VPN guides
Every guide here answers its question in the first paragraph, then explains it properly. Where a number appears — a price, a renewal rate or a device limit — it is read off the provider's own checkout and dated, not taken from a marketing page.
Answers first, then the detail
Every guide opens with the answer in a short paragraph, then explains it properly — and every price in it was read off the provider's own checkout and dated.
- 24 guides
- 7 categories
- Re-checked with each price round
What is in here
- Basics
- 7
- Setup
- 6
- Privacy
- 5
- Streaming
- 2
- Most recently updated
- September 14, 2026
Figures in these guides come from checkout prices and published terms for 11 VPNs, last checked September 12, 2026.
New to this? Start here.
- What is a VPN?Six parties can watch what you do online. A VPN blinds two of them, adds itself as a third, and leaves the rest untouched. Here is the whole accounting, hop by hop.
- How much does a VPN cost?$2 to $5 a month on a long plan — but the introductory rate covers one term. We priced all ten across three years including the renewal, and it reorders the answer.
- Is a VPN worth it?For four jobs, yes. For the two most people buy one for, no. What $2–5 a month actually gets you, judged against what it is supposed to fix.
Every guide we've published, newest first.
Showing 24 of 24
- GamingDoes a VPN help with ping?Almost always no: a VPN adds a stop, and a stop costs milliseconds. But there are three situations where it genuinely lowers ping. Here is how to find out which one you are in, on your own connection.7 min read
- BasicsWhat is a VPN?Six parties can watch what you do online. A VPN blinds two of them, adds itself as a third, and leaves the rest untouched. Here is the whole accounting, hop by hop.11 min read
- BasicsWhat is a VPN kill switch?It blocks your traffic the instant the tunnel drops. Do not assume yours is switched on — almost nobody runs the 30-second test that proves it works.5 min read
- PrivacyWhat does a VPN hide?It hides your browsing from your ISP and your IP from websites. It does not hide you from anything you log into — the full list, both ways.5 min read
- BasicsVPN protocols explainedUse WireGuard. That is the whole answer for almost everyone — 4,000 lines of kernel code against OpenVPN's several hundred thousand in user space. Here is when the other protocols still matter.5 min read
- BasicsVPN port numbers explainedEach protocol has a default port, and one of them — TCP 443 — gets through firewalls that block everything else. Here is which is which and when to switch.5 min read
- TorrentingHow to set up qBittorrent with a VPNBinding the client to the VPN adapter is stronger than a kill switch, and takes one dropdown. Then port forwarding, then the test that proves the whole thing holds.6 min read
- SetupHow to use a VPN on a MacmacOS holds the system-extension approval until you grant it, and silently fails until then. Setup, the settings that matter, and the App Store trap.5 min read
- SetupHow to use a VPN on AndroidAndroid has a system-level kill switch the VPN app cannot override, and per-app routing that actually works. Both are worth setting once.5 min read
- StreamingHow to use a VPN with NetflixNetflix shows the catalogue of the country your IP is in. Which server to pick, why it fails, and the cache problem people mistake for a block.5 min read
- SetupHow to use a VPNInstall, sign in, connect. Then the four settings that decide whether it stays working, and the per-device walkthroughs for anything more specific.5 min read
- PrivacyHow to unblock websitesFour different things block websites and each needs a different fix. Diagnosing which one you're facing takes thirty seconds and saves a wrong purchase.6 min read
- StreamingHow to install a VPN on a Fire TV StickSeven of the ten we test have a Fire TV app. Here is the install for those, the sideload for the rest, and which route is worth the trouble.8 min read
- TroubleshootingHow to check if your VPN is workingA connected VPN can still leak. Five checks that take two minutes and tell you whether yours is doing the job — with what a pass and a fail actually look like.6 min read
- SetupHow to change your VPN locationPicking a different country takes two taps. What it changes, what it silently does not, and the caching problem that makes people think it failed.5 min read
- BasicsHow much does a VPN cost?$2 to $5 a month on a long plan — but the introductory rate covers one term. We priced all ten across three years including the renewal, and it reorders the answer.5 min read
- PrivacyDoes a VPN protect you from hackers?Mostly no. A VPN helps with 2 of the 7 threats people buy one for, and 2FA plus a password manager beat it on the other five.5 min read
- PrivacyAre VPNs safe?The technology is settled; the provider is the variable. Four things you can actually check, and why a police raid beats any audit.5 min read
- SetupHow to set up a VPN on Windows 11Use the provider's app — it takes two minutes and gives you the kill switch. The built-in Windows VPN client is for work networks, and here is why it leaks.6 min read
- TorrentingIs torrenting safe with a VPN?A VPN hides your IP from the swarm and your traffic from your ISP. It does not make piracy legal, and four specific settings decide whether it works at all.6 min read
- BasicsIs a VPN worth it?For four jobs, yes. For the two most people buy one for, no. What $2–5 a month actually gets you, judged against what it is supposed to fix.6 min read
- SetupHow to use a VPN on an iPhoneInstall from the App Store, allow the configuration profile, connect. Two minutes — plus the four iOS settings that decide whether it stays connected.6 min read
- PrivacyCan your internet provider see your history if you use a VPN?It hides the domains you visit, not that you're using a VPN. Here is exactly where the line falls, where it silently moves, and how to check your own connection in two minutes.6 min read
- BasicsWhich VPN server location should you choose?The right server depends entirely on why you turned the VPN on. Five goals, five different answers — and the one rule that covers all of them.7 min read
Rather test it than read about it?
Several of these guides tell you to check something. These do the checking for you, in the browser, without sending anything anywhere.