Best VPNs for DDoS protection
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Inga Valiaugaitė
Writer
DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks are becoming more and more common in the online world. DDoS attacks are pervasive and can have several workarounds to bypass the measures by imitating genuine user traffic. One thing is clear – having DDoS protection is a must, whether you’re gaming, streaming, or simply browsing the web.
Having a strong VPN for DDoS protection is essential, as it encrypts your traffic and protects your network, making it less susceptible to cyber threats. Also, it’s crucial for staying secure online and for a smooth gaming experience, streaming, broadcasting, browsing, and more.
Keep reading to discover how a VPN makes you DDoS-protected and find the best VPN picks that will secure your connection and make potential attacks less likely.
Top 5 best VPNs for DDoS protection
- NordVPN – the best VPN for DDoS protection
- Surfshark – powerful and low-cost VPN for DDoS protection
- Atlas VPN – extensive VPN for DDoS protection with a free version
- IPVanish – speedy VPN with leak protection to avoid DDoS attacks
- PureVPN – DDoS-protected VPN service with a great server fleet
The best VPNs with DDoS protection – our detailed list
To help you choose the best VPNs with DDoS protection, we thoroughly tested and selected only the best VPN services. The following detailed list contains only the providers that maintained the ideal encryption, leak protection, performance, and speed standards. Keep reading to find more in-depth information about each provider.
1. NordVPN – the ideal VPN for DDoS protection
| Based in: | Panama |
| Servers/countries: | 5500+ servers in 60 countries |
| DDoS-related features: | Kill switch, AES-256 encryption, split tunneling, Onion Over VPN |
| Current deal: | 🔥Get NordVPN with 63% OFF + 3 months FREE!🔥 |
NordVPN is the best VPN provider for DoS and DDoS protection on the market. Its security suite and the newest encryption technology makes it one of the most secure choices when it comes to protecting your devices against DDoS. With a vast server fleet of 5500+ servers in 60 countries, NordVPN excels in bypassing the notorious geo-restrictions and maintaining the original speeds, whether you’re gaming, streaming, or browsing.
Security: In terms of security, you can expect these features from NordVPN: RAM-only servers (meaning that your data gets wiped off every time a server gets restarted), high-caliber tunneling protocols (NordLynx, OpenVPN, IKEv2/IPsec), AES-256 and ChaCha20 encryption ciphers, provider-managed DNS servers, and more. Also, NordVPN offers a reliable kill switch, which stands out as one of the crucial features when it comes to DDoS protection – it automatically disconnects your device if the VPN connection fails.
Speed and performance: Regarding performance, our thorough testing showed exceptional speed test results, making sure you get the best speeds without sacrificing your security.
Compatibility: NordVPN supports all the major platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS. NordVPN has highly compatible applications, and they are easy to use simultaneously on up to 6 devices.
The pricing of NordVPN starts at $3.29/month. If you aren’t sure about it just yet – feel free to try it out with a 7-day free trial or a 30-day money-back guarantee.
For more information, visit our NordVPN review.
- State-of-the-art encryption
- Reliable kill switch
- A strict no-logs policy
- Vast server fleet
- Strong device compatibility
- Shared and dedicated IP addresses
- Threat Protection feature
- Signing up requires an email address
2. Surfshark – next-gen VPN for DDoS protection with affordable plans
| Based in: | The Netherlands |
| Servers/countries: | 3200+ servers in 100 countries |
| DDoS-related features: | IP rotator, kill switch, AES-256 encryption, split tunneling, unlimited device support |
| Current deal: | 🔥Get 82% OFF Surfshark + 2 months FREE🔥 |
Surfshark is another powerful and secure VPN for DDoS protection with budget-friendly plans and advanced security as well as privacy. It offers more than 3200 DDoS-resistant servers in 100 countries, which makes it ideal for gaming, streaming, broadcasting, or browsing from nearly anywhere in the world.
Security: When it comes to security, Surfshark offers unbreakable AES-256 encryption, a kill switch, OpenVPN and WireGuard protocols (which provide exceptionally fast speeds), RAM-only servers, obfuscation mode, NoBorders mode, CleanWeb, MultiHop, and more features that add the base and extra layers of security to stay preserved from DDoS, DoS, and other cyber attacks. Privacy is also exceptional at Surfshark. It implements a zero-logs policy to ensure none of your data is being recorded. For this, Surfshark has undergone independent audits. During our leak tests, Surfshark proved its worth. It didn’t leak the IP address nor DNS.
Speed and performance: Surfshark offers exceptional speeds, thanks to its WireGuard tunneling protocol. It ensures your original speeds are maintained and your streaming, gaming, or broadcasting is interrupted.
Compatibility: Now, whichever operating system you use, rest assured that Surfshark has an app to offer, so you stay safe from attacks on all of your devices. It supports Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS, as well as browser extensions. It excels at easy navigation and high functionality. Besides, Surfshark offers unlimited device support.
In terms of prices, Surfshark plans start at $2.30/month. It has a 7-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
For more information, visit our Surfshark review.
- RAM-only servers
- Extensive security suite
- Strict no-logs policy
- Unlimited simultaneous connections
- Good value for money
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Email required for registration
3. Atlas VPN – extensive VPN service for DDoS protection with a free version
| Based in: | United States |
| Servers/countries: | 750+ servers in 38 countries |
| DDoS-related features: | IP rotator, kill switch, AES-256 encryption, split tunneling, unlimited device support |
| Current deal: | 🔥Get Atlas VPN, now 83% OFF + 3 months FREE!🔥 |
Atlas VPN is one of our top-picked providers for DDoS protection. It’s privacy-oriented, has strong security, is easy to use, and has a free version, which makes it even more attractive. Atlas VPN also provides extra features, which can help prevent DDoS and other types of attacks.
Security: AtlasVPN implements the market standard AES-256 encryption, a functional kill switch, WireGuard and IKEv2 protocols for all Atlas VPN apps, IP rotator, SafeBrowse feature, and Data Breach Monitoring – these features play a big role when preventing DDoS attacks. While testing this provider for leaks, neither DNS nor IP addresses were leaked – all the data were safeguarded by Atlas VPN. In addition, this provider implements an independently audited privacy policy that ensures your data won’t be recorded or compromised.
Speed and performance: During our tests, Atlas VPN managed to bypass geo-restrictions for streaming platforms, such as Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and more. The performance and speeds were considerably great, thanks to WireGuard tunneling protocol.
Compatibility: Atlas VPN is available on Windows, Android, macOS, and iOS. The apps run smoothly and are easy to navigate. Besides, this VPN service offers unlimited simultaneous connections, so you can secure all of your devices from DDoS attacks.
Prices for Atlas VPN plans start at $1.82/month. It’s quite wallet-friendly for the feature suite it offers. If you’d like to try out Atlas VPN first – there’s a free version and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
For more information, visit our Atlas VPN review.
- Reliable kill switch
- WireGuard protocol
- Unlimited simultaneous connections
- Free version
- IP rotator included
- No support for Linux
- Based in a country that’s not privacy-focused
4. IPVanish – speedy VPN with leak protection to avoid DDoS protection
| Based in: | United States |
| Servers/countries: | 2000+ servers in 50 countries |
| DDoS-related features: | IP rotator, kill switch, AES-356 encryption, split tunneling, unlimited device support |
| Current deal: | 🔥Get 72% OFF IPVanish!🔥 |
IPVanish is another extensive pick for DDoS protection – it has a great focus on security features and speed, which are two of the main things when it comes to preventing DDoS attacks.
Security: IPVanish is known to be one of the most advanced VPNs in the market, thanks to its top-tier encryption solutions (AES-256), sophisticated obfuscation ciphers, forward secrecy, which means that a part of the encryption system is constantly changing, and more. Some other notable security measures are OnDemand feature (makes sure you always auto-connect to a VPN), traffic obfuscation (data gets encrypted with XOR cipher, a reliable kill switch, and DNS and IPv6 leak protection. Even though IPVanish is based in a country that belongs to the 14-Eyes alliance, it has a no-logs policy that ensures your privacy.
Speed and performance: During our tests, IPVanish didn’t leak our IP address or any other data and managed to bypass the notorious geo-restrictions and unblock streaming services like Netflix, BBCiPlayer, and YouTube. WireGuard, OpenVPN, and IKEv2 protocols add up to the exceptional performance.
Compatibility: IPVanish provides apps for iOS, Android, macOS, and Windows and has unlimited simultaneous connections, so all of your devices can be DDoS-protected.
Prices start at $3.33/month and you can try the service out with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
For more information, visit our IPVanish review.
- Customizable kill switch feature
- IP rotator available
- Obfuscation servers
- WireGuard tunneling protocol
- DNS leak protection
- Doesn’t unblock some streaming platforms
- Anonymous payment option not available
5. PureVPN – secure VPN for DDoS protection with a vast server fleet
| Based in: | British Virgin Islands |
| Servers/countries: | 6500+ servers in 78 countries |
| DDoS-related features: | Kill switch, AES-256 encryption, split tunneling, dedicated IP |
| Current deal: | 🔥Get PureVPN, now 81% OFF + 3 months FREE!🔥 |
PureVPN offers some quality anti-DDoS features, which not only secures and hides your real IP address but also filters the incoming traffic through its anti-DDoS migration services. It’s based in a privacy-friendly location and has the necessary functionality to avoid DDoS, DoS, and other cyber attacks.
Security: In terms of security, PureVPN offers next-gen AES-256 encryption, quantum-safe encryption keys, leak protection (our tests showed that PureVPN passed the leak test and kept all the data secure), a kill switch, port forwarding (useful for remote devices access), and more.
Speed and performance: When it comes to performance and speeds, PureVPN might not be the leading provider but it offers WireGuard, Open VPN, and IKEv2 protocols – they ensure decent speeds and stable connection. PureVPN is able to bypass geo-blocks for multiple streaming platforms (Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, and more). During our tests, we didn’t experience any buffering or lags.
Compatibility: There are apps for all the major platforms – Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS. The setup is organized and easy to navigate.
PureVPN has affordable plans – prices start at $2.08/month. There’s also a 31-day money-back guarantee if you want to try it out first.
For more information, visit our PureVPN review.
- Powerful AES-256 encryption
- Always-on audit
- No DNS leaks
- Located in a privacy-friendly country
- No obfuscated servers
- WireGuard is only available on Windows and Android apps
How we selected and tested these VPNs
With an uncountable number of VPNs out there, it might be tricky to choose a reliable and powerful VPN that would be suitable for dealing with DDoS attacks. For this reason, we tested and chose the best DDoS-protected VPNs. To select our picks, we went by the following criteria:
- Security and privacy. It’s crucial that a VPN has at least strong encryption and a reliable kill switch to ensure your device is protected from DDoS attacks. Our recommended VPN providers have top-class security standards.
- Speed. Fast protocols is what make a VPN maintain the original speed and enhance the overall experience by avoiding slow speeds. Therefore, we ensured each VPN provider offer next-gen tunneling protocols, such as WireGuard, to get the best speeds possible.
- Server fleet. Simply put, the size of a server fleet determines the quality of the connection you will have. A wide server fleet with locations spread across the world is another criteria we selected our top VPNs by.
- Extra security features. Even though your real IP address will be hidden with a VPN to avoid DDoS attacks, it’s still important to safeguard your real IP address. Hence, extra features like obfuscated servers, an IP rotator, split tunneling, and more are huge advantages.
- Applications. DDoS attacks involve and affect many devices. Therefore, you need a VPN that will be supported on different platforms, including macOS, iOS, Windows, Android, Linux, and more. Our selected VPNs offer a variety of apps.
Comparison of the best DDoS protection VPNs
| NordVPN | Surfshark | AtlasVPN | IPVanish | PureVPN | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand |  |  |  |  |  |
| Rating | |||||
| IP rotator: | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Servers | 5500+ servers in 60 countries | 3200+ servers in 100 countries | 750+ servers in 38 countries | 2000+ servers in 50 countries | 6500+ servers in 78 coutnries |
| Streaming | Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, Disney+, and more | Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, and more | Netflix, BBC iPlayer, YouTube | Netflix, BBC iPlayer, YouTube | Netflix, BBC iPlayer, YouTube |
| Simultaneous connections | 6 | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | 10 |
| Country | Panama | The Netherlands (part of 9-Eyes) | United States (part of 5-Eyes) | United States (part of 5-Eyes) | British Virgin Islands |
| Price (lowest price per month) | $3.29/month | $2.30/month | $1.82/month | $3.33/month | $2.08/month |
| Review | NordVPN review | Surfshark VPN review | Atlas VPN review | IPVanish review | PureVPN review |
What are the reasons to use a VPN with DDoS protection?
With a hidden real IP address, DDoS attacks won’t be able to locate your network, which makes targeting you very complicated. However, there are more reasons to use a VPN for this reason. These are as follows:
- Avoid crashing. A VPN is to ensure you don’t experience crashes or lagging in case a DDoS attack happens. The game could crash, or massive lag would appear when a user receives a DDoS attack. The same applies to any other service.
- Avoid streaming disruptions. Some games use the peer-to-peer format, which is when one player acts as the server so all other players can then connect to it. A VPN ensures that your IP address won’t be leaked during public streaming. Hence, you won’t be susceptible to DDoS attacks and can prevent disruptions while hiding your real IP address.
- Prevent other types of cyberattacks. If the hacker already has your real IP address, you might be susceptible to more cyber attacks out there. Attacker can compromise your connection in another way, such as through malicious links (adware) or by accessing your device remotely. A VPN will help to avoid this.
Can a VPN protect you from DDoS?
Generally – yes, a VPN can safeguard you from DDoS attacks. Initially, a VPN hides your real IP address. Without it, the attacker can’t locate your network. Besides, VPN encrypts the traffic that creates a tunnel between your device and network, so your ISP (Internet Service Provider) cannot see your online activity.
Unfortunately, some VPNs might not be foolproof solutions to prevent DDoS attacks. If the provider has poorly implemented DDoS attack protection, VPN can fail at several points. Therefore, the users might still be susceptible to the attack. That’s why we recommend using only tested premium VPN services with top-class security standards, such as NordVPN. Premium services ensure powerful infrastructure, which won’t be DDoS-vulnerable.
To ensure you are not susceptible to bad actors carrying out the DDoS attack, use the Always-On VPN feature that will keep the VPN at all times. Besides, it’s activated when an attack is detected. Here are some other VPN features that will help you prevent DDoS attacks:
- IP rotator
- Kill switch
- Powerful encryption
- Split tunneling
- Unlimited device support
Using a VPN against DDoS: things to consider
Keep in mind that a VPN can help you prevent DDoS attacks from happening but there’s no way to stop them once they happen. To ensure you’re using the full capabilities of a VPN to avoid cyber threats, be aware of some things:
- Always use a kill switch. If the internet connection gets unreliable, the kill switch won’t let users' real IP to leak. If a real IP address leaks, a threat actor could launch DDoS on the real IP address.
- Consider which server location to connect to. Connecting to your local server will add security but won’t change the region or location. So for gaming, this might be the best way to use a VPN service. If connected to the local server, the ping will increase less than when connected to a server far away.
- Consider switching servers. Some games might block the account if it notices that many IP addresses connect to the same account. Banking will most likely flag an account for suspicious activity if you connect to the account from different IP addresses. But if you want to use VPN, for example, for Netflix, then you can change servers as often as you want.
Video review: DDoS explained
Do any free VPNs good against DDoS attacks?
There might be free VPN providers that claim they can safeguard you from DDoS attacks. Technically, any VPN that can hide your IP address will make it harder to track you. However, we do not recommend using a free VPN for this matter. Free VPNs bring potential risks of ransomware, your data being tracked, or you being targeted by advertisers.
Simply put, to get protection against cyber attacks, it’s more beneficial to use a VPN provider with advanced security features.
What’s more, you can use freemium VPNs – premium VPN providers that offer a free trial or a money-back guarantee with all the premium features. Here are some of those providers:
- NordVPN. This powerful VPN provides a 7-day free trial for Android devices and lets you share it with other devices. Plus, there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee that ensures you get your money back if you don’t want to continue with the premium service.
- Surfshark. This provider offers a 7-day free trial for Mac, iOS, and Android devices. You can use a 30-day money-back guarantee too to max it out.
Conclusion
To put it all together, it’s crucial to use a VPN if you want to prevent your device from a DDoS attack, enhance online security, and avoid malware and other cyber threats. We encourage you to familiarize yourself with the available service providers before selecting one VPN provider. We hope our detailed list and test results will help you point down the best VPN for DDoS protection.
In case you missed it – NordVPN – our top lister, offers all-around protection for DDoS protection (top-class encryption ciphers and a reliable kill switch will keep your original IP safe). It also ensures seamless streaming or gaming experience, enhanced privacy, and security. It maintains impressive speeds, ultra-fast gaming servers, and a powerful feature suite.
More VPN guides from Cybernews:
Best VPNs with a kill switch feature: add extra layer of security
Best VPNs with ad blockers: keep dangerous ads away
Best no-log VPNs: browse anonymously with a VPN
Best VPNs with antivirus included: protect your device and privacy online
FAQ
Does NordVPN protect you from DDoS?
Yes, NordVPN does protect you from DDoS attacks. This provider has protection on all its servers. Plus, NordVPN is an excellent choice if you’re looking for advanced security measures – it hides your IP address for you, making your online presence anonymous.
What happens if someone DDoS you?
During a DDoS attack, an attacker attempts to temporarily disrupt a server, service, or device by flooding the IP address with random requests. These requests simply overload the system, and it leads to crashing. After attackers infect your system, it becomes a “bot.” You no longer have complete control over what your computer does online.
Can a VPN block a hacker?
Yes, a VPN can prevent a hacker from attacking your device. If you use a VPN, your real IP address will be hidden, hence – it will be impossible for the attacker to track you down and attack the system. In essence, when someone tries to DDoS you, the attack would be directed at the VPN server instead of your own.
Can you tell if you're being DDoSed?
Yes, you can tell if you’re being DDoSed. There are a few indicators that can tell you if you’re being attacked, such as a sudden increase of requests to a specific page, a sudden spike of traffic from a single IP, issues accessing your sites, files not loading, and more. A VPN is one of the best ways to prevent any of these things from happening.
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