Best VPNs for Columbus

Columbus, Ohio

The city of Columbus, Ohio is the 14th most populous city in the United States and the third largest state capital. Its metro area houses just over 2 million people, which makes it the 32nd largest in the country. The city has several nicknames and there a few different reasons why people like to visit. No matter what your reasons are, you won’t want to use public WiFi there without a VPN. We’ll share more details in a moment. First, have a look at our list of the best VPNs for Columbus.

RankVPN ServiceOur
Score
Server
Locations
Visit
1ExpressVPN9.8160Visit ExpressVPN
2NordVPN9.487Visit NordVPN
3Private Internet Access9.295Visit PIA
4CyberGhost9.0110Visit CyberGhost
5IPVanish8.873Visit IPVanish

With all of the tourism in the area, many places in this “small town” are offering free WiFi to their customers. However, criminals also know that. Public WiFi can often give a false sense of security. That is the biggest reason to use a VPN to protect your privacy. When you do, you create a connection to a secured server. That makes it much more difficult for criminals to steal your data. No one wants to take a trip and become the victim of identity theft.

The next reason to use a VPN is to help you get around geo-restrictions or blackouts. Have you ever tried to watch a sports event and had it blacked out? That is a form of a geo-block. In other words, companies, countries, and campuses will block you from viewing certain content outside of a targeted area. In that case, you can connect to a VPN server located somewhere else. That way, you will fool the blocking software and it will think you are located somewhere else. No sports fan wants to miss out on a game just because of where they are. Whether it is for blackouts or other content, using a VPN is a good idea if you are inside or outside of a targeted area.

Those are two common reasons for using a VPN. If you are in Columbus or any other city, it will help you meet those goals. Keep in mind that you may find more reasons when you sign up for the service. From protecting your privacy from criminals to getting around blackouts and geo-blocks, using a VPN is crucial. Now that you see why it is important, let’s talk about the best options.

What is the best VPN for Columbus?

We focused on the following criteria to determine our list of the best VPNs for Columbus:

  • High VPN Speeds in the Columbus area
  • Large and stable network to help avoid disconnections
  • Military grade encryption to protect privacy
  • Providers with a no logs policy
  • Ability to get around sports blackouts and geo-blocks
  • Multi-platform support for devices including Amazon Firestick

Without further delay, here is a list of our choices for Columbus:


1. Best VPN for Columbus: ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN Devices

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A good reason to use ExpressVPN has to do with censorship. Whether you live in a restrictive country or plan to visit one, it is not hard to run into governmental restrictions. From political speech to social media to other types of banned content, ExpressVPN does a great job of protecting your privacy while you navigate the web. Since the company offers so many different server locations, you won’t have to worry about speed losses because you are trying to connect to a server outside your current region.

Columbus speed test

If you are a gamer, there is something cool you can do by connecting to a VPN server with ExpressVPN. One of the biggest gaming platforms in the world is Steam. It is prevalent and accessible everywhere. What you may not realize is that games have different prices, depending on what country you are in. You can connect to another country where your favorite game is cheaper. That way, you can get the best value for your money. Some countries to try for lower pricing include Brazil and India.

The ExpressVPN team goes the extra mile to provide a feature rich service. They are also strong privacy advocates. They offer a $5,000 Future of Privacy scholarship every year to help promote privacy among college students. Just a quick example of their dedication to spreading the message of privacy around the world. Just as important, they offer a premium network to allow for fast connections. This makes the service an excellent choice for downloading and streaming. Test their network for yourself with their 30-day money-back guarantee. Sign up for 12 months and get 3 months free with our ExpressVPN deal.

Want to learn more? Read our full ExpressVPN review.

Pros:

  • P2P support
  • AES-256 encryption
  • Works with Netflix and other streaming services
  • 100% Zero Logging
  • Works on all types of devices
  • Good customer support and refund policy

Cons:

  • Slightly more expensive than rivals
  • Lacks multi-hop functionality
Visit ExpressVPN

2. Best VPN for Columbus: NordVPN

NordVPN devices

If you have watched the news and are a gamer, you may already know what kind of an effect a DDoS (Distributive Denial of Service) attack can have on you. Those types of attacks can spell trouble, no matter what game you are playing. The way to avoid them is to connect to a VPN server with NordVPN. Since they can lock you out of your game based on your current IP address, changing it will stop that from happening. Then, you should be able to play like normal.

NordVPN Columbus speed test

If you are in the market for a VPN provider that is easy to operate, NordVPN is an excellent option to choose. Gone are the days when you had to be computer savvy to be able to connect to a VPN. Once you sign up, you simply need to download the version you want to use. The NordVPN client is available for Android, Windows. Linux, macOS, iOS, and Android. It also has browser extensions for Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome browsers.

Want to learn more? Read our full NordVPN review.

Pros:

  • Unblocks Netflix and BBC iPlayer
  • Internet and app kill switch
  • No DNS leaks
  • Based in Panama (privacy-friendly jurisdiction)
  • Double VPN feature
  • Supports torrenting

Cons:

  • Slow to connect in the Windows app
  • Discounts only apply to first payment term
Visit NordVPN

3. Best VPN for Columbus: PIA

Private Internet Access devices

Since the world now spends more time on mobile devices than desktop computers, WiFi grows ever-more essential. If you are one of the many that does, we suggest that you connect to a VPN server from Private Internet Access to protect your privacy. The truth is, hackers are mostly invisible. They could be across the room or at the next table over. Since using Private Internet Access will encrypt your WiFi data and utilize a firewall, you can make sure that everything you do is protected.

If you are one of the many people that like to stream sports on your favorite mobile device, connecting to a VPN server from Private Internet Access may be useful to you. More and more providers are allowing their users to watch some sports for free. Great examples of that include baseball and American football in the US. However, if you are traveling abroad or are otherwise outside of your home area, you would miss out on those games. By connecting to a VPN server you should be able to regain the access you wish.

Want to learn more? Read our full Private Internet Access review.

Pros:

  • PIA MACE blocks ads and trackers
  • Anonymous payment options
  • VPN kill switch feature
  • Blocks ads, trackers, and malware
  • Good torrent download speeds
  • Works with US Netflix

Cons:

  • Limited servers outside the US
  • Average speeds in the US
Visit Private Internet Access

4. Best VPN for Columbus: CyberGhost

CyberGhost devices

Some sports have international followings. However, countries have different levels of coverage. If you follow a sport that does not have the coverage you want, connecting to CyberGhost VPN is a good idea. When you do, you can access the coverage you want to see by connecting to a server in another region. Whether there is no easy way to watch the sport where you are, or you are looking for specific coverage, you can easily do that with a VPN.

CyberGhost Columbus speed test

For everyone that keeps a sharp eye on privacy, you will be glad to know that CyberGhost does, too. One of the ways they do that is by using 256-bit military-grade AES encryption as your chief option. Keep in mind that in many countries, ISPs have a legal obligation to store logs on their customers for as much as two years. Because of that, keeping yourself safe with a VPN should be as big of a priority to you as it is to them.

Want to learn more? Read our full CyberGhost review.

Pros:

  • Does not log user activity
  • Quarterly transparency reports
  • Random port option help get around blocks
  • NoSpy servers located in Romania
  • Automatic kill switch option

Cons:

  • Servers can get overloaded
  • Does not work well on Chromebook
Visit CyberGhost

5. Best VPN for Columbus: IPVanish

IPVanish devices

One of the significant advantages of connecting to a VPN server from IPVanish is the ability to help you get around censorship. If you have ever been to a foreign country, you may quickly realize that the government bans some content. For those that visit counties where that happens, you know it can be frustrating. Whether the content you are trying to access is political, social media, news, or others, IPVanish is an excellent choice to make when trying to circumvent it.

IPVanish Columbus speed test

If you are worried about getting things set up correctly or need help, IPVanish has you covered. On their site, you can find many VPN set up guides to help you get everything going. If you can not find the answer you need, they offer an email ticketing system. While they do not give a specific time as to when they will get back to you, they state it will be as soon as possible. If you would rather talk to someone in person, they also offer a live 24/7 chat feature. This is our recommendation for getting quick answers from their customer support team.

Want to learn more? Read our full IPVanish review.

Pros:

  • They do not use virtual servers
  • Own their DNS servers for better privacy
  • No IP or DNS leaks
  • Kill switch for Windows, Mac and Android
  • Supports P2P / torrent users

Cons:

  • Price increases after first term
  • Fails to unblock DAZN
Visit IPVanish
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