Find the Best VPN for Your Needs
Independent, in-depth VPN reviews and comparisons. We test speed, security, privacy policies, and value so you don't have to.
Latest Reviews
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Best VPN for Gaming 2026 - Lowest Ping, No Lag
Online gaming and VPNs have a complicated relationship. A bad VPN will ruin your game with lag and packet loss. A good one can actually improve your experience — reducing DDoS attacks, bypassing ISP throttling, and accessing geo-locked game servers.
We tested over 30 VPNs specifically for gaming, measuring what actually matters: ping, jitter, packet loss, and connection stability during extended gaming sessions.
Best Gaming VPNs at a Glance
VPN Ping Increase Packet Loss DDoS Protection Price/mo NordVPN +3-8ms 0% ✅ $3.39 ExpressVPN +4-10ms 0% ✅ $6.67 Surfshark +5-12ms 0.1% ✅ $2.29 PIA +5-15ms 0% ✅ $2.03 Mullvad +4-9ms 0% ✅ €5.00 Why Gamers Need a VPN
DDoS Protection
This is the number one reason competitive gamers use VPNs. Without one, your IP address is exposed in many peer-to-peer games. Angry opponents can DDoS you mid-match, spiking your ping to 999ms or disconnecting you entirely.
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Best VPN for Netflix & Streaming 2026 - Unblock Any Library
Streaming services spend millions on geo-blocking technology. VPN providers spend millions trying to bypass it. This constant arms race means the VPN that worked for Netflix last month might not work today.
We test streaming access weekly across 15+ platforms to keep this guide current.
Best Streaming VPNs
VPN Netflix Libraries Disney+ BBC iPlayer Hulu Reliability ExpressVPN 20+ ✅ ✅ ✅ 99% NordVPN 15+ ✅ ✅ ✅ 97% Surfshark 10+ ✅ ✅ ✅ 92% CyberGhost 8+ ✅ ✅ ✅ 88% PIA 5+ ✅ ⚠️ ✅ 80% How Netflix Detects VPNs
Understanding the detection helps explain why cheap VPNs fail:
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Best VPN for Torrenting 2026 - Fast, Safe & Anonymous
Torrenting without a VPN is like driving without insurance — you might be fine, but when things go wrong, they go really wrong. ISP warnings, copyright notices, throttled speeds, and in some countries, legal action.
A good torrenting VPN keeps you anonymous, maintains fast download speeds, and has a kill switch that actually works. We tested 25+ VPNs specifically for P2P performance.
Best Torrenting VPNs Ranked
VPN P2P Speed Kill Switch No-Logs Verified Port Forward Price NordVPN 850 Mbps ✅ ✅ (Deloitte) ❌ $3.39/mo Surfshark 780 Mbps ✅ ✅ (Deloitte) ❌ $2.29/mo PIA 720 Mbps ✅ ✅ (Court-proven) ✅ $2.03/mo Mullvad 690 Mbps ✅ ✅ (Audit) ✅ €5.00/mo ExpressVPN 810 Mbps ✅ ✅ (KPMG) ❌ $6.67/mo Why You Need a VPN for Torrenting
Your IP Is Visible to Everyone
When you torrent, your IP address is visible to every other peer in the swarm. Copyright holders monitor popular torrents and log IP addresses. They then send those IPs to ISPs, who forward copyright notices to you.
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Best VPN Services 2026 - Complete Guide & Comparison
Finding the right VPN in 2026 can feel overwhelming. With dozens of providers all claiming to be the fastest, most secure, and best value, how do you actually choose?
We spent over 200 hours testing more than 50 VPN services across real-world scenarios — streaming, torrenting, gaming, and everyday browsing. This guide cuts through the marketing noise to give you honest, data-backed recommendations.
Quick Comparison: Top 5 VPNs at a Glance
VPN Overall Score Speed Security Price/mo NordVPN 9.4/10 ★★★★★ ★★★★★ $3.39 Surfshark 9.1/10 ★★★★☆ ★★★★★ $2.29 ExpressVPN 9.0/10 ★★★★★ ★★★★★ $6.67 CyberGhost 8.5/10 ★★★★☆ ★★★★☆ $2.19 PIA 8.3/10 ★★★★☆ ★★★★☆ $2.03 What We Look For in a VPN
Before diving into individual reviews, here’s what actually matters when choosing a VPN:
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Best VPN for China 2026 - What Actually Works Behind the Great Firewall
China’s Great Firewall blocks most VPN protocols and actively detects and disrupts VPN connections. The vast majority of VPNs simply don’t work in China — even many that claim they do.
We tested from mainland China (Shanghai and Beijing) in January 2026 to find the VPNs that actually bypass the firewall consistently.
The Reality Check
Out of 30 VPNs tested, only 6 worked reliably. Here are the results:
VPN Connection Success Rate Avg Speed Obfuscation Price ExpressVPN 95% 45 Mbps ✅ Auto $6.67/mo NordVPN 80% 38 Mbps ✅ Obfuscated servers $3.39/mo Surfshark 75% 32 Mbps ✅ NoBorders $2.29/mo Astrill VPN 90% 40 Mbps ✅ StealthVPN $12.50/mo VyprVPN 70% 28 Mbps ✅ Chameleon $5.00/mo Windscribe 65% 25 Mbps ✅ Stealth $5.75/mo How the Great Firewall Works
Understanding the firewall helps explain why most VPNs fail:
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NordVPN Review 2026 - Is It Still the Best?
NordVPN is the most popular VPN in the world, and after spending three weeks putting it through rigorous testing, we can confirm it deserves that title — mostly.
In this review, we’ll cover everything that matters: real speed test data, security analysis, streaming reliability, and whether the price is actually justified in 2026’s competitive market.
NordVPN at a Glance
Feature Details Servers 6,200+ in 111 countries Protocols NordLynx (WireGuard), OpenVPN, IKEv2 Encryption AES-256-GCM Simultaneous connections 10 Kill switch Yes (system + app level) No-logs policy Verified (Deloitte audit) Price From $3.39/mo Money-back guarantee 30 days Speed Test Results
We tested NordVPN from a 1Gbps connection in New York, connecting to servers across the world. Here are the results using the NordLynx protocol:
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VPN Speed Comparison 2026 - We Tested 15 VPNs Side by Side
Speed claims are everywhere in VPN marketing. Every provider says they’re “the fastest.” We connected 15 VPNs to the same 1Gbps connection, tested the same servers, at the same times, and recorded the actual numbers.
Overall Speed Rankings
Tested from a 1Gbps fiber connection in New York. All tests used WireGuard or equivalent protocol where available.
Rank VPN Local Speed Long Distance Protocol 1 NordVPN 940 Mbps 650 Mbps NordLynx 2 ExpressVPN 910 Mbps 620 Mbps Lightway 3 Surfshark 890 Mbps 580 Mbps WireGuard 4 Mullvad 880 Mbps 610 Mbps WireGuard 5 PIA 850 Mbps 540 Mbps WireGuard 6 Windscribe 820 Mbps 490 Mbps WireGuard 7 VyprVPN 800 Mbps 470 Mbps WireGuard 8 CyberGhost 790 Mbps 420 Mbps WireGuard 9 Atlas VPN 760 Mbps 400 Mbps WireGuard 10 IPVanish 740 Mbps 380 Mbps WireGuard 11 TunnelBear 680 Mbps 350 Mbps OpenVPN 12 HideMyAss 650 Mbps 320 Mbps OpenVPN 13 Proton VPN 720 Mbps 450 Mbps WireGuard 14 Hide.me 700 Mbps 390 Mbps WireGuard 15 PrivadoVPN 620 Mbps 280 Mbps WireGuard Detailed Server-by-Server Results
Top 5 VPNs - Multi-Location Test
Location NordVPN ExpressVPN Surfshark Mullvad PIA New York (local) 940 910 890 880 850 Los Angeles 890 870 830 840 790 London 780 750 720 740 680 Frankfurt 760 730 700 750 660 Tokyo 650 620 580 610 540 Sydney 580 560 510 540 480 São Paulo 620 600 560 580 510 Mumbai 520 490 460 500 430 Singapore 610 580 540 570 500 Johannesburg 450 420 380 410 360 All speeds in Mbps. Average of 5 test runs per location.
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Best VPN for Privacy 2026 - Verified No-Logs Providers
Any VPN can claim “no logs.” Only a few can prove it. We evaluated VPNs based on what actually matters for privacy: independent audits, jurisdiction, real-world legal tests, and technical architecture.
Privacy VPN Rankings
VPN No-Logs Proof Jurisdiction RAM-Only Open Source Score Mullvad Audit + Raid Sweden ✅ ✅ 10/10 PIA Court-proven (2x) US ✅ ✅ 9.5/10 NordVPN Deloitte audit (2x) Panama ✅ Partial 9.3/10 ExpressVPN KPMG + Cure53 BVI ✅ ❌ 9.0/10 Proton VPN Securitum audit Switzerland ✅ ✅ 9.0/10 Surfshark Deloitte audit Netherlands ✅ ❌ 8.8/10 What “No Logs” Actually Means
A true no-logs VPN doesn’t store:
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NordVPN vs Surfshark 2026 - Premium vs Budget, Which Wins?
NordVPN and Surfshark are both owned by Nord Security, but they target different markets. NordVPN is the premium all-rounder; Surfshark is the budget champion. Which one deserves your money?
We ran both VPNs side-by-side for three weeks to find out.
Quick Verdict
Category NordVPN Surfshark Winner Speed 940 Mbps 890 Mbps NordVPN Servers 6,200+ / 111 countries 3,200+ / 100 countries NordVPN Devices 10 Unlimited Surfshark Streaming 15+ Netflix libraries 10+ Netflix libraries NordVPN Security features Double VPN, Threat Protection CleanWeb, MultiHop NordVPN Price (2yr) $3.39/mo $2.29/mo Surfshark Ease of use Good Great Surfshark Overall 9.4/10 9.1/10 NordVPN Speed: NordVPN Wins
Server NordVPN Surfshark Local 940 Mbps 890 Mbps Same continent 780 Mbps 720 Mbps Cross-continent 650 Mbps 580 Mbps Opposite hemisphere 580 Mbps 510 Mbps NordVPN is 5-12% faster across all distances. Both use WireGuard-based protocols and both are fast enough for any use case, but NordVPN has the edge.
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Surfshark Review 2026 - Best Budget VPN?
Surfshark’s pitch is simple: premium VPN features at budget prices, with unlimited device connections. Sounds too good to be true? We spent two weeks testing it to find out.
Spoiler: it’s genuinely one of the best values in the VPN market right now.
Surfshark at a Glance
Feature Details Servers 3,200+ in 100 countries Protocols WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2 Encryption AES-256-GCM Simultaneous connections Unlimited Kill switch Yes No-logs policy Verified (Deloitte audit) Price From $2.29/mo Money-back guarantee 30 days The Unlimited Device Advantage
Let’s address the elephant in the room: unlimited simultaneous connections. Most VPNs cap you at 5-10 devices. Surfshark says “connect everything.”