Finally, a VPN Service We Can Recommend
I have a Google One account for which I pay $1.99 per month. And for $1.99/month I get 100 GB of cloud storage and a safe place to keep all my precious pictures of my kids and grandkids. The 15 GB of cloud storage space that Google gives its users free of charge is generous, but when you have kids and grandkids and smartphones, well that 15 GB only goes so far. So, I signed up for the 100GB plan and now I have plenty of space to for all those photos.
About a week ago, I got an email from Google telling me that my Google One plan now includes a VPN that I can use on all my devices (Windows and my Android phone). And it also included dark web monitoring so I can see at a glance what info about me has made its way via data breaches to the dark web. But today, because so many of you have asked us about VPNs over the years, we’re going to talk about the VPN service that comes with Google One.
Google One VPN is a virtual private network service offered by Google to its Google One subscribers. A VPN allows users to create a secure, encrypted connection between their device and the internet, protecting their online activity from prying eyes, hackers, and other threats.
Google One VPN can be installed on Windows 10 and Windows 11 and it comes with the Google One app, which is available on both Android and iOS devices. Google’s VPN works by routing the user’s internet traffic through a Google-managed server, encrypting the data as it travels between the user’s device and the internet.
The VPN service is available to Google One subscribers in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and many other countries. Google One offers a 15-day free trial for new subscribers, after which costs vary starting at $1.99 per month. Additionally, Google One comes with cloud storage ranging from 100 GB to 2 TB depending on your chosen plan.
Some benefits of using Google One VPN include increased security and privacy while browsing the internet, and the ability to access content that may be restricted in certain countries or regions. It protects you by preventing 3rd-parties from monitoring or intercepting your online activities. It also prevents your ISP from tracking the sites your visit as well as your online activities. And if you use public WiFi such as at an airport or restaurant using a VPN is essential to protect your personal information especially when shopping online or using online banking.
But always remember that no VPN can prevent identity theft, and malware, or keep you safe from scams. Also, keep in mind no VPN service can provide 100% security or anonymity. It’s always important to exercise caution and use common sense when browsing the internet, regardless of whether you’re using a VPN.
We’ve been testing the Google One VPN for about a week now and we can recommend it based on our tests.
#1. It’s the easiest, least complicated, most user-friendly VPN we’ve tested. There are no complicated settings.
#2. It’s easy to turn on and off as needed.
#3. Google doesn’t make ridiculous claims like other VPNs that claim they can prevent malware, identity theft, malware, and viruses. No VPN can do that and that’s not even what a VPN is for.
#4. Google VPN is only one feature of Google One plans. Other features include dark web monitoring, 100GB (or more) of cloud storage, and more depending on the plan you choose.
Here are some screenshots taken during our testing…
Google’s VPN is easy to turn on and off. And Google does not hyperbolize what a VPN can do. As you can see in the screenshots below there are no complicated settings. Nothing to decide. You can turn it off and on whenever you like. You can set it to start with Windows or not. You can turn it completely off (Quit). It’s all easy and simple
How much does Google One cost and what do Google One Plans include?
Pricing & Plans
$1.99 a month / billed monthly
100 GB of storage
Access to Google experts
Share with up to 5 others
More Google Photos Editing Features
Extra member benefits
VPN for multiple devices
Monitor the dark web
$2.99 a month /billed monthly
200 GB storage space and everything included in the $1.99 a month plan plus a 3% discount in the Google Store.
$9.99 a month /billed monthly
2 TB of storage space and everything included in the less expensive plans plus 10% off in the Google Store and Google Workspace Premium,
Visit this page to learn more about Google One plans and pricing. Also if you have more questions about Google One you’ll find the answers here.
Compare the cost of Google One to other VPN services
Here is a list of some other VPN services and their least expensive monthly plans (most require you to sign up for one or two years). Use this to compare the price of Google One and its VPN with these VPN services.
CyberGhost – Starting from $2.25/month
IPVanish VPN – Starting from $2.40/month
Private Internet Access (PIA) – $2.69/month
Surfshark – Starting from $2.49/month
NordVPN – Starting from $3.30/month
ProtonVPN – Starting from $4.00/month
ExpressVPN – Starting from $6.67/month
One more thing…
We don’t make a commission from Google. We don’t benefit from you buying a Google One plan at all. But we think you might.
I find the free version of Proton VPN adequate for the number of times I need to use a VPN. Simple to use. Just remember to turn it off when you are not using it as it can block your ‘local’ sites as its IP may not be recognised by your local site.
I got the same email and have been wondering if I should proceed with this. Thanks so much for the info. I will not jump into it right away but it looks good!
Dawn
You don’t mention ad blocker, TC. Does Google VPN provide that, too? BTW, you’re loaded with so much info! Many thanks to you for all your terrific advice. Love it!!
” VPN Service We Can Recommend” Following your suggestion I subscribed to Google 1 . After three days I stopped the subscription. Over the years I tried many VPN and in my opinion Google 1 is a waste of money. Firstly check even if you can use it as many countries cannot. I tried to get it on my Windows 10 and never was able to find out how to do. The instructions were not clear at all . The worst aspect of Google 1 is there lack of support which is non existant. If you try to get help all you get is standard questions and answers and no contact with anyone.
My first choice is a VPN called Browsec . It is more expensive than Google 1 but you get what you pay for including an excellent support and help team that rely very quickly when a problem arises
I didn’t consider Google One a waste of money before the VPN service since $1.99 is a decent price for 100 GB of cloud storage space especially since I have an Android phone and a lot of pictures. After 3 years I still have over 75% of that space available. And when I get a new phone all my apps, data, texts, and photos transfer seamlessly. So even without the dark web checking or the VPN, I would still pay $1.99 for the space and the convenience.
Darcy and I tried and discussed featuring Google One VPN after we both tested it and found it to be easier than all the VPNs we tried. Also, most VPNs make promises that are absurd for example protecting you from identity theft, malware, scams, and viruses. VPNs do not. Google does not. It will keep your connection private meaning you can use public WiFi or your hope Internet and hide your real IP address. It will also keep your ISP from seeing the sites you visit and other online activities.
Secondly, your statement that Google VPN is hard to use is hard for me to figure out. It couldn’t be easier. I have it on my Android phone, my Android tablet, my Windows 10 and Windows 11 laptops. The setup was automatic and the on/off switch couldn’t be simpler to find or use.
Google has had one of the most infamous reputations for spying on its customers as well as customers of other companies via “Tracking” Advertisements. Can you really recommend Google One as a ANY service that provides Privacy or Reduces Tracking at this time???
(I don’t mean this as a dispute or contention of your honesty, but as a serious common sense question. Has the “Bad Boy” of the industry actually cleaned up its act at this point, or is he merely reserving customer spying for himself by competitive pricing and features of Google One?)
We hear the same things about Microsoft, but if Microsoft was ever actually caught red-handed using someone’s personal info in some illegal way, it would be the end of Microsoft. And the same with Google. Apple collects more information than anyone, but its image is untarnished. Figure that one out.
Again, we say (something we’ve said at least 100 times) if you’re on the internet and you want privacy you =are not going to find it. If you own a house or a car, or have a driver’s license, or use a credit card, your personal information is on the web and you are on the internet whether you know it or not. I would much rather trust Google than some off-the-wall companies located in Eastern Europe, China, or Panama (NORD VPN).
Proton Mail, located in Switzerland, promises its users unprecedented unbreakable privacy, yet it turned over at least one user’s data to the authorities.
We’ll stand by our choice, rather than choosing some VPN that promises privacy yet is located in a country with laws I’m not even vaguely familiar with.
Google has earned a bad rep as has Microsoft, I disagree. I would much rather trust a top-tier. well-known company than some unknown company that can make promises without any repercussions if they don’t honor them.
We stand by our article endorsing Google VPN. It’s a recommendation. Thst’s all. You can use whatever you want. Buf those who believe that there is privacy on the Internet, are badly mistaken