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How Our Rankings Work

Every score is built from evidence: published specifications, independent audit reports, documented protocol behavior, and current pricing - applied on the same scale for every provider. Speed is weighted at 25%, because how fast a VPN actually performs matters more than how many servers it lists. Privacy counts for another 25%, based on real audit reports rather than policy PDFs. Streaming (20%), ease of use (15%), and value (15%) round it out.

Affiliate commissions fund the infrastructure. We earn when you buy - at no extra cost to you. That also means we earn from every provider we list, so there's no financial reason to rank one above another; the order simply follows the test data. Our disclosure and testing methodology are published in full.

Pick by Use Case

• Best overall VPN: NordVPN (9.4/10) - fastest speeds, verified no-log audits, $3.09/month
• Best for streaming: ExpressVPN (9.1/10) - 20+ Netflix libraries, top streaming VPN
• Best value: Surfshark (8.9/10) - unlimited devices, $2.19/month
• Best for privacy: ProtonVPN (8.6/10) - Swiss jurisdiction, open-source, free tier available
• Best for torrenting: PIA (8.3/10) - 35,000+ servers, port forwarding, open-source
• Best free VPN: ProtonVPN Free - unlimited data, no ads, Swiss privacy

New to VPNs? Start with our What Is a VPN? guide, then come back to the full comparison when you're ready to choose. For the lowest price on any of these, check our deals page - discounts apply automatically at checkout.