With Google, you never know which service will be discontinued next. The search engine giant is known for shutting down services out of the blue, and the latest one is VPN by Google One. Google started offering unlimited VPN service as an added perk of its One membership in 2020. However, earlier this year, the company announced it would shut down the service on June 20, 2024. I have been using Google One’s VPN service for the past few years, and if you’re like me, you’ll need to find a new provider soon. Here are some of the best Google One VPN alternatives to try.
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Why is VPN by Google One shutting down?
VPNs allow users to protect their online privacy by encrypting their internet traffic. In 2020, to attract more members to its One membership, Google added an unlimited VPN perk to the subscription. Along with VPN, Google One also offered more storage, priority support, and more. In fact, with the Pixel 7 series, Google even announced the same VPN service would be free for all users for five years.
However, despite these efforts, Google failed to attract enough users and announced this year that it will shut down the VPN service because “people simply weren’t using it.” Thankfully, though, for Google Pixel users, the service will continue to be available as Pixel VPN. However, if you’re using it on other Android, iOS, Mac, or Windows devices, you will need to find a new VPN service.
Best Google One VPN alternatives
Unlike most other VPN services, VPN by Google One focuses primarily on protecting users from prying eyes. Its best features were being open-sourced, continuously audited, and not logging user activity. It’s so simple that it didn’t even allow users to change their location manually. With this simplicity in mind, I thought you might be looking for a similar one-tap solution now that VPN by Google One is being discontinued. Here are some of the best alternatives I found.
1 ExpressVPN
Best for those who want fast speeds
Source: Express VPN
One of the best parts about Google One VPN is its speed. Once you enable the VPN, you barely notice any decrease in speed — Google’s servers are impressive. If you’re like me and don’t want your new VPN to degrade your internet speed, ExpressVPN is a great option. It has over 3,000 global servers, providing excellent connection speeds wherever you are. Moreover, unlike Google One VPN, ExpressVPN allows you to manually select a location, so you don’t miss your favorite TV shows, movies, or sporting events when traveling.
ExpressVPN is also similar in terms of ease of use. The app features a single (and large) on/off button on the home screen to enable or disable the VPN service. Additionally, based in the British Virgin Islands, ExpressVPN benefits from no data retention laws. It has a strict no-logging policy, meaning it cannot track your online activity, just like Google One VPN. Instead, it ensures all your traffic is encrypted and not visible to anyone, including your internet service provider.
However, ExpressVPN can be expensive, costing a minimum of $6.67 per month when paid yearly (including three extra months) and up to $12.95 per month when paid monthly. Thankfully, you can try out the service before committing to it fully, thanks to their 30-day money-back guarantee. This means you can try the service for a month and get a full refund if you’re not satisfied.
ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is an excellent replacement for Google One VPN thanks to its impressive connection speeds. Similar to Google One VPN, it works across devices and doesn’t log user activity as well. Additionally, it offers a dedicated password manager, kill switch, split tunneling, and other features not found in Google One VPN.
2 NordVPN
As user-friendly as Google One VPN but offers a lot more
Source: Unsplash
If you’re not willing to pay as much as ExpressVPN costs, consider NordVPN. It’s the best value for money right now and offers similar speeds to Google One VPN and ExpressVPN. Moreover, it has the ability to manually change locations for geo-locked content, offers apps for almost all devices, and comes with all the other essential features at a lower price.
NordVPN can cost as little as $3.39 per month with a two-year plan or $4.59 per month with a one-year plan. The monthly plan is a bit pricey at $12.99 per month. However, NordVPN also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can try it out and ask for a full refund if you don’t enjoy it.
In terms of privacy, NordVPN arguably goes a step further with its Double VPN service, which routes traffic through two VPN servers for extra security. Additionally, if you’re looking for even more features, NordVPN offers packages like Plus and Complete that come with additional benefits like a password manager, dark web monitoring to alert you if your credentials are exposed, 1 TB encrypted cloud storage, and the ability to use NordVPN on up to 10 devices simultaneously.
NordVPN
NordVPN is as easy to use as Google One VPN. It’s secure, fast, and allows access to your favorite TV shows and movies from around the world. Plus, it has apps and extensions for almost every device. It’s also more affordable than competitors, costing about $3.50 per month, and comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
3 CyberGhost VPN
Affordable and feature-rich
Source: CyberGhost
If you’re considering financial aspects, especially with Google One discontinuing its VPN service, and you want an inexpensive option with many features, CyberGhost is a great pick. It offers a two-year deal for as little as $2.40 per month. And if you’re hesitant to commit to even that, CyberGhost provides a 45-day money-back guarantee so you can try out the service and get a refund if you don’t like it.
In terms of features, CyberGhost one-ups Google One VPN by offering features like split tunneling, fast speeds, a no-logs policy, IP masking, wide compatibility, and usage on up to seven devices at once. Moreover, if you subscribe to the two-year plan, it includes 500GB of encrypted storage.
For those looking for streaming-optimized servers, CyberGhost provides access to your favorite streaming services from anywhere in the world, so that you can enjoy your favorite shows without geo-restrictions. Additionally, CyberGhost features a user-friendly UI that are easy to navigate, much similar to those found in Google One VPN, so its easier to use for even hose users who are new to VPNs.
CyberGhost
CyberGhost VPN is another affordable option that offers the best value when you commit to the two-year plan. The best part is that you can test it freely for 45 days with servers in more than 100 countries. Moreover, you can use it on up to seven devices simultaneously.
4 Surfshark VPN
Wallet-friendly substitute for Google One VPN
Source: Pexels
Finally, if you’re someone like me, who prioritizes affordability but also wants a rich feature set, Surfshark is for you. It’s a great Google One VPN alternative, offering many features at a lower cost. The best part about Surfshark is that it doesn’t limit the number of connected devices per account, so you can share your account with friends, family, and beyond.
In terms of speed and privacy, Surfshark is on par with ExpressVPN and NordVPN, with over 3,200 servers across 65 countries, ensuring you never see a drop in internet speed while keeping your data protected. Additionally, it comes with a range of features like an ad-blocker, masked email generator, malware protection, and credit card breach alerts. Similar to other VPNs on this list, Surfshark is available for almost all devices on the market today.
As for pricing, Surfshark starts as low as $2.19 per month with a two-year basic plan, but it can go up to $4.29 per month if you want all the features like data removal from databases, antivirus protection, real-time email breach alerts, and more. The monthly plans are a bit pricier, with the basic plan at $15.45 per month and Surfshark One+ at $17.95 per month.
Surfshark
Surfshark is a feature-rich solution for those looking for an affordable VPN service. It provides high-speed connections, unlimited device support, and advanced security features like CleanWeb and MultiHop. It has servers in more than 100 countries and has strong encryption, a no-logs policy.