Best VPNs for Chrome: How to make Google Chrome even more secure

ExpressVPN ticks many of the boxes that one could need from a VPN, which is why it's so highly regarded. Privacy wise, it's based in the British Virgin Islands, so there's no need to worry about data retention laws. It's maintained a great record for refusing to hand over information and —even better — it doesn't actually store any data on its customers.

Its Chrome extension takes seconds to install, although you do need to also install the full ExpressVPN app to use it. That's a small price to pay for an extension that allows you to randomize the location reported by Google's geo-location API, thereby stopping websites from acquiring your location. Like all VPN extensions, it works more as a proxy than true VPN, but it does what's needed to keep you secure. It also typically allows for the use of Netflix and other streaming services, all at a good speed that's near imperceptible from if you weren't using it.

Elsewhere, ExpressVPN is a great standard VPN. There's AES-256 encryption and features like split tunneling, which allows you to route some traffic through a VPN while the rest of it goes through your regular internet connection, thereby adding an extra level of security. Plus, there's a kill-switch feature built into the app (rather than the extension) so all traffic is blocked if your connection unexpectedly drops.

There's no free trial for ExpressVPN, but there is a 30-day money back guarantee if you're not entirely happy. ExpressVPN is one of the pricier options out there, with a monthly subscription priced at $12.95 but that steadily drops to $99.95 for a 12-month subscription. For the price, you can use five devices simultaneously with unlimited bandwidth.

CyberGhost offers a free Chrome extension that takes seconds to set up without any need to log-in or create an account. As a pure proxy, its main aim is to allow you to gain access to geo-restricted content, such as other Netflix stores. It also enables you to circumvent limitations that may have been placed by your government or workplace with the option of hiding your IP address from suspicious eyes.

It's a simple extension which only provides four locations — the US, Romania, Netherlands, and Germany — but it's a great start for a VPN service that also offers useful features.

Upgrade to the full app, and you get AES-256 encryption, DNS leak protection, and a kill switch feature. Simply as a way to bypass geolocks however, the extension works more than well enough with good performance reported across the board.

CyberGhost's Chrome extension is free to use, but if you want to upgrade to the full VPN, expect to pay between $2.75 per month and $12.99 per month depending on the length of the subscription plan you commit to.

The Hotspot Shield Chrome extension gets straight to the point. It takes seconds to set up, is free to use, and is super speedy, too. There are limitations, though. While the extension picks out the optimal server with the fastest connection speed, you don't have much say over what exactly it does. There are also only four locations to choose from, unless you upgrade to a paid plan.

Still, it's fast and works well at getting to the point.

Elsewhere, Hotspot Shield continues its reign as one of the the fastest VPNs out there. Even streaming via Netflix rarely misses a beat with buffering, which is quite unusual. It only supports up to five simultaneous devices at any one time, but that shouldn't be an issue for many. AES-256 encryption via the full app ensures you're secure each step of the way too.

Price wise, Hotspot Shield can be expensive if you opt for the monthly plan. That'll set you back $12.99 per month. Stick with a 1-year plan and it drops to $7.99 per month with a 2-year plan going lower still to $6.99 per month. None are incredibly cheap, but if speed is crucial, it's a good price to pay.

TunnelBear has always stood out from other VPNs thanks to its cute, almost childlike interface that makes it welcoming to people not used to VPNs. That continues to be reflected in its free Chrome extension.

In exchange for an email address (you can always use a throwaway one), you get 500MB of data a month. That's not much, but it's good for brief browsing sessions. Taking seconds to install, the TunnelBear Chrome VPN extension encrypts your browsing activity as well as allows you to choose what country you wish to appear you're from.

You'll burn through that data if you do anything like streaming via Netflix, so it's not recommended for that. However, you can upgrade your service to the full subscription plan, which gives you unlimited bandwidth.

The price of TunnelBear differs depending on how long your subscription plan is. Month by month it's $9.99, with that dropping to the equivalent of $4.99 per month, albeit billed yearly.

Surfshark's Chrome Extension isn't free, but once you sign up for a subscription, you'll realize it was worth the money. Besides providing you with a proxy to hide behind and potentially fool Netflix into thinking you're elsewhere, the Surfshark Chrome Extension also provides ad-blocking with its CleanWeb feature. It also blocks trackers, malware, and phishing attempts along the way. You can easily hide your IP via the extension too.

Switch over to the full VPN app, and Surfshark continues to be useful. It has standard kill-switch and DNS leak protection along with a camouflage mode that promises to make it impossible for your ISP to see that you're even using a VPN. MultiHop also means you can connect via multiple countries at once, further hiding your presence.

Easy to use and with support for torrenting and streaming services, there's a lot to like about Surfshark.

The downside? Surfshark isn't the cheapest if you pay monthly. That costs $11.95. However, the price drops rapidly to the equivalent of $1.99 per month if you choose the 24-month plan.

The greatest strength to Windscribe is that it consistently plays nicely with services such as Netflix and BBC iPlayer, providing you subscribe to the service which gives you its dedicated Windflix servers.

However, Windscribe's Chrome VPN extension doesn't solely work as a way of bypassing geolocks. It also works as an ad and tracker blocker, keeping you more secure and safe online than without. Interestingly, you can also use the extension to create a secure link to send someone. Is this a vital extra? Probably not, but it does make the Windscribe Chrome extension stand out a little more amongst a busy marketplace.

Switch to the main VPN service and Windscribe continues to be useful. It has support for unlimited numbers of devices, as well as split tunneling functionality, and the ability to form a double hop, which further hides your steps online. Bear in mind though that the further away you choose, the more likely the connection will slow down too.

Windscribe is available for free with a limit of 10GB per month, although that does restrict you from access to the Windflix servers. Alternatively, you can pay $9 on a monthly basis or choose to subscribe to the yearly plan, which works out at the equivalent of $4.08 per month.