Since more and more employees have switched to working from home, cyber criminals have been innovating new technologies to infiltrate businesses and cause destruction. Therefore, it’s crucial for businesses to take action to fend off against malware, spyware, DDoS attacks, and other online dangers. Even smaller, home-based businesses are at risk of their devices being infected, their actions being monitored, and their financial information being stolen. According to reports, over 66% of small to midsize businesses have experienced a cyberattack in the past year. This can not only jeopardise your privacy, but can also decrease your customers’ trust in you and lose you potential sales. If you regularly communicate through VoIP services, connect to public WiFi networks, or transfer money online, then using a VPN for your home-based business is an absolute must.
A VPN doesn’t have to disrupt your business’s day-to-day operations either. You can get on with your work as usual knowing that your sensitive data is safely protected against third parties and cybercriminals. Keep reading to discover the best VPNs for home-based businesses in 2022.
Did you know? Business losses to cybercrime data breaches are expected to exceed $5 trillion by 2024! Avoid this by using a VPN for your home-based business!
The best VPNs for home-based businesses quick guide
- Surfshark – Best overall choice
- NordVPN – Robust security and intuitive app
- ProtonVPN – Low-cost and open-source
Try out Surfshark* for your business now!
What makes a good VPN for home-based businesses?
Not sure how to choose the right VPN? Check out the top features that are a must-have to protect your business! (You can find out more about VPNs with out useful VPN feature guide and answers to common VPN questions in 2022!)
- Secure – The most important feature of your VPN is its encryption standard. You need military-grade AES-256 encryption to prevent hackers from ever accessing or deciphering your data. Other helpful security features include a kill switch, which automatically cuts your device’s connection to the internet if it detects a sudden interruption. You can also benefit from additional features such as split-tunnelling support, DNS leak prevention, and multi-factor authentication. For privacy purposes, we also recommend that you only use a VPN that has a strict no-logs policy, which ensures that your sensitive business or personal data is never monitored, collected, or shared.
- Affordable – We understand that you probably don’t want to splash out on expensive software for your small business. Luckily, many VPNs are reasonably priced and won’t put too much of a dent in your budget. We also advise you to check out how many simultaneous connections are supported by your chosen VPN, as you don’t want to have to spend money on multiple subscriptions if you have a significant number of devices you want to protect.
- Supported on various OS – Depending on which operating system you use, you’ll want to be sure that your chosen VPN is supported. Many of the top VPNs are available on any Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS device. Some even have Linux support. If you’re looking to protect all devices under your home network, then we suggest you opt for a VPN that has an app available for your router.
- Ad-blocker – There are over 450,000 new types of malware that are detected every single day, and are often lurking in seemingly harmless websites. By using a VPN that has an included ad-blocking feature, you can block dangerous websites that have been blacklisted for hosting malware, ransomware, or spyware. Ad-blocking can also increase your workflow speed, as ads can severely slow down page loading times.
Our top recommended VPNs for smaller businesses
Here are the best VPNs for home-based businesses based on their prices, features, secuitry, and reliability –
Surfshark
The overall best VPN for protecting your business
Simultaneous connections – Unlimited
Servers – 3200 +
No-logs – Yes
Ad-blocker – Yes
For budget-friendly protection against cybercriminals, Surfshark is the ideal VPN choice for small, home-based businesses. With a large server network and impressive connection speeds, you can maximise your efficiency whilst also staying out of reach of data breaches and other potential online risks.
Surfshark’s unlimited simultaneous connections make it easier and cheaper than ever to protect all yours and your employee’s devices at once. The Surfshark app is available on any major operating system including Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and Linux. You can also protect your entire home network by installing this VPN on your router. Using the app is incredibly straightforward, so even if you’re not familiar with VPN technology, you’ll have no trouble connecting to available servers.
This VPN uses industry-leading AES-256-GCM encryption to secure all user data. There are other security features at hand including a kill switch, DNS leak protection, camouflage mode, and no borders mode. Surfshark also has ad-blocking software called CleanWeb which can help prevent malware from infecting your device. CleanWeb works by blocking all ads, banners, and pop-ups before they have a chance to load on your browser. Surfshark’s databases are continuously updated and already contain over one million infected websites, so you’ll be stopped from accidentally accessing any malware-infected websites.
If you have any questions or face any issues with this VPN, then you have a couple of options. Firstly, you can contact Surfshark’s 24/7 customer support team via live chat or email. Or, if you’d prefer, you can check out the website’s help center to troubleshoot issues. There’s also plenty of tutorials to read that can assist you with the setup of this VPN on your devices.
Try out Surfshark* now for 30 days with their money-back guarantee!
NordVPN
Highly secure VPN with advanced features
Simultaneous connections – 6
Servers – 5200+
No-logs – Yes
Ad-blocker – Yes
For the most robust VPN security features money can buy, look no further than NordVPN. With this VPN, your business’s data is without a doubt in the safest hands and firmly locked away from dangerous cybercriminals and nosey third parties. NordVPN also has plenty of servers to choose from in over 60 countries, so even when travelling and working abroad, your sensitive information is still protected.
You are permitted up to 6 simultaneous connections with NordVPN, but if that’s not enough, then you can install the app on your home router to protect all devices under the network with a single subscription. You can download NordVPN on any Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and Linux device, as well as most smart TV models. With NordVPN, you can use the quick connect function to instantly connect to the best available VPN.
Cyberattacks will have no chance against NordVPN’s AES 256-bit encryption, which is almost entirely impossible to crack. For further peace of mind, you can make use of other security features including a kill switch, obfuscated servers, DNS with leak protection, MFA, split tunnelling support, and dedicated IP. NordVPN also has ad-blocking technology, CyberSec, so you can enjoy both enhanced security and better performance on your devices. When activated, CyberSec will block you from accessing any site that is listed as hosting any form of malware in addition to blocking all types of ads including pop-ups and auto-plays.
As always, you can contact NordVPN’s 24/7 customer support team for any queries as well as checking out their FAQs section for tutorials and other useful resources. Additionally, you can take a look at NordVPN’s official YouTube channel for guides, updates, and tips.
Try out NordVPN* for 30 days with their money-back guarantee!
ProtonVPN
Well-designed app with low-cost plans
Simultaneous connections – 10
Servers – 1500+
No-logs – Yes
Ad-blocker – Yes
Another well-equipped, open-source VPN for home-based businesses is ProtonVPN. This VPN has plenty to offer users on a budget, including up to 10 simultaneous connections, which is typically more than enough for smaller businesses. ProtonVPN has over 1500 servers across 63 countries, making it a useful tool to take with you if you plan to travel and work abroad.
The ProtonVPN app can be installed on all Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and Linux devices. On whichever device you choose to download this VPN on, you can expect high-speed connections that will make your workflow more efficient than ever before. Additionally, ProtonVPN is based in Switzerland and is not required to keep logs of users’ internet activity, meaning that the provider can maintain a strict no-logs policy.
ProtonVPN takes its users’ security very seriously and protects all user traffic with AES-256 encryption. There is a range of other security features provided by this VPN including a kill switch, always-on functions, DNS leak prevention, and built-in Tor support. ProtonVPN also comes with NetShield, an ad-blocking feature that uses DNS filtering to speed up users’ browsing speed while protecting their devices against malware and other online dangers.
If you have any questions about this VPN then you can either submit a support form for a prompt reply or head to the website’s knowledge base for FAQs, tutorials, and how-tos. You can also try out ProtonVPN with their limited free plan which allows you to connect to servers in 3 countries with a single device. This is the perfect way to try out the VPN’s features before committing to a paid plan.
Try out ProtonVPN’s* free plan now!
A final note
Need a VPN for another purpose? Find out the best VPNs for phones or discover the basics of VPN technology!