VPN Mentor (www.vpnmentor.com) is a site that lists the best VPN service providers with user reviews. It's my favorite site because it also provides general information on VPN (virtual private network). As a blogger I would "think" I have enough knowledge of internet security, just by using reliable tools and resources, managing my passwords, firewalls, antivirus etc etc...but could I explain any of that in words? Not so confidently. VPN Mentor has a variety of blog posts - not just as a reference to cyber security but has other interesting topics, stats, how-to's for beginners as well as VPN experts.
Top Markets for VPN Use
Thai and Indonesian internet users most likely to access content via VPNs 2014 (click to enlarge)
The main reason people generally use VPN is to bypass the restriction placed by the government, predominantly Asia and Middle Eastern countries. Chinese are not allowed to use Gmail, and almost all of "our" major social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Tumblr and Flickr are blocked by Chinese government.
Interesting statistics from VPN Mentor (original source: Global Webindex) showing the countries where internet users most likely to use VPN services.
By the way Global Webindex is another site that can send you a "Chart Of The Day" if you sign up with them. Try it here.
VPN can be essential for some travel writers. Or anyone who carries business on the road. Say "make money online anywhere in the world with your laptop", not really. Sudden loss of engagement with your social media followers can be "ouch".
VPN enables you mask your IP address therefore to access licensed materials restricted to the country. Americans can watch BBC iPlayer, British can watch US version of Netflix which offers wider variety of movies. I'm not judging the legality of it here, I'm just saying people use VPN in order to access to websites that are inaccessible in their country of origin!
The Best VPN Service Provider - NordVPN
The VPN service provider that VPN Mentor recommend is NordVPN, giving 5 out of 5 for the following reasons;
- Reasonable pricing plan, starting $2.68 per month (if paid 3 years in advance, i.e. $96.74)
- The speed that's been tested by VPN Mentor and verified acceptable and stable.
- Excellent data protection by 2048 bit encryption, that is said to be hard to crack even by brute force.
- Ease of use, does not require complexed technical skills for standard installation.
Nord VPN was established in 2012, is operated in Panama, and maintains servers and IP addresses in 700 worldwide locations across 54 countries.
Thank you so much,
This post is really great & resourceful. I have also been doing some research on Cybersecurity & VPNs for a little while now. After testing NordVPN from every angle, I just published my reviews on NordVPN.
I have used Nord VPN in the past and I agree with all your points and what stands out most is the pricing which is so affordable in compared to other VPNs.
Thanks for your comment, Jessica. I don’t think the pricing plan that Nord offers is not particularly competitive though. It’s their reliability, in my opinion (NordVPN Review). Thanks!
I really like the content of this article and found it engaging for all the readers. Thanks for sharing such a great article.
Thanks Michal, any questions don’t hesitate to ask!
Hmmm I used to have Nordvpn but it was such a waste time and money. The server is always authenticating. i switched to Astrill starting with their free trial and now I am back in business.
Hi Carol, thanks for sharing your experience. It’s great to know because the Nord is recommended by vpnMentor and I’m not using it myself. Absolutely no disrespect to vpnMentor but user experiences shown in a product comparison site can sometimes be personal and biased.
It’s good to know about Astrill VPN, though I can’t seem to find them offering free trial. Astrill is listed as “Ranked 154th from 233 VPNs” in vpnMentor. The pricing is marked 3.9 out of 5 stars, whereas Nord is given 5.0/5.0. You can’t quite agree with their ratings – Nord is $5.75 per month and Astrill is $69.95 per year (= $5.83 per month), there’s not much difference.
Thanks again Carol for your comment, I appreciate it.
Nord VPN was my second option, as I bought Ivacy VPN on Cyber Monday. They are giving 87% off savings with 1 year of free subscription. Check out their deal before its end.
Hi Nicolas, thanks for the great info. I just looked at Ivacy VPN. It looks like a great provider with awesome price plan.
Check out Ivacy VPN HERE
And it’s good to know that Nord was your 2nd opinion too. Thanks for the advice, I appreciate it!
Ray