As of today, residents in Indiana, Idaho, and Kansas will no longer be able to access the adult site Pornhub. Due to newly passed age verification laws designed to prevent minors from viewing adult content, Pornhub has begun blocking access to users in these states in protest.

This is following a trend that has seen more than half a dozen states lose access to the incredibly popular NSFW site. A similar ban occurred in March of this year when access was blocked to residents in Texas. 

This is certainly inconvenient for age-appropriate residents of these states who want to access the site (which, it must be stated, receives First Amendment constitutional protection). Fortunately, there’s an easy fix: using a VPN. Just download and install your preferred VPN, connect to a server in a state that isn’t blocked, and enjoy the content.

Below you’ll find my top picks for VPNs to access Pornhub if you’re in states where the site has blocked access. For even more great services, check out our list of the best VPNs overall.

ExpressVPN – Best overall

ExpressVPN

Read our review

ExpressVPN is my overall top pick for VPNs no matter the intended use. It packs a ton of great features including wide-device support, ad- and tracker-blocking, and plenty of domestic and international servers.

It also boasts great speeds, meaning you won’t need to downgrade your video quality to something that makes it look like the important bits are blurred on purpose. ExpressVPN even supports just about every device you could imagine so not only will you be able to access Pornhub, you’ll be able to view the content on any device you wish as well.

NordVPN – Runner-up

NordVPN

Read our review

NordVPN is a close second to ExpressVPN, only losing out due to a slightly more complicated interface and a more expensive long-term price. Let that not take anything away from how great this service is as well.

It’s consistently the fastest VPN I’ve ever tested, so you can stream in HD to your heart’s content. Plus, it comes with even more built-in security features than ExpressVPN.

Mullvad – Best for privacy

Mullvad

Read our review

Best Prices Today: $5.37 at Mullvad

Depending on what you’re looking for from a VPN, Mullvad might actually be your best option. Not only is it in our top five services for overall speed, it more importantly earns top marks for privacy.

Mullvad takes every effort it can to know as little about its users as possible. It doesn’t ask for an email address or name and it even accepts payments via mailed cash if you want. Plus, it costs just $5 per month regardless of the plan you choose.

ProtonVPN – Best free VPN

ProtonVPN

Read our review

While I don’t usually recommend that anyone use a free VPN due to their proven security and privacy risks on certain devices, ProtonVPN is one of the exceptions. This service from Swiss-based Proton, has a spotless track record for user privacy. It’s also mercifully free of ads.

Just like all free VPNs there are limitations, but thankfully ProtonVPN keeps them relatively tame. For no cost whatsoever you’ll get a one-device connection limit and access to five servers located in different countries around the world (including the U.S.). It doesn’t impose any speed or data limitations on these free servers as well—something that is nearly unheard of with other free VPNs.

Switching to a solid-state drive is the best upgrade you can make for your PC. These wondrous devices speed up boot times, improve the responsiveness of your programs and games, and generally make your computer feel fast. But not all solid-state drives are the same. You can spend big to achieve read and write speeds that reach a whole other level, or you can find top-notch SSDs that offer solid performance without breaking the bank.

Many SSDs come in a 2.5-inch form factor and connect to your PC via the same SATA port used by a traditional hard drive. But tiny NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express) “gumstick” SSDs that fit in an M.2 connection on a modern motherboard are becoming increasingly common, along with blazing-fast PCIe 4.0 (and now 5.0) solid-state drives for compatible PCs; you’ll even find SSDs that sit on a PCIe adapter and slot into your motherboard like a graphics card or sound card. No, picking the perfect SSD isn’t as simple as it used to be.

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Why you should trust us: It’s in our name, PCWorld. Our reviewers have been testing PC hardware for decades. Our storage evaluations are thorough and rigorous, testing the limits of every product — from performance benchmarks to the practicalities of regular use. As PC users ourselves, we know what makes a product stand out. Only the best SSDs make this list. For more about our testing process, scroll to the bottom of this article

See also PCWorld’s guide to the best external drives if you’re strictly looking for a portable storage solution.

Updated June 27, 2024: If you’re on the hunt for an SSD to upgrade your Lenovo Legion Go or Thinkpad, Sabrent’s Rocket Nano 2242 is worth considering. It’s designed to fit the proportions of Lenovo’s portables, and happens to be a good performer to boot. If your interests are with PCIe 5.0, Corsair’s MP700 Pro SE comes very close to taking the performance crown, and could be a very compelling option if its price comes down.

Samsung 870 EVO – Best SATA SSD

Pros

• Excellent performance, especially with small file operations
• Unlike the QVO, long writes don’t slow down

Cons

• A little expensive

Best Prices Today: $64.99 at Samsung$103.14 at Amazon

If you’re looking to add some storage via a traditional 2.5-inch SATA drive rather than a tiny M.2 “gumstick,” Samsung’s spectacular 870 EVO is your best bet. It’s the fastest SATA SSD we’ve tested, it’s available in up to 4TB of capacity, and it’s exceedingly affordable given its speed. Enough said, really—though Samsung’s killer Magician SSD management software and long warranty period also deserve a shout-out. The EVO series is a legend among SSDs for a reason.

That said, the SK Hynix Gold S31 is also worth considering. It’s just a hair behind the 870 EVO in benchmarks and costs $12 less in its 1TB version, at $98. The SK drive is only available in a 1TB flavor these days, however, while the 870 EVO ranges from a 250GB model for $60 all the way up to a massive 4TB goliath for $450. Samsung’s 1TB offering costs $110.

Read our full Samsung 870 EVO SATA SSD review

Crucial BX500 – Best budget SATA SSD

Pros

• Good everyday performance
• Low price per gigabyte

Cons

• Slows drastically when secondary cache runs out

Best Prices Today: $69.99 at Amazon

The Samsung 870 EVO offers an intoxicating blend of performance and affordable pricing, but if you want as much capacity as possible for as cheaply as possible, consider the Crucial BX500. You can get its 1TB model for $41.99, a whopping $50+ less than the equivalent EVO, while a 480GB version costs just $24.99. 240GB and 2TB versions are also available.

“We recommend this QLC drive in the larger capacities for those who want good everyday performance for a budget price,” we said in our review. “The smaller capacities will likely run into more slowdowns during heavy writes.”

Read our full Crucial BX500 SATA SSD (2TB) review

Crucial P3 – Best PCIe 3.0 SSD

Pros

• Excellent everyday PCIe 3 performance
• Fantastically low price per GB

Cons

• Very low TBW rating
• Non-cached QLC writes are extremely slow

Best Prices Today: $64.99 at Amazon

Sure, PCIe 4.0 SSDs scream during big file transfers, but if you’re still using an older system with PCIe 3.0, upgrading to an NVMe SSD still provides substantial benefits to your PC’s speed and overall responsiveness. Better yet, you don’t need to break the bank to take advantage. The Crucial P3 is a very good daily performer, but it’s available for a bargain rate of just $44 for a 500GB model or $84 for a 1TB model. Though it doesn’t have top-tier PCIe 4 performance and the TBW rating is pretty low, the P3 does have excellent real-world write times and unless you really stress the drive you shouldn’t notice much of a difference anyhow.

All told, this drive is an outstanding choice for anyone looking to snag a solid everyday SSD at a great price.

Read our full Crucial P3 review

WD Blue SN580 SSD – Best budget PCIe 4.0 SSD

Pros

• Fantastically affordable
• Super fast real world transfers
• Single-sided for laptop upgrades

Cons

• Slows to less than 300MBps when writing off secondary cache
• Slightly low endurance rating

Best Prices Today: $48.87 at Amazon

Cutting-edge PCIe 4.0 SSDs aren’t quite as cheap as SATA or PCIe 3.0 NVMe drives, but now that the technology is becoming more established, we’re starting to see several models available at compelling prices. The best of the affordable bunch? The WD Blue SN580 NVMe SSD—and by quite a large margin. At just $50 for a 1TB model, you won’t likely find any PCIe 4.0 drives with storage that cheap. In our testing, the SN580 turned out both stellar benchmark and real-world results. It did slow down considerably in the large 450GB transfer test, but seeing as how it’s unlikely anyone will write that much contiguous data it likely doesn’t matter. In the end, the SN580 is a wonderfully high-performing PCIe 4.0 SSD that well undercuts the cost of competitors. At this price point it simply can’t be beat.

Read our full WD Blue SN580 review

Solidigm P44 Pro SSD – Best PCIe 4.0 SSD

Pros

• Fastest PCIe 4.0 SSD to date
• DRAM facilitates excellent random performance
• Synergy low-level Windows driver improves random performance further

Cons

• Inconsistent pricing on web

Best Prices Today: $70.18 at AmazonNot Available at Adorama

The Solidigm P44 Pro is the fastest PCIe 4.0 drive we have ever tested bar none. In fact, it finished within the top five fastest drives in our tests, and was only beaten by three next-gen PCIe 5.0 drives. Plus, it becomes even faster when you install the Solidigm Windows driver, which further improves random performance in small read/writes.

Not only does the Solidigm P44 Pro provide top-notch performance, but it also comes in at a very reasonable price if you shop at the right place—we found that pricing varies widely online from retailer to retailer. This is one of the best SSDs on the market, and holds its own at the top despite stiff competition from a crowded field of other excellent PCIe 4.0 drives.

Read our full Solidigm P44 Pro review

Teamgroup Z540 – Best PCIe 5.0 SSD

Pros

• PCIe 5.0
• Up to 4TB in capacity (soon)
• Second-fastest SSD we’ve tested overall

Cons

• Not particularly cheap

Best Prices Today: $142.99 at Amazon

As with any PCIe 5.0 SSD, there are important caveats to bear in mind. For starters, you’ll pay a premium over extremely fast, and in some cases even faster NVMe PCIe 4.0 drives that employ a host memory buffer (HMB) design, as you can see in our review of the Solidigm P44 Pro — our pick for best PCIe 4.0 SSD.

But if you use multi-threaded software and your system sports a 13th/14th-gen Intel CPU (which the Phison PS5026-E26-52 controller inside this drive is optimized for), you can be assured of benchmarking-busting performance.

Now, in all fairness the Z540 isn’t the fastest PCIe 5.0 drive we’ve tested. It traded benchmark wins with our previous top pick the Crucial T705. But the Teamgroup Z540 has that competitor beat, decisively, when it comes to price, making it the clear pick for this category.

How can you argue with the Z540’s $143, $247, and $470 asking prices for 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB, respectively, compared with the T705’s $155, $280, and $515 prices, when performance is so close? That’s the kind of savings that pushes a close-second winner into the lead, in our book.

That being said, keep an eye on those prices, because they are always changing, and today’s alternative pick could easily become tomorrow’s best buy. Similarly, Corsair’s MP700 Pro SE offers very competitive performance that could make it a tasty option if its prices are to come down.

Bottom line: PCIe 5.0 shoppers have lots to choose from!

Read our full Teamgroup Z540 PCIe 5 NVMe SSD review

WD Black SN770M SSD – Best SSD for Steam Deck

Pros

• Small 2230 form factor for handheld gaming rigs
• Up to 2TB of capacity
• Very good real-world performance
• 5-year warranty and good TBW ratings

Cons

• Slow writes when secondary cache is exhausted
• Requires host memory buffer support (HMB)

Best Prices Today: $79.99 at Amazon$109.99 at Best Buy

In the past, you were out of luck if you wanted to upgrade your storage in a smaller-sized device such as a handheld gaming console. The full-size 2280 NVMe SSDs wouldn’t fit. Thankfully, with the advent of more advanced handheld gaming consoles such as the Steam Deck, manufacturers are changing all of that. There are now a whole host of half-sized 2230 small form factor SSDs on the market. The latest from Western Digital, the WD Black SN770M is our favorite. It comes with up to 2TB of capacity and shockingly good real-world performance. It’s only 30mm long, which means it’ll fit perfectly into small devices such as the red-hot Steam Deck.

This HMB (Host Memory Buffer) drive has great everyday performance and a decent capacity-to-cost. In our testing it aced the 48GB and 450GB transfer tests—even beating out other top-notch full-sized PCIe 4.0 drives. The SN770M is a great SSD, but if your device is able to handle the longer 2280 drives, you’ll likely have more options to choose from and might be able to find better price-for-performance at that standard size. Regardless, this drive expertly fits a niche that is only growing more common with devices such as the Steam Deck.

Read our full WD Black SN770M review

Seagate Game Drive SSD – Best SSD for PS5

Pros

• Very good overall performance
• Excellent 4K performance
• Low-profile heatsink
• Twice the TBW rating of the competition

Cons

• A bit pricey
• No 4TB model

Best Prices Today: $119 at Amazon$214.99 at Best Buy

The Seagate Game Drive PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD was made specifically for next-gen consoles—the PS5 in particular. And it doesn’t disappoint. Instead of HMB, it features DRAM for primary caching duties, which is practically essential for Sony’s console system. This is important because the PS5 doesn’t support HMB, so a drive such as this with DRAM cache is a must. The drive comes in 1TB and 2TB models, which means you’ll have plenty of space to store all of your games should you need it.

While the Seagate Game Drive is optimized for a PS5, it’s no slouch as a regular SSD either. In our speed tests it did remarkably well, earning the spot as the second-fastest PCIe 4.0 SSD with random ops that we’ve ever tested. Seagate also provides a generous five-year warranty with the drive and it has an astounding 1,275TBW rating—more than double the industry norm. The drive is a bit pricey, but the special optimizations for PS5 means that console owners can rest easy knowing that their money is going to good use with the Seagate Game Drive.

Read our full Seagate Game Drive PS5 NVMe SSD review

Crucial X9 Pro – Best external SSD

Pros

• Super small form factor
• Great 10Gbps performance
• Handsome design

Cons

• Not the least expensive 10Gbps SSD available

Best Prices Today: $96.44 at Amazon

With great everyday performance and an affordable price, the Crucial X9 Pro is our favorite external SSD. This svelte beauty will give you transfer rates of 10Gbps and comes in 1TB, 2TB, or 4TB capacities with reasonable prices for each. In our testing we found that the X9 Pro performed admirably against the other 10Gbps competition. It especially excelled in the real-world 48GB transfer test and the 450GB write time test where it smoked other similar 10Gbps drives we’ve tested.

Crucial also has an X10 Pro model on offer that gives you 20Gbps transfer speeds, but you’ll pay quite a bit more for that extra speed. Regardless, we think that the X9 Pro will serve the average user perfectly fine with excellent all-around performance and a cheaper price point. You can’t ask much more from a 10Gbps USD external SSD than what the Crucial X9 Pro gives you.

Read our full Crucial X9 Pro review

Adata Elite SE880 SSD – Most portable SSD

Pros

• Very fast, over-20Gbps USB connection
• Extremely small form factor
• 5-year warranty

Cons

• Slows considerably during long contiguous writes
• Somewhat low TBW rating

Best Prices Today: $89.07 at Amazon

No SSD we’ve seen can match Adata’s Elite SE880 for portability. Indeed, measuring in at only 2.55 inches long, 1.38 inches wide, and 0.48 inches thick, it reminds you more of a USB thumb drive than a standard SSD. It weighs a mere 1.1 ounces to boot, virtually disappearing when placed in your pocket.

The Elite SE880 is also very fast at everyday tasks. In real-world 48GB transfer tests, the drive displayed outstanding marks. However, it did lose significant ground in the longer contiguous write tests meaning photo and video pros with large files might want to look at other options. Considering the respectable transfer rates and the small form factor, the Elite SE880 is a great pick for those looking to take their SSD on the go.

Read our full Adata Elite SE880 SSD review

Our latest external SSD reviews

• SK Hynix Tube T31: For the folks who like the convenience of USB-A connector thumb drive with the peformance of an SSD, the Tube T31 belongs in your pocket.
• SanDisk Desk Drive USB SSD: On the other end of the spectrum, you have an external SSD that’s meant to stay put, on your desk, where its large capacity (4TB or 8TB) is at the ready as a capable and speedy alternative to an HDD for backups.
• Adata SD810: This is a solid 20Gbps drive, as long as you don’t need to write large amounts of data to it on a regular basis — in our tests, the drive slowed considerably in that scenario. That being said, the 4TB capacity is an especially good value at just $300.

NVMe SSD setup: What you need to know

Be aware of what NVMe drives deliver before you buy in. Standard SATA SSDs already supercharge boot times and loading times for PCs, and for a whole lot cheaper. You’ll get the most use from NVMe drives, be it in a M.2 form factor like the Samsung 980 Pro or a PCIe drive, if you routinely transfer data, especially in large amounts. If you don’t do that, NVMe drives aren’t worth the price premium.

If you decide to buy an NVMe SSD, make sure your PC can handle it. This is a relatively new technology, so you’ll only be able to find M.2-connection motherboards from the past few years. Think AMD Ryzen and mainstream Intel chips from the 6th-generation era onward, for the most part. NVMe SSDs that were mounted on PCIe adapters were popular in the technology’s early years, before M.2 adoption spread, but they’re rarer now. Make sure you’re actually able to use an NVMe SSD before you buy one, and be aware that you’ll need four PCIe lanes available in order to use it to its full potential. You’ll need a newer Ryzen 3000- or 5000-series CPU, or an Intel 11th- or 12th-gen CPU, to run a PCIe 4.0 SSD to its full potential. PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs will work in a PCIe 3.0 computer, but at slower PCIe 3.0 speeds.

To get the most out of an NVMe drive, you want to run your operating system on it, so you must have a system that recognizes the drive and can boot from it. PCs purchased during the past year or two should have no problem booting from an NVMe drive, but support for that can be iffy in older motherboards. Do a Google search for your motherboard and see if it supports booting from NVMe. You may need to install a BIOS update for your board. If your hardware can’t boot from an NVMe SSD, your machine should still be able to use it as a secondary drive.

What to look for in an SSD

Capacity and price are important, of course, and a long warranty can alleviate fears of premature data death. Most SSD manufacturers offer a three-year warranty, and some nicer models are guaranteed for five years. But unlike the olden days of SSDs, modern drives won’t wear out with normal consumer usage, as Tech Report tested and proved years ago with a grueling endurance test.

The biggest thing to watch out for is the technology used to connect the SSD to your PC. We go into deeper details and buying advice in our guide on which type of SSD you should buy.

1. SATA: This refers to both the connection type and the transfer protocol, which is used to connect most 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch hard drives and SSDs to your PC. SATA III speeds can hit roughly 600MBps, and most—but not all—modern drives max it out. (More on that in the next section.)
2. PCIe: This interface taps into four of your computer’s PCIe lanes to blow away SATA speeds, to the tune of nearly 4GBps over PCIe gen 3. Those sort of face-melting speeds pair nicely with supercharged NVMe drives. Both the PCIe lanes in your motherboard and the M.2 slot in your motherboard can be wired to support the PCIe interface, and you can buy adapters that allow you to slot “gumstick” M.2 drives into a PCIe lane. PCIe 4.0 drives are significantly faster, but require an AMD Ryzen 3000-series or Intel Core 11th-gen (or newer) processor, along with a compatible PCIe 4.0 motherboard.
3. NVMe: Non-Volatile Memory Express technology takes advantage of PCIe’s bountiful bandwidth to create blisteringly fast SSDs that blow SATA-based drives out of the water. Check out PCWorld’s “Everything you need to know about NVMe” for a nitty-gritty deep-dive.
4. M.2: This is where things get tricky. Many people assume M.2 drives all use NVMe technology and PCIe speeds, but that’s not true. M.2 is just a form factor. Sure, most M.2 SSDs use NVMe, but some still stick to SATA. Do your homework. Many modern Ultrabooks rely on M.2 for storage.
5. U.2 and mSATA: You may also stumble across mSATA and U.2 SSDs, but both motherboard support and product availability are rare for those formats. Some older Ultrabooks included mSATA before M.2 became popular, and drives are still available if you need them.

Speed matters, of course, but as we said most modern SSDs saturate the SATA III interface. Not all of them, though.

SSDs vs. hard drives

Do you need an SSD? “Need” is a strong word, but we heartily recommend that everyone upgrade to an SSD. Solid-state drive speeds blow even the fastest mechanical hard drives out of the water. Simply swapping out the hard drive in your old laptop or desktop for an SSD can make it feel like a whole new system—and a blazing-fast one at that. Buying an SSD is easily the best upgrade you can make for a computer.

SSDs cost more per gigabyte than mechanical hard drives, though, and thus aren’t often available in ultra-high capacities. If you want speed and storage space, you can buy an SSD with limited space and use it as your boot drive, then set up a traditional hard drive as secondary storage in your PC. Place your programs on your boot drive, stash your media and other files on the hard drive, and you’re ready to have your cake and eat it too.

How we test SSDs

Drive tests currently utilize Windows 11 (22H2) 64-bit running on an X790 (PCIe 5.0) motherboard/i5-12400 CPU combo with two Kingston Fury 32GB DDR5 modules (64GB of memory total). Intel integrated graphics are used. The 48GB transfer tests utilize an ImDisk RAM disk taking up 58GB of the 64GB total memory. The 450GB file is transferred from a Samsung 990 Pro 2TB, which also contains the operating system.

Each test is performed on a newly formatted and TRIM’d drive so the results are optimal. Note that as any drive fills up, performance will decrease due to less NAND for secondary caching, and other factors.

The performance numbers shown apply only to the drive we were shipped as well as the capacity tested. SSD performance can vary by capacity due to more or fewer chips to read/write across and the amount of NAND available for secondary caching (writing TLC/QLC as SLC). Vendors also occasionally swap components. If you ever notice a large discrepancy between the performance you experience and that which we report (systems being roughly equal), by all means—let us know.

Whether you’re looking for a productivity desktop, a gaming PC powerhouse, or a stylish all-in-one Windows machine, we’ve got you covered. The team at PCWorld sort through all of the daily computer sales and put together a curated list of the best deals available. But not all deals are really deals, so we only choose those offered by reputable companies and that include great hardware to ensure you get the best value for your money.

We’ve also included some helpful answers to common questions about buying a computer at the bottom of this article. If you’re considering a laptop instead, be sure to check out our best laptop deals, updated daily.

Note: Tech deals come and go quickly, so it’s possible some of these computer discounts will have expired before this article’s next update.

Best gaming desktop computer deals

• Alienware Aurora R16, Core i7/RTX 4070 Super/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,499.99 (21% off on Dell)
• CLX SET Gaming Desktop, Ryzen 7/RTX 4080 Super/32GB RAM/2TB SSD/6TB HDD, $3,199.99 (18% off on BestBuy)
• PowerSpec G518, Ryzen 7/RTX 4060/32GB RAM/1TB SSD, $999.99 (20% off on MicroCenter)
• Legion Tower 5, Ryzen 7/RTX 4070 Super/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,449.99 (30% off on Lenovo)
• Legion Tower 7i, Core i9/RTX 4080 Super/32GB RAM/1TB SSD, $2,267.99 (28% off on Lenovo)
• Acer Predator Orion, Core i7/RTX 4070/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,279.99 (23% off on Newegg)
• ABS Cyclone Aqua, Core i5/RTX 4060 Ti/32GB RAM/1TB SSD, $929.99 (15% off on Newegg)

My top picks:

Dell is offering a super deal on its midrange Alienware Aurora R16 for $400 off on its website during its Summer Sale event. The Core i7-14700F CPU and RTX 4070 Super GPU should help you conquer modern games at high settings with good frame rates. Plus the redesigned Alienware R16 chassis provides much better airflow than previous generations.

If you’re in the market for a top-of-the-line gaming rig then the CLX SET Gaming Desktop on sale for $700 off on BestBuy is the deal to get. It comes loaded with a powerhouse Ryzen 7 7800X3D CPU, an RTX 4080 Super GPU, and a massive 8TB of onboard storage. With so much storage and firepower, it could easily double as a great content creation machine as well.

Best mainstream desktop computer deals

• IdeaCentre Mini, Core i5/8GB RAM/512GB SSD, $499.99 (23% off on Lenovo)
• HP Pavilion Desktop, Core i7/16GB RAM/512GB SSD/2TB HDD, $679.99 (32% off on HP)
• Inspiron Desktop, Core i7/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $749.99 (17% off on Dell)
• Apple Mac Mini 2023, M2/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $1,199.00 (8% off on Amazon)

My top picks:

Those looking for a mini-PC are in luck as the excellent IdeaCentre Mini is $150 off on Lenovo’s website. The IdeaCentre is one of the best small form-factor PCs on the market and this particular model impresses thanks to its Intel Core i5-13500H processor and 8GB of RAM. At a price that is cheaper than a mainstream desktop with the same specs and with a much smaller footprint, you can’t go wrong.

If you’re more of a Mac fan, then there is a rare deal on an M2 Mac Mini for $100 off on Amazon. The M2 is still a solid CPU and considering, if rumors are true, the M4 Mac Mini isn’t set to be released until later this year, it’s the perfect time to buy the older version at a discount — you’ll still get a great mini desktop without the exorbitant price of a new-gen Apple product.

Best all-in-one computer deals

All-in-one desktop computers combine a PC’s hardware with a modern display to make a desktop computer that has both form and function. Since everything is built together, you can save precious desktop space with an all-in-one. They make capable work computers and they can also be excellent home computers with the wide range of features appealing to the whole family.

• Inspiron 24 AiO, Core i5, 8GB RAM/512GB SSD/24-inch 1080p display, $649.99 (13% off on Dell)
• Acer Aspire C24-1300, Ryzen 5/8GB RAM/512GB SSD/24-inch 1080p display, $499.00 (27% off on Amazon)
• HP Envy AiO 34, Core i7/RTX 3060/16GB RAM/1TB SSD/34-inch 5K display, $1,799.99 (23% off on HP)
• iMac M3 2023, M3/8GB RAM/256GB SSD/24-inch 5K display, $1,199.00 (8% off on Amazon)

My top picks:

Dell continues its great offers this week with its Inspiron 24 AiO for $100 off on its website. It features a respectable Intel Core i5-1334U processor and decent amount of onboard storage—especially for an all-in-one at this price. Good performance features and a functional screen make this a great option for anyone looking for a budget AiO.

Alternatively, you could go big with the HP Envy AiO 34 deal for $550 off on HP. The flagship all-in-one from HP is an absolute beauty with tons of screen real-estate thanks to its 34-inch 5K display. Plus, it even comes with an RTX 3060 discrete graphics card — unheard of in an all-in-one computer.

Torrenting, or P2P (peer-to-peer) file sharing, is a convenient way to download large files quickly. But it certainly isn’t without risks. Not only are there security risks involved in downloading files from unknown sources, but there’s a privacy risk as well. That’s why it’s imperative that you use a VPN while doing any torrenting or P2P file sharing. A VPN can help keep you safe by keeping your connection private and encrypting your data so that unwanted prying eyes — cybercriminals, overbearing ISPs, or nosy government watchdogs — can’t keep tabs on your activity.

There are so many VPNs on the market nowadays that finding a trustworthy service can seem like a herculean task. Here at PCWorld, I’m continually testing and reviewing VPN services to find the very best. Below you’ll find a list of my favorites that support P2P and torrenting. I have broken them down into categories ranging from privacy superstars to all-purpose standouts.

Why you should trust me: Here at PCWorld we’ve been testing computer hardware, software, and services since the 1980s. As PCWorld’s primary VPN reviewer, I’m continually testing all of the major VPNs on the market and many lesser-known services in order to curate a list of the very best VPNs across a variety of categories. For a more in-depth guide on my testing process, see this article on how we test VPN services at PCWorld. Below you’ll find my favorite VPNs and additional information about how I test these services as well as helpful advice about what to look for when choosing a VPN on your own.

If you’re interested in using a VPN for more than just torrenting you can check out my overall list of best VPN services for more great options.

Updated June 25, 2024: Check out my latest review of Windscribe Pro VPN. With good speeds and a solid free version, this easy-to-use VPN is a decent option if you’re looking to torrent — just be aware of the free version’s data cap.

NordVPN – Best VPN for torrenting overall

Pros

• Loaded with tons of VPN configuration options
• Outstanding speeds
• Multiple independent no-logs audits
• Included antivirus and password manager

Cons

• Expensive

Why I like NordVPN

NordVPN is my top pick for torrenting due to its fantastic security features, multi-hop connections, and independently verified no-logs policy. Plus, it comes with built-in ad- and tracker-blocker as well as malware protection and a link checker — you know, for any of those dubious Linux torrenting sites you might run into. NordVPN also proved to be the fastest VPN on the market in my testing, so those large P2P files should download in no-time.

It truly has everything you could want to make your torrenting faster, easier, and most importantly, safer. NordVPN also comes with broad device support and an easy-to-use Windows app. It might be a bit expensive, but if you opt for longer-term subscriptions it becomes a lot cheaper.

Who should buy NordVPN

NordVPN is the perfect VPN for torrenting and anyone who is looking for a VPN for this purpose would do well to subscribe to the service. It’s also a great overall VPN option for people who want speed and extra features. Even power users will find plenty of customizable options to get the most out of their experience.

Read our full NordVPN review

ExpressVPN – Best VPN for torrenting runner-up

Pros

• Excellent speeds
• Easy-to-use interface
• Unblocks all streaming services
• Great security and privacy practices

Cons

• More expensive than many competitors
• Light on some features for a top VPN

Why I like ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN is my favorite VPN so it’s no surprise that it’s landing as one of my top picks for torrents as well. Even though it’s my best overall pick for VPNs, I give it the runner-up spot here as NordVPN comes with a few more security features than ExpressVPN — I say, the more security the better when torrenting.

However, ExpressVPN is still an excellent VPN choice for torrenting as it makes all of the right privacy promises and its speeds are very good. It also has a lot of other good qualities that make it worth your while, such as smart DNS and great unblocking capabilities. Also, ExpressVPN is officially based in the British Virgin Islands meaning it isn’t subject to any international data intelligence sharing alliances or data retention requirements so you can feel confident your ISP or other interested parties can’t uncover your traffic P2P activity.

Who should buy ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN is a true all-arounder and a great option for everyone. Since it’s my top pick overall for VPNs, I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants a VPN for more than just torrenting — especially if they also want to do streaming.

Read our full ExpressVPN review

ProtonVPN – Best free option

Pros

• Excellent free plan
• Great privacy tools
• Reliable and transparent no-logs policy

Cons

• Premium plan is expensive

Why I like ProtonVPN

My pick for best free VPN for torrenting is a no-brainer: ProtonVPN. At no cost, you’ll get a one-device connection with no data or time limits. I repeat, no data or time limits. That’s absolutely unheard of from a major VPN provider and it means you can safely torrent to your heart’s content without worrying about your file sizes. Sure, the free version of ProtonVPN comes with access to only five servers, but when you’re torrenting, the server location shouldn’t matter anyways.

ProtonVPN also has some of the fastest speeds around, both upstream and down, which is helpful when you want to spread the Open Office love as quickly as possible. The Swiss-based service has excellent privacy promises, and it has a bunch of servers in a friggin’ bunker too — looking at you, torrenting preppers.

Who should use ProtonVPN

Anyone who wants to torrent should use a VPN and anyone who doesn’t want, or have the means, to pay for a premium VPN should use ProtonVPN instead. It’s free and has no data limits. I call that a win-win.

Read our full ProtonVPN review

Mullvad – Best for privacy

Pros

• Good speeds
• Higher level of anonymity possible than with most VPN services
• Windows desktop is easy to use

Cons

• Not guaranteed to work with Netflix
• Lacks the extra services that some VPNs offer
• No password protection for your account

Best Prices Today: $5.37 at Mullvad

Why I like Mullvad

Mullvad is the ultimate VPN when it comes to privacy and anonymity. The Sweden-based company appreciates your business, but it’s not interested in finding out who you are. It goes well beyond the standards of most other VPN companies when it comes to protecting your anonymity. Instead of using an email and password combo, Mullvad randomly generates an account number that functions as your username and password. And you can even decide to mail in cash as a subscription payment if you don’t want your credit card on file.

While Mullvad focuses on privacy, it’s no slouch in other departments as well. It ranks in the top 10 for speeds, and comes with a convenient split-tunneling feature as well. All servers are capable of P2P transfers so you can just pick your favorite server and start torrenting. Plus, the service has a very inexpensive monthly subscription fee.

Who should buy Mullvad

Mullvad is ultimately for the privacy-conscious user. Those who really demand ultimate anonymity when torrenting or just using a VPN in general will find that Mullvad takes active measure to ensure they never know who you are — meaning no other observer will know who you are either. Due to its affordable monthly plan it’s also a great option for VPN users on a budget.

Read our full Mullvad review

Private Internet Access – Best for customization

Pros

• Independently verified no-logs policy
• Unlimited simultaneous device connections
• Incredible number of servers
• Great extra features such as multi-hop and split tunneling

Cons

• App panel awkwardly located on the lower-right corner of screen by default
• Speeds are just okay

Best Prices Today: $11.95 at Private Internet Access

Why I like Private Internet Access

Private Internet Access (PIA) is one of the most popular VPN providers and has seemingly been around forever. PIA not only comes with an insane amount of servers, but also great features such as multi-hop, an app-based kill switch, and split tunneling. All servers are capable of P2P file transfers, and features like port forwarding mean your torrenting will be faster and more reliable.

PIA also has a great record of transparency, regularly undergoing independent no-logs audits. It does lack some speed in comparison to other top picks here, but that shouldn’t translate to too much of a hit while torrenting.

Who should buy Private Internet Access

PIA is best suited for those who like to tinker with their software. It provides so many customizable features that it can come across as a bit overwhelming to the uninitiated and those just looking for a set-it and forget-it option. But power users will find a plethora of tweakable options and settings to keep them happy through all of their torrenting endeavors.

Read our full Private Internet Access review

How I tested

If you’ve read a number of these VPN articles, you know the drill by now. I test on three different days taking the average speeds I find in six different countries (each country is tested multiple times per day). Then I take all those daily averages to get an overall global average in megabytes per second. Then I compare that to the base speed without a VPN, and then express the result as a percentage based on how much of the base speed the global average maintains. If there are particularly standout speeds in a certain country or region I will generally call those out too.

The reason I don’t quote specific speeds is that these can vary by all kinds of factors such as your location, ISP, home network load and equipment, and so on. The percentages, however, give you a generally good idea of how much of a dip to expect when you connect to a VPN — there’s always a dip.

One other factor torrent users will want to know about is that I read the privacy policy for each and every VPN I cover. Yes, it is painful to do, so I save you the hassle. The reason I do that is a VPN may promise up front that it doesn’t track your web browsing, but then you find that actually it does log IP addresses, timestamps, and bandwidth used. So I dig into the details so you can know exactly what the VPNs I review promise.

What to look for in a VPN for torrenting

There are a few hard-and-fast rules you need from a VPN when downloading torrents. Here’s what to look for:

Blocking

First of all you want a VPN service provider that allows torrenting of P2P file sharing on their network. Most do, but there are a few notable exceptions such as Tunnel Bear, which actively blocks torrents.

Then there are VPNs that partially block torrents, especially on U.S. servers such as TorGuard. This VPN service recently settled a lawsuit brought against it by a consortium of Hollywood production companies and as a result, TorGuard promised to no longer allow torrents on its U.S. servers. On top of that, many other VPN services don’t want to end up in a lawsuit like their competitors and actively disallow torrenting on their American servers.

Service location

For that reason, I recommend using VPN services that are based outside the U.S., and from those VPNs you should use servers based in countries that are friendlier to torrents. This avoids the issue of dealing with torrents being blocked outright when all you want to do is load up Ubuntu on that new laptop. Most VPN services will specify which servers allow torrents, but a popular and easy choice is Sweden. The speeds are usually good, and most services include Swedish servers in their networks along with many other countries that are torrent-friendly.

No-logs policy

The next thing you want is a VPN that has an ironclad no-logs promise from the service provider, because nobody wants to be exposed downloading free and open source software. That means that the service should include a promise not to maintain logs of any kind.

I say “promise” since there’s no real way to know for sure that a VPN isn’t logging your activity. You ultimately have to trust that it’s not doing it. This trust can come from a few factors, in order of reputability: The company’s no-logs promise has been proven by a court challenge, numerous third-party audits have verified the service’s claims, or you might just take the company at its word proceed with caution.

Speed

Finally, after those details have been verified, you want a VPN with solid speeds. Torrents can take a long time to download as it is, depending on how many people are sharing the file. The last thing you want is to see your download slowed down by shoddy VPN speeds.

To get the VPN you need for torrenting, just put all those attributes together: allows torrents, absolute no-logs promise, torrent-friendly services and servers outside the U.S., and excellent speeds.

VPNs aren’t just useful for keeping your online activities private and safe, they’re also a great way to bypass restrictions on streaming content in different countries. The top VPN providers continue to outsmart streaming providers in a never-ending cat-and-mouse game, ensuring that you always have access to your favorite content no matter where you are.

Given the severe restrictions that services such as Netflix put in place against VPNs, you need to choose a service that has active compatibility with streaming sites. It’s also a good idea to choose a VPN with a generous overall server spread so that if one server is down, there are other options available in the same country. I’ve thoroughly tested the top VPNs on the market to see how they fare at unblocking the top streaming sites and curated my recommended favorites in the list below.

Why you should trust us: Here at PCWorld we’ve been testing computer hardware, software, and services since the 1980s. We’re continually testing all of the major VPNs on the market and many lesser-known services in order to curate a list of the very best VPNs across a variety of categories. For a more in-depth guide, you can check out our article on how we test VPN services at PCWorld. Below you’ll find our favorite VPNs, and below those, helpful advice about what to look for when choosing a VPN on your own.

I highly recommend that you use a VPN not only to access location-restricted content, but also to provide one of the best possible upgrades to your online security. So, if you’re looking to use your VPN for more than streaming, be sure to check out our comprehensive roundup of the best VPNs in all categories.

Updated June 20, 2024: Check out my latest review of Windscribe Pro VPN. Offering both solid premium and free plans, this VPN might be on the smaller side, but it continues to impress in a big way.

NordVPN – Best overall for Netflix

Pros

• Loaded with tons of VPN configuration options
• Outstanding speeds
• Multiple independent no-logs audits
• Included antivirus and password manager

Cons

• Expensive

Why I like NordVPN

For my money, the best option for streaming Netflix is NordVPN. From the very beginning, it has been challenging the Netflix VPN ban. It’s also had a goal of making all of its servers work with the streaming service. As of our latest review, Netflix works without a hitch on all servers tested. No matter which Netflix catalog you want, NordVPN promises to deliver it.

NordVPN has more than 6,000 servers and offers locations in more than 110 countries around the world. It also allows you to choose your specific server so that you can switch around if you need to if Netflix’s ban hammer ever comes down.

In addition to top-notch speeds and Netflix compatibility, NordVPN offers multi-hop connections and Meshnet. NordVPN also uses the WireGuard protocol by default, though it has made some modifications to make WireGuard friendlier and more private for commercial VPN services and thus calls its protocol NordLynx.

For both download and upload speeds, NordVPN is the undisputed fastest VPN overall, and with the company’s success rate of averting bans, it should have no trouble streaming Netflix anywhere in the world.

Who should buy NordVPN

Simply put, everyone looking to use a VPN with streaming services such as Netflix can, and probably should, use NordVPN — it’s really that good for streaming. Between its consistently good speeds and history of successful unblocking, I think NordVPN can’t be beat.

Read our full NordVPN review

ExpressVPN – Best runner-up for Netflix

Pros

• Excellent speeds
• Easy-to-use interface
• Unblocks all streaming services
• Great security and privacy practices

Cons

• More expensive than many competitors
• Light on some features for a top VPN

Why I like ExpressVPN

If NordVPN isn’t your style, my top-pick VPN overall, ExpressVPN, is also an excellent choice. ExpressVPN offers more than 3,000 servers in 105 countries. It also promises that Netflix will work with every server it has, and ExpressVPN offers good speeds. Express is on the pricier side at nearly $100 per year, compared to $60 for Nord. But the app is easy to use, the speeds are excellent, and it offers some nice extras such as a private DNS service that lets you set up an Apple TV or console for watching U.S. streaming services overseas.

Who should buy ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN is right up there with NordVPN as my recommendation for most people. Its great server spread means you’ll likely find a country to connect to no matter where you want to spoof your location. Also, as PCWorld’s top VPN overall, ExpressVPN will serve you just as well with non-streaming activities as it will unblocking Netflix.

Read our full ExpressVPN review

CyberGhost VPN – Best for server locations

Pros

• Consistently good speeds
• Easy-to-use desktop program
• Broad device support

Cons

• Logs data transfer amounts
• More expensive than many competitors

Why I like CyberGhost VPN

When using a VPN to stream Netflix or another service, having a large pool of servers to choose from is a huge benefit. This is because streaming services and VPN providers are in a constant cat-and-mouse game to try and restrict or maintain access. And if you want variety and options in the server locations from your VPN, then CyberGhost VPN has them in droves.

It offers a staggering 9,000+ servers for users to connect to — more than twice as many as ExpressVPN. These servers aren’t all concentrated in the U.S. or Europe either. They boast a server spread with 110 countries across all parts of the world. It even recommends optimized servers to users for various needs such as gaming, streaming, and torrenting. I did find that some of the servers were faster than others, with servers located in Europe having excellent speeds while servers in Asia not so much. But all-in-all, in my testing I found that the speeds were good enough to stream on any and all of CyberGhost’s servers.

Additionally, CyberGhost is an intuitive and easy-to-use Windows app with good functionality. It lacks some of the power user features that other VPNs on this list provide, but that shouldn’t be a deal breaker if you’re just looking to use the service to stream. Ultimately, CyberGhost is a straightforward and easy-to-use VPN service with an impressive number of server locations.

Who should buy CyberGhost VPN

If you’re looking for the greatest server spread with the most server locations to choose from then CyberGhost VPN is the ticket. For those who travel a lot or just need access to a wide-ranging server spread, CyberGhost is worth consideration.

Read our full CyberGhost review

Surfshark – Best for access with multiple devices

Pros

• Unlimited simultaneous device connections
• Works well with Netflix
• Built-in extras such as ad tracker and malware blocking
• Low price on long-term plans

Cons

• Indicators for ping or server load are not readily available
• Based in the Netherlands and subject to government data sharing requests

Why I like Surfshark VPN

Surfshark is another VPN that hits my top 10 for speeds, reaching 61 percent of the base speed in my latest tests. This makes Surfshark plenty fast enough for Netflix streaming. My testing also showed that Surfshark was able to not only unblock Netflix, but also any other major streaming service I tried — Amazon Prime, Max, Hulu, and more.

It also comes with ad- and malware-blocking features, double-hop connections, and, surprisingly, it offers unlimited simultaneous device connections as opposed to the usual five-device limit with most VPNs. The Surfshark app for Windows is also easy to use and if you opt for a two-year subscription, the price is incredibly affordable as well.

Who should buy Surfshark VPN

Since Surfshark offers unlimited simultaneous device connections, it’s ideal for users who want to securely access streaming platforms from multiple devices at the same time. This makes it a great option for families who frequently have all of their members watching shows on their own devices, or individuals who don’t mind sharing their VPN with friends or colleagues.

Read our full Surfshark review

ProtonVPN – Best for watching Netflix on a Mac

Pros

• Excellent free plan
• Great privacy tools
• Reliable and transparent no-logs policy

Cons

• Expensive

Why I like ProtonVPN

Another good recommendation is ProtonVPN, which is available at a similar price to ExpressVPN. Unlike NordVPN, however, Netflix doesn’t work on every single Netflix server. It works on a lot of the more than 4,800 servers, but not every single one. The one issue with Proton is that it can have trouble from time to time, where a stream will suddenly stop, especially if you’re watching while you work on the same PC. While these issues popped up on my Windows machine, I did not have the same issue on a Mac, where it ran smoothly the entire time.

Who should buy ProtonVPN

While we at PCWorld typically use Windows PCs, we understand that Mac users need VPN love as well. So if you’re rocking a macOS machine I think that Proton VPN is a great option. The VPN has one of the better macOS apps I’ve encountered and combined with its strong unblocking ability, this makes ProtonVPN a solid pick for Apple users looking to access streaming services.

Read our full ProtonVPN review

Why does Netflix block VPNs?

Netflix’s big expansion into pretty much every country on earth back in 2016 meant it had to get tough on VPNs. While Netflix produces a lot of its own content that it can make available worldwide, the company also licenses a ton of content from traditional entertainment studios.

These third parties are still working on a system of global territory licensing. Under this system, Netflix gets a package of movies and TV shows from these companies that it can show in the U.S., but that aren’t licensed to be shown by Netflix in, say, Europe. To keep those companies and their other international licensees happy, Netflix must enforce a block on VPNs to prevent people from getting content made available to Netflix subscribers in the UK, but not the U.S.

“We are making progress in licensing content across the world,” Netflix said in a 2016 blog post. “But we have a ways to go before we can offer people the same films and TV series everywhere.”

Netflix isn’t the only company that has to enforce these restrictions. Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, and others do it too. However, Netflix along with Hulu are easily the most active and effective at it.

What to look for in a VPN to access Netflix streaming

First, most people should not make speed the top consideration. The minimum recommended bandwidth for a 1080p Netflix stream is 5 megabits per second (Mbps). If you’re streaming in 4K it’s 15Mbps. Depending on your home internet speed, that should be doable with nearly all the top VPNs.

Instead, the first consideration should be the basic promise of Netflix compatibility from a reputable company. That’s the rub. Any old VPN can promise Netflix compatibility, but if there aren’t a lot of reviews about the service it may not be the real deal. Stick to well-known VPN services if you can.

Next, you need to consider how many servers are available for the service — especially the number in your target country. If you want Netflix Australia and the VPN only has two Australian servers, that could be a problem. Most of the popular VPN services list their server networks online so you can see how many servers are in each country.

Finally, make sure the VPN’s desktop app (and don’t forget about mobile) allows you to choose specific servers. Since this is a cat-and-mouse game with the streamers, you need a VPN with a number of servers in your desired Netflix country. That way if one server has been discovered by Netflix, it’s possible the others are still working. The fix for this then is easy — just switch servers.

How I tested

I judge VPNs on a variety of criteria including server network, connection speeds, privacy protections, ease-of-use, additional features, and cost. For a more detailed guide on how I test, check out PCWorld’s comprehensive guide on how we test VPN services.

Speed tests are kept as simple as possible. I average the connections between different global locations for any given VPN and then compare them to a baseline internet speed to get a good picture of the overall connection speeds. I thoroughly research and analyze the privacy policies and histories of each VPN and note any outstanding discrepancies or data collection issues.

In regards to unblocking capabilities, I connect to multiple servers around the world with each VPN and try to access content on all major streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, HBO Max, Hulu, Disney Plus, and more.

HMA VPN — aka Hide My Ass! — has seemingly been around forever. Founded in 2005, by a high-school tech wiz who just wanted to game at school, it has since grown into a successful premium VPN service.

HMA now offers a sprawling network of over 1,100 servers across 297 country locations. That’s a far cry from the single URL-based VPN it used to be. But can this old ass learn new tricks? I pin the tail on this VPN to see if it really does live up to its humorous name.

HMA VPN in brief:

• P2P allowed: Yes
• Simultaneous device connections: 5
• Business location: London, United Kingdom
• Number of servers: 1,100+
• Number of country locations: 297
• Cost: $11.99 per month or $59.88 for one year

Further reading: See our roundup of the best VPN services to learn about competing products.

What are HMA VPN’s features and services?

Sam Singleton

Sam Singleton

Sam Singleton

When you first open up HMA VPN you notice right off the bat how simple it all looks. That’s simple in a good way, I mean. There is a large on/off switch in the middle with another large button to choose your location. There is also an animated hipster-looking donkey at the top — it’s an ass for “Hide My Ass!”, get it? Clever. Anyways, that’s basically it. The whole app is extremely easy to use and straightforward. It’s a refreshing change of pace from the overly complicated interfaces of other VPNs that seem to want to bombard you with as much data as possible.

There is a More button that brings up a side menu with, as you guessed it, more info about your connection. This includes up and down data traffic and connection preferences for kill switches and the auto-connect feature.

Sam Singleton

Sam Singleton

Sam Singleton

Click on the gear icon at the top left of the home screen and it brings up the settings menu. Here is where simplicity turns into inadequacy. There aren’t many features to speak of, especially for a premium VPN that charges what HMA does.

You do get comprehensive kill switch functionality. There is both an overall kill switch to restrict all traffic to your device should your VPN connection cut-out, as well as an app kill switch to choose only specific apps to restrict after an unexpected disconnection.

Sam Singleton

Sam Singleton

Sam Singleton

Other advanced features are available on different OS platforms, as well. For example, Android users will have access to a split tunneling feature, which is unavailable for PC users. Split tunneling is a useful feature that allows you to designate which apps will use the VPN connection and which will stay separate. I’m surprised and a little frustrated that HMA only supports the feature for Android users, as most premium VPNs nowadays offer it for multiple platforms.

One unique feature that HMA does include is an IP shuffler. This periodically randomizes and changes your IP address so that it’s harder for anyone to track your location. I actually really like the idea of this extra security measure and used it without issue during my entire testing process. You can customize the randomization time periods from daily all the way down to 1 minute.

Despite these nifty extras, it does feel as if HMA VPN is lacking some key VPN features. The absence of multi-hop, ad- and tracker-blocking, and split tunneling for all platforms is a letdown. Also, power users will be disappointed that there aren’t more tweakable configuration options or things such as Smart DNS and dedicated IP.

In regards to servers, HMA VPN comes with a decent, if unexceptional 1,100 plus total servers. What’s quite nice, however, is the server country spread. It provides a mixture of physical and virtual servers across 297 country locations, spanning most of the world. So even if you’re a Gibraltarian wanting to connect to your home country, there’s a server for you. And if you happen to be the Pope, there’s a Vatican server for you, as well.

How much does HMA VPN cost?

HMA

HMA

HMA

HMA offers its VPN subscription in monthly, one-year, and three-year plans. The monthly plan starts at $11.99 per month, which is admittedly expensive for what you’re getting. Similarly priced top VPNs such as NordVPN ($12.99 per month) and ExpressVPN ($12.95 per month) give you much more in regards to extra features and OS availability.

However, switch to the annual plan for $59.88 per year, or $4.99 per month, and things become a lot more affordable — roughly in line with most other premium VPN services. If you decide to opt for the three-year plan it gets even cheaper at $107.64, or $2.99 per month. Three years is a long commitment though, especially in the fast-moving VPN market. If you just want to get your toes wet to see how you like HMA VPN, it does offer a 7-day free trial, as well.

It’s worth noting that all of these subscription prices come with five simultaneous device connections. If you wish for more, every subscription tier also offers the option for 10 connections for a little bit less than double the price.

Payments can be made with a credit card and PayPal.

How is HMA VPN’s performance?

When testing a VPN’s speeds I measure connection speeds across its servers in six different countries around the world and then compare them to my baseline internet speed.

HMA VPN’s speeds were passable. During the tests, HMA VPN was able to maintain 55 percent of the base download speed and 54 percent of the base upload speed. That puts it right in the middle of the pack, but well shy of the fastest VPNs.

I noticed that HMA’s speeds were markedly better for servers located physically closer to me than those further away. That may seem like an obvious outcome, but the differences were quite drastic. Servers in my same country maintained speeds well in excess of 80 percent of my base speeds while far-away servers in countries such as South Africa and Australia were dramatically slower — both countries’ servers clocked in below 20 percent of the base.

Of course, physical distance is just one of many factors that can lead to different speed outcomes. Others include: time of day, server load, server architecture, fluctuations in your own home connection, etc. It’s best to take not just these results, but all VPN speed results with a grain of salt. I simply include them here to help give some guideposts as to what you might expect. Overall, I believe that HMA’s speeds are just fine for most users.

When it comes to streaming, I can’t recommend HMA VPN as a good way to unblock geo-restricted content. I couldn’t get U.S. Netflix to work no matter how many different U.S. servers I tried. I was able to very occasionally access Disney Plus and Amazon Prime, but I had to dig around to find a server that worked. Other streaming services such as Hulu and HBO Max were all unsuccessful as well.

How is HMA VPN’s security and privacy?

HMA VPN uses industry-standard AES-256 encryption and the Windows app has access to the WireGuard, OpenVPN, and its own proprietary Mimic protocols. The Android app only comes with OpenVPN.

Sam Singleton

Sam Singleton

Sam Singleton

HMA’s Mimic protocol was developed by parent company Avast RSO (makers of the Avast antivirus software) as a way to bypass VPN restrictions. As the software is closed-source and I am not currently located in a country that has restricted internet usage, I couldn’t truly put it to the test. However, I always recommend WireGuard as my go-to protocol due to its open-source nature and excellent mix of speed and security.

When it comes to user privacy, HMA VPN has made huge strides in recent years. Prior to major updates to its privacy practices in 2019, HMA was criticized for dubiously storing user data such as IP address, connection timestamps, and some online activity. After the changes, the company switched to a no-logs policy, which it then backed up with an independent audit conducted by VerSprite a year later. 

That audit confirmed that HMA does not collect any data logs on users. According to the new privacy policy, it only keeps data regarding account information for billing and customer service purposes, approximate individual bandwidth usage to assist with network capacity improvements, and anonymous error reports.

While the switch over to a no-logs policy was a necessity, the independent audit was a welcomed addition. However, it has now been four years since that audit took place and I’d like to see the service undergo more regular audits in the future. Similarly, I’d like to see HMA VPN make the switch to RAM-only diskless servers, which are much safer and quickly becoming an industry standard among top VPNs.

HMA is owned by parent company Avast Group, and is headquartered in London, United Kingdom. The country unfortunately has mandatory data retention laws and is a member nation of multiple signals intelligence sharing agreements such as Five, Nine, and 14 Eyes alliances. Thankfully, the company’s no-logs policy mitigates the chance for user data to be collected by these governments.

Is HMA VPN worth it?

The rebranding to a more corporate sounding name doesn’t take away from the charm of the HMA VPN service. It has a well thought-out and friendly interface, making it quick and easy to get connected. There are also plenty of country locations to choose from and the speeds across most servers is above average.

The bones for a great VPN are here, but without meatier features such as split tunneling and multi-hop across all apps, it simply can’t compete against the best services such as ExpressVPN and NordVPN. Hopefully parent company Avast continues to improve upon this time-honored VPN service in the future.

Editor’s note: Because online services are often iterative, gaining new features and performance improvements over time, this review is subject to change in order to accurately reflect the current state of the service. Any changes to text or our final review verdict will be noted at the top of this article.

Over the past few years I’ve tested a good number of VPN services for the PC and compiled them into a list of the best VPN picks. But with each of these reviews I also do extensive VPN testing for Android apps. While some services are good on any platform, others particularly shine when used on Android devices, and I’ve curated a list of my favorites to help you find the best choice for your needs.

When determining what makes for a good VPN for Android, I consider several criteria. First, it’s crucial that it has full functionality on the OS. Also, since Wi-Fi can be inconsistent at times, I test these apps over multiple days to look at speed and consistency of service. Finally, I considered the Android app itself and its ease of use, as well as other things such as pricing and the number of simultaneous devices allowed per account. All of these factors help determine the very best Android VPNs indicated below.

Why you should trust me: PCWorld has been testing computer hardware, software, and services since the 1980s. I’m continually testing all of the major VPNs on the market and many lesser-known services in order to curate a list of the very best VPNs across a variety of categories. For a more in-depth guide, you can check out the article on how we test VPN services at PCWorld. Below you’ll find my favorite VPNs and additional information about how I test these services as well as helpful advice about what to look for when choosing a VPN for your Android device on your own.

Without further ado, here are my recommendations for the best VPNs for Android.

Updated June 20, 2024: Check out my latest review of Windscribe Pro VPN. Offering both solid premium and free plans for Android, this VPN might be on the smaller side, but it continues to impress in a big way.

NordVPN – Best VPN for Android overall

Pros

• Loaded with tons of VPN configuration options
• Outstanding speeds
• Multiple independent no-logs audits
• Included antivirus and password manager

Cons

• Expensive

Why I like NordVPN

NordVPN is easily one of the most popular VPN services around. The company offers over 110 country locations with 6,000+ servers. It also promises that its service will work with Netflix. While it doesn’t offer dedicated servers for this purpose, instead Netflix is just supposed to work no matter which server you’re on, and in our tests it always did.

Nord’s Android app is similar to the desktop app in that it has the same style of map that you can use to select a location. The rest of the app is very mobile friendly with a movable carousel of popular locations, and a full country list underneath. The Android app also supports Nord’s specialty servers for P2P file sharing, Meshnet, and multi-hop VPNs. NordVPN also offers top-notch security features with ad-blocking, malware protection, plus a new password manager and link checker as well.

NordVPN continues its great privacy track record with a fourth successful audit of its no-logs policy completed earlier this year. It’s a higher-priced VPN, but it’s also feature-filled, and fast. In our tests, Nord maintained nearly 72 percent of the base internet speed, which also makes it the fastest VPN on the market.

Who should buy NordVPN

Those who have an Android phone or other device and want a VPN should place NordVPN at the top of their list. Not only will you get the great overall features that come from a top service like NordVPN, but the Android app is also one of the most intuitive and easy-to-use I’ve ever seen.

Read our full NordVPN review

ExpressVPN – Best VPN for Android runner-up

Pros

• Very easy-to-use app
• Excellent speeds

Cons

• Logs data transfer amounts
• Higher-priced option

Why I like ExpressVPN

Combining ease of use with its excellent speeds, ExpressVPN is a great choice for everyone. In my tests, ExpressVPN maintained 72.14 percent of the base speed, which is excellent and earned it a spot among our very fastest VPNs. Switching locations is as easy as tapping on the tile underneath the on/off button at the top. When the VPN is not active the app background is red, and when the VPN is connected the background turns green.

ExpressVPN for Android also supports split tunneling, auto-connect, and a kill switch to help maintain privacy should the VPN connection drop.

This VPN is bit pricey and not quite as user friendly as NordVPN and that’s why it narrowly missed out on the top spot. Regardless it’s still a fantastic option and comes with wide support if you have other non-Android devices as well. Express VPN costs about $100 for the first 15 months for the multi-device subscription.

Who should buy ExpressVPN

As with NordVPN, I think that ExpressVPN is a top pick for just about everyone. And since ExpressVPN supports just about every device you can imagine, it’s a great option for those who rock many different devices with different operating systems and want to be protected on all of them.

Read our full ExpressVPN review

CyberGhost – Best Android VPN for rookies

Pros

• Easy-to-use interface
• Independently verified no-log policy
• Seriously impressive server spread

Cons

• Lacks some common features such as multi-hop and double VPN
• Server speeds are hit-or-miss, especially in Asia

Why I like CyberGhost VPN

Another good choice for newcomers is CyberGhost from Kape Technologies. This VPN has a very intuitive and friendly design. It has a simple on/off button at the top of the app, and underneath that is the tile where you can pick the country location. Tapping on the country location option takes you to a list where you can choose a connection based on the country, or you can choose a streaming location, or choose from your own favorites list. In my tests, CyberGhost maintained decent enough speeds to do most activities you would want with a VPN such as web browsing and streaming.

That’s about all there is to this app, which makes it an excellent option for first timers. For the full program CyberGhost charges $56.94 for a single year, or you can pay by the month for $12.99.

Who should buy CyberGhost VPN

VPN newbies and beginners will love how easy CyberGhost’s Android app is to use. Plus, the price is cheaper than some alternatives, which means you won’t have to worry about paying extra for niche features that you may never use.

Read our full CyberGhost VPN review

Mullvad – Best Android VPN for privacy

Pros

• Excellent privacy measures
• Best option for pseudo-anonymity

Cons

• Not as many extra features as other options
• Not guaranteed to work with Netflix

Why I like Mullvad VPN

It’s no surprise to see Mullvad as our top choice for privacy. It’s simply unbeatable when it comes to staying as anonymous and private online as possible while using a VPN. Unlike most other services, Mullvad doesn’t even ask for your email address. Instead, it generates a random account number and then you use that to log in and pay for the service. The service will also accept cash, as well as Bitcoin, PayPal, and credit card, giving you an even wider number of options to stay as anonymous as possible.

Mullvad promises it won’t track your browsing habits (as all the services in this roundup do), and it has good speeds. In our tests, Mullvad for Android maintained around 57 percent of the base speed. That’s not as good as some of the other services, but it’s definitely good enough for most uses. Mullvad charges €5 per month, which at this writing was a little over $5.

Who should buy Mullvad VPN

If privacy is your number-one concern while using a VPN than you can’t go wrong with Mullvad. Your anonymity will remain intact from the time you sign up and pay for the service all the way through your time using the service. It may not have all of the fancy features of our top picks on this list, but you can rest assured your privacy will always be Mullvad’s top priority.

Read our full Mullvad review

ProtonVPN – Best VPN for privacy runner-up

Pros

• Excellent free plan
• Great privacy tools
• Reliable and transparent no-logs policy

Cons

• Expensive

Best Prices Today: Free at Google Play

Why I like ProtonVPN

If Mullvad isn’t your speed, then another solid choice for privacy is ProtonVPN. This service is just one part of a larger suite of services that includes ProtonMail, ProtonCalendar, and ProtonDrive. You don’t have to subscribe to everything since ProtonVPN is available as a standalone service, though a subscription to the premium plan also nets you access to ProtonDrive as well.

In our tests, ProtonVPN maintained around 57 percent of the base speed. It has a wide number of country choices, its privacy policy makes all the right promises, and it supports Netflix streaming, TOR over VPN, and P2P on most servers. It also offers multi-hop connections via its Secure Core feature — a welcomed extra layer of obfuscation for the privacy-conscious. ProtonVPN’s monthly subscriptions are on the high end at about $10 per month, but long-term subscription plans make it more affordable.

Who should buy ProtonVPN

ProtonVPN is another great option for the privacy-conscious. The only real difference between this and Mullvad VPN is that you will need to register with an email address and payments cannot be done in anonymous cash transactions. Apart from that though, ProtonVPN comes from a highly reputable company and does a superb job of protecting your anonymity and privacy.

Read our full ProtonVPN review

How I tested

I judge VPNs on a variety of criteria including server network, connection speeds, privacy protections, ease-of-use, additional features, and cost. For a more detailed guide on how I test, check out PCWorld’s guide on how we test VPN services. I take the same approach on Android as I do on Windows.

Speed tests are kept as simple as possible. I average the connections between different global locations for any given VPN and then compare them to a baseline internet speed to get a good picture of the overall connection speeds. I thoroughly research and analyze the privacy policies and histories of each VPN and note any outstanding discrepancies or data collection issues.

Experience and ease-of-use are subjective, but I try my best to give an accurate representation of how it feels to work with the VPN. And finally, I determine the value of the service based upon its price and additional features compared to the industry average to help you gain an accurate picture of what you’ll get for your money.

What to look for in a VPN for Android

One of the first things you should look for when shopping around for a VPN is the number of servers and locations. It’s difficult to judge any VPN by just one feature, but a semi-reliable way to tell if a VPN is even worth your time is to look at the server network. Anything with 1,000 or more servers and 30 or more country locations will do.

The next thing to consider is a VPN’s speed. This may be tricky to do since you aren’t likely to be able to test connection speeds without paying to use the service. Reading reviews online will give you a general estimate. Look for reviews, like ours, that give you a relative average of connection speeds rather than direct Mbps speed comparisons.

You’ll also want to read up on a VPN’s privacy protections. Does it have a no-logs policy? Has it undergone any independent audits of its servers? Where is the VPN company located? All of these will give you an idea of whether or not a VPN is transparent with its data collection policies and if it’s subject to government data sharing requirements.

Other factors you’ll want to take into consideration are the overall ease-of-use, user experience, and any additional features. Some of these features, such as split-tunneling and kill switches, can be extremely useful for certain purposes and might sway your subscription decision one way or the other.

Finally, as with all subscription services, you’ll want to review the price of a VPN service. Do you want a monthly or yearly subscription? Some top VPNs might be pricey month-to-month, but actually become quite affordable with long-term plans.

That’s it for this roundup of the top Android VPNs. If you want to take a look at more VPN services check out PCWorld’s best VPN roundup. While the reviews are focused on PC, almost all of the services I’ve covered offer an Android app as well.

Video editing can put quite a heavy burden on any computer. So, when shopping for a laptop for video editing, you’ll want to make sure you’re loading up on enough heavy hardware firepower to get the job done. While you might not need the absolute top-of-the-line gear, simply buying a gaming laptop and calling it a day is probably not going to cut it. Beyond just processor and graphics performance, serious video editors need to take into account a few things such as the quality of the display, port selection, and onboard storage capacity.

Why you should trust us: PCWorld has been covering PCs since 1983, and reviews more than 70 notebooks a year in our never-ending quest to find the best laptops. Our expert reviewers evaluate every machine using a combination of performance benchmarks and rigorous usability standards, with an eye toward identifying the best laptops for specific needs and at various price points. We also edit lots of videos ourselves, with the results appearing on PCWorld’s YouTube channel. Take a look at our top picks for video editing below, followed by buying advice and more details about our testing process.

If you’re on a budget or just looking to save some money, you may also want to check out our daily roundup of the best laptop deals to scope out any discounts on content creation notebooks.

Update June 20, 2024: In addition to updating the list of recent laptop reviews, we’ve also replaced the Best Ultraportable for Video Editing pick with the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 ($1,599.99). It’s far less expensive than our former pick and it’s lightweight and has a wide range of connectivity options.

The best laptops for video editing

Dell XPS 17 (2023) – Best laptop for video editing

Pros

• Expansive 17-inch 16:10 display
• Thin chassis
• Incredible battery life

Cons

• Expensive
• 720p webcam

Why we like the Dell XPS 17 (2023)

The Dell XPS 17 (2023) is a fantastic laptop for content creation because it has a gigantic display and a good amount of graphics firepower. The OLED touch display, which measures a massive 17-inches, features a crystal clear resolution of 3840×2400 and a maximum brightness of 550 nits. It’s perfect for media editing, multitasking, and so much more. The machine is also powered by an Intel Core i7-13700H CPU and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070, which means it’s more than capable of handling any video editing you throw at it. The specific configuration we reviewed will cost you well over $3,000, so it’s likely not a viable option for the budget-conscious, but if your time is money, the Dell XPS 17 is money very well spent.

Who should buy the Dell XPS 17 (2023)

We feel the Dell XPS 17 is a phenomenal option for serious or professional video editors. The 4K screen is divine and it has the perfect amount of horsepower as far as internal components go. It also includes an SD card reader and multiple Thunderbolt 4 ports for quickly offloading videos or photos. Finally, the Dell XPS 17 can run up to 11 hours on a single charge, eliminating the need to go outlet hunting. Although we would’ve liked to have seen this model with an OLED screen, it’s still a top-notch pick.

Alternative option: The Dell XPS 16 is another good option for content creators. In fact, the hardware is almost identical to our top pick. The only real difference is that the Dell XPS 16 has an OLED screen and the Dell XPS 17 9730 does not. That said, the Dell XPS 16 didn’t make the cut because it doesn’t have as many Thunderbolt 4 ports and the keyboard is a real headache to use due to stiff keys.

Read our full Dell XPS 17 9730 review

Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra – Best laptop for video editing (if you don't need 4K)

Pros

• Fantastic battery life
• Solid GPU performance
• Gorgeous OLED screen that can be used outdoors
• Great audio
• AI-powered Core Ultra inside

Cons

• Chargers keep getting bigger
• Still not a great keyboard

Best Prices Today: $2999.99 at Best Buy

Why we like the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra

The Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra offers powerful performance as well as a gorgeous OLED display. Thanks to the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H CPU and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 GPU, it’s well equipped to handle any video editing task you throw at it. Plus, the 16-inch OLED display has a resolution of 2880×1800 and a refresh rate of 120Hz–so you can expect a crisp-looking picture with rich colors. Sure, it’s not 4K, but it’s still a fantastic screen for content creation. Battery life is absolutely absurd, too. This machine lasted a whopping 18 hours and 54 minutes on a single charge. Wall outlet? Who is she?

Who should buy the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra

Anyone looking for a powerful, long-lasting laptop and doesn’t need to edit 4K videos. In addition to the stunning OLED display and the long battery life, the audio is also quite punchy, sounding great up and down the audio range. If you switch on the Dolby Atmos feature, you’ll hear even richer sound. Though content creators may not necessarily need good audio (or likely use dedicated headphones), it’s still a nice perk.

Read our full Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra review

Apple MacBook Pro (M3, Pro) – Best MacBook for video editing

Pros

• Good performance
• 18GB of RAM
• Runs quiet

Cons

• Low performance advantage over M2 Pro

Best Prices Today: $1999 at Adorama$1999 at Apple$1999 at Best Buy

Why we like the Apple MacBook Pro (M3, Pro)

The Apple MacBook Pro (M3, Pro) will kick you in the teeth with its power (in the best way possible). Inside, you’ll find a 14-core GPU as well as 18GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD storage. That amount of RAM will keep things running nice and smooth while the beefy GPU will chew right through any intense edits, though intense video editors will want to upgrade to a model with more storage or invest in an external SSD for added capacity. The 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display also has a ridiculously high resolution of 3024×1964, so editing should be a delightful experience. It even comes with three Thunderbolt 4 ports for speedy data transfers.

Who should buy the Apple MacBook Pro (M3, Pro)

Anyone who prefers Apple’s ecosystem. This configuration shows a 44 percent increase in performance (according to Geekbench’s Compute Metal test) compared to the M3 (sans Pro) model. You’ll also be able to see every detail of your photo or video editing work thanks to the gorgeous Liquid Retina XDR display. Battery life isn’t too shabby, either. The M3 Pro MacBook Pro will last you over ten hours on a single charge, which is more than a full work day.

Alternative option: If you’re looking for a bigger screen, then you should check out the MacBook Pro, M2 Pro. The Liquid Retina XDR display measures 16.2-inches and has a resolution of 3456×2234, so visuals should be sharp as knives. The M2 Pro also comes loaded with a powerful 19-core GPU.

Read our full Apple 14-inch MacBook Pro (M3 Pro, 2023) review

Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition – Best budget laptop for video editing

Pros

• All-day battery life
• Stunning display
• Durable build

Cons

• 720p webcam
• Keys feel too soft

Why we like the Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition

The Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition is a good option for those on a tight budget, as it ticks off all of the right boxes for a sub-$1,000 machine. For one, colors appear rich and varied on the 16-inch 1200p FHD display. Sure, it’s not 4K, but it’s still a good screen–our reviewer was surprised by the “depth of the blacks and greys.” As for internals, the AMD Radeon RX 7600S GPU and the AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS CPU should blitz right through graphically demanding tasks like video editing. It also lasted a whopping 11 hours on a single charge, which is shocking for a gaming laptop.

Who should buy the Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition

Anyone who’s looking to save money on a capable and long-lasting laptop. You don’t have to go outlet hunting because of the long battery life and the 1200p display offers nothing but stunning visuals. While the keys feel a bit mushy and the 720p webcam won’t be doing you any favors on video calls, we feel as though the pros far outweigh the cons, especially given the reasonable price point.

Alternative option: The Lenovo LOQ 15 is another good budget option to consider. It has a better GPU (RTX 4060) than our current top pick. Despite the high star rating, it didn’t end up making the cut because of the poor battery life (not unusual in a gaming laptop) and limited connectivity options. The Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition just stands out from the pack, especially where battery life is concerned, but the Lenovo LOQ would be a good budget option if your workflow is accelerated by Nvidia features and technology.

Read our full Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition review

Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 – Best ultraportable laptop for video editing

Pros

• Very light and compact design
• Excellent performance for its size
• Robust build
• Visually stunning display

Cons

• Keys feel soft and mushy
• The webcam isn't the best quality
• The downward facing woofers sometimes sound muddy

Best Prices Today: $1599.99 at Best Buy$2499 at Asus

Why we like the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14

The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is “exceptionally sleek and compact,” according to our comprehensive review. Not only does it tip the scales at just 3.31 pounds, but you can easily pick it up with an index finger and a thumb. The slim form factor is impressive given the hardware inside, which consists of an AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS CPU and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU. That means it’s powerful enough to handle editing photos in Adobe Photoshop and playing games with the graphics turned up. The connectivity options are also quite good and the OLED screen has a high resolution of 2880×1800. It’s not 4K, but you can still expect a sharp picture. The port selection includes two USB-A 3.2 Gen 2, one USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, one USB-C 4, one HDMI, one 3.5mm combo jack, and one microSD card reader.

Who should buy the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14

Anyone that likes to work on-the-go. In addition to its slim form factor, it’s also quite tough with “premium CNC-milled aluminum alloy” throughout the chassis. It even achieved impressive frame rates in a couple of modern games. In fact, it managed 133 frames-per-second during the Shadow of the Tomb Raider benchmark and 101 frames-per-second during Rise of the Tomb Raider benchmark, which is newer and more demanding. If you’re looking for reliable gaming performance in a tiny package, look no further than the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14.

Read our full Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 review

Recent laptop reviews

• Acer Aspire Vero 16: The Acer Aspire Vero 16 is pretty average in most areas, but at just about every turn it avoids being bad. This makes for a good all-around package that’s pleasant to use and rarely feels like a letdown.
• Lenovo ThinkPad X1 2-in-1: Lenovo delivered a 2-in-1 ThinkPad with great build quality, a nice pen, and serious battery life. But you may want to wait for a next-generation model powered by Intel’s Lunar Lake hardware.
• Acer Chromebook Plus 514: Acer’s Chromebook Plus 514 is a decent budget Chromebook that beats competitors on RAM and storage.
• Lenovo ThinkBook 13x: Lenovo’s ThinkBook is a better business laptop for most people than a top-of-the-line ThinkPad, but the lack of ports may be a problem.

How we tested

The PCWorld team puts each and every Windows laptop through a series of benchmarks that test GPU and CPU performance, battery life, and so on. The idea is to push the laptop to its limits and then compare it against others we’ve tested. Chromebooks, on the other hand, go through a series of web-based tests. It wouldn’t be fair or possible to run the same kinds of tests on a Chromebook, as they’re Chrome OS-based machines.

Below, you’ll find a breakdown of each test and the reasons why we run them. For a much deeper look at our review methodology, check out how PCWorld tests laptops.

Windows laptops

• PCMark 10: PCMark 10 is how we determine how well the laptop handles lighter tasks like web browsing, word processing, spreadsheets, and so on.
• HandBrake: HandBrake is more intensive than PCMark 10. It basically measures how long a laptop’s CPU takes to encode a beefy 30GB file.
• Cinebench: Cinebench is a brief stress test of the CPU cores. It does this by rendering a 2D scene over a short period of time.
• 3DMark: 3DMark checks if 3D performance remains consistent over time by running graphic-intensive clips.
• Video rundown test: To gauge battery life, we loop a 4K video using Windows 10’s Movies & TV app until the laptop dies.

Picture this, you’ve settled down to enjoy your favorite adult content, but before you can click play, you’re asked to provide multiple pictures of yourself and your official ID, all in good lighting with the documents clearly visible. Then you must upload all of this and pass it through an age verification system.  

This is the new reality for many in the U.S. after certain states passed age verification laws for adult websites. In March of this year, the adult site PornHub went dark in Texas to protest new laws imposed by the state requiring just such verifications.

This July, Pornhub is set to block access to five more states, including Indiana, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, and Nebraska—all in response to new age verification laws. Fortunately, even if you live in one of these states, getting around site-specific geographical restrictions is easy enough with the right VPN. Below you’ll find more info about these new laws, how to use a VPN to access mature content, and why you should use a VPN no matter what websites you visit.

What are age verification laws and why do they matter?

AndrewFall/Shutterstock.com

AndrewFall/Shutterstock.com

AndrewFall/Shutterstock.com

In recent years, age verification laws have emerged in response to a growing concern that minors can too easily access adult content online. Regulations have long struggled to keep up with the rapid pace of technology and this is seen as a belated response to the current widespread availability of online pornography.

Porn and other adult content have been labeled by some as a public health crisis, with increasing rates of porn addiction and other negative psychological impacts seen as a concerning consequence, particularly to the younger generations.

It’s always been illegal for minors to visit a porn site, but previously this has usually been enforced with a simple self-verification check, asking users to confirm that they are over 18 years of age. Some officials see these as too simplistic and ineffective leading to a call for stricter age verification methods.

The first state to enact such a law was Louisiana in 2022. Since then, more states have followed suit and many more are considering them in their respective state legislatures as we speak.

The reason why this matters is that it has far-reaching effects not just for minors, but all of us. Beyond the possible First Amendment infringements, these laws can have serious consequences for a user’s personal data.

Most of these age verification systems require users to submit pictures of themselves and personal identification, which are uploaded and stored on a third-party database. Anytime personal data such as this is collected, it’s at risk from data breaches and exploitation by cybercriminals (or sovereign governments).

Furthermore, there’s the issue that these restrictions will drive people away from well-regulated and legal adult content sites to less secure, shady sources potentially further endangering users. It’s not dissimilar to previous attempts to regulate pirated content — most people won’t stop pirating content if you take down the site. They’ll just find an even dodgier site to access what they want.

Which states have an age verification law for adult websites?

Sam Singleton

Sam Singleton

Sam Singleton

Currently, nine states including Arkansas, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, Texas, Utah, and Virginia have already enacted laws requiring verification to access adult content sites.

Six more states, Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, and South Dakota, are all poised to join them. Age verification bills in these states have cleared their respective legislative houses and appear on their way to becoming law soon.

Currently Pornhub is blocking traffic from residents in all nine of the states with active age verification laws. On June 12 the company announced further restrictions, which will take effect in July, for residents of Indiana, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, and Nebraska.

How to use a VPN to access adult websites

When sites like PornHub are no longer accessible in your state, the best option to turn to is a VPN. By connecting to a VPN server located in a location that isn’t affected by the ban, you’ll once again have access to all of the site’s content.

When you connect to a VPN, all of your traffic is encrypted and routed through an independent server operated by the VPN provider. These servers can be located in different U.S. states, or different countries. While connected to one of these remote servers, your web traffic will exit through that server, appearing as if you’re browsing from that remote physical location instead.

If you find that you’re unable to access the adult content you want in your location, you can boot up your VPN and connect to a remote server. For example, if you’re located in Texas, where PornHub has a self-imposed ban, you can connect to a VPN server in another state and then go back to PornHub and, voilà, the content should be available once again.

As a side note, it’s also recommended to have a strong antivirus and ad-blocker installed and browse in incognito mode while accessing adult content. Adult websites are notorious for having annoying pop-ups and dubious links. Plus, incognito mode will save you the blushes of having these sites show up in your browser history — nobody needs to see your kinks laid out in Google’s autocomplete recommendations.

If you don’t already have a VPN or are in the market for a good option, check out our roundup of the best VPNs to help you decide.

PCWorld's pick for best vpn

ExpressVPN

Read our review

Is it legal to use a VPN to access adult content?

Here is where the issue becomes tricky. There’s nothing inherently illegal about using a VPN in the U.S. The problem arises in what you do while connected to a VPN. Think of it like this, if it’s illegal to do without a VPN, then it’s still illegal to do with a VPN. For example, if you’re underage, accessing adult content is illegal with or without a VPN.

Since some laws vary state to state, it’s important to research and properly understand the laws and regulations surrounding adult content in your own legal jurisdiction before attempting to access any of this content — via VPN or not.

The content in this article should only be used as guidance to get around certain adult sites’ restrictions, such as PornHub’s recent embargo. It should not be construed as advice nor advocacy to circumvent any state or federal laws.

A virtual private network service, aka a VPN, is one of the best tools you can use to boost your online privacy and security. It tunnels your traffic through a private encrypted server allowing you to keep your online activities anonymous and obscured from prying eyes.

There are a few things you’ll want to consider when looking for a VPN: First, it should be able to keep your internet usage private and secure without leaks. Speed is another factor — privacy and security are crucial, but you don’t want the service to cripple your internet speed either. And if you’re concerned with anonymity, you should seek out a VPN with data collection policies that are clear and transparent. Finally, the number of available servers and country locations a VPN offers is worth bearing in mind if you’re trying to get around region locks in specific countries.

Why you should trust us: Here at PCWorld we’ve been testing computer hardware, software, and services since the 1980s. We’re continually testing all of the major VPNs on the market and many lesser-known services in order to curate a list of the very best VPNs across a variety of categories. For a more in-depth guide, you can check out our article on how we test VPN services at PCWorld. Below you’ll find our favorite VPNs and additional information about how we test these services as well as helpful advice about what to look for when choosing a VPN on your own.

Granted, not everyone wants or needs a premium VPN service—although if online privacy is important to you, we think it should be a priority. You might just want a VPN for occasional use such as when you’re using public Wi-Fi, for instance. If that’s the case, head over to our roundup of the best free VPNs for more recommendations, and caveats about the limitations of using a free VPN.

Updated June 18, 2024: Check out my latest review of Windscribe Pro VPN. Both the premium and free version of this VPN shine, and it continues to be one of my top free services thanks to its unlimited speeds and good server selection.

ExpressVPN – Best VPN overall

Pros

• Excellent speeds
• Easy-to-use interface
• Unblocks all streaming services
• Great security and privacy practices

Cons

• More expensive than many competitors
• Light on some features for a top VPN

Why I like ExpressVPN

It’s difficult to select the best overall VPN. Some services are weaker on privacy, but are significantly easier to use with tons of features, while others could use a serious interface redesign.

For many years we chose the best VPN based purely on privacy, but that is no longer the sole concern of most people when choosing a VPN. Privacy is important, to be sure, but so are performance, extra features, a wide country selection, and ease of use. ExpressVPN has it all, making it my top choice for VPN. Not only is it one of the fastest VPNs I’ve ever tested, but it also has a very easy-to-use Windows app.

Its servers are all diskless, running everything in RAM — a welcome practice that’s become fairly standard these days. ExpressVPN also has wide device support — recently adding AppleTV to its lineup of supported devices, as well as a smart DNS feature for set-top boxes, consoles, and more. It is even branching out from just being a VPN provider to taking a more holistic approach to security for users, adding ad- and tracker-blocking and, most recently, a password manager to the service, as well.

It’s not the cheapest VPN out there, but you do get excellent value for the price, and the service is regularly bringing in third-party auditors to bolster its privacy credentials.

Who should buy ExpressVPN

Since ExpressVPN is my pick for best VPN overall, I think it’s a great option for everyone. VPN novices will find that they can just download the software, choose their server location and connect — it’s as simple as that. But more advanced users will be able to choose from features such as split-tunneling, protocol optimization, and a kill switch.

Also, ExpressVPN in its attempt to provide an all-inclusive security suite now offers users ad- and tracker-blocking, parental controls, and most recently, a password manager. Plus, ExpressVPN has one of the most expansive device support networks I’ve ever seen. So users can use the VPN across practically any and all devices they own — up to eight simultaneous device connections.

Read our full ExpressVPN review

NordVPN – Best VPN for features

Pros

• Loaded with tons of VPN configuration options
• Outstanding speeds
• Multiple independent no-logs audits
• Included antivirus and password manager

Cons

• Expensive

Why I like NordVPN

Just like my top pick, NordVPN is also an excellent choice. Nord is arguably more feature-filled than ExpressVPN even, and the service is just one part of a larger suite of privacy- and security-focused products from parent company Nord Security. The desktop app is very easy to use and offers a ton of different features including access to the TOR network over VPN, multi-hop options, Meshnet, and a security suite complete with ad- and malware-blocking and Nord’s latest password manager and link-checker safety tool.

NordVPN has also gone a long way to bolster user trust with the completion of its fourth independently verified no-logs policy earlier this year. The service also carries out vendor assessments and uses RAM-only diskless servers for increased security. The speeds are also outstanding, reaching an average of 72 percent of the base internet speed in a test across all servers — the fastest of any VPN I’ve tested.

The only reason I placed Nord second is due to the slight edge ExpressVPN has in regards to privacy and transparency. Still, you can’t go wrong if you decide to go with NordVPN as your VPN of choice.

Who should buy NordVPN

Similar to ExpressVPN, I think NordVPN is truly a solid option for everyone. It comes with an excellent feature set that will appeal to power users as well as an easy-to-use app that is intuitive and straightforward. Also, just like ExpressVPN, there will be no problems accessing any geo-restricted streaming service while using NordVPN.

Additionally, for those who don’t want to bother subscribing to a lot of different security apps, NordVPN offers its own security features such as malware protection, ad- and tracker-blocking, and file-download protection all in one convenient subscription.

Read our full NordVPN review

Mullvad – Best VPN for privacy

Pros

• Good speeds
• Inexpensive monthly plan
• Unrivaled anonymity
• Open-source

Cons

• Struggles with unblocking streaming services
• Smaller server network
• Lacks some extra features that other VPNs offer

Best Prices Today: $5.37 at Mullvad

Why I like Mullvad

As Hotspot Shield is to speeds, so Mullvad is to privacy and anonymity. I’ve never seen another VPN that actively resists knowing who you are the way Mullvad does. Mullvad doesn’t ask for your email address, name, or anything else. Instead it assigns a random account number that acts as your identifier and login.

Mullvad accepts payments using standard methods such as credit cards and PayPal, but you can also mail your payment in cash to remain as private as possible. Mullvad has a no-logging policy and doesn’t collect any identifying metadata from your usage.

Mullvad is also fast, ranking among our top five for speeds.

Who should buy Mullvad

Mullvad is all about privacy. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a more than capable VPN for any user. But the ultra-privacy conscious will find the most to like in its anonymized payment system, commitment to not collecting metadata, and strong privacy promises. I did find some hiccups when trying to access streaming services, so users who want their VPN to bypass location-restricted content may want to look elsewhere.

Read our full Mullvad review

IVPN – Best VPN for privacy runner-up

Pros

• Excellent speeds for its U.S., UK and European servers
• Interface is easy to understand
• Default WireGuard protocol connects quickly

Cons

• It’s on the expensive side at $100 per year
• Server network is under 100 servers

Best Prices Today: $2 at IVPN

Why I like IVPN

Coming in behind Mullvad is IVPN. This Gibraltar-based VPN recently moved to dumping email-based identifiers and going with randomly assigned account numbers instead. Similar to Mullvad, it accepts a variety of payment options for privacy including cash, as well as the standard credit cards, PayPal, and other options like Bitcoin and Monero. IVPN doesn’t rank as one of the fastest VPNs, but it does have acceptable speeds for most casual uses.

Another option is OVPN. This VPN doesn’t go to the levels that Mullvad and IVPN do, but it does only require a username and password to create an account. OVPN doesn’t require an email address, though you can add one as a backstop for account recovery should you forget your password. OVPN doesn’t rank in our top 10 for speeds, but it’s just outside the top performers at number 12.

Who should buy IVPN

IVPN will mainly appeal to those concerned with privacy. Similar to Mullvad, it has an anonymized payment system and further obfuscates user IDs via randomly assigned number instead of emails. Not to mention that it has a strong privacy policy as well.

Read our full IVPN review

Hotspot Shield – Fastest VPN

Pros

• Very fast
• Large country selection and plenty of servers

Cons

• Domain visits are recorded, though not tied to you
• Expensive

Why I like Hotspot Shield

While my pick for best overall VPN, ExpressVPN, boasts above-average speeds, Hotspot Shield is on another level. No other service comes close to hitting the speeds I’ve seen with this service. This isn’t just a one-off occurrence either; Hotspot Shield has consistently been at the top with speeds that are 12 to 15 percentage points above the competition. In my tests, Hotspot Shield maintained around 67 percent of the base speed. That’s substantially faster than you’ll see with most VPN services — though your experience may vary.

On the downside, Hotspot Shield doesn’t allow for a way to pay anonymously and its privacy policy may not sit well with some. Still, Hotspot Shield has excellent speeds, its desktop application is very nice, and as a bonus it works with U.S. Netflix.

Who should buy Hotspot Shield

Hotspot Shield is for those looking to maintain the fastest connection possible with the minimum loss of base speed. In the past it was far and away the fastest VPN I had ever tested, but in recent years other services seem to be catching up.

Regardless, it is still one of the best around if connection speed is your main concern. I also found that it can access location-restricted content on most major streaming services. This, combined with its excellent speeds makes it a good option if you mainly use a VPN to access streaming content.

Read our full Hotspot Shield review

Private Internet Access – Best VPN for split-tunneling

Pros

• Independently verified no-logs policy
• Unlimited simultaneous device connections
• Incredible number of servers
• Great extra features such as multi-hop and split tunneling

Cons

• App panel awkwardly located on the lower-right corner of screen by default
• Speeds are just okay

Best Prices Today: $11.95 at Private Internet Access

Why I like Private Internet Access

Private Internet Access (PIA) has been around for awhile and has demonstrated that it can continue to innovate and improve with each passing year. The latest version of PIA is no different. By updating its service to include unlimited simultaneous device connections it has improved upon an already solid VPN.

But the real feature that stands out with PIA is its split-tunneling feature. While this is a common feature in most of the services on this list, PIA goes above and beyond. Not only does it allow users to pick and choose which apps they wish to run through the VPN, but it also allows them to designate IP addresses and DNS requests as well. It even comes with the option for an app-based kill switch, which will block traffic only on specific apps should the VPN connection break.

There are a few awkward interface issues and PIA isn’t the fastest service I’ve ever tested. But neither of these issues makes the service any less viable.

Who should buy Private Internet Access

PIA is continuing to establish itself, along with the likes of ExpressVPN and NordVPN, as one of the best VPNs around. I think it can be a great VPN for all users. However, where PIA really shines is in its extensive customizable feature set. Power users and those who like their apps to be customized to their individual needs will especially love all of the tweaking that this app allows you to do — even outside of just split-tunneling.

Read our full Private Internet Access review

AirVPN – Best VPN for torrents

Pros

• Excellent speeds
• Detailed real-time information about the network
• Good pricing with many subscription options

Cons

• Team is largely anonymous

Why I like AirVPN

Torrents get a bad rap, and to be honest, that’s for good reason. Using torrents is the number-one way to download pirated material including movies, TV shows, music, and games. But that’s not all there is to torrenting. It’s a very efficient way to download legitimate software such as Linux distributions and authorized content from sites such as BitTorrent Now.

Whatever your reasons, when it comes to torrenting, a VPN makes it easier — especially if the network you’re on blocks torrenting. There are many VPNs among our top picks that could be used for downloading torrents, but my preferred choice is AirVPN. This no-frills VPN has a reasonable number of servers and country locations, really good speeds, excellent network transparency, and a focus on user protection. The price is also right at about $58 a year.

Who should buy AirVPN

As AirVPN allows for P2P connections on all of its servers, it’s a great option for those who want to use their VPN to remain anonymous while surfing the web or torrenting. It also uses diskless RAM servers so data is only kept for as long as you’re actively using the VPN itself. Plus, AirVPN’s small team of dedicated hacktivists and privacy advocates are committed to putting user privacy and security at the forefront. This means that it’s ideal for privacy-conscious users.

Read our full AirVPN review

CyberGhost VPN – Best VPN for server locations

Pros

• Easy-to-use interface
• Independently verified no-log policy
• Seriously impressive server spread

Cons

• Lacks some common features such as multi-hop and double VPN
• Server speeds are hit-or-miss, especially in Asia

Why I like CyberGhost

If you want variety and options in the server locations from your VPN, then there are none better than CyberGhost VPN. It offers a staggering 9,000+ servers for users to connect to, which is more than twice as many as top-pick ExpressVPN. Unlike some competitors, these servers aren’t all concentrated in the U.S. or Europe, either.

The server spread totals 110 countries all across the world. The service even recommends optimized servers to users for various needs such as gaming, streaming, and torrenting. In my testing I found that some of the servers were faster than others, with servers located in Europe having excellent speeds and servers in Asia not fairing as well. But overall, the speeds are good enough to do most of what you want to do with a VPN — web browsing, streaming, etc.

CyberGhost also has a well-designed Windows app that is intuitive and easy to use, even when tweaking your settings. It lacks some of the power-user features that other VPNs on this list provide, but that shouldn’t be a deal breaker for the average user. Ultimately, CyberGhost is a straightforward and easy-to-use VPN service with an incredible number of server locations.

Who should buy CyberGhost

Due to its plethora of servers and locations, CyberGhost is one of the best options to find a server no matter where you need it in the world. For those who travel a lot or just need access to a diverse and vast server spread, CyberGhost is definitely worth consideration.

Read our full CyberGhost review

Surfshark VPN – Best VPN for multi-hop

Pros

• Unlimited simultaneous device connections
• Works well with Netflix
• Built-in extras such as ad tracker and malware blocking
• Low price on long-term plans

Cons

• Indicators for ping or server load are not readily available
• Based in the Netherlands and subject to government data sharing requests

Why I like Surfshark

For those who might not be familiar with multi-hop, it allows you to route your traffic through more than one external server (i.e. connect to a server in Japan, but multi-hop through Singapore). This makes it more difficult to track your online activities and further obfuscates your actual location.

While many VPNs now offer multi-hop as a feature, Surfshark stands out by allowing users to either choose a predetermined route or create their own multi-hop route. Furthermore, Surfshark is working to implement its Nexus VPN network which will use a Dynamic Multi-Hop feature to automatically connect you to the fastest available entry and exit servers at any desired location. This should further optimize connection speeds across the board. So not only does Surfshark already have one of the best multi-hop features, but it is also set to improve by leaps and bounds in the near future.

Who should buy Surfshark

Surfshark is a great all-around VPN option, as well, for most people. That being said, power users and those concerned with optimizing anonymity will get the most from Surfshark VPN’s unique multi-hop functionality and rich, customizable feature set.

Read our full Surfshark review

AVG Secure – Best VPN for novices

Pros

• Good speeds
• Allows an excellent 10 simultaneous connections

Cons

• Does log some data
• No real customizability for power users

Why I like AVG Secure

If you want something that’s all about ease-of-use then AVG Secure is a good choice. First, it comes from a known and trusted security company, so there are fewer worries about data security than with one of the independent services.

The key thing with AVG Secure is that the interface is easy to understand and use. It has a big “Change location” button to help you select the country you’d like to appear to be in. The app also tells you what your current IP address is and how long you’ve been connected to the VPN. That’s pretty much it. This VPN also works with streaming services and it has P2P servers. One thing it doesn’t have is a lot of extra features, which is actually perfect for anyone looking for a no-frills VPN.

Who should buy AVG Secure

Those new to the VPN game will find a lot to like with AVG Secure. It’s dead-simple to use and the interface is designed in a way that is intuitive even for novices.

Read our full AVG Secure review

Windscribe Pro – Best budget VPN

Pros

• Good free plan
• Fast speeds
• Unlimited device connections

Cons

• Streaming unblocking is inconsistent
• No independent audit

Why I like Windscribe

Choosing the best VPN for you can often come down to price. Windscribe Pro offers a reasonable price on its annual plan of around $6 per month, but what really makes this a great VPN for the budget-conscious is the “Build a Plan” option. This allows you to pick and choose the number of servers you need so that you aren’t paying for anything you’ll never use.

It’s also really easy to use and offers great security, with both a Windows client and browser extension that work in tandem to keep your browsing private and pop-up free. Windscribe also offers a free option which is one of my favorites, and is a great way to test out the service before deciding if you want to upgrade to a paid tier.

Who should buy Windscribe

Windscribe is great for people who are new to VPNs or just need a VPN service for a short period of time. Those who have never used a VPN can use Windscribe’s free option to play around and start getting used to using a VPN service. Alternatively, if you only need a few servers for your VPN then Windscribe Pro’s “Build A Plan” subscription makes for a budget option that is seriously worth considering.

Read our full Windscribe Pro review

ProtonVPN – Best free VPN

Pros

• Excellent free plan
• Great privacy tools
• Reliable and transparent no-logs policy

Cons

• Expensive

Why I like ProtonVPN

If you’re looking for speed and top-notch privacy in a free VPN then ProtonVPN is an excellent choice. Many free VPNs come with either ridiculous limitations or annoying ads. Mercifully, ProtonVPN has no ads and the restrictions are fairly tame compared to other services. For the low, low cost of nothing, you’ll get a one-device connection limit and access to five servers located in Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, and the U.S. In my testing I also found that speeds were very good even with the free version, ranking in the top 10 of all VPNs, paid or free.

The VPN is from the same company behind ProtonMail, a privacy-focused email service, and those same values are carried over to the VPN as well. The company has undergone an independent audit confirming its no-logs policy — which extends to the free VPN as well. Overall, you get a lot for paying nothing and this easily makes it our favorite free VPN.

Who should use ProtonVPN

Whether you opt for the free or paid version, ProtonVPN is a good option for anyone. The free version specifically will appeal to those on a tight budget, or those who just need a VPN to do the occasional online task safely and securely online. Since there are no monthly data limits on Proton’s free VPN servers, it’s also an excellent option if you want to stream videos while using a VPN — just be aware, the free servers don’t promise to work with Netflix like some of Proton’s paid servers do.

Read our full ProtonVPN review

PersonalVPN – Best U.S.-based VPN

Pros

• Reasonably priced
• Fast servers in many locations around the world
• Good for power users and novices

Cons

• Not a lot of extra or specialized features
• Tiered pricing has odd choices for premium features

Best Prices Today: $50 at WiTopia

Why I like PersonalVPN

If you want a VPN based in the good ol’ USA, I recommend WiTopia’s PersonalVPN. The speeds are good, the price is right, and the app is very easy to use. It’s true that a lot of VPN review sites stress the importance of having a VPN that’s outside of the so-called Five Eyes countries, which includes the U.S. — some will even say to avoid the Fourteen Eyes. The idea being that if you use a U.S.-based VPN your activities may end up being secretly monitored by Western authorities. Edward Snowden revealed such truths back in 2013.

But if you’re using a VPN to access your accounts for Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or any other U.S.-based service, then staying outside the Fourteen Eyes is more or less pointless. Sure, that VPN with an exotic locale may be able to easily ignore U.S. subpoenas for data, but the American online services you use are another story. Besides if an American VPN does you wrong, it’ll be a lot easier to hold it to account than one based in Singapore, or even Sweden.

Who should buy Personal VPN

Users concerned with entrusting their private online activity to a company in another country outside of the U.S. should consider PersonalVPN. You won’t be losing out on much by using this service rather than another VPN and you can rest assured that your data is being handled by a reliable company located domestically.

Read our full PersonalVPN review

What to look for in a VPN

One of the first things you should look for when shopping around for a VPN is the number of servers and locations. It’s difficult to judge any VPN by just one feature, but a semi-reliable way to tell if a VPN is even worth your time is to look at the server network. Anything with 1,000 or more servers and 30 or more country locations will do.

The next thing to consider is a VPN’s speed. This may be tricky to do since you aren’t likely to be able to test connection speeds without paying to use the service. Reading reviews online will give you a general estimate. Look for reviews, like ours, that give you a relative average of connection speeds rather than direct Mbps speed comparisons for a more accurate picture.

You’ll also want to read up on a VPN’s privacy protections. Does it have a no-logs policy? Has it undergone any independent audits of its servers? Where is the VPN company located? All of these will give you an idea of whether or not a VPN is transparent with its data collection policies and if it’s subject to government data sharing requirements.

Other factors you’ll want to take into consideration are the overall ease-of-use, user experience, and any additional features. Some of these features, such as split-tunneling and kill switches, can be extremely useful for certain purposes and might sway your subscription decision one way or the other.

Finally, as with all subscription services, you’ll want to review the price of a VPN service. Do you want a monthly or yearly subscription? Some top VPNs might be pricey month-to-month, but actually become quite affordable with long-term plans.

How I tested

I judge VPNs on a variety of criteria including server network, connection speeds, privacy protections, ease-of-use, additional features, and cost. For a more detailed guide on how my process, check out PCWorld’s comprehensive guide on how we test VPN services.

Speed tests are kept as simple as possible. I average the connections between different global locations for any given VPN and then compare them to our baseline internet speed to get a good picture of the overall connection speeds. I thoroughly research and analyze the privacy policies and histories of each VPN and note any outstanding discrepancies or data collection issues.

Experience and ease-of-use are subjective, but I try my best to give an accurate representation of how it feels to work with the VPN. And finally, I compare the value of the service based upon its price and additional features to the industry average to help you gain an accurate picture of what you’ll get for your money.

Other notable VPNs and security suites

There are many more worthwhile VPNs than just our favorites listed above, including AVG Internet Security, ESET Security Premium, FastestVPN, Hide.me, HMA Pro 4, OVPN, Perfect Privacy, PrivateVPN by TrunkSpace Hosting, PureVPN, Speedify 10, VPNCity, ClearVPN, Malwarebytes Privacy, TorGuard, VeePN, AceVPN.com, and SurfEasy.

I’ll keep evaluating new ones and reevaluating services we’ve already tested on a regular basis, so be sure to come back to see what else we’ve put through their paces.

Editor’s note: Because online services are often iterative, gaining new features and performance improvements over time, our reviews are subject to change in order to accurately reflect the current state of the services.

Virtual private networks, or VPNs, are one of the most effective ways to stay safe online. Not only do they allow you to stay anonymous, but they can help you get past region blocks on streaming services such as Netflix. However, you usually have to pay for a VPN subscription and adding an extra monthly expense to an already tight budget isn’t ideal. That’s where a free VPN can come in handy. They can provide you with a similar level of security for virtually — pun intended — nothing. But not all free VPNs are built the same.

With many free VPNs you’ll encounter a lot of restrictions such as speed constraints, bandwidth caps, or a limited country network. These restrictions can add up, making the experience of using a free VPN feel pointless. That’s why it’s important that you choose the right free VPN service based on your own needs.

While I advise that you opt for a premium VPN, such as those in our roundup of the best VPNs, I understand that sometimes you just need quick and easy basic protection without having to pay for yet another service. Therefore I’ve curated a list of the best free VPNs around. I lay out any restrictions they may impose and what activities they’re best used for — streaming, torrenting, browsing, etc. Following my recommendations you can read about what to look for in a free VPN and how I test.

Updated June 13, 2024: Check out my latest review of Windscribe Pro VPN. Both the premium and free version of this VPN shine, and it continues to be one of my top picks on this list thanks to its unlimited speeds and good server selection.

ProtonVPN – Best free VPN

Pros

• Excellent free plan
• Great privacy tools
• Reliable and transparent no-logs policy

Cons

• Expensive

Why I like ProtonVPN

If you’re looking for speed and excellent privacy in a free VPN then ProtonVPN is your best choice. The only real limitation to this service is that you can only connect with one device at at time, other than that it’s practically a premium VPN.

The service comes from a trustworthy, privacy-focused company that has undergone a successful audit of its no-logs policy. It’s also mercifully free of ads — a rarity among free VPNs. You’ll be able to choose from five servers located all of the world including Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, and the U.S. Plus, there are no data limits, meaning you can surf and stream to your heart’s content.

ProtonVPN even showed decent speeds in my tests, just going to show that this is the free VPN to get.

Who should use ProtonVPN

Users who need anonymity and speed while using their VPN will stand to gain the most from ProtonVPN’s free version. Because you’ll only be able to connect with one device at a time though, users who want to use a VPN with multiple devices might need to look elsewhere.

Read our full ProtonVPN review

CyberGhost VPN – Best free VPN browser extension

Pros

• Easy-to-use interface
• Independently verified no-log policy
• Seriously impressive server spread

Cons

• Lacks some common features such as multi-hop and double VPN
• Server speeds are hit-or-miss, especially in Asia

Why I like CyberGhost VPN

CyberGhost VPN provides an excellent VPN with plenty of servers optimized for different tasks such as gaming, streaming, and torrenting. While the premium service, with access to all of its 9,000-plus servers and additional security features, is a paid option, CyberGhost also has a great browser extension that it offers for free. If you have either Chrome or Firefox you can download the extension without having to pay anything and enjoy access to a limited number of the VPN servers for free — currently sitting at eight servers in four countries.

Additionally, you are able to connect and use these VPN servers without having to worry about bandwidth limits or data capping. Unfortunately, in my tests I found that the servers I used in the browser extension were not able to successfully unblock streaming servers. However, if you start using the free browser extension and decide you like CyberGhost, you can always opt for a premium membership, which can be as low as three dollars a month for a long-term plan.

Who should use CyberGhost VPN

CyberGhost’s free version is ideal for users who don’t want to pay for a premium VPN service but also don’t want to worry about a monthly data cap. Plus, the fact that CyberGhost VPN’s free version is browser-based means that users who don’t want to bother downloading and setting up a new application can have the VPN based simply in either their Firefox or Chrome browser.

Read our full CyberGhost review

Windscribe – Best free VPN for speed

Pros

• Good free plan
• Fast speeds
• Unlimited device connections

Cons

• Streaming unblocking is inconsistent
• No independent audit

Why I like Windscribe VPN

The Windscribe VPN service seems to get better and better each time I review a new version. It not only has an excellent Pro version that is reasonably priced, but it has a stand-out free service as well. What makes Windscribe’s free service really shine is a combination of perks and speed. Not only do you get top-notch speeds, but you also get a maximum 10GB of bandwidth per month and no device limits. To get that bandwidth, though, you’ll need to confirm via email address — if not, you’re stuck at 2GB per month.

The free service offers 10 regional connections including the U.S., Canada, UK, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Netherlands, Switzerland, Norway, and Romania. It also has a ton of privacy features such as blockers for site notifications and “we use cookies” banners, WebRTC leak protection, location spoofing, user agent rotation, and more.

The service is also extremely easy to use with a simple setup and solid performance for a free VPN. I not only recommend the Windscribe free service on its own, but also as an easy way to get to know the service before committing to a paid tier with premium features.

Who should use Windscribe VPN

Those who want a free VPN with fast speeds and a generous helping of extra perks will find that Windscribe is the go-to option. Most free VPNs are only good for location spoofing with no real added features, and that’s why Windscribe is so good. It offers way more for users and the fact that it gives you up to 10GB of bandwidth means you can use it multiple times throughout the month without having to worry about hitting the data cap.

Read our full Windscribe Pro review

Hide.me – Best free VPN for speed runner-up

Pros

• Good option for streaming
• Better than average overall speeds
• Lots of power user options for customization
• Free version available

Cons

• Third-party audit not updated since 2015
• Speeds were inconsistent in our tests
• Not the easiest VPN for beginners

Best Prices Today: $59.95 at Hide Me

Why I like Hide.me VPN

Hide.me offers a solid paid VPN service and the company is generous enough to provide the full premium feature set in their free version as well. Its server speeds are a bit inconsistent, but overall they are pretty fast and rank within the top 20 of all — paid or free — VPNs that I’ve ever tested. That makes it plenty speedy for the typical use cases for a free VPN. When you use Hide.me’s free service you’re limited to 10GB per month and one device at a time, as well as eight region choices including Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, U.S. East, and U.S. West.

Who should use Hide.me VPN

Hide.me’s free VPN is a solid option for any and all users. Not only are the speeds good for secure browsing, but you have access to their full premium feature set as well. The speeds are not quite as good as ProtonVPN and there is a monthly data cap, but the trade off is that with Hide.me you have access to useful features such as split-tunneling and the ability to choose between multiple proxy configurations.

Read our full Hide.me review

TunnelBear – Best free VPN for get-in, get-out chores

Pros

• Fun and easy-to-use interface
• Reliable security features
• Unlimited simultaneous device connections

Cons

• Lacks some advanced features for power users
• Customer support not the most helpful
• Not a good option for torrenting

Best Prices Today: $59.88 at TunnelBear

Why I like TunnelBear VPN

I’ve always liked TunnelBear. It’s simple to use, affordable, and the speeds are fine. In my speed tests, TunnelBear was outside the top 10, but its speeds were still good enough for most browsing or online tasks.

That’s more than enough for what this free VPN would be suited for, since you will only get a maximum of 500MB per month with the free version. The idea is to provide a trial for testing out the service before making a bigger commitment. Thankfully, beyond the data limit, the free version of TunnelBear puts no restrictions on what features are available so you’re able to experience the full application for no charge.

The data limit won’t allow you to stream or play games for the most part, but it’s enough for quick hits when you’re on the road for checking email, or some basic web browsing. Plus, TunnelBear keeps track of your bandwidth usage so you can see when you’re getting too close to the limit.

Who should use TunnelBear VPN

TunnelBear’s free VPN is best suited for those who need a one-and-done VPN experience. The 500MB data cap is quite restrictive, but you have access to all of the premium features from an excellent VPN service. This includes split-tunneling, a unique HTTPS masking feature, and your choice of multiple VPN protocols.

Read our full TunnelBear review

AVG Secure VPN – Best VPN free trial

Pros

• 10 simultaneous device connectionsUnblocks streaming servicesFree 60-day trial

Cons

• Logs some user activity dataNot a lot of extra featuresLong-term only subscription options

Why I like AVG Secure VPN

You might be wondering why I’d even bother including a free-trial option. Well, AVG Secure VPN is not only a fine premium service on its own, but it provides a 60-day free trial for new users. That’s incredibly generous for a premium service — most other VPNs only offer one-week free trials at best.

AVG is a household name in security software and they don’t disappoint with their VPN either. The free trial gives you complete access to all of the paid features such as 10 simultaneous device connections, over 700 servers across more than 50 countries, and guaranteed streaming service unblocking with specific servers. The speeds aren’t the fastest I’ve ever seen, but they’re good enough for most general online activities. All-in-all, two months for free of AVG Secure VPN is a fantastic deal, just remember to cancel the subscription before the free-trial runs out.

Who should use AVG Secure VPN

Most people looking for a free VPN for shorter-term use will stand to gain a lot from AVG Secure VPN’s free trial. But I think it’s an exceptional choice in particular for those who are traveling for awhile and need a VPN while abroad. By taking advantage of a premium service’s speeds and broad server network you can access all of your streaming content no matter what country you find yourself in and you shouldn’t have to worry about frustrating data caps from other free services. Stream and browse to your heart’s content for no cost — well, at least for 60 days.

Read our full AVG Secure review

What to look for in a free VPN

Choosing a free VPN is a question of weighing the trade-offs with each service. Do you want unlimited bandwidth, but a restriction on devices? Or is it preferable to have more devices but deal with a bandwidth limit?

One thing you definitely want to avoid is a VPN that is ad supported. Ads expose you to tracking by the company delivering said ads, which is something you definitely don’t want. Also, stay away from any deal that suggests you can get a VPN by “sharing” your bandwidth like we saw with the Hola VPN scandal back in 2015. You also want to watch out for any VPNs you’ve never heard of, or that don’t have any official reviews by third-parties.

After that, you want to consider the usual issues such as the server network, connection speeds, privacy policy, Netflix support, and additional features.

How I test VPNs

I judge VPNs on a variety of criteria including server network, connection speeds, privacy protections, ease-of-use, additional features, and cost. For a more detailed guide on how I test, check out PCWorld’s comprehensive guide on how we test VPN services.

Speed tests are kept as simple as possible. I average the connections between different global locations for any given VPN and then compare them to a baseline internet speed to get a good picture of the overall connection speeds. I thoroughly research and analyze the privacy policies and histories of each VPN and note any outstanding discrepancies or data collection issues.

Experience and ease-of-use are subjective, but I try my best to give an accurate representation of how it feels to work with the VPN. Since you don’t have to pay for a free VPN, the value will be contingent upon the trade-offs you’ll need to make and the restrictions it has in place.

Free VPNs aren’t a top recommendation, but if you’re going to go that way I’d strongly suggest the VPNs mentioned above.

VPNs, when managed properly, are a great way to protect your privacy and keep your online activities hidden from prying eyes. But not all VPN services maintain the same security standards or take the exact same approach to user privacy.

How does your VPN handle your data? When the police or governments come knocking, what does your VPN do? The history of law enforcement subpoenas of VPN logs is murky to say the least. Major VPNs can get hundreds of data requests per year, but what they turn over is not so straightforward. I’ll try to clear the water and help you understand how your data is being handled and how safe it truly is.

VPN warrants and data request handling

VPN providers typically receive two different kinds of data requests, those regarding copyright violations through a DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) request or requests from law enforcement or government authorities following up on other possible illegal activity.

By far the most common are DMCA requests, which can oftentimes range in the tens of thousands per month. Law enforcement requests are much less common and may range on average from a few per week to one per day for the largest VPN companies.

Our best overall Pick for VPNs

ExpressVPN

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We can get a more accurate glimpse of these numbers by looking at each VPN provider’s transparency report (more on those later) posted on their website. Our top pick, ExpressVPN, states that in the period from July to December 2023, they received 194 total “Government and/or police requests” and 152,653 DMCA requests. Another extremely popular service, NordVPN, reports 81 total “inquiries from government institutions” from January to April 2024 and an astounding 2,421,053 DMCA requests — clearly NordVPN is the people’s choice for illegally pirating material. For what it’s worth, both companies state that none of these requests resulted in the disclosure of user information.

Other popular services such as Private Internet Access (PIA), CyberGhost, ProtonVPN, and Surfshark also post this data on their websites. PIA received 161 total “government demands for user data ” in the first four months of 2024, while Cyberghost and ProtonVPN received a fraction of these across all of 2023, a total of three and 60 respectively. Surfshark has unfortunately not updated their transparency report since 2021, but as an interesting aside, they used to break down which specific companies and countries had submitted data requests — a third of which came solely from the U.S.

Surfshark

Surfshark

Surfshark

Most VPN providers claim to have a no-logs policy. What this means is that they do not collect and store user data transmitted through their network. In a perfect world, no data about where you go online, what you download, or what your search for is recorded. Whether or not a VPN lives up to these standards is an issue that warrants its own separate discussion.

Even with these no-log promises, it doesn’t stop law enforcement or other authorities from attempting to subpoena that data when it thinks an illegal activity has been committed over a VPN’s servers. And when they come calling, there isn’t much a VPN can do to stop them.

In 2016, U.S.-based IPVanish was served with a Department of Homeland Security “summons for records” requesting user data about a suspected felony. After initially claiming they had no information to give, the company subsequently turned over some data on that user to the government.

A Top vpn with great features

Private Internet Access

Read our review

Best Prices Today: $11.95 at Private Internet Access

Other documented instances include a data request in 2016 to PIA and a 2017 request for logs from PureVPN, both by the FBI. PIA remained true to their no-logs word by proving they had nothing to give the authorities, while PureVPN went on to secretly work with the FBI to provide an IP address of a user leading to an arrest.

There are also instances where more extreme measures were taken against VPNs. In 2017, ExpressVPN famously had its servers seized by the Turkish authorities. No data was obtained as a result, further bolstering ExpressVPN’s no-logs claims.

While it’s undoubtedly crucial that authorities receive the help they need to capture dangerous criminals, the extent to which VPNs can assist varies widely.

How do you know if your VPN has received a data request from the authorities

The history of law enforcement warrants, subpoenas, and data requests is intentionally opaque. On the one hand, law enforcement doesn’t want to tip their hand to the very people they may be trying to find. On the other, VPNs have an incentive not to disclose these warrants as they could potentially drive paying users away from the service.

However, in recent years we’ve seen VPNs turn a corner towards more transparency. Placing user trust as their highest priority, major VPN services are becoming more open about data requests. 

Gone are the days of hush-hush data seizures. Nowadays, VPNs often employ clever tricks to alert users to requests. Such things as warrant canaries can sidestep gag orders and publishing regular transparency reports detail all data requests over a given time period. These are a welcomed change for many in the user-trust VPN business where privacy is the many selling point.

Warrant canaries

Warrant canaries are intended to alert users to when the VPN service has received a warrant or serious data request from authorities. Typically, a warrant will place a gag order on the company from disclosing the issue or alerting users. Warrant canaries are an attempt to subvert these gag orders.

The way that warrant canaries work is simple. Every few days or so, the VPN service will publish a note stating that the company has not received notices from authorities. If and when a warrant is then received, this will trigger the regular notices to stop updating, indicating to users that something isn’t right and to temporarily proceed in using the VPN with caution.

Transparency reports

A more recent trend for many of the top VPN providers is to switch from warrant canaries to regular transparency reports — usually posted monthly or quarterly. VPN services claim transparency reports can provide details and clarity that are lacking in warrant canaries. The drawback here is that warrant canaries potentially inform users as soon as there is a request from authorities whereas transparency reports will only inform users a month, sometimes many months, after the fact.

ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN

Transparency reports will usually display details such as the total number of government and/or law enforcement requests as well as DMCA requests from production companies and law firms. Oftentimes the VPN will also disclose if any of the requests resulted in the disclosure of user-related data.

How to choose a safer VPN

So what does all of this mean for you? Well, it’s a clear sign that choosing the right VPN for your privacy needs is paramount. You don’t want to choose a VPN thinking you know how they’re handling your private data and then come to find out that behind the scenes they’ve been doing something different the whole time.

The fundamental problem with even the best VPN, is that you can only truly take them at their word. All the independent audits and transparency reports in the world are still not enough to completely verify what the VPN is actually doing with your data from moment to moment. This may not be a huge concern for the average user looking to stream out-of-area Netflix, but for journalists, political dissidents, and other high-risk individuals it could be a matter of life or death.

If your main reason for choosing a VPN is privacy, then you’ll want to look for one with a strict no-logs policy. This means checking the company’s Privacy Policy (usually found on their website) for what data they do and do not collect.

Next you’ll want to check to see if that company has completed any independent security audits. These are audits by third parties of a VPN’s servers to confirm that they have no vulnerabilities and verify their no-logs policy claim. Better yet, look for a VPN provider who goes through regular (bi-yearly or yearly) audits to make sure they’re continuing to follow up on their promises.

You’ll also want to look for a VPN that is headquartered in a privacy-friendly country, out of the reach of international intelligence sharing agreements and data retention laws. The company should own its own servers (rather than renting them from a third-party), and those servers should be RAM-only to ensure your data is never stored beyond server reboots.

Additionally, a little research about a VPN provider’s history will help you better understand their privacy track record. The incident in 2017 with ExpressVPN is a great example. The Turkish authorities came up empty-handed, further bolstering the company’s no-logs reputation. No VPN is perfect, but by taking these safety measures you can feel more confident that your data remains as private as possible.

See PCWorld’s list of the best VPN services for our recommendations.

Gone are the days of backpacks overloaded with binders and the chronic hand-cramps from trying to write as fast as possible. Nowadays, a good laptop elevates your productivity and allows you to keep all your important lesson materials in one place. Whether you’re new to campus or heading into your final year, having a laptop that’s capable, sturdy, and portable — with good battery life, natch — will help keep you on top of your studies, or gaming (no judgement).

Why you should trust us: It’s in our name: PCWorld. We’ve been reviewing laptops for over 40 years, with exacting standards applied to all facets of the user experience, from performance benchmarks to features to the rigors of daily use. Our experts know their stuff and have curated a comprehensive list of the best laptops for college students, with their particular needs in mind.

After you finish looking over our recommendations, be sure to hit our daily updated roundup of the best laptop deals to try and score a great laptop on sale. Or check out our roundup of the best laptops for even more recommendations.

Updated June 14, 2024: In addition to updating our list of recent laptop reviews, we’ve also added the Acer Chromebook Plus 514 ($249.99 at Costco) as an alternative option underneath our Best Chromebook for Students pick. It’s a little less expensive than our current pick and it has a spacious keyboard layout as well as a wide array of connectivity options.

Best laptops for college students

Dell Inspiron Plus 14 – Best overall for students

Pros

• Fantastic performance
• Exceptional battery life
• Great typing experience

Cons

• CPU throttles under heavy loads
• No user upgrades

Why we like the Dell Inspiron Plus 14

The Dell Inspiron 14 Plus is one of the most well-rounded laptops available right now. You’re getting reliable performance, phenomenal battery life, and a superb-looking display. It only costs $999.99 too, which is several hundred dollars cheaper than our former top pick. With a PCMark 10 score of 7,061, it beat both the similarly spec’d Acer Swift Go 14 and the more expensive Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon. (PCMark 10 gauges how well a laptop handles day-to-day tasks.) It also lasted a whopping 17 hours on a single charge, which is perfect for students looking for a long-lasting machine. You don’t have to go hunting for an outlet between classes, that’s for sure.

Performance and battery life are no doubt impressive, but the 14-inch 1400p display is also worth noting. According to our review, “the display is exceedingly well suited to office work and static imagery.” We measured a peak brightness level of 418 nits, which is plenty bright for writing papers and browsing the web. Plus, thanks to the anti-glare coating on the display, you can use this laptop in more natural lightning environments.

Who should buy the Dell Inspiron Plus 14

Students looking for a well-rounded and long-lasting laptop. The design is a bit boring, sure, but its hardware capabilities and long battery life make up for the staid aesthetics. You can’t really get much better than this–especially for $999.99.

Read our full Dell Inspiron 14 Plus review

Asus Zenbook 14 OLED – Best laptop for students runner-up

Pros

• Robust build quality
• Attractive OLED touchscreen
• Good CPU and integrated GPU performance
• Amazing battery life

Cons

• Blah design
• Keyboard isn't memorable
• Mediocre connectivity

Why we like the Asus Zenbook

The Asus Zenbook 14 OLED really dazzled us with its peppy processor performance, outstanding battery life, and sublime OLED touchscreen display. Movies and games “look realistic and vibrant” on the 14-inch 1200p display and the 75 watt-hour battery ran for a whopping 16 hours on a single charge. This result really blows away competitors like the Lenovo Slim 7 14 Gen 9 and the HP Pavilion Plus Laptop 14. As for how it fares in the performance department, the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED is plenty fast during day-to-day tasks such as web browsing, chatting over video, and so on, delivering benchmark scores just a bit below our top pick.

Who should buy the Asus Zenbook

The Asus Zenbook 14 OLED is a fantastic choice for students because it offers outstanding battery life, speedy overall performance, and a lovely OLED display. It’s also cheaper than our current top pick. That said, it’s a runner-up for a reason. The Dell Inspiron 14 Plus, which is still the reigning champ, is the more well-rounded option of the two. It has twice the storage, a higher resolution screen, and a better keyboard. However, if you’re looking to save a hundred bucks or so, the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED is still a great option.

Read our full Asus Zenbook 14 OLED review

Acer Aspire 3 – Best budget laptop for students

Pros

• Spacious keyboard with number pad
• HD webcam
• Solid video playback performance
• Decent business app performance
• Workday-long battery life

Cons

• Small 128GB storage drive
• A little heavy

Best Prices Today: $299.99 at Amazon

Why we like the Acer Aspire

For under $330, the Acer Aspire 3 laptop provides reliable performance as well as a durable build. It’s zippy enough for day-to-day productivity like binging your favorite shows on Netflix, checking e-mail, and so on. There’s even a full-sized keyboard and a 1080p screen. The HD webcam also produces “clean, crisp video” according to our review, which means you’ll always look your best in remote learning sessions. The 40 watt-hour battery is quite good too, lasting a total of eight hours on a single charge, so you don’t have to stop and go outlet hunting as you’re traversing from class to class.

Those are all checkboxes you don’t often find in laptops under $500, much less all of them in a $330 notebook.

Who should buy the Acer Aspire

Anyone who’s on a restricted budget! To get more specific, we feel as though the Acer Aspire 3 is a good option for students because it’s affordable and a good performer.

Read our full Acer Aspire 3 review

Lenovo Flex 5i – Best Chromebook for students

Pros

• Great build quality
• Vibrant touchscreen display
• Fast performance
• Nice typing experience

Cons

• Stylus not included
• Average battery life for a Chromebook
• Heavier than expected

Why we like the Lenovo Flex

The Lenovo Flex 5i is a great Chromebook because of its convertible design, fast performance, superb typing experience, and touchscreen display. The chassis has a luxurious aluminum finish on it, which makes it feel three or four times as expensive. The 360-degree hinge that connects the display to the rest of the laptops feels strong and like it won’t wear out anytime soon. The keyboard is also a dream to type on and easy to adjust to, and the 1200p display produces sharp, colorful visuals. Sure, it’s heavier than we expected right out of the box and the stylus isn’t included, but those are small trade-offs in the grand scheme of things. Overall, this is a really well-rounded machine.

Who should buy the Lenovo Flex

We feel as though the Lenovo Flex 5i is a good option for those who prefer using Google’s ecosystem and can handle mostly working online. The beautiful touchscreen display and the convertible design really gives it the edge over other Chromebooks and even some Windows laptops, as you usually see those features in machines that cost much more. While the nine hour battery life is a little below average for a Chromebook, it’ll still last you a full school day and then some. At the end of the day, the Lenovo Flex 5i’s list of compromises is quite small.

Alternative option: If you’re dealing with an unforgiving budget (been there), the Acer Chromebook Plus 514 ($249.99) is worth picking up. It’s about $100 cheaper than our current pick and it comes with loads of connectivity options as well as an spacious keyboard and a sophisticated design. It’s not a 2-in-1 laptop like Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus, but I wouldn’t consider that a deal-breaker, especially if you prefer traditional clamshells.

Read our full Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus review

MacBook Air (M3) – Best MacBook for students

Pros

• Excellent battery life
• Great combination of price, features, and performance
• 256GB SSD is now two NAND chips, maintaining performance

Cons

• Expensive memory upgrades
• Dual external display support requires closed lid

Best Prices Today: $1,129 at Amazon$1299 at Adorama$1299 at Apple

Why we like the MacBook Air

From the outstanding battery life to the spacious Liquid Retina display, the MacBook Air (M3) received high marks across the board. It comes with an 8-core CPU (M3) and a 10-core GPU as well as two Thunderbolt 4 ports and a 66.5 watt-hour battery. Performance is similar to the MacBook Pro (M3), which means it can blitz through school work and casual use tasks. The only difference between the two is that the MacBook Air doesn’t have fans, resulting in quieter operation. This laptop also managed a whopping 19 hours on a single charge, which is great news for those with jam-packed schedules and have zero time to plug into the nearest outlet.

Who should buy the MacBook Air

Anyone who prefers MacOS over other operating systems! The battery life is incredible and the laptop itself weighs just a little over three pounds, which means you can easily take it anywhere with you. The $1,299 price tag is also reasonable for the performance and features. However, the 8GB of RAM is light compared to Windows-based alternatives.

Read our full Apple 15-inch MacBook Air (M3, 2024) review

Acer TravelMate P6 – Best ultraportable for students

Pros

• Long battery life
• Light and portable
• A good price for a business laptop

Cons

• Keyboard is a tad mushy
• No NPU for future Windows AI features
• Consumer laptops deliver similar specs at a lower price

Why we like the Acer TravelMate

The Acer TravelMate P6 is so lightweight that it might just float up into the stratosphere. It weighs just 2.65 pounds and is made of magnesium-alloy, which is a very light yet durable material. This is the kind of laptop you can easily toss in a bag and take with you from class to class. The 65 watt-hour battery also lasted nearly 13 hours on a single charge — more than a full school day! In the performance department, thanks to the Intel Core i5-1335U CPU, it’s equipped to handle coursework and day-to-day tasks. In fact, it managed a respectable Cinebench R20 score of 3,065, which isn’t far behind the more powerful HP Pavilion Plus.

Who should buy the Acer TravelMate

The Acer TravelMate P6 is a good option if you’re looking for a powerful, lightweight laptop. In addition to the slimmed-down form factor, it also features a 1080p webcam with a physical privacy shutter and a 14-inch 1200p display with a 16:10 aspect ratio. The taller aspect ratio gives you more room to scroll through webpages and the 1080p webcam will make you look your best during remote sessions. Plus, the backlit keyboard offers a comfortable typing experience. What more could you ask for?

Alternative option: If you’re able to stretch your budget, you should consider picking up the Dell Latitude 7450 Ultralight ($2,663 at Dell). It weighs less than current pick at just 2.33 pounds and it has more RAM (32GB), a more efficient processor (Intel Core Ultra 7 165U), and a higher resolution display (2560×1600). That said, it’s more expensive than the Acer TravelMate P6 and may not be the best option for the budget-conscious.

Read our full Acer TravelMate P6 review

Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition – Best gaming laptop for students

Pros

• Impressive battery life
• Gorgeous 16:10 display
• Rugged chassis

Cons

• Keys feel a bit soft
• 720p webcam is disappointing

Why we like the Asus TUF Gaming

The Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition is something of a rare gem in the sand dune. This specific model exhibits strong graphics performance as well as long battery life, which is unusual for a gaming laptop. Most gaming laptops last only a couple of hours on a single charge. Well, the Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition and its 11 and a half hours of battery life is out here changing the script. That’s more than a full school day.

Also, thanks to the AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS CPU and the AMD Radeon RX 7600S GPU, it also managed 123 frames-per-second in the Rise of the Tomb Raider benchmark. That’s pretty darn good, especially for a sub-$1,000 gaming laptop.

Who should buy the Asus TUF Gaming

The Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition is a great option for those who like to game after class. The pricing is reasonable and you’re getting reliable graphics performance as well as a spacious keyboard and decent battery life. It’s also a good purpose machine, so you can use it for coursework and day-to-day productivity. If you’re a gamer who wants Nvidia features like DLSS or advanced ray tracing, however, this all-AMD system won’t cut it — opt for the alternative below instead.

Alternative option: The Lenovo LOQ 15 ($849) stands as another solid budget gaming laptop option. It’s more than capable of 1080p gaming, with an RTX 4060 GPU and access to Nvidia features like DLSS, while the design is very sci-fi inspired. That said, it didn’t nab the top pick because of the poor battery life (not unusual for a gaming laptop) and limited port selection.

Read our full Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition review

Recent laptop reviews

• Lenovo ThinkPad X1 2-in-1: Lenovo delivered a 2-in-1 ThinkPad with great build quality, a nice pen, and serious battery life. But you may want to wait for a next-generation model powered by Intel’s Lunar Lake hardware.
• Acer Chromebook Plus 514: Acer’s Chromebook Plus 514 is a decent budget Chromebook that beats competitors on RAM and storage.
• Lenovo ThinkBook 13x: Lenovo’s ThinkBook is a better business laptop for most people than a top-of-the-line ThinkPad, but the lack of ports may be a problem.
• Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE: The Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE is a good option if you want a big-screen Chromebook.
• Dell Latitude 7450 Ultralight: Dell’s Latitude 7450 Ultralight is the lightest and thinnest of the three Latitude 7450 models. It’s a real go-getter in the performance stakes and ideal for mobile professionals.

How we tested

The PCWorld team puts each and every Windows laptop through a series of benchmarks that test GPU and CPU performance, battery life, and so on. The idea is to push the laptop to its limits and then compare it against others we’ve tested. Chromebooks, on the other hand, go through a series of web-based tests. It wouldn’t be fair or possible to run the same kinds of tests on a Chromebook, as they’re Chrome OS-based machines.

Below, you’ll find a breakdown of each test and the reasons why we run them. For a much deeper look at our review methodology, check out how PCWorld tests laptops.

Windows laptops

• PCMark 10: PCMark 10 is how we determine how well the laptop handles lighter tasks like web browsing, word processing, spreadsheets, and so on.
• HandBrake: HandBrake is more intensive than PCMark 10. It basically measures how long a laptop’s CPU takes to encode a beefy 30GB file.
• Cinebench: Cinebench is a brief stress test of the CPU cores. It does this by rendering a 2D scene over a short period of time.
• 3DMark: 3DMark checks if 3D performance remains consistent over time by running graphic-intensive clips.
• Video rundown test: To gauge battery life, we loop a 4K video using Windows 10’s Movies & TV app until the laptop dies.

Chromebooks

• CrXPRT 2: The CrXPRT 2 benchmark tests a Chromebook’s battery life.
• Speedometer 2.0: This test determines a Chromebook’s web browser performance. It simulates this by adding, completing, and removing a to-do list.
• Basemark Web 3.0: This benchmark gauges how well a Chromebook can handle web-based applications.
• Kraken 1.1: Kraken 1.1 is a JavaScript performance benchmark.
• Jetstream 2: Jetstream 2 is a combination of WebAssembly and JavaScript benchmarks. This is a way to gauge how well a Chromebook runs advanced workloads.

What to look for in a laptop for college

The first thing to consider is budget. How much are you willing to spend on a laptop? If you’re working with an inflexible budget, Chromebooks are a good option. They’re affordable and designed to handle everyday tasks like writing papers, working on spreadsheets, and so on. Chromebook prices can range anywhere from $200 up to $1,000. If you want to spend a bit more, laptops with convertible touchscreens (otherwise known as 2-in-1s) offer a great deal of functionality. You can flip the screen around and use it like a tablet or prop it up like an easel for watching movies.

Things like navigating your e-mail or watching Netflix will require more RAM. We recommend springing for 8GB of RAM or more. 4GB of RAM is fine and good for web browsing and basic office work, but 8GB is better for having more tabs open and whatnot. Plus, applications like Google Chrome and Spotify tend to eat up a lot of memory. Most people can get by with 4GB in a pinch if you’re on a tight budget, but you won’t be able to multitask as much.

The final thing is a decent keyboard. In college, you’re going to be spending a lot of time typing. Depending on your personal preference, you may want either a full or short travel keyboard. Mechanical keyboards, for example, normally have longer travel. This helps prevent accidental keystrokes. The keys also give a lot of tactile feedback, as they bounce back after they’re pressed down.

Any monitor can be used for PC gaming, but a display built for productivity will likely leave you underwhelmed. Limited contrast, blurry motion, and slow refresh rates still hold basic productivity monitors back in games. Fortunately, there’s no shortage of excellent gaming monitors available at a wide range of price points—and the best of them embrace cutting-edge technology unavailable in any other PC display. 

Here are the best gaming monitors of 2023 so far. If you aren’t sold on a gaming monitor, check out our recommendations for the best monitors overall or our roundup of the best 4K monitors for additional options.

Updated June 14, 2024 to include the Asus ROG Strix XG27AQDMG as the best gaming monitor for HDR. This WOLED display is a viable alternative QD-OLED monitors, and has the distinct advantage of delivering higher HDR brightness and coming at a competitive price. See our summary below to learn more.

Alienware AW3423DW – Best gaming monitor overall

Pros

• Excellent contrast ratio 
• Top-notch color gamut and accuracy
• Great motion clarity 
• Respectable HDR performance
• Extremely competitive price

Cons

• Stand is a bit too large
• No USB-C
• Maximum HDR brightness is lackluster

Best Prices Today: $998.97 at Amazon

Alienware’s AW3423DWF is an outstanding PC gaming monitor. 

This monitor has a QD-OLED panel which is like that used in top-tier OLED televisions. OLED provides a nearly infinite contrast ratio, excellent color performance, and respectable brightness. The result is a punchy, vibrant image with an unparalleled sense of dimensionality. The monitor’s ultrawide aspect ratio only heightens the sense of immersion.

Motion clarity is superb. The monitor has a refresh up to 165Hz and supports both AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and VESA Adaptive Sync. The OLED panel technology it uses has lower pixel response times than competitors, too, so there’s minimal added blur and ghosting in motion. Motion is as crisp as you’ll find below 240Hz. 

The Alienware AW3423DWF is an alternative to the AW3423DW, a slightly older and nearly identical monitor. The AW3423DW has a higher fresh rate of 175Hz and supports Nvidia G-Sync Ultimate. It’s also $100 to $200 more expensive. Though we recommend the AW3423DWF for most people, the AW3423DW is better for owners of high-end Nvidia graphics cards.

The AW3423DWF is expensive at $1,099.99, but its performance justifies the price. Competing 34-inch and 38-inch ultrawides without QD-OLED technology are often just as expensive but have less impressive image quality.

Read our full Alienware AW3423DWF review

Dell G2724D – Best gaming monitor under $200

Pros

• Handsome design with functional stand
• Attractive SDR image quality
• Good motion clarity at 165Hz
• Supports all Adaptive Sync standards

Cons

• No USB connectivity or 3.5mm audio-out
• Lackluster HDR

Best Prices Today: $199.99 at Dell Home

The Dell G2724D is an excellent choice if you’re looking for a budget gaming monitor that doesn’t compromise on quality. With attractive design, strong motion clarity at 165Hz, and wide Adaptive Sync support, it provides an immersive gaming experience at an affordable price.

It has a 27-inch IPS LCD panel with 1440p resolution and a 165Hz refresh rate. The color gamut spans 100 percent of sRGB, 86 percent of DCI-P3, and 82 percent of Adobe RGB, delivering a bright and vibrant image that’s excellent in games and adequate for most content creation. The monitor’s Adaptive Sync support is a standout feature, with official support for VESA Adaptive Sync, AMD FreeSync Premium, and Nvidia G-Sync.

It also delivers a handsome design with a matte black and gray chassis and sporty rear vents that provide an aggressive yet unobtrusive look. The functional monitor stand offers a range of ergonomic adjustments and has a compact base that doesn’t consume excessive desk space.

There are a few downsides: The monitor doesn’t offer USB connectivity or 3.5mm audio-out. HDR performance is lackluster, too, making it a so-so choice for HDR gaming.

Yet it’s hard to beat the G2724D’s performance at $199 and, more importantly, it offers everything an average PC gamer is going to need for a smooth, responsive, and attractive gaming experience. It’s the kind of monitor that, despite its budget price, could have a place on your desk for several years.

Read our full Dell G2724D review

Pixio PX248 Wave – Best gaming monitor under $150

Pros

• Attractive design, especially in unique colorways
• Built-in speakers are surprisingly decent
• Solid color accuracy and respectable gamut
• Good motion clarity

Cons

• Built-in stand only adjusts for tilt
• Just two video inputs
• Awkward menu controls
• Color temperature skews cool

Best Prices Today: $139.99 at Pixio$149.99 at Amazon

The Pixio PX248 Wave stands apart from other budget gaming monitors with colorful, stylish design and solid motion performance, all available at an enticing price of $149.99.

Pixio offers the PX248 Wave in four colorways: black, white, blue, and pink. The latter two are rather special, as only a handful of monitors — like the more expensive Samsung M8 Smart Monitor — offer similarly alluring colors. The stand matches the monitor’s colorway, and Pixio even offers an optional color-coordinated monitor arm for those who want to go all-in on a particular desktop vibe.

The monitor’s 24-inch Fast IPS display boasts a 200Hz refresh rate that delivers fluid motion. Image quality is reasonable, too, as the PX248 Wave delivers respectable color accuracy and coverage, making it suitable for both gaming and casual content creation. It has built-in speakers, too.

Despite its visual appeal, the PX248 Wave sticks to the basics with connectivity, which includes HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort 1.4. USB connectivity isn’t available. The included stand is also basic, as it only adjusts for tilt, and the menu controls could be more user-friendly.

Most competitors at this price point have a similar display panel wrapped in a more generic black, gray, or charcoal case. Pixio’s PX248 Wave manages to match them in image quality and beat them on looks, yet it stays on a budget.

Read our full Pixio PX248 Wave review

Asus TUF Gaming VG289Q – Best budget 4K gaming monitor

Pros

• 4K resolution
• Good gaming performance
• Tons of ergonomic adjustment options
• Inexpensive 

Cons

• A relatively low 60Hz refresh rate

Best Prices Today: $299.99 at Amazon

If you are a gamer who enjoys slower-paced games that feature beautiful graphic detail then you may want to consider a 4K gaming monitor. The Asus TUF Gaming VG289Q is a 28-inch 4K display with a refresh rate of 60Hz and adaptive sync, making it compatible with both FreeSync and G-Sync. It’s also only $400—a relative steal for a 4K display. It may not have the refresh rate that is required for quick e-sports or shooter games, but it makes up for that with an absolutely superb 4K display. It also has outstanding image quality and a vivid color range that will make most of the other monitors on this list weep.

Asus branded the VG289Q as a gaming monitor and it will deliver on that in most aspects. But ultimately, it is all about getting a 4K display on a budget and in that respect this monitor is second to none in image quality value for your money.

Read our full Asus TUF Gaming VG289Q review

Alienware AW3225QF – Best 4K gaming monitor

Pros

• Excellent color performance and contrast
• Good overall HDR performance
• 240Hz refresh rate with great motion clarity
• Big price drop from prior 4K OLED monitors

Cons

• Stand is too large
• Curved panel is an acquired taste
• HDR brightness is still just okay

Best Prices Today: $1199.99 at Dell

The Alienware AW3225QF is an easy recommendation for the best 4K gaming monitor.

This 32-inch monitor boasts a 4K QD-OLED panel, offering a 240Hz refresh rate — a new feature for 4K OLED displays. Its motion performance is excellent. The 240Hz refresh rate delivers clear and detailed motion in fast-paced games. Nvidia G-Sync and VESA AdaptiveSync 240 are supported, as well (the monitor will work with FreeSync, though support is not officially listed).

The monitor’s SDR image quality is impressive with true-to-life color accuracy, an infinite contrast ratio, and excellent sharpness. The AW3225QF also delivers good HDR performance, offering a cinematic experience with VESA DisplayHDR 400 True Black certification and Dolby Vision HDR support. Its HDR brightness can’t match Mini-LED displays but proves a hair better than most OLED competitors.

The AW3225QF excels in video connectivity, including DisplayPort 1.4 and two HDMI 2.1 ports. That means all three ports can handle the monitor at maximum resolution and refresh rate, something that’s not true of many 4K displays. One HDMI port also offers eARC support, catering to enhanced audio setups. That’s handy if you want to use the monitor with home theater equipment, like a soundbar, and position the AW3225QF as a potential TV alternative in small spaces.

Alienware’s design is both luxurious and attractive, with an appealing white-and-black colorway and sturdy materials. The ergonomic stand is too large, however, and won’t fit comfortably on smaller desks. VESA mount compatibility is included and provides an alternative mounting option.

Read our full Alienware AW3225QF review

Innocn 27M2V – Best budget HDR gaming monitor

Pros

• Excellent color gamut and accuracy
• Sharp, vivid picture
• Strong HDR performance
• Good connectivity

Cons

• Design looks nice, but feels inexpensive
• Thin user manual
• Confusing on-screen menu

Best Prices Today: $749.99 at Amazon

Innocn’s 27M2V is an awesome choice if you want punchy, brilliant HDR gaming for less than $1,000. It delivers excellent HDR brightness, 4K clarity, and smooth motion at a reasonable price.

The 27M2V is a 4K Mini-LED monitor with a maximum refresh rate of 160Hz. It falls behind the smoothest monitors available, like the 500Hz Alienware AW2524H, but still looks excellent in motion. Only the most demanding competitive gamers will need a higher refresh rate. The monitor also supports AMD FreeSync Premium Pro.

HDR is attractive thanks to the monitor’s maximum measured HDR brightness of 877 nits. This is a bit low compared to the best Mini-LED monitors, which can exceed 1,000 nits, but still enough to deliver an obvious boost in HDR games. Bright objects retain good detail, colors look wonderfully saturated, and the dynamic Mini-LED backlight delivers strong contrast.

The 27M2V’s connectivity doesn’t disappoint. It features a USB-C port with a generous 90 watts of Power Delivery, complemented by a DisplayPort and dual HDMI 2.0 ports, tallying up to four video inputs. 

It’s not without its quirks. The monitor’s build, while aesthetically pleasing, feels a bit lackluster when handled. Navigating the on-screen menus is a challenge and made more difficult by the absence of a comprehensive user manual. And while Innocn’s customer service exists, it’s limited to email correspondence.

Yet these minor setbacks are forgiven by competitive pricing. With an MSRP of $799.99, and frequent discounts dropping it to a mere $679.99, the Innocn 27M2V offers unparalleled value for the price.

Read our full Innocn 27M2V review

Asus ROG Strix XG27AQDMG – Best HDR gaming monitor

Pros

• Compact ergonomic stand
• Superb contrast with deep, inky black levels
• Excellent HDR performance
• Inexpensive for an OLED monitor

Cons

• HDMI ports don’t support 240Hz refresh rate
• No USB-C
• SDR performance is great, but slightly lags QD-OLED peers

Best Prices Today: $699 at Asus

If you’re searching for the best gaming monitor for HDR, look no further than the Asus ROG Strix XG27AQDMG. It has an LG WOLED panel that delivers stunning HDR without breaking the bank.

The XG27AQDMG’s third-generation LG WOLED panel provides exceptional HDR brightness that outperforms QD-OLED competitors and closes gap the with Mini-LED monitors. It can hit a maximum sustained brightness of 724 nits in a 10 percent window, which is enough to deliver punchy HDR highlights and detail across luminant areas of a game or movie. This pairs well with OLED’s deep, inky blacks and wide color gamut, which covers 96 percent DCI-P3 coverage. Put simply: It looks exceptionally immersive and realistic.

However, the XG27AQDMG lags in SDR. Its color performance, though strong, isn’t quite as good as QD-OLED alternatives. Sharpness is merely okay, too, and small fonts can look pixelated at times. 

Gamers will appreciate the high refresh rate of up to 240Hz, which is paired with adaptive sync technologies like AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and Nvidia G-Sync for fluid, tear-free gaming. The refresh rate is lower than some QD-OLED competitors, which achieve up to 360Hz. On the other hand, though, the XG27AQDMG provides motion clarity far better than Mini-LED gaming monitors, such as the Red Magic 4K Gaming Monitor.

Pricing is another upside. Sold at an MSRP of $749.99, and immediately available for just $699.99 at release, the XG27AQDMG undercuts the competition on price. Gamers who mostly stick to SDR may want to pay $50 to $100 more for a QD-OLED alternative, but the XG27AQDMG has the edge in HDR.

Read our full Asus ROG Strix XG27AQDMG review

Gigabyte GS34WQC- Best budget ultrawide gaming monitor

Pros

• Plenty of connectivity and menu options
• Good contrast ratio
• Solid color performance
• Up to 144Hz refresh rate with good motion clarity

Cons

• Stand setup uses screws instead of clip mechanism
• Modest maximum brightness
• HDR is supported but lackluster

Best Prices Today: $299.99 at Best Buy

The Gigabyte GS34WQC stands out as an impressive ultrawide gaming monitor available at a low price. It has a sharp 34-inch display with a resolution of 3440×1440. That’s paired with good motion clarity driven by a 120Hz refresh rate (overclockable to 135Hz) and support for AMD FreeSync, ensuring smooth and consistent gameplay. Camera movements are detailed, and fast-paced action is easily tracked.

Beyond its motion clarity, the GS34WQC delivers great image quality that’s comparable to monitors twice its price. It has a Vertical Alignment (VA) panel instead of the more common In-Plane Switching (IPS). This provides improved contrast with deeper black levels and more convincing shadow detail in dark scenes. These qualities make it especially suitable for games with a dark, gritty presentation.

The monitor boasts a dull but functional design. It has an ergonomic stand that provides height and tilt adjustment, but its assembly requires manual attachment of four screws, unlike competitors with tool-free clip-in stands. The GS34WQC compensates with an intuitive menu system that has extensive customization options, allowing gamers to tailor the visuals to their preferences.

Value, however, is where the GS34WQC really beats the competition. It’s not the least expensive budget ultrawide monitor, but it delivers better image quality and motion clarity than many competitors while keeping the price in check. Indeed, the GS34WQC is so good it makes $400-to-$500-dollar ultrawide gaming monitors more difficult to recommend. The GS34WQC looks just as good at a lower price.

Read our full Gigabyte GS34WQC review

Corsair Xeneon Flex 45WQHD240 – Best big-screen ultrawide

Pros

• Incredibly immersive gaming experience
• Huge 45-inch ultrawide OLED panel can be adjusted from flat to 800R curve to suit your setup
• Exceptional image quality, contrast, color performance, and HDR
• Elite motion clarity on a 240Hz panel
• Abundant connectivity with USB-C hub and power delivery options
• It made four people who walked into my office stop and say “WHOA” like Keanu Reeves

Cons

• Poor text clarity and general sharpness for productivity work
• Very expensive
• No swivel or tilt options, stand can’t be replaced
• Bending mechanism feels clunky and mildly terrifying at first
• Enabling HDR mutes desktop contrast and vibrancy

Best Prices Today: $1,499.99 at Amazon$1499.99 at Best Buy

Want a monitor that takes immersion to a new level and outshines your friend’s measly 34-inch ultrawide? The Corsair Xeneon Flex 45WQHD240 is for you. 

The Xeneon Flex is a superb way to enjoy visually stunning games. It has an extremely high contrast ratio and a wide color gamut. Maximum brightness is high (for OLED) as well, which is a benefit if you want to play games with HDR turned on. The monitor’s 240Hz refresh rate and low pixel response times provide top-notch motion clarity. Even its modest 3440×1440 resolution may be seen as a benefit. While it does soften the image, it also reduces the strain on your GPU, making it possible to enjoy high-quality settings on midrange hardware. 

Of course, the Xeneon Flex’s most unique feature is in its name: a unique flexible OLED panel that can be adjusted from a completely flat position to an impressive 800R curvature, one of the tightest curves available in a monitor. The curve is adjusted manually with handles located on each side of the display. It’s a useful extra if you enjoy a wide variety of genres (you may want it flat while playing Civilization IV but curved in Cyberpunk 2077).

Measuring a whopping 45 inches diagonally, the Xeneon Flex is significantly larger than a standard 34-inch ultrawide, providing an incredibly immersive gaming experience and ample space for multitasking applications. It stands taller than a 49-inch super-ultrawide like the Samsung Odyssey Neo G9, although it’s not as wide.

Build quality is good, too, as the Corsair Xeneon Flex features a robust and stable stand with integrated ports including USB-C. However, the stand doesn’t offer height adjustment. With a retail price of nearly $2,000, the Xeneon Flex is an investment, but its versatile OLED panel and superior image quality make it an obvious choice for gamers. 

Read our full Corsair Xeneon Flex review

Acer Predator CG48 – Best big-screen gaming monitor

Pros

• Excellent SDR, strong HDR image
• Great motion clarity
• Superior contrast and wide color gamut
• Multiple PC-friendly connections including USB-C hub
• Useful bundled remote

Cons

• Only one HDMI 2.1 input
• Sharpness is just ok
• Stand offers no adjustment, no VESA mount

Best Prices Today: $1,328.38 at Amazon

Thinking about a TV for your next gaming display? Stop! The Acer Predator CG48 is as large as many OLED televisions and better suited to use with a PC.

The Predator CG48 is a 48-inch OLED monitor with 4K resolution and a maximum refresh rate of 138Hz. It has the same OLED panel as LG’s OLED televisions and delivers great image quality. The monitor’s combination of excellent contrast, spot-on color accuracy, and a wide color gamut provides a realistic and lifelike picture. 

Motion clarity is great, too. The 138Hz refresh rate provides excellent motion fluidity in fast-paced games. OLED also provides low pixel-response times, which minimizes blur across a wide range of refresh rates. 

Unlike a television, the Acer Predator CG48 has a wide variety of options for connecting a PC. This includes DisplayPort, HDMI 2.1, and even USB-C with DisplayPort Alternate Mode and 65 watts of Power Delivery. You can easily connect several gaming PCs to this display, if needed. The bundled remote can access a wide range of image quality options and adjustments that help you customize the image to your preferences. 

This monitor retails at $1,499.99, which is expensive, but it’s often on sale for at least a couple hundred dollars less. Be sure to shop around before buying.

Read our full Acer Predator CG48 review

LG Ultragear 27GN950 – Best 144Hz gaming monitor

Pros

• Excellent gaming performance
• Incredible image quality
• Ergonomic adjustment options
• Special gaming configurations

Cons

• High power consumption

Best Prices Today: $745 at Amazon$799.99 at LG

If you’re not a professional gamer or you just don’t require the obscenely fast 240Hz, then you can find a whole host of great options at 144Hz instead. Our pick for the best of the bunch is the LG Ultragear 27GN950.

Not only is it still super fast, but it also has 4K resolution, all of the ports your heart desires, and impressively high color fidelity. It is a great option for those who will use it for multimedia other than just gaming and don’t mind sacrificing a little speed to gain a lot of pixel density.

Admittedly, it’s a bit pricey for a 27-inch monitor and you will need a high-end GPU to take advantage of its full potential, but if you can afford it, then this just might end up being the pièce de résistance in your display setup.

Read our full LG Ultragear 27GN950 review

LG UltraGear 27GR83Q-B – Best 240Hz gaming monitor

Pros

• Attractive design
• Bright, colorful image
• Excellent motion clarity
• Officially supports both AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync

Cons

• Stand is still too large
• Modest contrast ratio
• HDR is available, but disappointing

Best Prices Today: $396.99 at Amazon

The LG UltraGear 27GR83Q-B is a 240Hz gaming monitor that offers buttery-smooth motion and great image quality at a reasonable price point.

Its best trait is its stellar motion handling. A refresh rate of 240Hz helps the monitor deliver fast response times and smooth motion in competitive multiplayer games. Better still, the monitor supports both AMD FreeSync Premium and Nvidia G-Sync. Most similar monitors only support one or the other.

LG delivers great image quality with a bright, colorful picture and a respectable contrast ratio of 1250:1. Although it can’t match the infinite contrast of more expensive OLED alternatives, the 27GR83Q-B provides a better sense of depth and immersion than most gaming monitors below $500.

It has a couple flaws. The 27GR83Q-B’s HDR performance is lackluster, as it can’t achieve a brightness high enough to maximize HDR content. The same is true of the monitor’s competitors, however. LG also opts for an annoyingly large stand, so the monitor might feel oversized on a small desk.

LG asks an MSRP of $499.99, but the monitor’s price has dipped as low as $399.99 on sale. It’s a good value at MSRP and a fantastic deal when discounted. The 27GR83Q-B’s image quality is at the top of its class, and LG’s decision to officially support both AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync makes the 27GR83Q-B wonderfully versatile.

Read our full LG UltraGear 27GR83Q-B review

Alienware AW2524H – Best 500Hz gaming monitor

Pros

• The best motion clarity available today
• Bright, vivid image quality
• Compact ergonomic stand

Cons

• Limited video input selection
• Mediocre image quality
• High pricing for a 24-inch monitor

Want unparalleled motion clarity? Look no further than Alienware’s AW2524H, the world’s first 500Hz gaming monitor.

This monitor delivers fantastic detail in fast-moving objects and remains legible during rapid in-game map navigation. Competitive gamers will appreciate its ultra-low input latency, complemented by Nvidia Reflex Analyzer, which accurately measures PC response to input. The monitor’s refresh rate is so high, in fact, that you’ll need to double-check the maximum frame rate of your favorite games. Some have a hard frame rate cap below 500 frames per second. 

The AW2524H’s design is outstanding. It relies on Alienware’s sleek, futuristic aesthetic and outstanding build quality. The compact stand enables ergonomic adjustments while minimizing desk space consumption, and a headphone stand is included on the display’s left flank.

The monitor’s image quality doesn’t rival similarly priced monitors but remains respectable and defeats most 24.5-inch 360Hz monitors. This is thanks to the monitor’s vibrant, vivid color. HDR performance is underwhelming, but competitive gamers are unlikely to find this a problem. 

Snagging the world’s first 500Hz monitor doesn’t come cheap, although the price has dropped significantly since it debuted at over $800. But, if you’re on the path to pro, the monitor’s price is a fair exchange for its class-leading motion clarity and responsiveness.

Read our full Alienware AW2524H review

Dell G3223Q – Best HDMI 2.1 gaming monitor

Pros

• Bright, sharp SDR image
• Good color gamut and accuracy
• Solid build quality and ergonomic stand
• Great motion clarity at 120Hz or 144Hz

Cons

• Disappointing HDR performance
• Odd menu choices for creators 
• Modest USB connectivity

Best Prices Today: $592.03 at Amazon$599.99 at Dell

The Dell G3223Q is a large, attractive 32-inch gaming monitor that’s ideal for PC gamers who also want to connect a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X|S.

It supports 4K resolution at a refresh rate of up to 144Hz and has two HDMI 2.1 connections. You can connect a PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S console simultaneously. DisplayPort is also available for your PC. The monitor supports AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and Nvidia G-Sync.

Image quality is strong with excellent brightness, good contrast, and great color performance. These traits, combined with the sharpness of 4K, makes for an excellent SDR experience. HDR isn’t impressive, which could be a concern for console gamers. Most monitors in this price range aren’t great at HDR, however, so we think this issue can be overlooked (for now).

The Dell G3223Q is a good value, too. Typically priced around $825, the G3223Q is among the more affordable HDMI 2.1 monitors with a 32-inch, 4K display panel. We also appreciate the monitor’s design, which feels more durable and looks more attractive than similarly priced alternatives.

Read our full Dell G3223Q review

Asus ROG Strix XG17AHPE – Best gaming monitor for mobile use

Pros

• Gaming monitor for mobile use
• 240Hz refresh rate
• Independent operation
• Complete equipment included

Cons

• High power consumption
• Expensive

Best Prices Today: $458.47 at Amazon$489.99 at Adorama

The Asus ROG Strix XG17AHPE is a bit unique in that it was designed and built to be a top-quality gaming monitor that is easily portable and mobile friendly.

It is a 17.3-inch display with 1080p resolution and a screaming fast refresh rate of 240Hz. It also has adaptive sync technology and built-in speakers. You can easily connect it to your laptop or next-gen console of choice for on-the-go gaming.

The battery should last you about 3.5 hours without needing to be charged and it comes with a cover that can be folded back to make a stand for the monitor itself. However, if you can afford to buy the extra tripod stand it is recommended as this provides a more stable base as well as height adjustment options.

The specs alone make this an excellent gaming monitor in its own rights, but the ability to pack it up and take it with you makes this a great option for those who like to game on the go. You will pay for this convenience though as even the base option is quite steep, let alone the bundle which includes the tripod stand.

Read our full Asus ROG Strix XG17AHPE review

Asus ProArt PA348CGV – Best dual-purpose gaming monitor

Pros

• Excellent SDR image quality 
• Sturdy, hefty design 
• Wide range of customization
• 120Hz refresh rate

Cons

• USB-C hub lacks video-out or ethernet
• HDR is merely passable

Best Prices Today: $876.44 at Amazon

Asus’ ProArt PA348CGV is an excellent ultrawide for professionals, digital artists, creatives, and anyone else wanting to work and play on the same display. 

The PA348CGV delivers top-notch color accuracy, a wide color gamut, and numerous image-quality adjustments, making it ideal for demanding users who need to precisely calibrate a display. Pro users can switch to a preset mode, such as the DCI-P3 mode, or use a custom display mode to calibrate the image in detail. 

Most monitors of this caliber leave gamers in the cold, but the PA348CGV invites them in with a 120Hz refresh rate and support for AMD FreeSync Premium Pro. It offers smooth frame pacing and great motion clarity, especially at high frame rates. It looks great straight out of the box and is particularly pleasing in bright, vivid games like World of Warcraft or Forza Horizon 5. 

Sold at an MSRP of $729, the PA348CGV is priced to compete with other premium ultrawides, yet its image quality leaves alternatives in the dust. You’ll be hard pressed to find a better value in this category.

Read our full Asus ProArt PA348CGV review

What to look for in a gaming monitor

Gamers have unique needs that exceed an average user. Here’s what PC gamers should look for in a gaming monitor.

Resolution

Most widescreen gaming monitors have a resolution of 1920×1080 (1080p), 2560×1440 (1440p), or 4K (3840×2160). A higher resolution improves sharpness and clarity, which helps games look more detailed and lifelike. Increasing resolution also increases demand on your video card, however. Gamers with less powerful hardware may want to avoid 4K. 

Refresh rate

A higher refresh leads to smoother motion by increasing the number of frames that can appear each second. It also reduces input lag, as each frame appears more quickly. A 144Hz refresh rate is a big improvement over the standard 60Hz, and 240Hz is better still. The improvement becomes more difficult to notice after 240Hz, but 360Hz monitors exist for those who want the lowest input lag possible.

DIsplayPort and HDMI 2.1

DisplayPort is the best connection for PC gaming. Even DisplayPort 1.4, which is rather old, can support 4K at 144Hz. HDMI 2.1 can handle 4K at 120Hz and is an acceptable connection for PC gaming, though most gamers will use it for a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X|S game console.

How we test gaming monitors

We test all monitors with a Datacolor Spyder X2 Ultra calibration tool. This tool can report objective measurements for brightness, contrast, color gamut, color accuracy, color temperature, gamma, and other metrics. 

Our results are recorded and compared to the results for past monitors. Though we rely on our eyes for initial impressions, comparing objective results lets us evaluate monitors against hundreds of older models from past reviews and testing. 

We examine motion clarity by quickly moving the camera across the map in Civilization VI, playing a round of Rocket League, and panning the camera across the landscape in Final Fantasy XIV—among other games. Finally, we use the popular UFO Test for an apples-to-apples comparison between displays.

In addition to gaming prowess, we consider a monitor’s on-screen menu, ergonomic stand (or lack thereof), and overall build quality—all important qualities irrespective of use case.

It might be surprising, but free VPNs are no longer just for PCs. You can also use them to help easily boost your security and privacy game on an Android device. Whether you want extra security while using a public Wi-Fi network, or to get around geo-restrictions for most of your favorite streaming services, a free VPN can help you do it without having to pay for anything.

The problem when looking for a good free VPN, though, is that there are a large number of them available on the Google Play Store. So how do you determine which ones are worth your time? Our experts here at PCWorld have tested a slew of VPNs, both for PCs and Android devices, and have curated a list of the best free options you can feel confident in using. Check out our top picks below.

Why you should trust me: Here at PCWorld we’ve been testing computer hardware, software, and services since the 1980s. As the VPN reviewer, I’m continually testing all of the major VPNs on the market and many lesser-known services in order to curate a list of the very best VPNs across a variety of categories. For a more in-depth guide, you can check out my article on how we test VPN services at PCWorld. Below you’ll find my favorite free VPNs, and below that, helpful advice about what to look for when choosing a VPN for your Android device on your own.

And if you’re looking to further upgrade your Android phone’s security, which I highly recommend, be sure to look at PCWorld’s recommendations for the best free antivirus for Android as well. Additionally, you can check out my guide to the best VPNs covering multiple devices.

Updated June 13, 2024: Check out my latest review of Windscribe Pro VPN. The premium and free version of this VPN both shine, and it continues to be one of my top picks on this list thanks to its unlimited device connections and good speeds.

ProtonVPN – Best overall

Pros

• Excellent free plan
• Great privacy tools
• Reliable and transparent no-logs policy

Cons

• Expensive

Why I like ProtonVPN

If you only have one device to worry about, ProtonVPN is your best choice. This free service provides what the company calls “medium speeds,” meaning you might not get access to the 10-gigabit-per-second servers that paying customers do, but the speeds are just fine anyways. It’s mercifully devoid of any annoying or privacy-compromising ads. Plus, there are no data or time limits imposed on users of the free version, meaning you can stream to your heart’s content — although they don’t promise that the free servers will unblock Netflix.

ProtonVPN has an excellent privacy policy as well, backed up by a recent independently verified no-logs audit. Overall, it’s an excellent free service with an easy-to-use Android app from a trustworthy company — what’s not to like?

Who should use ProtonVPN

ProtonVPN is a great option for anyone with a single Android device who needs a free VPN. Perfect for the one-off phone or tablet user, ProtonVPN provides unlimited data so it can be used all day without worrying about hitting a cap. Plus, privacy-conscious users can take heart that apart from the info required to sign up, ProtonVPN doesn’t collect any other user data.

Read our full ProtonVPN review

Windscribe Pro – Best for multiple devices

Pros

• Good free plan
• Fast speeds
• Unlimited device connections

Cons

• Streaming unblocking is inconsistent
• No independent audit

Why I like Windscribe Pro

Another solid choice for Android users. You won’t get the unlimited data like you do with ProtonVPN, but it makes up for that with unlimited simultaneous device connections and solid overall speeds. Data is capped at up to 10GB per month, which means you can browse to your heart’s content, but likely won’t be able to use it for any streaming services.

The free service offers 10 regional connections including the U.S., Canada, UK, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Netherlands, Switzerland, Norway, and Romania. It also has a ton of privacy features such as blockers for site notifications and “we use cookies” banners, WebRTC leak protection, location spoofing, user agent rotation, and more.

The service is also extremely easy to use with a simple setup and solid performance for a free VPN. I not only recommend the Windscribe free service on its own, but also as an easy way to get to know the service before committing to a paid tier with premium features.

Who should use Windscribe Pro

Windscribe Pro’s free Android VPN is best suited for those who need access across multiple devices. Watch out for the data limit though, as you can hit it pretty fast while using multiple devices.

Read our full Windscribe Pro review

Hide.me – Best for no sign-up usage

Pros

• Good download speeds
• Easy-to-use Windows app
• No-logs promise

Cons

• Speeds were inconsistent in our tests
• Expensive single year subscription

Best Prices Today: $59.95 at Hide Me

Why I like Hide.me

Hide.me has pretty good speeds, and like Windscribe you’re limited to 10GB per month. Hide.me offers five connection choices including two U.S. locations (east and west), Canada, Germany, and the Netherlands. Hide.me doesn’t require an account for signing up, making it seamless and easy to use.

Who should use Hide.me

Since Hide.me’s free version does not require a sign-up in order to use, it’s good for those who just need a VPN for simple, one-off tasks. Alternatively, if you’re concerned about privacy, not having to enter in any personal information is a huge plus as well.

Read our full Hide.me review

Speedify 10 – Best for leveraging both cellular and Wi-Fi

Pros

• Very good speeds
• Speedify’s failover feature seamlessly transitions between Wi-Fi and cellular networks

Cons

• Privacy policy says it collects some personal information
• Desktop mode for the Windows app needs work

Best Prices Today: $71.88 at Connectify

Why I like Speedify

A solid VPN choice for anyone using the VPN on a phone. Speedify’s specialty is a seamless VPN transition between Wi-Fi and cellular. Typically, when you go between Wi-Fi and cellular the connection drops and restarts, but with Speedify it just keeps on going, which is nice. It also harnesses your Wi-Fi and cellular together to try and boost connection speeds.

Speeds are pretty good with Speedify, staying within the top 15 for speeds overall. The downside of this free offering is that you only get 2GB of data usage per month. That’s not much, which is why this is my last suggestion. But if you need something simple for basic web browsing Speedify is well worth a look.

Who should use Speedify

Due to the small data limit, Speedify is recommended for users who just need a VPN for basic web-browsing or a one-time use. The seamless transition between Wi-Fi and cellular and potential connection speed boost means that Speedify is an extremely convenient way to keep a VPN connection up while on the go or in spotty Wi-Fi areas.

Read our full Speedify 10 review

AVG Secure – Best free trial

Pros

• 10 simultaneous device connectionsUnblocks streaming servicesFree 60-day trial

Cons

• Logs some user activity dataNot a lot of extra featuresLong-term only subscription options

Why I like AVG Secure VPN

It might sound odd to include a free-trial option here, but AVG Secure VPN is a fine VPN service on its own and it provides a 60-day free trial for new users. That’s incredibly generous for a premium service — most other VPNs only offer one-week free trials at best. The free trial extends to all devices as well so you can use it on both your Windows machine as well as your Android device.

AVG is a household name in security software and its VPN lives up to its high-standards. The free-trial gives you complete access to all of the paid features such as 10 simultaneous device connections, over 700 servers across more than 50 countries, and guaranteed streaming service unblocking with specific servers. While the speeds aren’t the fastest I’ve ever seen, they’re good enough for most general online activities. All-in-all, two months for free of AVG Secure VPN is a fantastic deal, just don’t forget to cancel the subscription before the free trial runs out.

Who should use AVG Secure VPN

Most people looking for a free VPN for shorter-term use will stand to gain a lot from AVG Secure VPN’s free trial. But I think it’s an exceptional choice in particular for those who are traveling for awhile and need a VPN while abroad. By taking advantage of a premium service’s speeds and broad server network you can access all of your streaming content no matter what country you find yourself in and you shouldn’t have to worry about frustrating data caps from other free services. Stream and browse to your heart’s content for no cost, well, at least for 60 days.

Read our full AVG Secure review

What to look for in a free VPN for Android

This will follow a lot of the advice I’ve already given for free stuff when it comes to Android. Google is doing a better job than ever at keeping harmful apps out of the Play Store, but there is still a chance of some random VPN app having malicious intent. Another problem is that even if the app is fine, the service itself may be up to no good.

For those reasons I always advise going with a well-known VPN service provider to reduce your chances of running into security issues.

Next, you want a free app that is truly free. Not some 7- or 30-day trial that will automatically start charging the card connected to your Play account after the trial period. You should also read over the privacy policy to make sure there’s nothing there you’re going to have a problem with.

Finally, you want to make sure the VPN has data limits that suit your needs.

How I tested

I judge VPNs on a variety of criteria including server network, connection speeds, privacy protections, ease-of-use, additional features, and cost. For a more detailed guide on how I test, check out PCWorld’s comprehensive guide on how we test VPN services.

Speed tests are kept as simple as possible. I average the connections between different global locations for any given VPN and then compare them to a baseline internet speed to get a good picture of the overall connection speeds. I thoroughly research and analyze the privacy policies and histories of each VPN and note any outstanding discrepancies or data collection issues.

Experience and ease-of-use are subjective, but I try my best to give an accurate representation of how it feels to work with the VPN. Since you don’t have to pay for a free VPN, the value will be contingent upon the trade-offs you’ll need to make and the restrictions it has in place.

Free VPNs aren’t a top recommendation, but if you’re going to go that way I’d strongly suggest the VPNs mentioned above.

Making the switch from the office to working from home has become the new normal, but some users might feel like their setup is not as well-appointed or productive as at the office. It’s time to change that. With the proper equipment and gear, you can turn your boring-old home setup into a workstation powerhouse — ensuring you’ll never need to return to the office again.

At PCWorld, we’ve had to adjust to remote work just like the rest of the world. Our staff has spent countless hours testing and reviewing hardware, which means we’ve been lucky enough to find the best gear and accessories available. Below you’ll find our favorite work-from-home essentials.

Look sharp during Zoom meetings: Logitech C920e Business Webcam

Logitech

Logitech

Logitech

Working from home means you’ll have video meetings. Lots of them. And those low-quality webcams that ship with most laptops won’t show your brightest side. So opt for a new webcam with high-quality resolution such as the Logitech C920e Business Webcam. It captures 1080p HD resolutions, a 78-degree field of view, and comes with great perks such as autofocus and light correction.

Bring stability and comfort with a laptop stand: Lamicall Adjustable Laptop Stand

Lamicall

Lamicall

Lamicall

A good laptop stand will do wonders for your comfort and health. Not only can a stand keep you in a good ergonomic position, but it will keep your laptop safe and secure on your desk. Plus, a stand makes using a mouse and keyboard with your laptop a lot easier.

You don’t need to drop a ton of money on anything expensive, either. A solid lightweight aluminum stand such as the well-liked Lamicall Adjustable Laptop stand will do just fine. It’ll support almost any laptop, from 10 inches up to 17.3 inches. It allows you to adjust both tilt and height and comes with ventilation holes to help dissipate heat from your laptop.

Store your important files for easy on-the-go access: Crucial X6 USB SSD

Crucial

Crucial

Crucial

Sure you might work at home, but you might need something to transport your work files for those occasional trips into the office or just a quick and convenient way to take your data on the go. External drives are a great way to store and back up your files, and their ever-decreasing size means you can now conveniently transport mass amounts of storage anywhere you go.

The Crucial X6 USB SSD is small enough to fit in your pocket, but capable enough to be your main external drive. It’s also one of the most affordable SSDs on the market and comes with up to 4TB of storage capacity. It comes with USB-C connectivity and includes both Type-C-to-Type-C and Type-C-to-Type-A adapter cables so you’ll have no issue connecting it to whichever computer you’re connecting to.

Block out background noise to help you focus: Wyze Noise-Cancelling Headphones

Wyze Labs

Wyze Labs

Wyze Labs

While products from the likes of Bose and Sony are great, they are also incredibly expensive. Enter Wyze Labs. The company has created a good pair of over-ear noise-cancelling headphones for a surprisingly affordable price. While the audio quality might not be able to compete with the more expensive brands, the noise-cancelling is still top-notch. If you’re looking to block out background noise at your home office or while working in a busy café, these headphones will do the trick just fine.

Get every answer with a smart display: Google Nest Hub

Google

Google

Google

Marrying Google’s ever-helpful voice assistant to a 7-inch touchscreen, the Nest Hub smart display is much more than a device to control your music playlist or play ambient white noise (though both use cases can make working from home more pleasant). You can also use the Nest Hub to run fact-checks (“When did Musk become the CEO of Twitter?”); get direct spellings of words that elude spellcheck; verify the dates of important trade shows and other events; set workday alarms and reminders; and pretty much search everything on Google hands-free, receiving both audio and video results on a separate, independent display. Once you start exploring the work-from-home benefits of a smart display, you’ll never stop.

Protect your devices with a surge protector: TP-Link Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Power Strip

TP-Link

TP-Link

TP-Link

Many people take for granted the vulnerability of their electronic devices to power spikes. Unfortunately, after your equipment gets fried is the worst time to realize your mistake. By purchasing a surge protector, you’re only paying a little amount of money to help ensure the safety of your much more expensive electronics. The TP-Link Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Power Strip goes above and beyond a normal everyday surge protector by offering six outlets that can all be controlled and scheduled individually with a mobile app or voice commands, and three USB charging ports. The scheduling system is robust and allows for ultimate flexibility in choosing when to power your devices on and off automatically for any kind of routine or travel need.

Create a full-on workstation: Kensington SD5500T Thunderbolt 3 Docking Station

Mark Hachman / IDG

Mark Hachman / IDG

Mark Hachman / IDG

Your ultraportable laptop may be perfect for commuting to and from the office, but when you’re working from home you want a dedicated workstation with the ability to connect all of your peripherals. A Thunderbolt dock will help you expand your laptop’s capabilities and allow you to connect to a larger monitor and a full-sized keyboard. You’ll increase your productivity and your body will thank you for the ergonomic upgrade. We’ve tested a ton of Thunderbolt docks and the Kensington SD5500T is our favorite. It gives you the reliable Thunderbolt 3 standard, a pair of DisplayPort ports, and 60W of laptop charging power all for a relatively affordable price.

Or opt for a less expensive USB-C hub: Hiearcool USB-C Hub

Hiearcool

Hiearcool

Hiearcool

If you don’t want to drop the cash on a Thunderbolt dock, you should at least consider getting a USB-C hub. Modern laptops tend to lack all of the ports you need to connect peripherals and that’s where a USB-C hub comes in. They are cheap and they allow you to significantly expand your port options. We recommend the Hiearcool USB-C Hub as it gives you a variety of USB-A as well as USB-C ports and microSD and SD card slots, all for around $25.

Clean up your act: Simplehuman Cleanstation phone sanitizer

Jon Phillips

Jon Phillips

Jon Phillips

Your phone is dirty. That’s because your hands are dirty, your keyboard is dirty, and the poop bag you handled on your 10am dog walk is dirty. All our WFH germs get on our phone case, so that’s why our editor keeps the Simplehuman Cleanstation on his home office desk. Just drop your phone into this gadget and 30 high-intensity UV-C LED lights will kill 99.9 percent of the phone’s surface germs in less than 30 seconds.

Don’t skimp on your screen: Asus ProArt PA348CGV

Matt Smith

Matt Smith

Matt Smith

Working from home is all about productivity, and one of the best pieces of hardware to boost productivity is a great monitor. The Asus ProArt PA348CGV is an ultrawide monitor with plenty of horizontal screen space so you can view all of your apps and documents spread out at the same time. It sports excellent image quality, a wide color gamut, and good connectivity options.

There are a ton of great monitors out there, but the Asus ProArt PA348CGV has an excellent mix of features for anyone who has basic needs but wants a premium experience.

Upgrade that new screen’s ergonomics: Ergotron LX Premium Monitor Arm

Matt Smith/Foundry

Matt Smith/Foundry

Matt Smith/Foundry

A good monitor arm is one of the best upgrades you can make to your home office setup. It’ll open up way more options to move and position your display around your desk and it frees up precious desktop space as well.

The Ergotron LX Premium Monitor Arm is our favorite monitor arm for a reason. It’s sturdy, practical, and can pair with almost any monitor around. The LX Premium is designated as an “entry-level” model, but it comes with specs that you’d expect from something much more expensive. It can support monitors up to 25 pounds and comes with 75 degrees of tilt, plus 360 degrees of rotation and pan.

Consider ergonomics: Logitech Lift & Keychron Q8 keyboard

Foundry

Foundry

Foundry

If you’re working from home all day, you need to be comfortable and a standard mouse and keyboard just won’t cut it. Focusing on ergonomics, the Logitech Lift mouse and Keychron Q8 keyboard were built to help keep your hands and wrists in a more comfortable and less injury-prone position.

Michael Crider/IDG

Michael Crider/IDG

Michael Crider/IDG

The Lift mouse can be purchased for either left or right hands and comes in a variety of colors. It’s also wireless, which helps you minimize desktop clutter. The Keychron Q8 keyboard is a bit pricey, but gives you the satisfying feel and dependability of a mechanical keyboard while the curved design allows your wrists to rest in a more natural and comfortable position while typing.

Go wireless: Logitech MK540 Advanced Wireless Keyboard and Mouse Combo

If you don’t want to spend big on a mouse and keyboard, you can find a more affordable alternative in the Logitech MK540 Advanced Wireless Keyboard and Mouse combo. Coming in at an affordable $50, the keyboard is surprisingly snappy and has a pleasant tactile experience without too much noise. The mouse provides smooth and reliable use and has a few programmable gestures you can set for your convenience. Both are wireless, so you can do away with all of those annoying cables cluttering your desktop.

Backup software is a must: iDrive Online Cloud Backup

Many people neglect to consider backup when working from home, but if your IT department isn’t covering you and your data, it’s something that needs to be addressed. Luckily there are relatively inexpensive services such as iDrive Online Cloud Backup that make it simple to do. iDrive is comprehensive and versatile and allows you to set up and use the backup service without any fuss. It’s a one-stop shop to help keep your valuable data safe and secure.

So is a robust PDF editor: Adobe Acrobat Pro DC

PDFs are a staple of any modern digital workplace, but they aren’t always the easiest to edit. There are a ton of great PDF editors out there, but Adobe Acrobat Pro DC has been, and continues to be, the reigning champ. There is no other software that combines the same features for creating, editing, reviewing, and securing your PDF documents. Plus, the subscription-based format means that you’ll always have access to the latest version and won’t need to continually buy new software every year.

Ease eye-strain: BenQ ScreenBar

BenQ

BenQ

BenQ

To save space on your desk and reduce eye-strain there is no better option than a screenbar — a USB-powered desk lamp that attaches to the top of your monitor. When BenQ debuted its ScreenBar it had us wondering why no one had thought of this extremely practical solution before. It’ll save you desk space and keep you from going cross-eyed from squinting through the reflections on your monitor all day. Admittedly, it’s a bit pricey, but your eyes will thank you in the long run.

The conventional desk lamp option: IKEA Forså

If you don’t want to shell out the money for a screenbar or it just isn’t your style, then the tried-and-true desk lamp can be a great alternative. At just over $30, the IKEA Forså provides form and function to help keep your desk looking chic and well lit. 

It comes with excellent adjustability, a cool old-school chrome design, and a straightforward on/off switch to keep things dead-simple.

Keep upright: Jarvis Bamboo Standing desk

When working from home you have a tendency to stay seated for long periods of time even more so than working in an office. And no matter how comfy that fancy ergonomic office chair is, sitting in it all day isn’t ideal. The best way to keep your body happy while working at a desk is to switch to an electric height-adjustable standing desk. 

The Jarvis Bamboo Standing desk not only looks nice with its clean bamboo top, but it’s practical too. It comes with an impressive height adjustment range, solid stability (even when maxed out), a great warranty, and decent customization options — it ticks all the boxes for things you want in the perfect standing desk.

Set the mood: Lutron Diva Smart Dimmer

Michael Brown/Foundry

Michael Brown/Foundry

Michael Brown/Foundry

A smart light switch isn’t an obvious necessity, until you have one. Being able to control the lighting system in your home office via voice controls, motion detection, or your smartphone is a simple luxury that can pay dividends — both in your mood and in your energy bill.

The Lutron Diva Smart Dimmer is built to work with the Lutron Caséta ecosystem, but it also provides broad compatibility with different smart products and systems such as Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and many others. It also has a minimalist design that doesn’t draw attention to itself.

Stay warm: Vornado VH200 Heater

In those cold months of winter you need a way to keep warm and comfortable while you work at home. A space heater such as the Vornado VH200 Heater is a great way to keep your energy bill down while still warming a specific area. The Vornado is small enough that it won’t take up too much room in your office, but powerful enough that it can heat an entire room by itself. It’s also extremely quiet, meaning you can focus on your work without being distracted by an overly noisy fan.

Say no to cables: Anker Magnetic Wireless Charging Stand

Anker

Anker

Anker

A clean desktop can help you stay productive and focused while working at home. One of the best ways to reduce your cord clutter is to switch to a wireless phone charger. It’s also one of the most convenient and hassle-free ways to charge your mobile devices.

Right now there’s no better wireless charger than the Anker Magnetic Wireless Charging stand. It’s the fastest Android charger we’ve ever tested, it has a clean, minimalist look, and the magnetic stand keeps your phone securely upright, making checking notifications a breeze.

Get some computer speakers: Creative Pebble

Creative

Creative

Creative

A full, booming 7.1 surround-sound speaker setup might be great for watching movies and playing games, but for work you don’t need anything nearly as fancy. If you’re working at home you just want something that will produce clear audio during meetings or while listening to some background LoFi beats to help keep you focused. Save yourself some money and go with the Creative Pebble speakers, which for only $40 produce deep and rich audio that you would expect from something two or three times the price. Plus they don’t take up much space and look really good on a desktop.

Do-it-all productivity: Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9

You need a laptop while working at home and there are none more suited to the task than the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9. It sports great performance thanks to its Core i7, integrated Iris Xe graphics, and 16GB of RAM. It will not only handle any word processing and spreadsheet work you throw at it, but it can also handle web-browsing while you’re on your “lunch break.” It has a spacious 16:10 aspect-ratio screen, which is ideal for viewing documents, and a comfortable keyboard for marathon typing or coding sessions.

Back to basics: Chromebook Spin 713 CP713-3W-5102

IDG / Ashley Biancuzzo

IDG / Ashley Biancuzzo

IDG / Ashley Biancuzzo

If you want something a little more portable (or affordable) than a full-fledged productivity machine like the Lenovo ThinkPad, then look no further than the Chromebook Spin 713. It has fast performance and a versatile 2-in-1 form factor. Meaning you can either use it as a regular laptop or flip the screen around and use it like a tablet. At just under three pounds, it’s also portable enough to take to the coffee shop when you need a change of scenery. So long as you don’t need Windows while working, the Spin 713 is a great everyday option.

If you’re in the market for an inexpensive laptop for day-to-day tasks, you’re in luck. We’ve got a list of our top picks below. That said, it’s important to be smart about your choices. Although you may need to deal with a couple of minor drawbacks like a dim display or short battery life, it’s still possible to score a sub-$500 laptop with strong performance.

Why you should trust us: It’s in our name! PCWorld prides itself on laptop experience and expertise. We’ve been covering PCs since 1983, and we now review more than 70 laptops every year. All of the picks below have been personally tested and vetted by our experts, who’ve applied not only performance benchmarks but rigorous usability standards. We’re also committed to reviewing PC laptops at every price point to help you find a machine that matches your budget.

If you can manage to stretch your budget a little bit further, check out our best laptops roundup for even more suggestions.

Updated June 13, 2024: In addition to updating our list of recent laptop reviews, we’ve also added the Acer Chromebook Plus 514 ($249.99 at Costco) as an alternative option underneath our Best Chromebook Under $500 pick. It features an enjoyable keyboard as well as an attractive design.

The best laptops under $500

Acer Aspire 3 – Best laptop under $500 overall

Pros

• Reliable performance
• 1080p display
• HD webcam
• Solid build

Cons

• Speakers sound tinny when playing music
• A little heavy

Best Prices Today: $299.99 at Amazon

Why we like the Acer Aspire 3

The Acer Aspire 3 laptop is a great machine that offers solid performance and a durable build at a reasonable price. It’s plenty zippy for daily tasks like watching Netflix, writing email, and so on. You’re also getting a full-sized keyboard as well as a 1080p screen.

Who should buy the Acer Aspire 3

Anyone who’s on a budget! To narrow it down some, we feel as though the Acer Aspire 3 is a good option for students and remote workers. You can’t argue with the price and the HD webcam produces “clean, crisp video” according to our review. That means you’ll always look sharp on video calls.

Read our full Acer Aspire 3 review

Acer Aspire Go 15 – Best laptop under $300

Pros

• Affordable
• Decent battery life
• Good display visibility

Cons

• Big and bulky
• Cheap build
• Limited performance

Why we like the Acer Aspire Go 15

For just $300, the Acer Aspire Go 15 offers speedy everyday performance, good battery life, and a clear-looking 1080p display. In our testing, the 53.9 watt-hour battery lasted almost 12 hours on a single charge, which is more than a full workday. The 15.6-inch display has a resolution of 1920×1080 and a modest brightness level of 284 nits. In use, the reviewer was still able to see the screen even with a light beaming down onto it. While the Intel Core i3-N305 CPU lags a little behind other laptops in its class, it’s suitable for everyday tasks like listening to Spotify, watching Hulu, and so on.

Who should buy the Acer Aspire Go 15

Anyone that’s on an ultra-strict budget. The Acer Aspire Go 15 is about $30 cheaper than our top pick (as of right now) and offers better battery life. It also has a nice keyboard that the reviewer was able to comfortably type “around 110 words per minute” on and the trackpad is nice and smooth. There’s even a decent array of ports available. You’re getting one USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 with Power Delivery and DisplayPort, two USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, one HDMI, one 3.5mm audio, one Kensington lock slot, and one DC barrel jack.

Read our full Acer Aspire Go 15 (2024) review

Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus – Best Chromebook under $500

Pros

• Snappy day-to-day performance
• Versatile 2-in-1 design
• Good typing experience

Cons

• Stylus not included
• Heavier than expected

What we like about the Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus

The Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus packs in a lot of features for the low price. The 2-in-1 form factor allows you to flip the screen around and use it like a tablet or you can prop it up like a tent for watching movies or sharing information. You can also expect peppy everyday performance and blazing fast boot-up times.

Who should buy the Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus

If you need the versatility of a convertible laptop but want to stick to a more modest budget, then the Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus is the one to pick. It stands apart from the rest of the pack with its durable construction, affordable pricing, and versatile convertible design.

Alternative option: If you’re on a very tight budget, the Acer Chromebook Plus 514 ($249.99) is worth checking out. It’s about $100 less than our current pick and it comes with loads of connectivity options as well as an enjoyable keyboard and an attractive design. It’s not a 2-in-1 laptop like Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus, but I wouldn’t consider that a deal-breaker, especially if you prefer traditional clamshells.

Read our full Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus review

Acer Chromebook Plus 515 – Best audio

Pros

• Solid audio quality
• Fast general performance
• Includes a 1080p webcam
• Good typing experience

Cons

• Boring design
• Thick bezels

Why we like the Acer Chromebook Plus 515

The Acer Chromebook Plus 515 has good audio for a laptop. The positioning of a laptop’s speakers can really impact the sound. Thankfully, the speakers on the Acer Chromebook Plus 515 fire upwards, which means the sound is coming at you. Highs and lows sound pretty darn crisp! This machine also provides a nice typing experience as well as fast general performance.

Who should buy the Acer Chromebook Plus 515

The Acer Chromebook Plus 515 is a good option for the casual user, especially if you like watching movies or listening to music. The audio is impressive and performance is good enough for everyday activities. The 15.6-inch display is quite good as well because of the 1080p resolution.

Read our full Acer Chromebook Plus 515 review

HP Laptop 14-ep0865no – Best battery life

Pros

• Compact form factor
• Good everyday performance
• Long battery life
• Great keyboard and mouse

Cons

• Screen quality is mediocre
• Noisy fans

Why we like the HP Laptop 14

Although we love the HP Laptop 14’s compact form factor and comfortable keyboard, it’s the battery life that’s the real star of the show. It lasted about 15 hours on a single charge with light use, which is an incredible result for a sub-$500 Windows machine. This laptop also weighs just over three pounds, so it’s light enough to take with you from class to class or meeting to meeting. There’s even a 1080p webcam and, thanks to the Intel Core i3-1315U CPU, performance is zippy enough for browsing the web and whatnot. The subdued midnight blue color scheme is gorgeous, too.

Who should buy the HP Laptop 14

Anyone that needs a long-lasting, sub-$500 laptop! The 15 hours of battery life is more than a full work day (or school day), which means you don’t have to go hunting for an outlet. It’s also lightweight and slim, so you can easily stick it in a backpack or messenger bag and be on your merry way. While general use performance is fine, it’s not the best machine for multimedia tasks and the fan noise is a bit annoying to deal with. That said, those are reasonable compromises given the price.

Read our full HP Laptop 14 review

Recent laptop reviews

We’ve reviewed several new laptops recently, though many cost more than $500.

• Lenovo ThinkPad X1 2-in-1: Lenovo delivered a 2-in-1 ThinkPad with great build quality, a nice pen, and serious battery life. But you may want to wait for a next-generation model powered by Intel’s Lunar Lake hardware.
• Acer Chromebook Plus 514: Acer’s Chromebook Plus 514 is a decent budget Chromebook that beats competitors on RAM and storage.
• Lenovo ThinkBook 13x: Lenovo’s ThinkBook is a better business laptop for most people than a top-of-the-line ThinkPad, but the lack of ports may be a problem.
• Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE: The Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE is a good option if you want a big-screen Chromebook.
• Dell Latitude 7450 Ultralight: Dell’s Latitude 7450 Ultralight is the lightest and thinnest of the three Latitude 7450 models. It’s a real go-getter in the performance stakes and ideal for mobile professionals.

How we tested

The PCWorld team puts each and every Windows laptop through a series of benchmarks that test GPU and CPU performance, battery life, and so on. The idea is to push the laptop to its limits and then compare it against others we’ve tested.

Chromebooks, on the other hand, go through a series of web-based tests. It wouldn’t be fair or possible to run the same kinds of tests on a Chromebook, as they’re Chrome OS-based machines. Below, you’ll find a breakdown of each test and the reasons why we run them. For a much deeper look at our review methodology, check out how PCWorld tests laptops.

Windows laptops

• PCMark 10: PCMark 10 is how we determine how well the laptop handles lighter tasks like web browsing, word processing, spreadsheets, and so on.
• HandBrake: HandBrake is more intensive than PCMark 10. It basically measures how long a laptop’s CPU takes to encode a beefy 30GB file.
• Cinebench: Cinebench is a brief stress test of the CPU cores. It does this by rendering a 2D scene over a short period of time.
• 3DMark: 3DMark checks if 3D performance remains consistent over time by running graphic-intensive clips.
• Video rundown test: To gauge battery life, we loop a 4K video using Windows 10’s Movies & TV app until the laptop dies.

Chromebooks

• CrXPRT 2: The CrXPRT 2 benchmark tests a Chromebook’s battery life.
• Speedometer 2.0: This test determines a Chromebook’s web browser performance. It simulates this by adding, completing, and removing a to-do list.
• Basemark Web 3.0: This benchmark gauges how well a Chromebook can handle web-based applications.
• Kraken 1.1: Kraken 1.1 is a JavaScript performance benchmark.
• Jetstream 2: Jetstream 2 is a combination of WebAssembly and JavaScript benchmarks. This is a way to gauge how well a Chromebook runs advanced workloads.

What kind of laptop should you get?

Ah, here we are at the billion dollar question. Do you spring for a basic Chromebook or go for a Windows laptop with more features? Well, it really depends on your lifestyle and your expectations of a sub-$500 machine. At this price point, you’re not going to find a powerful workhorse. However, there are plenty of affordable laptops out there for those who need the basics.

Chromebooks, for example, are a great low-cost option and offer phenomenal battery life. I use a Chromebook as my primary work laptop, as it has everything I need for both editing and writing. If you travel for work, it’s probably a good idea to invest in a laptop that weighs less than three pounds. If you’re still unsure, don’t sweat it. I’ve put together a list of quick buying tips below.

• Laptop type: There are many different laptop types that fall in the sub-$500 category: clamshells, 2-in-1’s, Chromebooks, and much more. The displays on convertible laptops (aka 2-in-1’s), for example, can swing around 360 degrees. This allows you to use the laptop like a tablet. They can also be propped up like a tent for viewing movies or participating in video calls. Chromebooks come in various shapes and sizes, and exclusively run Google’s web-focused Chrome OS. With a Chromebook, all you need is a Gmail account and, boom, you’re in.
• CPU: When it comes to the sub-$500 Windows laptops, you can expect to find Intel Core i3 or i5 processors. An i5 processor obviously provides a little more oomph. That said, basic office and web work does just fine on a Core i3. As for AMD options, the Ryzen 3 is good for basic productivity and web browsing, while Ryzen 5 chips rival Intel’s Core i5 as solid all-arounders. For Chromebooks, Snapdragon and Pentium processors are more powerful than MediaTek chips.
• Graphics: At this price range, you probably won’t find a laptop with a powerful discrete graphics card. Instead, you’ll encounter laptops with integrated graphics, which are integrated with the CPU and use less power as a result. This is perfectly fine for everyday tasks, especially if you’re not doing anything that’s graphics-intensive—like 3D gaming.
• RAM: Always go for 8GB of RAM. That’s plenty enough for firing up applications and loading web pages. Most Chromebooks are equipped with 4GB of RAM, which is the bare minimum. You need a decent amount of memory on these machines, as they’re primarily web-based. If there’s an 8GB RAM option, I’d recommend springing for that.
• Display size: If you’re a video editor or someone who does a lot of multimedia work, you’ll want a display that’s anywhere from 15- to 17-inches (but these machines usually cost far more than $500). The sweet spot for budget laptops is really anywhere from 13- to 14-inches. The bigger the display, the heavier your laptop is going to be. A 13- or 14-inch display is the best in terms of portability and value.
• Resolution: I wouldn’t go for anything less than 1080p, as there’s nothing more annoying than a slightly fuzzy image. 1080p produces a picture that’s sharp enough for watching Netflix or working in Excel. At this price range, you won’t really find many (if any) laptops with 1440p resolution or higher.
• Battery life: If you plan on taking your laptop anywhere with you, aim for something that can last 10 to 12 hours on a single charge. That’s more than a full work day, so it should theoretically get you through long flights or a day of classes. Obviously, more is always better. Just know that the bigger the battery, the heavier the laptop.
• Price: The price really depends on your budget. If you’re strapped for cash (been there, trust me), go for a Chromebook or an entry-level business laptop. These laptops are a good choice for students or young professionals. If you shop smart, you can even find 2-in-1’s in the $500 range.
• Ports: A wide array of ports is always a plus, as it eliminates the need for an adapter. I’d recommend a laptop that has both USB-C and USB-A. An HDMI port is good, too. This is especially useful for hooking up to an external monitor.

Nowadays, using a VPN is a great way to keep your data safe and hidden from prying eyes while browsing online. NordVPN is one of my favorite VPNs and it’s currently running a can’t-miss deal — especially for travelers. 

Right now, the company is offering its two-year subscription plans for 72 percent off, plus if you sign up soon, you’ll also get up to 20GB of eSIM data from Saily as a bonus. Say goodbye to roaming charges on those summer travels abroad.

NordVPN’s two-year subscription plan comes with a host of great privacy and security features. You’ll also be able to connect up to 10 devices to the VPN at the same time. Plus, by signing up for Nord’s Plus or Complete plans, you gain access to malware protection, an ad- and tracker-blocker, and password manager. All great security tools that, on top of the VPN, will make sure you’re fully protected online.

With this deal, Nord’s basic plan is marked down by 59 percent to $81.36 for two years, or $3.39 per month, and you’ll receive 1GB of Saily eSIM data. Its Plus plan, which I personally use, is going for only $105.36 for two years, or $4.39 per month. That’s a hefty 68 percent discount, and on top of it you’ll get 3GB of Saily eSIM data. The most bang for your buck, however, can be found in its Ultimate plan. For $153.36 for two years, or a mere $6.39 per month, you’ll get all of the above features, plus 1TB of encrypted cloud storage and a generous 20GB of free Saily eSIM data.

To be eligible for this package deal, you’ll need to make sure that you sign up for a two-year NordVPN subscription. Once you sign up, you’ll receive a voucher for your free eSIM travel data. Simply download and install the Saily app and enter the coupon code to claim that sweet, sweet free travel data. Then go forth and use it to enjoy roaming-free data on your next getaway.

VPNs and ad blockers help you surf the web privately so that websites and advertisers can’t track your online activities to learn where you go and what you do. You’ll find a plethora of VPNs and ad blockers with different price tags and degrees of effectiveness, but one program worth trying is Windscribe. 

Originally marketing itself as a VPN with ad- and tracker-blocking at its core, Windscribe has long stood out for its generous free plan. In recent years, the service has been trying hard to add features and expand on its paid service in order to compete in the premium market as well. It might still be a ways off from the top dogs, but that doesn’t mean it has nothing to offer.

Windscribe Pro in brief:

• P2P allowed: Yes, but not all servers
• Simultaneous device connections: Unlimited
• Business location: Ontario, Canada
• Number of servers: 112
• Number of country locations: 69
• Cost: $9 per month or $69 for one year

Further reading: See our roundup of the best VPN services to learn about competing products.

What are Windscribe Pro’s features and services?

Windscribe is available for a variety of platforms. Beyond the desktop versions for Windows, macOS, and Linux, there are mobile apps for iOS, Android, and Blackberry OS. Browser extensions are accessible for Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge. There are even versions for certain smart TV systems and for router configurations. For this review, I focused on the Windows version and on the browser extensions.

For its lineup of VPN servers, Windscribe offers access to 112 city locations across 69 different countries. It also mercifully allows users an unlimited number of simultaneous device connections — why more VPN providers aren’t doing this is a mystery. Plus, all servers except those in India, Lithuania, Russia, South Africa, and Bosnia allow P2P. The stated reason behind this is that those countries outright restrict P2P file sharing so Windscribe complies with local laws.

Sam Singleton

Sam Singleton

Sam Singleton

When you first open up Windscribe you’ll notice that the window is a tiny little square with only a big connect power button, your current IP address, and a drop-down for country locations. Clicking on various drop-down menus expands the app window accordingly. 

The interface is quite unique and I’m torn between whether I like it or not. On the one hand, you can tell that Windscribe has spent a lot of time cramming in all of these little fun extension windows, but on the other other hand, I feel like it’s all a bit overdone.

You can click on the drop-down menu at the top left of the home screen to access additional settings. Here you’ll find a veritable treasure trove of customization options — power users, eat your heart out. This list of settings is too many to go over here, but a few are worth pointing out.

Sam Singleton

Sam Singleton

Sam Singleton

There are your typical VPN features such as auto-connect, split tunneling, and a kill switch (Windscribe calls this feature “Firewall Mode”). If you have the app and browser extension installed you can use split-tunneling for both apps or IP addresses.

A feature dubbed R.O.B.E.R.T. is a customizable DNS and IP level blocker for the Windows client, capable of blocking ads, trackers, malware, and objectionable websites (gambling, adult content, crypto mining, etc.). Additionally, a MAC address spoofing tool can disguise your PC’s hardware address.

Plus, more advanced options are available. A port-forwarding feature lets you securely access your home computer, network, or NAS remotely via a Windscribe connection. A Config Generator helps you create configuration files for different VPN protocols. And though the IP address assigned to your computer will change dynamically, there is an option to upgrade to a static address for an additional fee.

Sam Singleton

Sam Singleton

Sam Singleton

Windscribe Pro also comes with access to its browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge. You might be wondering: Why use a browser extension when you’ve already got the Windows client? In a nutshell, the extension is designed to work in tandem with the app, mainly to reduce your online footprint and speed up your connection by blocking ads and trackers.

The extension offers a short tutorial to show you which buttons control which features. As you can with the Windows client, you’re able to turn the extension’s VPN on and off, allow it to select the best VPN server or choose one yourself, and control what gets blocked — ads, malware, social network sites, cookies, and more. Plus, you can whitelist specific sites that you don’t want affected by the blocking.

How much does Windscribe Pro cost?

Sam Singleton

Sam Singleton

Sam Singleton

Windscribe comes in a free edition as well as a subscription-based Pro mode. The free flavor restricts the number of VPN locations and the amount of bandwidth you can use. By default, you’re granted 2GB of bandwidth per month. Adding and confirming your email address boosts that to 10GB per month. Otherwise, the free plan imposes no speed or performance caps.

The Pro flavor grants you access to all the VPN city locations around the world as well as unlimited bandwidth. This plan can be purchased for $9 per month — which is on the high side for VPNs — or $69 per year, which drops the monthly price to a more reasonable $5.75.

A Build-a-Plan option lets you pay only for what you use via an a-la-carte approach. Don’t need or want access to all the accessible VPN servers? You can limit the scope to just certain server locations. For example, you could buy access to all 35 VPN server locations in the U.S. for $1. For each country you add, you get an extra 10GB of data per month. You can also grab unlimited data for your plan for another $1 a month. Ultimately, you need to spend at least $3 per month if you opt to build your own plan.

How is Windscribe Pro’s performance?

As always, when testing a VPN’s speeds I measure connection speeds across its servers in six different countries around the world and then compare them to my baseline internet speed.

Windscribe VPN’s speeds didn’t let me down. During the tests, Windscribe was able to manage a thoroughly impressive 64 percent of the base download speed and 70 percent of the base upload speed. That’s enough to eke it into the top-five fastest VPNs, right up there with the likes of NordVPN and HotSpot Shield.

While these speeds were done over the WireGuard protocol, testing other protocols did slow down the connection to varying degrees — none too drastically though. Regardless, I recommend that almost everyone use WireGuard as their default protocol for the best speed and security anyways.

When it comes to unblocking streaming content, Windscribe scored decent enough marks. Using region-specific VPN servers all over the world, I was able to connect to and stream content from Amazon Prime, Hulu, Disney Plus, and other services, a feat that many other VPN products can’t always achieve. It was only with Netflix that I found issues. While both the U.S. and UK Netflix seemed to work just fine with Windscribe, I found issues with unblocking in other countries such as Japan and other European countries. With these results, I’d recommend Windscribe to those looking to stream in the U.S. or UK, but can’t recommend it for other countries.

How is Windscribe Pro’s security and privacy?

Sam Singleton

Sam Singleton

Sam Singleton

Windscribe comes with strong AES-256 encryption and all of your standard protocol options including WireGuard, IKEv2, and OpenVPN (both UDP and TCP). It also has a stealth option that disguises traffic as HTTPS with TLS and an option for WStunnel, which wraps your traffic with web sockets. Both of these can be used in certain countries to get around trickier government censorship. 

I tested Windscribe’s security on Windows with a DNS leak test and found no DNS or other leaks. Similarly, when I tested the kill-switch function it worked well, however there was no immediate indication as to what happened until the connection was automatically reestablished — a minor gripe, and doesn’t affect the functioning of the client’s kill switch.

Winscribe covers what data it does and does not collect in its privacy policy on its website. The data it does collect includes total bandwidth you’ve used in a month for its free plan management purposes and a timestamp of your last activity in order to identify inactive accounts.

The company claims that there is no logging of connections, IP addresses, timestamps, or browsing history, which it backs up in its regular transparency reports. However, you’ll have to take Windscribe’s word for all of this as it has never undergone an independent audit. Public audits are crucial to reassuring users that their data is anonymized and properly handled according to the VPN’s privacy policy. Hopefully Windscribe takes action to rectify this and undergo an audit soon.

Based in Canada, Windscribe is a small operation founded in 2015 by Yegor Sak. Canada is a member of the Five Eyes Alliance, an organization in which member countries promise to share intelligence data with each other. But that hasn’t yet affected Windscribe. As you can tell from the aforementioned transparency report, it shows that the VPN has rejected all requests for user information from government agencies due to a lack of relevant data.

Windscribe has also managed to avoid most security breaches and related problems. But there was an incident in 2021 in which Ukrainian authorities seized Windscribe VPN servers in the country and were able to access the private key as the servers were unencrypted. In response, Windscribe implemented a diskless setup with RAM nodes to better secure data, and increased staff to address these types of threats. A privacy report from Security.org gave Windscribe a grade of 7.7 out of 10, giving it a thumb’s down for the lack of advanced authentication methods and software updates but applauding the privacy policy and the encryption of user data both in transit and at rest.

Is Windscribe Pro worth it?

Windscribe is a simple yet effective VPN with solid ad- and tracker-blocking. It stumbles a bit when it comes to unblocking streaming content, but makes up for it with great speeds and tons of customization options. 

The Windows client and the browser extensions make for a powerful team that will protect your privacy and block annoying ads and objectionable content as you browse the web. And with the free version of Windscribe already being so good, you can always start there and then jump to the Pro edition if you need more capability.

Editor’s note: Because online services are often iterative, gaining new features and performance improvements over time, this review is subject to change in order to accurately reflect the current state of the service. Any changes to text or our final review verdict will be noted at the top of this article.

When looking for a top-notch VPN, the two most important things to look for are privacy and speed. While privacy is crucial to a good VPN, speed should not be overlooked. Faster speeds mean quicker file downloads and website load times, a better streaming experience, and just a better all-around experience.

I’ve tested numerous VPNs and put their servers from all over the world through countless speed tests to determine the fastest services based on their network averages. I highlight not only the fastest download speeds, but also the fastest upload speeds. Read below to see PCWorld’s curated list of the fastest VPNs available now.

Why you should trust me: Here at PCWorld we’ve been testing computer hardware, software, and services since the 1980s. I’m continually testing all of the major VPNs on the market and many lesser-known services in order to curate a list of the very best VPNs across a variety of categories. For a more in-depth guide, you can check out the article on how we test VPN services at PCWorld. Below you’ll find my favorite lightning-fast VPNs and, below those, helpful advice about what to look for when choosing a fast VPN on your own.

If you’re looking for even more VPN options, check out my comprehensive roundup of the best VPNs in all categories.

Updated June 11, 2024: Check out my latest review of NordVPN. This feature-packed VPN still remains the fastest I’ve ever tested and easily remains the top pick in this list.

NordVPN – Fastest VPN

Pros

• Loaded with tons of VPN configuration options
• Outstanding speeds
• Multiple independent no-logs audits
• Included antivirus and password manager

Cons

• Expensive

Why I like NordVPN

Nord regularly appears at the top of many VPN rankings, and it’s no surprise to see it here. In my tests, NordVPN retained a blazing fast 72 percent of the base download speed easily taking the checkered flag in a VPN race. It’s also inside the top 10 for upload speeds, maintaining an impressive 80 percent of the base. Of all the VPNs here, NordVPN also has to be the most feature-packed. It supports multi-hop connections, TOR over VPN, ad- and tracker-blocking at the server level, and a variety of other options.

Who should buy NordVPN

With all of the great features included with NordVPN, it can appeal to a wide audience. Thankfully, you won’t need to sacrifice any speed for those features either. Other competitors might win out on a good day, but NordVPN has the most (and best) consistent speeds. If speed is what you’re seeking, NordVPN has it — in droves.

Read our full NordVPN review

ExpressVPN – Second-fastest VPN

Pros

• Consistently good speeds
• Easy-to-use desktop program
• Broad device support

Cons

• Logs data transfer amounts
• More expensive than many competitors

Why I like ExpressVPN

My current favorite as the best VPN overall is a good choice for speeds. It ranks third overall in my download speed tests, retaining more than 53 percent of the base speed in testing. For uploads, it ranks in the top 20, though the differences in speeds there are much slimmer than in downloads. ExpressVPN is one of the more costly VPNs out there at $100 per year. For that money, however, you get solid speeds, a promise to work with Netflix, split tunneling, and a wide range of device support. The app is also pretty easy to use and there are a wide range of country locations to choose from.

Who should buy ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN is a truly great VPN for everyone. It gives you everything you could want from a top-tier service including privacy, security, and speed. It might not be as fast as my top pick on this list, but it’s still plenty fast enough for most online activities.

Read our full ExpressVPN review

CyberGhost VPN – Fastest upload speeds

Pros

• Easy-to-use interface
• Independently verified no-log policy
• Seriously impressive server spread

Cons

• Lacks some common features such as multi-hop and double VPN
• Server speeds are hit-or-miss, especially in Asia

Why I like CyberGhost VPN

The winner for best upload speeds is CyberGhost VPN. While I found that the service had rather average download speeds, I was absolutely blown away by its upload speeds. CyberGhost retained an unbelievable 95 percent of the base upload speed across all of my tests — the VPN’s servers might as well have been in my backyard with those numbers.

CyberGhost VPN also has extra features that may interest some, such as streaming optimized servers and a dizzying 9,000 plus servers to choose from all over the world.

Other honorable mentions for upload speeds include NordVPN, ExpressVPN, and Private Internet Access. Any of those VPNs will do the job nicely if upload speeds are a bigger concern than downloads. These services also promise features similar to CyberGhost VPN such as Netflix compatibility, multi-hop VPNs, and more.

Who should buy CyberGhost VPN

If you want something that offers a huge server network, and has top-rated upload speeds, then CyberGhost is a good option. Particularly if you work from home and need to connect to a remote work server or you’re looking to upload data securely over a VPN connection, CyberGhost VPN should be at the top of your list.

Read our full CyberGhost review

Mullvad – The most private speed demon

Pros

• Good speeds
• Inexpensive monthly plan
• Unrivaled anonymity
• Open-source

Cons

• Struggles with unblocking streaming services
• Smaller server network
• Lacks some extra features that other VPNs offer

Best Prices Today: $5.37 at Mullvad

Why I like Mullvad

If you don’t want to compromise on privacy and anonymity, while still getting solid speeds, then Mullvad is the best choice. This super-simple VPN supports connections via 41 different countries, and it costs just 5 euros per month (around $5.40 at this writing). Mullvad should be considered the “Swiss bank account” version of a VPN, as it actively resists obtaining any of your personal information and provides premium service. Instead of signing up for an account with the standard email and password, Mullvad assigns you a random account number and that’s it. No birth date or anniversary passwords to give you away. One number and that’s it.

In my tests, Mullvad performed well in download and upload speeds, maintaining around 48 percent of the baseline with each. That puts it firmly in the top half of all VPNs I’ve ever tested and it’s plenty fast enough to do just about everything you’d want to do. There may be a few faster VPNs on the market, though they won’t provide the same amount of anonymity as you’ll get with Mullvad and sometimes it’s worth sacrificing a little speed for a whole lot of privacy.

Who should buy Mullvad

Mullvad is ultimately designed for the privacy-conscious user. That being said, it does offer good speeds, so even if privacy is your main concern, you need not sacrifice speed in order to enjoy your anonymity.

Read our full Mullvad review

Hotspot Shield – Honorable mention

Pros

• Very fast
• Large country selection and plenty of servers

Cons

• Domain visits are recorded, though not tied to you
• Expensive

Why I like HotSpot Shield

To long-time readers of our VPN reviews this will come as no surprise. The previous undisputed fastest VPN, HotSpot Shield, may have had its title usurped but that doesn’t mean it has slowed down. HSS still maintained an impressive 64 percent of base download speeds and 70 percent of base upload speeds in my latest review testing. That is still a standout score. HSS has its issues, as I haven’t been a fan of the company’s privacy policy, though it’s slowly getting better. Of course, it may simply be that to provide the speeds that it does HSS requires the analytics it collects. I can’t really say.

Who should buy HotSpot Shield

Simply put, if you’re interested in pure speed with your VPN and nothing else matters, then HotSpot Shield is the one you want. You’ll get some other nice features, but speed is the name of the game here and HSS still delivers.

Read our full Hotspot Shield review

What to look for in a fast VPN

The first thing to consider in a fast VPN is, of course, speed. This may be tricky to do since you aren’t likely to be able to test connection speeds without paying to use the service. That’s where online reviews come in. Look for reviews, like ours, that give you a relative average of connection speeds rather than direct Mbps speed comparisons.

Next, you should look at a VPN’s server network including the number of servers and locations. It’s difficult to judge any VPN by just one feature, but a semi-reliable way to tell if a VPN is even worth your time is to look at the server spread. Anything with 1,000 or more servers and 30 or more country locations will do.

You’ll also want to read up on a VPN’s privacy protections. Does it have a no-logs policy? Has it undergone any independent audits of its servers? Where is the VPN company located? All of these will give you an idea of whether or not a VPN is transparent with its data collection policies and if it’s subject to government data sharing requirements.

Other factors you’ll want to take into consideration are the overall ease-of-use, user experience, and any additional features. Some of these features, such as split-tunneling and kill switches, can be extremely useful for certain purposes and might sway your subscription decision one way or the other.

Finally, as with all subscription services, you’ll want to review the price of a VPN service. Do you want a monthly or yearly subscription? Some top VPNs might be pricey month-to-month, but actually become quite affordable with long-term plans.

How I tested

My method for testing VPN speeds is rather straightforward. I average the connections between different global locations for any given VPN and then compare them to a baseline internet speed to get a good picture of the overall connection speeds.

I continue this process over multiple days of testing and then average the daily speeds together to get an overall average. I test a total of three days at different times of the day to account for any variation. That overall average is then expressed as a percentage of the base speed. That way the test results provide a sense of how much speed a VPN retains versus hard numbers, which can vary based on internet service providers, routers, and other equipment, time of day, and so on.