6 Best VPNs for UK | Ensure Privacy & Anonymity on the Web

What’s not to love about the UK? It’s posh, culturally exquisite, and known for being the pinnacle of liberation in modern society.

Yet the recent proposals for regulation and censorship in the UK may put free speech under the thumb of the government. That’s not all, the UK government has a long history of conducting unlawful mass surveillance operations against their citizens.

In this state of affairs, the most effective way to deal with censorship and surveillance is to use the best VPN services.

6 Best VPNs for UK in 2021

The following best UK VPNs are some of the services that are highly competent when it comes to escaping state surveillance and censorship in the UK:

1. ExpressVPN – Overall Best VPN for UK

ExpressVPN is also among the very few zero-logging VPNs in the industry. They operate from the British Virgin Islands (BVI) and don’t have to abide by most data retention laws. Since BVI is beyond the jurisdiction that applies to GCHQ, the provider has no obligation to retain user data or hand it over to British agencies. It also features MediaStreamer that can unblock almost all streaming sites without encrypting your online traffic. With ExpressVPN you can unblock Netflix US, Hulu, and also access U.S state local channels in the U.K. It is also one of the few VPNs that still works in Ireland.

Furthermore, the service is slick, super-fast and offers tons of features that work as advertised. The only downside to this service is that it is relatively expensive, priced at $6.67/mo . Nonetheless, it is worth the money if you’re serious about strengthening your online privacy and attain better internet accessibility, as noted in this ExpressVPN review guide.

2. Surfshark – Fastest UK VPN

The provider is one fastest VPN in the whole industry. In addition, it comes with tons of features like kill switch, MultiHop, AES-256 encryption, and CleanWeb to keep you safe from relentless GCHQ spying. Not only that, Surfshark is headquartered in the British Virgin Islands and doesn’t keep any logs.

Their 24 months plan only costs $2.49/mo and offers users the benefit of unlimited simultaneous connections. This is why the provider has received positive reviews for its service quality.

3. NordVPN – Top VPN for UK

Besides servers, NordVPN offers privacy features like Killswitch, torrenting support, IP leak protection combined with a super easy to use interface. Nord also doesn’t log user data and since they operate from Panama, they’re free from most data retention laws. This puts subscribers of the service under a safe haven, far away from the spying glasses of GCHQ and other data-gathering agencies in the UK. This is why NordVPN is still reviewed favorably.

Other than that, NordVPN is super affordable as well, costing $3.71/mo . You can avail NordVPN refund or, you can also give NordVPN a try for Free within 30 days of your subscription if you’re not satisfied for any reason.

4. PureVPN – Best UK VPN for Streaming

You may also use PureVPN to gain access to US Netflix if you connect to the American servers. Since the Netflix library is smaller in the UK as compared to the US, this UK VPN can come in very handy for streaming fans.

Feature-wise PureVPN is very capable. It offers features like kill switch, split tunneling, DNS and IPv6 leak protection, full P2P support, and a whole slew of other privacy-oriented features. Coupled with its no-logging policy and offshore jurisdiction in Hong Kong, PureVPN is an excellent choice to stay away from GCHQ’s surveillance in the country. It is due to these factors that PureVPN has built a good reputation with positive reviews.

You can get PureVPN for $3.33/mo , which is highly affordable for a VPN of this quality. Users also get a 30-day money-back guarantee and 5 simultaneous connections.

5. CyberGhost – Secure VPN for UK Users

In terms of security features, CyberGhost comes packed with features like OpenVPN, DNS leak protection, location spoofing and kill switch with all subscription plans. The provider also doesn’t log user data as they operate from the data retention free jurisdiction of Romania. This makes it beneficial for British users that want to evade the spying antics of their government.

Speaking of subscription plans, CyberGhost is currently available for $2.25/mo . Users get 45-day money-back guarantee with this plan in addition 7 simultaneous connections. As a result, CyberGhost is a well-received service among reviewers.

6. PIA VPN – Best for Torrenting in UK

The provider offers fast and stable connections that are particularly important to enable seamless streaming. The fast speeds also come in handy for torrenting. Advanced features such as DNS secure, automatic kill switch, and IPv6 and WebRTC leak protection keep your identity hidden from UK government agencies.

You can get PIA for $2.69/mo . With 30-day money-back guarantee and 10 simultaneous connections, there are few VPNs as valuable as PIA. This is one of the reasons that makes PIA highly rated among reviewers.

Best Free VPNs for United Kingdom

While I generally only recommend using paid VPNs, there are few free VPN for the UK that I’m personally okay with. The only issue you’re going to face with free VPNs is obviously limited bandwidths.

If you don’t feel like spending money and are okay with limited features and data caps, you can go through the list below:

1. TunnelBear
2. Windscribe 
3. Hotspot Shield

For more information, see this article about free VPN services.

Why do you need a VPN in the UK?

The UK government has been giving several reasons for British citizens to gravitate towards VPN services:

Online Privacy and Anonymity

As I said earlier, the UK is now no longer a safe place for internet users. In fact, it is far from anything but safe. Ever since the United Kingdom passed the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 aka the Snooper’s charter, investigative agencies have been pounding down on unsuspecting internet users.

How..?

Well, unlike a routine investigation which requires a warrant, Snooper’s charter allows unprecedented access to all sorts of confidential data, all without the need of a warrant.

If you’re wondering about what information can the government track, then buckle up I’m gonna give you a rundown of just a few:

• Online Chats
• Emails
• Browsing history
• Social media
• Online transactions

Now I don’t know about you guys but this seriously freaks me out every time I’m in the UK. And that’s not all, I have barely scratched the surface.

This is the biggest reason why I never travel without the best UK VPN. Because who knows, who might be watching you right now?

Safe Torrenting

The UK has strict anti-piracy laws and many of these websites remain banned in the country. A similar situation which is faced by the people of Argentina as well. VPNs can help you gain access to these torrent websites. More importantly, these services enhance your security and ensure that your identity remains hidden from authorities that might be snooping in on your online activities.

Using VPNs has become even more important considering the increasing penalties for piracy in the UK as those found guilty may be jailed for up to 10 years in the worst-case scenario. Therefore, British citizens should use VPNs as an insurance policy against the possibility of running into legal troubles.

To our Argentinia readers, check out Best VPNs to access torrent websites in Argentina.

Disclaimer: We do not encourage nor condone the use of VPNs for illegal activities, including copyright infringement.

Blocked websites and services

Even though the UK doesn’t block websites as aggressively as some middle eastern countries, there are actually quite a few websites and services blocked in the United Kingdom.

In fact, all major ISPs like BT Group, EE, Sky Broadband, Talk Talk and Virgin Media are constantly blocking websites, especially those associated with torrenting. Likewise, the court has ordered FAPL and broadcasting companies to put a stop to fully-loaded streaming devices, including Kodi. What this means is that Kodi users in Britain can no longer watch their favorite TV shows, movies or other content online.

In this scenario, you have no option left other than a British VPN to access Kodi media content in the country securely. You can also explore the list of working VPNs for FireStick.

How to watch British streaming channels abroad?

British shows, dramas, and cinema have a huge following across the whole globe. Unfortunately, some of the most popular over the top streaming British streaming channels such as BBC’s iPlayer, Channel 4, and ITV Hub remain inaccessible outside the UK.

In order to access these services within the UK, you will need to have a UK IP address. Here’s how you can obtain a UK IP address overseas with a VPN:

Things to consider when choosing a VPN

Before purchasing any VPN service, you should consider a few basic features. To make it easy for you, here are a few pointers you should look out for when choosing any premium VPN service:

Protocols

VPN protocols are pretty much the most important aspect of any VPN service. After all, they are responsible for keeping your privacy intact. Some of the must-have VPN protocols are OpenVPN, L2TP/IPsec, PPTP, and few others.

Servers

Servers are also very crucial for good performance. The more servers you get, the faster your connection is going to be. Besides, having a larger server base means you’ll be able to access a whole range of geo-restricted contents.

Simultaneous connections

Multi connections are an absolute must-have feature as you wouldn’t necessarily want to get different subscriptions for different devices. A premium VPN service allows upwards of 5 simultaneous connections per subscription plan. In the case of Surfshark, you can get unlimited simultaneous connections. Here is the detailed guide of best VPNs for multiple devices.

Zero logging

No logs is the whole essence of any VPN service. You would want to look for a provider that doesn’t log your data. Typically it is impossible, however, there are few that log less to nothing of your private information.

Payments modes

Payment modes are just as crucial as protocols or logging policies. You would want to consider a VPN provider that supports anonymous payments like cryptocurrencies. After all, the less information you give out about yourself the safer you are.

Kill switch

Kill switch is also a must-have feature in any VPN service. This feature can protect your IP address from leaking in case your VPN connection drops. If yours doesn’t offer one just don’t get it.

Best British VPN: Wrapping Up!

If you want to avoid the UK’s rather authoritarian and intrusive online policies, then a reliable VPN is an absolute must. ExpressVPN is the best VPN for United Kingdom as it protects users from spying agencies with its no logging policy and strong encryption protocols. It is also well-equipped to deal with increasing censorship in the UK.

Leave a comment below and join the discussion about UK’s worsening online privacy situation and if you’re looking for discounts, check out our VPN Deals and discounts for 2021.