The Best VPNs We’ve Tested (June 2025)

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 extra security to people in countries like 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 testing was the best result 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.

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 nets you a slew of productivity integrations, including Proton’s calendar, email, and cloud storage applications, making it a great option for your home office.

Features and capabilities: The best thing about NordVPN is that it has a little 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 scores were pretty good. 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 looking to access an otherwise blocked streaming service will appreciate NordVPN’s reliable speeds and diverse 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.

Frequent travelers: NordVPN has virtual servers in more than 100 countries, though most physical servers are in the UK and 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 customers to connect to a VPN right away. 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. When you get more comfortable navigating the app, you can choose a server to connect to from a drop-down menu.

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 offer we haven’t seen from other VPN companies. An ExpressVPN subscription also gives you access to Express VPN Keys, the company’s password manager, and Threat Manager, a malware and tracker blocker.

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 that lists the customer data requests from law enforcement, along with any gag orders or national security letters. ExpressVPN also runs a bug bounty program, which gives security researchers a chance to stress-test the company’s systems and report vulnerabilities for financial gain.

Speed and performance: ExpressVPN’s latency and speed tests were better than the median results. Though ExpressVPN has servers worldwide, choose a server closest to your physical location if you want the fastest VPN connection.

Streaming: During the latest round of testing, we could stream Netflix movies and shows while connected via ExpressVPN. The client can be used to spoof your location and access region-locked media because there are more than 100 servers to choose from in diverse locations, including countries with strict internet policies, like Turkey and Vietnam.

User experience and ease of use: ExpressVPN offers Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows apps. The company also supports Linux customers with a command line tool. The interface on all of the apps makes it easy to connect to a VPN quickly. We could also watch interruption-free Twitch streams and YouTube videos while connected to ExpressVPN servers.

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 who aren’t familiar with VPNs will appreciate this app’s simplicity. 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.

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 doesn’t offer much beyond VPN connections, though. Always-on mode, a Kill Switch (VigilantBear), and split tunneling (SplitBear) are common features across all platforms. There’s also a feature designed to get around VPN blocking called Ghostbear. When active, Ghostbear disguises VPN traffic as HTTPS traffic. TunnelBear VPN is available on Chrome, Edge, Firefox browsers, and Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows devices.

Privacy and security: TunnelBear VPN has one of the best privacy policies we’ve read, mostly because it’s so easy to understand. The company explains exactly what data it collects and how it uses that data in detail. 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 42.6% and 63.3%, respectively, and increased latency by 48.9%.

Streaming: We could stream Netflix content during the latest testing period while connected to a US-based server. 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 below average for the VPNs we’ve reviewed. That said, the collection encompasses a wide range of locations, including countries in Africa, and South America that often get overlooked by other companies.

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.

Newbies: Thanks to its simple and friendly interface, TunnelBear VPN is a great 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.

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. In addition to standard VPN features like a kill switch and split tunneling, CyberGhost VPN also includes IP masking, which allows you to change your IP address. There’s also a content blocker that eliminates invasive ads while you browse.

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. If you want device-level protection, CyberGhost Security Suite for Windows is an additional $4.50 per month and requires a VPN subscription. The suite includes antivirus access and the company’s Security Updater, which alerts you to any apps that need updating.

Speed and performance testing: CyberGhost has servers in 100 countries, which is excellent. 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 13.3% and 26.7%, respectively, while increasing latency by 11.2%.

Streaming: Unfortunately, CyberGhost VPN didn’t work well with Netflix in our testing. We could only stream a fraction of available Netflix content while connected to a New York-based VPN server. We encountered a similar issue when connected to one of CyberGhost VPN’s servers that was optimized for Netflix streaming.

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.

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: AndroidTV, 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.

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 because it contains clear, 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 have trouble 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 didn’t have any trouble installing and starting up IPVanish on a Windows desktop, though we found the app’s interface, with its graphs and maps, a little 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.

iOS users: Like many VPN apps, IPVanish’s features aren’t the same on all platforms. Case in point, the company’s iOS app has a few interesting tools that aren’t available for Android customers. For one, there’s the Connect On Demand option, which is helpful when you only want to connect to the VPN in certain circumstances, like when using public WiFi 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.

Features and capabilities: With servers in 71 countries, PureVPN offers thorough global coverage. The VPN app is available for Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, and Windows devices, with extensions for Chrome and Firefox browsers. It’s a smaller compatibility list than we’ve seen for most other VPN apps. Features-wise, the Standard PureVPN app includes a tracker blocker, a kill switch, and split tunneling. As mentioned above, buying the most expensive subscription tier gets you access to a data removal service, dark web monitoring, and a password manager.

Privacy and security: PureVPN’s privacy policy is fairly easy to read and includes details about the types of data the company collects and how it’s used. PureVPN does not store logs containing identifiable customer information. The company also links to a transparency report on its website, but the information hasn’t been updated since 2023. We like to see current, updated transparency reports from VPN companies.

Speed and performance: Our tests show that PureVPN reduced download and upload speed test results by just 7.61% and 3.51%, respectively, which is significantly better than the median results. PureVPN also increased latency by just 18.2%.

Streaming: You can use a VPN to spoof your location, so many streaming services attempt to block VPN traffic. Luckily, PureVPN streamed video from Netflix without issues across servers in five countries. The VPN also passed our Twitch and YouTube streaming tests, resulting in clear video without interruptions or lag.

User experience and ease of use: PureVPN has an attractive, well-organized interface that reduces on-screen clutter by keeping your server details all in one place. We found the apps easy to navigate and operate on all platforms.

Streaming enthusiasts: PureVPN’s global Netflix compatibility, massive server list, and excellent speed test scores make it an ideal choice for privacy-conscious users who stream a lot of video.

Newbies: PureVPN’s simple interface makes it easy to connect to a VPN right away. Just download the app, log into your account, and click or tap the large Connect button. PureVPN will pick the best server for you, which may be a good option for people who are new to VPNs.

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 gives customers an enormous amount of information about how their service works in its privacy policy. In the document, the company claims it does not log user traffic, DNS requests, any kind of connection timestamp, IP addresses, or bandwidth use. This transparency is also evident when you try to pay for the service. Instead of using a subscription model that requires the company to hold on to customer information for an indefinite period, Mullvad uses the pay-as-you-go model, where customers pay for accounts on a yearly basis or month-to-month.

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, too. A faster VPN typically means interruption-free audio, gaming, and video streams. During testing, we could access the entire Netflix library of all the 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.

Home users: The interface features an interactive map that makes connecting to a server in your desired location easy. We like that you can also choose a specific server from an expanded list to show countries, cities, and individual servers in an 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 you sign up or hand over lots 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.

Features and capabilities: With a free plan, you get 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 limitation 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, and that’s the start of its baked-in privacy elements. First, its fast and anonymous signup process allows you to use the VPN app without giving up a lot of data about yourself. Next, you can pay for the app using many different forms of payment, including cryptocurrency. On Windscribe’s website, you’ll find the company’s ethics statement and a transparency report that accounts for 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 performance was 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 trailing behind competitors like NordVPN and Proton VPN by a considerable amount.

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 includes a helpful guide to all of the app’s features. For example, if you don’t know which VPN protocol to use, open 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.

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.

Features and capabilities: You can use Hide.me VPN on any Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV, Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, Volla OS, or Windows device. The company also has browser extensions for Chrome, Edge, and Firefox, plus support for manual connections using Synology, Qnap, or a router. The features vary by platform, but on Windows, the following features are available: auto-connect, a firewall, IP leak protection, a kill switch, multi-hop connections, and split tunneling.

Privacy and security: According to the privacy policy, the company collects your email address when you sign up and stores it in encrypted form on encrypted servers located in secure facilities. The policy also states that Hide.me doesn’t store any customer payment information or data like your IP address, physical address, or other personal information. Also, if you want to switch from Hide.me to a new VPN, the privacy policy claims that when you close your account, Hide.me deletes all of your data.

Speed and performance: In our most recent testing using Hide.me’s server located in New York City, we found the service worsened latency by about 20%. In other words, Hide.me isn’t as fast as the competition, but it turned in solid performance during the latest round of speed tests.

Streaming: The app’s website claims it works well with popular streaming services like BBC iPlayer and Disney+. During testing, we accessed Netflix while connected to servers in Australia, Canada, Japan, the UK, and the US but encountered some inaccessible, region-locked movies and shows.

User experience and ease of use: Hide.me’s interface is clean-looking and easy to navigate, so you can just download the app and connect to a VPN without trawling through a million menus. The servers Hide.me recommends for streaming are labeled as such, and we like that you can save your favorite servers to return to them later.

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 91 locations, making it a good option for people who constantly travel and want to connect to a fast server nearby. The auto-connect feature also helps mitigate the risks of connecting to public Wi-Fi in airports or hotels.