Best VPN for School 2022

  • 04/Jan/2022
  • 12:15 pm

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Many schools have come up with ways to restrict their students from accessing certain websites - and for good reason. Computer networks in schools, colleges and libraries have configured firewalls that block many sites and track user network activity. For example, social media sites like snapchat and Skype are usually blocked by schools.

One of the reasons why schools block student access to certain websites and services is to enable them to focus on their studies. However, this can be very frustrating and can even hinder you from accessing the important research materials that are required for studying.

In this article, we will be discussing the Best VPN for school 2022 that could help you safely access any site ensuring that your IP address stays hidden. That is why I have put together a list of top 10 VPNs for school.

As a student one of the common struggles that you face is budgeting and how to use the little resources available to you, to your advantage. For this reason there are free VPNs that you could use that would give you nearly the same quality service as premium VPNs.

However, generally, when choosing a free VPN there are some important features that you have to look out for. Some of these features are:

  • Security and Privacy:

    Security and Privacy:This is a very important feature that you must consider when picking a free VPN. Most top VPN services offer this service adequately. However I cannot say the same for free VPNs. Security is the most important factor for a school VPN. This not only helps you unblock certain websites but also helps you protect yourself, especially when you are connecting to a public network.

    A good VPN is supposed to have the ability to mask you up so that your school will not be able to detect that you have bypassed the blocks. The importance of a kill switch cannot be overemphasised as it helps strengthen you security. In a case where your VPN fails, it will automatically cut your connection completely, so that your information would not be revealed and the school won’t find out what you are up to. You need to also make sure that the free VPN you choose does not keep activity logs. So that no record of your online activity can be found.

  • Device compatibility and ease of use: – This is another important feature that must be considered when selecting a VPN. Not all devices are compatible with some VPN that is why it is important to check if your device is compatible with the VPN that you have chosen. You need to also check if it is user friendly and can be easy to access by just a click of a button.
  • Price: As a student you might not have the funds to cover a monthly subscription for a VPN which is why there are free VPNs available. However, you need to check that this free VPN covers all the services that you need and also look at the paid services to see if there are discounts for lengthier subscriptions. This would help you save a whole lot of money.
  • Speed and Bandwidth: Everyone wants a fast blazing VPN. However, when using a free VPN some service providers give preference to paying customers rather than free users. A slow VPN can mean that you are waiting for a longer time for a website or service to load and in situations fail completely. This is why it is important to check the speed of a VPN before committing to the service. Bandwidth is also as important as the speed and sometimes free users have very limited bandwidth. Although there are still some VPNs that give unlimited bandwidth to free users as well as paying customers, an example is proton VPN.
  • Server Network: the more the server the easier for you to get around restrictions and bypass borders also if you are closer to a server it can also enhance the speed of the VPN. You need to check that the VPN has a lot of servers distributed across the country you reside.

Best VPNs for School

1. Tunnelbear

Pros

  1. Strong encryption
  2. User friendly
  3. Allows five devices connections simultaneously
  4. Has a great design

Cons

  1. Limited usage
  2. No peer-to peer (p2p)

Tunnelbear is a great VPN service provider that offers excellent services. It is very easy to use as you do not need to be a tech pro to access it. It works on Windows, Mac, OS, Android and iOS. It has a free plan that provides you with 500 megabytes of free data every month. Tunnelbear has great security features that have a military grade encryption. It also has a kill switch that is responsible for stopping any unencrypted data from leaking should the VPN connection drop.

2. Cyberghost

Pros

  1. Good security features
  2. Affordable
  3. Free trial
  4. High speed
  5. Zero logging policy
  6. Unlimited bandwidth
  7. Automatic kill switch, DNS, and IP leak protection

Cons

  1. Limited locations
  2. Spotty ad blocker performance

CyberGhost is one of the best VPN for school because of its great security feature, there is an automatic kill switch to keep you safe and the company doesn’t keep a log of your activities. It is very easy to use and it has blazing fast speed. It also has an unlimited bandwidth, and it is capable of getting streaming service too. CyberGhost is very affordable and also has a free trial which is not very common. It also has a money back guarantee just in case you are not satisfied with the service.

3. Hide.me

Pros

  1. Free plan with 10GB of data
  2. Strong encryption
  3. User friendly
  4. No logging policy
  5. Excellent download speed

Cons

  1. Expensive
  2. Limiting bandwidth for free users

Hide.me has good performance and strong privacy protection. They have a 24/7 customer support that is available for solving any problems you encounter. The free data plan is more than that of cyberghost. Although you are required to sign up to access the free plan, it comes with limited protocols support and only one simultaneous device connection. You can access more than 30 locations with unlimited bandwidth by upgrading to their plus or premium package which can be quite expensive. The downside about using this VPN is that free user bandwidth is limited from time to time to give more priority to the paid customers.

4. Windscribe

Pros

  1. Free plan
  2. Cheap build a plan option
  3. Unlimited connection

Cons

  1. Full plan is expensive

This is the only VPN with the option of building your plan. However, the short money back guarantee is very unattractive. Nevertheless, this VPN provides impressive stealth mode, which disguises your VPN traffic inside a secure tunnel. This means no one can be able to see that you are using a VPN, thereby allowing you to get around anti-VPN software and unblock restricted contents. This VPN also provides military grade encryption protection and an automatic ill switch is also available so that no one can ever detect your IP address. This VPN can connect to an unlimited number of devices at the same time. There is a live chat feature for customer complaints but it is not available for 24/7. The server for this VPN is relatively small but it covers around 60 countries. The paid plan gets unlimited data but the free plan gets restricted to 2GB per month.

5. ExpressVPN

Pros

  1. Easy to use
  2. Works on all devices
  3. Unlimited bandwidth
  4. Many servers location
  5. Great customer support
  6. Strong encryption
  7. High speed
  8. 30-day money back guarantee

Cons

  1. Not strictly free

Express VPN is the fastest VPN on the market, the speed is remarkable and there are no limits to data usage. Express VPN can get into any streaming platform and there are thousands of servers covering 94 countries so you have a lot to choose from. It is one of the easiest VPN to use and it works on all devices including windows, macOS, android, and iOS. It allows you five device connections at the same time. This VPN has incredible security features and a kill switch that is enabled automatically. It also has a strict no log policy. Express VPN is quite expensive but it is totally worth it. However, because of how expensive this VPN is it is recommended that you do a longer plan which will provide you with a better price than the per month plan. Like other VPNs express VPN has a 30-day money –back guarantee just in case you do not like the services.

6. SurfEasy

Pros

  1. Good speed
  2. Compatible with all operating systems
  3. Strong encryption and good security
  4. Low prices
  5. Open VPN protocol default on windows, Mac, and android

Cons

  1. Not compatible with linux
  2. No refund

SurfEasy VPN is a free VPN service that helps you browse anonymously, access blocked streaming services and bypass firewalls. The free plan offers 500MB of data transfer, but you can get more data by recommending friends and family. It allows up to five device connections on their fee plan in 16 countries. This VPN supports windows, Mac, OSX, Android, iphone, iPad, Amazon, opera and chrome. You are provided with 1000 servers in28 different countries. surfEasy has a built in ad tracker blocker that prevents ads from following you online. This VPN protects torrenting on their ultraplan by hiding your information without compromising your speed. There is a zero logging policy and they don’t store your originating IP address when connected to their service or applications website.

7. Proton VPN

Pros

  1. Unlimited bandwidth, even on the free plan
  2. Gets into streaming services
  3. Good security

Cons

  1. Free servers are sometimes unusable
  2. Slow

Proton VPN provides both free and paid plan. It has amazing security features with strong encryption. Proton VPN offers an always on feature that connects the VPN the minute your device starts. This ensures that you are never without protection; you get a premium standard security feature like DNS leak protection and ill switch to help keep your data private if the VPN fails. This VPN is compatible with Linux, windows, macOS, iOS, and android. It supports the use of double VPN which makes it more difficult for your data to access. The downside about this VPN is that it does not have an ad blocker.

8. Hotspot shield

Pros

  1. Completely unlimited free version, trial
  2. Easy to use software
  3. Good speed
  4. Malware detection
  5. Allows Bittorrent and P2P
  6. 500MB free data per day

Cons

  1. Access to a single US server
  2. Poor support

Hotspot shield VPN offers 500MB data per day that you can use to catch up on important assignments, emails and enjoy a few videos. This works well for students studying in the US or need to access US-based sites, even though it does not have widespread server availability on the free version. This VPN provides carefree web browsing, online security, and privacy. Hotspot shield VPN is an entry level VPN service that offers an unlimited free VPN service for everyone. Nevertheless, free users have to endure adverts and content restrictions. You can get out of this by upgrading to their elite plan. This VPN will provide you with servers in more than 80 countries around the world. However, USA is the default location, and so you will need the elite plan to switch to other servers. It has an impressive security feature that ensures that your data is safe and secure.

9. NordVPN

Pros

  1. 5,560+ servers in 59 countries
  2. Fastest VPN
  3. Use maximum of 6 devices at once
  4. 30-day money-back guarantee

Cons

  1. It is quite expensive for a student

NordVPN is user friendly and you don’t need to be a tech pro to be able to use it. It is fast, secure and reliable. It has amazing security features and you can access it from different apps. This VPN is ideal for schools where VPNs are blocked, as it has protection against detection and support for working on a non-standard port. What is so amazing about this VPN is that you would not need to break the bank to have access to this mouth- watery offer. It has a very flexible payment plan. The longer your subscription the cheaper your payment, this VPN gives you the value for your money. NordVPN allows you access to 5,560+ servers 59 countries this means you would have guaranteed internet blazing speed wherever you are in the world. This VPN is compatible with a lot of devices and apps. You can always use the 30-days money –back guarantee if you are not pleased with the services rendered.

10. Private Internet Access

Pros

  1. Easy to use
  2. Fast
  3. Affordable price
  4. Technically advanced service

Cons

  1. Narrower country coverage than competitors

Private internet access has a no-log policy that has proven in numerous courts on countless occasions, it means that you can trust that you will never find the records of what you do online. It assures you high privacy and security. This VPN offers some of the best VPN apps available for all platforms. Some of this app has advanced features such as OpenVPN and split tunnelling. In addition to these amazing features, private internet access is considered as one of the best options for torrenting. This VPN has an incredible value for your money. It is worth testing as it has a 30- day money –back guarantee and a 24/7 customer support.

In Conclusion

Some of the VPNs listed above offer both free and paid versions. For the free VPN, though they might be safe to use for school, most of them place heavy restrictions on data, server location and bandwidth.

Also worthy of note is that most free VPNs are not entirely secure because of lack of advanced security features. Nevertheless when using a premium VPN like ExpressVPN or NordVPN, your security is neither threatened nor questioned. In addition, you are sure of access to all servers as well as unlimited data and bandwidth and the unblocking power to bypass all geoblocks and restrictions placed by your school.