about what people can and can’t do on the internet. For example, both citizens and visitors are subject to invasive government surveillance programmes like the Investigatory Powers Act. So, it’s important to use the best UK VPN.
A good VPN for the UK will help you do more than just stay private online, though. You’ll also be able to watch BBC iPlayer from anywhere in the world, and people on vacation can use the streaming services they pay for at home. But it’s not just about streaming. You’ll be safe to browse while staying safe from hackers and keeping your personal information safe. In other words, as you move around the web, you’ll be able to stay anonymous. But it can be hard to find a VPN to do all that. That’s why, from our base in UK, we’ve tested almost every good service on the market to make sure we can recommend best UK VPNs.
Best UK VPN
ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is the best VPN in the UK because it has everything you need all in one place. You’ll have access to cool mobile apps as well as options for Windows PCs and Macs. If something doesn’t work as it should, there’s great 24/7 support. ExpressVPN cares a lot about your privacy, and all of its plans come with the standard 256-bit encryption.
You’ll also have a wide range of protocols to choose from, so you can decide whether speed or security is more important. ExpressVPN can connect to almost every streaming service you can think of, from BBC iPlayer to Netflix and almost everything in between. You won’t miss out on anything, no matter where you are in the world.
NordVPN
If you want a UK VPN that puts security first, NordVPN is a great choice. Independent audits are done on the provider often, and each time they show that it is safe. For more information, you can read the full NordVPN review. The Nord VPN is also easy to use because it lets you access most streaming services, including BBC iPlayer.
Netflix works better than anyone else, and you can count on Nord to stream what you need. You can choose from more than 5,500 servers around the world, so you can get a good connection no matter where you are or where you want to look like you are. Nord’s apps look good on a desktop and are easy to use.
Surfshark
Surfshark is a VPN that cares about security and privacy and is based in the British Virgin Islands, where no laws require data to be kept. It protects your traffic with 256-bit encryption, protection against WebRTC, DNS, and IPv6 leaks, and a kill switch. Most importantly, Surfshark doesn’t log any information that could be used to find you.
You can pay with one of three different cryptocurrencies for even more privacy. Live chat is available for help around the clock. This service gives you access to more than 3,200 fast servers in more than 60 countries, such as the UK. This service is great for anyone who wants to stream, torrent, or browse safely while travelling.
CyberGhost
CyberGhost is based in Romania, so it doesn’t have to follow any laws about keeping data. The company also says that it doesn’t keep track of what users do or how they browse. But it was bought by a UK company, which could change things. If we find out more about this, we’ll add it to the article.
There are more than 7,000 servers in more than 90 countries, and the UK has more than 650. So British people living abroad and tourists won’t have any trouble accessing content from back home. Standards for encryption are strict. By default, CyberGhost Pro uses the OpenVPN protocol with 256-bit AES encryption, 2048-bit RSA keys.
Proton VPN
Proton VPN keeps improving speed, performance, apps, and streaming, making it one of the best VPNs in the UK. Not only are its apps open source, but it also has a great free VPN plan for people who just want to try it out. It also has a large network presence in the UK and around the world. With a limit of ten devices across Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Linux, Chrome, and even Android TV, you’ll be able to protect all of your devices.
And if privacy is really important to you, Proton lets you pay anonymously with Bitcoin or cash so that your identity stays hidden. WireGuard speeds that are faster than average keep things running smoothly, and its kill switch is one of the best around. It’s not the fastest VPN you can find, but slowdowns are hard to notice. You can download for free from here.
Atlas VPN
Users in the UK who value security and privacy will benefit from Atlas VPN. It doesn’t keep track of data and has a lot of security features. Atlas VPN doesn’t say how many servers they have in the UK, but they do say they are in London. Atlas VPN’s privacy policy makes it clear that it doesn’t keep any logs. Even though the policy hasn’t been audited, the provider hasn’t had any bad things said about them in the past.
We tested Atlas VPN’s kill switch, and it did not leak any information. This ensures you stay private even if your VPN disconnects. You also get the SafeBrowse feature, which stops you from going to dangerous sites. Atlas VPN was able to get into a lot of geo-restricted streaming services. This includes different Netflix libraries, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, and YouTube TV.
IPVanish
IPVanish isn’t the best-looking VPN in the world. It feels a bit old and has a much more complicated interface than NordVPN, which is based on mpa. When you open it, you will see a graph and a bunch of settings that you can change. IPVanish is a good choice if you have a big family or live in a big house-share and want everyone to connect to the same VPN at the same time.
The US-based service used to offer a great deal with its 10-device plan, but in 2021, things got even better when the company got rid of its device cap altogether. IPVanish’s unlimited number of devices and apps is a big part of why people like it. It can be downloaded on Kody, iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, a Fire TV Stick, and Linux, so you’ll always have access to it.
Private Internet Access
Private Internet Access has been around for a very long time. If you used internet message boards in the late 2000s, you probably heard the term “PIA” used a lot when talking about VPNs. Since 2009, services like NordVPN and ExpressVPN have been better than Private Internet Access. This doesn’t mean that Private Internet Access is no longer good, though.
In fact, you can choose from a huge number of servers with PIA. It has 32,000 of them, which is more than any other paid VPN we’ve seen. Most of them are in the United States. As its name suggests, PIA gives privacy a lot of attention. The kill switch is turned on by default in the Windows app, so your internet traffic will be blocked if you get disconnected.
Final Words
Here are a few of the best UK VPN. VPNs are completely legal in the UK. No laws limit how residents or visitors can use VPNs, but keep in mind that any illegal activity you do while using a VPN is still illegal. You may have heard that the proposed Online Safety Bill would put limits on VPN use, but this is very unlikely to become law.