When searching for the best VPN services on the market, you have surely come across several features that are supposed to make the service worthwhile.
Along with top-notch security features, a strict no-logging policy, and strong encryption, providers tout the ability to use their VPN on many devices at once as a huge benefit. In recent years, device allotments have increased, with some of the top services even offering unlimited simultaneous connections to their users.
The user benefit, they say, is that you'll be able to use one VPN subscription for all of your tech, including laptops, PCs, smartphones, TV streamers, routers, and more.
However, data collected by TechRadar shows that this feature might not be as useful as you think. The vast majority of VPN users simply do not use all of their connections simultaneously.
Unnecessary simultaneous connections
We asked over 2400 TechRadar readers how they use their VPNs and found that only 11% use their VPN service on more than five individual devices. While around 3 in 5 respondents use theirs on just three or fewer different devices.
However, when asked to rate the importance of having many simultaneous connections when choosing a provider, more than half answered “important” or “very important”.
So while the vast majority of users don't actually use their VPN on the maximum number of devices, having more offers still adds value when people choose their VPN provider.
While unlimited simultaneous connections seem a bit redundant, nearly 75% of VPN subscribers agree on the importance of having a good variety of apps available for different operating systems, whether it's for your Android VPN or iPhone VPN, Windows , macOS, Linux, Smart TV or game console.
Another striking result concerns the price of a product, with nearly 70% of respondents telling us they would be happy to pay more if it meant they were assured of a higher level of privacy.
VPN connection assignments at a glance
Among the best VPN services, there is a lot of difference in terms of the number of connections it offers.
For example, our highest rated provider, ExpressVPN, has a limit of five devices. It's the lowest among our preferred providers, tied with Hotspot Shield and TunnelBear.
NordVPN is a bit more generous, offering six, while Proton VPN and Private Internet Access (PIA) raise the bar to 10. And Surfshark and IPVanish do all the grabbing, their users have no limit on the maximum number of devices they can connect. . at the same time. weather.
Given these results, it would have been thought that consumers greatly appreciated this feature when choosing their product. Similarly, we think that a service with fewer simultaneous connections could suffer against more generous competitors; in fact, this is something we have frequently criticized ExpressVPN and NordVPN for in the past.
But apparently not. Time and time again, quality and functionality seem to be preferred over quantity.
While many carriers seem to continue to invest in increasing their maximum device allotment to stay ahead of the competition, it seems like it would be better to focus on more pressing items. Offering a more complete product, such as a VPN and antivirus suite, for example, is just one way to meet the needs of an ever-changing cybersecurity world.
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