Best VPN for UK – 2020 Review Guide

What is the best VPN to use in the UK in 2020? The rise of  VOD streaming, Kodi, torrents, and online privacy awareness all resulted in a substantial increase of UK VPN users. More people in the United Kingdom are turning to virtual private networks to improve their browsing experience. A VPN allows British citizens to unblock and access various region-restricted websites while in the United Kingdom. In the same manner, UK expats living in Ireland, USA, Canada, Australia, UAE, or anywhere else overseas, can use VPN to unblock their favorite British TV streaming channels.

This includes the likes of BBC iPlayer, Netflix UK, Sky Go, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, and Now TV. The number of VPN providers has also surged dramatically. In this review guide, I will take a look at the best paid and free VPNs you can utilize. Here’s my top 5 VPN for UK 2020 review.

Top 5 VPN for the UK in 2020

I’ve tested quite a lot of VPN providers. What I focused on the most during my trial is the number of VPN servers, their speed, VPN apps providers, as well as support. Here are the best 5 VPN providers you can use in the UK.

1. ExpressVPN
2. NordVPN
3. BulletVPN
4. SurfShark
5. IPVanish

The VPNs listed above are the top 5 that you’ll find on the market. However, the review will cover more than that. To take a closer look at these VPNs before we begin, give the following table a quick gander.

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Best VPN for the UK

In case you’re looking for a more detailed insight into what each of these VPNs has to offer, take a look at the analysis below.

ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN is a top tier UK VPN provider that offers only the best in quality of service. In case you’re a British expat and are looking for a VPN to get a UK IP address abroad, this is the VPN service provider you should sign up with. They are very conversant with the censorship issues that residents from the UK deal with every now and then, and with servers in 78 countries, they’re capable of making sure you’re able to bypass their restrictions. Here’s what they have to offer:

• They have 148 VPN server locations in 94 countries.
• Permits up to four simultaneous connections with the same account.
• No bandwidth limit.
• Supports these protocols: OpenVPN with TCP and UDP, SSTP, L2TP/IPsec, PPTP.
• Ensures security with 266-bit data encryption.
• Full compatibility with Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS and Android devices.
• Always available live support.
• Accepts Bitcoin as a payment method.
• No free VPN trial period.
• 30-day money back guarantee.

ExpressVPN’s 30-day refund guarantee and the fact they support unblocking American Netflix in the UK. Signing up with them is simply risk-free. Whether you want to bypass geographic restrictions, prevent prying eyes from spying on you, or watch/download movies anonymously, ExpressVPN is the go-to-tool.

NordVPN

NordVPN is a robust tool that ensures online protection of its users. This is done by using military-grade encryptions and of course the strict no-logs policy. With that, users can rest assured that no one would be prying on their activities while they’re browsing the web.

Moreover, NordVPN offers protection to all kinds of devices. This takes that caution sign over your head away every time you access the internet. This VPN won’t log your traffic no matter what device you tend to use. Want to find out more? Check below:

• Military-Grade Encryption
• CyberSec
• Double VPN
• 6 simultaneous connections
• No Logs Policy
• Bitcoin Payments
• Automatic Kill Switch
• DNS Leak Protection

BulletVPN

BulletVPN is an Estonian based VPN provider that certainly grants you very fast service. It doesn’t matter if you’re looking to unblock restricted content or bypass government-controlled filters, this VPN will deliver.

When it comes to technical details, BulletVPN gives you several protocols to choose from. You can pick from OpenVPN, L2TP/IPSec, IPSec, IKEv2, and PPTP. Moreover, they offer applications to all major platforms like Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS and they’re very user-friendly as well. This way, novice users with little technical knowledge can navigate within minutes.

• Blazing-fast speeds.
• 5 connected devices under one subscription.
• Unlimited Bandwidth.
• Infinite server switching.
• No log policy.
• 24/7 premium support.
• 30-day money back guarantee.

SurfShark

One word can describe the Virgin Island’s SurfShark, “decent”. It’s still new on the VPN market but it still grants you what you need when it comes to the internet. With a built-in kill switch and split tunneling, you definitely get your VPN experience. SurfShark meets the usual requirements any VPN user asks for. It leaves no wishes unfulfilled, especially when offering unlimited device connections under one subscription. To find out more, check the following features.

• Runs on many devices.
• Unlimited bandwidth.
• Unlimited simultaneous devices.
• Gets into Netflix.
• Easy to use.
• Live chat support.
• 24/7 support.

IPVanish

 

We’ll start off with one long-standing service provider that’s been in the game for a couple of years now, and this would be IPVanish. With over 400 servers in about 60 countries, this service allows its users to connect to 34 servers based in the UK, and access the best in quality British entertainment. The VPN service has servers based in Nottingham, Manchester, London, and Liverpool. Signing up with them would allow you to choose from over 40,000 IPs to hide under. Here’s a list of their best features:

• They have servers in over 60 countries.
• Over 40,000 IPs.
• Simultaneous logins with the same VPN account on different devices.
• Unblocks programs channels such as BBC, BBC iPlayer, ITV, Channel 4 and UK TV, etc.
• Protocols in use include OpenVPN, L2TP, and PPTP.
• IPVanish doesn’t keep logs.
• Easily compatible with Windows, Android, Mac OS X, Linux, iOS.
• Unlimited server switches.
• Available also in several VoIP software.
• Permits P2P file sharing.
• Payment through Bitcoin.
• No free trial nor live customer support.
• 7-day money back guarantee.
• 10 simultaneous connections

VyprVPN

700 servers in over 55 countries. That’s how large VyprVPN’s server network is. This allows it to properly manage its large consumer base without the connection slowing down or breaking up. They’ll make sure that your favorite UK programs are unlocked, and that your privacy online is maintained. Here are the features:

• Servers located in 55 countries
• Over 200,000 IPs
• 3 different subscription plans
• Supported protocols: OpenVPN, PPTP, L2TP/IPsec, Chameleon
• No log keeping
• 256-bit data encryption
• Super fast VPN speed
• Easy and unlimited server switching
• Always online, 24/7 live chat system for both customer and technical support
• Free VPN trial period
• 3-day money back guarantee

PureVPN

PureVPN also features on this list of the best VPN UK providers to consider due to its large collection of 500 servers scattered over 141 countries; 52 being in the UK alone. The servers in the UK are based in Leicester, Maidenhead, London, Gosport, and Manchester. Their high number of servers assures you of a consistent connection. Some of the features that PureVPN brings to the table include:

• Up to 5 logins from different devices through the same UK VPN account.
• More than 80,000 IPs.
• Has servers scattered over 141 countries.
• Grants access to channels like BBC, BBC iPlayer, ITV, Channel 4 and UK TV.
• Supports: PPTP, L2TP/IPSec, SSTP, OpenVPN, and IKEv2.
• Full compatibility with Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, TV and VPN router.
• Unlimited server switches.
• Offers split tunneling feature.
• Live technical support 24/7 and customer service team.
• Allows P2P file sharing.
• Payment through Bitcoin.
• No free trial.
• 7-day money back guarantee.

HideMyAss

Also featuring on this list of top 5 UK VPN is HideMyAss, a service with almost 933 servers in over 190 countries. The pricing plans offered by them are worth considering, as they can easily mix in with your budget. Here are the features you should expect:

• They have servers in 190 countries and 353 locations.
• Own over 126,046 IP addresses.
• Have protocols such as OpenVPN, PPTP, L2TP/ IPSec.
• Grants users access to all geo-restricted sites.
• Works well with a wide range of devices e.g iPhones and Android devices.
• Supports payment through Bitcoin.
• Lacks free VPN trial period.
• Has a 30-day money back guarantee policy.
• No 24/7 live customer and technical support.

Best Free UK VPN 2020

In terms of free VPN services, I cannot really make any recommendations. Free VPN providers have proven to be unstable, unreliable, extremely slow, and potentially even hazardous time and time again. Simply don’t use free VPNs like Hola. You could be participating in illegal online activities without you even having a clue about it.

A lot of these free VPNs allow others to use your public IP address. That means that whatever that other person is doing online will be traced back to your IP address. This could include pirated streaming, illegal downloads, or other criminal activities. You should also consider the fact that such VPN providers drastically drag down your Internet speed. Seriously, stay away from free VPNs.

Why Do I Need VPN in UK – Top 4 Reasons

There are numerous reasons as to why you should use a VPN in the UK. Here’s a list of the top 5 reasons.

Snooper’s Charter

The UK government has recently passed the Investigatory Powers Act 2016. Also known as Snooper’s Charter, the new law grants government agencies the right to snoop on your online activities. This includes your browsing history, downloads, as well as what you are watching online. Using a VPN is the only way to guarantee that no one is spying on you online.

Online Streaming

Whether it’s BBC iPlayer, Sky Go, Now TV, ITV, Channel 4, or my5, the UK does have some of the best online streaming services. However, geo-restrictions prevent you from watching top American TV shows or movies via HBO GO, Hulu, American Netflix, or CW TV, for instance. VPN gives you the ability to bypass regional restrictions. Thus, unblock geoblocked American, Canadian, or Australian channels in the UK.

Kodi

Kodi is becoming quite a popular entertainment hub in the UK. With new XBMC addons popping up every day, there’s no limit to the live and on-demand content you can watch via Kodi. What a lot of people don’t know is that some of these add-ons contain pirated material. That’s why many Kodi users receive a copyright infringement notice from their ISP. You can stream movies, TV shows, and live sports on Kodi anonymously with VPN.

Torrents

The lack of quality movies and TV series via ‘legal’ streaming channels for some people to use torrents. As with Kodi, your BitTorrent download activity is completely exposed. The way peer-to-peer sharing works allows anybody to trace what files are being downloaded via your IP address. By hiding your public IP address, VPN enables you to download torrents anonymously.

Banned Sites in the UK

UK ISPs have blocked many websites in the last couple of years. As a resident of the United Kingdom, you cannot access The Pirate Bay, Kickass Torrents, Afdah, Putlocker, First Row Sports and other similar torrent or streaming sites.  Once you connect to a VPN server, you can get access to any banned site you want in the UK.

Top VPNs for the UK in 2020 – Wrap Up

ExpressVPN tops it for me in terms of VPN servers, speed, security, customer support, as well as refund policy. The other VPN providers in the table above are by no means poor alternatives, however. If you’re serious about your online privacy and want access to Internet freedom, VPN is the answer.