With little hesitation, CyberGhost is my pick as the best VPN for the UK. They just check all the right boxes. Regardless of whether you're in or outside the United Kingdom, every feature you need is at your fingertips. CyberGhost has 337 UK servers in two locations. Few providers offer more. The best VPN for Samsung smart TV or Galaxy smartphones is ExpressVPN. The best VPN for Mac; The best VPN for iOS on iPhone and iPad. This means you can easily watch American Netflix, UK.
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 despite this, the country imposes heavy regulations on online censorship. In fact, the recent onslaught of censorship laws has triggered an uproar in the online community.
That’s not all, this issue has gotten so out of hand lately that the UK government can now legally intercept a huge chunk of your data like chats, photos, and even confidential emails.
My point is…
If you truly want to be liberated online, get yourself one of the best UK VPN today. Not only would you be able to access all sorts of blocked content (not throwing hints here but ehm… ehm… Netflix) but also enjoy online anonymity in its truest form.
Let’s start with a brief overview of the VPNs we’re going to cover in this blog…
PureVPN – A lightweight British VPN service with powerful features, apps, and affordable pricing plans.
Surfshark – cheapest VPN UK with top-notch features starting from just $1.99/mo.
NordVPN– A towering VPN service with over 5600 servers all over the globe.
ExpressVPN – Literally the fastest VPN in the industry with a premium price tag.
CyberGhost – A budget VPN service with over 3200 servers and classic security features.
Best UK VPN Services
Considering that the UK government isn’t going to get rid of its overly intrusive Investigatory Powers Act anytime soon, your data is always at risk of confiscation.
Whether you’re an expat or a UK citizen, your telephone calls including your internet activities will always be under the radar unless you use a UK VPN.
So after careful consideration, below is a full list of some of the best VPNs for UK expats and locals.
1. PureVPN
PureVPN isn’t just popular in the UK, it’s a global sensation. Speaking of which, PureVPN offers 2000+ servers in over 180 locations. They even offer around 168 dedicated servers in the UK.
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.
Just like any reputable VPN service PureVPN doesn’t log user data, in fact, they operate from Hong Kong solely for the purpose of safeguarding user privacy.
PureVPN is very frugal in their pricing plans and that’s the reason it is known as the best cheap VPN service. At the moment they’re offering 3 affordable plans. Their 1-year plan with a price tag of 2.75/mo and a 73% discount is the best in my opinion. To look at more discounts on VPNs, check out our amazing VPN deals.
Performance-wise PureVPN is actually quite good. All of their servers worked flawlessly including the ones with VPN UK IP addresses. Connection times were also very consistent, however, I did have issues connecting to the Indian servers.
Lastly, PureVPN can be connected with up to 5 devices simultaneously and offers an extensive 31-day refund policy.
For these reasons, it is easy to see why PureVPN is the top recommended VPN for UK.
Want to know more about this awesome VPN, check out the exclusive PureVPN review.
Awesome server coverage
Split-tunneling feature
Stealth VPN browser
5 simultaneous connection
Fast speeds
No free trial
Unattractive UI
2. Surfshark
Next up, let’s check out Surfshark. Although not as renowned as some of the other VPN UK mentioned in this list, it is still one of the best UK VPN providers you can get.
Why…?
Because it’s the fastest VPN in the whole industry. Don’t believe me?
Well, it comes with ultra high speeds of 27.91 Mbps downloading speed.
Their 24 months plan only costs $1.99/mo and comes with an 83% discount. To avail this deal you can use the link in this blog, or use the coupon code: surfsharkdeal.
Besides being super affordable, Surfshark offers 800+ servers in 50 countries and a ton of features like Kill switch, multiHop, powerful encryption, DNS leak protection, and others to keep you safe. Not only that, Surfshark is headquartered in the British Virgin Islands and doesn’t keep any logs.
As far as simultaneous connections are concerned, Surfshark allows unlimited simultaneous connections per subscription plan.
Performance-wise, as you can expect, Surfshark is an absolute champ. Despite having considerably fewer servers, it manages to perform every task quite well.
Want to know more about this awesome VPN, check out the exclusive Surfshark review.
User-friendly
Powerful privacy features
Public Wi-Fi protection
Speedy performance
Awesome customer support
Small server count
3. NordVPN
NordVPN is a massively popular VPN service in the UK. Although NordVPN is not a UK based VPN It still offers around 627 dedicated servers just for the UK alone. In terms of global coverage, NordVPN has over 5600 servers around in 62 countries around the world.
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.
Other than that, NordVPN is super affordable as well. They offer 4 subscription plans at the moment with massive discounts, however, I would still recommend opting the 70% off 3-year plan for $3.49/mo.
Another thing Nord’s really good at is offering simultaneous connections. You can connect up to 6 devices at the same time. This makes it perfect if you’re running on a budget.
Performance-wise, NordVPN never seems to disappoint. Speeds are excellent and connections are also quite stable. Suffice to say you’re barely going to notice any stutters or hiccups in performance.
Want to know more about this awesome VPN, check out Is Nordvpn worth it?
Super easy to use
Blocks malware and ads
6 simultaneously connections
Kill-switch
Steaming optimized servers
Nothing in particular
4. ExpressVPN
Another best VPN in the UK is ExpressVPN. This VPN is by no means cheap. In fact, it is amongst the most premium UK VPN services you can opt.
Having said that, you do get what you pay for.
It’s slick, super-fast and offers tons of features that work as advertised. Speaking of which, ExpressVPN offers 3000+ servers, 24/7 customer support, powerful encryption, split tunneling, and even a kill switch to keep you 100% safe on the internet.
ExpressVPN is also amongst the very few zero-logging VPNs in the industry. They operate from the British Virgin Islands and don’t have to abide by most data retention laws.
All these features and privacy do come with a price though and you do have to pay a premium for them. ExpressVPN offers 3 plans.
All of their plans are considerably pricier than the competition, however, you can get a 35% discount on their 12-months plan. After discount, you’ll only have to pay $8.32/mo which is not too bad considering that you can conect up to 5 devices simultaneously.
Performance-wise ExpressVPN is unlike any other VPN in its class. For a premium price tag, you get blazing fast speeds and virtually lag-free performance. Because of such fast speeds, it’s also one of the best options for VPN streaming.
Overall I would say ExpressVPN is probably the best VPN for the UK you can get in 2019.
Want to know more about this awesome VPN, check out the exclusive ExpressVPN review.
Superfast performance
Awesome customer support
5 simultaneous connection
Easy to set up and use
No logs
No free trial
5. CyberGhost
Last but not least, let’s check out CyberGhost. It is among the top VPN UK service in its class and offers over 3200 servers specially designed to bypass geo-restricted sites and content. Just for the UK alone, CyberGhost offers over 900 secure servers.
In terms of security features, CyberGhost comes packed with features like OpenVPN, DNS leak protection, location spoofing and Kill switch with all subscription plans.
Speaking of subscription plans, CyberGhost currently offers 3 plans which are quite affordable. But if you want the best bang for your buck, you can avail a 79% discount on their 18 months plan and pay only $2.75/mo.
Other than pricing, CyberGhost also doesn’t log user data as the provider operates from the data retention free jurisdiction of Romania.
Performance-wise CyberGhost is perhaps the best VPN for UK users. You shouldn’t face any issues while streaming Netflix or downloading torrents, the performance is actually phenomenal.
Overall I definitely recommend you try out this service if you’re in the UK.
Want to know more about this awesome VPN, check out the exclusive CyberGhost review.
No logs
45-day money-back guarantee
7 simultaneous connections
Awesome customer support
Attractive and intuitive UI
Nothing to dislike
VPN Guides for Other Countries
Things to consider when choosing the best VPN UK
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 performace. 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.
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.
If you don’t want to purchase a VPN subscription, you can also check out our handpicked best free VPN UK.
Free UK VPN 2019
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 featrues and data caps, you can go through the list below.
Tunnel Bear
Tunnel Bear is perhaps my personal favorite free VPN in the market right now. I just can’t help but enjoy all the subtle animations though out their apps.
Even with the free version of Tunnel Bear, you get access to plenty of servers in more than 20 countries including the United Kingdom.
In terms of bandwidth allocation, Tunnel Bear offers around 500MB per month which can be bumped up to 1GB through twitter.
Overall it’s one the best free UK VPN you can get right now.
Windscribe
Next, we have Windscribe VPN. This is another reasonable VPN service that works quite well with torrenting. In terms of total bandwidth, Windscribe takes the cake with its 10GB per month limit.
As far as features are concerned, Windscribe can be hocked up with unlimited devices and offers a built-in firewall and ad-blocker feature.
Online Privacy and Anonymity in the UK
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.
Warning! Don’t freak out…
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 based VPN subscription. Because who knows, who might be watching you right now?
How to download Torrents in the UK?
If you want to know how to download torrent in UK, you need to be aware of issues like copyright infringement and DMCA notices. In this scenario, the role of VPN becomes significant.
After connecting to your desired VPN service from the above described list, you can achieve the task of online anonymity straightaway.
Remember if you are living in UK then you must also know about and secure yourselves right away by using a VPN.
Why use VPN in the UK?
If you’re looking for the best VPN for the UK, then chances are you either want anonymity or want to access content that’s otherwise blocked in the UK (U.S Netflix).
Either way, a VPN can help you do both.
How…?
Well…by spoofing off course. If you don’t know, a VPN can easily spoof your original location, making you appear as if you’re in a totally different region.
This, of course, is super helpful when you want to access regionally blocked content. Simply choose a regional server you wish to use and you should be good to go.
Website blocking in the UK
Even though the UK doesn’t block websites as aggressively as some middle eastern countries, believe or not, 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.
Step by Step Guide to Unblock Kodi in the UK
Follow these steps to access and unblock Kodi VPN addon in the UK:
Select a provider from the table above
Sign-up for the VPN service
Install the VPN onto your device
Connect to a server in US or any location other than UK
Launch Kodi
Unblock Kodi and access unlimited add-ons to stream your favorite content
Why use VPN service UK abroad?
Another scenario could be that you’re outside the UK and want unprecedented access to UK streaming services like BBC’s iPlayer, Channel 4, ITV Hub or just want to access British TV and radio or sports.
For instance, if you want to watch football and cricket from abroad, you can use a UK VPN for sky go with UK IP address and stream without any restrictions.
Because if your is not from the UK, you’ll straight away get banned from accessing pretty much every UK streaming service.
Wrapping Up!
It’s no surprise that the UK government is increasing its mass surveillance and user privacy is decreasing by the day.
If you want to avoid the UK’s rather authoritarian and intrusive online policies, then a reliable VPN is an absolute must.
I hope you now have a clearer picture of the current state of the UK’s online privacy. Hopefully, now you’ll know how imperative it is to choose the best UK VPN.
If we’ve learned anything over the years, it’s the susceptibility of Mac computers to suffer privacy and security breaches.
The number of malware attacks on Mac OS computers in 2017 jumped up to 80% as per Symantec, pushing people to search for solutions to enhance their cybersecurity and privacy on the web:
One definite action that you can take to instantly consolidate your online privacy is to use a VPN service compatible with your Mac.
PureVPN is our top recommendation as the best Mac VPN in 2019. It offers a broad set of features to allay your privacy concerns while also giving you the freedom to access blocked websites/services (including Netflix, p2p etc.) at will for only $1.92/mo.
We have tested and reviewed over 150 VPNs, but found only 5 of them capable enough to make it into this article.
Let’s get started.
6 Best VPNs for Mac
Here are our top VPN picks for systems running on MacOS:
PureVPN ($1.92/mo)
Surfshark ($1.99/mo)
Ivacy ($1.99/mo)
ExpressVPN ($8.32/mo)
CyberGhost ($2.75/mo)
NordVPN ($3.49/mo)
1. PureVPN ( $1.92/mo )
Number of Servers: 2000+ | Countries: 140+ | Simultaneous Connections: 5
PureVPN is known primarily for the vast geographical diversity of network. It is the best cheap VPN for Mac due to its impressive pricing plan of $1.92/mo.
There are 2,000+ servers distributed over 140+ countries around the world.
This VPN comes with security features like AES 256 bit encryption and OpenVPN tunneling (among other options). It consists of a very responsive kill switch for an added measure of privacy and security for your web traffic.
The zero-logging stance of the company makes it well-worth the attention of users seeking to enhance their privacy as well.
Although the Windows app of the VPN supports split-tunneling, this feature is unfortunately unavailable for Mac yet.
PureVPN has a very minimalistic app design and UI for Mac and offers a smooth user experience.
It is dead simple to use and the option to simultaneously connect up to five devices to one subscription makes it dirt cheap to afford.
If you don’t end up liking their service, then you can always get your money back with their 31-day money back guarantee.
Prices:
Ultimate discount deal 85% Off, $1.92/mo – 5 year plan
[47% off], $5.81 a month – 1 year plan
$10.95 a month – 1 month plan
Read complete PureVPN review for more details.
2. Surfshark ($1.99/month)
Number of servers: 1,000+ | Countries: 60+ | Simultaneous connections: Unlimited
Surfshark is the fastest VPN you can get for your Mac ($1.99/month). Despite its low cost, it doesn’t compromise on quality on any front.
It offers 800+ servers in 50+ countries around the world.
For added security, there is a built-in kill switch for Mac. It serves as an insurance policy should your connection drop and reveal your real IP address (though the service is free from any IP leaks).
Apart from this, Surfshark also supports split-tunneling through its WhiteLister feature – a handy tool to split your VPN and non-VPN web traffic.
Surfshark’s Mac VPN app has a very intuitive design to facilitate user accessibility.
On the privacy front, the provider has a policy of zero-logging so you can forget worrying about your sensitive information being monitored for any purpose.
The British Virgin Islands jurisdiction ensures that you are free from any data logging from the provider.
Finally, there is no other highly-rated provider in the industry offering unlimited simultaneous VPN connections per subscription.
Combined with a full 30-day money back guarantee, Surfshark is a valuable VPN service to have for Mac.
Prices:
[50% off], $5.99 a month – 12 months plan
$11.95 a month – 1 month plan
Read complete Surfshark review for more details.
3. Ivacy ($1.99/month)
Number of servers: 1,000 | Locations: 100+ | Simultaneous connections: 5
Ivacy is a another powerful VPN that works just about for any purpose for Mac users. It operates a network of 1,000+ servers in 100+ countries, giving users a good amount of options for changing their server location to access restricted websites through your Mac.
The provider uses AES-256 encryption, which effectively protects you from interceptions from malicious third-parties. Unfortunately, it lacks a killswitch feature for Mac, although it is available for Windows devices.
Ivacy supports P2P on multiple servers. If you frequently download torrents on your Mac, Ivacy can grant you that extra bit of privacy. One of the best aspects of this VPN is its zero-logging privacy policy:
The provider offers 5 simultaneous connections and a 30-day money-back guarantee and costing only $1.99/month.
Prices:
[60% off], $3.33 a month – 12 months plan
$9.95 a month – 1 month plan
For more information, consult Ivacy VPN review.
4. ExpressVPN ($8.32/month)
Number of servers: 3000+ | Countries: 94 | Simultaneous connections: 5
ExpressVPN is not the cheapest option out there, but its excellent speed and strong privacy policies make it an easy choice for those who can afford it.
The VPN is powered by 3,000+ servers in 94 countries of the world, having a strong capability to unblock any censored/restricted website. With such a huge server base, it’s one of the best option for VPN streaming as well.
The app for MacOS has Network Lock (the company’s proprietary kill switch) to interrupt your connection and prevent your IP from leaking to the wider internet.
Like its young counterpart (Surfshark), ExpressVPN is operating under the jurisdiction of British Virgin Islands and has an excellent no-logs privacy policy.
The split-tunneling feature for Mac gives the user complete control over which apps should use the VPN and which shouldn’t.
You can use up to 5 simultaneous connections on one subscription and avail a 30-day money back guarantee.
Simply put, ExpressVPN covers all bases as a VPN for privacy and internet freedom on your Mac.
Prices:
$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)
Number of Servers: 3500+ | Countries: 59 | Simultaneous Connections: 7
CyberGhost covers a lot of key bases that are of interest for an average privacy-seeking Mac user.
It possesses a network of 3,500+ servers that use powerful encryption protocols (AES-256).
For VPN tunneling, you can choose from PPTP, L2TP, and OpenVPN protocols as your preference. There is a built-in kill switch in CyberGhost and IP leak protection for ironclad security and privacy.
Moreover, the service offersplenty of servers in a multitude of locations that support both P2P and streaming services without any data logging.
The fact that it is based in Romania shows that the provider is under a safe jurisdiction for user privacy, since the country repealed its data retention (demanded by EU), in 2014.
CyberGhost Mac client is amongst the most user-friendly applications we have ever used.
It automatically tweaks itself to offer the best experience depending on what you intend to do with it.
You can connect up to 7 devices simultaneously on one CyberGhost subscription plan.
As always, it offers a full 45-day money back guarantee for ultimate peace of mind.
Prices:
$5.99 a month – 1 year plan
$3.69 a month – 2 year plan
$12.99 a month – 1 month
See CyberGhost review for more details.
6. NordVPN ($3.49/month)
We don’t recommend NordVPN at the moment due to its security vulnerabilities.
Number of Servers: 5500+ | Countries: 60 | Simultaneous Connections: 6
NordVPN keeps no user logs and grants users the ability to access any website on the web, all for a cost of $3.49/month.
The provider offers excellent features like AES-256-CBC ciphers encryption and OpenVPN, IKeV2 protocols.
It also sports a huge arsenal of 5,500+ servers in 60 countries around the globe for ultimate coverage and fast speed.
However, the kill switch that NordVPN uses for Mac terminates applications when your connection drops, rather than shutting down your entire Internet for maximum protection.
Other than this, the service throws some amazing extra features in the mix such as DoubleVPN and Onion over VPN.
The doubleVPN feature is basically the multihop feature that routes your traffic through two separate VPN servers for even stronger-than-default security.
Onion over VPN servers combine the features of Tor and VPNs as another mechanism of bolstering your web security.
The interface is smooth and responsive, so much so that there are literally no lags or crashes in the Mac application.
The user-friendly privacy policy ensures no logging of user data.
The privacy benefits of NordVPN are further vindicated when you consider that it is based in Panama. The country has no mandatory data retention requirements (read our article on Five/Nine/Fourteen Eyes for more detail).
Nord also offers the ability to connect 6 devices simultaneously.
To top it off this provider also offers 30-day full money back guarantee, so you can try out their service without any strings attached.
Prices:
[66% off], $3.99 a month – 2 year plan
[41% off], $6.99 a month – 1 year plan
$11.95 a month – 1 month plan
Read NordVPN review for further details.
The Insecurity Underlying Mac Systems
The idea that Macs are secure from malware and data breaches has existed as long as Mac itself and actually been repeatedly emphasized by Apple.
Just take a look at this advertisement from the early 2000s:
While it is true that Mac machines are more secure than their Windows counterparts, they are not immune to the exploits of cybercriminals.
In fact, experts now believe that Mac OS is just as vulnerable to data breaches and other vulnerabilities as Windows machines.
3ric Johanson, a security researcher, asserted:
“If you look at the number of published vulnerabilities in software and the number of users and compare Windows versus Mac OS you will discover that Mac OS has far more published vulnerabilities per user than Windows does so I think the data pretty much speaks for itself.” – [Source]
Statistics accurately support this assertion, as the chart compellingly illustrates below:
Source: AV-Test Security Report 2017/18
Another research by Cybersecurity ventures revealed that the world will receive a massive hit of approximately 6 trillion dollars by 2021 as a consequence of cybercriminal activities alone.
This calls for Mac users to take their web security seriously.
For this, it is essential to ensure your anti-malware suites are updated.
And while you’re at it, don’t forget to take additional preventive measures like using VPN services on your Mac system-wide to fill any digital cracks capable of compromising your privacy.
Final Verdict
We recommend PureVPN as the best VPN for Mac due to a wide range of security features, watertight privacy, and a huge list of servers to choose from for gaining access to restricted sites all at highly affordable pricing.
In short, you can’t go wrong with any of these VPNs listed above, but the best value providers are PureVPN and Surfshark. And if you’re looking for more premium VPNs at lower rates, check out our amazing VPN deals!