Vpn Comparison
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:
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.
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.
ExpressVPN vs NordVPN 2026 - Which Should You Choose?
ExpressVPN and NordVPN are the two biggest names in VPN. Both are excellent — but they’re excellent in different ways. This comparison breaks down where each one wins so you can choose the right one for your needs.
Quick Verdict
Category Winner Speed NordVPN (by a small margin) Security Tie Streaming ExpressVPN (more reliable) Privacy Tie Price NordVPN (significantly cheaper) Ease of use ExpressVPN Server network NordVPN (more servers + countries) Overall NordVPN (better value) Speed Comparison
We tested both VPNs from the same 1Gbps connection, same locations, same time of day: