10 Best VPNs in India 2021 (ExpressVPN, NordVPN, and more)

ExpressVPN is the best VPN app on our list. With over 160 VPN server locations in 94 countries and unlimited bandwidth, you can browse, stream, and download anything you want anonymously. ExpressVPN is based in the British Virgin Islands, where there are no data retention laws. Your activity and connection logs are safe from law enforcement and governments.

ExpressVPN offers five encryption protocols: Lightway, Lightway, OpenVPN (with TCP/UDP), SSTP, L2TP/IPSec, and PPTP. Learn about the significance of VPN protocols from our buying guide. The app is configured to prevent IPv6 and DNS leaks too—the security issues that can occur when your internet traffic communicates directly with your ISP's servers.

The app has a kill switch. In case your VPN connection fails, this kill switch will block all internet traffic until the connection is restored. But this VPN is not actually free. It offers a 30-days risk-free money-back guarantee. If you are not satisfied, you get your money back. 

NordVPN offers apps for Windows, macOS, iOS, Linux, routers, and more. If you want every device connected to your home router to be protected, go for the NordVPN router app. Browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox are also available. 

NordVPN is based in Panama, a country with no mandatory data retention laws. NordVPN uses the NordLynx protocol by default in most of the apps. This technology is based on the latest WireGuard protocol. The app also provides other security protocols like OpenVPN and IKEv2/IPsec.

Other features offered by this VPN include split tunneling, dedicated IP address, DNS and IPv6 leak protection, etc. NordVPN allows six devices to be connected using one account.

Here is another VPN service provider based in the British Virgin Islands: a jurisdiction with no data retention rules. The app takes privacy to a whole new level with MultiHop. This feature establishes a connection through two VPN servers in different countries, thus adding an extra layer of protection.

Surfshark uses AES-256 encryption to protect your data, and even the fastest computer on earth would take a billion years to crack it. The default protocol in Surfshark VPN is IKEv2/IPsec (faster than OpenVPN and Wireguard, so good for streaming and torrenting). But you have other choices like OpenVPN, WireGuard, and Shadowsocks as well.

Surfshark follows a strict no-logs policy. They promise not to hand over your connection and browsing information to advertisers or government authorities. The key feature of Surfshark is that it allows an unlimited number of devices to be connected using a single account.

Do you connect to public Wi-Fis when you are outside? Your typical hotel or airport Wi-Fi gives hackers easy access to your device. Using a VPN will protect you from attackers. CyberGhost VPN offers three different encryption protocols (OpenVPN, IKEv2, and WireGuard) and AES 256-bit encryption. At a time, the app allows seven devices to be connected.

CyberGhost has 7199 servers in 114 locations across 91 countries. They also have dedicated streaming servers for Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Disney+ Hotstar, and more. The company also offers dedicated IP addresses as an add-on to your regular subscription.

CyberGhost allows split tunneling too. Now you can decide which apps should access the internet directly through your ISP and which ones should be connected via the secure VPN. The company offers a 45-day money-back guarantee, unlike other VPN service providers that offer only 30 days.

Private Internet ACCESS (PIA) is one of the most trusted VPN service providers on our list. The app's entire source code is open source, meaning you can inspect the code to confirm the company's promise to protect your privacy and anonymity. Even the protocols are open source—OpenVPN and WireGuard.

PIA is based in the United States, where there are no strict data retention laws. But the USA is part of the 5 eyes, 9 eyes, and 14 eyes alliance. As long as you don't travel to the United States and do something illegal over the internet, you have nothing to worry about.

PIA is trusted by top online publications and magazines like Forbes, WIRED, tom's guide, and Lifehacker. The app allows a maximum of 10 simultaneous connections. The paid subscriptions offer shared dynamic IPs. You can purchase dedicated IPs if you want to access IP-restricted networks.

Hotspot Shield is one of the few VPN service providers that have developed their own protocol. Their Catapult Hydra protocol is 2.4 times faster than OpenVPN. The connection speed offered by the free plan is limited to 2Mbps, and the data limit is 500MB per day. That's way too low for today's needs. The best premium plan they offer gives you five accounts and allows 25 device connections.

The paid plans also offer streaming mode and gaming mode. Now you can play online multiplayer games with your friends without high ping and watch movies and TV shows on Netflix, Disney+, YouTube, etc., without slow buffering. The free version also doesn't allow split tunneling or offer a kill switch, which can be inconvenient and a privacy concern.

This VPN service provider is trusted by popular media companies like CNN, FOX, and abc news. You can try risk-free for 45 days, and if you are not satisfied, you get your money back.

Just like Private Internet Access (PIA), ProtonVPN apps are also open source. Feel free to check for any malicious codes that could compromise your privacy. ProtonVPN offers a feature called Secure Core with their Plus and Visionary plans. When you connect to servers in high-risk jurisdictions like the USA, your traffic will first go through Secure Core servers.

This will make it even more difficult to track the IP address of users. Secure Core servers are located in countries with strong privacy laws: Switzerland, Iceland, and Sweden. ProtonVPN comes with built-in support for Tor (an open-source software that enables anonymous communication). Now you can access the dark web with the protection of ProtonVPN as well as the Tor anonymity network.

The Basic plan gives you access to 350+ servers in 40+ countries, better speed, BitTorrent support, and Adblocker. The Plus plan gives you access to 1200+ servers in 55 countries, 10 Gbps speed, streaming service support, Secure Core VPN, TOR over VPN, along with the basic plan features.

Windscribe has firewall, a better solution to kill switch. While a kill switch only gets activated when the connection goes down, a firewall is an ever-present filter that restricts unprotected connection. 

It won't let any packet that is not going to or coming from a Windscribe server leave or enter your system. Windscribe doesn't keep any logs that can identify you. This VPN comes with a unique feature called R.O.B.E.RT. 

It allows you to set rules to block ads, malware, porn sites, gambling sites, and many more, allowing you to protect your kids from accidentally opening inappropriate websites. Free users get 10 GB per month and access to ten of the 63 countries where Windscribe has servers.

IVPN goes to lengths where other VPN service providers don't to keep their operations as transparent as possible. The company has published the results of an independent audit by Cure53, a german cybersecurity firm, verifying the no-logging claims.

IVPN's standard plan allows two devices and provides an anti-tracker (blocks ads, malware, data harvesting trackers, and malicious websites). The Pro plan allows seven devices, port forwarding, and multi-hop (connect through multiple servers). IVPN accepts cryptocurrency payments (Bitcoin and Monero) as well as cash payments, thus providing an extra layer of anonymity.

TunnelBear makes it easy for even novice users to use the VPN. It only supports two VPN protocols: OpenVPN for Windows, Android, and macOS, and IPSec for iOS. TunnelBear conducts independent security audits annually, and the report is available for users to read. Here is the 2020 security audit report by the German cybersecurity firm, Cure53.

The company has good privacy and no-logging policies but is based in Canada, a Five Eyes alliance member. The app is available for Windows, Mac, iPhone&iPad, and android. Lightweight browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox are available too.

Unfortunately, TunnelBear doesn't offer any money-back guarantee. Free users get only 500 MB of data, which is not sufficient for running multiple tests to find out if the app is optimized for your various needs like torrenting, media streaming, gaming, etc.