Deeper Dive: Our Top Tested Picks
EDITORS’ NOTE
November 21, 2025: With this update, our lineup of recommended VPNs remains unchanged. The existing picks have been vetted for currency and availability. Since our last update, we reviewed and evaluated one additional VPN for potential inclusion in this roundup and our other VPN roundups. We currently have two more VPNs being tested.
(Credit: Proton)
(Credit: Proton)
Pros & Cons
Best free plan we’ve seen
Industry-leading privacy standards
Global server network
Slick, accessible client
Numerous additional privacy tools
Ample customer support options
High latency scores in testing
Proton VPN does it all, and that’s why it earns a rare five-star rating. While the core paid VPN service price is average, Proton VPN has the best free VPN subscription we’ve seen. An account with Proton VPN will also grant you access to other products in the Proton family, including Proton Mail and Proton Drive. This includes free accounts, making the app an excellent value-add.
Why We Picked It
Features and capabilities: In addition to the usual VPN capabilities, including an ad blocker, kill switch, malware blocker, port forwarding, and split tunneling, Proton VPN includes multi-hop connections and access to the Tor network via VPN.
Privacy and security: Proton’s commitment to security shows in its apps. Proton VPN is open-source, the code undergoes regular audits, and the company runs a bug bounty program. We were particularly impressed by Proton’s Stealth feature, which provides an extra layer of security for individuals in countries such as Iran and Russia. The company also uses full disk encryption to store your data, making it inaccessible to law enforcement or government officials. A company representative told PCMag that if one of Proton VPN’s dedicated servers ever goes offline due to “unforeseen circumstances,” it is immediately wiped and de-provisioned.
Speed and performance: Despite finishing fifth in our download tests, Proton VPN’s upload speed test results were the best we’ve seen so far. Using any VPN will affect your latency, though, and Proton’s result reflects this fact with an increase of 170.31%.
Streaming: Proton VPN works well with Netflix, though the results were not uniform across all servers we tested. Open library access was available on four of the five servers, including Australia, Japan, the UK, and the US. Canada was the only region where we were met with a Limited library.
User experience and ease of use: Proton VPN’s slick, streamlined, user-friendly app interface provides a pleasant user experience. The iOS app is an excellent example of intuitive design. Instead of using a dashboard or home screen, all core features are accessible from the navigation menu at the bottom of the screen.
Who It’s For
Newbies: Proton VPN’s free version is easy to use and full-featured, making it a great choice for new VPN users. Though experienced users are sure to find the features they’re looking for, first-timers will appreciate the streamlined interface that makes it easy to connect to a VPN in just a few clicks.
Home users: Proton VPN offers a respectable number of servers worldwide, so you don’t need to leave home to watch your favorite shows on a streaming service based in another country. As mentioned above, the paid subscription to the service provides a range of productivity integrations, including Proton’s calendar, email, and cloud storage applications, making it a great option for your home office.
Specs & Configurations
Simultaneous VPN Connections
10
Server Locations
117 countries
Geographically Diverse Servers
Free Version Data Limit
Unlimited
Learn More
Proton VPN Review
(Credit: NordVPN)
(Credit: NordVPN)
Pros & Cons
Support for multi-hop, split tunneling, and Tor connections
Excellent speed results
Global server coverage
Wealth of available features and add-ons
Built-in antivirus tools
Expensive, and annual pricing could be clearer
Antivirus component could be better
NordVPN, a pioneer in the VPN industry, was one of the first companies to fully adopt the WireGuard VPN protocol and RAM-only servers. Years later, the service remains a solid product, maintaining a consistent and modern design across all its platforms. That said, be prepared to pay a substantial fee for the premium service. NordVPN’s subscription costs more than the average monthly price we’ve seen across the industry.
Why We Picked It
Features and capabilities: The best thing about NordVPN is that it offers something for everyone. A subscription includes features such as an ad and malware blocker, a kill switch, multi-hop connections, split tunneling, and access to Tor over VPN. You also get access to NordVPN Threat Protection Pro, which scans browser downloads for malware and blocks malicious URLs. The Protection Pro features aced our phishing protection test but failed the vulnerability finding test.
Privacy and security: According to the company’s privacy policy, NordVPN does not log customers’ browsing history, IP addresses, or traffic. The company also requests code audits from third-party cybersecurity firms, though not as frequently as Tunnelbear’s annual audits.
Speed and performance: NordVPN’s speed test results were impressive. In the most recent evaluation, the app ranked sixth in download speeds. Performance-wise, we tested NordVPN on Android, ChromeOS, iOS, macOS, and Windows and found it easy to download the app and connect to a VPN immediately.
Streaming: People seeking to access a previously blocked streaming service will appreciate NordVPN’s reliable speeds and extensive server selection. If you’re a Netflix subscriber, you’ll be happy to know that we accessed the entire Netflix library while connected to servers in five locations: Australia, Canada, Japan, the UK, and the US.
User experience and ease of use: NordVPN’s apps look great and perform well in testing. A note, however: This VPN is positioned as a “set it and forget it” tool that will run in the background on your device, which may not be ideal for everyone. When you don’t want NordVPN to automatically connect to a VPN (like at home or work), tap the Pause button on the dashboard and mark your current network as Trusted.
Who It’s For
Frequent travelers: NordVPN has virtual servers in over 100 countries, although most physical servers are located in the UK and the US. This means you have a lot of VPN connection choices when you’re traveling. It’s also easy to quickly connect to a VPN using the app, so you don’t have to worry about snoops on public Wi-Fi networks in airports or hotels.
Newbies: NordVPN’s interface makes it easy for first-time users to connect to a VPN immediately. We especially like the level of control NordVPN offers customers. For example, if you’re new to using a VPN, you may want to let NordVPN choose the fastest connection for you and just stick with it. As you become more comfortable navigating the app, you can select a server to connect to from a drop-down menu.
Specs & Configurations
Simultaneous VPN Connections
6
Server Locations
118 countries
Geographically Diverse Servers
Free Version Data Limit
No Free Version
Learn More
NordVPN Review
(Credit: ExpressVPN)
(Credit: ExpressVPN)
Pros & Cons
Large, diverse, widely distributed fleet of servers
Fast speed test results
Strong privacy and security practices
Support for post-quantum encryption protocols
Expensive monthly and annual plans
No multi-hop connections
Ad blocking is spotty
Ownership with a sketchy past
ExpressVPN boasts an attractive interface, servers in 105 countries, strong speed test results, and its own proprietary Lightway VPN protocol. This protocol uses the open-source WolfSSL cryptography library and has passed three third-party audits by KPMG. It is leading the pack with its future-forward approach by incorporating post-quantum encryption, which aims to prevent advanced hacking methods before they become viable. The downsides? You can’t use the VPN for free, and a subscription costs a bit more than average.
Why We Picked It
Features and capabilities: ExpressVPN includes standard VPN features such as a kill switch and split tunneling. There’s also a dark web scanner. If you buy the two-year plan, you can use the data removal request service, which sends requests to data brokers on your behalf to clean up your online presence. The multi-year subscription also includes up to a million dollars’ worth of identity theft insurance. An ExpressVPN subscription also gives you access to Express VPN Keys, the company’s password manager, and Threat Manager, a malware and tracker blocker. The service has partnered with holiday.com and provides subscribers with an eSIM ranging from 1 to 5GB, depending on the subscription length.
Privacy and security: ExpressVPN does not keep logs of customer browsing activity or connections, and the privacy policy states that the company does not sell customer data. ExpressVPN undergoes periodic independent security audits and publishes a thorough transparency report on its website, which lists customer data requests from law enforcement, along with any gag orders or national security letters. ExpressVPN also operates a bug bounty program, which provides security researchers with the opportunity to stress-test the company’s systems and report vulnerabilities in exchange for a financial reward.
Speed and performance: ExpressVPN’s latency and speed tests yielded results that exceeded the median. Although ExpressVPN has servers worldwide, choose a server closest to your physical location for the fastest VPN connection.
Streaming: During the latest round of testing, we were able to access five regional Netflix catalogs without any restrictions. Global content is at your fingertips, with 100 servers to choose from in diverse locations, including countries with strict internet policies, such as Turkey and Vietnam.
User experience and ease of use: ExpressVPN offers apps for Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows. The company also supports Linux customers through the command line or a handy GUI. The interface on all of the apps makes it easy to connect to a VPN quickly. Connections were stable while connected to ExpressVPN’s network. We did not experience stuttering or unreasonable buffering when streaming content on Twitch or YouTube.
Who It’s For
Newbies: If you first heard of VPNs or, specifically, ExpressVPN via an ad read by your favorite YouTuber, you’re not alone. That’s probably why ExpressVPN made the app incredibly easy to navigate. People unfamiliar with VPNs will appreciate the simplicity of this app. Connecting for the first time is as simple as downloading the app, pressing the big connection button, and minimizing the window. That’s it!
Location spoofers: ExpressVPN has a lot of server locations around the world, making it a great pick for anyone who wants to spoof their location for any reason. For example, you could use the VPN at home in Canada to route your web traffic through a London-based server. It will obfuscate your true location and give you access to region-locked content on video streaming platforms like BBC iPlayer or Netflix.
Specs & Configurations
Simultaneous VPN Connections
8
Server Locations
105 Countries
Geographically Diverse Servers
Free Version Data Limit
No Free Version
Learn More
ExpressVPN Review
(Credit: TunnelBear VPN)
(Credit: TunnelBear VPN)
Pros & Cons
Unlimited simultaneous connections
Excellent privacy policy
Annual independent audits
Friendly, approachable design
No multi-hop connections
Unimpressive customer support
TunnelBear VPN’s fun, bear-themed interface makes it seem less serious than it is. In truth, the service takes a serious approach to privacy. It has one of the easiest-to-use interfaces while providing an excellent service with powerful features. You can try it out for free with a data-limited option, making it an easy choice for anyone who wants to try a VPN for the first time.
Why We Picked It
Features and capabilities: TunnelBear VPN offers a totally free version of its paid service. The only drawback? You’re limited to 2GB of browsing data each month. The premium version ($9.99/month) lifts this data cap. TunnelBear’s sole focus is on its VPN service, which has a wealth of advanced features at an affordable price. Always-on mode, a Kill Switch (VigilantBear), split tunneling (SplitBear), and advanced obfuscation (GhostBear) are common features across all platforms. TunnelBear VPN is available on Chrome, Edge, Firefox browsers, as well as Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows devices.
Privacy and security: TunnelBear VPN has one of the best privacy policies we’ve read. It is written in plain terms and provides clear, simple explanations of the company’s data practices. TunnelBear’s privacy policy states that it does not collect information about users’ web activity or store DNS queries, IP addresses, or timestamps.
Speed and performance: Unfortunately, TunnelBear VPN performed below average during the last round of testing. It slowed download and upload results by 83% and 72%, respectively, and increased latency by 109%.
Streaming: While connected to TunnelBear, we had unrestricted access to every regional Netflix catalog we tested. That said, if you’re hoping to do a lot of location spoofing, TunnelBear may not be your best choice. TunnelBear has servers in 46 countries, which is right around average for the VPNs we’ve reviewed. While the country coverage is limited, TunnelBear operates its entire network with physical servers, which gives the company more control over data handling practices compared with a virtual server infrastructure.
User experience and ease of use: The TunnelBear app for Windows was snappy and responsive yet cute and colorful. The “cute” we’re talking about is in the app’s animations. For example, when you connect to a VPN server, a notification appears in the form of a bear wearing a hat representative of that country.
Who It’s For
Newbies: Thanks to its simple and user-friendly interface, TunnelBear VPN is an excellent choice for anyone new to VPNs. It’s also a strong option for anyone who just needs a general-purpose VPN and doesn’t need to fuss with too many network settings.
Design lovers: In a category filled with dark, high-tech, or utilitarian-looking apps, it’s fun to encounter a bright, cheery-looking app that isn’t taking itself too seriously. There’s even a Bear Sounds option in the Settings menu. If you turn it on, a roaring sound plays whenever you connect or disconnect from a VPN server.
Specs & Configurations
Simultaneous VPN Connections
Unlimited
Server Locations
46 Countries
Geographically Diverse Servers
Free Version Data Limit
2GB per month
Learn More
TunnelBear VPN Review
(Credit: Surfshark)
(Credit: Surfshark)
Pros & Cons
Excellent server coverage and performance
Impressive suite of security features
Well-defined privacy policy
Quarterly transparency reports
Affordable long-term plans
High monthly cost
Average server network size
Surfshark delivers a consistent experience across all major operating systems, and it supports unlimited simultaneous device connections. While it has a high up-front monthly cost, you gain access to a wealth of handy security tools and features that help justify the lofty price point.
Why We Picked It
Features and capabilities: Surfshark’s network boasts adequate global coverage, with a presence in 100 countries. Advanced connection options, such as multi-hop and post-quantum encryption, make it easy to tailor your security preferences. Beyond a standard VPN, Surfshark aims to be a one-app solution for all things privacy. You can configure an antivirus, ad blocker, and additional identity protection tools all in a single hub.
Privacy and security: Privacy policies can be confusing and dense. Surfshark takes a more comprehensive approach and offers an in-depth yet digestible policy that explains how the company handles data. The service has verified these claims with frequent third-party audits and quarterly transparency reports.
Speed and performance: Surfshark’s performance was impressive. We only saw a 3.25% decrease in download speeds, a 6.07% decrease in upload speeds, and an increase in latency of 83.92%.
Streaming: Netflix access was no problem for Surfshark. It accessed every regional catalog we tested without running into blocks.
User experience and ease of use: The user experience is consistent across all applications. Each version of Surfshark features a sleek design with clearly defined benefits. It’s easy to pick up and use as a new user, and it has enough depth for more experienced users to tinker with.
Who It’s For
Media Streamers: Surfshark is a solid choice for those looking to watch their favorite shows from anywhere without compromising on security. The VPN was one of the fastest we have tested, and it easily unblocked regional Netflix catalogs. We did not experience stuttering or slow load times even when connected to distant locations.
Users who want a one-app solution: The biggest selling point for Surfshark is its ecosystem of privacy tools. It’s a good choice for those who may not want a handful of subscriptions to different services. With Surfshark, you can configure an array of tools all from a single control hub under one account.
Specs & Configurations
Simultaneous VPN Connections
Unlimited
Server Locations
100 Countries
Geographically Diverse Servers
Free Version Data Limit
No Free Version
Learn More
Surfshark VPN Review
(Credit: CyberGhost)
(Credit: CyberGhost)
Pros & Cons
Extensive server network
Task-specific servers
Quarterly transparency reports
Impressive in-app privacy tools
Affordable long-term subscriptions
No multi-hop connections
Limited add-ons
High monthly price
CyberGhost VPN is a pricey but extremely capable service with an enormous collection of servers. In addition to VPN connections, the service includes antivirus protection for Windows and an ad blocker. We also like that CyberGhost has completed a third-party audit.
Why We Picked It
Features and capabilities: CyberGhost VPN isn’t available for free, and a subscription is more expensive than most of the competition at $12.99 per month. The seven supported simultaneous device connections exceed the industry average of five, but they still fall short of the growing number of competitors that have removed this limit entirely. Standard features, such as a kill switch and split tunneling, are present, as are advanced options like CyberGhost’s NoSpy servers and an ad blocker.
Privacy and security: According to the company’s privacy policy, CyberGhost VPN does not store user IP addresses, DNS queries, browsing history, connection/disconnection timestamps, session duration, bandwidth, or the VPN server with which you connect, all of which is excellent. Quarterly transparency reports give details on every request the company receives from outside entities. None of these requests has resulted in handing over user data.
Speed and performance testing: CyberGhost boasts a vast server network of 11,500 servers, spanning 100 countries. Even better, those servers are fast. CyberGhost VPN yielded excellent results in our speed tests, triumphing over much of the competition. The app reduced download and upload speed test results by 13.96% and 4.46%, respectively, while increasing latency by 92.46%.
Streaming: CyberGhost VPN provided unrestricted access to five regional Netflix catalogs during testing. The service’s streaming servers are optimized for accessing regional content, and we did not experience any stuttering or long load times while connected to the network.
User experience and ease of use: We like the look of CyberGhost VPN’s apps, and found it easy to connect to a VPN server immediately. CyberGhost VPN is available across various platforms, including Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, and Windows.
Who It’s For
Smart TV users: Want to watch region-locked content on a larger screen? CyberGhost VPN supports more smart TV platforms than other VPNs. You can connect to CyberGhost VPN on the following smart TVs: Android TV, Apple TV, Fire TV Stick, Google TV, Roku, and Samsung Smart TV.
Frequent travelers: CyberGhost VPN’s large and widespread network of servers makes it a top choice for globetrotters. No matter where you are, there’s a chance you can use a local CyberGhost VPN server. Local servers provide better average speeds and reduced latency.
Specs & Configurations
Simultaneous VPN Connections
7
Server Locations
90 Countries
Geographically Diverse Servers
Free Version Data Limit
No Free Version
Learn More
CyberGhost VPN Review
(Credit: IPVanish)
(Credit: IPVanish)
Pros & Cons
Unlimited simultaneous connections
Good geographic diversity of servers
Transparent privacy policy
Small impact on throughput speeds in our testing
Expensive
Free trial only offered on annual plans via mobile app stores
Worried about a VPN app not working on all of your devices? IPVanish doesn’t have any device limits, which is particularly helpful for those of us with multiple devices. If that’s not enough, the app also offers expansive global server coverage, high-quality features, and broad platform support. It’s a little expensive, though, as monthly plans start at $12.99. (Note: IPVanish is owned by Ziff Davis, PCMag.com’s parent company. For more, see the ethics policy in our Editorial Mission Statement.)
Why We Picked It
Features and capabilities: Most of IPVanish’s offerings are on par with the competition. The VPN app supports double-hop connections, offers an ad/malicious website/tracker blocker, and has a kill switch and split tunneling. If you spring for the higher-priced subscription tier, you can also use the Secure Browser. The browser only exists on IPVanish’s cloud servers, so any website traffic (including malware or viruses) never reaches your device.
Privacy and security: We were impressed with IPVanish’s privacy policy, as it contains clear and easy-to-understand language. There’s even a table showing the data types collected by IPVanish and noting why the company collects the data, how long it will be stored, how it’s collected, and how long it’s retained. Most of your personal data, like your name, address, or email address, is retained for 45 days after you delete your account.
Speed and performance: IPVanish excelled in our speed tests. Results show that IPVanish decreased download speed test scores by 11.5% and decreased upload speed test scores by 13.55%, making it one of the fastest VPNs we’ve tested. The latency score was a little more sobering, though, as IPVanish increased it by 38.8%.
Streaming: IPVanish is fine for video streaming. We didn’t experience any issues watching Twitch streams or YouTube videos while connected to the VPN. However, we could only access the complete Netflix library when connected to four of the five servers we tested. When we connected to a server in Australia, Netflix only allowed us to view a limited, region-locked media library.
User experience and ease of use: We had no trouble installing and starting up IPVanish on a Windows desktop; however, we found the app’s interface, with its graphs and maps, a bit confusing. Overall, though, our experience using the app was painless. We quite like that there’s a searchable server list with filters for country, latency time, and protocol.
Who It’s For
iOS users: Like many VPN apps, IPVanish’s features may vary across different platforms. For instance, the company’s iOS app features a few interesting tools that aren’t available to Android customers. For one, there’s the Connect On Demand option, which is helpful when you only want to connect to the VPN in specific circumstances, such as when using public Wi-Fi at a coffee shop or an airport. There’s also Alternative Connection Mode, which, when turned on, helps you stay connected in places where VPN use is heavily monitored or restricted.
Multi-device households: IPVanish works on a wide range of platforms, which is ideal for someone with a lot of devices. It supports computers, mobile devices, and smart TVs. You can also use the app on streaming devices like Google Chromecast, Nokia Streaming Box, Nvidia Shield, and Onn, which is unique. There’s even an app for the Apple Vision Pro! Unlike other VPNs, IPVanish does not offer a VPN browser extension, but the Secure Browser is available as an extension for Chrome, Edge, and Firefox.
Specs & Configurations
Simultaneous VPN Connections
Unlimited
Server Locations
108 Countries
Geographically Diverse Servers
Free Version Data Limit
No Free Version
Learn More
IPVanish VPN Review
(Credit: Mullvad VPN)
(Credit: Mullvad VPN)
Best for Public Wi-Fi Use
Mullvad VPN
Pros & Cons
Affordable
Requires no email or account information
Radically transparency
Open Netflix access in all regions tested
Awkward desktop interface
No transparency report or warrant canary
Servers in a small range of countries
Mullvad VPN’s service is all about knowing as little about its customers as possible, making it the premier option for those who are first and foremost concerned about their privacy on the web. Best of all, Mullvad VPN’s service is available at an affordable flat rate, and you can even pay your bill anonymously with cash.
Why We Picked It
Features and capabilities: Mullvad’s VPN apps include standard features such as a kill switch, split tunneling, and support for multi-hop connections. A helpful bonus: Mullvad VPN includes a content blocker that you can toggle on and off for various web content categories, such as gambling, malware, and porn.
Privacy and security: Mullvad VPN provides customers with a comprehensive overview of its service’s workings in its privacy policy. In the document, the company claims that it does not log user traffic, DNS requests, connection timestamps, IP addresses, or bandwidth usage. This transparency is also evident when you try to pay for the service. Instead of using a subscription model that requires the company to retain customer information for an indefinite period, Mullvad employs a pay-as-you-go model, where customers pay for accounts on a yearly or month-to-month basis.
Speed and performance: Mullvad VPN performed well in our speed evaluations, remaining near the top of the list in download, latency, and upload categories.
Streaming: Mullvad’s excellent speed performance is good news for Netflix subscribers as well. A faster VPN typically means interruption-free audio, gaming, and video streams. During testing, we could access the entire Netflix library on all five Mullvad servers located in Australia, Canada, Japan, the UK, and the US.
User experience: Mullvad VPN isn’t the flashiest or most feature-rich VPN app we’ve tested, but what it lacks in style, it makes up for in functionality. It’s an app that is very easy to install and use right away on Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, and Windows devices.
Who It’s For
Home users: The interface features an interactive map that makes connecting to a server in your desired location easy. We appreciate that you can also select a specific server from an expanded list to display countries, cities, and individual servers within a particular area.
Frequent public Wi-Fi users: There’s a lot of privacy baked into Mullvad VPN, which is what you want if you’re someone who frequently connects to public Wi-Fi networks at airports, coffee shops, hotels, or in public parks. You don’t need to create a password when signing up or provide a lot of personal information while paying for the service. There are also also few “extras” cluttering up the interface, which makes it easy to connect to a VPN right away.
Specs & Configurations
Simultaneous VPN Connections
5
Server Locations
38 Countries
Geographically Diverse Servers
Free Version Data Limit
No Free Version
Learn More
Mullvad VPN Review
(Credit: Windscribe)
(Credit: Windscribe)
Best Browser Extensions
Windscribe
Pros & Cons
Industry-leading company transparency and communication
Large number of payment options
Best free plan of any VPN we’ve tested
Anonymous signup allowed
Unlimited number of simultaneous connections and devices
Helpful AI support bot
Windscribe has plenty going for it: A free version, an unrivaled support database, and company transparency about customer data collection and use. The only big downsides are the ho-hum speed test results, but unless you’re planning to stream a lot of games or videos all at once, the slower speeds shouldn’t hamper your online browsing.
Why We Picked It
Features and capabilities: With a free plan, you receive 10GB of browsing data each month if you confirm your email address, and 2GB if you don’t. Free customers can access servers in 10 countries, including Canada and Switzerland. The data cap and server limitations are the only restrictions for free customers. Otherwise, you get access to features such as a kill switch, multi-hop connections, and split tunneling.
Privacy and security: Windscribe doesn’t log your data, which is the foundation of its built-in privacy features. First, its fast and anonymous signup process allows you to use the VPN app without sharing a lot of personal data. Next, you can pay for the app using various payment methods, including cryptocurrency. On Windscribe’s website, you can find the company’s ethics statement and a transparency report that details every request the company receives from law enforcement. This is an excellent policy that we hope to see more VPN companies adopt in the future.
Speed and performance: Windscribe’s speed and performance were just so-so. For example, the download speed test scores decreased by 52.49%, and the upload speed test scores decreased by 45.99%, which is not ideal. The latest tests show the app lagging behind competitors like NordVPN and ProtonVPN by a considerable margin.
Streaming: The speed tests were a little disappointing, but you should still be able to watch YouTube and other video streaming services while connected to one of Windscribe’s VPNs. With a fast server, you’ll be able to watch Netflix without any restrictions. We could access the entire library when connected to five Windscribe servers in Australia, Canada, Japan, the UK, and the US.
User experience and ease of use: Minimalists will appreciate Windscribe’s modest app interface. The Settings menu features a helpful guide to all the app’s functions. For example, if you’re unsure which VPN protocol to use, click the information button next to the setting’s label and read the corresponding support page, which explains what the feature is and how to use it.
Who It’s For
Parents: Windscribe has a content-filtering feature commonly seen in parental control apps called R.O.B.E.R.T., or the Remote Omnidirectional Badware Eliminating Robotic Tool. You can use it to block ads, gambling content, malware, porn, social media, and more during your browsing experience.
Browser extension users: Windscribe’s browser extensions include some special tools that aren’t included in the apps for computers or mobile devices. The Windscribe extensions have built-in ad/malware/tracker blocking tools. You can also change your time zone to appear in the country you are connected to, spoof your GPS location, and delete cookies whenever you close a browser tab.
Specs & Configurations
Simultaneous VPN Connections
Unlimited
Server Locations
69 Countries
Geographically Diverse Servers
Free Version Data Limit
10GB Per Month
Learn More
Windscribe Review
(Credit: Hide.me)
(Credit: Hide.me)
Best for Frequent Travelers
Hide.me VPN
Pros & Cons
Ten simultaneous connections
Reliable Netflix access
Privacy-first policies
Affordable
Full-featured free plan
Hide.me is both affordable and feature-packed. The free version starts off with a five-day premium trial and then becomes limited. The limited free plan includes unlimited data across seven server locations. You’ll encounter slower connection speeds with the free plan, but it’s a great way to try out the service before investing in the premium plan, which costs $9.95 per month and is less than the industry average.
Why We Picked It
Features and capabilities: You can use Hide.me VPN on any device running Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV, Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, or Windows. The company also offers browser extensions for Chrome, Edge, and Firefox, as well as support for manual connections using Synology, QNAP, or a router. The features vary by platform, but on Windows, you get configuration options such as auto-connect, a kill switch, multi-hop connections, and split tunneling.
Privacy and security: Hide.me only requires your email address to make an account. With a wide range of secure and anonymous payment options, it’s easy to limit what data the service has access to. According to the privacy policy, the company collects your email and stores it in an encrypted form in a secure facility. Hide.me doesn’t store any customer payment information or data, including your IP address, physical address, or other personal details. Additionally, the service utilizes physical servers instead of virtual machines, providing the company with better control over how user data is handled.
Speed and performance: In our most recent tests, we were impressed with Hide.me’s performance. Download speeds decreased by 5.93%, upload speeds decreased by 22.72%, and latency increased by 92.11%. These results outperform the average impact across all VPNs we tested.
Streaming: The app’s website claims it works seamlessly with popular streaming services, including BBC iPlayer and Disney+. During testing, we accessed Netflix while connected to servers in Australia, Canada, Japan, the UK, and the US with no issues or limitations.
User experience and ease of use: Hide.me’s interface can be somewhat disorganized on Windows. Being so customizable, new users may feel overwhelmed by the busy dashboard. Other platforms lose out on that dashboard but gain a more streamlined and user-friendly interface.
Who It’s For
Budget-conscious customers: If you’re on a budget, the features included in the free Hide.me client are on par with some of the paid options we’ve reviewed. The SmartGuard feature is particularly interesting: It is an all-in-one ad blocker, malware blocker, parental control app, and website filter.
Frequent travelers: Hide.me has servers in 57 countries, making it a suitable option for individuals who frequently travel and want to connect to a nearby, fast server. The auto-connect feature also helps mitigate the risks of connecting to public Wi-Fi in airports or hotels.
Specs & Configurations
Simultaneous VPN Connections
10
Server Locations
89
Geographically Diverse Servers
Free Version Data Limit
10GB Per Month
Learn More
Hide.me VPN Review
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Buying Guide: The Best VPN Services for 2025
Is a VPN Worth Getting?
Yes, you should get a VPN if you value online privacy. Without a VPN, entities such as your internet service provider (ISP) can track your online activities and sell that data to advertisers. A VPN won’t anonymize you completely against every threat, but it is a simple way to limit your digital footprint. It can also help circumvent unwanted internet restrictions (like that whole TikTok ban in the United States, for example). None of the services here is perfect, and there will surely be times when a VPN won’t make sense.
Take the marketing language VPN providers use when sponsoring your favorite YouTube video or podcast with a healthy grain of salt—they don’t make you untraceable, and they aren’t a privacy panacea. That said, a VPN is a valuable tool that’s becoming increasingly necessary with tightening internet restrictions worldwide. Plus, as more and more security suites add VPN services to their offerings, you may have access to a good one if you already pay for a security suite to keep your devices free of malware and spyware.
Why Do I Need a VPN?
A VPN routes your internet traffic through an encrypted connection to a server controlled by the VPN provider. From there, your traffic exits onto the web as usual. If you only connect to websites secured with HTTPS, your data remains encrypted even after you leave the VPN. It may sound simple, but using a VPN can significantly improve your online privacy.
Think of this analogy: When your car pulls out of your driveway, someone can follow you and see where you’re going, how long you spend there, and when you return. They might even peek into your car to learn more about you. With a VPN app, it’s like driving from your house into a private tunnel, exiting into a closed parking garage, switching to a different car, and driving out. No one who is trying to follow you can know where you went.
Likewise, no one snooping around your network can see what you’re doing when you use a VPN connection. Public Wi-Fi networks may not be as dangerous as they once were due to the widespread adoption of HTTPS, but there is still a small risk if you connect to an insecure site while on a compromised network. How do you know, for example, “starbucks_wifi-real” is the coffee shop’s actual Wi-Fi network? A prank popular among security researchers involves creating a network with the same name as a free, popular service and observing how many devices automatically connect to it.
Even if you’re trusting, you might not want to fully trust your ISP. In the US, your ISP has enormous insight into your online activities. To make matters worse, Congress has decided that your ISP is allowed to sell your anonymized browsing history. Selling your data seems egregious since you are already paying for the service. A VPN prevents even your ISP from keeping tabs on you.
Another benefit of using a VPN is that your true IP address is hidden behind the address of the VPN server. This makes it harder for you to be tracked. Even dedicated observers have trouble telling which internet traffic is yours because your data is mixed in with everyone else’s using the server.
Hiding your IP address has another benefit: It makes it harder for snoops to figure out your location. You can use this to your advantage and connect to distant VPN servers to spoof your location.
It’s essential to recognize that if your VPN connection is disrupted, the privacy protection you rely on is also compromised. For this reason, most VPNs offer a kill switch, which shuts off your network traffic when your VPN connection drops. The only catch? A kill switch is generally turned off by default, so you might want to toggle yours on in your VPN app when you set it up—or at least familiarize yourself with how it works and turn it on when your privacy is critically important. You can read more about this essential security feature in our kill switch explainer.
Note: VPNs are sometimes confused with proxies, but they serve different purposes. To learn more, see our explainer on VPNs versus proxies.
What Can’t VPNs Do?
VPN services, while helpful, don’t provide comprehensive threat protection. A VPN can’t help you if you download ransomware, find yourself part of a data breach, or give up your information in a phishing attack. We strongly recommend using local antivirus software, enabling multi-factor authentication wherever available, and using a password manager to create and store unique, complex passwords for each site and service you use. Those are all good security measures you should take in addition to using a VPN.
Do You Need a VPN?
There are also limitations to the level of anonymity that can be achieved with a VPN. Advertisers employ tactics, such as online trackers and browser fingerprinting, to gather data on you and track your online activities. We recommend using your browser’s anti-tracking features and installing dedicated ad or tracker blockers. Think of a VPN as a bulletproof vest. It doesn’t defend against every avenue of attack, but it does block some of the most critical threats to your privacy.
Many VPN services also provide their own DNS resolution system as a security feature. Think of DNS as a phone book that turns a text-based URL like PCMag.com into an IP address computers can understand. Savvy snoops can monitor DNS requests and track your movements online. Greedy attackers can also use DNS poisoning to direct you to bogus phishing pages designed to steal your data. When you use a VPN’s DNS system, it provides an additional layer of protection. Read how (and why) to change your DNS server for more.
There’s debate among security experts about the efficacy of VPNs. Since most sites now support secure HTTPS connections, much of your online experience is already encrypted. Secure DNS products like Cloudflare 1.1.1.1 exist precisely because some feel VPNs are overkill. Additionally, this assumes that your VPN provider is above board and not spying on you. Still, a VPN covers the information not already protected by HTTPS, places a buffer between you and the people controlling internet infrastructure, and makes tracking your activities online harder for any potential prying eyes.
Some security-conscious industries, like banking, are confused by or suspicious of VPNs. If your bank detects that you are logging in from what appears to be another US state or even another country—or if it simply suspects that a VPN is in use—it can raise red flags. That’s because if a hacker were trying to get into your bank account from another country, they’d use a VPN, too. Expect to see captchas and more frequent multi-factor authentication requests when your VPN is on, or be prepared for your bank to block you from logging in at all.
VPNs vs. Security Suites
Just as antivirus utilities evolved into multi-function security suites, over the past year, we’ve seen VPN services add other types of security features, from password managers to built-in antivirus protection. Norton Ultimate, for example, contains most of the same features as the Norton 360 Deluxe suite, though some are hidden. The Threat Protection module in NordVPN Threat Protection Pro is like an antivirus, but it lacks the expected ability to scan local files for malware. Surfshark One’s antivirus component earned good scores against malware and a perfect score against phishing fraud. It incorporates a handful of other security features, but not enough to rival top security suites.
Coming from the other direction, many traditional security suites have included a VPN component for years. Some are in-house productions, like Norton’s. Other companies, such as Bitdefender, license VPN technology from third-party providers. Mergers and acquisitions further complicate these issues, making it difficult to determine who owns what, who’s licensing which technologies, and which tools were developed from scratch versus acquired from someone else. Thankfully, we keep track, and you can find that information in greater detail in our individual reviews. It’s unclear how this collision of security-plus-VPN with VPN-plus-security will ultimately play out in the coming years, but you can be sure we’ll keep a close eye on the matter going forward.
What Is the Best Free VPN?
Not all VPN services require payment. There are, in fact, many free VPN services available. But every free VPN we’ve tested has limitations. Some limit you to a few simultaneous connections or devices. Others restrict your data or limit you to a handful of servers. Still others do all of the above.
Finding the best free VPN involves striking a balance between those restrictions. Windscribe, for example, allows you to use any server on its network but limits you to 2GB per month (10GB if you sign up using your email address). Proton VPN has the unique distinction of placing no data restrictions on its free users; however, it does limit the number of servers that can be accessed.
For those willing to invest some money, we also have a roundup of the best budget-friendly VPNs.
What Is the Best VPN for Mac?
While this list includes the best VPNs we’ve tested, you may be looking for one specifically for Mac. For complete details, read our roundup of the best VPNs for Macs. Based on our testing, the best options for Apple’s OS are Proton VPN and NordVPN. We have a full comparison between Proton and Nord here.
What Is the Best VPN for Torrenting?
When using BitTorrent, consider using a VPN for added security and privacy. Many ISPs and network managers block torrenting altogether, and a VPN can prevent them from seeing that you’re connecting to a peer-to-peer sharing service. Of course, torrenting certain files may get you in trouble, whether they are bootlegged or even banned in your area, and a VPN can protect you in such cases as well. To find the right service for staying safe while torrenting, head over to our roundup of the best VPNs for torrenting.
What Is the Best VPN for Gaming?
Gamers need privacy protection, too. While using a service that can increase your latency and generally interfere with your connectivity may not appeal to you, you might want to play a game that isn’t available in your area, or you might not want to expose your real IP address to other gamers. VPNs might even make it more difficult for rivals to use distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks to disrupt gameplay. Read our story on the best VPNs for gaming for help picking the VPN that strikes the right balance between productivity and privacy.
What Is the Best VPN for China, Russia, or Ukraine?
VPNs are useful for enhancing individual privacy, but there are also individuals for whom a VPN is essential for their safety. Journalists and activists often rely on VPN services to circumvent local government censorship and communicate safely with the outside world. Check the local laws before using a VPN in China, Russia, or any country with repressive internet policies. Another place people might want to use a VPN is in a war zone such as Ukraine, where hiding locations might well be a matter of life and death.
To add another layer of anonymity to your traffic, you can layer certain VPN connections with the Tor network. While a VPN tunnels your web traffic to a VPN server, Tor bounces your traffic through several volunteer nodes, making it much harder to track. VPNs have a similar feature called multi-hop, which achieves the same goal by utilizing additional VPN servers instead of volunteer nodes. Using Tor also grants access to hidden dark websites, which a VPN cannot do. Some services, such as NordVPN and ProtonVPN, offer Tor access on select servers. However, it’s important to note that Tor isn’t perfect, either. Read our explainer on the dark web and how to access it for more.
A VPN protects you against mass data collection and casual criminals who vacuum up user data for later use. Still, a determined adversary will almost always find a way to breach your defenses. If this happens to you, read our story on what to do when you’ve been hacked.
How to Get a VPN
The VPN market has experienced significant growth over the past decade, expanding from a niche industry to a highly competitive and crowded one. Many VPN service providers are capitalizing on the general population’s growing concerns about surveillance and cybercrime, making it difficult to distinguish between companies that provide a useful service and those that offer misleading claims. Fake VPNs have even emerged, so be cautious. As more VPNs enter the market, hacks and breaches are likely to become increasingly common.
When reading reviews to find a good service, don’t just focus on connection speed, as that’s the factor you (and the VPN) have the least control over. Since nearly all VPN companies offer a combination of the same technologies, consider value when selecting your best VPN service. How can you get the most for the least? Look for additional VPN features, such as split tunneling, multi-hop connections, and more. You may not always need them, but they’re helpful when you do.
Nearly every VPN service provider has its own app with an interface for managing connections and settings, and we recommend using it. You might dismiss such things as window dressing and prefer manually managing your VPN connections. However, this can be tedious and often doesn’t provide access to the additional privacy tools many VPNs offer.
The best way to determine if a VPN works is to try it in all the environments you plan to use it, such as home, work, and school. Some VPNs offer free trials or completely free subscription tiers, so take advantage of them. Free access to a VPN allows you to check if you can access all the sites and services you need and test the speeds in your area to determine if they’re acceptable.
We recommend starting with a short-term subscription to ensure you’re satisfied with the service before committing to an annual, two-year, or lifetime paid plan. Yes, you may get a discount by signing up for a year, but that means more money is at stake should you decide the service doesn’t meet your needs after the fact.
How Do I Set Up My VPN?
Getting a VPN is easy; setting one up on your machine can be a bear, however, if you don’t know what you’re doing. What server should you connect to? Should you let the software choose for you? What security features should you enable?
We answer these questions in our story on choosing and setting up a VPN. If you don’t like the idea of downloading yet another app, you can also configure Windows 11 to connect directly to the service you choose. You can read about it in our story on setting up a VPN in Windows 11—be warned, however, that this is not the easiest way to do it.
VPNs protect your data using a variety of publicly available open-source encryption protocols, as well as proprietary ones. The most common open-source options include OpenVPN, WireGuard, L2TP, IKEv2, and others. Meanwhile, some VPNs like ExpressVPN are looking toward the future with the company’s “post-quantum encryption” protocol, Lightway.
Can I Trust My VPN to Protect My Privacy?
If you’re using a service to route all your internet traffic through its servers, you have to be able to trust that service. It’s easier to trust companies that have been around longer because their reputation is likely well-established, and it’s what’s at stake should the company do you wrong. The trouble is that the VPN industry is relatively young compared with antivirus, for example, and some VPN companies play dirty. Determining who to trust can be a challenging task.
At PCMag, we pay special attention to the privacy practices of VPN companies, not just the technology they provide. We read their privacy policies as part of our testing procedure and discuss company practices with representatives. We look for a commitment to protecting user information and practices that gather and retain as little user information as possible.
As part of our research, we also determine the company’s location and the legal framework under which it operates. Some countries don’t have data-retention laws, making it easier to keep the promise of “we don’t keep any logs.” It’s also helpful to know under what circumstances a VPN provider would hand over information to law enforcement and what information it would have to provide (and what it could provide) if that were to happen. For more, see our story on VPN logging.
Recommended by Our Editors
The best VPN services have a privacy policy that clearly outlines what the service does, what information it collects, and how the company protects that information—ideally in plain English. Some companies explain that they collect certain information, but fail to inform you how they intend to use it. Others are more transparent. We discuss these details in every review we write of a VPN service.
What Are the Best VPNs for Streaming?
Netflix and other streaming services often block VPNs because they can access region-locked content. A service that works today may be blocked tomorrow. That could be an issue for some readers, as while many users rely on VPNs solely for online privacy purposes, others use them to unblock streaming services from different regions around the globe.
For example, if you’re watching Brooklyn 99 on Netflix from a US-based IP address while waiting for your flight to the UK, you may find that the show isn’t available on the service when you land at Heathrow. This is due to how local content licenses are distributed by the major studios, where some shows are globally distributed, while others are only licensed for viewing in specific countries.
We test five countries here at PCMag each time we review a VPN: Australia, Canada, Japan, the UK, and the US. The results of those tests are presented in the chart below, along with descriptions of how we categorize each type of Netflix library that may be encountered during testing.
Over the past few years, we’ve found that VPNs have improved their ability to access streaming content. Previously, it was unusual to find a VPN that could stream Netflix content from outside the US. Lately, though, either Netflix has softened its efforts to ban VPNs, the VPNs have gotten better at circumventing those bans, or some combination of both. This means more VPNs can access more streaming content than ever before. However, accessing region-locked streaming content can breach the terms of service for your preferred streaming service, so remember that doing so may risk getting your account terminated.
What Is the Best VPN for Pornhub?
As more states pass age-restriction legislation, another kind of region-locked content that may increasingly require a VPN to watch is porn. In response, Pornhub has blocked access for any users connecting from more than 25 different states in the US. For a guide to watching adult content despite such blocking, check out our guide on how to watch porn safely, as well as our picks for the best VPNs for viewing Pornhub.
What Is the Best VPN for TikTok?
TikTok is another service that may eventually require a VPN to access from the US, depending on how the current administration feels about the company. The bipartisan TikTok ban was scheduled to take effect on January 19, 2025, but got a temporary reprieve after public outcry. However, the ban remains in effect, and if ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, doesn’t sell itself to a US firm by December 16, 2025, the ban may be reinstated. Many die-hard fans and creators are already thinking about how they will continue to get their fix. If that sounds like you, check out our picks for the best VPNs for TikTok.
How Many Devices Can My VPN Protect at Once?
When shopping for a VPN, consider the following key factors: the total number of simultaneous connections allowed, the number of servers, and the number of server locations.
Most VPN services let you connect up to five devices with a single account. Any service offering fewer connections is outside the mainstream. You need to connect every device you wish to protect to the VPN service, so a mere two or three licenses often are barely enough for one person, let alone a connected couple or family.
This paradigm may be changing, however. Many services offer far more than five simultaneous connections, while others have eliminated the restriction entirely, providing protection for an unlimited number of devices. Avira Phantom VPN, IPVanish VPN, and Windscribe VPN all place no limit on the number of simultaneous connections. (Note: IPVanish is owned by Ziff Davis, PCMag.com’s parent company. For more, see the ethics policy in our Editorial Mission Statement.)
Of course, there are more than just phones and computers in a home. Game consoles, smart TVs, and smart home devices such as light bulbs and fridges all need to connect to the internet. Many of these things can’t run VPN software on their own. To solve the issue, some VPN companies provide instructions on configuring your router to use a VPN, which protects any devices connected to your home network.
Where Are My VPN’s Servers?
One key consideration when selecting the right VPN is the company’s global server distribution. Having numerous servers in diverse locations means that, regardless of where you travel, you should be able to find an available server nearby. The closer the server, the better the speed and reliability of the connection it offers. Remember, you don’t need to connect to a far-flung VPN server to gain security benefits. Depending on where you live, a server down the street is as safe as one across the globe.
We also examine the number of virtual servers and virtual locations that VPN companies use. A virtual server is just what it sounds like—a software-defined server running on server hardware that might have several virtual servers onboard. A virtual location is a server configured to appear to be located in a location other than its physical location.
While neither approach is inherently problematic, choosing one location and discovering your server is somewhere else entirely is worrisome. Some VPN companies take a smart view of virtual servers, using them to provide VPN support for regions where it might be too risky to physically house a server. When VPNs use these technologies, we prefer that they be transparent about it.
What’s the Fastest VPN?
When a VPN is active, your web traffic takes a more circuitous route than usual. In most cases, this added hop can result in slower download and upload speeds and increased latency compared with a connection that isn’t routing through a VPN. The good news is that using a VPN probably won’t remind you of the dial-up days of yore.
When we test VPNs, we use the Ookla speed test tool. This test provides metrics for latency, download speeds, and upload speeds. Depending on your needs, any of these can be an important measurement; however, we tend to view download speed as the most crucial. We test each VPN ten times and record the median score for each performance category. For more information, see our story on how we test VPNs for the full details. (Note: Ookla is owned by Ziff Davis, PCMag.com’s parent company. For more, see the ethics policy in our Editorial Mission Statement.)
In our most recent batch of speed tests, Surfshark emerged as the top performer. You can read more about that result in our full breakdown of the fastest VPNs we’ve tested.
What Is the #1 Best VPN?
There are many choices when picking a VPN—so many that we have Editors’ Choice-winning VPNs for several use cases. Our current favorite is Proton VPN, which gets a rare 5-star rating and an Editors’ Choice award. It takes a strong privacy stance, is fast in our testing, and boasts an impressive collection of advanced tools, along with an excellent free tier. NordVPN may cost a bit more, but it offers numerous security tools and extras, earning it a 4.5-star rating and our Editors’ Choice for premium VPNs. Windscribe, another Editors’ Choice, ties NordVPN’s score thanks to its radical privacy and transparency policies—getting started doesn’t even require an email address—along with its feature-packed apps across all the platforms we tested.
