VPN’S

[Onemore52]

Any bad ones I should stay clear of?

[GeoffH]

Stay away from free VPN providers, they tend to be slow, limited in function and often have dubious security.

I would also avoid "lifetime" license VPNs, they tend to be 'ok' when you sign up but get slower over time forcing you onto monthly plans (it seems to be their most common marketing model).

The big names are generally ok Nord, ExpressVPN, Private VPN, IPVanish, PureVPN etc.

Surfshark is a budget VPN that's reliable and offers decent performance, it's not as good as the above at getting Netflix and Prime video working but it's fine for other stuff.

IMHO the two top VPNs (ignoring price) are Nord and ExpressVPN and the best budget VPN is Surfshark.

[Onemore52]

Thanks Geoff, Express it is .

cheers mate

[OnMyWay]

Express VPN has been good for me, although for some reason it could not connect yesterday and the day before.  First ever issue.  I downloaded the new version and that fixed it.  I still recommend it. 

PureVPN was OK for a few years and then I started having several issues.  I replaced it with Express.

[BrettGC]

Express and Nord are the gold standard, so to speak, and on par with each other with regards to performance, it's just a matter of preference with the user interface.  I've used both extensively and can't really see a difference with their functionality.  I'm on Nord at the moment, did their 12 month deal, it was a little cheaper when I signed up.  

Never had an issue with either accessing out of region Netflix etc and they maintain their speeds relative to the geographic node you log onto.  Eg Australia is always going to be an issue as in general, it has shit internet unless you're one of the lucky few that was fibre to the home on the initial NBN rollout.  Singapore, on the other hand, is always going to be faster as they have universally good connections speeds.  Basically the crappier the internet in the country you're connected to on your VPN, the crappier your connection through your VPN is going to be.  

[Heeb]

I use ExpressVPN, the only streaming service that detects it is Amazon Prime but I can usually change my city location and get it to work again. Hulu, Netflix, NHL, ESPN HBOMax I can confirm all work good.

[Jollygoodfellow]

5 hours ago, BrettGC said:

I'm on Nord at the moment, did their 12 month deal, it was a little cheaper when I signed up.  

In my case I use a free VPN that connects to Australia for one hour which suits me as all I use it for is the odd lotto ticket. Often wonder what would happen if l won a big one as meant to be in Australia to be playing lotto. 

[BrettGC]

4 hours ago, Jollygoodfellow said:

In my case I use a free VPN that connects to Australia for one hour which suits me as all I use it for is the odd lotto ticket. Often wonder what would happen if l won a big one as meant to be in Australia to be playing lotto. 

Lol same.  I guess we'd just transfer it into our Aussie bank account, either that or make a quick flight back on the off chance we have to accept it in person.  

Edit:  No, I didn't win that 120 million last night!!

Edited February 24, 2022 by BrettGC

[Onemore52]

Thanks to everyone for their input, which is what I really appreciate about this forum, that you blokes don’t mind sharing your knowledge and experiences.

cheers

[Gator]

18 hours ago, Onemore52 said:

Any bad ones I should stay clear of?

I use PIA (Private Internet Access). It’s non logging, doesn’t noticeably slow down your connection speed, has multiple countries / servers to choose from and only occasionally are there issues with sites like Netflix (change servers and good to go). They also recently  introduced a dedicated IP address to help get around banking and streaming issues.