VPN - Your experience - Your choice

Rotron

I am currently using Mullvad since it became a PCMAG Editor's Choice last 2020. I like Mullvad because I pay only 5 Euros montlhy for it and it uses WireGuard and has account and payment anonymity. Mullvad only provides an account number. It won't even ask for you personal information and will only reflect as VPN on my monthly card transaction.

Though I am happy with it, Mullvad only has 3 server locations in Asia. Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore. I want access to a server located in Thailand for a local IP there.

So right now, I am seriously thinking of switching to another VPN - Express VPN. But after reading PCMAG's BEST VPN for 2022; it seems like NordVPN is a better option as Express VPN is expensive for what it offers and NordVPN has more features like WireGuard and split-tunnelling.

https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-best-vpn-services

I use VPN mainly for streaming services to access titles that the platforms has not made available locally in my area and for torrenting too besides gaming on my PC

I am subscribed to these streaming platforms and want to know if you have any good or bad experience with using NordVPN with them:

Netflix
Amazon Prime Video
Apple TV Plus
Rakuten Viki
GagaOOlala
iQiyi
WeTV
iWantTFC
VivaMax
YouTube Premium

Mullvad works well with these platforms except for Amazon Prime Video which detects it. Mullvad also works well on my iPhone and iPad Pro in terms of turning them on and off is so simple.

Switching may cost me more and may not be worth it with the reason why I wanted to switch but I am willing to pay for a whole full year to bring down the price instead of paying monthly. I am not subscribed to Apple TV Plus separately, it's just a part of the Apple Family plan I have. There's not much shows there that I am interested in. I wish I could take it off since Apple recently increased their subscription prices.

Hoping to hear your experience or opinion on this. Thanks!

raphjd

@Rotron

I am currently using Surf Shark and I don't like it.

Outside of torrents, I find is a pain in the ass. Everyone detects it and I get warnings of rogue log-ins.

Oddly, my ISP has me listed in Manchester. When I use the Surf Shark server there, every website says I'm logging in from a different place.

Amazon Prime and Netflix know when I'm using my VPN.

Rotron

@raphjd Great! Thanks. That is very helpful. I was considering Surf Shark too but it's best to hear from actual user's experience.

And thanks for moving this thread in the right category. I was wondering where to put it earlier.

djsoapbubble

I use Cyberghost, and I've been with them since 2019, I think. Overall, I'm very happy with their service. Netflix, Peacock, YouTube TV, Hulu, Disney+, etc. are great when streaming. I also have my own dedicated IP address, so whenever I'm watching television or live TV on Kodi or even surfing the web, I'm pretty much at ease. I think I do have an issue trying to watch Prime Video, but their shows suck, so I don't really care.

Rotron

@djsoapbubble Thank you. That's very informative. Seems like Amazon Prime Video is keen on detecting VPNs since they own AWS and a lot of website and other things Internet are hosted on their cloud service.

flozen

I use ExpressVPN, and it has loads of locations, and always recommends the "Smart Location" where it must be determining the fastest current connection. The only times I've been tagged is when I'm on a mainstream site and forget it's off.

I use the VPN sometimes when seeding our files, and I will say that at least for me, it slows the rate of "sharing" significantly. It's not a personal issue in light of my ratio, but for others, it may be a factor to consider.

Randevouz90

@Rotron I use ExpressVPN as well. Sometimes is not as effective with Netflix but for everything else it's incredible

Rotron

@Randevouz90 Great!. That's another thing I've been wanting to know. Thanks for the help.