About this episode

This episode discusses the benefits of VPNs and how to determine if you need one, along with reviews of popular VPNs.

VPNs, or virtual private networks, are nothing new. They’re a tool that grants your devices a more secure connection to the internet and have become increasingly popular since the introduction of age-verification on some websites to prevent children from accessing age-inappropriate content. In this episode of Which? Shorts, we explain what benefits a VPN can provide while you surf the web, and how you can decide how likely you are to benefit from using one. Plus, we reveal what we did to test some of the most popular VPNs to decide which ones are worthy of our coveted Best Buy. This episode is read by James Rowe and is based on an article written by Callum Pears, originally published in the April/May 2026 issue of Which? Tech Read our reviews of the VPNs we’ve tested on our website & sign up for our free monthly Tech newsletter If you're not already a member, join Which? to instantly listen to member exclusive podcasts and gain access to all of our product reviews - all for 50% off your first year's membership

People in this episode

Host: James Rowe

Topics covered

• VPN
• internet security
• age verification
• technology reviews
• online privacy

Keywords

• VPN
• virtual private network
• internet security
• age-inappropriate content
• tech reviews

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Which?

Books & works: Which? Tech

More episodes of Which?

• What is scambaiting? And why you shouldn’t try it yourself · May 7, 2026 · 36 min
• How to combat iron and vitamin B12 deficiencies · May 6, 2026 · 26 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Which? podcast page.