Internet privacy and security has come a long way since the invention of the VPN services. Now internet users are able to fully vanish while browsing the web by using a reliable VPN service which provides them with a shared IP to cover their true IP. This mechanism allows the user to appear in a completely different location in the world than his/her true location and completely hides their true online identity. Until this point everything seems to be perfect. However, the internet is still not entirely stable, which can cause sometimes the VPN connection to unexpectedly drop, exposing the user’s true online identity and personal data. Thankfully, some VPN providers have built in their apps an additional security feature called the Kill Switch (sometimes referred to as Internet Kill Switch or Automatic Kill Switch). The main purpose of the kill switch is to protect the user’s online identity and information from leaking in the case of a VPN connection drop.
How the Kill Switch Works
The kill switch or internet kill switch is an additional security feature built in the VPN app which continuously monitors the internet connection status and tracks any sudden changes to the stability of the connection. Once the kill switch detects an irregularity in the stability or a drop in the VPN connection it takes one of 2 actions; either it completely blocks all internet traffic to avoid any leakage of information until the connection is reestablished, or it is set to block only certain applications in the case of a VPN connection drop. This depends on 2 things; firstly if the feature of choosing which application to block is available in the VPN application or not, and secondly, if it is available, whether the user chooses to customize which applications get blocked or just block all internet traffic all together.
As mentioned earlier not all VPN providers have this feature built in to their application, and not all of them perform with the same efficiency. This is why we have done our research on all VPNs with a built in kill switch and chose the top 3 recommended VPNs with a kill switch.
Best VPNs with a Kill Switch
IPVanish
IPVanish was launched back in 2012 in Ashburn, Virginia. It was a competitive start with 33 servers in 13 countries providing users with 2500 shared IP’s. Today it is one of the biggest names in the industry with a massive network of more than 750 servers in over 60 countries, providing their users with more than 40,000 shared IP’s.
Kill Switch Feature
The internet kill switch feature for IPVanish is available in both the Windows and Mac applications. The user can choose to activate it or not. Once activated, it blocks all internet traffic in the case a drop happens in the VPN connection and resumes traffic once the connection is re-established. Activating it or deactivating the kill switch within the application is as simple as clicking on a checkbox.
Additional Features
- Unlimited bandwidth
- 256-bit AES encryption
- Zero traffic logs
- SOCKS5 web proxy
- OpenVPN, L2TP/IPSec, PPTP VPN protocols
- Unlimited server switching
- 5 simultaneous connections
- 7-day money back guarantee.
PureVPN
PureVPN was officially launched in Hong Kong back in 2007 with only 2 server locations. Today it is celebrating 10 years of experience in the field of online security and privacy as it grew to a massive network of more than 750 servers in 141 cities around the world. This network provides users with more than 88,000 shared IP’s and the availability of having a dedicated IP.
Kill Switch Feature
PureVPN offers the kill switch feature in its Windows, Mac, and Android applications, with a very user friendly interface. It is very easy to navigate and switch on or switch off the kill switch feature. The application gives you 3 options regarding the kill switch; Activate/Deactivate Internet Kill Switch, Auto-redial if connection drops, and stop the internet even if the VPN is disconnected manually.
Additional Features
- 5 Simultaneous connections
- Unlimited server switching
- Split tunneling
- 256-bit data encryption
- Multiple protocols (OpenVPN, L2TP/IPSec, PPTP, SSTP, and IKEv2)
- Automatic protocol selection
- Wi-Fi security
- NAT Firewall
- DDoS protection
ExpressVPN
Based in the British Virgin Islands, ExpressVPN was launched back in 2009. Now it is considered one of the largest VPN brands in the market with more than 1000 servers spread across 94 countries around the world. It has been ranked the top VPN in several occasions for its strong security and privacy features.
Kill Switch Feature
ExpressVPN provides the kill switch feature under the name Network Lock. The Network Lock kill switch is available on both the Windows and Mac applications. Both applications are user-friendly and users can either choose to activate the Network Lock kill switch or not by a simple click on a checkbox.
Additional Features
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Unlimited server switching
- OpenVPN with UDP/TCP, L2TP/IPSec, PPTP, and SSTP security protocols supported.
- Network is SSL secured with a 256-bit encryption.
- Zero-logging
- 3 simultaneous connections
- 30-day money back guarantee
Conclusion
Internet connections these days are not that stable and so, even though you could be using a VPN, it is preferable to use a VPN with a reliable internet kill switch to avoid risking being exposed online if any connection disruption occurs. The above VPNs are considered the most reliable in the market when it comes to the internet kill switch security feature.
