VPN Central – Reviews, Guides And More

Cryptocloud is one of the top quality VPN service providers that your money can get you in the market. The service protects all your activities on the internet and it also shields your identity from all unscrupulous characters that may be seeking for ways to misuse them. On offer from this VPN service is the secure open access, and Cryptocloud also allow the use of PSP programs without logging any of your online traffic details.

VPN servers are located in about six countries. The countries are the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, France and Japan. Cryptocloud VPN service supports both PPTP and OpenVPN protocols; it also uses dynamic and shared IPs. The speed offered is a little slower than what is obtainable on a regular internet connection, but that is to be expected when using VPN services. In spite of that fact, users are also still capable of uploading and downloading files without any fuss. Comparing the speed from Cryptocloud with those that users can get from some other providers, there is a small speed problem with the VPN servers. The speed can, however, get faster when users move closer to a server. Besides, users can always talk to a representative from the Cryptocloud VPN service should the speed become unbearably slow.

The Cryptocloud software is all you need to get going with this service and the set up is very simple. You simply download and install the software. Every time you need to go online, just run the installed software and you are on. When there is a downtime or connection delay, Cryptocloud does not stop protecting your online activities. The service is compatible with Microsoft Windows, Apple Mac OS X and Linux operating system. Android devices and Apple mobile devices running iOS are also supported.

The pricing plans on offer from Cryptocloud are structured based on the length of time you intend making use of the service. The price charged are based on how many months a user wishes to activate a plan. The plans are:

One-month Plan: $19.95
Three-month Plan: $49.95
Six-month Plan: $99.95
One-year Plan: $179.95

Of the four plans, the 1-year plan offers more value for money for someone planning to use the service for at least a year. There is a 7-day free trial in place for new users to test the VPN service and have a feel of how effective it is before purchasing a package. The free trial is actually a money back guarantee. Users purchasing plans that last for a very long time also stand to enjoy certain discounts. Cryptocloud has many payment options like PayPal, Western Union, Liberty Reserve, MasterCard, American Express and Discover to mention a few.

The Cryptocloud software is well-designed for great service of protecting all your activities online from all prying eyes. In addition to providing an effective protection, navigation on the software is also easy. The service, however, needs to increase the number of VPN servers that it currently has. The best way to enjoy the fastest connection is if you move close to the server in use.

When looking for a great VPN service that gives you the ability to unblock websites without so much fuss, Banana VPN will definitely stand among the best in that respect. This service is so impressive that otherwise restricted online TV shows and movies are made so much easy to access. With servers located in a number of different countries around the world, Banana VPN is a great service to give a trial. Data encryption is not left out of the bargain, too.

The Banana VPN servers are located in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Germany. The server in the United States is located in Dallas, Texas while that of the United Kingdom is in Maidenhead. PPTP, OpenVPN and SSTP VPN protocols are all supported by this service. And in addition to these protocols supported by Banana VPN, VoIP services are also available to users. The speed that users can enjoy on the Banana VPN service is comparable to what is obtainable from some other standard players in the VPN market. And, as is to be expected when using a VPN service, connection speed may be somehow slower as a result of data encryption.

Banana VPN set up follows a manual installation procedure. The first thing to do will be for a new user to sign up for an account with Banana VPN and then make the required payment for the desired pricing plan. After payment, the new user will receive the needed settings information for using the service. For a Windows operating system user, all that is needed is to create a new network connection in the Control Panel with the information supplied by Banana VPN. The requirements for set up will, however, differ depending on the protocol involved. Additional instruction for the set up of VoIP service can be found on the website of Banana VPN.

The types of protocol to be used for connection as well as the countries in which servers are located are factored into the pricing plans on offer. Banana VPN pricing plans are laid out as follows;

SSL VPN: $14.99 per month, $60 per 6 months, or $100 per year.
SSL VPN (UK): $14.99 per month, $60 per 6 months, or $100 per year.
VPN for VoIP (comes with dedicated IP): $24 for a month or $110 for 6 months.
VPN (UK): $14.99 per month, $60 per 6 months, or $100 per year.

VPN (Germany) plan and the USA Secure VPN service attract similar charges as VPN (UK). There is no free trial on the service, but there is a money back guarantee.

The VoIP service offered by Banana VPN stands it out from many other providers in the market mostly because of the dedicated IP that comes with the VPN for VoIP package, making it interesting for people who need something professional for that use. With the VPN service offered, you can access and use sites such as Pandora and Skype. Users can also watch online TV shows from ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS and so many other online stations with no problem whatsoever using the Banana VPN services.

This provider is not exactly a newcomer in the game when it comes to VPN service. Anonymizer has been around for a while and has accumulated an impressive number of clients who perceive the service as an efficient one that delivers on its promises. With about 15 years in secured online web surfing, Anonymizer usually projects its service as online security instead of restricting itself to just being a VPN service provider so as to be able to attract more users to itself.

The VPN access offered by Anonymizer.com comes with dynamic IP addresses. The secure network promised by this service and the proprietary IP rotating technology combined with its powerful VPN technology ensure that all your online activities are not left open for computer hackers and cyber criminals to tamper with. Anonymizer removes all tracking codes so that it will be difficult for anyone to know all the websites you have visited and every little thing you did on each website. The service promises an acceptable level of speed for whatever activity you may be planning to carry out online.

Anonymizer has all its servers located in the United States. The service has a collection of US-based IP addresses that are changed or altered each and every time you set up a new connection; each new IP address is picked at random from the pool of IP addresses available. The protocols supported by Anonymizer are L2TP (Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol) and IPSec. The IPSec protocol is meant for additional protection for all your traffic on the Internet. The protection offered by this protocol comes in form of authenticity and privacy. The authenticity aspect of the security has to do with ensuring there is no tampering with your connection while the privacy aspect ensures that no one is able to put a tab on your online information and activities. Generally, especially when it comes to VPN services, IPSec is considered a better means of security than SSL.

Anonymizer supports Microsoft Windows (7, Vista, and XP) and Apple Mac OS X (Leopard, Snow Leopard). Smart devices such as the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad are also supported. The service has different clients for the operating systems supported and an iPhone app is being worked on. To set up Anonymizer, all you need do is just to download and install the appropriate client and you are on your way to using this VPN service.

Two main pricing plans are on offer from Anonymizer. There is an anonymous email service plan that goes for about $20 a year for someone in need of disposable email address. The second plan on offer is the Anonymizer Universal VPN service that goes for $79 per year (working to approximately $7 per month); it offers users unlimited L2TP/IPSec access that comes with daily rotating US-based IP addresses.

Anonymizer has been in this business for years and it definitely has goodwill to show for quality of service offered so far. It also has a customer support service in place just in case you have any issues using the service.

When you are thinking about a VPN service to provide you with a secure means of connection to the Internet, 12VPN is a service that you might want to try out. The protocols supported by this VPN service, which was launched in 2009, are PPTP, L2TP/IPSec, OpenVPN and IKEv2. 12VPN allows you to have access to your favorite websites that censorship might have made impossible.

12VPN, which is a part of the Hong Kong firm Anusun Limited, has its servers spread across a number of countries. The United States, Canada, France, the Netherlands, Japan, Germany and Hong Kong are places where 12VPN servers are located. For someone that travels around the world a lot, a personal world plan would be the best choice to get such individual going on the web everywhere. In terms of speed, 12VPN is good enough, but the speeds at which files are uploaded and downloaded are functions of how close a particular user is to the originating server in use. The 12VPN software performs relatively well when you upload and download files.

And what’s more? 12VPN supports the major operating systems available in the market. Microsoft Windows (7, Vista and XP), Apple Mac OS X (Tiger, Leopard, Snow Leopard) and Linux operating systems are all supported. Some mobile devices are also compatible with 12VPN. Apple iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad as well as Android and Symbian S60 devices are all supported. There is also IPv6 support for users who are likely to have interest in it.

A software from 12VPN is all that is needed to start enjoying this VPN service. Just register an account and make the necessary payment to gain access to the software, which you need to download and install, all within a matter of minutes. Once done with the installation, you can then start enjoying this VPN service as you want it.

There are basically two pricing plans on offer from 12VPN: a Personal U.S. Plan and a Personal World Plan. STOP The Personal U.S. Plan gives users access to unlimited data transfer along with all the usual features all for just $79 a year. The second price package, Personal World, gives the added advantage of being able to use the 12VPN servers all around the world in addition to the usual feature just for the payment of $119 a year. Payment can be made via PayPal and credit cards such as Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover. New users also have access to a 7-day money back guarantee to test run the service in order to make sure that it is satisfactory enough.

Talking about security on the Internet, 12VPN ranks very well among the most secure VPN service on the market. In addition to its usefulness in unblocking websites seamlessly, data sent using 12VPN are also encrypted to prevent unauthorized tampering. The number of servers around the world which the service boasts of also makes it a good one. Just that it would have been better with a free trial included.

The Astrill VPN service has more than enough on offer for its users. The service goes beyond personal VPN service offering to include business VPN service. The service is simply meant for everyone with its offer of OpenWEB, OpenVPN and Layer2 VPN. Using the service, you should not have any problem accessing websites in such countries as China and the United Arab Emirates with ease. Astrill also have about 80 VPN servers spread across different countries and cities around the world to power its service.

Astrill is a company based in Australia, but with its VPN servers distributed all over the world. The VPN service has its OpenWEB VPN servers located in nine countries around the world. The countries where these servers are located include the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Australia, Ireland and Portugal. Of these countries, the United States boasts 10 servers located in Los Angeles, Seattle, Irvine, Chicago, Scranton, and Portland. The United Kingdom has three servers. Overall, Astrill has VPN servers in about 44 countries around the world. With all these servers to facilitate all your activities online, there is no need whatsoever to worry about the safety of your personal information when online because hackers will have a hard time trying to retrieve your private details.

The speed of the VPN service offered by Astrill is good enough and compares relatively as good as that which you can enjoy from some other providers in the VPN market. On the basis of a connection boasting upload and download of 15MBs, download speed recorded on Astrill was 2.27 Mbps while a speed of 1.49 Mbps was recorded for upload. In summary, there are some other players in the market that offers faster connection than the one from Astrill, but there are also providers who offer worse.

The fact that Astrill uses a plug and play application makes the set up of the service pure pleasure with no difficulty at all. You will only need to download the needed application and run it to start using the service. It should be noted, however, that all web browsers (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Google Chrome and so on) need to be exited before installing the Astrill application. The Astrill 2.2 Build 1820 application also has some additional interesting features such as Smart Mode and Browser Selection. The Smart Mode works in such a way to make your web surfing faster under different circumstances while the Browser Selection feature allows you to specify which web browser to use with Astrill, if you have more than one browser on your computer.

The pricing plans offered by Astrill are also divided into Personal VPN Plan and Business VPN Plan. The personal plan is presented on 3 months, 6 months, or 12 months basis; otherwise referred to as Package 3, Package 6, or Package 12 respectively. The business plans come in form of small, medium, or enterprise packages. For the personal plan, Package 3 goes for $24.95 (approximately $8.65 a month); Package 6 is $39.95 (works out to about $6.65 a month) and Package 12 is available for $69.95 (about $5.50 for one month). For the business plan, Small Plan attracts a payment of $1200 a year; Medium Plan goes for $5,000 a year and the Enterprise Plan goes for $20,000 a year.

Astrill accepts for payment Credit Card, AlertPay, CashU and Liberty Reserve. There is also a 7-day money back guarantee.

It is a fact that Astrill offers a great product, but the price is somewhat on the high side.

Boasting more than 50 servers’ locations in about 14 countries, PureVPN is one of the noticeable players in the market. It started its VPN service back in 2006 and its progress so far has proved impressive enough considering the number of countries in which its servers are now located. While also providing its service to users in Asia and the Middle East, PureVPN throws 128-bit encryption and Wi-Fi connections security into the fray.

Among the fourteen countries in which PureVPN servers are located you will find the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands and Luxemburg. In additional to those countries, servers are also located in France, Malaysia, Singapore, Sweden and Switzerland. New York, Washington, Miami, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Sayreville are some server locations in the United States. Multiple VPN technologies such as PPTP, L2TP/IPSec and SSTP protocols are supported by PureVPN. The connections are also made secure with 128-bit encryption and additional protection for wireless connections.

The speed to be expected on PureVPN is not any different from what you will experience with any service provider. What can only make it somehow slower is the need for data encryption. The service is however both efficient and reliable for anything that you may want to do online. Windows, Mac OS X and Linux (Ubuntu) operating systems are all supported; so also are Firefox, Internet Explorer, Opera, Google Chrome and Safari browsers. Smart mobile devices such as iPhone, iPad, Android and iPod Touch can also be used on the PureVPN service.

The set up of PureVPN follows a manual installation process, which is not exactly really hard to carry out. The installation is particularly easy when setting up on Microsoft Windows, especially so if you know how to set up different type of connections on the operating system. You only need to find your way to the Control Panel section, then find the feature for creating a new connection and input the connection details provided by PureVPN when you signed up.

PureVPN offers various types of pricing plans based on the different protocols supported. There are PPTP, L2TP/IPSec and SSTP technologies to choose from, each with its own different price and attached benefits. The pricing plans on offer include:

Standard Plan, which offers you 30GB allowance of data for the payment of $6 a month
Pure Platinum Plan – This attracts a payment of $10 per month
Pure Gold Plan – On this plan you can enjoy the privilege of 30GB and dedicated IP just for the payment of $15 a month
High Bandwidth Plan – This plan is best for those who require much more than the limited data allowance offered on the other plans, and it goes for the price of $18 per month.

There is also a 3-day trial account that goes for $2.50 for anyone who may be interested in having a test run of the service.

With PureVPN, you get to enjoy good connectivity always and you do not have to bother yourself about being restricted by the authority in your country or workplace. In short, you have unrestricted access to the Internet whenever and wherever you need it. The slight problems here are that PureVPN has limited number of servers to power its service. The VPN service, however, has a customer support to address whatever issues that users might come across while using it.

VPNSecure.me is an impressive service offering one of the cheapest pricing plans in the market if you only need a simple, high-speed proxy. Its service is also easy for users in terms of usage, and is available to users all over the world. VPNSecure.me has both PPTP and OpenVPN accounts on offer as most other top players in the market and it is compatible with Microsoft Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems.

The VPNSecure.me servers are located in six different countries around the world. The United States, England, Canada, France, Australia and Japan are the countries where some of the servers are located. As stated earlier, the protocols supported by VPNSecure.me are OpenVPN and PPTP. And in addition to the two protocols supported, simple proxy server is also on offer from the service. Speed wise, the service can compete well with some other providers in the market. The upload and download speeds that users can enjoy is determined by the location of the server being used.

In terms of operating systems compatibility, VPNSecure.me can be used on Windows (XP, Vista, and 7), Linux (Ubuntu) and Mac OS X. DD-WRT compatible routers are efficient for PPTP VPN account set up. Firefox, Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Opera and Safari browsers are all supported by VPNSecure.me. Furthermore, the service can be used on such mobile devices as the iPod Touch, iPhone, iPad, Android and BlackBerry devices.

Setting up the VPNSecure.me service requires the download and installation of software for that purpose for Windows users. All you need to start enjoying the OpenVPN service is to download and install the right package as well as certificate files, and you are on your way.

The pricing plans of VPNSecure.me are somewhat similar to those you will get elsewhere. Each of these plans comes with different benefits and speeds. Below are the main pricing plans on offer: – Proxy – $3.95 a month, PPTP – $7.95 a month and $39.95 a year, OpenVPN – $9.95 a month and $49.95 a year, OpenVPN and PPTP – $13.95 a month and $59.95 a year.

None of these packages logs your traffic and some also allow users to bypass all forms of interference from their Internet Service Providers (ISPs). The advisable, and best, thing to do will be to go for an OpenVPN and PPTP services combo. This is because of the fact that using the PPTP plan alone could give a nightmare of a service. But when PPTP is combined with OpenVPN, the fastest service, you are sure in for the best user experience. VPNSecure.me has a $2, two-day trial account and payment can be made via PayPal, MasterCard, Visa, American Express, 2CO, Discover and AlertPay.

Overall, setting up the service for use is not really hard thanks to the automated set up process. Data encryption is also available. The OpenVPN service comes with dedicated IP addresses. VPNSecure.me adds the proxy service for anyone whose only interest is just to bypass ISPs and to remain anonymous on the web. The number of countries in which VPNSecure.me has servers makes it a good service for accessing websites that users will ordinarily not be allowed access to on their home servers.

One thing with VPNSecure.me is that there is no free trial account on offer. Also, there are faster VPN services in the market just as there are slower one than those from VPNSecure.me; the service is just somewhere in the middle.

Secure Tunnel is another option for the protection of your identity whenever you are surfing the web. With this VPN service, there is no need to worry about your safety while browsing on the Internet. The service has a number of servers in the United States that are all made available to its users, and there is also protection for Wi-Fi hotspots.

What you get with Secure Tunnel in terms of speed is good enough for most things you do online. But, the speed of users’ connections may become somewhat slower when using the service. The time taken to download or share files online should not be much different from what is obtained on your average server, only that slightly more time may be needed to handle such tasks. Secure Tunnel provides you with a service that is both easy to configure and use while also giving you the best protection, mobile security and system safety. You get to enjoy data encryption for all your traffic on the Internet. Mac users are also provided with a version of this great service.

Secure Tunnel has three basic plans on offer from which users can make their choice of the most suitable. As expected, these plans come with different benefits in terms of speed and security.

1. Webtunnel SSH Plan – This allows for data encryption for all traffic just for $9.95 a month or $99.95, if you prefer the yearly option.
2. VPN Premium Plan – Extra security configuration is on offer with this plan that is available for $15.95 a month or $159.95 a year. Those users on Webtunnel SSH plan can also upgrade to this one.
3. The best of the pricing packages from Secure Tunnel is the Ultimate Suite, which goes for $17.95 a month or $179.95 a year. With this plan, you are assured of the best security on offer from the service.

Secure Tunnel also offers a 7-day trial period to allow users have hands-on feel of the service before committing to a plan. Essentially, you get to assess the service for a whole 7 days (a week) all for free. But to start enjoying the free trial, you may be required to provide your Visa, MasterCard, Discover or PayPal payment information to proceed. After supplying the required information, the next thing would be to install the needed software for access in order to test the available Secure Tunnel features before you decide on which of the available pricing plans to settle for.

And just in case you happen to run into any problem using its service, Secure Tunnel has a customer support on ground. Support is provided to users via e-mail or phone; users can also look out for the live chat option of reaching the customer support service.

So, when you are out looking for a means to hide your tracks online, you may want to give Secure Tunnel a trial. And not to forget, there is that Wi-Fi hotspots protection feature as well as the fact that data are encrypted to ensure that all unnecessary interference are properly dealt with; these make the service a nice one.

SwitchVPN is one great VPN service that offers its users unlimited access. For a first timer, a look at the whole range of features on offer from SwitchVPN will reveal that this is a handful of a service. With this great service that has PPTP, OpenVPN, and L2TP/IPSec connection capabilities, you can be sure to access with ease websites you will otherwise not have been able to use at all.

SwitchVPN servers are located in such countries as the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany and the Netherlands. The service supports many VPN technologies such as PPTP, L2TP/IPSec and OpenVPN thereby making it an appealing one to many people. And for those who are novice when it comes to issue of VPN, OpenVPN is the best bet for you if you are uncertain about which one of the multiple technologies would serve you well. Speed test conducted revealed a baseline of 43.33 Mbps with a download speed of up to 11.42 Mbps on the SwitchVPN server. The problem with download speed is that due to the need for data encryption, you may find that it may take a longer time to be able to download files. The software is such that downloading of files is best when there is no requirement for data encryption.

The service is compatible with an impressive number of operating systems, mobile devices and browsers. Windows (XP, Vista and 7), Mac OS X and Linux (Ubuntu) are among the compatible operating systems. In terms of supported browsers, Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, Google Chrome and Safari are all good to use. Mobile devices such as iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad and Android are all compatible for use on the SwitchVPN service.

To get going with SwitchVPN, all you need is compatible software for connection. You, as a user, will be required to stipulate the operating system on which you intend using the software for the appropriate package to be given. To connect to the OpenVPN server, it is also required to install Tunnelblick along with the installation files. A guide is provided to walk users through the process of installing whatever software that may then be required to use the SwitchVPN service.

SwitchVPN pricing plans, just like some other providers, are based on the server type as well as the location of the server. The standard plans are as follows:

Unlimited PPTP and L2TP VPN – $5.95 a month
Unlimited OpenVPN – $7.90 a month
SwitchVPN Combo for PPTP – $9.95 a month
SwitchVPN Combo for OpenVPN – $11.90 a month.

Payment can be made using any of PayPal, Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, 2CO, AlertPay and Liberty Reserve. There is also a 48-hour money back guarantee, but there is no free trial offer.

One good thing about SwitchVPN in comparison to some other players in the market is that it boasts of a responsive customer service to provide support to users at times when they may be having some difficulty; be it with installation or any other issues. There is a knowledge base that can always be consulted first to see if problems being experienced had already been tackled. There are also secured connections on offer, though, that may come at a price of slower access. And not to forget, there is that unlimited VPN access.

Witopia is a VPN service provider that has been providing personal VPN service since 2005. It has a relatively manageable selection of servers spread across a number of countries from which users can make their choice. Witopia also has plans such as OpenVPN plan as well as PPTP VPN plan.

When compared with some other VPN service providers in terms of server locations, Witopia’s server locations are not really that many as they are limited to just about 17 countries. Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Dulles, Newark, Seattle and San Francisco are the places where Witopia’s servers are situated in the United States. Hong Kong, London, China and Manchester are also places where servers are located outside the United States. In addition, there are servers in Czech Republic, Canada, Germany and Belgium to name a few more. The protocols supported by Witopia are SSL VPN (OpenVPN) and PPTP VPN with each attracting different prices when users subscribe to them.

In terms of speed, Witopia VPN service is as good as some top players in the market. Upload speed and download speed are as good as you can get elsewhere. Connection speed is rather slower in the United States because of the need to encrypt data before sending. On some servers overseas such as those in Hong Kong and London, upload speed and download speed are also slow on the service.

With Witopia, setting up the VPN service is absolute comfort as every little aspect of the set up is done online. This solves problems that could arise from having to do the set up and configuration all by yourself; something that can prove quite tasking for someone who is not all that tech-savvy. The set up process does not require users to download and install any software before continuing, and configuration is handled automatically.

There are different pricing plans to pick from when using Witopia. But, one thing that may be seen as not too fantastic is the fact that these plans are on yearly basis. Coupled with that, there is no free trial period, but there is a 30-day money back unconditional guarantee. Here are the available pricing plans:

• SSL (one year): $59.99
• PPTP VPN (one year): $39.99
• SSL/PPTP service (one year): $69.99
• CloakBox Router service (one year): $199

The installation procedure of Witopia gives it an edge over competition because of ease of use. The data encryption feature also makes it a top notch service as all traffic originating from all sources are guarded from unauthorized interference. Another really interesting thing about Witopia compared to some other players in the market is the instantaneous, real time switching between servers locations that already come loaded on the online installer. With this, you can always switch over to another server location when experiencing issues with one.

The downsides to the service are probably the limited server locations and lack of monthly service pricing plans. Also, the OpenVPN is not good for some online transactions such as banking and shopping because of absence of dedicated IP.