With hundreds of VPNs around, it can be difficult to separate the good from the bad. Or the ones that will literally sell your data to advertisers, as we’ll see in a second. In any case, these India VPNs offer the best value for how many features they have under their belt. If you’d rather do your own research instead, here’s a checklist of the things you need from an India VPN.
#1 Proven No-logs Policy
Running a business costs a lot of money, and it’s no different in the case of VPNs. Renting servers all around the world, maintenance costs, paying employees – these are all covered by paying users. Or, in the case of free VPNs, by logging and selling those users’ browsing histories to third parties. Advertisers will pay big money to know what a few segments of the population do on a daily basis, so they can sell their products more efficiently.
On top of that, India’s surveillance laws are starting to shift towards the Chinese model. ISPs are required to keep records of your data for up to 180 days, or even indefinitely if the government requests it.
To avoid all this, you’ll need an India VPN that won’t log your data. Thankfully, all the options linked in the beginning have proven themselves trustworthy over the years. However, if you need further confirmation, here’s how you can tell whether your preferred provider’s no-logs policy is the real deal:
- The provider has been independently audited by a third party cybersecurity firm.
- Their no-logs policy has been tested in a real life scenario (see how the Turkish government seized ExpressVPN servers that contained no user data. Or Private Internet Access’s double victory against FBI subpoenas for user information).
Why is a verified no-logs policy important?
It’s one thing for a provider to say they don’t log user data, and another one for them to actually keep their word. See the recent scandal of seven free “no-logs” VPNs based in Hong Kong that leaked the data of over 20 million of their users.
#2 Fast Servers All Around the World
This next bit is way more obvious. If you’re going to get a VPN for India, you’ll need a provider with:
- Indian servers for when you just want to browse local content in a secure manner. The closer the servers are to you, the faster your browsing speeds.
- A wide server network across the planet so you gain unlimited access to content not available in India.
You don’t want your network speeds to slow down to a crawl while browsing, gaming, or streaming. Any VPN will inevitably slow down your connection, but it’s way less noticeable if your provider has top-performance servers.
Free VPNs don’t really have that benefit. Until you get on their premium plan, you can expect a limited number of crowded servers, as well as throttled speeds to ensure each free user has an equal share of bandwidth.
#3 P2P-friendly Servers
Unfortunately, torrenting is almost always associated with pirating. It’s not surprising to see ISPs completely block peer-to-peer (P2P) programs for their subscribers, preventing users from even using legal torrents or sharing large files for work and personal purposes.
Fortunately, using a VPN in India will help you get around such restrictions and use torrent clients without a hitch. Naturally, we recommend you keep it legal. After all, there’s no stopping police from doing a random warrantless search of your home if they suspect you’re in violation of the Information Technology Act, 2000.
#4 Compatible and User-friendly Mobile App
Nearly three quarters of India’s total web traffic comes from mobile phones. As such your provider’s India VPN app should work flawlessly on your smartphone. Fortunately, most providers’ apps are compatible with a wide range of operating systems. Some providers still update their apps for users with older Android devices as well.
For the best possible mobile VPN experience, look for providers with the IKEv2 encryption protocol. It’s highly useful when switching between networks – say, Wi-Fi and mobile data, or two different mobile carriers – as your VPN connection won’t be dropped in the process.
#5 Low Price
No need to break the bank just to get better access to content and secure your data from hackers and mass surveillance. If you have a lot of friends and family with their own gadgets, consider chipping in together to get a VPN account that allows for unlimited connections. Consider hopping on longer subscription plans (2+ years), to save even more.
Finally, you can get better deals on a VPN for India by visiting the link in the beginning. All providers have 30+ day money-back guarantees if you change your mind along the way, so it doesn’t hurt to test them out.