How to Choose the Best VPN Service in 2025

Do you want to secure your online activities but need help finding a reliable way? You can do it with a VPN service. However, which one to choose, you may ask.

Over the past few years, the VPN industry has experienced exponential growth, and there is intense competition due to the frequent emergence of new options. Hence, selecting the best VPN for your needs can be difficult when over 300 choices are available.

But don’t worry—we’ve got you covered. In this guide, we will list the 16 most important factors that you should consider when selecting a VPN service. Fortunately, ExtremeVPN meets all these criteria, making it the best choice available.

Features to Consider in a VPN – Quick List

Why Use a VPN?

A VPN is a tool that connects you to the Internet by establishing a virtual and private tunnel to a VPN server. This tool can be hardware (dedicated server or appliances) or software. VPNs also have many uses for individuals, even though the technology was initially created for large corporations to ensure the safety of important data and give employees remote access from anywhere they work.

Nobody can see the data you’re transferring because a VPN encrypts your connection. Especially when using public WiFi networks, no third party can seize your traffic to steal sensitive data like credit card numbers, account credentials, etc.

Determining What You Need a VPN for

If you’re in the market to buy something, you won’t purchase the first thing you see. The same principle holds for VPNs. Since everyone uses VPNs for different things, deciding what you need before shopping for the best VPN service is best.

Would You Like to Browse Securely?

If you frequently use public WiFi, you ought to have a VPN, even if you don’t care about security and privacy. These unprotected networks allow local hackers to intercept data from your smart device and misuse it.

Top-notch VPNs like ExtremeVPN provide military-grade encryption to protect your online activities, such as sending and receiving emails.

Are You Interested in Changing Your Geolocation?

You will need a VPN with servers in hundreds of locations worldwide to stream content inaccessible in your country. From outside the US, would you like to watch Netflix US? Verify if the VPN service you use has US servers.

Likewise, would you like to stream BBC iPlayer videos using a UK IP address? Select a VPN company that has a large number of UK servers. Note that if you cannot obtain an IP address from any location, there is no purpose in registering for a VPN. ExtremeVPN offers 6500+ servers in 78+ countries. It ensures that users can easily access anything from around the globe. 

Are You Looking for Online Privacy?

Do you want to keep your browsing history private from ISPs and governments that might be spying on you? VPNs can almost eliminate the possibility of your online activities being linked to you, even though they are not a perfect anonymity solution.

Ultimately, the traffic you send comes from several people’s IP addresses. Here, you want a VPN service with a large customer base and no log storage because the more individuals using their servers, the harder it is to identify you. ExtremeVPN secures your internet traffic with secure tunnels and ensures no one can access your personal information.

Do You Want to Stay Private During Traveling?

For foreign nationals and frequent travelers, VPNs are essential. They enable you to connect to public networks and have secure access to company data. VPNs ensure you and your data are always safe when you travel.

They also help you avoid geo-restrictions and censorship. It also depends on your destination, as many countries—including the United Arab Emirates—forbid the use of VPNs. But remember that VPNs in those countries can help you, too.

How to Select a VPN: 16 Features to Look for in a VPN

Once your VPN needs have been assessed, you might wonder, “What makes the perfect VPN provider?” More is needed to choose the finest VPN service than just offering a selection of plans at reasonable costs. These factors include:

1. Supported Protocols

While data goes through secure tunnels, VPNs protect it using various security procedures, not all of which are the same. Every protocol has a different set of advantages and disadvantages.

If streaming isn’t your thing, avoid PPTP at all costs. It’s an outdated protocol with weak encryption, multiple known security holes, and other problems. PPTP isn’t a trustworthy source of significant security, even though it may be an excellent solution to access location-locked websites and secure your innocuous browsing.

L2TP/IPSec is believed to be a better and more sophisticated version of PPTP. Although it isn’t as fast as its predecessor, it offers far better security.

IKEv2/IPSec is one of the quickest and safest protocols, but it is most effective when used with mobile devices that switch between Wi-Fi and mobile data. OpenVPN is the best protocol because it provides strong security without significantly sacrificing speed. Recall that reputable VPN providers will give you access to these options.

2. Cross-platform Compatibility

While some VPNs don’t support all major platforms, the best ones do, like ExtremeVPN offers apps for iOS, Mac, Windows, and Android. Make sure your virtual private network (VPN) has apps available for both your Android phone and Windows computer if you use both.

The best VPN services will have manual setups for Smart TVs, routers, set-top boxes, gaming consoles, and other devices that frequently connect to the Internet in addition to clients for desktop and mobile platforms.

3. Number of Servers & Locations

Are you interested in having unrestricted access to US streaming sites like Netflix? Then, let’s be honest: you won’t get much use out of selecting a VPN service provider with most of its servers in Africa and Asia. A wide selection of servers across several nations should suffice.

Ideally, you want to find one with hundreds or even thousands of VPN servers spread across all the major global locations. The greater the number of servers you have, the more geo-restricted content you can access and the more easily you can switch between them.

4. Simultaneous Connections

It’s fantastic that you’re using a VPN service on your desktop or laptop. However, what would happen if you wanted to configure a VPN connection on every smart device in your home?

Choose a VPN service that allows you to have at least ten simultaneous connections. It is important because more people work from home and play video games. It’s also ideal to link your router to the VPN. It lets you secure every device at once without using up all of your concurrent logins.

5. Unlimited Bandwidth

Paying for a VPN and then finding out your data usage is limited feels bad. I mean, why bother with a VPN if it’s not helping you download an unlimited amount of data, right? Back in the day, bandwidth wasn’t much of a headache. But now, due to the streaming revolution, everyone is streaming hundreds of videos and music daily, and suddenly, bandwidth is the hot topic.

So, here’s the deal – steer clear of those VPNs that decide to put a cap on your bandwidth. No one needs that kind of restriction. Download, browse, and stream to your heart’s content without constantly glancing at the clock.

6. Connection Speed

Generally, using a VPN might slow down your connection, and that can annoy you if you’re in the middle of a download or streaming marathon.

No matter where you are, the most well-known VPNs like ExtremeVPN have solutions to guarantee that you always have a fast connection. Consider dedicated servers that are ideal for P2P file sharing and streaming.

7. Payment Methods

Another important consideration is how you make payments for your VPN service.

Anonymous payment options may interest you if you want to buy a VPN to protect your online privacy or stop political tyranny. Fortunately, a few excellent VPN services, including ExtremeVPN, allow anonymous payment options like cryptocurrency or gift cards. In this manner, the fact that you paid for the goods or services will never be discovered.

8. Money-back Guarantee

It wouldn’t be ideal to be forced to use a VPN you don’t want. Using VPNs that offer a 30-day refund policy is a smart strategy to avoid this. You always have the option to cancel your VPN subscription, even if you choose something that doesn’t work for you.

To give you peace of mind while testing out their services, all of the best VPNs offer a refund policy anywhere from 7 to 31 days. If you’re not happy, you can request a refund as long as you do so within the time frame that applies.

9. Price and Plans

When selecting one, consider the cost and the VPN provider’s plans. Seek a VPN service that provides a selection of plans at reasonable prices. Furthermore, find out if the VPN offers a money-back guarantee or a free trial so you can use it before subscribing.

10. 24/7 Customer Support

Since VPN technology is always evolving, you may frequently run into situations where you’ve encountered a roadblock. However, the most important consideration when choosing a VPN is whether the provider offers round-the-clock customer support.

Regarding the VPN sector, customer service is typically provided via email, tickets, and live chat. That being said, we advise selecting a VPN with a dedicated customer support team so that you can receive prompt responses to your questions. ExtremeVPN’s team is always available to assist you.

11. Torrent Friendly

If you plan to torrent, make sure your VPN offers P2P-friendly servers, so that it can enable you to do uninterrupted, speedy torrent file downloads. Having a port forwarding feature would be another big plus. As a result, you may connect to more peers and experience faster download speeds.

12. Minimum Latency

The delay between your device and the VPN server is called latency. For optimum results, choose a VPN provider with low latency. The lower the latency, the more optimal the experience you get.

13. Advanced Features

Premium VPNs have many cutting-edge features to protect your identity and data. Internet kill switch, IPv6 leak protection, and DNS leak protection are a few of these, but there are more. You should sign up for a completely leak-proof service if you rely on your VPN to keep everything you do online private. If a VPN service isn’t functioning as intended, there’s no use in using it.

14. Privacy-friendly Jurisdiction

VPNs based inside the Five, Nine, and Fourteen Eyes Alliances should be avoided if you don’t want anyone to know what you’re doing online, because these countries force the VPN provider to store their users’ data.

Reputable VPNs have their main offices in private-friendly nations like the British Virgin Islands, Hong Kong, and Switzerland. This leads us to the next point: they don’t keep any logs of your VPN usage.

15. Strict No-logs Policy

In case you haven’t noticed, practically all VPN services assert that they will delete all records of your online activities. But do they truly mean it? To ensure accuracy, one must seek out VPNs that go through independent audits.

You’ll discover from your research that not many providers have gone above and beyond to fulfill their privacy commitments. If you want to remain private and anonymous whenever you use the internet, you must implement a well-tested no-logs policy.

16. User-Friendly Interface

Many VPNs have an interface and setup process that you might find too difficult to navigate. To ensure trouble-free VPN use even if you’re not tech-savvy, choose a provider with well-maintained, well-designed, and user-friendly software.

ExtremeVPN to the Rescue.

ExtremeVPN is the best VPN solution for all of your privacy and security concerns. It supports the safest and most reliable VPN protocols, such as IPSec/IKEv2, WireGuard, and OpenVPN. Thanks to these protocols, you will enjoy the best P2P sharing, encryption, streaming, and speed.

All popular devices are compatible with ExtremeVPN. It provides easy-to-use Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and router applications. After setting up ExtremeVPN on a router, you can connect your smart TVs, gaming consoles, and other streaming devices to WiFi and access it.

ExtremeVPN boasts an extensive server network of 6500+ servers across more than 78 countries. Users can easily access each country with the best server in that country. Furthermore, you can connect up to 10 devices simultaneously. So you don’t need to log out to log in to another device.

Also, ExtremeVPN provides unlimited data so that users can enjoy whatever they want without worrying about data caps. It provides users with a fast connection speed. They can enjoy streaming, gaming, scrolling, downloading, uploading, and whatever they want without buffering or long load times.

ExtremeVPN has a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee that ensures you can get your money back if unsatisfied with our services. With it’s affordable pricing plans, users don’t have to pay extra money to get privacy online.

ExtremeVPN’s 24/7 customer support allows users to get assistance whenever they want. Our support team is always available to assist our users with issues. You can contact us through Live chat, social media, and email. Finally, users benefit from features like a no-logs policy, split tunneling, IPv6 leak protection, DNS leak protection, a kill switch, 256-AES encryption, and more.

FAQs

What to look for in a VPN?

Consider the protocols a VPN employs to safeguard your data when choosing. Check out the range of servers it offers; this will help you avoid geo-restrictions. Evaluating the VPN’s performance is also crucial because no one wants their access to the internet to be slow. All 13 of the most important factors are listed above, though these are only a few.

Are all VPNs the same?

No, not every VPN is made equally. Even though many expensive VPNs guarantee improved privacy and security, their features can vary greatly. Providers can differ greatly regarding features, privacy policies, encryption strength, server locations, and speed. As such, you must research VPNs before choosing one. You can make sure you select a VPN that best suits your needs and upholds the greatest level of protection by doing extensive research and comparing options.

What is the #1 best VPN?

With a global server network, cutting-edge protocols, lightning-fast speeds, and features like obfuscated servers, a kill switch, and DNS leak protection, ExtremeVPN is the most efficient VPN service available. You can try out our VPN service risk-free for thirty days with a money-back guarantee!

Are VPNs illegal?

Nope. You can use VPNs in most nations worldwide except for a few countries like China and Russia. It also depends on how its users use it in other countries. However, don’t expect to get away with doing anything illegal when using a VPN. There will still be legal repercussions for you.

Should I leave my VPN on all the time?

It is advisable to keep your VPN enabled while accessing geo-restricted content. If you disconnect, you will lose access to what you are watching because your real IP address will become visible. However, if protection is your top priority, you should always have your VPN open when you connect to the web.

Is paying for a VPN worth it?

Investing in a VPN is undoubtedly worthwhile. You receive software updates and the advantage of having a highly protected internet connection. Certain VPN providers even offer a money-back guarantee.

When is the best time to buy a VPN?

The best time to get a paid VPN service at a lower cost is between October and December. For special occasions like Black Friday, Christmas, Halloween, and Cyber Monday, many provide alluring VPN offers that give you a premium VPN service for the lowest possible cost.