Factors to Consider When Choosing a VPN

When shopping for a virtual private network, you'll need to figure out the best VPN for your needs and budget. Here's what to look for.

Internet Speed Loss

VPNs somewhat lower your internet speed because you're routing your traffic through an encrypted server before communicating with apps, websites, and other internet services rather than a direct connection. The fastest VPNs feature an average download speed loss of 25% or less. Generally, even folks with slower connections -- like satellite internet -- won't notice a marginal 25% or under dip. For bandwidth-intensive applications like gaming, 4K video streaming, or uploading large files, you'll want a VPN with minimal speed loss. Casual users with faster internet speeds should be fine with more than 25% speed loss, but we look for VPNs that keep speed loss below 50%.

In our 2024 testing, NordVPN came out on top with an impressively low 11% average internet speed loss. Mullvad, Surfshark, Proton VPN, and ExpressVPN all clocked an average internet download speed loss of 25% or less.

Privacy

VPNs bolster your privacy by masking your public IP address, which -- like your physical address -- indicates identifying information about your geographical location. But the best VPNs provide robust privacy protections. At a minimum, we recommend a VPN with 256-bit encryption (for OpenVPN and IKEv2 VPN protocols) or ChaCha20 (with WireGuard), a strict no-logging policy, and DNS leak protection. Because logging is tough to verify, look for regular third-party audits. You can and should be skeptical of your VPN provider's zero-log claims. Still, VPN audits are important but don't provide the full privacy picture.

Additionally, transparency reports offer peace of mind. We also suggest sticking with a VPN that includes a kill switch. More privacy-concerned users like investigative journalists or political activists will appreciate advanced features such as obfuscation (which makes it harder for ISPs to determine that you're using a VPN), Tor over VPN (for additional encryption using the Tor network), and a double VPN (which relies on a second VPN server connection to enhance encryption). Folks with critical privacy needs should consider a VPN provider with jurisdiction outside of the Five, Nine, or Fourteen Eyes intelligence-sharing communities for even stronger peace of mind. Whether you're just curious or you suspect your VPN isn't working, you may want to perform a VPN test.

Server Network

When considering VPN server networks, look at the overall number of servers, as well as the individual country locations. For instance, one virtual private network company may have twice the total number of servers as a competitor but half the different country locations, meaning you've got fewer international choices. At the high end, the best VPNs for travel offer 90-plus individual countries, but anywhere over 60 countries will work for many folks.

Outside of country locations, some VPNs allow file sharing across all servers, whereas others feature dedicated P2P (peer-to-peer) options. For purposes like torrenting, check whether your desired provider permits file sharing on all servers or select ones. Additionally, you'll sometimes find specialty servers, like Tor (The Onion Router) over VPN, Double VPN, or obfuscated servers. Onion over VPN and Double VPN servers provide extra privacy by bolstering your encryption even further when compared with a standard VPN connection, with Tor using the Onion network while a double VPN relies on a second VPN tunnel. On the other hand, obfuscated servers make it more difficult for apps, websites, or internet service providers to determine that you're using a VPN.

Device Support

Think about your devices and what you'd like to run a VPN on. Most VPN companies offer apps for Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android/Android TV, iOS/iPadOS, and web browsers. Apple TV apps are increasingly common, with ExpressVPN, Surfshark, Proton VPN, PIA, NordVPN, PrivadoVPN, and IPVanish featuring TVOS applications. A graphical user interface application may be easier for Linux users than a command line interface option. Surfshark, Proton, and PIA boast Linux GUI apps, making them compelling choices for Linux VPNs. Windows for ARM support is available with some VPNs, including ExpressVPN and NordVPN. You can typically install a VPN on your router for whole-home coverage and use it on devices that don't support native VPN apps, like Xbox consoles, although this will typically void the warranty on the router.

Most VPN companies let you install an app on as many gadgets as you wish, but you're sometimes limited to simultaneous devices. ExpressVPN allows eight, while NordVPN and Proton give you 10. Surfshark, PIA, and IPVanish are unlimited. Even with a provider like Express, Proton, or Nord, you can still install a VPN on as many devices as you wish, but you'll be able to have only a handful of active sessions at once. Most folks should be fine even with eight to 10 simultaneous connections, but families or hardcore power users may feel constrained. If you've got a lot of gadgets you want to install a VPN on, you may want to consider one of the best VPNs for multiple devices, including Surfshark, NordVPN, PIA, and ExpressVPN.

Streaming Capabilities

VPNs can be great for privacy, but they're also helpful for unblocking region-restricted entertainment content. You can use a VPN to watch streaming services like Peacock (for streaming NFL games), Max, or Hulu from your home country when traveling abroad. On the flip side, VPNs unlock access to foreign Netflix (so you can watch Terminator Zero), Disney Plus (so you can stream Hocus Pocus 2 all you like), and Amazon Prime Video (where you can currently find Lisa Frankenstein) libraries. You may even be able to save money by using a VPN for streaming. For more info, check out the best VPNs for Amazon Prime Video and the best VPNs for streaming.

Cost

With most VPNs, you can sign up for a monthly, bi-annual, annual, or multi-year VPN subscription. Although multi-year deals typically net you the most savings, we usually recommend sticking with an annual plan for the best savings with the lowest risk. The virtual private network you sign up for may initially be fast, private, and great for geo-unblocking, but may become slower, suffer a data breach, or stop allowing access to foreign Netflix libraries over a year. On the high end, VPNs such as Express cost around $100 per year, with value-packed providers like Surfshark and PIA offering year-long prices from $40 to $60. Some companies include price hikes: NordVPN normally charges $60 annually for your first year, then your plan renews at $140 per 12 months. Similarly, Surfshark goes for $45 a year upfront, then renews at $60 annually. Make a budget, then find a VPN provider that fits the bill while being mindful of price hikes. Notably, you can renew while avoiding raised renewal rates by taking advantage of seasonal discounts like Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals. If you're on a budget, you may want to consider one of the best cheap VPNs, like Surfshark, PIA, or Mullvad.

Additional VPN Factors to Consider

Don't use free VPN providers: Except for Proton -- the best free VPN on the market -- you'll find only paid VPN options on this list because they're the only ones we recommend. Look for a no-logs VPN but understand the caveats: The best VPNs keep as few logs as possible and make them as anonymous as possible, so there's little data to provide should authorities come knocking. Even 'no-logs' VPNs aren't 100% anonymous. There are limits to the privacy VPNs currently provide to iOS users: Recent independent research has surfaced suggesting iPhones and iPads running iOS 14 or later may be vulnerable to device-only VPN leaks, regardless of which VPN is used. Apple users concerned with potential leaks can take extra precautions by installing their VPN on a home router to ensure their entire Wi-Fi network is encrypted. Some iOS users may potentially reduce the likelihood of leaks while outside of a home network by enabling their VPN's kill switch and selecting OpenVPN protocols. You can also try closing all apps, activating your VPN, and then enabling and disabling Airplane Mode before using your device normally. Apple advises users to activate their device's Always On VPN profile for additional protection.

VPN transparency is important, but warrant canaries are only the beginning: Many services use 'warrant canaries' to passively note to the public whether or not they've been subpoenaed by a government entity. This is because many investigations from national security agencies can't be actively disclosed by law. Like the no-logging issue, warrant canaries aren't always as straightforward as they seem. You should spend more time investigating whether your prospective VPN has cooperated with authorities in the past, and how and when it's disclosed that fact. Think twice about using a US-based VPN: The Patriot Act is still the law of the land in the US, and that means US-based VPNs have little recourse if and when the feds show up with subpoenas or national security letters in hand demanding access to servers, VPN user accounts, or other data. Yes, they may have little data to access if the service has a strong no-logs policy, but why not just choose a service that's based outside Uncle Sam's jurisdiction? (If this is a concern for you, you'll also want to avoid countries with which the US has intelligence-sharing agreements.)

VPN Speed Test Data

Although VPN speeds aren't the only important criteria, you'll need a virtual private network provider with fast speeds. If all servers severely hinder your internet speeds, then streaming, browsing the web, or hopping on Zoom calls may be frustrating. Here's how VPN provider speeds stacked up.

VPN Speed Test Data

Although VPN speeds aren't the only important criteria, you'll need a virtual private network provider with fast speeds. If all servers severely hinder your internet speeds, then streaming, browsing the web, or hopping on Zoom calls may be frustrating. Here's how VPN provider speeds stacked up.

• ExpressVPN: 25% speed loss
• Surfshark: 17% speed loss
• NordVPN: 11% speed loss
• Proton VPN: 21% speed loss
• IPVanish: 44% speed loss
• PIA: 49% speed loss
• Mullvad: 13% speed loss

This table shows the speeds we experienced in our testing. Your speeds will vary depending on factors like your internet service plan and connection type. The percentage of speed lost is intended as a general indicator of how much the VPN slows down your connection; lower numbers represent a faster overall connection.

About VPNs

A virtual private network is an online service available as a mobile app, desktop app, browser extension, or other software that encrypts your internet traffic to boost your privacy online. A VPN also prevents your internet service provider from tracking the websites or apps you're using and stops most of those websites and apps from seeing your actual geographic location, allowing you to bypass content blocks in some countries to access critical news and educational information. Additionally, VPNs are great for unblocking geo-protected content like accessing foreign Netflix libraries or watching out-of-market NFL games. We strongly recommend using a good VPN for everyday use as well as for work, particularly if your work involves handling sensitive information.

The best VPNs deliver a strong level of privacy protection without compromising on performance, particularly internet speeds. At CNET, we rigorously test each VPN across major platforms to find the ones that provide exceptional privacy, reliability, speed, and value. This list is constantly being updated as we actively test VPNs and look at the latest research, so expect this guide to change throughout the year as we put each VPN through its paces. We've recently retested Surfshark, ExpressVPN, NordVPN, Private Internet Access, Proton, IPVanish, CyberGhost, Mullvad, and PrivadoVPN from the ground up.

• ExpressVPN: $13 per month, $100 for a year or $150 total for two years (one- and two-year plans renew at $117 per year)
• Surfshark: $15 per month, $45 the first year or $60 for the first two years (one- and two-year plans renew at $60 per year)
• NordVPN: $13 per month, $60 for a year or $83 for two years (one- and two-year plans auto-renew at $140 a year)
• ProtonVPN: $10 per month, $60 for a year or $108 for two years (one- and two-year plans auto-renew at $80 a year)
• PIA: $12 per month, $40 for a year or $79 for three years
• IPVanish: $13 per month, $34 for a year or $52 for two years (one- and two-year plans renew at $90 a year)

How to Choose the Right VPN for You

Picking the best VPN requires knowing two basic things to start with: What you want to use it for, and what you're willing to pay. The range of VPN offerings is vast, but those two things will help you find a VPN that has the right blend of speed, security, and cost.

VPNs for Critical Privacy and Security

If you're a journalist, a lawyer, or a professional in any other privacy-sensitive field, forget about speed and price when choosing a VPN. Focus, instead, entirely on security. Your VPN may be somewhat slower but, for both VPNs and presidential motorcades, speed is always the trade-off for privacy. Avoid free VPNs and browser-based VPNs. If you're concerned with government monitoring in your current country, choose a VPN headquartered outside of the country you're currently in, and avoid choosing a VPN with a jurisdiction in an allied country. For example, US journalists should avoid VPNs with a jurisdiction in the US or other Five Eyes countries. Keep an eye on encryption: Your VPN should offer a protocol called OpenVPN TCP (for its mobile apps, IKEv2 is fine). Right now, the VPN we recommend most for critical privacy is ExpressVPN.

VPNs for Working from Home

If you're working from home, you may be sharing your internet connection with multiple devices and family members or roommates. That's a lot of simultaneous connections to a VPN and a lot of drag on a network. Pick a VPN that lets you use one subscription on as many devices as possible and has excellent speeds so your Wi-Fi isn't bogged down. If your job involves handling sensitive information like financial or medical records, your priority VPN criteria is security. Our top three VPN picks are the most secure we've found, and each has a different number of connections they'll allow for a base-level subscription. Depending on your budget and home office requirements, ExpressVPN, Surfshark, and NordVPN are all great options for working from home. There are a few other factors worth considering for a home office VPN, so check out our guide to picking the right VPN for working at home.

VPNs for Gaming

Most VPNs are chosen based on having a good balance of speed, security, and cost. If you want a VPN specifically to connect to game servers in another country, speed is everything. Free VPNs won't be fast enough; fortunately, high-end security won't be a cost driver, which gives you more options at modest prices. Since all VPNs reduce speed -- many by half or more -- that means picking one from the set that performed best in our speed tests. In our latest tests, NordVPN took the lead as the fastest VPN, although you can get excellent speeds through Surfshark via the WireGuard protocol and with ExpressVPN. If you're focused on VPNs for game consoles, look at our best VPNs for Xbox and our primer on installing them. Before choosing the one right for your needs, visit the VPN's official website to see whether they offer servers specifically aimed at gaming in the countries where you most want to connect to other players.

Best VPN FAQs

Do I need a VPN?

Anyone who accesses the internet from a computer, tablet, or smartphone can benefit from using a VPN. You don't have to be an activist, government dissident, or journalist to need a VPN; the rise of third-party data brokers, cross-site advertising trackers, IP address collection, and mobile geo-targeting have all combined to create an online browsing environment that poses significant threats to everyday users' basic privacy. Because a VPN encrypts your connection, your browsing data is protected from your internet service provider (and any government entities who request your ISP data), and your network administrator in most cases. A VPN can also shield your private information -- like passwords, usernames, and bank or shopping details -- from anyone snooping on your network. Show less

What is the best free VPN?

Proton VPN's free tier is the only free VPN we've come across so far that's worth using. It costs a lot of money to operate a VPN, and free VPN services usually make up for the lack of subscription revenue by selling user data. In addition to being limited in usability and light on security, many free VPNs are fronts for malware distribution, which is why it's generally best to avoid them. Proton VPN's unlimited free tier is fast and secure and can be used for most online activities, including streaming Netflix. PrivadoVPN also offers a free plan that's great for casual users. But its uneven internet speeds, modest server network, and lack of third-party audits holds is back from a recommendation as one of the best VPNs. If you're on a budget and want access to a premium VPN solution, you can also take a look at our picks for the best cheap VPNs. Show less

What is a mobile VPN?

A mobile VPN is simply a VPN you can use on your mobile device like your iPhone or Android phone. All of the providers we recommend have mobile versions of their desktop clients. You can use a mobile-focused VPN app to ensure greater data privacy designed for your whole device. Mobile VPNs also generally have a smaller memory footprint and require less processing power than desktop VPNs, so they tend to yield faster connection speeds and don't eat up your battery as quickly. Keep in mind that most mobile VPN clients will use a lighter form of encryption than a desktop client to achieve those smartphone speeds. Be sure to check your VPN apps' settings to ensure you're using the apps' strongest encryption if your privacy needs are heightened. Our top three VPN picks all have excellent, easy-to-use mobile VPN app options for their services. Some VPNs will only work with one type of mobile platform -- like iOS or Android -- and some are universally compatible. To find the right mobile VPN for you, check out our mobile-specific VPN guides below. We routinely update them with our retesting information, so check back often. Show less

Are VPNs legal?

VPNs are perfectly legal to use in most countries. There's nothing wrong with taking steps to protect your privacy online, and you shouldn't have to worry that using a VPN as part of that process will get you in any kind of legal trouble. There are countries where VPNs are either banned or outright illegal. If you're using a VPN in a country like China, Iran, Oman, Russia, Turkmenistan, UAE, or Belarus, you may find yourself in legal trouble. The irony here is that these are the countries where internet censorship and surveillance are most common. In those countries, you'll need to make sure you use a VPN that provides strong obfuscation so your VPN traffic is disguised as ordinary HTTPS traffic, meaning government entities won't even know you're using a VPN in the first place. You won't run into any trouble with the law for using a VPN across most of the world. One important reminder: VPNs are legal in most places, but engaging in illegal activity online is still illegal regardless of whether you're using a VPN. Show less

How do I use a VPN for Netflix?

If you live in a country that censors its media or are traveling to one, geo-restricted content is a pain. You can use a VPN to circumvent censorship or access your home country's normal media content for an online streaming service like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, or Disney Plus. Pick a VPN that lets you manually select which country you want to connect through and has something called obfuscation. (Our top three picks offer this.) You don't always need to use the obfuscation feature to unblock Netflix, but since streaming services actively try to block VPN connections, obfuscation can help because it disguises your VPN traffic as regular internet traffic. If you're looking to try out other VPNs, choose one with a large number of IP addresses, preferably 10,000 or more. This is because one of the ways Netflix and others block VPNs is by blacklisting known VPN IPs, and if your VPN has tens of thousands of IPs, there's a better chance that you'll be able to connect to an IP address that Netflix hasn't flagged. Once you have your VPN installed, connect to the country whose content you wish to view, restart your browser and go to the streaming site. If your VPN is working, the site should treat you as a resident of your selected country and serve you content assigned to that audience. If you're still having trouble, you can try using incognito mode on your browser or try clearing your cookies and cache. The best VPNs for Netflix -- and streaming in general -- all let you access geo-restricted content buffer-free. Show less

How do I know if my VPN is working?

Your first and most apparent indication that your VPN is working is that your IP address will change and your location will be registered as that of the VPN server you're connecting through. You can check this on a site like whatismyipaddress.com. You'll also want to make sure your VPN is protecting your privacy and not leaking any of your data outside of the VPN tunnel, thus exposing it to your ISP and other entities that may be monitoring your online activity. You can check for leaks by going to a site like dnsleaktest.com or ipleak.net. If your location is registered as the VPN server location and your leak tests turn up negative, then you know your VPN is working to protect your privacy. Show less

What is a remote-access VPN?

A remote-access VPN uses public infrastructure like the internet to provide remote users secure access to their network. This is particularly important for organizations and their corporate networks. It's crucial when employees connect to a public hotspot and use the internet for sending work-related emails. A VPN client on the user's computer or mobile device connects to a VPN gateway on the company's network. This gateway will typically require the device to authenticate its identity. It will then create a network link back to the device that allows it to reach internal network resources such as file servers, printers, and intranets as if it were on the same local network. Show less

What is a site-to-site VPN?

This is when the VPN technology uses a gateway device to connect the entire network in one location to a network in another location. The majority of site-to-site VPNs that connect over the internet use IPsec. IPsec-based encryption protocols are often considered by VPN specialists to be less secure against modern surveillance. Rather than using the public internet, it is also normal to use multiprotocol label-switching clouds as the main transport for site-to-site VPNs. VPNs are often defined between specific computers, and in most cases, they are servers in separate data centers. New hybrid-access situations have now transformed the VPN gateway in the cloud, typically with a secure link from the cloud service provider into the internal network. Show less

What's the best VPN?

The best VPN for you depends on your needs when using a VPN. Generally, ExpressVPN is the best VPN overall based on our testing. But we also recommend NordVPN (the best VPN for speed), Surfshark (the best VPN on a budget), Proton (the best free VPN), Mullvad (the best VPN for privacy), and PIA (the best cheap VPN alternative). VPNs for crucial privacy and security If you're a journalist, a lawyer, or a professional in any other privacy-sensitive field, forget about speed and price when choosing a VPN. Focus, instead, entirely on security. Your VPN may be somewhat slower but, for both VPNs and presidential motorcades, speed is always the trade-off for privacy. Avoid free VPNs and browser-based VPNs. If you're concerned with government monitoring in your current country, choose a VPN headquartered outside of the country you're currently in, and avoid choosing a VPN with a jurisdiction in an allied country. For example, US journalists should avoid VPNs with a jurisdiction in the US or other Five Eyes countries. Keep an eye on encryption: Your VPN should offer a protocol called OpenVPN TCP (for its mobile apps, IKEv2 is fine). Right now, the VPN we recommend most for critical privacy is ExpressVPN. VPNs for working from home If you're working from home, you may be sharing your internet connection with multiple devices and family members or roommates. That's a lot of simultaneous connections to a VPN and a lot of drag on a network. Pick a VPN that lets you use one subscription on as many devices as possible and has excellent speeds so your Wi-Fi isn't bogged down. If your job involves handling sensitive information like financial or medical records, your priority VPN criteria is security. Our top three VPN picks are the most secure we've found, and each has a different number of connections they'll allow for a base-level subscription. Depending on your budget and home office requirements, ExpressVPN, Surfshark, and NordVPN are all great options for working from home. There are a few other factors worth considering for a home office VPN, so check out our guide to picking the right VPN for working at home. VPNs for gaming Most VPNs are chosen based on having a good balance of speed, security, and cost. If you want a VPN specifically to connect to game servers in another country, speed is everything. Free VPNs won't be fast enough; fortunately, high-end security won't be a cost driver, which gives you more options at modest prices. Since all VPNs reduce speed -- many by half or more -- that means picking one from the set that performed best in our speed tests. In our latest tests, NordVPN took the lead as the fastest VPN, although you can get excellent speeds through Surfshark via the WireGuard protocol and with ExpressVPN. If you're focused on VPNs for game consoles, look at our best VPNs for Xbox and our primer on installing them. Before choosing the one right for your needs, visit the VPN's official website to see whether they offer servers specifically aimed at gaming in the countries where you most want to connect to other players. Show less