How to Pick the Best VPN Server

Choosing the best Virtual Private Network or VPN server can be a little overwhelming. Even seasoned users have a problem figuring it out. The reason behind it is that you can connect your VPN to anywhere in the world – so you’ve got a lot of options. Furthermore, there can be different reasons to choose one. 

Thus, no matter why you need it, be it anonymous browsing, privacy, torrenting, or bypassing censorship, there are certain rules to find the best VPN server location. Keep reading if you wish to find the rules for picking the best VPN server for your needs. 

But before we start with the rules, let’s have a look at what a VPN server actually means. 

What Is a VPN Server? 

VPNs or Virtual Private Networks is a server that protects your online privacy by creating a protected network connection while using public networks. It masks your Internet Protocol or IP address, making your online actions untraceable. In short, it provides more privacy than your secured Wi-Fi hotspot. 

Rules to Pick the Best VPN Server 

Here are the three important rules to pick the best VPN server for your needs.  

#1. Explore the reasons for choosing a VPN 

The two main reasons for using a VPN server are security and the capability to tweak your digital location. Depending on what is more important, you can decide which VPN to connect to.  

For instance, if you live in a country where internet censorship isn’t an issue but security is, then you should pick a server that is closer to you. An important point to remember is  

“The farther your VPN server is, the worse your internet speed will get.” 

When you connect to a nearby server, you can get the best speed while enjoying the protection from VPN. It means you can browse the internet without worrying if anyone is prying on your activities. If your connection is still slow on a nearby server, you can look for strategies to improve your VPN speed. 

#2. Countries you should connect to 

Another reason why people use VPN servers is to keep their location a secret. To them, security isn’t a significant concern. For example, you may be on vacation and want to use a U.S. server to access your bank account. Or, you are a non-American and you simply want to access the U.S. Netflix. That being the case, you can connect to a country you would like to appear in. 

The first thing you need to do is choose a closer server. For instance, you can choose an East Coast server if you’re connecting from Europe to the U.S. And, if you’re connecting from Australia or Asia to the U.S., you can choose a West Coast server. Similarly, if you’re in the U.S., you can connect to a France or Ireland sever rather than a Polish. 

#3. Countries you shouldn’t connect to 

There are a few countries you should never connect to, of course, to avoid being tracked. You may think that your VPN should be able to protect you from that but under certain authoritarian regimes, it may not.  

In some countries, VPNs cooperate with law enforcement under some circumstances. For example, in countries like Iran, Russia, and China, VPNs are strictly controlled or even illegal. In those countries, finding servers will be hard. So, don’t connect unless it is too necessary. 

Final Thoughts 

When it comes to choosing the best VPN server, the closer you pick, the better. It doesn’t matter what you want the VPN for, you must always choose the closest one. Most likely, you’ll access the internet with less hassle or loading times. 

Author - Samita Nayak

Samita Nayak is a content writer working at Anteriad. She writes about business, technology, HR, marketing, cryptocurrency, and sales. When not writing, she can usually be found reading a book, watching movies, or spending far too much time with her Golden Retriever.