Everyone is telling me to get a VPN – should I?

We’re in the midst of Black Friday, and if you’ve been told you should get a VPN, there are some very tempting bargains on offer that could take your fancy.

Some of the best VPNs have been discounted thanks to Black Friday VPN deals, and they are a great way to protect yourself online. However, do you actually need one, and what can they be used for?

Are VPNs for everyone?

Although we strongly recommend them, VPNs aren’t necessarily for everyone. They provide you with online privacy – keeping your information hidden from prying eyes when you’re browsing online, and changing your IP address.

If it’s anonymity you’re looking for, then VPNs don’t grant that. Staying truly anonymous is far harder than protecting your privacy, and you may be better starting off by using something such as Tor. The Tor Browser allows you to access the encrypted Onion Network, which makes it more difficult to trace your internet activity, and enables anonymous communication. For the best protection, you should use Tor alongside a VPN.

On the flip side, if you don’t care about any kind of online privacy (although you should), then you probably won’t need a VPN. The same goes for if you have no electronic devices in your life at all – a mean feat in 2024.

If you’ve made it this far, then you’re probably considering a VPN. So let’s run through some scenarios they’re perfect for.

Unblocking streaming sites

Streaming is one of the main reasons people get a VPN, and if you love your Netflix then listen up. Using a VPN opens up a whole new world of streaming content by allowing you to access libraries from around the globe. One of the best streaming VPNs is the perfect companion for this, and they can unblock all your favourite services, including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, and BBC iPlayer.

Unsurprisingly, these providers also feature heavily in our fastest VPN list, as there’s nothing worse than a slow VPN when you’re settling down to watch your favourite shows.

Staying safe on public Wi-FI

Many of us enjoy working or browsing the internet from local coffee shops, co-working spaces, and public transport, with free public Wi-Fi a feature in all of them. If this sounds like you, then a VPN may come in handy.

The vast majority of public Wi-Fi is safe, but there’s a small chance you might inadvertently connect to a Wi-Fi hotspot set up by a hacker. These fake hotspots can be used to steal your information, including card details and login credentials. By using a VPN, your data is encrypted, which makes it impossible to identify – even if collected by a hacker.

Scams. phishing, and antivirus

As we spend more and more time online, protecting yourself from scams and phishing is more important than ever. You should be alert at all times, but especially around holiday seasons such as Black Friday or Christmas with things such as fake shops. Scammers prey on Black Friday buyers, so it is vital to ensure you’re protected.

You should adopt best practices such as only clicking on links, or entering your details, into sites you know are 100% safe. Looking out for red flags like typos and skewed reviews is also highly recommended.

But alongside these habits, you can protect yourself with some of the best antivirus software, and some VPNs include protection features. Our top-rated VPN, NordVPN, includes Threat Protection Pro in all but its basic plan. Threat Protection Pro blocks phishing attacks, ads, and malware, protecting you from malicious websites and cybercriminals. The feature has recently been rated as the best VPN malware protection by AV-TEST, detecting over 83% of malicious websites.

Some other VPN providers include similar protection features. Proton VPN, one of the most secure VPNs, offers NetShield, and ExpressVPN, the best beginner VPN, has Threat Manager. However, both these features don’t perform as well as Threat Protection Pro. In the same testing by AV-TEST, Proton VPN scored 4.43%, and ExpressVPN scored 2.77%.

If you do find yourself the victim of cybercrime, both NordVPN and ExpressVPN boast an identity protection feature. Nord has NordProtect, which offers up to $1 million for expenses incurred in restoring your identity, cyber extortion protection of up to $100,000, as well as 24/7 dark web personal information monitoring.

ExpressVPN’s Identity Defender is made up of similar levels of protection. It also provides ID Theft Insurance of up to $1 million, and a personal information monitoring tool known as ID Alerts. As well as this, it includes Data Removal, which requests the removal of any personal data held by data brokers.

Reducing your digital footprint

Have you ever been talking about something, or searched for it online, and suddenly you’re bombarded with ads for it? This will be the result of cookies and trackers. I’m sure you’ll be familiar with cookies – almost every website you visit will be asking if you accept them – and you should be clicking “no!” They are just one part of an ecosystem of trackers and data that forms your digital footprint and paints a very detailed picture of your online habits.

A VPN is a life saver in this scenario, thanks to it keeping your browsing private and protecting your information. You should combine a VPN with using an incognito browser, and always reject third-party and non-essential cookies. Some sites require certain cookies to actually work, so it may not be possible to totally reject them. Many VPNs include ad blockers in their plans, and alongside the best ad blockers, these will improve your online experience and reduce your digital footprint.

Living under strict censorship

Protecting people’s rights and freedoms is essential, and VPNs are a vital part of the defence against online censorship and internet bans.

Mozambique, Turkey, Mauritius, and Kenya, have all experienced internet and social media shutdowns in recent weeks and months, and the Proton VPN Observatory has recorded significant spikes in VPN sign ups.

Pakistan experienced a VPN shutdown at the start of November, and the government has since continued this with moves to restrict VPN usage. The country has also been on the receiving end of significant social media bans, with X and Bluesky blocked outright, and WhatsApp going down.

In countries where governments are restricting rights and freedoms, VPNs are the best way to access blocked content. The best China VPNs, and the best Russia VPNs, are key to accessing foreign news, social media, and fighting censorship.

Holidays

We all love going on holiday, but you might find yourself missing your home comforts when you’re abroad. Using one of the best travel VPNs will allow you to browse the internet as if you were sat on the sofa at home.

You can access country-specific streaming sites such as BBC iPlayer, meaning you never have to miss your favourite shows. Privacy is also often a concern, especially when abroad, and a VPN will keep you safe and reassure you when connecting to potentially insecure and unknown public Wi-Fi in foreign countries.

Torrenting

If you’re looking to torrent and share P2P, you’ll need one of the best torrenting VPNs. Peer-to-peer networks (P2P) allow two or more devices to connect and share resources, without the need for a separate server. Torrenting isn’t against the law, as all it involves is the sharing of information via small packets. Torrenting only becomes illegal when you’re sharing content owned by someone else – which we do not condone or encourage.

Most VPNs support P2P and torrenting, but Private Internet Access (PIA) is our pick, thanks to its stellar P2P support. PIA is also one of the best VPNs because of its excellent streaming power, over 20,000 servers, endless customisation options, and great value.

So should you get a VPN?

If any of what I’ve said here applies to you, then yes, you should consider getting a VPN this Black Friday. They’re a vital tool in keeping your browsing private, protecting yourself from trackers and malware, and great for accessing blocked streaming content. Whatever you need one for, there’ll be a VPN for you.