I'm looking for suggestions on a new VPN

Hello, it's now 2026 and I'm thinking about switching VPNs and am interested in both pricing and speed as well as a good variety of servers to choose from.

What's your experience with any of them? Any help would be most appreciated.

Thank you

I really don't know much about VPN's, I just use Private Internet Access. I pay for 3 years at a time, so far, I have been completely happy with it. I think it was around $80.00 US for the 3 years.

What's your use case for wanting a VPN?

neemobeer said:

What's your use case for wanting a VPN?

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Just shopping around, that's all.

Thanks

Unless you're trying to access a remote resource over the public internet, VPNs offer very little in terms of other benefits.

neemobeer said:

Unless you're trying to access a remote resource over the public internet, VPNs offer very little in terms of other benefits.

Click to expand...

Well this topic is for those that use one. If you don't use one, that's fine too.

I use them but it's for their intended purpose

neemobeer said:

I use them but it's for their intended purpose

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So which one do you recommend?

For personal use, OpenVPN.

neemobeer said:

What's your use case for wanting a VPN?

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What is your case for using a computer? cheaterslick just ask a question, and gets interrogated.

RD Mercer said:

What is your case for using a computer?

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To hack the world. *moahaha*



.

I use this $35 for lifetime:
Has many servers in the US and around the world.

RD Mercer said:

What is your case for using a computer? cheaterslick just ask a question, and gets interrogated.

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lol, no problem. I've been using them for years so I'm not a newbie to them.

I'm thinking about changing so I'd just like to know what's good for 2026 as far as other people's experiences with them go.

i use Cloudflare Warp which hides your home IP address and uses a encrypted tunnel
Vivaldi browser has a builtin VPN (proton free) which can be used if needed or required
thats seems to work for me but my needs for a VPN are very basic and rarely used.


best of luck Steve ..

@cheaterslick ,

I use Proton VPN when I need to use a VPN, which is seldom. I have the Proton Ultimate plan, so it is included. There are lots of servers, good privacy, and fast connection/download times.

I also have ESET Home Security Premium, which now includes free Windscribe VPN, with no cap, but the number of servers is very limited, and it is not as good as Proton VPN, IMHO.

Just my two cents. Have a great day.

Regards,
Phil

One thing I should add. Always use a VPN when connecting to a public Wi-Fi hotspot. Always. Never trust public Wi-Fi. I can't emphasize that enough.

I'd need a good enough paid VPN to do that.

I have two VPN recommendations for personal use - ProtonVPN and NordVPN. Both use the Swiss no-log model,- but they have different back-end implementations. both also support multiple OS clients-inclug Android,Apple, and consoles - and Windows. While Proton costs nothing, it has a truckload of extra features. Nord is bare-bones by comparison - it also costs - not much. However- it supports Microsoft Office email addresses - which ProtonVPN does not.

Mullvad VPN has no logs either..

Hi, I’ve been using NordVPN + NordPass Premium for 5 years, so I’ll share my long-term experience.

NordVPN
NordLynx protocol (WireGuard-based) – very fast connection setup, low latency, and stable performance even under heavier bandwidth usage.
AES-256 encryption + modern key exchange (ECDH) – more than sufficient security for everyday and advanced users.
RAM-only servers – no traditional hard drives; data is wiped automatically on reboot.
Kill switch + DNS leak protection – protects your real IP if the VPN connection drops.
Large global server infrastructure – wide selection of countries plus specialized servers (P2P, Double VPN, etc.).
24/7 support – responsive and technical enough to solve real issues, not just copy-paste replies. Over 5 years, every issue I had was resolved.
In terms of speed, every VPN adds some overhead due to encryption, but in real-world use the drop is minimal. Streaming, large downloads, and daily browsing work without noticeable limitations.

NordPass Premium
Zero-knowledge architecture – encryption keys are generated locally; the provider cannot access your vault.
XChaCha20 encryption – modern and efficient algorithm.
Password health audit + breach monitoring – alerts you about weak, reused, or compromised passwords.
Seamless multi-device sync – works smoothly across desktop and mobile without manual exporting.
Overall after 5 years
Stable infrastructure
Strong performance
Solid encryption standards
Reliable customer support
Practical combination of VPN + password manager in one ecosystem

Není to nejlevnější volba na trhu, ale z hlediska technického základu, rychlosti a dlouhodobé spolehlivosti je to solidní a spolehlivá volba.

P. S. NordVPN server numbers (2026)

• Total servers: ~8 900+ worldwide
• Countries covered: 129
• Server locations: ~178 cities/regions globally

Main types of servers you can connect to
These are the key categories available in NordVPN’s infrastructure:

• Standard servers – general usage (browsing, streaming).
• P2P servers – optimized for torrenting/file sharing.
• Double VPN – routes your traffic through two servers for extra encryption.
• Obfuscated servers – hides VPN traffic to bypass strict network restrictions.
• Dedicated IP servers – static IP address reserved for you (useful for banking, whitelisting).

NordVPN doesn’t break down exact counts for each individual category publicly, but you can see all the supported types directly in the app’s server list, and these are the main specialty groups you’ll find when choosing.

I'm using ProtonVPN and so far it's quite nice. I'm still using the free version, but they have a premium version that gives you a lot more features at a reasonable price.