With over 1.5 billion users, Windows is the most widely used operating system in the world. Of course, the fact that 75% of the planet uses this OS does not keep it safe from cybercriminals.
Nor is the shady privacy policy of Windows 10 any help.
A VPN encrypts your web traffic and makes you anonymous, not allowing cyber-goons to tamper with your privacy.
In this article, we will highlight 7 of the best VPNs for PC – NordVPN, PureVPN, Surfshark, ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, Ivacy, and PIA.
NordVPN is our recommended choice in this list because it features 5,500+ servers, user-oriented privacy policy, and highly affordable cost ($2.99/month).
Read on below to find out other competent alternatives and further details on these VPNs:
The Best VPN for Windows 10 in 2019
Here are our top VPN picks for PC or Laptop running Windows 10:
- NordVPN ($2.99/month)
- PureVPN ($2.95/month)
- Surfshark ($1.99/month)
- ExpressVPN ($8.32/month)
- CyberGhost ($2.75/month)
- Ivacy VPN ($2.95/month)
- PIA VPN ($3.11/month)
1. NordVPN ($2.99/month)
NordVPN is the perfect choice for a Windows 10 VPN for its strong stance against user data logging and an impressive range of security-enhancing features, all bundled into a mere $2.99/month.
Based in Panama, NordVPN has the distinction of offering a huge network of 5,500+ servers which is larger than any other provider, most of which work with Netflix and torrents.
In addition, it boasts top-notch features such as CyberSec that protects you from phishing, malware, and multitudes of other cyber threats.
For Windows, NordVPN has designed a sophisticated client that empowers users to employ features such as Obfsproxy to prevent detection from VPN-blocking websites, especially useful in countries like China and Russia.
The combination of these features make NordVPN extremely difficult to beat for the race to the top of this list.
- 5500+ servers
- Strict zero logs policy
- Wide range of security features (CyberSec, DoubleVPN, Obfsproxy)
- Refund process takes long
Pricing Plans:
- Ultimate discount deal [75% off], $2.99 a month – 3 year plan.
- [66% off], $3.99 a month – 2 year plan.
- $11.95 a month – 1 month plan.
Read full NordVPN review for more details.
2. PureVPN ($2.95/month)
PureVPN consists of 2,000+ servers, much smaller than NordVPN, but these are spread over a larger number of countries (140+).
The network provides you with ample choices to mask your IP and access any restricted/censored website you need.
You can easily access any streaming or torrenting site/service with PureVPN, including Netflix and BitTorrents.
PureVPN is far away from the clutches of surveillance agencies (Five/Nine/Fourteen Eyes) agencies looking to steal your data, since it is based in Hong Kong.
The provider has a dedicated client for Windows 10, which is both user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing.
With that, features such as split-tunneling and killswitch make PureVPN a good VPN to have at only $2.95/month.
- 2000+ servers
- Split-tunneling
- Specialized p2p and Netflix servers
- No free trial
Pricing Plans:
- Ultimate discount deal [73% off], $2.95 a month – 1 year plan.
- [63% off], $3.29 a month – 2 year plan
- $10.95 a month – 1 month plan.
Read full PureVPN review for more details.
3. Surfshark ($1.99/month)
Surfshark offers an impressive range of security and privacy enhancing features powered by 800+ servers located in 50+ countries at a dirt cheap price of $1.99/month.
These servers work brilliantly for all sorts of purpose including Netflix and P2P.
The British Virgin Island jurisdiction works in favor of this service, allowing it to avoid any data retention requirements to ensure a log-free service.
Surfshark also works with Netflix and lets you connect simultaneously with unlimited devices.
You can take advantage of features like MultiHop and WhiteLister which are built-in the Windows 10 app to further control your privacy on the web. All Surfshark subscriptions offer a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- Unlimited simultaneous connections
- WhiteLister
- Military-Grade encryption
- Relatively expensive
Pricing Plans:
- Ultimate discount deal [83% off], $1.99 a month – 24 months plan.
- [50% off], $5.99 a month – 12 months plan.
- $11.95 a month – 1 month plan.
Read Surfshark review to uncover more details about the provider.
4. ExpressVPN ($8.32/month)
ExpressVPN is based in the British Virgin Islands, which keeps it far away from global cyber surveillance agencies.
It comes with 3,000+ blazing fast servers in 94 countries and service-wide encryption. It further boasts an automatic kill switch with a zero-knowledge DNS.
The Windows VPN client of Express connects with a single click.
It lets you pick out your favorite server and browse with your IP masked and information encrypted for all sorts of purposes including Netflix and torrenting.
The outstanding features of ExpressVPN aside, it is a relatively expensive solution, costing $8.32/month.
- Fast servers
- Kill switch
- Works with Netflix
- Expensive
Pricing Plans:
- Ultimate discount deal [35% off], $8.32 a month – 12 months plan.
- $9.99 a month – 6 months plan.
- $12.95 a month – 1-month plan.
Read ExpressVPN review for more details.
5. CyberGhost ($2.75/month)
CyberGhost is a Romanian VPN service that offers sophisticated security features for budget-friendly prices. It offers more than 3,500+ servers in 59 countries which support P2P and Netflix.
The Windows software of CyberGhost can be customized according to user preferences. However, the VPN’s speed remains a troubling issue.
It offers a 24-hour free trial and a 45-day money back guarantee on the Windows app. This is quite generous from the provider considering the industry standard is a 30-day refund period.
- 45 days money back guarantee
- 7 simultaneous connections
- Based in Romania
- Average speed
Pricing Plans:
- Ultimate discount deal [77% off], $2.75 a month – 3 year plan.
- $3.69 a month – 2 year plan
- $5.99 a month – 1 year plan
- $12.99 a month – 1 month
Read CyberGhost review for more details.
6. Ivacy ($2.25/month)
Ivacy is an impressive VPN service on several counts. It unblocks Netflix with little effort, has split tunneling feature and torrent-friendly servers.
It gets better.
You can get this VPN for $2.25 a month by signing up for the 2-year package. This makes it one of the cheapest VPN services available.
Lastly, its Windows VPN client is laced with nifty features, all of which can be toggled on or off from a convenient sidebar.
- Unblocks Netflix, Kodi, and Hulu
- Cheap price
- 1,000+ servers in 100+ locations
- 7 GB limit on refund
Pricing Plans:
- Biggest deal [77% off], $2.25 a month – 2 years plan.
- Save 66% – $3.33 a month – 1 year plan
- $9.95 a month – 1 month
Read Ivacy review for more details.
7. Private Internet Access ($3.11/month)
Private Internet Access is a highly trusted VPN provider that operates a network of 3,341 bare metal servers in 32 countries.
The provider has a good logging policy and its bi-annual transparency reports inspire user trust on this VPN’s legitimacy.
The pricing plans are budget-friendly, with the best deal currently available for $3.11/mo and supports 10 simultaneous connections from a single subscription.
To top it off, it has a 7-day money-back guarantee. And most importantly, it is compatible with all popular platforms including Windows 10.
- 10 simultaneous connections
- No virtual servers
- Great transparency
- Located in the USA
Pricing Plans:
- Biggest deal [65% off], $3.11 a month – 2 years plan.
- Save 40% – $5.99 a month – 1 year plan
- $9.95 a month – 1 month
Read complete PIA VPN review for more details.
Free VPNs for Windows 10: Are they Viable?
Some free VPNs are trustworthy and reliable for lightweight geo-dodging.
- TunnelBear: 500MB a month
- Windscribe VPN: 10GB a month
- ProtonVPN: No bandwidth limit
Setting up a VPN Manually on Windows 10 PC/Laptop
All the providers that we have mentioned have a dedicated VPN client. Downloading their apps and installing them on your device is child’s play.
But if you come across a service with no application for Windows, you can still use it.
Windows 10 allows users to manually configure VPNs through L2TP/IPSec, IKEv2, SSTP and PPTP (which is obsolete and is not recommended even by its creators).
Before you start the process, you will need the following information from the VPN provider:
- Username
- Password
- Certificate or Pre-shared secret
- VPN server address
Anyways, let’s begin.
- Head to the search bar on your toolbar and look up “VPN”. The option will show up beneath the setting sections.
- Click the “Add a VPN connection” option on menu.
- Choose the Windows option in the VPN provider and then fill in the relevant information.
- Click on the Save button and your VPN connection is now established.
- It will take seconds for your VPN to become full-fledged operational. After that, you can access this connection anytime by clicking on your Wi-Fi option.
- There you have it. With the Windows 10 VPN connection established, you are safe from malicious entities.
Final Verdict
NordVPN is the best pick as Windows 10 VPN due to it’s great compatibility, huge variety of servers (and thus unblocking capability), user privacy, and overall performance is concerned at affordable rates.
PureVPN and Surfshark come very close to NordVPN, but lack in the number of servers and slightly in performance as well. However, the Surfshark has the advantage of being outstandingly cheap.
ExpressVPN is the priciest choice among Windows 10 VPN app, but its performance speaks for itself. Nonetheless, it still offers fewer features than NordVPN does.
CyberGhost, Ivacy, and PIA fall short of the standard set by the top 4 VPNs above, but they do have some redeeming features in one area or another and are reasonably priced.
Just make sure to check the pricing to see if it fits your budget. And don’t ignore other factors like P2P support and Netflix compatibility before making a decision.
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