Best VPN for remote work

Virtual private networks (VPNs) have been a staple of the workplace for decades, allowing secure site-to-site and remote access to the internal network. With the rise of consumer VPNs that enhance internet encryption and bypass geo-restrictions and national firewalls, providers now offer the best of both worlds at affordable prices.

Whether you’re a sole freelancer that wants additional internet security or a business that needs a remote work solution without exorbitant in-house running costs, NordVPN and other seven best VPNs offer easy-to-use apps for all modern devices. Assign your workforce dedicated IPs, access home or office devices on the go, and keep snoopers and ransom attackers at bay.

Our 8 Best VPNs for secure remote work

NordVPN, which we reviewed here, has a Meshnet feature that allows access to devices for teams of up to six per account. Larger organizations can purchase multiple accounts or make the jump to NordLayer, which is aimed at businesses and streamlines the process.

On its own, NordVPN has all the core VPN features, along with lots of extra privacy options to make remote work as secure as possible. Double VPN encrypts data twice by routing traffic through two separate servers. The kill switch halts all internet traffic if the VPN connection drops. For remote workers in restrictive countries, obfuscation hides the fact that a VPN is being used, so strict ISPs and government censors are kept out of the loop.

If your company requires a static IP to help authenticate logins, it also offers dedicated IPs for an extra fee. These aren’t shared with any other NordVPN users, so the office will always know who is accessing its resources.

With a 10Gbps server infrastructure, users will never experience lag, and for workers that want access to their regular home internet connection, split tunneling lets you choose the work apps to encrypt and the home apps that can be left untouched.

It supports Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and Linux devices. All things considered, NordVPN is the top all-rounder, but it’s best suited for individual workers or smaller teams due to its consumer-based plans.

NordLayer is Nord’s business VPN solution that offers a cloud VPN with site-to-site configurations. Its large server network spans 60 countries, allowing remote employees to seamlessly access the company’s resources, regardless of their physical location.

Additionally, its 26 dedicated IPs provide the flexibility to assign team-specific IPs for authentication, so nobody else can breach the network.

Its 10Gbps infrastructure and proprietary NordLynx protocol creates fast and secure encryption between remote devices and the company. Snoopers and hackers can never trace or intercept employee traffic and the kill switch halts everything in the rare case of disconnection.

NordLayer Smart Access caters to both remote and hybrid teams. You can easily establish a virtual LAN for resource access, while the site-to-site VPN creates dedicated gateways, enabling different offices to integrate with the local network.

The zero-trust feature lets you set rules to authenticate users, devices, and IPs, with different permission levels for different resources.

Prices start as low as $8/mo per user, with countless plans tailored to your needs. It supports Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and all common Linux distros.

Tailscale is aimed at businesses that wish to set up a mesh network between its workers’ devices without using servers operated by Tailscale. This means the provider itself doesn’t need a traditional no-logs policy, as you and your team are in charge.

One benefit is that speeds are not reliant on disparate VPN servers because traffic is end-to-end encrypted as it passes between approved devices. It uses the WireGuard protocol, which is known for its security and low latency. The downside is organizations need to host their own primary device or server, so it isn’t practical for individuals.

Site-to-site networking works with cross-cloud and infra-environments for secure data transfer. Remote workers can access resources, whether that be files, VMs, containers, or databases, from wherever they are in the world. With over 100 integrations, you do not have to give up your current stack either.

Tailscale is highly configurable, but the basic principle is to set up a primary device with admin privileges and then approve remote worker devices to join the network. This is much closer to a traditional virtual private network than the consumer VPNs popularized in recent years.

Tailscale plans are easily scalable, starting at 100 total devices and 10 devices per user. For the $18/mo per user premium plan, you get 20 devices per user, while an enterprise plan is negotiable. A limited version of the service is free forever, which allows three users to test it before committing to a paid plan.

TorGuard’s business VPN solutions are perfect for remote work thanks to a fast 3,000 server foundation that covers over 50 countries. Wherever your team members are based, there’s a 10Gbps server that supports unlimited bandwidth and devices. Even those in heavily restricted countries can use stealth servers to bypass ISPs and government blocks.

The user app can be installed on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and Linux. It also supports DDWRT and Tomato routers, and you can add one of its own VPN routers to your plan. Advanced leak prevention ensures WebRTC and other leak triggers don’t prevent you from using VoIP and in-browser Skype and Zoom sessions.

Plans currently start from $32/mo for a five-user team, who all get their own encrypted email account. A dedicated IP is also included for authentication. At the top end, the $169/mo plan supports 20 users and 10 dedicated IPs.

If you want to ditch the office network completely, its new Cloud VPN links all your devices together for secure collaboration and resource access. The admin gets a user management portal to set permissions and other features and a dedicated account manager is available 24/7 for support.

As one of the best consumer VPNs, Surfshark is a good pick for remote workers. Not only does it support unlimited devices and connections, its antivirus, ad-blocker, and safe search ensure your device never impedes your workplace’s security.

Split-tunneling lets you simultaneously enjoy all your personal apps and sites without sacrificing the security of work-related apps.

In total, Surfshark is backed by 3,200 servers in 100 countries, so whether you’re working from home or a faraway beach, a suitable location is a click or tap away. Moreover, its 1-10Gbps network ensures fast speeds whatever the nature of your work.

For an added fee, dedicated IPs provide a trusted identifier when accessing company resources. Should the VPN connection drop, its automatic kill switch will pause activity until it reconnects and you’re safe to reauthenticate.

Opting for the Surfshark One plan introduces 24/7 antivirus protection, webcam protection, and real-time protection from spyware, malware, ads, and tracking cookies.

Private Internet Access is not strictly aimed at businesses, but it supports unlimited devices under one affordable account and has all the features you need to securely connect to a company network remotely.

It’s particularly useful for U.S. teams as it offers dedicated IPs in six countries, with most available in the U.S. Moreover, it has some of the fastest VPN speeds in the United States off the back of 10Gbps hardware. Assign team members an IP and you can trust it’s them logging in. You might consider adding its VPN router to the plan to protect all devices in-office too.

Remote workers can install apps on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS. For additional security, choose multi-hop to route traffic through two VPN servers or obfuscation to hide VPN usage from ISPs and prevent throttling.

Naturally, remote workers will be using a combination of devices that might include personal apps. The split tunneling feature lets you choose work-related apps to encrypt and personal apps that can use a regular internet connection.

The only downside is this is a consumer VPN, so don’t expect an advanced control panel or the ability to manage network resources or permission levels.

Cloud technology has transformed the workplace networks of old, rendering traditional virtual private networks obsolete in terms of cost and security. Perimeter 81’s cloud VPN provides a solution tailored to remote workers.

Whether halfway across the world or a branch office in another state, remote workers can seamlessly access the same internal network, enjoying access to critical resources as if they were physically present at their work desk. All data is sent via an encrypted tunnel, so no outsiders can gain access. By assigning static IPs, zero trust and permission levels can be easily enforced.

For remote workers in restrictive countries, Perimeter 81 ensures they can also bypass blocks on important apps like Skype and Zoom.

The service requires no in-house hardware and admins can manage internal resources, users, and analytics from a single dashboard. Management and workers get their pick of intuitive apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and Linux.

The VPN solution is available at $8/mo per user, with a minimum of 10 users. For an always-on VPN, you must choose the $16/mo per user Premium Plus plan.

If you’re a remote worker that wants to secure your home device, CyberGhost should be high on your list. Depending on your location, features such as obfuscation are useful for masking VPN usage from heavy-handed ISPs and governments, while split-tunneling can encrypt your connection to work while leaving gaming, streaming, and other activities untouched.

A secure company will want to know it’s you accessing the network, so a dedicated IP add-on is a must. This gives you a single IP address from a location of your choosing that isn’t shared with any other CyberGhost users.

The VPN can handle any type of traffic without leaks, so video conferencing and calls are safe to make. Its 1-10Gbps infrastructure also means you won’t be stuck with a poor connection when trying to carry out important tasks.

While CyberGhost is primarily aimed at the individual remote worker, it can still be useful in teams of up to seven and there’s nothing stopping companies purchasing multiple accounts for the office or their remote employees.

Choosing the best VPN for remote work for you

Remote work is here to stay, so it’s important for individuals and businesses to secure their networks with VPNs. For individuals, NordVPN ticks all the boxes and its Meshnet device-to-device technology benefits businesses too.

Sticking with Nord, teams and companies can benefit further from its sister product, NordLayer, which offers exceptional per-user value and gives centralized control over the VPN and other features.

Other picks like TourGuard have a wide variety of business plans to suit your needs, while Perimeter 81 takes the traditional VPN concept to the cloud to reduce in-house hardware.