Many of the best laptops come with built-in VPN or malware protection. However, this may not be enough to protect both you and your device from hackers trying to steal your personal information, infect your device with malware and viruses, or your ISP/government trying to track your internet activities for illegal surveillance.
With the cyber attack arsenal growing and becoming harder to predict, you need the best VPN, the best antivirus, and the best password manager to ward off any targeted attacks, bypass geo-restrictions, and maintain the confidentiality of your passwords and online accounts. With this in place, you’ll be able to navigate the internet freely and securely.
However, there are a myriad of options to choose from and it can get very confusing very fast. Read on to find out which are the top three VPNs, antiviruses, and password managers right now; you can rest assured that they’re top-notch, as all of these recommendations have been picked by TechRadar experts who test and compare dozens of providers day in and day out.
The best VPN apps in 2024
The best VPN services do more than just spoof your IP address and save you and your internet activities from being tracked down—they can also help you evade geo-blocks on your favorite foreign content, assist you in online gaming by keeping DDoS attacks and ISP throttling at bay, as well as giving you access to discounts and sales you might not have been able to access otherwise.
Here are our top three recommendations:
How to pick a VPN to secure your laptop
The following are some of the most important factors to consider when you’re out shopping for a VPN:
Security: top of the list, undoubtedly, is the VPN’s security. The VPN you pick should support secure protocols like WireGuard, OpenVPN, and IKEv2, alongside offering excellent encryption methods like AES 256-bit.
In terms of privacy-related features, you will also want to make sure your VPN has a rock-solid kill switch and a strict no-logs policy, as these features both work to ensure your privacy is retained throughout use. It might also be a good idea to check if the VPN offers any cyber security add-ons for an added layer of protection, like port forwarding, multi-hop, or leak protection.
Servers: the number of servers and server locations a VPN has under its belt is also an important determinant. Consider which locations you want to access in your day-to-day or which country’s content you wish to stream, and make sure that you choose a provider that has servers in those regions. If you’re trying to get around content blocked in your region, you’ll also have to make sure that your VPN provider has a server in your country.
Speed: it may seems obvious, but you’ll also want to look for a VPN that’s fast, especially if your intended use case is gaming or streaming. This makes sure you are not plagued with any lags and buffering issues.
Customer support: a good VPN will offer ample support for any issues you may run into during installation or otherwise. Popular channels such as email, live chat, and even phone support should all be in place and working smoothly. After all, a VPN is useless if you can’t get it to work properly.
Price: needless to say, you don’t want to break the bank on a VPN purchase. However, it’s also important that you don’t compromise your privacy, so strike a nice balance between the features you want and the amount you’re willing to shell out.
How we test VPNs
Our team of experts review the top 30 VPNs every six months where we analyze the provider’s website and the claims it makes, any changes in its policy, its support options, and whether there are any tracking cookies on its website.
After signing up for the service anonymously, we install its Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, and Linux VPN apps and test them out thoroughly — we see if everything works as advertised and how easy to use the apps are, including their design, interface, and overall layout.
Next, we test the provider’s speeds, for which we use a US home connection and a 1 Gbps UK data center—two different sessions for accurate results. We then throw popular streaming sites, like Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus, and BBC iPlayer, at the VPN service to ascertain its unblocking capabilities.
For more info on our procedures, check out TechRadar’s VPN testing methodology page.
Using a VPN FAQs
Are VPNs safe?
All of the providers that feature on our best VPN services page are extremely secure. However, if you want to find out for yourself whether a VPN is trustworthy, make sure it has a strict no-logs policy so it doesn’t track your IP or internet usage.
Next, it should support the most secure protocols (WireGuard, OpenVPN, and IKEv2) and offer industry-standard AES-256 encryption. Lastly, important security features like a kill switch and leak protection should all be available as well.
Is it legal to use a VPN?
Using a VPN is legal in most countries of the world—as long as you don’t use it to hide illegal activities in which case you may still face punishment in the form of fines or imprisonment.
However, countries like North Korea, Iraq, and Turkmenistan have completely banned all VPNs within their borders. Then there’s China and Russia which only allow you to use government-approved providers. Turkey isn’t as strict as it merely blocks access to the sites or servers of VPN providers that don’t follow its rules.
The best antivirus in 2024
A top-shelf antivirus program helps you stay protected from viruses, ransomware, malware, and all kinds of cyber criminals who may try to steal your personal information and use it to commit identity theft and/or financial fraud.
Here are the three best antivirus software on the market right now:
How to pick an antivirus to secure your laptop
First and foremost, consider the level of security you desire — basic protection from malware or all-around protection from cyber threats? If you’re leaning towards the latter, go for a full-fledged internet security suite that not only comes with extras such as a VPN, a password manager, dark web monitoring, parental controls, and integrated online storage but can also cover various devices on a single plan.
As you might have guessed, such solutions are admittedly on the pricier side, so if you’re someone on a tight budget or are looking for more basic protection, entry-level paid plans or free antivirus products like Bitdefender and Windows Defender are also a great option.
The quality of the antivirus engine is also very important, as this is what determines its malware detection rate. Ideally, look for solutions that can catch over 95 percent of malware without churning out a lot of false positives.
For this, you can combine the results of our detailed antivirus reviews and the ratings given by independent labs, such as AV-TEST and AV-Comparatives, that test antiviruses day in and day out.
Next, consider your level of expertise. If you know your way around tech software, you can opt for customizable antivirus software, but if you’re less knowledgeable about all things technology, I’d suggest looking for a provider that offers easy-to-use apps.
How we test antivirus software
Before anything else, we check the antivirus’s malware-detection and removal capabilities by trying to access dangerous websites, purposely downloading malware, and throwing custom-made malware files at it.
We use our in-house expertise to craft new malware that the antivirus program would have never seen before, as this gives us a better idea of the provider’s real abilities.
For even more accurate results, we combine our test findings with the results of the most popular independent testing labs like AV-Comparatives and AV-TEST.
In the next step, we test the provider’s compatibility and performance by installing its apps on various devices and noticing how much slowdown is caused. For this, we also use online speed test sites that supplement our real-time feel with numbers and statistics.
We then try out the different add-ons on offer, like a VPN, file encryption, parental controls, or a password manager to see if everything works as it says on the tin. Lastly, we test customer support by asking questions and noting down the speed and accuracy of the replies.
Using antivirus FAQs
What is the best antivirus of 2023?
Based on our testing, Bitdefender is the best antivirus on the market right now. It boasts excellent malware detection and removal capabilities, is lightning-fast, and takes up very little storage space so you don’t need to worry about sacrificing system speed for security.
It’s also extremely easy to use, with a simple interface and real-time protection that’s enabled by default. Opt for the Total Security plan and you’ll enjoy a ton of extra cybersecurity tools, all of which you can try risk-free, thanks to a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Do I really need antivirus in 2023?
New malware attacks have seen a huge rise in recent months and cybercriminals are constantly finding new and better ways to steal your personal information and infect your device with viruses and ransomware. The best antivirus software not only protects your data from intruders but can also help you stay protected from identity theft and phishing attacks.
The best password manager in 2024
A password manager is a must-have for both security and productivity. It can create strong and unique passwords for every account you have and store your data in an encrypted manner, protecting your personal information from intruders. On the other hand, features like auto-fill can crank up your productivity by saving you the trouble of filling out online forms and login credentials manually.
Here are the best password managers that are worth your time and investment:
How to choose a password manager to secure your laptop
Once you’ve zeroed in on a password manager that’s compatible with your laptop, which could be Windows, Mac, or Linux, make sure that the security it offers is top-notch. All of the providers in our list of the best password managers have never been hacked, as they use rock-solid encryption and security measures to protect your passwords and passkeys.
Also, make sure that the password manager you choose doesn’t share your personal information with unauthorized third parties. To do this, you can research how transparent the provider is about the information it stores about you and how it stores/uses it.
Next, consider the level of security you want. While entry-level and free password managers can pull through nicely for the basics, premium plans offer foolproof protection from all verticals—they’re one-stop shops that come with extras like password sharing, synchronization across various devices (this won’t be an option with password managers that store data locally on the device itself), biometric login, two-factor authentication, dark web monitoring, and more.
Another factor is how new you are to password managers. If you are, you should look for one that’s easy to use, with simple apps and interfaces. If you’re a password manager aficionado and want to migrate from one password management solution to another, the one you pick now should make it convenient and quick for you to do that.
How we test password managers
According to our testing methodology, we test the top 30 password managers on various fronts and in different real-world scenarios to see if something breaks or if it doesn’t work as promised. We try all of the apps and browser extensions of a provider and make sure that it offers a consistent experience across all devices and browsers.
Then, we check whether essential functions like auto-fill, cross-device syncing, multi-factor authentication, and biometric login work as they should, all of which is to make sure that our recommendations are top-notch—changing your password manager after finding out a major flaw is a headache, to say the least.
In addition to evaluating how simple and easy to follow the provider’s setup wizard is, we also test all of its support options, including live chat, email ticketing system, and phone.
Password managers FAQs
What is the difference between free and paid password managers?
While free password managers can store an unlimited number of passwords and passkeys and keep them away from the reach of intruders, their paid counterparts come with valuable add-ons for all-around protection, like dark web monitoring, cross-platform synchronization, multi-device support, multi-factor authentication, bundled VPN/antivirus/parental controls, and more.
Are password managers safe?
All of the best password managers are very safe, as they employ rock-solid encryption methods and zero-knowledge architecture, meaning no one other than the user—not even the password manager company or cloud backup service—has access to the passwords contained in the encrypted vault.
However, password managers, like any other computer system, aren’t foolproof, so it’s best if we supplement them with healthy cybersecurity practices. This includes selecting strong passwords and avoiding sharing personal info over insecure channels of communication like email, among others.