Why VPNs matter now

Age-verification laws in the UK and several US states are driving VPN adoption. Even if you don't want one, you might need one to protect your privacy online.

The VPN trust problem

Hundreds of VPN providers claim to protect you, but many have been caught lying about their practices, handing over user data, and harboring cybercriminals. Only some tell the truth.

“Hundreds of VPNs are at your disposal. They all want you to believe they're the best VPN you can buy.”

What a VPN actually does

A VPN creates a tunnel for your internet traffic through its servers before you connect to the broader internet. This encrypts your data before it reaches the VPN server, adding security on untrusted networks like public Wi-Fi.

VPNs are better for privacy

While marketed as security tools, VPNs work best for privacy and bypassing geo-restrictions. They hide your browsing from your internet service provider and prevent tracking via cookies and browser fingerprinting.

VPN pricing varies widely

Most VPNs cost around ten dollars per month, but multi-month discounts are common. Free VPNs exist, but you should avoid most of them. Only Proton and Windscribe offer useful free plans.

Proton VPN is the best overall

Proton VPN Plus is the fastest VPN tested, with unmatched features and excellent pricing. It maintains a transparency report since 2017, undergoes annual third-party audits, and open-sourced its applications five years ago.

“Proton is a rare example of a VPN service that gets it.”

Proton's transparency commitment

Proton puts its money where its mouth is with open-source applications that let the community find bugs faster. It offers split tunneling, port forwarding, and double-hop connections without real compromises.

NordVPN for extensive features

NordVPN has one of the largest networks available with extensive features. The Plus plan includes an ad blocker and NordPass password manager. It's more expensive than Proton but offers more security add-ons.

NordVPN's security extras

NordVPN lets you upgrade to NordProtect for identity theft protection and Incogni to remove your data online. It's been on the bleeding edge of VPN security for years with independent audits backing its no-log policy.

Windscribe's flexible free plan

Windscribe is one of the few free VPNs worth using, offering ten gigabytes of data across ten server locations. You can build your own paid plan by adding unlimited data for three dollars per month or specific server locations for one dollar each.

Windscribe proved its no-logs claim

Windscribe CEO Yegor Sak was personally charged with a crime in Greece related to user activity on Windscribe servers. The company couldn't produce logs even when facing criminal prosecution, proving its no-log policy works.

Mullvad's extreme privacy approach

Mullvad doesn't keep logs of email, payment method, or any identifying information. You generate an account number to sign up and can pay with cash by mail, staying fully anonymous. It costs roughly six dollars per month.

Mullvad's privacy innovations

Mullvad built RAM-only servers starting in twenty twenty-two and introduced DAITA, which defends against AI-guided traffic analysis by introducing network noise and consistent packet sizes to obfuscate your encrypted traffic.

Bitdefender VPN for beginners

Bitdefender VPN Premium costs only thirty dollars for the first year, then seventy dollars annually. It supports ten devices, is fast and reliable, and has a clean app interface with the kill switch prominently displayed.

ExpressVPN for multiple devices

ExpressVPN is insanely fast and packed with features. The Advanced plan offers twelve simultaneous connections, a password manager, and fifty percent off an AirCove router. It's simple to use across desktop and mobile.

ExpressVPN's recovery story

ExpressVPN had a rough few years after being purchased by Kape Technologies for almost one billion dollars, but leadership is now solid. The service itself hasn't degraded and remains competitive with top providers.

VPNs to avoid at all costs

Hola is free because it uses peer-to-peer networks and owns Bright Data, a data collection company. In twenty fifteen, Hola sold access to its free users' network, which was used in a distributed denial-of-service attack on eight chan.

X-VPN's red flags

X-VPN uses a proprietary protocol it obfuscates within the app and was highlighted in a Tech Transparency Project report about free VPNs with links to the Chinese government. It lacks basic features like split tunneling.

How VPNs are tested

Testing focuses on two core functions: keeping internet speed reasonably fast and actually protecting browsing data. Speed is spot-checked at different times across US and UK servers, and security is verified with DNS, WebRTC, and IP leak tests.

VPNs are legal almost everywhere

VPNs are legal in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, the EU, and South Africa. Only North Korea and Turkmenistan ban them. Legality depends on which VPN you use and what you use it for, not the technology itself.