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.
Protocol Speed Comparison
The protocol you choose has a massive impact on speed. We tested NordVPN with all available protocols:
| Protocol | Download | Upload | Latency | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NordLynx (WireGuard) | 940 Mbps | 880 Mbps | 4ms | Everything |
| OpenVPN UDP | 620 Mbps | 540 Mbps | 12ms | Compatibility |
| OpenVPN TCP | 480 Mbps | 420 Mbps | 18ms | Restrictive networks |
| IKEv2 | 710 Mbps | 650 Mbps | 8ms | Mobile |
Key takeaway: Always use WireGuard (or NordLynx/Lightway). OpenVPN is 35-50% slower.
What Affects VPN Speed?
Distance to Server
The biggest factor. Connecting to a server on the other side of the world will always be slower than a local server. Light travels at a finite speed through fiber optic cables.
Server Load
More users on a server = slower speeds for everyone. Premium VPNs mitigate this with larger server networks and smart load balancing.
Protocol
WireGuard is dramatically faster than OpenVPN due to its streamlined codebase and modern cryptographic primitives. Always use WireGuard when available.
Your Base Connection
A VPN can’t make your internet faster than it already is. If you have 50 Mbps from your ISP, even the fastest VPN will give you ≤50 Mbps through the tunnel.
ISP Throttling (Speed INCREASE possible)
If your ISP throttles specific traffic (streaming, gaming, P2P), a VPN can actually increase your speed by hiding the type of traffic from your ISP. We’ve measured 10-15x speed improvements for users on throttled connections.
Speed Tips
- Choose the nearest server — shorter distance = faster speed
- Use WireGuard — fastest protocol available
- Avoid peak hours — VPN servers are fastest during off-peak times
- Try different servers — if one is slow, another in the same country may be faster
- Disable unnecessary features — Double VPN, MultiHop, and Tor-over-VPN all reduce speed
Our Recommendations by Use Case
| Use Case | Minimum Speed Needed | Recommended VPN |
|---|---|---|
| 4K streaming | 25 Mbps | Any top 5 |
| HD streaming | 10 Mbps | Any top 10 |
| Gaming | Low latency (<50ms) | NordVPN, ExpressVPN |
| Torrenting | 50+ Mbps | NordVPN, PIA |
| General browsing | 10 Mbps | Any |
| Video calls | 5 Mbps | Any top 10 |
FAQ
Do VPNs slow down your internet?
Yes, always slightly. Encryption adds overhead. But with WireGuard, the slowdown is typically 5-10% on nearby servers — unnoticeable for most users.
Which is the fastest VPN in 2026?
NordVPN with NordLynx protocol. It consistently delivers the highest speeds across all server locations in our testing.
Can a VPN make my internet faster?
Only if your ISP throttles your traffic. The VPN encrypts your data so the ISP can’t identify and slow down specific types of traffic.
Speed tests conducted February 2026 from a 1Gbps fiber connection in New York using Ookla Speedtest CLI. Each result is the average of 5 consecutive tests.