Ask any American or Brit of a certain age about being gifted an Axe body spray gift set – known as Lynx in the UK – at Christmas and you'll touch a nerve. It's a right of passage for many, and something that unites the population.
Lynx, Axe, and many other bath and shower gift sets are a staple Christmas gift, with relatives seemingly having something to say about the way we smell. But this year, let's ditch these gift sets and give the gift of online privacy – here's four reasons why it should be one of the best VPNs instead.
Online protection, anywhere you go
Above anything else, VPNs protect your online privacy. They route your internet traffic through an encrypted tunnel, keeping it away from prying eyes, third parties, and hackers, and can change your IP address, making it appear as though you're in a different location.
Wherever you go, you can take a VPN with you. The leading VPN providers offer dedicated apps for your laptop, phone, tablet, and even TVs and streaming devices such as Apple TV and Amazon Fire Stick.
There are apps for all your devices, and all these can be protected under one plan. Although it varies between providers, 8-10 devices per plan is most common, with some providers even offering unlimited device connections.
Going on holiday? The best travel VPNs will allow you to appear as though you're still at home, enabling you to access content in the same way you would when sat on the sofa. VPN providers offer thousands of servers in multiple locations and countries around the world, so wherever you are or want to be, there'll likely be a server for you.
Never used a VPN before? Don't panic, they're very easy to use and this beginner's guide to VPNs is a great place to start. We recommend ExpressVPN as the best VPN for beginners, thanks to its simple interface, quick set up, and excellent privacy.
Speedy, safe, streaming
Planning on streaming your favourite Christmas films this holiday season? Or have you been gifted a streaming service subscription? If the answer is yes or you just love streaming, then a VPN is the perfect partner.
The best streaming VPNs ensure your device remains protected when you're watching your favourite shows, and are ideal for unblocking content. If your favourite show isn't available in your country, then you can simply connect to a VPN server in a country where it is available, and watch away.
If you enjoy streaming in hotels, whilst travelling, or anywhere that uses free and/or public Wi-Fi, then a VPN is a must-have. As mentioned above, they encrypt your data and hide your traffic, so if a hacker has set up a fake or malicious Wi-Fi hotspot then your data won't be stolen.
Are you worried your speed may be compromised? Don't be! Many of the fastest VPNs are also great for streaming, and unless your home Wi-Fi is super-fast, you won't notice any difference. Surfshark is the fastest provider we've tested, reaching speeds of over 950 Mbps.
Defend against scams and viruses
Almost all of us will have seen or received a scam text, email, or call at some point, and I'm sure a few of us will have unfortunately fallen victim to one. The best antivirus software has traditionally been the first line of defence against scams and viruses, however many VPNs now include a form of threat protection – and it's pretty good.
NordVPN's Threat Protection Pro has been rated the best VPN malware protection by independent researchers AV-TEST. The feature identified 83% of malicious links thrown at it, as well as avoiding false positives.
This threat protection, alongside knowing how to avoid holiday season scams, will stand you in good stead going forward. Despite this protection, no one, or tool, is 100% foolproof and you may still find yourself falling victim to a scam.
If you do, NordVPN also offers identity protection with its premium plan. Known as NordProtect, the feature offers victims of identity fraud up to $1 million for expenses incurred during identity recovery and a restoration case manager. As well as this, up to $100,000 of cyber extortion protection is available, as is 24/7 dark web monitoring.
ExpressVPN does offer a similar form of protection, for new customers only at this stage, in the form of its Identity Defender. This is included in ExpressVPN's plans at no extra cost, whereas for now, NordProtect is only available with NordVPN's most expensive plan – NordVPN Prime. It should also be noted that, at the time of writing, both products are only available to customers in the US.
They're good value
Not everyone has a lot of money to spend during the holiday season, and VPNs don't have to be expensive. If you can't spend any money at all, then one of the best free VPNs is worth exploring. These will protect you online but don't offer as many features, or cover as many devices, as their paid counterparts.
Surfshark, working out at $1.99 per month, tops our best cheap VPNs list for its combination of price and performance, but it isn't the only cheap VPN on the market.
PrivadoVPN is a very solid cheap VPN choice, coming in at $1.11 per month. It's pretty quick and boasts decent unblocking capabilities, as well as offering top-tier privacy. There's a free version, PrivadoVPN Free, which tops our list of the top free providers.
Private Internet Access (PIA) and IPVanish are two VPN veterans, and rank 5th and 8th respectively in our best VPN list. Plans from both providers start at just $2.19 per month.
Prices for NordVPN and Proton VPN, two of the best VPNs, start at less than $3 per month, while ExpressVPN, our third best provider, is less than $5 per month.
Security not spray
If you really care about your relatives this holiday season, then put down the body spray and grab a VPN. They're a vital tool for protecting your privacy online, can be used almost anywhere, are fairly cheap, and will be far more useful than an Axe body spray.
Disclaimer
We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
