The Best VPN Services
A VPN moves your trust from your ISP to a company in another country. Only one thing separates these — whether an auditor has actually checked the no-logs claim.
NordVPN
Ranked first by TechRadar, Tom's Guide and Security.org in 2026. Six independent no-logs audits, 9,300+ RAM-only servers, and consistently top-tier speeds.
A VPN does one thing reliably: it stops your internet provider and the operator of whatever network you’re on from seeing which sites you visit. That is genuinely useful on hotel and airport Wi-Fi, and it is genuinely useful if your ISP sells browsing data.
What it does not do is make you anonymous. You have simply moved your trust from a company you have a contract with to a company in another country that you don’t. So the only question that really matters is: has anyone independent actually verified their no-logs claim?
Every provider on this list has been audited. Hundreds of others making identical marketing promises have not.
How we pick
TechRadar, Tom’s Guide, Security.org and PCMag all run comparative speed testing and leak testing across large server samples, and we weight their measured results first. NordVPN topped all four in 2026, which is an unusually clean consensus for this category.
Beyond speed, we weight three things heavily:
Audit history. Not a single audit at launch — a repeated pattern of them. NordVPN has passed six, most recently with Deloitte in December 2025.
Jurisdiction. Where the company is legally incorporated determines who can compel it to hand over data. Switzerland (Proton) and Sweden (Mullvad) have stronger protections than the US or UK.
Renewal pricing. This is where the industry behaves worst. The headline $2.49/month is almost always a 2-year introductory rate, and renewal is frequently three to four times higher. Mullvad is the only provider here that doesn’t play this game.
Pricing reflects advertised long-term plan rates as of June 30, 2026 and will vary with the constant promotional cycle in this category.
A note on links
Unlike the hardware guides on this site, these link directly to each provider rather than to Amazon — VPN subscriptions aren’t meaningfully sold there, and buying direct is both cheaper and easier to cancel.
The honest advice
Buy NordVPN if you want the fastest, most capable service and you’ll set a calendar reminder before renewal. Buy Proton VPN if privacy is the actual reason you’re doing this — the open-source clients and Swiss jurisdiction are worth more than a few Mbps. Buy Surfshark if you’re covering a whole household on one account.
And if you want to try one before paying, Proton’s free tier is the only one in the category that isn’t a trap.
The Rankings
NordVPN
Ranked first by TechRadar, Tom's Guide and Security.org in 2026. Six independent no-logs audits, 9,300+ RAM-only servers, and consistently top-tier speeds.
- Six independent no-logs audits, the most of any provider
- RAM-only servers that wipe on every reboot
- Fastest provider in most 2026 speed testing
- Unblocks essentially every streaming service
- Monthly pricing is expensive — the value is in 2-year plans
- Aggressive upsells during checkout
- Renewal price is much higher than the intro rate
Proton VPN
Open-source clients, Swiss jurisdiction, independently audited, and the only genuinely usable free tier in the category. The choice if privacy is the actual goal.
- Fully open-source apps — anyone can inspect the code
- Swiss jurisdiction, outside 14 Eyes
- The only unlimited-data free tier worth using
- Secure Core routes through hardened data centres
- Free tier is limited to 10 countries and one device
- Slower than NordVPN on long-distance routes
- Interface is more technical than rivals'
Surfshark
Unlimited simultaneous devices — no other major provider offers this — at the lowest price in the category. One subscription genuinely covers an entire household.
- Unlimited simultaneous connections on one account
- Cheapest 2-year pricing of the majors
- Independently audited, RAM-only infrastructure
- Includes ad and tracker blocking
- Speeds trail NordVPN on distant servers
- Now owned by the same parent company as NordVPN
- Short-term plans are poor value
ExpressVPN
The simplest apps in the category and the widest device support, including routers and games consoles. You pay for polish rather than capability.
- The most approachable apps of any provider
- Best-in-class router firmware
- TrustedServer RAM-only architecture
- Reliable in restrictive countries
- Historically the most expensive major provider
- Fewer simultaneous connections than rivals
- Fewer advanced options for technical users
Mullvad
No email address, no account name — you get a random account number and can pay in cash. Flat €5/month forever, with no discounts, upsells or renewal traps.
- No email or personal details required to sign up
- Accepts cash sent by post, and cryptocurrency
- Flat pricing with no renewal price increase, ever
- Open-source apps and regular independent audits
- Most expensive on a 2-year basis — no long-term discount
- Deliberately does not unblock streaming services
- Smaller server network than the majors