Schools and colleges restrict their students from accessing certain websites and streaming services in order to make sure they do not waste their time and that they remain focused. Though schools do this with good intentions, this might prevent students from accessing websites for research purposes.
In such situations, you will need a VPN to break the barriers set by your school and access anything you wish. With a trustworthy VPN, you can access any website or service of your choice from your school network. Though schools block social media and other websites for good reasons, it could be frustrating when you are unable to access certain websites for educational purposes. So the only way to bypass restrictions and access all your favorite services is by using a VPN.
Why Do You Need a VPN for School?
Schools block various social media websites and other websites they think would divert their students. They do so to prevent their students from spending too much time on social media websites like Facebook and also from watching videos on YouTube.
So if you would like to access certain websites for educational purposes, you may not be able to access them because of the restrictions. To gain access to such blocked content, you will need a VPN. A VPN that can bypass restrictions laid by your school and will let you access blocked educational websites.
With a trustworthy VPN, you can unblock any kind of blocked content and also torrent or download useful videos without revealing your identity. At the same time, you can be assured that your personal data will remain private and anonymous. A good VPN will let you stay anonymous, which means you can stay away from the eyes of your school and your ISP, as well. No one can see what websites you have visited and what you have downloaded.
While there are a lot of VPN services, we have listed the top five VPNs that are trustworthy and are great for schools. Read on to know what are the top VPN services that will let you access blocked content and also help you stay secure online.
Top 5 VPNs for School
- NordVPN
- Surfshark VPN
- ExpressVPN
- IPVanish VPN
- Ivacy VPN
NordVPN – Excellent service with a huge server network
Our top recommendation for schools is NordVPN. This VPN has a good server network in almost all countries across the globe. You can connect to one of its secure servers to access anything you wish, from your school and anywhere else.
This VPN has a good record of unblocking blocked streaming services like Amazon Prime Video, Netflix US, CBS, ESPN, HBO, Hulu, Sling TV, BBC iPlayer, and more. Similarly, unblocking blocked games like PUBG will be a breeze with NordVPN.
On the security front, there are no features that this VPN lacks. It comes with strong security features like 256-bit encryption, DNS leak protection, kill switch, and more. Some of its unique features include onion over VPN, double VPN, and CyberSec. Its double VPN feature encrypts your connection twice by passing it through two servers.
- 5200+ servers in 62 countries
- Use up to 6 devices
- Next-generation Encryption
- Double VPN Feature
- Strict no-logs policy
When it comes to server coverage, NordVPN is one of the VPNs that has the highest number of servers worldwide. It has over 5000 servers optimized for speed and streaming. Its super-fast servers are sure to offer you an uninterrupted browsing and streaming experience.
In addition, NordVPN comes with an in-built malware blocker and also ensures it does not store its users’ data by following a no-logs policy. It comes with a hassle-free money-back guarantee policy, using which you can test all the VPN features for free. To know more, head to our detailed NordVPN review.
Surfshark VPN – Comes with unlimited parallel connections and strong security features
One of our favorite VPNs, Surfshark VPN, is the best budget option for schools. This speedy VPN has over 3000 servers in 60+ countries. By connecting to one of those speedy servers, you can access any blocked service of your choice, no matter where you are.
You can access any streaming service like Netflix US, Hulu, HBO GO, Amazon Prime Video, Sling TV, and more. Similarly, you can unblock games like PUBG, Fortnite, and more. While letting you unblock all blocked streaming services from anywhere in the world, Surfshark VPN will make sure your personal data is safe and anonymous.
It assures strong security and anonymity; it ensures no data will be logged by following a strict no-logs policy. For strong security and encryption, Surfshark VPN uses 256-bit encryption and comes with other security features like CleanWeb, kill switch, Camouflage mode, NoBorders mode, DNS leak protection, and more.
- Connect unlimited Devices
- AES-256-GCM encryption
- IP & DNS leak protection
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Free Browser Extensions
- Strict no-logs policy
One of its features that makes it a better and affordable option is that it lets its users connect as many devices as they like to the VPN at a time. This way, you can share your VPN connection with your peers in school without spending a lot.
It has apps for all platforms and devices, including Android, Linux, Mac, iOS, and Windows. To know more about its device compatibility and money-back guarantee, we recommend reading our detailed Surfshark VPN review.
ExpressVPN – Super-fast and secure VPN
ExpressVPN, our next recommendation for schools, is the fastest VPN. This highest-rated VPN has over 3000 VPN servers in around 90 countries worldwide. With its servers optimized for speed, you can access any website or streaming service you wish.
On the security front, ExpressVPN comes with all the top security and privacy features so that you can stay completely secure and anonymous online. Strong 256-bit encryption, VPN split tunneling, kill switch, and private DNS are among its security features.
It also comes with easy-to-use apps for mobile and desktop devices. So you can use any device to access your favorite show or movie on any streaming service like Netflix US, Hulu, HBO, Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, and more.
- 160 server locations
- Network Lock kill switch
- Zero-knowledge DNS
- VPN split tunneling
- Stream Sports online
It supports P2P activity and torrenting will be a breeze with this VPN. ExpressVPN works well with routers, Android tablets and phones, Windows, Mac, iOS devices, Linux, Chromebook, Amazon Kindle Fire, and Windows Phone.
Though it does not offer a free trial, you can test all its premium VPN features for free using its 30-day money-back guarantee. You can check out our detailed review of ExpressVPN to know more about its features.
IPVanish – Unlimited bandwidth & connections at an affordable price
One of the top-rated VPNs, IPVanish is a fast and easy-to-use VPN service that comes at an affordable price. It comes with all the required security features and will make sure you are anonymous while browsing the web.
It uses 256-bit encryption technology to encrypt your data and the OpenVPN protocol. It does not retain any kind of logs, so that you need not worry about anyone getting their hands on your personally identifiable data, which includes your browsing history, IP address, and more. It comes with the internet kill switch so that you need not worry even if your VPN connection drops for a short while as this kill switch will disconnect your internet connection until your VPN connection is back.
This VPN allows unmetered connections, which means you can connect all your devices to the VPN and also share your connection with your friends in school.
- 1,500+ VPN servers
- 40,000+ shared IPs
- Unthrottled speed
- 256-bit AES encryption
- Unmetered connections
IPVanish has over 1500 super-fast VPN servers in over 70 countries worldwide. You can connect to one of those servers to stream shows or to torrent files of your choice. While you do what you wish online, you can be assured that your data will be safe online.
There is a money-back guarantee so that you can test the service before you subscribe for a long-term plan. Check out our detailed IPVanish VPN review to know more.
Ivacy VPN – Secure VPN with unlimited bandwidth
One of the budget-friendly VPNs, Ivacy VPN is our next choice for schools. It offers strong security and unlimited bandwidth for streaming, torrenting, and browsing. It has over 2000 fast-speed servers optimized for speed and high performance.
Almost all its servers unblock all popular streaming services like Netflix US, HBO, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, ESPN, and more. Similarly, unblocking games like PUBG, Fortnite, etc will be a breeze.
It has over 2000 speedy servers across the globe and all these servers support P2P activity. Using Ivacy VPN, you can effortlessly bypass restrictions on your school WiFi. You can access streaming services, games, and also torrent useful files as you wish.
- 3500+ Servers in 100+ Locations
- 10 Devices Simultaneous Logins
- Unlimited Bandwidth
- Malware Protection
- P2P Support
This VPN is great for secure and anonymous browsing. You can use Ivacy VPN on any of your devices as it is compatible with Mac, iOS, Windows, Linux, Android, and more. It allows up to five concurrent sessions so you can connect multiple devices to the VPN at the same time.
If you would like to know more about this VPN, you can read our detailed review of Ivacy VPN. Likewise, if you would like to try its services for free, you can do so using its 30-day money-back guarantee.
Best Free VPNs for School
Most schools block certain content like social media websites, games, and streaming services. Likewise, many block VPN services and schools find it easy to block free VPNs as they have fewer IP addresses. Free VPNs, on the other hand, are not reliable when compared to the paid VPN services.
Many are known to sell their users’ data to third parties, which could be hackers, as well. They do it for monetary returns as they too need money to run their services. So it is not safe to go for a free VPN if you prioritize online security and privacy.
Free VPNs come with data caps, unlike premium VPNs. You will run out of such free data soon, after which you will have to wait for a month to get more free data. If you go for a premium VPN, you need not worry about data caps and you can use as much data as you wish.
Free VPNs may not be able to evade blocks imposed by your school. But this may not be the case with premium VPNs. These are a few reasons why we recommend using paid VPN services.
How to Choose a Secure VPN for School?
Like anyone else, you might also be tempted to use any VPN you come across as all the VPNs offer similar features. But not all VPNs offer the features you might be looking for. You will need to do some research before you finalize a VPN to bypass the restrictions your school has placed.
You will have to choose a VPN service that is reliable and the one, your school, will not be able to block. Look for a VPN with a good server network and one that offers a good number of IP addresses.
VPN protocols matter too. Make sure the VPN service you choose uses the OpenVPN protocol. Having obfuscated servers is a plus, as this unique feature will allow you to obfuscate your internet traffic. This way, your internet traffic will look like regular HTTPS traffic and no one can make out that you are connected to a VPN.
Apart from that, it is wise to go for a VPN service that offers security features like kill switch, 256-bit encryption, no logs policy, DNS leak protection, Tor over VPN, and more.
Summary
You need a trustworthy VPN for school to evade restrictions your school has placed. A good VPN will let you get around all kinds of restrictions. It will also keep your data safe while you access blocked websites online. However, it is important to choose the one that is best and also the one that will not put a dent in your pocket.
If you are still confused, we would recommend going for NordVPN. This VPN comes with all the top VPN features and is also budget-friendly for students. In addition, to know more about VPNs, check out our detailed articles on VPNs to better understand how VPNs work.
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