Ask HN: Which VPN?

#1

Post by blohs » Thu, May 17, 2018, 3:00 PM UTC

Which VPN do you recommend?

Re: Ask HN: Which VPN?

#2

Post by oedmarap » Thu, May 17, 2018, 3:20 PM UTC

I use a self-hosted OpenVPN install on a Digital Ocean droplet to simply encrypt traffic (UDP/443) from my ISP. One plus is that I have a clean US IP address that isn't blocked by most services. This is just for security and geolocation, not anonymity.

For anonymity I use Private Internet Access as they have a fast network, lots of locations, and no logs. They're also very affordable.

I also use IPredator sometimes since they're the same folks that run Njalla and I simply like to support them.

Re: Ask HN: Which VPN?

#3

Post by legitster » Thu, May 17, 2018, 3:24 PM UTC

Any VPN is better than no VPN. But I use Private Internet Access. The interface has gotten really slick in the last year - very nice to use. You can pay using random anonymous gift cards (essentially cash). And they are the only VPN that has been tested in the court of law (they were ordered to turn over all the records they had on a customer, and they did - nothing).

Re: Ask HN: Which VPN?

#4

Post by kup0 » Thu, May 17, 2018, 4:26 PM UTC

I haven't used it extensively, but so far MullvadVPN has worked well for me and they are one of thatoneprivacysite's top recommendations

Re: Ask HN: Which VPN?

#5

Post by blacksmith_tb » Thu, May 17, 2018, 5:38 PM UTC

I have a Streisand[1] server running at DO, it's been good. People also like Algo[2] but I haven't tried it.

1: https://github.com/StreisandEffect/streisand

2: https://github.com/trailofbits/algo

Re: Ask HN: Which VPN?

#6

Post by m-p-3 » Thu, May 17, 2018, 5:45 PM UTC

Depends what is more important to you.

If it's for anonimity I've been told PIA is a good option.

If it's to bypass georestriction and protect your traffic from being snooped by your ISP or any clients that could attempt to sniff your traffic, hosting your own on a VPS is a good option. OpenVPN, OCserv or Outline (based on shadowsocks) are some options.

Links

-----

https://openvpn.net/index.php/download/community-downloads.h...

https://ocserv.gitlab.io/www/features.html

https://openvpn.net/index.php/download/community-downloads.h...

https://getoutline.org/

https://www.shadowsocks.org/en/index.html

Re: Ask HN: Which VPN?

#7

Post by blacksmith_tb » Thu, May 17, 2018, 6:08 PM UTC

legitster wrote: post #3

Any VPN is better than no VPN. But I use Private Internet Access. The interface has gotten really slick in the last year - very nice to use. You can pay using random anonymous gift cards (essentially cash). And they are the only VPN that has been tested in the court of law (they were ordered to turn over all the records they had on a customer, and they did - nothing).

PIA also donates to FOSS projects/organizations[1] and has open-sourced some of their own projects[2]

1: https://sfconservancy.org/news/2016/mar/02/PIA-LCA-matched/

2: https://pia-foss.github.io/

Re: Ask HN: Which VPN?

#8

Post by prrrush » Thu, May 17, 2018, 6:13 PM UTC

I'm quite happy with Private Internet Access

Re: Ask HN: Which VPN?

#9

Post by michaelcampbell » Thu, May 17, 2018, 6:14 PM UTC

Vague question can only lead to a vague answer, but I've been happy with AirVPN.org for my particular use case and needs.

Re: Ask HN: Which VPN?

#10

Post by craftyguy » Thu, May 17, 2018, 6:15 PM UTC

This is a great resource for comparing VPN options, with a focus on privacy and security: https://thatoneprivacysite.net/vpn-section/

Be wary of folks recommending individual services... the VPN market has been hot in the last few years, and most recommendations should be treated with a fair bit of skepticism.