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NordVPN uses its custom NordLynx protocol to power your connections. Think of it like the engine under the hooddesigned to make your connection fastsecure and reliable.

We found that it works well: it connects fast and responds quickly. It's built on top of the industry-standard WireGuard protocol with some custom privacy enhancementssuch as its double NAT system which addresses the well-known IP-storing concerns of the base protocol. Many other VPN providers use WireGuardand most also implement their own privacy measures on top of it.

We tested it across a variety of network conditions in both the US and UKincluding Tom's Guide’s office Ethernetmultiple home Wi-Fi networksand 4G and 5G mobile networksand found that NordLynx had little to no real-world impact on speed or performance. A recent update has also introduced post-quantum encryption across all appswhich future-proofs the privacy of your data.

This makes NordLynx a strong protocol choice for demanding activities like downloading large games and streaming multiple 4K movies simultaneously on the same networkas well as for everyday internet usage.

Howeverif you need to bypass heavy censorship or network restrictions like corporate firewallsNordVPN also supports OpenVPNwhich offers better base privacyas a more robust fallback.

NordVPN’s new censorship-busting NordWhisper protocol is now also available – but we haven't been able to test it properly yet (we're getting set up to do so). In the meantimeif evading super-strict censorship is your prioritywe'd suggest using Proton VPN instead at number four in this guide..

One limitation is that NordVPN’s apps aren’t open-source. This means we can’t fully test their security: we rely on independent audit data for this. It's not a major dealbut for many peopleopen-source should be the norm. If this is important to youyou should again consider Proton VPNas well as Private Internet Accesswhich are both premium VPNs with open-source apps.

Howeverwe do test Nord’s kill switch across all major platforms and devices twice a year in the labas well as sporadically during personal useand we've never once been able to make it fail. We’ve also never found iPv6 or DNS leaks when we've probed for them. These security vulnerabilities are common in lower-quality VPN services and can expose your identity.

Jump to: The best VPNs for privacy

Packed with powerful extrasif you know where to look

NordVPN is one of the best-featured VPNsoverallwith a comprehensive set of tools that cater to both general and more advanced users. On the Basic tier you get the same privacy and security features as the other leading VPNsincluding a kill switchcustom DNSDouble VPNand auto-connect.

Extra features include a Dark Web Monitor – something NordVPN says is its "most usefulyet overlooked features." It scans the internet for any credential leaks associated with your email address (within our top five VPNsExpressVPNProton VPN and Surfshark also offer this feature).

The almost-axed Meshnet feature is great too. Meshnet allows up to 60 devices to be linkedand is made for file sharing and even gaming.

Howeversplit tunneling isn't available on iOS or macOS. If you do much torrenting on these operating systems and want to only route the torrent traffic through the VPNconsider PIA or Surfshark instead.

In terms of platform compatibilityNordVPN is at the bleeding edge. As well as all the standard platforms like WindowsmacOSiOSAndroidApple TV and LinuxNordVPN was the one of two VPNs with apps ready for Amazon's VegaOS launch – with IPVanish being the other.

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NordVPN's network has very wide coverage – it recently increased its server locations to 211with servers in 129 countries. This is just ahead of ExpressVPN and Surfsharkwhich sit at 105 and 99 apiece. This is good news if you live in a smaller countryor use your VPN to connect to lots of different locations. HoweverNordVPN is still behind Proton VPNwhich offers servers in a huge 145 countries.

You can upgrade your plan – at a costof course – to include some interesting added extras. The most useful of these is Threat Protection Pro. It's an anti-malware and browser protection toolwhich runs even when the VPN is off. It was put head-to-head against four competitors by AV-TEST in Germanywhich rated NordVPN as the best of its kindand has recently been upgraded to include hijacked session alerts. In July 2025NordVPN also introduced scam call protectionand in 2026 the feature was made available in Europe.

It worked really well for us too. We attempted to open 100 brand new malicious URLs from anti-phishing experts OpenPhishand it blocked 87% (we found dedicated antivirus provider Bitdefender blocked 89% of the same threats – only two more).

Howeverwhile it worked well for the leading browsers (ChromeEdgeFirefox)Threat Protection Pro doesn't protect every browser or appand also isn't supported on mobile devices. Soif you’re doing anything risky onlinewe’d still recommend choosing a separate antivirus.

Consistently unblocked every streaming service we tested

Most top VPNs are effective at unblocking streaming sites from around the world. HoweverNordVPN is one of the very best – and has maintained this performance for a good number of years.

In the early days of our VPN reviewsNordVPN didn't put much effort into streaming and didn't perform well. Butsince about 2021we've found it to be incredibly effective and consistent.

Most recentlyit once again unblocked every streaming service we threw at it on the first try (ExpressVPN and PIA are the only services in our top five that didn't). You can see the results from our latest tests in the Streaming section below.

NordVPN’s extremely fast speeds mean that you don’t get any frustrating buffering – we've enjoyed The Traitors on BBC iPlayer by connecting to a UK server from the US – and the wide spread of server countries adds value too. As a resultNordVPN takes the number one spot in our best Netflix VPN and best VPN for streaming guides.

Jump to: The best VPNs for streaming

Good customer service: real humans and quick responses

To help you when you get stuckNordVPN offers a 24/7 live chat service. We contacted NordVPN's support team via the chatbot on the site with a variety of questionsand responses were quick. We didn't have to wait long to be handed over to a human agent.

For exampleI had trouble accessing the Formula 1 YouTube channel while connected – an issue I've had with all VPNs. The first time I asked this questionthe live chat support agent was able to give me a specific server that worked within the space of a couple of minutes. Impressive.

We asked the same question again a month later in mid April 2025 and this time NordVPN couldn’t solve the issue. Howeverthe agent stayed online for almost an hourproviding detailed and varied suggestions to try and solve it.

When it comes to the support articles on the NordVPN websitethey're goodbut not great. Most are suitable for beginnersbut more complex topics are wordy and tricky to decipher. We found ExpressVPN's FAQ section much more accessiblebut our recent tests have found that its live chat is now less efficient than NordVPN's.

Jump to: The best VPNs for usability

Great value for money... for the first 24 months

NordVPN offers four different pricing tiers (or threeif you’re outside the US). The entry-level Basic tier offers good value when compared with other serviceswith more handy extra features than most other VPNs at this mid-range price point – including a "lite" version of its Threat Protection feature.

NordVPN usually costs around $81 for 24 months of servicewhich is the equivalent of $3.39 per month. Like many other VPNsthoughthere's often a special offer – this typically comes in at around $2.99 per month.

By comparisonProton VPN gives you slightly more extra privacy featuresand costs slightly more at $3.59 per month on the two-year plan ($86.11 total for 24 months)while Surfshark is much cheaper at $1.99 per monthbut gives you fewer additional features.

NordVPN’s Plus plan also looks good value to me. For less than a dollar more per monthyou can get everything in the Basic planplus Threat Protection Pro (which works even when the VPN isn’t connected) and a password manager. It’s worth considering if you're looking for wider-ranging online protection and don’t want to buy separate anti-malware software or an antivirus.

I’m less sold on the value of NordVPN’s more expensive higher tiers. If you’re in the USthe Prime option ($6.89 per month / $186.03 over 27 months) includes NordProtectwhich gives you scam and ID theft insurance up to $1Mand a credit-monitoring service. HoweverExpressVPN's two-year "Advanced" plan offers almost everything on NordVPN's Prime planbut costs just $4.49 per month.

Howeversome of my only major gripes with NordVPN are to do with its pricing model. First of allthe advertised price may not be what you'll actually pay. Depending on where you livetax is added at checkout – in the UKfor examplea hefty 20% VAT is added. US states varybut expect a markup of at least 7%. Of the VPNs on this pageonly those owned by Nord Security do this.

Another issue is the massive price hike you'll see after your initial subscription runs out – it's far bigger than any other service. If you allow your subscription to auto-renewthe two-year plan that cost $81 for will turn into a one-year rolling plan that costs $139. That works out at around $11.60 per month. My advice? Don't let that happen. Canceland resubscribe at a reasonable rate.

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With speeds of 430 MbpsSurfshark's OpenVPN speeds are a little slower than its competitors. NordVPN recorded 857 Mbps and ExpressVPN peaked at 808 Mbps.

This is great if you live in a country with restrictive internet laws. OpenVPN is much easier to obfuscatewhich means hiding the fact you're using a VPN at all. Camouflage Mode is Surfshark's version of thisand is enabled by default when using OpenVPN.

One caveat to this is that OpenVPN is not actually available by default in any of the Surfshark apps. To use ityou need to set it up manually. We followed Surfshark's onsite guide and it only took us about five minutesbut some people won't like having to do this.

Backed by Nord Security: great security and privacy

Being owned by Nord Security means that you can trust that Surfshark follows the same high standards when it comes to privacy. Everything was in order in our testingand its privacy policies are fully audited.

In January 2026Surfshark had its network infrastructure audited by cybersecurity firm SecuRing. The results were very positiveand this is a big improvement – previouslySurfshark hasn't been as diligent as big rivals NordVPN and ExpressVPN when it comes to third-party audits.

The software itself is securetoo. In each of our tests – kill switchDNS leaks – we found no issues with Surfsharkand the introduction of post-quantum encryption is a big green flag. Clearlythe lower price does not mean less privacyand we consider Surfshark very safe for general use.

All the essential featuresplus some clever extras

Compared to other VPNs of a similar pricewe found that Surfshark offers a superb set of extra features. It can't quite match up to NordVPN – there's nothing like Onion over VPN or Threat Protection Pro – so anyone looking for a full privacy suite might be better served by the big brother. Butif you're just looking for a cheapsimple VPN that won’t let you downthat shouldn’t concern you.

When testing the kill switchwe found it 100% effective and reliable: we tried lots of methods to trip it up but we couldn't find a way to break it. That's an improvement from a couple of years ago where we discovered a significant issue.

There's also split tunneling on all platformsincluding iOS and now macOSwhich NordVPN does not cater for. Howeverthe removal of OpenVPN from the apps and manual setup requirement seems counterintuitive – especially considering how well Surfshark performs when using this protocol.

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Elsewherethere's not a lot that Surfshark has left out. I watched as the rotating IP option successfully cycled my IP address to a new one every 10 minutes. ExpressVPN is the only other VPN on this page that offers this.

The real standout featurethoughis Alternative ID. It’s totally uniqueand offers a quick and easy way to create a short-term disposable identity – complete with fake but functional contact details – that can be used to sign up for accounts and services online without revealing your identity or contact information. I created a bogus email address with itwhich I used to bag a discount code from an email newsletter sign-up without having to give any real information.

It's not all perfect for Surfshark though. The VPN is aimed at more casual userswhich makes it easy to usebut a little simplistic for power users. For examplePrivate Internet Access offers port forwarding – a niche tool that can help when torrenting – so if you have a very particular reason for using a VPNthere's likely a provider that's more tailor-made.

Excellent streaming performancebut a notable hiccup

Surfshark proved to be very reliable for streamingunblocking almost every website we tried on the first attempt. No matter which server or location we tried with our custom testing toolwe were able to access streaming sites from that country.

We did see a slight hiccup when it came to Amazon Prime Video. Surfshark has historically had no problems with Amazon and it wasn't the only provider to experience problems – ExpressVPN failed to unblock Amazon too.

In our previous round of testingSurfshark rose to the very top of our streaming VPN rankings. NordVPN has closed the gap somewhat but both providers are excellent at unblocking.

If you're a VPN newbie who's heading abroador just looking to access global streaming servicesSurfshark is your very best choice.

Not quite NordVPN-level customer supportbut good enough

Surfshark's customer support isn't the most effective we've experienced. We posed the same Formula 1 YouTube channel streaming problem to all our top five VPNs in mid-April 2025and while Surfshark transferred us to a human very quicklyand the agent was friendlya resolution couldn't be found. That was disappointinggiven that ExpressVPN and Proton VPN were able to resolve the same issue.

The support articles are also quite thinand don't provide as much detail as other VPNs do. This is one of the few areas in which Surfshark doesn't adequately help the less-experienced userand needs some improvement.

For examplewhen querying: "Can't connect to Surfshark," the support article is quite shortand doesn't give much information. Compare this to NordVPN's version and ExpressVPN's version of the same pageand the difference is night and day.

That saidthe live chat agents should be able to help you out in most situations if the written articles aren't good enough (our live chat test concerned a very niche issue). Pluswe do have to factor the cheaper price into our expectations here.

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Privacy pedigree and a reputation for innovation

ExpressVPN has put a lot of timeeffortand money into establishing strong credentials in the security and privacy space over the last decadeoften tapping into cutting edge technologies like quantum encryption earlier than its rivals. It also has the basics locked downlike a solid kill switch on every platform including iOSa choice of protocolsand TrustedServer.

TrustedServer refers to how ExpressVPN manages its servers to offer an extra dimension of safety for its subscribers. In shortnothing is ever stored on these serversand to make things even more securethey're wiped and reinstalled every time they switch on. To confirm thisExpressVPN submitted its servers to an external independent auditalong with almost every other part of its business (there’s a handy section on the ExpressVPN website that details all the audits).

The way that ExpressVPN handles dedicated IP addresses is also very innovative. In shortExpressVPN doesn't know which dedicated IP it allocates to any userwhich eliminates one of the biggest privacy concerns with using a dedicated IP.

ExpressVPN's server count now includes one in every US statewith 62 locations now present across the country. This will mean servers are less crowded and they'll likely be one closer to where you are. Private Internet Access (also owned by Kape Technologies) is the only other provider on this list that can boast this.

Howeveron that noteExpressVPN's acquisition by Kape Technologies in 2021 was highly controversial. The software giant has historic links to dubious software like CrossRider – and malware-like toolbar extension – but our opinion is that ExpressVPN operates independentlyand there is no evidence otherwise.

It's also worth noting that in the wake of age-verification laws and the scrutiny VPNs have come underExpressVPN has introduced DNS blocks for URLs known to share CSAM. While this is a clear positive for child safetysome have questioned whether a VPN should impose content blocks at all.

ExpressVPN's speeds are a tale of two halves

A VPN protocol determines the methodology for how your VPN encrypts and transmits your dataand it makes a big impact on connection speed. ExpressVPN primarily uses its own totally custom Lightway protocoland we found it to be the quickest at establishing a connection of all the VPNs – although this is only a matter of seconds.

In March2025ExpressVPN launched Lightway Turbo – a super-fast version of Lightway that uses multiple tunnels to improve bandwidth and speeds.

Our latest round of speed tests were the first time we methodically tested Lightway Turboand the results were . Averaging at 1,479 Mbps on our 10 Gbps UK-UK connection. UK-US speeds were similarly impressive at 1,374 Mbps – faster than any other VPN.

Howeverthere are a few catches. FirstlyLightway Turbo is only available on Windows – meaning MacLinuxand mobile VPN users can't use the super-fast protocol. What's moreLightway Turbo doesn't support split tunnelingand some applications and websites may not be compatible.

Sooriginal Lightway and OpenVPN are still important to consider.

UnfortunatelyLightway averaged just 489 Mbps on a UK-UK connectionand 323 Mbps UK-US. That puts it behind many other providers that are typically mid-pack – Private Internet Accessfor example.

We'll finish with more good newsthoughbecause ExpressVPN's OpenVPN speeds topped the charts at 1,038 Mbps UK-UKand 808 Mbps UK-US.

This is likely down to ExpressVPN's implementation of OpenVPN DCOa technique that allows OpenVPN process data in the kernel space rather than copying over to the user space. In shortit's much faster than regular old OpenVPNand ExpressVPN posted the fastest OpenVPN speeds of any VPN this time around.

Not flawless at unblockingbut unlikely to let you down often

ExpressVPN has long been a reliable VPN for streamingand in our latest round of testing it was able to unblock almost every streaming service and app we tested. Howeverunlike with the options higher in our guidewe did experience some issues along the way.

For examplewe couldn't access Amazon Prime Video when connected to a US server. We changed servers three times but still encountered a VPN detection message.

When it was successfulExpressVPN unblocked streaming platforms first time. This was the case for every Netflix library we testedDisney+and regional sites. There's no dedicated streaming serversso connecting to any server in any country should serve you well.

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ExpressVPN has downsized its human live chat service

The written setup and troubleshooting articles on ExpressVPN's support centre are the best we’ve seen from any provider. Having been through hundreds of themthey strike a balance between being user-friendly and offering useful technical advice. Whatever problem you have or whatever you want to knowyou’ll probably find a detailed page ready to help you.

Howeverrecently we've found that the live chat service has significantly deteriorated. ExpressVPN formerly offered an industry-leading 24/7 live chat servicewith near instant replies from real people. We now get a mix of AI chatbot and longer waits if we need access to a human agent. For examplewhen we asked a simple question about whether custom DNS is available in any version of ExpressVPNthe AI chatbot couldn’t understand our questionand we had to wait over 10 minutes to get a response from a person.

Compared to the likes of NordVPNwhere you can talk to a human within a minutethis is poor. Reports online suggest that a considerable number of support agents were sacked in the recent ExpressVPN layoffs. We can say first-hand that it has had a material impact on the product. We’re about to embark on a new round of deep testing so we’ll be probing this issue in more detail in the coming weeks.

Recentlywe’ve also seen reports from ExpressVPN users on Reddit that some updatesincluding Lightway Turbohave been buggy. This is quite unlike the ExpressVPN of old. We're reserving judgment for now because we haven't experienced these issues ourselvesbut we’ll dig into this in our upcoming re-reviews.

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Top speeds unlikely to ever slow you down

When using the WireGuard protocol to connect to a UK server on our 10 Gbps test line in the UKwe saw speeds of around 1,521 Mbpsfaster than NordVPN and ExpressVPNand second only to Surfshark.

Despite a slight dropwe saw similar top speeds when connected to US servers from the UKwith speeds peaking at around 1,242 Mbps. This was the fastest trans-Atlantic connection after ExpressVPN and significantly faster than NordVPN and Surfshark.

When using OpenVPNspeeds were good at 240 Mbps. That's faster than our previous round of testing but seriously lagging behind NordVPNSurfsharkand ExpressVPN. There are clearly some faster alternatives out there if OpenVPN is a priority for you.

We can confirm from our day-to-day use of Proton VPN on various networksincluding the Tom's Guide office Ethernet4G5Gand spotty public Wi-Fithat it’s very reliablewith no unexpected drop-outs or blocks – all of which have earned it top spot in our guide to the fastest VPNs.

A few rough edges don't spoil Proton VPN's privacy power tools

Proton VPN is well featuredcovering the basics with a kill switch and split tunnelingas well as more advanced features like moderate NAT. If you're a beginnerthese technical features won't be a big selling point. Thanks to their inclusionthoughProton VPN is a very strong choice for more technical users.

You'll also get NetShieldan ad and tracker blocker that offers basic protection. Howeverin our tests it proved much less effective than NordVPN's Threat Protection Pro. If wider-ranging ad blocking and browser protection are a priorityNordVPN is a better choice.

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Profiles might seem gimmickybut if you use your VPN for multiple reasons – perhaps streaming UK Netflix from the USdownloading torrentsand general browsing protection – they'll be very useful.

They take a little time to set upbut after configuring a particular set of rules for each purpose – watching BBC iPlayer through a Secure Core server in the UKfor example – they prove to be a genuinely time-saving addition to the apps.

A recent update has introduced split tunneling to the Linux appwhich frequent torrenters will be pleased to see.

One area in which Proton falls behind is its Mac application. It hasn't yet had the visual update all other platforms haveand it misses our split tunneling – surprising for such a privacy- and feature-focused VPN. HoweverProton's 2025 roadmap claims that thisas well as plenty of other featuresare on the horizon – and the update to the Linux app may indicate the Mac upgrades are close.

Now a top performer when unblocking Netflix and others

In our streaming testingProton VPN matched NordVPN and Surfshark – meaning it unblocked everything we tried to accessevery time. That includes UKUSCanadianJapanese and Australian Netflix librariesDisney PlusAmazon Prime VideoBBC iPlayer10 Playand many more.

We'd still recommend NordVPN as the streaming VPN of choicethanks to its consistency in recent years. HoweverProton VPN is becoming a very reliable alternative.

Great customer support but no 24/7 support

Proton VPN's customer support isn't quite as comprehensive as the other VPNs on this page. The main reason for this is the fact that live chat isn't available 24/7. Agents are online between 9am and 12am CET (between 3am and 6pm EST). This could prove awkward if you're in the USbut Proton has told us that there are plans to expand this.

Howeverwhen we've contacted the agentsresponses have been promptand they've typically seemed knowledgeable and friendly.

The written setup and troubleshooting guides are very comprehensivebut they do lean towards the more technical side. If you're a beginnersome may need some deciphering.

Pricey. But if you knowyou know

If you head through from GoogleProton VPN's two-year plans coming in at the equivalent of $4.49 per month (upfront fee of $107which lasts for 24 months). That makes it the most expensive VPN on this pagenow that ExpressVPN has introduced its tiered subscriptions.

Howeverif you choose to head through from one of the links on this pageProton VPN is currently available for $2.49 per month. This is exclusive to Tom's Guide and our friends at TechRadar Pro.

Just like every other VPN hereonce this introductory deal ends you'll see your plan shoot up to $6.67 per month ($79.95 for 12 months). Don't let that happen. Canceland resubscribe to get a better price.

Proton does also offer a free VPN option that currently ranks at #2 in our review of the best free VPNs. The best feature of the free version is that it offers an unlimited data allowanceso you know you won't run out at any point in the month. But there are big drawbacks compared to the paid version including slower speedsjust five server locations in NetherlandsJapanPolandRomania and the USand no support for unblocking streaming services or downloading via BitTorrent.

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Nowhere near the fastest VPN service on this list

Speed remains the weak point for PIA. Its peak speed was 621 Mbps in our latest testing (we connected using WireGuard in the UK to the recommended UK server). In the grand scheme of things that’s not too slow but it's significantly slower than NordVPNSurfsharkExpressVPN and Proton VPN.

A reminderthough: the peak speeds that any individual will experience rely on the base connection. We've tested PIA on connections of around 100 Mbps (which is closer to average US and UK connection speeds) and have seen similar real-world results to NordVPN and Surfshark.

If you don't have ultra-fast Wi-Fiyou won't notice a difference. Howeverif you doand you do a lot of downloading and uploadingconsider an alternative VPN. Surfshark is the closest on price.

PIA struggles with its OpenVPN performance. In the same test (UK to UK)we saw speeds of 244 Mbps. This is comparable to Proton VPN (240 Mbps) but notably slower than NordVPNSurfsharkand ExpressVPN.

What PIA does offer OpenVPN in-app. So it is an option if you really need to use OpenVPN out the box.

Powerful and flexiblebut we only recommend for expert users

On desktopPIA’s apps initially appear fairly simple – an ExpressVPN- on/off buttonand a menu to select your server. Howeverthe apps can be expanded verticallywhich reveals a whole load of information: your protocolhow much data you've usedyour IP addressand more.

These sections are modularand you can pin the ones you care about to make them visible without expanding the app. This kind of customization is greatand if you're like usyou'll probably find a deep satisfaction in arranging the app just to your liking. If you're notthoughyou may find it adds a complexity that other VPNs avoid. The mobile apps are a little simplerbut still offer plenty of customization.

A significant annoyance we had with the PIA desktop apps is that it's never present in the dock/taskbar on either Windows or Mac. This is more noticeable on Macand even our experienced testers found themselves briefly confused multiple times when trying to open the app while it was running in the background.

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Decent for streaming

In our streaming testsPrivate Internet Access showed improvement from our last round of testing by unblocking most sites we tried it with. Many were on the first attempt but some required a few tries.

Howeverit's worth noting that PIA wasn't quite as reliable as NordVPN and Surfshark. In factwhen we connected to its "streaming optimized" US serverswe were unable to access US Netflix. Oddly enoughthoughthe non-optimized servers worked just fine.

This isn't enough for us to be too critical of its performancebut you should be aware that – just like ExpressVPN – you may be in for a few rounds of trial and error before finding a server that reliably supports streaming.

Inconsistent customer support

Customer service has been a mixed bag in our limited testing so farbut given PIA’s low costwe don’t expect the same level of support as NordVPN. Overallwe think it’s pretty good for the money (and we’ll be conducting more in-depth tests in the coming weeks).

In PIA’s favorthere are plenty of written support articles available on the siteand they strike a good balance between being informative and accessible. Alsoin our most recent spot-test in mid-April 2025PIA solved our Formula 1 YouTube server problem within 15 minutes.

Howeverwhen our lead tester had a major issue on his main review laptop a few months ago (it refused to connect using both OpenVPN and WireGuard)he received poor customer support. After taking him through the usual uninstall and reinstall steps with no success they asked him to use an old version – and then stopped responding.

His guess is the issue was so complex and unusual that they escalated it to the developers. “My problem isn’t so much that this is taking a long time,” our reviewer commented at the time“but that they haven’t told me what they’re doing.”

Lots of power for the price

Private Internet Access's pricing mitigates a lot of its issues. At $2.03 per month ($57 for 28 months)it's great valueespecially considering all the features. A dedicated IP is also available for an extra $60and antivirus protection for $35 over the same period.

Like almost all VPNsPIA does increase its price on renewalbut not so egregiously as NordVPN. If you auto-renewyou'll be paying the same $57 for a single year of service. This works out at about $4.75 per monthwhich is less of a price hike than some providers on this pagebut we'd still recommend canceling and resubscribing at a better rate.

What is a VPN and why do people use them?

A Virtual Private Network is a system that creates a private and secure connection between you and the internet. It routes your traffic through an encrypted tunnel to a remote VPN server and then on to the internet and backmaking your personal data unreadable to anyone without the correct encryption key.

The VPN also assigns you a generic IP address. Your IP address is one of the key factors that identifies you online and it can be linked to your physical location. Changing it to a random one removes that point of vulnerability.

A neat analogy is a secret tunnel between you and a grocery store. Instead of leaving your house and driving to the store in plain viewyou can travel through the tunnel without anyone seeing what you're doingwhere you came fromor what you’re buying.

There are caveats though – especially on mobilewhere there are data points that the VPN doesn’t touch. Your location can still be revealed through browser fingerprinting (where websites use details about your device and browser to track you) or GPS dataso you need to remain savvy. And of courseif you’re logged into any services you’re accessing – NetflixFacebookGoogleand so on – with your real credentialsthey can still track what you’re doing on their platform.

Sothe two core parts of how a VPN protects you online are encryption (making your information unreadable to anyone looking in) and anonymising your IP address. These help break the link between your true identity and your online activity: your data is securedand your browsing history and location are hidden.

VPNs can be used across a wide range of devices and platformsincluding desktopmobileroutersand even smart TVs. Howevercertain platforms – such as games consoles like PlayStation or Nintendo Switch – may require manual setup or additional stepslike setting up the VPN on your router to cover all devices on a home network.

Read more: What is a VPN?

Why you might use a VPN

• Stream geo-restricted content
• Keep sensitive data protected when working remotely
• Prevent ISPsadvertisers and hackers tracking your activity
• Stay safer on unprotected public Wi-Fi
• Safer torrenting
• Find cheaper prices online by switching locations
• Avoid censorship and access restricted websites and services
• Access websites and services from your home country when abroad

VPNs aren't a silver bullet for staying completely safe and secure onlinebut they are a powerful starting point.

Encryption makes it significantly harder for third parties to track you online – when you're connected to a VPNnot even your internet service provider (ISP) or mobile network provider can see what you're getting up to. They can see how much bandwidth you're usingbut they have no way of finding out what it contains.

For some peoplethat can be a life or death feature. In countries with harsh censorship lawsVPNs can be a lifeline because they can allow you to connect with the outside world without being blocked – or worse – watched.

VPNs can protect you while you’re using public Wi-Fi in places like airports. These networks are often unsecure and so can be vulnerable to snooping attacks. They're also a fantastic tool to prevent an internet provider from throttling your connection. For examplesome hotels offer freebasic Wi-Fi to guests but slow down or restrict video streams. That’s not possible if you’re using a VPN because the hotel has no way of detecting the type of data you’re accessing.

For torrentersusing a VPN is essential. Not only does one grant you access to the torrent sites that might otherwise be blocked by your ISPbut it also lets you connect to the P2P networks to download the content privately by hiding your identity from the rest of the network.

Beyond privacyanother core function of VPN services is location spoofing. By sending your connection to the web through a server in another countrya VPN can make it appear to the rest of the internet as though you’re browsing from that location.

This means depending on which service you useyou can bypass firewalls and blocks on geographically restricted content. For some peoplethat means the international libraries of streaming services like Netflix; for othersit means being able to use Google and access western news sites.

VPNs can even help you bypass price discrimination. Some sites and services offer cheaper prices depending on your regionand so by switching to a virtual location you can sometimes unlock cheaper deals.

Specific VPN guides

This buying guide is to tell you about the best VPNs overall and some of their uses but if you're after a VPN for a very specific use casethen you should take a look at our VPN buying guides on the following:

• Best VPN for Mac
• Best VPN for torrenting
• Best VPN for streaming
• Best VPN for Fire Stick
• Best VPN for iPhone
• Best VPN for Android
• Best VPN for Apple TV
• Best VPN for gaming
• Best free VPN
• Most private VPN
• Fastest VPN
• Best VPNs with free trials
• Best VPN for Linux

A note on affiliate links

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Our top five VPNs compared

Key to star ratings:

★★★★★ = Excellent
★★★★☆ = Very Good
★★★☆☆ = Good
★★☆☆☆ = Fair
★☆☆☆☆ = Poor

3 best VPNs for privacy

1. Proton VPN. This open-source provider offers the best combination of relative ease of usededicated privacy tools like Secure Core serversand anti-censorship tech like Alternative Routing.
   
2. NordVPN. Solid privacy basicswith robustaudited appsand welcome extras like post-quantum encryption. It's the cheapest of the top three.
   
3. ExpressVPN. Has undergone the most independent audits of any VPNand typically leads the way when adopting new privacy technology.

What makes great VPN privacy?

Using a VPN you can't trust is worse than not using a VPN at all. Although you might be hiding your activity from your internet providerthe VPN can see everything and do what it likes with that information. That's why signing up to a VPN with a strong focus on privacy is important. Here's how we evaluate a VPN’s privacy credentials.

1. Logging policy

One of the most important ways we evaluate a VPN’s privacy credentials is to study its logging policy. This is a public statement that outlines what data a VPN does and doesn't collect. A "no-logs policy" is a statement that claims the VPN does not collect any "identifiable data" – that isany data that can be linked to you and your internet activitysuch as your browsing historyhome IP addressor the files you download.

A "zero-logs" policy goes furtherand claims that a VPN does not collect any information about its users at all. That includes anonymized and aggregated user datawhich server you've usedand for how long you've used the VPN. This is the Holy Grail for VPNsbut we aren't aware of any VPN providers that can truly claim to be zero-logs.

All of the VPNs we recommend on this page have audited no-logs policies.

2. Independent audits

When we test VPNs for privacywe read through every word of the no-logs policy. We also look for an independent audit to verify its claims. This process involves a reputable third party studying the no-logs policy and ensuring the VPN actually follows it in practice. Examples of auditing firms include DeloitteKPMGand Cure53.

These audits can extend to other areas of the VPN tooincluding server infrastructureand applications on various devices. We study these audits to see the scope of the processwhether any vulnerabilities were foundand whether these vulnerabilities have been addressed.

Proton VPN and NordVPN regularly take on and pass third-party audits. ExpressVPN subjects itself to more successful audits than any other. PIA has twice been able to stand up in court and show that it doesn't log any information when data on its customers has been subpoenaed. ArguablySurfshark is a little less impressive on this frontwith its last VPN-specific product audit in 2023.

3. Privacy features

Once we've made sure all the paperwork is in orderwe then go over the apps with a fine-tooth comb to see how much emphasis has been put on privacy featuresand whether they work as intended.

How we test VPN privacy and what we recommend

We're satisfied that all of the VPNs we recommend here meet high standards for privacy. These are the privacy features we've looked at in detail and which products we rate most highly for each.

Test the kill switch

First upit's the kill switch. We try every possible way to unexpectedly end the VPN connection and trick it into failing. "One of my tests is simulating some kind of major issue with Windows; perhaps the networking layer just stops working,” explains our lead VPN tester – whounsurprisinglywishes to stay anonymous. “If the app uses a standard network connection – Win+R and run ncpa.cpl – then I try to disconnect it manually. At the most extremeI have uninstalled an app’s driver while it’s connected."

All our top-recommended VPNs have very strong kill switch functionality that withstood these tests. PIA's double kill switch system is worth considering for those for whom this feature is particularly important.

Check the code

Some VPNs are open-sourcewhich means we can study the code to make sure it's in order. This is one of the main reasons we recommend Proton VPN if your absolute top priority is privacy – none of the VPNs ranked higher on this page have made their app code open-source.

Howevereven if an app isn't open-sourcethere are still tests we can do. For exampleto ensure there are no trackers within an appwe check its traffic. If we see it sending requests to a tracking servicewe can immediately tell it's up to no good. Naturallynone of the VPNs on this page do this.

Dedicated privacy features

A standout hereagainis Proton VPN. The provider has clearly invested in dedicated privacy features like Secure Core to offer a unique level of privacy for its users.

NordVPN's Onion over VPN featureallowing VPN access to the Tor browseris another good privacy feature. PIA is also a good choice for privacy with the depth adjustments users can make to the VPN protocol options.

Jurisdiction

Each VPN provider has to choose where to base itselflegally speaking. As suchthey are subject to the data protectionand otherlaws of that land.

ExpressVPN (British Virgin Islands)NordVPN (Panama) and Proton (Switzerland) are all well positioned in jurisdictions which offer their users excellent protection from governmental data requests. All three territories have strict laws which means they won't have to give up informationno matter who comes knocking.

PIA is based in the U.S. and does not benefit in the same wayhence the company having to go to court twice and rely on their no logs policy instead.

Surfshark is the other exception. It moved its headquarters from the British Virgin Islands to the Netherlands in 2021. While the country does not require any logging of user datathere is some concern that it is part of the Fourteen Eyes intelligence sharing group of countries which did upset users at the time of migration.

Track record

We also take a VPN's track record very seriously. A clean sheet is perfectand many providers herelike Proton VPN and Private Internet Accesshave a long history of good practice. PIAfor examplehas been taken to court twice to divulge information on its usersand both times it has been unable tobecause it didn’t collect any. This sort of proof is better than any audit.

Not every VPN is as untarnished. NordVPNfor examplesuffered a server hack in 2018and worsened the impact by not disclosing this until a year later. Howeverin the years sinceNordVPN has hugely improved its privacy practices andlikely spurred on by the fallout after this eventis now one of the most privacy-conscious VPNs around.

Read more in our guide to the most private VPNs.

3 best VPNs for streaming

1. NordVPN: Our top pick for streamingthanks to its consistently flawless unblocking performance across all major platformscombined with its overall feature set and fair price.
   
2. Surfshark: Worth choosing if streaming is your only concernoffering the same consistently successful unblocking abilities as NordVPNbut at an even better price.
   
3. Proton VPN: We really rate Proton VPNand our testing shows it’s currently performing just as well as NordVPN and Surfshark when it comes to streaming. But it also has less of a consistent track record with these featureswhich means it stays at number three for now.

Using a VPN to unblock streaming services has historically been somewhat hit and miss. One day a specific server will work to unlock Netflix Japan; the next day it doesn’tand you’re left looking for one that does.

That’s because using a VPN to unblock streaming content isn’t illegal – but it is against the streaming services’ terms of service. Those same services are contractually required to uphold the licensing agreements they have with their content partners.

Sowhen the streaming services start to suspect that certain IP addresses belong to VPN serversthey ban those IPswhich is why certain VPN servers stop working for streaming. The VPN companies then buy fresh IP addresses to use for their servers – which the streamers haven’t banned – and so on goes the cat and mouse game between the streaming services and VPN providers.

For the time beingour VPN streaming tests show that the VPNs have the upper hand. Over the last yearour testing has indicated a shift in that dynamic and the good news is that all of the top five VPNs we recommend on this page can consistently unblock the most popular streaming services exceptionally well.

How we tested streaming

For every VPN that Tom’s Guide reviewswe go through a process of accessing region-exclusive content across a range of platformsincluding Netflix libraries in the USUKCanadaJapanand Australiaplus Amazon Prime VideoDisney Plusand local services like HuluBBC iPlayer10 Playand 9Now.

To do thiswe use a semi-automated tool that connects to multiple servers in each location and tracks which ones workwhich don’tand how consistently we can stream without error messages or detection. The tool allows us to check many more services and locations than we would be able to manuallyand we follow up any errors manually. We also manually spot-check each provider to correlate our test findings with real-world experienceand investigate any issues our readers report to us.

And it’s not just about whether a VPN works – we also consider how the provider handles things when it doesn’t. If a service claims to support Netflix but fails in our testswe reach out to customer support to see how they respond. Can they suggest a working server? Are they actively addressing the issue? Services that engage and troubleshoot earn creditwhile those that shrug and point to vague disclaimers don’t. Streaming is a moving targetand the best VPNs aren’t just capable – they’re proactive.

What we recommend

On that basiswe’ve chosen NordVPN as our top pick for the best streaming VPN. It scored full marks in all streaming tests without a single hiccupand because it’s also our top-rated service across the other tested categoriesit’s also a no brainer to recommend.

That being saidif unblocking streaming services is the only reason you’re interested in using a VPNwe’d strongly recommend choosing Surfshark instead. It’s every bit as good as NordVPN at unblocking streaming servicesbut costs a bit less. We also really rate Proton VPN: it matched NordVPN and Surfshark in our most recent testingand the only reason it isn’t higher currently is because it has less of a track record compared to the other two.

It’s worth highlighting that ExpressVPN and PIA performed well for streaming toobut we don’t recommend them more highly for a couple of minor reasons. ExpressVPN had a few wobbles when we were trying to unblock international Netflix libraries – we still got it working with every streaming sitebut not first timeevery time. Occasionally we had to jump through some extra hoops to find a server that would give us the result we wanted.

And while PIA also performed wellit’s historically been much less reliable in the streaming space. We’ll be watching it closely to see if its current excellent performance continues over time.

Read more in our guide to the best VPNs for streaming.

3 fastest VPNs we've tested

1. Proton VPN: Big improvements in speed have seen Proton VPN take the number one spot here. Its OpenVPN speeds are a little slow but WireGuard is blisteringly fast.
2. ExpressVPN: It recorded the fastest speeds on a 10 Gbps line and has great OpenVPN performance. But regular Lightway didn't perform as well and Lightway Turbo is a Windows-exclusive.
3. NordVPN: A slight drop in speeds were noted in our testingbut it's consistent and WireGuard speeds exceeded 900 Mbps.

Connection speeds are important for almost everyone using a VPN. Whether you're streaming global content or avoiding censorship under a repressive governmentgetting the most out of the internet connection you have access to is a must.

That’s why speed testing is one of the biggest parts of our VPN review processand we do it in a number of ways. Firstwe test multiple times on an uncontested 1 Gbps line from our UK base to the recommended fastest serverand then from the UK to the fastest US server.

While our base connection is much faster than the average domestic connectionit gives us a good idea of what a VPN is capable of under perfect conditions. We initially test using the VPN's recommended protocol – usually WireGuard nowadays – and repeat when using OpenVPN.

Proton VPNExpressVPNand NordVPN all exceeded 900 Mbps when using their recommended protocols. When given more bandwidthProton VPN and ExpressVPN topped 1,000 Mbps. Our results table belowdetail the speeds we recorded in our testing.

Real-world testing

These results may not be representative of what you'll see in the real worldthough. To get a better idea of thiswe test VPNs on a variety of networksincluding very fast domestic fibre connectionsslower public Wi-Fiand 4G and 5G. Generallythe providers that were fastest in the peak tests perform best in our real-world tests. Howeverthere can be some surprises – especially when using less powerful devices which will likely not be so adept at coping with the encryption and decryption demands of the VPN software

For exampleusing a bottom-of-the-range 2022 Dell Inspiron on a connection that topped out at around 100 Mbpswe found that ExpressVPN had the least impact on speedonly reducing it by around 16%. Contrast this with NordVPNwhich surprisingly impacted speeds by almost 47%and you get quite a different picture from a single case study to the one painted by peak performance. Soit’s important to bear in mind your particular set of circumstances.

Of coursethese tests only provide a snapshot in time. Speeds fluctuate continually on VPN serverseven on our base connections. The important thing is consistently delivering good speeds on a variety of connections – which all the providers on this page do.

Bear in mind that you only need fairly low speeds for most daily activities:

• Streaming music: 1-5 Mbps
• General browsing: 5-10 Mbps
• HD video: 5-10 Mbps
• 4K video: 25-30 Mbps
• Gaming: 25-50 Mbps

Rememberthoughthat all of these activities take up part of your total bandwidth. Sotwo people streaming 4K Netflix with someone else playing an online Apex Legends match will use up almost all of a 100 Mbps connection.

If you do find yourself suffering from low internet speeds when using a VPNmake sure that heavy usage isn't impacting your base connection before investigating your VPN or contacting the support team.

Latest speed test results: October 2025

3 easiest VPNs to use

1. ExpressVPN: A super-simple interface and clear one-click connection make it easy to use for absolutely anyone. Howeverit's also quite a bit more expensive.
   
2. Surfshark: A cheaper alternative to ExpressVPN. It's not quite as slickbut it's still really easy to use and we can't imagine anyone having any issues with it.
   
3. NordVPN: A little more complex stillbut a well laid-out interface makes it very easy to connectand find extra features if you need them.

Anyone should be able to use a VPN to improve their online privacy without fuss or confusion – even if you're not that comfortable with tech. No one wants a steep learning curve.

When reviewing a VPNwe first test the installation process. Gone are the days where you need to dig around in your computer's guts to get software to run properly. All the VPNs on this page install simply and quicklywith direct downloads available for PC and Mac. On mobilethey all offer easily accessible apps from both the App Store and Play Store.

Be aware that you will need to give the VPN permission to access certain parts of your device before it can run. This isn't anything to worry aboutbut some VPNs – like ExpressVPNNordVPN and Surfshark – make it very clear exactly how to do thisand when to do so.

Then comes the fun bit: running the app. After giving those permissionsthe most reliable VPN apps are totally ready out of the boxand that’s the case for all our top-recommended providers. You can connect to the suggested server and forget all about the VPN – orif you're feeling adventurousyou can test out some extras.

We love having extra featuresbut having them laid out in a simpleeffective way is essential if anyone but the most experienced user is going to try them out.

Finallygood customer support is crucial if a VPN is going to cater for less experienced users. All the providers on this page offer live chat (although Proton VPN isn't available 24/7)but written articles are where the real knowledge lies.

All of this is what separates the really well-made VPNs from the less user-focused ones.

What we recommend

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ExpressVPN takes the crown herebecause it's incredibly simple: just a single button to connectand another to select your server. There's some customization available in the settingsbut it's clearly designed to make the process of using a VPN as simple as possible. What's moreit also has the best written troubleshooting articles.

Howeverwe have seen a slight downturn in its live chat. When we contacted ExpressVPN's support with a query about custom DNSwe waited for over 10 minutes to get a replyand further responses were delayed too. This is much slower than what we've experienced with other VPNs on this page.

Surfshark adds a little more depth to its appsbut manages to keep the essentials simple and to the point. The left-hand tabs are a smart way of offering easy access to advanced features while not cluttering the main interface.

NordVPN is similarly laid-outwith tabs down the left-hand side of the desktop app that contain more advanced features. Howeverit feels a little more "grown up," with smaller buttons and a more sober color scheme – the result of which is a potentially more intimidating experience.

PIA and Proton VPN serve up more advanced features to users’ fingertipsand with that comes a delicate balance with usability. PIA is a little over-complicated for novice VPN users. Howeversince a recent app design overhaulProton VPN has come up with a UI that we’d still recommend for anyone – even if it’s not quite as simplified as the likes of ExpressVPN.

How we test VPNs at Tom's Guide

The Tom’s Guide team takes testing VPNs seriously. If a VPN gets a security feature wrong even one timefor one personon one daythere can be serious consequences.

Sowe're as rigorous as possibleincluding designing custom in-house testing toolsto ensure our recommendations are as reliable as possible. Of course there are some things we can’t test. For exampleif an app isn’t open source we can’t look at the source code. And because we’re talking about encrypted systems that are designed to be impenetrableit’s hard to verify certain security and privacy claims – which is why we also consider independent audits in our analysis.

Assessing countriescities and servers

We wrote a custom tool that can scrape the latest location lists of 260+ VPNs. This can export any provider’s location list into a Google-compatible formatenabling us to visually compare its network on Google Maps.

The tool also enables us to see how every provider’s live locations are distributed across the globe. In a click or twowe’re able to see where in the world a provider is strong or weakand to highlight any important locations it’s missing. And if we’re curious which providers have the most countries in Asiaor anywhere elsewe can find out with a click.

The end result is that we don’t just tell you that "VPN X has an average number of servers." We know where it excelswhere it falls downthe key countries it’s missing and more. All of this contributes to a much richer and more helpful review.

Testing VPN apps: the big picture

Reviewing VPN apps starts by being able to compare them with the competitionbut that’s surprisingly difficult. Do you even know how many Android apps there arehow many on the App Storehow many Chrome or Firefox extensions? That’s really important informationand so we decided to find out.

We wrote a custom app that uses multiple search techniques to crawl the web and identify VPN apps. On its last runthe app found 850 Android apps929 for iOSand uncovered more for ChromeFirefoxEdgeand the Windows Store.

This data brings all kinds of benefits to a review. We can sort all our apps by ratingdownloadsor the number of reviews for instanceallowing us to see exactly how each provider compares with the competition. And by analyzing each app storewe can come up with useful information that isn’t available any other way.

For example: we’ve discovered that the average VPN app rating on Google Play is 4.2but on the App Store it’s 4.5. Sounds like a small detailbut it means when we tell you whether a VPN app rates above or below averagewe can be far more accurate than anyone else.

Speed matters

We begin by building our main speed test environment on a Microsoft cloud PCeffectively creating a Windows 11 computer with a huge amount of ultra-reliable bandwidth and a connection that’s not going to be affected by having to share resources with anyone else on the same cable. This means we get improved consistency of our speed test resultsand also allows us to automate testing.

On testing daywe start in the morningwhen our custom tool runs five speed tests using each of four speed test platforms: SpeedTest.net’s websiteSpeedTest.net's command line toolMeasurement Lab and Cloudflaregiving us 20 tests in total.

Then we switch locations to the USreconnect and run the tests again. Then we change protocol to OpenVPNand repeat the entire sequence. And finallyin the eveningwe repeat all those steps againgiving us a total of 160 speed test results for each VPN service.

Finallywe analyze the datacalculate the best median scores in the morning and evening sessionsand average those to get a download speed you could reasonably expect from that VPN. This all takes a whilebut it’s worth it. We’ve found our results are generally consistent over timeand properly reflect improvements (or issues) with providers as they happen.

Unblocking Netflix and more

To find out how these apps really perform at unblocking taskswe connect to countries including the UKUSAAustraliaCanada and Japanusing whatever streaming server the VPN recommends (if any). An automated testing tool that we built identifies Netflix and other content available in that country that we can’t view in the UKand we use both automatic and manual testing across multiple streaming platforms – NetflixAmazon PrimeDisney+YouTubeBBC iPlayer and more regional channels – to see if it’s accessible.

If a VPN appears to be blocked with one location in a countrywe try up to two othersif possible. When we’re donewe put the results through a custom algorithm to score each provider and accurately rank them against the best.

Unblocking isn’t just about streamingthough: many websites try to detect and block VPN users. To find out how each provider handles thesewe use an automated tool to see how many of these VPN-hating sites it can fool. You won’t often see stats like that elsewherebut they’re important: the better a VPN is at bypassing protectionthe less likely you are to experience website blocksCAPTCHAsand other security hassles.

VPN features: testdon’t trust

A provider might claim it has servers in specific locations but is that really true? We verify (or disprove) those claims by running various timing tests to see if a location is really hosted in the country the provider claims.

The kill switch is another great example. We don’t just take the provider’s word that it works. We put it through some serious stress testingkilling processesstopping servicestweaking drivers – doing everything we possibly can to make the VPN dropwhile monitoring where our traffic is going and making sure it’s still protected.

Even that’s not enough. Just because a kill switch worked on one protocoldoesn’t necessarily mean it will work with anotherso we check them all.

Blocking malicious websites is a common VPN extra. Sounds good; but only if it works. To find outwe wrote a custom tool to scour the web looking for newly reported malicious linksboth phishing sites and malware. We use Google’s Safe Browsing API to help verify that these really are dangerous sitesand remove anything that looks harmless. Then we connect to the VPNopen our links in Chrome and a custom browserand find out how well the VPN performs.

Testing everything else

Sowe’ve looked at some of the more involved tests and checks we make in a reviewbut there are manymany more.

User experience: We take a longhard look at usability. Are the apps easy to understand? Can we spot key features right awayor are they sometimes hard to find? Does each app interface work as we expectedor does it break conventional design rules? Performance and features matter heretoo. Does the app connect in a flashor take ages? Does it have dark/light modesor other tweaks to suit you and your device?

Platforms: We test many of the most technical aspects of a VPN on Windowsbecause that’s most difficult to get right and easiest to get wrongbut we’re keen to explore other devicestoo. Which platforms does a provider support? Does it update these regularly? Is it always adding new featuresand always improvingor has it not seen any real changes for years? Does each platform have all the necessary featuresor are they poor imitations missing essential elements of a modern VPN?

Audits: VPN audits are also good to seebut we don’t just quote the "we passed" post on the provider’s blogs: we find the full reportand read itto discover just what the auditors uncovered.

Support: Even if you’re a VPN expertsupport matters: everyone needs help sometimes. We scour every support sitechecking the quantity and quality of articlesconfirming that they’re up-to-date and contain useful advice. We put real questions to the support teamtooand rate the provider on the speed of responsethe quality of the answerand whether the agent feels like an expert listening carefully to what we’re askingor an amateur simply reading from a script.

Going the extra mile

Sometimes we run into tough issues – for exampleif something about a VPN app just doesn’t work as expected. When it feels importantwe don’t just give up. We dig deeper to understand what’s happening. In the pastthat’s meant firing up tools like Fiddler or Wireshark to inspect network trafficor using Process Explorer and other Sysinternals utilities to monitor app behavior. We’ve even decompiled Windows and Android apps to inspect the code.

At times our testing has felt closer to an audit than a reviewbut the precise methods don’t matter – it’s what we uncover that countsand those discoveries often add real depth to our reviews. For more informationtake a detailed look at how we test VPNs.

How to choose the right VPN

All the best VPNs have slightly different advantages and drawbacks. The right VPN for you depends on a range of factorsfrom what you want to use it for to your skill levelbudgetand more. Here are some key considerations to help you choose the right one for your needs.

1. Privacy

Protecting your privacy is the most fundamental role of a VPN. Look for independently verified no-log and security auditsdetailed privacy policiesand a kill switch – all our top five recommendations offer these.

If you're a beginnerstreameror gamerthis should be enough. But if you're heavily privacy consciouslook for multi-hop features and obfuscated serversand choose a provider that’s based in a country with strong privacy laws for extra security (Proton is based in Switzerlandfor example).

2. Speed

Fast speeds are essential for smooth streaming and gaming. The speed of your VPN depends on your own internet connectionbut the fastest are capable of over 950 Mbps – well above the 25 Mbps generally required for 4KUHD streaming and gaming. For a detailed provider comparisonsee our VPN speed tests.

Bear in mind that using a VPN does make your internet speed slower. You shouldn't notice a difference during daily browsingstreamingor gamingas long as your internet is fast enough.

Some advanced privacy and security features such as multi-hop or Onion over VPN can add more latency and may slow you down a little because your traffic has to travel further. Your VPN protocol also has an impact: WireGuard is faster than OpenVPN.

Howeverin practicemodern VPNs are capable of much faster speeds than the average domestic Wi-Fi connection. If you pay for an ultra-fast 1 or 10 Gbps connection and push it to the maxyou will want the very fastest VPN you can find. If notall the providers on this page will deliver a speedy and lag-free experience,.

3. Ease of use

The best way to test ease of use is to take advantage of a VPN free trial or money-back guaranteeand use the VPN yourself. Look for apps with a cleanintuitive interfacewith obvious on/off buttonsand easy server selection across all devices (app design can differ across desktop and mobile so check both).

Ideallythe provider’s website will have plenty of well-organized FAQs and tutorials – ExpressVPN excels in this area. Beginners should consider a VPN that is also scored highly for customer support by users.

4. Device connections

If you want VPN protection for the whole familyor have a large number of devicesthen look for an unlimited device connections policy. Providers commonly offer protection for 8-10 deviceswhich may be enoughbut unlimited connections are offered by some – including Surfshark and PIA.

5. Customizable features

Unless you're a real tech wizardyou won't require much more than the basics. For beginnerslook for a wide range of serversintegrated threat protectionand the odd speciality server will be enough. Streamers may want to look for streaming optimized servers (such as those offered by PIA)but this isn't essential and don't always perform as well as regular servers.

For more controllook for split tunneling to manage which apps use the VPNand the ability to choose different protocols (like WireGuard or OpenVPN). You can turn your VPN off for things like online banking or websites that block VPNs.

Experts should seek torrenting and P2P supportand features like port forwarding. Howeverthese tools are often more complicated to use and have very detailed settingsso they're not for everyone.

6. Price

We always recommend taking out a two-year deal. You pay more upfront but they work out cheaper per month.

Check what features are included in your plan. Most providers include everythingbut some (NordVPN and Surfshark for example) offer tiered planswhere the number of features offered is price dependent. Read what's included in each tier so you only pay for what you need.

Almost all providers include a money-back guarantee of at least 30 daysso take advantage of this and trial your VPN risk free.

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