Now that you have your home office up and running, it's time to think about security and privacy. Here are the best VPN services for working from home.
By now you’ve probably sorted out your home office, requisitioning the dining table as your new desk and hastily ordering an office chair online after spending a few uncomfortable days trying to work while sat for hours on a dining chair.
Maybe you’ve even hooked up a spare TV as a second monitor for your laptop and dug out a mouse so you don’t have to use your laptop’s trackpad.
The final job is to pick a VPN to use while you’re working from home. If you work with any sensitive documents, a VPN adds security via encryption and it also stops websites from tracking what you’re doing online.
Of course, a VPN brings benefits when work is finished, such as watching HBO or US Netflix (or YouTube for that matter) from the UK or a different country. And you can install and use your chosen service on all the devices you need, such as your laptop, phone, tablet and even your Amazon Fire TV Stick.
There are dozens upon dozens of VPN services vying for your attention, but these are the best.
If you want more in-depth buying advice, read our separate article on how to use a VPN to work from home.
1. NordVPN
- From $3.49 per month
NordVPN is one of the best-known services and is a great choice if you need a VPN when working from home.
- 5687 servers across 60 countries
- Works with Netflix & other streaming services
- Kill switch
- 6 simultaneous connections
- Mobile apps & browser extensions
Based in Panama and with an audited no-logs policy, it's great for those concerned about privacy. There's an ad-blocker and malware protection feature included too, as well as browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox and an app for Amazon Fire TV.
Nord's 3-year plan works out at £2.68/ $3.49 per month (£96.74/ $125.64 upfront) and at the time of writing you'll get either a 1-month or 1-year extension free as an Easter gift.
There's a money-back guarantee in case you're not totally happy too.
Read our full NordVPN review
2. ExpressVPN
- From $8.32 per month
Easy to use, speedy and packed with features, ExpressVPN is the one to choose if you're looking for a reliable VPN service that will work on all your devices.
- 3000+ servers across 94 countries
- Works with Netflix
- Kill switch
- 5 simultaneous connections
- Mobile & Amazon Fire TV apps, plus browser extensions available
As well as offering excellent security and privacy, it also unblocks your favourite streaming services (and other websites) and there's friendly tech support available round the clock.
Read our full ExpressVPN review
3. Surfshark
- From $1.94 per month
Surfshark has a slick, simple interface and a good range of features. It has apps and extensions which protect popular devices and web browsers and it costs less than most of its competitors, despite allowing an unlimited number of connections.
- 1200 servers across 61 countries
- Works with Netflix & other streaming services
- Kill switch
- Unlimited simultaneous connections
- Two-factor authentication
- GPS spoofing
Based in the British Virgin Islands with a strict no-logs policy and MultiHop servers for greater security and privacy, it's a great choice no matter what you want a VPN for.
It's very competitively priced, and you can sign up to Surfshark for just £1.59/$1.99 per month.
Read our full Surfshark review
4. VyprVPN
- From $2.50 per month
VyprVPN owns and operates its entire network of over 700 servers and has been audited to prove that it sticks by its no-logs policy. If privacy is your top priority, it’s therefore a good one to add to your shortlist. Just note that you can’t pay truly anonymously for the service.
- More than 700 servers across 70+ countries
- Works with Netflix & other streaming services
- Kill switch & Chameleon protocol
- Up to 5 simultaneous connections
- Mobile apps but no browser extensions
Features vary by device, as they do with all VPNs, but it’s also important to note that you can’t use Vypr’s proprietary Chameleon protocol on iPads and iPhones. Overall, this is a speedy and reliable service… it’s just not the cheapest.
But you can get a special deal with 81% off if you use this link to VyprVPN's website.
Read our full VyprVPN review
5. Ivacy
- Monthly US$9.95 (around £7.60) per month, 1-year $3.33 per month (£2.55), 5-year $0.99 per month (76p)
Ivacy may not have as many servers as NordVPN or ExpressVPN, but it does tick a lot of boxes. It allows five devices to use its service from a single account, and has no problems with you downloading Torrent files.
- Based in Singapore
- 1000+ servers
- 5 simultaneous connections
- Torrenting allowed + malware protection
- Apps for Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV
- Browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox
It offers a good range of apps and some of these have a decent set of features including a kill switch. There are a few niggles such as no way to save favourite servers or see how busy a particular server is.
But this five-year deal is excellent value at just 99p ($1.19) per month. And if you use the code Easter20, you'll get 20% off! Bargain.
6. CyberGhost
- From $2.75 per month
CyberGhost is an easy-to-use VPN which is great for unblocking streaming services and it has a huge selection of servers.
- 6,500+ servers across 90+ countries
- Works with 35 streaming services
- Kill switch (Windows)
- 7 simultaneous connections
- Mobile apps and browser extensions
The NoSpy servers are owned and operated by the company at its Romanian HQ and provide a more secure option than all the other rented servers.
If you simply need a way to unblock streaming services and websites, CyberGhost is one of the better-value options, and has handy Amazon Fire TV and Android TV apps.
Sign up for the three-year plan and pay as little as £2.10/$2.75 per month.
Read our full CyberGhost review
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