Best VPN service in 2026

Choosing the best VPN service can make a real difference to your digital privacy and online security, whether you use it for everyday browsing or work.

Of all the VPNs I've tested and researched to make sure they've passed extensive independent third-party audits to back up any no-logs claims, NordVPN has come out on top. It's been a reliable pick for many years, has an excellent global server fleet, supports the best protocols, and has minimal impact on my download speeds.

I've tested and used VPNs daily for years for both work and home use. Every VPN I've recommended below has been extensively tested for IP leaks, download/upload speeds, kill switch reliability, server availability, and more. I'm still using them all regularly across multiple devices to stay updated on developments or performance changes.

These virtual private networks encrypt your internet traffic via a remote server, stopping your internet service provider or local network from seeing your browsing activity and also masking your IP address from the sites and services you use. VPNs can also be useful in countries with strict internet censorship, though results can vary depending on how aggressively VPN traffic is blocked.

Digital security is crucial and the primary reason to subscribe to a VPN service. Top-rated VPNs can also help you access international libraries or live TV streams. Many streaming platforms try to block VPN traffic, but the picks below often still worked in my latest tests.

The best VPN services at a glance

NordVPN: Top-tier privacy and super fast

NordVPN has been a podium resident of many a VPN guide over the years, and its ever-evolving skillset and refinements put it right at the top for me. The app is easy to navigate across Android, Apple, and Windows devices, and the mobile version looks a lot more polished with its recent 2026 makeover.

In my most recent round of speed tests, compared to the other VPN services on this page, I was shocked by just how fast NordVPN performed, as it wiped the floor with the competition. It's never been considered slow, but on average, I only saw local connections here in New York lower my download speed by 16%, 20% to Europe, and a mere 11% to Australia.

As for uploads, locally, I only lost about 4% of my speeds, but once I connected to servers outside the US, they took bigger hits of 20-27%, which is a bigger drop than I saw from Proton and Surfshark - not that this affected my ability to do video calls at all.

It had no problems unlocking international access to a range of streaming services across the US, UK, France, Italy, Australia, and more. I was even able to access Disney+ and Netflix - two services that have become very good at blocking VPNs lately. Of course, streaming services have become something of a moving target in recent years, so results can change, but NordVPN has been delivering the most consistent results lately.

NordVPN's legal headquarters are in Panama, which is great for data retention and privacy laws, and the company has passed multiple third-party audits to confirm its long-standing no-logs policy.

The various VPN protocols have also breezed through my tests for DNS leaks and for exposure when the VPN is disconnected with an active kill switch. The brand's proprietary NordLynx protocol is usually autoselected and best for most users, but if you're trying to connect on restrictive networks, the NordWhisper option might be a better fit. There are also additional server options, such as Double VPN, P2P, and Onion Over VPN, for any Tor enthusiasts.

Like many other VPNs, the auto-renewal prices are significantly higher than the initial sign-up fee, but you can cancel in advance if you'd rather try a different service once your subscription is set to expire.

There are a few other rough edges, but nothing we'd consider deal breakers. The app has developed an irritating issue when you want to disconnect: it presents you with a range of pause options first, requiring extra taps to just turn it off. By all means, have a pause option, but a straight-up disconnect button should be easier to access.

Split-tunneling, where you tell specific apps to ignore your VPN, is still missing on iPhone and Mac (it's a problem shared with many VPNs, in fairness). The ability to run specific URLs through a split tunnel is limited to Chrome/Safari apps on desktop, too, with no option on mobile, which is a shame if you have a handful of sites that just don't get along with a VPN.

• See the latest NordVPN offers

Proton VPN: A comprehensive alternative

Proton VPN has been cooking for a while, but it's only in the last couple of years that it's really stepped up and become a contender for the best VPN. Priced marginally between my other picks, the Swiss-based VPN should be on your radar, as out of nowhere, it's one of the biggest brands on the scene, especially for server quantity.

It has the largest number of servers by a considerable distance compared to the competition on this page, and there's a better spread of actual countries covered as well. Proton does a better job than most at hosting servers (or, at the very least, virtual ones) in numerous Middle Eastern, African, and Asian countries.

As someone who likes optimizing my connection as much as possible, I really like the metered icon that shows how busy each server is if I'm choosing a specific one rather than letting the automatic option pick one once I've selected a country.

However, the menus for selecting a specific server/city are a little clunky, especially if I'm struggling to get around a block on one and need to try a few before I can get past any sites/apps that often block VPN traffic (looking at you, Disney+). I can usually find one from Proton, but being able to pop the menu open or hit the back button to get back to the list would be smoother.

All VPN services highlighted on this page have passed third-party audits to back up any claims on a no-logs policy - not having one is a dealbreaker for me - but I really like how Proton's is available for anyone to read, without having to be a paying subscriber already. It's much easier to find than Nord and Surfshark have made it. I've read through it in full, and Proton seems to have nailed it by all accounts.

Being based in Switzerland is a nice plus point, too, when it comes to data neutrality laws. But, as per the no-logs policy, there's no browsing data to seize should the laws change or if the country decides to join one of the intelligence-sharing 'Eyes' alliances.

Proton's built-in NetShield ad-blocker is great for cleaning up overly-busy pages, which enables faster load times and just a better reading experience when you're being bombarded by video ads all over the page, or ugly ads every other paragraph. It might cause playback issues on some TV channel streaming sites, though - I had to disable the blocker (but not the VPN) to stream live content on the Australian site, 9Now.

Proton aced most of my tests for international streaming but had some issues accessing the UK's Netflix library from the US. However, switching the VPN to a dedicated 'Stealth' protocol fixed this, as this option is designed to hide that traffic is coming through a VPN. It also got around a few website URLs I use for work that often crash or block VPN traffic. I really like how I can save a specific configuration like this as an easy-to-select profile so that I can stick with my usual protocols for other tasks. Better yet, this protocol didn't seem to lower my speeds more than the auto ones.

In general, though, Proton VPN did slow my download speeds considerably. Even a local connection saw a 68% drop, and European connections were around 60% lower. And while that may sound bad, if you're starting with a strong connection speed, you can probably eat that without it actually changing how you work or take video calls.

Upload speeds fared significantly better, only dropping by 7% locally and 11% as far away as India. Of the VPNs on this page, Proton has the best upload performance.

Like most of the best VPNs, Proton offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. Very recently, it only offered refunds on the unused days portion. However, that policy has changed to match the competition with full refunds now mentioned on their site. Not that you'll need to bother testing that. If you're reading a best VPN guide, you're likely looking for a keeper rather than a quick fix for a streaming event, and Proton VPN is certainly a keeper. Check out our full Proton VPN review for more info.

• See the latest offers: Proton VPN Plus | Proton VPN Unlimited

Surfshark: Reliable, and super-affordable

Prices for VPNs are always bouncing around on the longer-term plans by a few shards of pocket change a month, but lately, one thing has remained true of the VPNs I've enjoyed over the last few years: Surfshark is ridiculously cheap and offers more than enough privacy and streaming options for most people.

And I get it, the world of VPNs is super competitive, so prices have to be too. But the fact that one Surfshark subscription can be used across unlimited devices, yes, even the cheapest tier, is huge. Share it with family, friends, a few close colleagues, it's all good. There are no same-address requirements or password-sharing fees like we are increasingly seeing with streaming services. For individual users, it won't make much difference as the 10 device limit from Proton and Nord is hardly stingy.

Surfshark has a few neat tricks too. Alternate ID helps you create an alternate persona, well, a disposable email address at least. This is super useful for signing up for newsletters or when you're required to hand over an email address for something, but are worried you might get spammed afterward. It's not a fully fledged email service like Proton Mail, and you can't reply without giving away your real email address, but it's certainly handy for throwaway uses, and can be trashed and reset at any time.

There's also a function on Android devices that lets you override your phone's GPS location rather than just its IP address. This is something I've not seen the other brands do, and it genuinely does work, as evidenced by my Google Maps location showing my live location as overseas. This is useful if some apps use your device location and your IP address to allow access or suggest local pricing. Again, though, only Android phones. There's no way Apple's going to allow you to send your iPhone on vacay without you.

Surfshark often has the reputation as the fastest VPN around. I didn't see that in my last round of download tests (-38% locally, -37% UK, and -50% in Australia), but it was still fast. I don't know what Nord has been eating lately, but it's come out fighting in 2026. Upload speeds remained high, though, only trailing Proton's by a few points.

There's been a persistent issue across various Surfshark platforms where the connection activation time takes just a little too long. It has improved over the last year. But it's still a thing, as admitted by an 'Attempt x/y' indicator when you go to connect, like an admittance of the possibility of failure. It always gets there, though.

Another odd issue I had a few times recently was a clingy connection that wouldn't let me reconnect to a local New York server, and actually made my connection appear to be coming from Romania until I toggled multiple refreshes. Even more odd, as Romania wasn't one of the connections I'd been testing that day.

Troublesome sites or apps that often restrict VPN connections detect Surfshark connections more often than they did with Nord or Proton. This was the case even when manually selecting some of its Open protocols that use obfuscation in what they've called Camouflage Mode. Their No Borders mode, built to circumvent government censorship, doesn't kick in to counter this either.

We're talking niche cases here, though. Generally, Surfshark does everything I ask of a VPN and offers excellent value, making it an easy recommendation, especially for family coverage.

Being based in the Netherlands might raise some eyebrows, given that the country is a member of the intelligence-sharing 9-Eyes alliance. But Surfshark has passed multiple third-party audits of its no-logs policy, backing up claims that it does not store any data on app or browsing behavior when using a VPN.

• See the latest Surfshark offers

If you want to make sure you're getting the best price on a VPN we've tested, don't miss out on my guide to the latest VPN deals.

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