Rachel Lyles 
Recently, schools and colleges started to block access to online services massively. The list includes social media, streaming platforms, torrent sites, game-related sites, and more. The reason – to help the students focus on study books instead of watching their favorite shows. Thankfully, with the use of a VPN, you can avoid all those restrictions with one single tap.
According to statistics, such restrictions are one of the reasons Virtual Private Networks are so popular these days. In this post, we’ll help you find the best VPN for school, one that’s equally capable and affordable. Some of the following services are free, while others have free trials and MBG (Money-Back Guarantee). If you’re not ready to subscribe to a yearly plan, these offers will be of great help.
Why Do You Need a VPN at School?
Apart from taking the edge off after hours of studying, students also need the Internet to do some research. For example, on YouTube, you’ll find numerous helpful videos/guides. Sadly, there are dozens of useful websites that you simply can’t access while at school.
Communication is also a very important element of education, but, as mentioned, social media or messengers are usually banned.
Besides, a public Wi-Fi network at school is vulnerable to potential attacks from the outside. That means hackers can get access to personal information without you even knowing it. A VPN will make sure the connection is well secured by hiding the actual IP of your device.
How to Use a VPN to Unblock Games and Websites at School?
Installation is straightforward. All you have to do is pick a VPN you like, choose a subscription plan, and pay using one of the available methods. Once you download the installation file, follow the instructions – that’s it! For accessing Netflix, you’ll need to connect to a US-based server – that’s where the company’s HQ is located.
As a general rule, try to find servers that are located as close to you as possible. That will make sure the drop in stability and connection speed is minimum. And now that we discussed the basics let us take a look at our top five picks, the best VPNs to unblock websites at school
1.ExpressVPN
- Incredibly Fast and Stable Connection Speeds
- User-Friendly, Lightweight Apps
- An Impressive Line-Up of Servers
- AES 256-Bit Encryption; OpenVPN
- Highly Flexible and Versatile
- Only Protection For Up To Three Connections
- The Monthly Plan Is Expensive
With 2000+ servers in 94 countries and industry-leading security algorithms, ExpressVPN is the obvious leader. The list of special features includes Split Tunneling, Kill Switch, DNS/IP Leaks Protection, and more. Add P2P support (for torrenting) and easy access to most streaming services, and you’ll see why it’s so popular. ]
Finally, customer support is fast and friendly, while the company sticks to the zero-logs policy. The HQ is located in the BVI, which means they don’t belong to any surveillance alliances like Fourteen Eyes. However, this is a rather expensive service, and it can only protect three devices at once. There is no free trial with this provider, but, you can always count on a refund. Thanks to the MBG, users can request a refund within 30 days.
2.AVG Secure VPN
- Excellent Customer Support
- Capable Of Accessing Streaming Platforms
- Kill Switch And DNS/IP Leaks Protection
- Poor Connection Speed and Stability
- Not the Best Option for Torrenting
- Only a Handful Of Servers at Your Disposal
Security-wise, it’s above average, but connection stability is ten times worth than with ExpressVPN. Plus, although the HQ is in the Czech Republic, the company doesn’t follow its own policy. It is known to log personal info of their users for three months. There’s no telling whether they are sharing all that information with any third parties or not. And, while the monthly plan is cheap, the yearly subscription costs just as much as ExpressVPN.
3.CyberGhost
- A Strong And Reliable Server Network
- Protection For Up To Seven Devices
One Of The Fastest VPNs On The Market
- Excellent Choice For Accessing Streaming Services
- Zero-Logs; HQ Is In Romania
- The Provider doesn’t support torrenting
- The Apps Still Require Some Polishing
Along with ExpressVPN, this is one of the fastest and most reliable VPNs out there. It comes packed with almost the same set of features as the rivals (OpenVPN, Kill Switch, AES 256-bit, and more). Customer support also deserves our praise. It is fast, friendly, and always has helpful answers.
Torrenting (the P2P protocol, to be exact) is allowed, but it isn’t officially supported, which means you’ll have to do it at your own risk. For watching streaming platforms, however, CyberGhost is a fantastic choice.CyberGhost’s MBG also lasts for 30 days. Plus, there’s a 7-day trial available, which is more than enough to test the product
5.TunnelBear
- Comes with a Free Version
- Very Straightforward and Easy to Use
- Strict No-Logs Policy
- Strong Encryption Protocols
- Highly Flexible and Versatile
- The Free Edition Has a 500MB Data Cap
- Slow and Unreliable on Long-Range Connections
The most significant advantage of this VPN over the others on the list is the free version. It can only be used to protect one device (perfect for your Smartphone while at school). TunnelBear has some of the most easy-to-use clients/apps for Win, Mac, iOS, and Android. Security-wise, it features all the latest achievements, including OpenVPN, AES 256-bit encryption, and more.
4.NordVPN
- Industry-Leading Security
- Very Flexible Regarding Pricing
- Full Support Of The P2P Protocol
- Easy Access To Netflix/BBC iPlayer
- Protection For Up To Six Devices
- 5000 Servers
- No-Logs Policy
- The List Of Available Features Is Modest
- The Monthly Plan Is Almost As Expensive As ExpressVPN
With NordVPN, you can count on a 30-day MBG and a 7-day trial. But, to get that trial, the users are required to provide an email and credit card number. The biggest advantages of this VPN are the top-notch security protocols and the server network. It gives access to over 5000 servers around the world!
The list includes P2P, Tor-over-VPN, and double-encrypted servers. NordVPN is available on Win, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and as an extension for Chrome and Firefox.
Bottom Line
That’s it for our list of the best Virtual Private Networks for school. Hopefully, with the help of this guide, you’ll be able to find a relatively cheap and capable solution. Apart from giving you access to study materials online, a VPN has many different advantages. As mentioned in the beginning, it is a vital tool for keeping your data private and secure.
Furthermore, you’ll be able to communicate with friends around the globe and watch Netflix without the principals ever knowing about it. With a VPN installed on your device, it is very easy to overcome any firewall or even geo restrictions. To quickly check something on a website, a free service will suffice. However, for staying connected 24/7 and streaming/downloading, unlimited bandwidth is a must.