Best business VPN providers of 2020

Using one of the best VPNs is extremely important for any modern business which has a flexible and mobile workforce. As a VPN helps you protect business data by keeping a secure company network and internet connection. Which in turn, allows you to ensure and maintain high levels of privacy and security. 

This is especially helpful in the world of small businesses, which usually have limited resources to devote to managing security. Fortunately, there are business VPNs out there which are a breeze to set up and manage, plus they can be scaled to fit the organisation’s needs as it grows.

Business VPN vs Consumer VPN: the main differences

While business VPNs perform a similar function like consumer VPNs, there are some key differences. For starters, they are designed to protect the privacy of the whole business and they add additional protection against surveillance and hacking. Consumer VPNs are generally used for individual preferences like unblocking a website or service, while business VPNs are used for business security and data protection. 

In addition, business VPNs provide a dedicated IP address with a dedicated server, while the IP for the consumer VPNs might be shared with other users and can change every time you connect to the service. This also means that the servers are specially designed for business users.

One of the main differences is that the business VPN is designed for multiple users. It basically means the employees will use one universal account with the account manager having full control. Also, some providers have a minimum user requirement before they offer a business VPN service. An important notice is that the company will know what websites their employees visit when using a business VPN. 

Even the installation is different, although the actual installation will vary depending on the service but the company will usually get help from the VPN provider and their security experts.

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Best business VPN in 2020

Perimeter 81, offers a great business VPN experience for users who work across multiple devices and switch from one to another frequently.

It has well-designed clients for Windows, Mac, iOS and Android, is compatible with Linux, Linux X64 and Chromebook, and includes a single-click web management console. 

While the server coverage may be slightly limited, it didn’t bother us as we got above-average speeds in our performance tests. The provider upholds a strict no-logging policy. Perimeter 81 supports IKEv2, OpenVPN, L2TP and PPTP security protocols, WireGuard connector, features automatic Wi-Fi security, and business clients enjoy priority support around the clock.

Perimeter 81 has three business plans to choose from, depending on the number of users needed – including a custom plan if required. The packages available are:

• Essentials: $10 per team member, per month
• Premium: $15 per team member, per month
• Enterprise: Custom plan

NordVPN Teams is NordVPN's solution for businesses and corporate users benefit from the same sterling levels of security and reliability the provider is known for, alongside the added bonus of getting a dedicated account manager for business account holders. Companies also get a dedicated business VPN server for internal use, and each VPN account is assigned a dedicated IP address.

With the number of servers constantly growing, NordVPN is one of the better VPN providers when it comes to server numbers. It’s not the fastest network out there, but it’s fast enough – and more importantly, the NordVPN Teams is consistent in terms of its performance. 

This provider offers lots of security features, including double data encryption, a kill switch, and much more. NordVPN is privacy-focused, keeping no logs of user activity and requiring no company details to purchase. 

Do note that there is no there’s no pricing scheme laid out on the website, and you have to fill in a form to get a quote. Depending on your exact needs, you can select between 5 and 51+ users.

• Pricing only available as an individual quote

Encrypt.me Business VPN is a great choice for smaller teams who frequently use multiple devices. This is because the provider supports an unlimited number of devices which isn't something you see often. Apart from that, the provider offers very solid performance and it's quite simple to use.

Encrypt.me works on all major platforms, including iOS, Android, MacOS and Windows, and it's available via Amazon as well. Each employee will have to download the app and they'll be ready to use it in minutes. 

Security is very good with several interesting features available. You have DNS protection, Auto-Secure function, and private endpoints, so employees can connect to the office network remotely. As for privacy, there is some session logging though, so this might not be ideal for every business.

The pricing is flexible and it's based on how much team members you need. The price starts at $15.98 per month for a minimum of 2 members.

• Encrypt.me for Teams - $15.98 per month for two members.

VyprVPN manages all of its own servers which definitely shows when it comes to performance levels. In our tests, we found our download speeds more than doubled compared to our normal rates with the VPN turned off – it doesn’t come any better than that.

Vypyr provides you with easy-to-use and intuitive software for overall account management, as well as apps for all major platforms. In addition to OpenVPN, PPTP and L2TP/IPsec protocols, VyprVPN offers additional security features like a NAT Firewall and its own Chameleon technology (which got upgraded to 2.0 version) for preventing deep packet inspection (DPI), VPN blocking and throttling. 24/7 live chat support is in place for when you need assistance.

Interestingly, there isn't much information listed on the website regarding the business plans. To find out more about them, and discover the exact pricing, you have to apply for a free trial or contact customer support. There are two of these plans pitched pretty closely together, starting from $299 and $349 respectively. The packages available are:

• Get 40% off VyprVPN's annual plans - Get VyprVPN here.  
• VyprVPN for Business - $299 a year 
• VyprVPN for Business Cloud - $349 a year

Hotspot Shield delivers a consistently fast VPN with competitive pricing for consumers, and its business offering is no different. In performance terms, our tests showed a significant increase in download speeds with a slight increase in upload speeds compared to our normal rates, and barely any change in latency.

On the downside, this business VPN doesn’t offer any management software so you only have native apps at your disposal. 

The privacy policy is favorable, not keeping any logs, and on the security front you get all the usual protocols. Additional features include private browsing and virtual locations, among others. There’s dedicated customer support in case you run into any hiccups.

You can choose from three plans, and they are quite affordable with the lower-end plan being a laudably cheap option for small businesses (although it might be that these prices aren't accurate anymore and you'll have to contact the company for exact information). The packages available are:

• 1-month - $39.99
• 6-months - $179.94 ($29.99 a month)
• 1-year - $239.88 ($19.99 a month)

TorGuard certainly has a huge selection of servers, meaning you should never have a problem finding a reliable connection. That said, our testing revealed only average levels of performance, with some spikes in latency. Still, the speed trade-off might well be worth it as you get tons of options to set up your VPN experience on any OS.

Every TorGuard business VPN account comes with a 24/7 dedicated account manager and access to a dedicated VPN management portal. Security-wise, TorGuard takes care of business (ahem) with all the regular protocols, 256-bit AES encryption, and a ‘Stealth VPN’ option that avoids deep packet inspection.

There are three business price plans plus a custom option. Each gets you unlimited access and support, the only difference being the number of users covered, and dedicated IP and email addresses. The packages available are:

• Starter - $69 a month
• Small - $110 a month
• Medium - $169 a month
• Custom plan

• We’ve rounded up the best free VPN

How to choose the best VPN for business

Obviously, protecting sensitive business data is the main priority here, so you need a VPN with the beefiest levels of security. Since you’ll be handling multiple accounts at once, for multiple staff members, quality management software or a dedicated account manager are important considerations.

Having access to plenty of server locations is always a good thing, particularly when it comes to a mobile workforce, and nippy performance is handy for transferring large files or perhaps partaking of HD videoconferencing. Another important factor is the number of connections available and supported devices, which must suit the size of your firm and the hardware your employees use.

Also consider

1. Jungle disk: It is an easy, secure VPN access for small businesses supporting SSL and IPsec including remote access and site-to-site. There's no hardware purchase, no setup fees, all pay-as-you-go monthly, in a fully managed provider. It is aimed at 2-250 employee businesses with under 10 locations. 

• As little as $4.9 per employee (up to 10 employees) per month, per location.
• As little as $0.89 per employee (up to 100 employees) per month, per location with dedicated static public IP, port forwarding.
• As little as $0.56 per employee (up to 250 employees) per month, per location, with dedicated static public IP, port forwarding, Gigabit network interfaces, up to 4 LAN or Wi-Fi networks and site-to-site and 3rd-party VPN

2. ibVPN : Their VPN is best for securing your company’s data with military grade encryption while working remotely and to access business tools while traveling or when connected to public WiFi. They claim that they "provide the most complete business VPN solution offering fast VPN servers, SmartDNS and Proxies to make sure it suits all your company's needs", adding "for easy access we have developed VPN clients for major OS (Windows, Mac, iOS and Android) so even the less techie can connect in seconds with a simple click."

• Small Business VPN 7 (VPN + SmartDNS) - 7 simultaneous connections from $8.32 per month (billed yearly)
• Small Business VPN 15 (VPN + SmartDNS) - 15 simultaneous connections from $16.66 per month (billed yearly)
• Small Business VPN 25 (VPN + SmartDNS) - 25 simultaneous connections from $33.32 per month (billed yearly)

3. Hide.me : This VPN is geared towards "any company which wants to give its employees the geographical freedom to work without compromising on their security, any company which wants to make sure that their employees are always secure even while using public Wi-Fi connections, any company which does not want to spend a lot of time on administrating its VPN solution and any company which does not want to spend a lot of money on their VPN solution."  Hide.me’s Business VPN offers a flexible Windows SDK to control the VPN connection over an API. You can bundle the SDK into your existing application or just build your GUI on top of it. With their API, you can automatically create, delete, disable, and enable VPN accounts.  They don't ask you to pay upfront and offers a monthly consolidated billing option so that you pay only for accounts that have been active.