Top 5 features a VPN must have
In this article we will dive into the top 5 features a VPN should have for sure.
1. Servers and locations
2. Compatible devices
3. Privacy and protection
4. Kill switch and alway’s on
5. Unblock geographic content
1. VPN servers and locations
It is very important that a VPN provider has alot of capacity in terms of internet speed and compute (server) power. It is also important to have VPN servers available nearby, in the location you live or the location where you want to break out.
The number of VPN servers matter, but it doesn’t tell you the whole story. In the past every company had his own datacenters with servers and internet connections, the scalability was limited. With the introduction of new techniques like cloud computing or containering scalability has become more easy. There are also techniques to move data load from one datcenter to the other. However it is very important that the VPN provider can handle the number of users who are connected. The number of servers and locations give you an indication of how professional and big the VPN provider is. The numbers below speak for themselves.
For a complete list of supported countries please visit the VPN provider his website, you can click on the logo’s below:
 |  |  | |
Servers | 3200+ | 5300+ | 3000+ |
Available countries | 65+ | 60+ | 94+ |
Works in China | Yes | Yes | Yes |
2. Compatible devices
Probably you have multiple devices i.e. a laptop, tablet/iPad, a phone, smart TV, etc. When considering a VPN provider you should take into account how you want to use the VPN service. Is it for occasionally use or do you want to have it alway’s on? Do you want to use it on all your platform or just a few? With the major VPN providers shown below you have alot of flexibility.
When you are using MacOS or Linux, you should check which VPN protocols are supported by the cloud provider. This may differ, but as you can see they support the platforms.
| |  | | |
Max devices | Unlimited | Unlimited (max 6 connections at once) | Unlimited (max 5 connections at once) |
Windows & MacOS | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Linux | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Android & iOS | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Chrome plugin | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Firefox plugin | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Edge plugin | No | No | Yes |
Router support | Yes | Yes | Yes |
3. Privacy and protection
It is import that you can trust your VPN provider and that your data is not being sold or misused. It is also very important that your VPN provider is not sharing you information with local government. If a VPN provider is located in a privacy haven this is something to be less worried about.It is also very important that the VPN provider uses very strong encryption to protect the VPN tunnel. Surfshark, NordVPN and ExpressVPN all use very strong encryption.
Since in some countries payment information is being shared with governments it can be a consideration to use cryptocurreny to pay for your VPN servers. Bitcoin is supported on these 3 major VPN providers, however some have requirements via which platform, so please take that into account. Also check the article What is the best way to buy a VPN with Bitcoin and other crypto.
 | | | |
Jurisdiction | British Virign Islands (Privacy haven) | Panama (privacy haven) | British Virign Islands (Privacy haven) |
Bitcoin payment support | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Encryption | AES-256 | AES-256 | AES-256 |
No logging policy | Yes | Yes | Yes |
4. VPN kill switch feature and alway's on feature
We also did a whole article on this subject so you can check that out over here: click here.
In short, it is important that you know for sure you are sending your data to the VPN server. So if you have a hickup in your connection the VPN client on your laptop, phone or tablet can block all or some of the traffic.
It is also possible that your device automatically connects when using Wifi or cellular. These features compliment eachother very well.
5. Unblock geographic content
One of the major reasons for many people is to unblock geographic content. In the table below you can see that our top 3 VPN providers support the unblocking of geographic content on all the major streaming and music platforms. When streaming it is important that you have a good network connection because this consumes alot bandwidth.
| | |  | |
Netflix | Yes (13+ libraries) | Yes (15+ libraries) | Yes (22+ libraries) |
BBC iPlayer | Yes | Yes | Yes |
AWS Prime | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Disney+ | Yes | Yes | Yes |
HBO | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Channel 4 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
ESPN | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Apple TV+ | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Spotify | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Pokemon Go | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Interested in buying VPN software?
If you’re interested in buying a VPN service you can click on one of the links below. All of these VPN providers provide the ability to have a 30 day not good money back guarantee, so there is no risk in trying. If you are missing vital information on this page please let us know at the contact page.
