As we go deeper in the technological and information era, the need for encryption and online privacy becomes more evident. Yes, every day new inventions come to the surface to make our lives better, but at the same time, innovative, stronger threats appear to terrorize users around the world.
Hackers are all around us. Sadly, they have used their talent and skill for evil purposes: taking things and assets that don’t belong to them. They have the ability to clone your credit card, steal your passwords, as well as files, photos, documents, videos, and more. To combat these issues, people hire VPN services: they are tools that use encryption technologies to protect content from prying eyes on the web.
The need for a VPN
On top of that, people are often looking to unblock and access more content on the web. The world has turned into a fast-paced place in which information is consumed at very fast rates, so netizens are continually looking for more websites to read, more streaming sites to enjoy, and more cultures to learn. A VPN can help you with that, too. With its ability to spoof your location and trick international sites into thinking you are physically in the country that hosts said service, you can open international pages from any area.
One of the most user-friendly and prominent free VPN is, or was, Opera VPN. However, our friend Olaf will not be providing its services anymore, as the brand decided – for reasons that are not yet public – to discontinue apps for Android and iOS.
Opera VPN is gone: now what?
The Norwegian-based Opera Software launched a free VPN in 2016. Unlike other mobile VPN, it allowed browsing without data limits and with no registration, or any type of paid subscription.
For starters, long-term subscribers of Opera VPN may find themselves in a tricky situation. As announced from its website, Opera VPN ceased functioning on April 30, after almost two years of free service.
The developer announced that those users with the premium subscription, named Opera Gold, will obtain a no-cost annual subscription to SurfEasy Ultra, with access to servers from 28 regions. But what will be the destiny of those who don’t have Opera Gold?
The company offers an 80% discount on the annual SurfEasy Total plan. However, people shouldn’t feel married to that solution: the world is filled with other VPN brands that are comparable with, or better than, OperaVPN.
Best Opera VPN alternatives in 2018
We understand that you used to love Opera. However, the Norway-based VPN will not be around anymore. That doesn’t mean there is a shortage of viable options that can serve as useful replacements.
The most attractive trait that Opera VPN had to offer was that it was free and efficient, a rare combination in our current reality.
Best VPN with a money-back guarantee
- TorGuard: With a seven-day money-back guarantee, TorGuard shapes up as one of the most convenient Opera VPN replacement options. It has an enormous network of more than 3,000 servers in 55 nations around the world while providing users and customers with the safest privacy and encryption in the market. It has availability for up to five devices connected simultaneously, it has a privacy bundle and anonymous proxy and email, it has multi-protocol support, high device and operating system compatibility, and the best customer service with a live chat feature and high responsiveness.
- IPVanish: One of the best VPN alternatives to Opera, IPVanish has a seven-day money back guarantee that lets users try the features for an entire week. It has a kill switch, DNS leak protection, and some of the most advanced security and privacy configurations of the industry. It is not the easiest client to install and use, but it provides more than 750 servers in 60 countries, and 40,000 IP addresses to give away. However, the most enticing aspect of IPVanish is its incredible speeds: it is perfect for streaming, torrenting, and browsing the web anonymously.
- ExpressVPN: With servers in 94 countries and 148 total locations, ExpressVPN is one of the best VPN brands in the market. It offers incredible AES 256-bit encryption, OpenVPN, L2TP/IPSec, SSTP, PPTP, and IKEv2. It has tutorials and guides about every service it provides, and people love it because it is very straightforward to install and use, and because it has customized apps for Android, iOS, Windows, and other operating systems. It has a handy 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can test the features (which also include split tunneling, DNS leak protection, and a kill switch) for a month before deciding whether to hire the standard monthly service (roughly $12.95.)
Best free VPN
- TunnelBear: Maybe the best replacement for Opera VPN available in the market. It is similar in the sense that is free and comes with a very attractive design. Its interface is very user-friendly. It provides solid encryption and has three plans: a free one, a monthly one, and a yearly one. The first of them involves a 500 MB data cap but is a perfectly adequate service at no cost. It functions on every device and operating system, it keeps no logs, and it can offer you an additional GB per month if you tweet about it.
- Windscribe: Although its ad blocker and firewall can come across a little strong, Windscribe is one of the best free VPN services, and it can be a fine replacement for Opera VPN. It is dedicated to privacy and it is very generous when it comes to bandwidth limits, with a 10 GB cap per month. It provides acceptable speed rates on the servers available for free, and it can work with Netflix.
- Hide Me: A popular VPN service based in Malaysia, Hide Me is available in iOS, macOS, Windows, Android, and Linux. It has servers in 30 locations, and it offers a plus and a premium model ($5, and $10 per month, respectively.) However, it is on this list because it has a free service, with three server locations and a 2 GB data transfer cap per 30 days. It has OpenVPN support and acceptable speeds for a no-cost feature.
Best VPN with a free trial
- NordVPN: While NordVPN costs around $11.95 per month, its two-year plan discount is off the charts, with the monthly fee going all the way down to $3.29. That isn’t the best part: you can get a three-day free trial with no hassle, no credit card or personal information involved. Additionally, the brand has a 30-day money-back guarantee. It offers access to 4,322 servers worldwide, a strict no logs policy, and connection to six devices at the same time, as well as 2048 encryption, DNS leak protection, a kill switch, and more.
- VyprVPN: Famous for the efficiency and strength of its Chameleon feature for encryption, VyprVPN offers full anonymity and online privacy. It has a three-day free trial, in which you can test its features and offerings, such as 700+ servers in 72 nations around the world, 200,000+ IP addresses, unlimited server switching, 24x7x365 support team, zero restrictions, and no download caps. As for the pricing, it has a standard and a premium service: the former checks in at $9.95, while the latter does it at $12.95.
Conclusion
In conclusion, while Opera VPN had its fair share of users around the web, there is no shortage of options when it comes to encryption and privacy services. The market provides alternatives at no cost, choices with a free trial and brands with a paid service, but a money-back guarantee.
