VPN Trend for 2016 : Ease of Use

Which VPN is the easiest to use?  That’s a popular questions among first time VPN users and those who don’t want to hassle with extra steps in configuring and connecting to a VPN.  In the past our list of “easy to use VPNs” was short.  That’s changing in 2016 as a number of VPN services focus on ease of use.  We’ve already seen client updates from popular VPN services that are focused on simple user interfaces.

Let’s take a look at ExpressVPN and HideMyAss.  Both VPN providers released new VPN software in February.  ExpressVPN v5 and the HMA Pro VPN client v3 beta are available to members so check them out for yourself.  Let’s take a look at the new user interface compared to the older versions of each client.

ExpressVPN (old version)

ExpressVPN client version 3

ExpressVPN (new version 5 release)

ExpressVPN client version 5

HideMyAss (old version)

HMAA Pro client version 2

HideMyAss (new version 3 beta)

HMAA Pro client version 3 beta

As you can see both ExpressVPN and HideMyAss have gone to a more streamlined user interface.  In doing so they are opening their service to a wider range of users.  The days of having to configure the OpenVPN client to connect to VPN services is coming to an end.  There will still be a subset of users who prefer open source software and who don’t mind taking the extra steps to configure and use it.  The great news is that we’re seeing more VPNs put the choice in the user’s hands.  A majority of users will choose the custom apps.

Less is more seems to be a common theme in the new VPN client releases.  As the popularity of VPN continues to increase, ease of use is an area that can help providers like ExpressVPN and HMA stand out.  We look forward to seeing what other top VPNs have to offer as the year moves forward.  Has your VPN moved toward a more user friendly client interface?  If so please send us a before and after screenshot so we can add them to our post.  We look forward to sharing more client updates in the weeks to come.

You can contact us @VPNSP with any questions or feedback.  We’d love to know what you think.  Are you looking forward to VPN client’s that are easier to use or do you prefer more advanced features?  That’s not to say you can’t have both but ease of use normally has some trade offs for advanced users.  Those with more technical knowledge can still use popular VPNs to secure your entire network through a router.  We wouldn’t expect that to change.  The new easy to use software will help more users add privacy protection which is a win / win.