Ask HN: Favorite encrypted VPN provider?

[MikeCapone]

I'm considering subscribing to a VPN service for increased security and privacy.

But the reviews I found are confusing and contradictory, making it very hard to pick a provider (f.ex. strongvpn.com is both "great" and "horrible". Same for perfect-privacy.com).

I trust this crowd a lot more than random online reviews, so I'd like to ask what's your fave VPN provider and why?

Ideally: Very fast using Canadian and US servers, would work well on OS X (better if doesn't require additional software), would use strong encryption, and have a solid privacy policy.

Thanks in advance for the help.

[jjguy]

I pay $8/mo for a VPS and run OpenVPN [1]. There's a nicely-done OS X client [2], and OpenVPN will run on whatever port/protocol combination you need. You also get the benefit of a shell account on your own little corner of the internet, a lightweight server to toy with and full ssh access to play all sorts of games with ssh port forwarding [3].

1 - http://openvpn.net/

2 - http://viscosityvpn.com

3 - http://www.ssh.com/support/documentation/online/ssh/admingui...

[MikeCapone → jjguy]

Thank you, I'll look into that method.

[pasbesoin]

Get one that pushes everything over SSL / TLS / port 443. Other protocols / ports are often blocked in random and public settings.