VPN Advice

[Snort McDork]

On the 20th of this month (April) my subscription to AIR VPN is set to expire.
I am looking at a different VPN, but I don't know which one to go with.
I have had an issue with these dudes for several months now.
They have a "Contact" page/link, but do not get back to me right away.
It may be about a week later. I find this frustrating and a bit aggravating.
I will be on for a while, and then it will cut off forcing me to have to re-boot my entire system to sign back in. It will NOT allow me to simply shut off the VPN and restart it. No. I have to re-boot my whole freaking system and potentially lose something I'm working on.
So I am looking at a different VPN. I would like to go with one that does not do things like this, and one that has people that respond if you have a problem.
So I'm looking for your opinion as to what I should go with.
I trust this community (since that is my nature), and seek your valuable advice at no additional charge, or with the possibility of having to submit latest blood test results, or emergency contact information.

I look forward to your suggestions.

 

[Mike-BTU]

I just mentioned Here that the PC version of Vivaldi has an optional built-in VPN. I've never used it.

 

[craigevil]

Proton

 

[f33dm3bits]

Mullvad VPN - Free the internet

Free the internet from mass surveillance and censorship. Fight for privacy with Mullvad VPN and Mullvad Browser.

mullvad.net

 

[KGIII]

I've used NordVPN quite a bit. But, I have another idea for you.

There's a dude that keeps an updated spreadsheet of the various VPNs.

VPN Comparison by That One Privacy Guy

Welcome to the VPN Comparison! This section is meant to be a resource to those who value their privacy, specifical...

thatoneprivacysite.xyz

You do not want to view the spreadsheet online. It's too wide to fit and be worth anything. You can scroll down to download the spreadsheet in a format that works for you. You likely have LibreOffice installed and so .ods should do the trick.

 

[kc1di]

I have used Private internet Access for awhile. Work good with linux about $90 a year. But also use vivaldi and it now sports Proton VPN. Which you can also get on a subscription bases Both work well.
Proton VPN pricing

Pricing | Proton VPN

Choose a plan that works for you and defend your privacy with a security-focused VPN.

protonvpn.com

PIA pricing

Buy VPN with Credit Card or PayPal | Private Internet Access

Get Private Internet Access VPN with 30 day money back guarantee for up to 10 devices simultaneously. Start your journey to privacy today.

www.privateinternetaccess.com

There are some free ones out there but most of the free ones aren't that good and track the users info.
Good luck in you search

 

[Fanboi]

Depends or your use case. If it's privacy you want, then you gotta go paid. If it's just encrypting your traffic to mitigate MitM or Evil Twin WiFi attacks, anything free. Same for circumventing geo-blocking (ultimate con).

I use Proton's free tier when needed -- seldom. When I visit "he who shall not be mentioned" sites, it's via TOR, which is sluggish but okay for browsing. My best mate is an IT Support Team Leder and pretty much dotes on NordVPN. I have MegaVPN on my phone but I think I used it like twice.

Regardless, never heard of a reboot to toggle off/on a VPN. Proton's literally on/off, and what country do you want to be. Simple UI. I'm still not ready to commit to a paid plan yet as I have plenty higher priorities.

 

[APTI]

I have to wonder about VPN. I use some free ones at times but buying VPN service seems to me that it is not private. The idea was total privacy but if somebody can see your VPN connection and use the billing to see who it is, then so can anybody else especially government agencies. So I don't see the point in paying for a VPN which then creates a paper trail right back to you.
might be fine if all you are worried about is advertisers. but true VPN can't exist with a paper trail.

When I want the privacy I use a TOR browser.

 

[Deleted member 204243]

When I want the privacy I use a TOR browser.

You're talking about anonymity. VPN gives you privacy. They are not the same thing. The postman knows your name, address and, in many cases, can see who writes to you, but can't see the content of the letters. That's privacy and that's what VPN gives you. Tor gives you anonymity (well, almost).

I pay for Proton services (e-mail, cloud storage, VPN) and I'm satisfied with their quality. I'm aware that I'm not fully anonymous, but I don't care about it. Privacy is enough for me.

 

[Mike-BTU]

You're talking about anonymity. VPN gives you privacy. They are not the same thing. The postman knows your name, address and, in many cases, can see who writes to you, but can't see the content of the letters. That's privacy and that's what VPN gives you. Tor gives you anonymity (well, almost).

I pay for Proton services (e-mail, cloud storage, VPN) and I'm satisfied with their quality. I'm aware that I'm not fully anonymous, but I don't care about it. Privacy is enough for me.

So if I access a website with a VPN, can it write and read cookies?

 

[Deleted member 204243]

Yes, websites visited through Tor or VPN can write/read cookies. All Tor and VPN do is replacing your IP.

 

[Mike-BTU]

Yes, websites visited through Tor or VPN can write/read cookies. All Tor and VPN do is replacing your IP.

Really?! Well, cookies are what I thought that I needed to block.

Maybe replacing my IP will work. I'm too tired to go into details right now.

I don't know what mobile Vivaldi does in Private mode, but it gets the job done and lets me view sites that blocked me after a visit or two in normal mode.

 

[Deleted member 204243]

The browser deals with cookies and you can block them in your browser settings, but you must remember that some websites won't work without them (cookies are used for logins, for example). Private mode in a browser is a client-side solution. It basically deletes your activity (history, cookies, website data) after the session is closed, but it doesn't really change the way the websites see you. For that you need to use VPN or Tor. They both hide your IP address. Tor is a decentralized network and it gives you more anonymity, but you loose ability to control your location - for that you need to use VPN and that's why VPNs are often used to bypass geolocation. Also, some websites block Tor. They still don't know who you are and where you're coming from, but they know you're using Tor network and can block you.