# Do you really need a VPN? Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/which-1173816/do-you-really-need-a-vpn Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/which-1173816/do-you-really-need-a-vpn.md Podcast: [Which?](https://stenobird.com/podcast/which-1173816) Published: 2026-05-05T23:15:00+00:00 Episode link: https://www.which.co.uk/podcasts Audio file: https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/b309fb84-90ce-42d4-bd04-bbd5aa4cd398.mp3 Processing state: not_requested JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/which-1173816/episodes/do-you-really-need-a-vpn Duration seconds: 653 ## Resource VPNs, or virtual private networks, are nothing new. They’re a tool that grants your devices a more secure connection to the internet and have become increasingly popular since the introduction of age-verification on some websites to prevent children from accessing age-inappropriate content. In this episode of Which? Shorts, we explain what benefits a VPN can provide while you surf the web, and how you can decide how likely you are to benefit from using one. Plus, we reveal what we did to test some of the most popular VPNs to decide which ones are worthy of our coveted Best Buy. This episode is read by James Rowe and is based on an article written by Callum Pears, originally published in the April/May 2026 issue of Which? Tech Read our reviews of the VPNs we’ve tested on our website & sign up for our free monthly Tech newsletter If you're not already a member, join Which? to instantly listen to member exclusive podcasts and gain access to all of our product reviews - all for 50% off your first year's membership ## Actions - request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/which-1173816/episodes/do-you-really-need-a-vpn/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode. - read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/which-1173816/do-you-really-need-a-vpn.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource. A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed. ## Transcript Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.