Wow VPN kill switches 2017

Once the domain of internet security geeks, VPN (Virtual Private Networking) has gone increasingly mainstream with smart surfers looking to keep their net traffic private, and away from the prying eyes of hackers, governments or overly profit-driven ISPs.

1. VPN Watcher

VPN Watcher is a lightweight piece of software. It’s a VPN kill switch which is available in three tiers: Free, Personal and Gold. The main difference between these options is that the paid versions check the connection more frequently, and support more simultaneous applications.

A limiting factor, as seen in the screenshot above, is that VPN Watcher supports only a half dozen VPN services directly, and otherwise requires a more labor intensive and painful manual configuration.

2. VPNetMon

VPNetMon has only one tier for its kill switch software – and the good news is that it’s a free offering. It also works with a wide variety of VPN software. While those are the points in favor of this app, disadvantages include the fact that it does take some time and tweaking to configure, and can be a little buggy. The software can support up to three VPN applications.

3. VPNCheck

VPNCheck is another lightweight piece of software, and it comes in two versions: Free and Pro. While both offer a kill switch that gets activated if the VPN crashes, only VPNCheck Pro also has a DNS Leak Fix feature. Both versions are simple apps that are easy to configure and use.

4. Comodo Firewall

Comodo Firewall is a well-known free firewall that’s popular with the open source crowd. We’ve recently reviewed the product and awarded it four stars to boot. While its primary focus is firewall duty, which the software does seriously well, it is quite robust and configurable to various other purposes.

In fact, for more advanced users willing to delve deeper into the settings, Comodo Firewall can be set up to function as a VPN kill switch. This involves going into the Global Rules menu, and setting up a series of rules that will block the IP address from being revealed. For full instructions from one VPN provider, check out nVPN’s help page.

5. LiquidVPN

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LiquidVPN is a US-based provider which has been around since 2013. Amidst the many VPNs on the market these days, LiquidVPN stands out for two features. The first is that LiquidVPN claims to have a ‘zero logs DNS service’ (LiquidDNS) meaning that it doesn’t keep any of the DNS requests that users make.

The other standout element is that LiquidVPN has integrated a VPN kill switch into its software: ‘Liquid Lock’. This will allegedly stop all types of leaks, including DNS leaks, WebRTC leaks, disconnect leaks, and IPv6 leaks.

6. HideMyAss

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Another VPN that has an integrated kill switch is HideMyAss, a service brought to you by AVG of antivirus fame. When we reviewed this provider last year, we noted that HideMyAss benefits from a large network of servers, and it’s very easy to use (albeit not cheap).

Another plus of HideMyAss for less tech-savvy types who don’t want to attempt to configure a kill switch is that this provider has one built directly into the software client. The firm calls it ‘Secure IP Bind,’ and it functions by forcing selected applications to only work when connected to the VPN servers. If the VPN gets interrupted, the apps will no longer work, and the IP leak is avoided.