20 BEST VPN you can trust in 2021 – We have tested for you the best legit VPNs. See the results further down.

What is a VPN?

A VPN (Virtual Private Network) is an app to connect your mobile or computer with a private server to access the internet. VPNs encrypt your traffic and your original IP address stays hidden. This gives you privacy from governments and other ‘ snooping eyes, it protects from hackers and use of public wifi networks.

Why do you need a VPN?

The reasons why every smartphone and computer owner needs a VPN are:

1. Privacy from Governments, Internet Service Providers and other 3rd parties.
2. Security from Hackers and malicious attacks, as well as secure the use of unsecured networks such as public Wifi Hotspots to avoid the theft of your passwords, banking information, and credit card details.
3. Unlock content by accesing virtual geo locations thorugh your VPN. This helpful if an internet provider, company, country or government blocks certain sites at your location. E.g. you can also access more movies from Netflix USA from other countries.
4. Social Media Platforms often flag access from certain countries as suspicious and might block your account.
5. Internet marketers can access Google virtually in different countres where they want to do research.

A good VPN allows you to connect encypted and secured to the internet or apps by selecting one of their numerous server locations based in various countries you want to pretend that your device is located.

It gives you the option to spoof your IP address to a secure server, allowing you to stay anonymous online by tricking your mobile or laptop device into thinking it’s in another location. or even in a different country.

The function prevents internet service providers, governments, hackers from seeing what is going on and keep your privacy and your devices secured with a VPN.

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Here are our VPN Test Winners:

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Official Reviews is a professional Wiki and News Site offering tutorials and articles about useful products and good services that we are the opinion they could be useful to our readers. We may receive compensation from companies for featuring their services and products. This allows us to create helpful content and effective strategies for our readership for free. Thank you for supporting us!

Why one of the 20 Best VPN is a Must-Have?

A Virtual Private Network is a useful tool for everyone surfing the web on the ground that protects us from exposing our private information to a third party. In fact, everyone who has a smartphone, tablet or computer should have a VPN to protect the privacy, secure your device from hackers and spying eyes.

We might have been involved in reading online news or checking emails while at a coffee shop, or checking a bank account while at the restaurant. Unless we are using a private Wi-Fi network that requires a password, any information or data exposed during these online activities could be vulnerable to hackers using the same network. 

Using one of the best 20 VPN is the ideal solution that keeps your data secure online. It does that by creating a data tunnel between your local network and an exit node in a different location. This location could be several miles away, making it look as if you are in a different location.

It also gives you the chance to access applications and websites that have been blocked is in some countries. For instance, if you are visiting countries like China or Iran where some social media platforms are blocked, you can easily use your VPN to access such platforms by changing your location.

In many Islamic countries such as the United Emirates, not only adult content is restricted or completely blocked but also Voice and Video call through Whatsapp. VPNs are there the solution.

VPN for Social Media Influencers and Travellers

Most travelers have experienced issues accessing certain websites abroad. Many countries are blocked to access from certain countries. I always have issues accessing the O2 UK website from the Far East and Asia. This is very annoying as I cannot use Chat to add some travel packages if I have forgotten to add them before.

Also, if you are on vacation in the UK and want to access your US Netflix content, your VPN makes that possible.

Social Media Influencers traveling in certain countries are getting often blocked on their social media accounts. With a VPN accessing from your home country can bring an easy solution.

These and other benefits of VPN make it a must-have for everyone.

Though there are several VPN services available for download, it can be difficult to find a secure VPN service. Thus, I have compiled the best 20 VPN services to choose from.

20 Best VPN Services

1. PureVPN

PureVPN protects your data, identity, and network with its effective military-grade encryption. It replaces your original IP with another IP, allowing you to freely use the internet without the fear of attack. It offers a 21-day money-back and supports Bitcoin payments. The service has 450 servers in 101 countries that allow users to surf the internet. Get PureVPN 70% off for 2 years plan for US$ 3.33 per month.

2. ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN has been in existence since 2009, with a substantial network of fast 3000+ VPN servers in 160 server locations that cover up to 94 countries. The company stated that its network is powered by Trusted Server technology built by ExpressVPN to ensure that there never any logs of users’ activities. It also offers useful kill switch features that prevent data from leaking outside its VPN tunnel whenever there is a VPN connection failure. Get ExpressVPN with additional 3 months FREE.

3. NordVPN

NordVPN is one of the most recognized VPN software in the market. It has over 550 servers in over 50 countries. It supports the simultaneous connection of up to six devices. NordVPN also offers a dedicated IP address, the ability to pay in bitcoin, a multi-year plan, and strong DNS leak protection. Their servers help users to encrypt both outgoing and incoming data, sending all traffic through Tor. NordVPN features proxy extensions for Chrome and Firefox. Get NordVPN from US$ 3.71.

4. IPVanish

IPVanish works on many devices, including Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android. The desktop version offers various features that help protect your data online. IPVanish offers advanced functionalities for online security. It has servers in 60 countries, including the US, UK, and Egypt. It runs on any computer and mobile device. Optional there is a plan with cloud storage included. Get IPVanish starting from US$ 3.75 per month.

5. TorGuard

TorGuard has servers in over 50 countries and allows users to unblock websites. It allows users to also make simultaneous connections. This allows users to run the service on all devices. It has a kill switch that protects its uses in the event of connection breakage. This is the fastest VPN and best Pro and Business Packages. TorGuard is a robust and effective VPN service. It encrypts user data to keep them away from third parties. The service supports different devices, including Apple TV, iPhone, PCs, iPad, Wii, PS3, XBOX360, among others. Buy TorGuard VPN starting from US$ 4.99 per month.

6. ProtonVPN

The Swiss company was originally designed for security for journalists and activists who were in need of military-grade privacy protection, unlike other VPNs. It is known as one of the industry leaders in this regard. It is the perfect solution for people who need the extra layer of anonymity. Optional high speed plus package with 10 Gbps. Get ProtonVPN starting from zero for 1 Device or higher packages starting from EUR 4.

7. VyprVPN 

Vypr is another Switzerland-based VPN service. It offers unlimited data usage and over 200,000 IPs. It does not restrict connections by IP and supports different operating systems, including Mac, Windows, Linux, Android, and iOS. Get VyprVPN starting from US$ 2.50 per month.

8. HideIPVPN

HideIPVPN is notable for its speed, native client, and ease of use. It offers two different types of services, including a VPN and a Smart DNS service. It can unblock some sites with its Smart DNS. The service supports a variety of protocols, including OpenVPN, PPTP, SSTP, SoftEther, and L2TP/IPSec. It can run on Mac, Windows, Linux, Android, and iOS. Unlimited traffic on servers with bandwidth up to 1 Gbps routed through 23 Premium VPN Servers and smart DNS and Proxy solution. Get HideIPVPN starting from US$ 4.99 per month.

9. StrongVPN

StrongVPN is notable for its excellent infrastructure and affordable price. It is appreciated for its large base of IP addresses, which help protect your anonymity. It also dedicated IP address feature. However, we recommend VyprVPN starting from US$ 2.50 per month instead.

11. CyberGhost VPN

CyberGhost has been in existence since 2011. It has solid support for Linux, Kodi media player and also supports VPN via routers. It offers connection kill switch features, with P2P and BitTorrent support in most countries. However, we recommend TorGuard VPN or PureVPN 70% off for 2 years plan for US$ 3.33 per month instead.

12. Private Internet Access

Private Internet Access has more than 3,000 servers around the world and it supports Ubuntu Linux, iOS, Windows, and Mac. It can block commercial ads for Macs, PCs, and Linux computers through Mace ad-blocking program. Private Internet Access offers fast and reliable connections to servers worldwide. It lets you stay secure with several devices simultaneously. However, we recommend TorGuard VPN or PureVPN 70% off for 2 years plan for US$ 3.33 per month instead.

13. Hotspot Shield

Hotspot Shield offers an effective money-back service. It runs on Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android along with plugins for Firefox and Chrome. Hotspot Shield supports media players and routers. It does not support BitTorrent or P2P. However, we recommend TorGuard VPN or PureVPN 70% off for 2 years plan for US$ 3.33 per month instead.

14. HideMyAss

HideMyAss is a popular VPN service in the market. It uses different servers that work on different operating devices or mobile devices. Its internet speed is fast and reliable, reduced by only 2%. It requires some configuration settings before surfing the internet. You can easily change your IP addresses randomly making it hard for anyone to track your online activity. However, we recommend TorGuard VPN or PureVPN 70% off for 2 years plan for US$ 3.33 per month instead.

15. Goose VPN

Goose VPN supports an unlimited number of simultaneous connections. It also supports Android, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, and routers. It has good customer support with 24/7 ticket-based support. However, we recommend TorGuard VPN or PureVPN 70% off for 2 years plan for US$ 3.33 per month instead.

16. KeepSolid VPN Unlimited

KeepSolid VPN Unlimited offers an effective VPN service at an affordable price. The VPN app for Windows offers over 400 VPN servers from more than 70 locations. It supports major platforms, including Windows, Mac, iOS, Linux, and Android. KeepSolid VPN Unlimited offers seven days free trial and a monthly plan of $9.99. Buy TorGuard instead for US$ 59.99 (US$ 4.99) instead.

17. SaferVPN

SaferVPN is very effective in hiding users’ IP addresses. It also gives users access to blocked websites and allows for easy information sharing. With its no-log policy, SaferVPN offers absolute online anonymity. With SaferVPN, servers are well optimized to allow faster and streaming speed. The VPN allows multiple user accounts at both business and personal levels. Try ExpressVPN and get 3 months FREE instead.

18. Surfshark

Surfshark is highly notable for its unlimited device support. This means that you can connect as many devices as you want. It also offers ad-blocking, tracker blocking, and antimalware features. It has a range of app supports including Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, and FireTV. Try ExpressVPN and get 3 months FREE instead.

19. Netscout

Netscout is known for protecting the availability and performance of critical infrastructure from DDoS attacks. It is suitable for enterprises and comes with a rather hefty price tag for its VPN and firewalls. However, small and medium-sized companies could go with a dedicated VPN, such as TorGuard starting from US$ 4.99, and a good CDN instead.

10. TunnelBear

TunnelBear is user-friendly and supports both mobile and desktop users. It is easy to use as it is accompanied by an automatic connection option. TunnelBear supports Mac, iOS, Windows, and Android devices. It also supports plugins for browsers like Opera and Chrome. TunnelBear protects your personal information from third parties on public WiFi and ISPs. However, public reviews are less than average. Try TorGuard or ExpressVPN instead.

20. Buffered VPN

Buffered VPN is relatively slow but a bigger no-no is the logs they keep. You exchange one evil with maybe a lesser one. Try NordVPN starting from US$ 4.92 instead.

Final Thought

While the merits of constant internet access are not deniable, it creates a number of dangers that are often taken lightly by some people. Cybercrime is a real threat to everyone’s privacy. While using the internet, it is good to stay proactive and alert for any possible intruder. An effective way to do that is by using one of the 20 Best VPNs, it protects your data and maintains your privacy.

From the Best 20 VPNs we have selected the best in the different classes that we can highly recommend:

BEST VPN – AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE

Official Reviews is a professional Wiki and News Site offering tutorials and articles about useful products and good services that we are the opinion they could be useful to our readers. We may receive compensation from companies for featuring their services and products. This allows us to create helpful content and effective strategies for our readership for free. Thank you for supporting us and checking the BEST VPN!

What is the best Web Hosting in 2021? It all depends on your needs. Therefore, let’s dive deeper into the web hosting subject.

We have evaluated the very best web hosting services with all possible metrics and factors.

• Click here > LIQUID WEB Best Managed Cloud Hosting Services
• Click here > SiteGround One of the Industry Leaders
• Click here > Nexcess Affordable Cloud Hosting
• Click here > Bluehost FREE Domain and FREE OFFICE 365
• Click here > A2 Hosting 72% OFF from $2.99
• Click here > Hostwind Best Business Web Hosting

DISCLAIMER: OfficialReviews.org is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission and you don’t pay more. In contrary, sometimes you get even better deals! Learn more

Let’s make an easily understandable comparison between the different Web Hosting types:

• Shared Hosting: Like Shared Living of several different tenants in one single apartment
• VPS: One tenant in one apartment of a big building. You share certain public infrastructure with your neighbors from the same building.
• Dedicated Server: One tenant in a detached house.
• Cloud: One tenant has access to several rooms or apartments in buildings all over the world.

Furthermore, there is a distinction between managed and self-managed hosting.

Managed Hosting:

A Web Hosting company runs the complete operation of hardware and software including operating systems, setups, and usually offers support. All 4 above types are offered as managed hosting services. They usually include

Self-Managed Hosting:

The Web Hosting company offers you the hardware and you are usually responsible to install the operating systems, setup all other software and tools. There is usually no or very limited support. This is definitively not for beginners and as well not for more advanced users who want to have a smooth user experience. You need proficient technical knowledge about server architecture, server installation, OS, database, server and data protection, backup, and updates. Self-managed hosting is offered for VPS, Dedicated Servers, and Cloud.

Advantages and Disadvantages of each type of Web Hosting: 

VPS – Virtual Private Server:

Advantages:	Disadvantages:
+ Bundle with different Features	– Limited Scalability
+ Packages with different Resources	– Higher Costs than Shared Hosting

 

Dedicated Server:

Advantages:	Disadvantages:
+ Several Level of Servers	– High Costs
+ Various optional Features and Resources
+ Up to a certain Degree partly Scalable

 

Cloud Hosting:

Advantages:	Disadvantages:
+ Scalability	– More expensive than traditional VPS
+ Run by big Tech companies	– Needs specialized Engineers, unless managed **
+ Cloud Computing features *
+ Lower costs than a dedicated server

* such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Big Data, Voice Recognition, Text to Speech, Translation, Load Balancing distributed across Regions and Zones. Even multi-cloud architecture solutions are possible for redundancy reasons as well as not being tied down to one cloud provider.

** but managed solutions are on the market available that are suitable for tech-interested novice, too.

DISCLAIMER: OfficialReviews.org is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission and you don’t pay more. In contrary, sometimes you get even better deals! Learn more

 

How to choose the best Web Hosting Service?

First of all, be aware of what reason you need web hosting for, the capacity, and your budget. Ask yourself the following questions:

1. What kind of Website do I want?
   • Do I design the Website myself?
   • Blog > WordPress
   • Company Website > WordPress
   • Ecommerce > WordPress with WooCommerce, Magento (you probably need a developer), Laravel (you probably need a developer)
2. How much traffic do I expect at best?
   • Just a few hundred per month > Entrance Level Shared Hosting
   • Thousand plus a month > Advanced Shared Hosting
   • 10k plus a month > Entrance Level VPS
   • Several Websites > Powerful Shared Hosting or VPS
   • Extreme traffic with several Websites > Powerful VPS
   • Very fast and scalable > Cloud
3. What Budget do I have?
   • Less than USD 5 per month > Entrance Level Shared Hosting
   • Less than USD 10 per month > Medium Level Shared Hosting
   • Less than USD 20 per month > Powerful Shared Hosting or entrance level VPS
   • Less than USD 50 per month > VPS
   • More than USD 100 per month > Top-level VPS, Dedicated Server, or Cloud

The Best Web Hosting Services in 2021

The Best Web Hosting Services in 2021 should have 99.99 % uptime of their servers. If their servers are not up and running, your website will be down and you lose potential business. In addition, web hosting should be fast. Some premium features that the best web hostings have:

• Free Auto SSL
• cPanel
• The more RAM Memory, the better
• The more CPU Cores, the better
• Unlimited SSD or even NVMe Harddisks Space
• Unmetered or Unlimited Traffic
• Cloudlinux
• Litespeed Webserver or at least NGINX Load Balancer
• Litespeed Cache or at least Memcached, Varnish, Nginx, or Redis
• CDN
• Backup
• Data Center Location Selection
• SSH Access
• 1-click WordPress Installation
• Multiple PHP Versions
• Fast 24/7 Support

Our Best Web Hosting Recommendations:

These are the Best Hosting Services we have evaluated in 2021:

• Click here > LIQUID WEB Best Managed Cloud Hosting Services
• Click here > SiteGround One of the Industry Leaders
• Click here > Nexcess Affordable Cloud Hosting
• Click here > Bluehost FREE Domain and FREE OFFICE 365
• Click here > A2 Hosting 72% OFF from $2.99
• Click here > Hostwind Best Business Web Hosting

AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE

Official Reviews is a professional Wiki and News Site offering tutorials and articles about useful products and good services that we are the opinion they could be useful to our readers. We may receive compensation from companies for featuring their services and products. This allows us to create helpful content and effective strategies for our readership for free. Thank you for supporting us!

 

IS INSTAGRAM REELS JUST ANOTHER TikTok?

Instagram Reels just another TikTok? / Haven’t you heard that the best time to launch an offense is when your opponent is weak and unstable? If you haven’t, you heard it here first. Facebook clearly understands this philosophy as it recently launched Instagram Reels which looks a lot like Tik Tok.

But, let’s start at the beginning.

Tik Tok is facing uncertain times in the U. S at the moment as it is likely to be banned from the country having been reviewed as a potential threat to national security. President Donald Trump has threatened to ban Tik Tok from the U.S if its owners do not sell to a U.S owned company. Microsoft is looking to acquire Tik Tok’s presence and audience in the U.S.

WHAT IS INSTAGRAM REELS?

In the face of all these, Facebook has released Instagram Reels, a new feature to their already widely used product- Instagram. Reels was launched on the 5^th of August 2020 in more than 50 countries across the globe and it creates a direct competition to Tik Tok. Before its official launch, Reels was tested in Brazil, Germany, France, and India (where Tik Tok has already been banned).

Reels is housed within the camera on Instagram and has a separate tab in your Instagram profile. This new feature allows users to record and edit short 15-minute videos with music, add effects, texts, upload video clips, etc.

These videos can be shared on personal Instagram feeds with followers or with everyone on a newly created space on the Explore page if the user has a public account. These short creative videos are called Reels and they offer Instagram users a chance to become creators and reach a large audience.

HOW TO USE INSTAGRAM REELS

When you open the camera on your updated Instagram, you will notice significant changes in the space. The new feature exists alongside Story and Live at the bottom of the camera. Each of these three has its sub-categories. If you tap on Reels, it will give you five options- audio, speed, effects, timer, and align.

• IG allows users to select with Audio a song from the Instagram music library. In addition, you can also use your original audio which Instagram will attribute to you if others want to use it;
• Speed controls the tempo of your videos, that is, how fast or slow it records;
• Effects provide you with tons of filters for your videos, you can utilize effects from Instagram and other creators worldwide;
• With the timer, you can select the duration you want the video to record for (videos can be a minimum of 3 seconds and a maximum of 15 seconds);
• Align provides a smooth way for you to make transitions on your videos. You can easily make outfit changes, add others to the video without a hitch.

Users can record Reels one at a time in a series of clips. Furthermore, you can also import videos from your phone gallery. You can save a draft of your reel, add captions, and hashtags, tag friends (you know, just the usual Instagram stuff). You can share your reel to your feed, story, or through direct message. If you share your reel on your feed on a public account, Instagram can choose it to feature your share on Explore for all to see, whether they are following you or not.

EXPLORE features only the best reels. If Instagram features your reel, the app will send you a notification to this effect.

THE CONTROVERSY OF REELS AND TikTok

Now, here’s the issue, Reels reminds everyone of Tik Tok.

Although Instagram has repeatedly denied allegations that Reels is a clone of the Chinese app, the similarities are unmistakable. The Verge records Instagram product director Robert Stein saying “…no two products are exactly alike, and ours are not either.”

But how true is this? Let’s take a look at some of the similar features of Reels and Tik Tok.

 

The basic purpose of Reels which is to let users shoot short, creative, and fun videos, add filters and music, create trends or challenges is exactly what Tik Tok does at the moment. Recently, Tik Tok has been the starting place for an increasing number of global trends and challenges.

Although the time frame of videos created on both platforms differ, as Tik Tok allows videos of up to a minute, while Reels can only be 15 seconds long, creating a video on Reels is the same as creating one on Tik Tok, with timed effects, music, editing tools, etc. So, if you’ve been using Tik Tok, navigating Reels should be a walk in the park for you.

INSTAGRAM’S EXPLORE VS TIKTOK FOR YOU

And, that’s not all. With Reels, Instagram can leave users glued to the “EXPLORE” page for hours on end by showing them Reels that they might like. This is what Tik Tok’s “FOR YOU” page is for, and it was a huge success, the app causing users to become addicted.

It is not surprising that Facebook would introduce Reels as a major competitor of Tik Tok. Particularly, considering that Zuckerberg unsuccessfully tried to buy the app from ByteDance in 2016.

At the launch of Instagram Stories, many accused Facebook of plagiarizing Snapchat in 2016.  Many are saying that this is becoming a usual practice for Facebook.

Facebook should not have difficulties to pull this successfully off. Especially, considering the fact that they do not have to harness lots of new users. Instagram has a ready-made user-base of over 854 million in 2020. These already existing users of Instagram will set the feature rolling, giving it a lot of traffic.

With the apt timing of this launch, Reels could be an excellent alternative. Especially, if Tik Tok’s presence in the U.S and some other countries go south. What better way for Facebook to maintain dominance in the social media space?

CONCLUSION ABOUT IF INSTAGRAM REELS IS A COPYCAT OF TIKTOK

Instagram’s new feature has got many of its users excited. Although Instagram might have difficulties converting many of TikTok’s loyal users, who started with the app when it was Musical.ly. However, Instagram has a great advantage in countries where governments have or might ban TikTok.

Facebook asserts that it is providing users of Instagram something new and fresh to create and share. Regardless, many critics accuse FB of copying the idea of another app. Influencers will no doubt try to get more popularity from this new feature, which is what Facebook hopes.

Nevertheless, let’s see how the rest of the story unfolds in the following weeks. We will update this article and keep you posted!