Independent reviewsno sponsored placements
ReviewCost
CategoryUpdated October 2026

The best VPN in 2026

Stay private online

Products reviewed
20
Average score
7.7/10
Entry pricing
Free – $12.95
With a free tier
7 of 20
Top pick
ExpressVPN

What vpn pricing actually looks like

Calculated from the published plans of 20 products in this category.

Entry price range
$1 – $12.99
median $3.11/mo
Offer a free plan
35%
of 20 products
Annual billing saves
9%
median of 5 plans
Typical cost, 10 people
$3.33/mo
median of 15 products

How vendors here charge: 10 flat rate, 7 tiered, 2 charged per seat, 1 free plan plus paid tiers. That distinction decides what a team pays: a flat-rate plan costs the same for ten people as for one, while a per-seat plan multiplies. See how this compares with other categories.

The ranking

Top VPN · ranked

Our ranking of every VPN product we have reviewed, scored on the same six factors.

★
01
Rank
E

ExpressVPN

Express Technologies Ltd. (owned by Kape Technologies PLC)
Best overall

Premium VPN with military-grade encryption and servers in 105 countries

Best for
Proprietary Lightway protocol delivers consistently fast speeds, particularly with Lightway Turbo on Windows
Watch out for
Device limits (10/12/14) lag behind competitors like Surfshark and PIA that offer unlimited simultaneous connections
8.5/10
RC Score
From$3.49/mo
02
Rank
N

NordVPN

Nord Security

Fast, audited VPN with over 9,000 servers and advanced threat protection

Best for
Fastest VPN in independent 2026 tests—82% speed retention with NordLynx protocol, minimal latency on local and mid-distance servers
Watch out for
Renewal pricing jumps significantly—2-year Basic plan renews at $219.48/year ($18.29/mo), a 529% increase over introductory $3.09/mo rate
8.4/10
RC Score
From$3.09/mo
03
Rank
P

Private Internet Access

Private Internet Access Inc.

Budget-friendly, privacy-focused VPN with unmatched server scale and open-source transparency

Best for
Exceptionally affordable pricing at $2.19/month on 2-year plan, significantly lower than industry average
Watch out for
Inconsistent speed performance across server locations with notable variability between connection sessions
8.3/10
RC Score
From$2.19/mo
04
Rank
S

Surfshark VPN

Surfshark

Secure your data with unlimited devices and 24/7 support.

Best for
Unlimited simultaneous device connections — genuinely rare at this price point, making it ideal for families or power users
Watch out for
Based in the Netherlands (part of the Nine Eyes intelligence alliance), which may concern privacy purists despite the no-logs policy
8.3/10
RC Score
From$2.49/mo
05
Rank
P

Proton VPN

Proton AG

Swiss-based privacy-first VPN with audited no-logs policy and unlimited free tier

Best for
Audited no-logs policy and full open-source codebase provide exceptional transparency
Watch out for
No 24/7 live chat support—email-only, with 1-3 day response times reported
8.2/10
RC Score
From$0/mo
06
Rank
C

CyberGhost VPN

CyberGhost (Kape Technologies)

Budget-friendly VPN with 11,500+ servers and specialised streaming, gaming, and torrenting options

Best for
Extremely affordable long-term pricing from $2.11/month with substantial savings and extra months included
Watch out for
Upload speeds lag behind competitors; occasional connection drops and slowdowns reported during peak times
8.0/10
RC Score
From$1.99/mo
07
Rank
P

PrivadoVPN

Privado Networks AG

Budget-friendly VPN with a generous free plan and Swiss privacy backing

Best for
Exceptional free plan with 10GB/month data and 13 global server locations—substantially more generous than competitors
Watch out for
Limited server network—only hundreds of servers across 50 countries, noticeably smaller than major competitors
8.0/10
RC Score
From$0/mo
08
Rank
V

VyprVPN

Certida LLC

Independently audited no-log VPN with Chameleon protocol and self-owned servers

Best for
Independent no-log audit verification and proven privacy protection through zero data collection
Watch out for
Windows users report inconsistent latency and slower speeds compared to macOS
7.8/10
RC Score
From$3/mo
09
Rank
W

Windscribe

Windscribe Limited

Privacy-focused VPN with generous free tier and advanced features

Best for
Exceptionally generous free tier with 10 GB monthly data and full feature access, making it one of the most feature-complete free VPNs available
Watch out for
Inconsistent performance on distant servers; slower Mac client speeds compared to Windows
7.8/10
RC Score
From$0/mo
10
Rank
h

hide.me VPN

eVenture Ltd.

Privacy-focused VPN with strong encryption, no-logs policy, and generous free tier

Best for
Stable pricing at renewal—long-term subscribers pay identical rates, unlike competitors that triple pricing
Watch out for
Monthly-only pricing significantly more expensive (~$11.99) than long-term plans; poor value for short-term users
7.8/10
RC Score
From$0/mo
11
Rank
M

Mullvad VPN

Mullvad VPN AB

Privacy-first VPN with flat pricing and anonymous signup

Best for
Truly anonymous signup with randomly-generated numbered account requiring no email or personal data
Watch out for
Unreliable for streaming services—inconsistent access to Netflix, BBC iPlayer and Disney+ with no dedicated streaming servers
7.7/10
RC Score
From$5.50/mo
12
Rank
T

TunnelBear

TunnelBear LLC

A user-friendly VPN with strong privacy and an approachable interface, ideal for beginners

Best for
Intuitive, user-friendly interface with playful bear-themed design that appeals to VPN beginners
Watch out for
Unreliable streaming performance; frequently blocked by Netflix and inconsistent success unblocking geo-restricted content
7.7/10
RC Score
From$0/mo
13
Rank
N

Norton VPN

Gen Digital (Norton)

Budget-friendly VPN built for privacy, bundled with Norton's antivirus suite

Best for
Competitive pricing starting at $3.33/month with excellent first-year discounts and 60-day money-back guarantee
Watch out for
Smaller server network (60–65 countries) compared to competitors like NordVPN or ExpressVPN offering 90+ countries
7.6/10
RC Score
From$3.33/mo
14
Rank
I

IPVanish

Ziff Davis

Unlimited-device VPN with optional 1TB encrypted cloud storage and fast global servers

Best for
Unlimited simultaneous device connections on all plans, useful for large households
Watch out for
Significant renewal price jump after introductory term ends
7.5/10
RC Score
From$2.19/mo
15
Rank
I

IVPN

IVPN Limited

Privacy-first VPN with transparent security and anonymous account setup

Best for
Exceptional privacy model with anonymous signup and no email required; supports multiple payment methods including cryptocurrency
Watch out for
Limited server network compared to competitors, with poor load distribution between servers affecting real-world speed performance
7.4/10
RC Score
From$9.99/mo
16
Rank
P

PureVPN

GZ Systems Limited

Privacy-focused VPN with global server coverage and bundled security features

Best for
Extensive global server network with 6,000+ servers in 65+ countries offering strong geo-unblocking capabilities
Watch out for
Inconsistent streaming performance with hit-or-miss unblocking of geo-restricted content across different servers
7.4/10
RC Score
From$12.95/mo
17
Rank
H

Hotspot Shield VPN

Pango (formerly AnchorFree)

Fast VPN with a strong free tier and proprietary Hydra protocol for speed

Best for
Exceptional download speeds and minimal speed loss (approximately 3% on long-distance connections)
Watch out for
Privacy concerns: collects session duration, bandwidth usage, device hashes, and VPN server location data
7.3/10
RC Score
From$0/mo
18
Rank
M

Mozilla VPN

Mozilla

Privacy-focused VPN from the Firefox maker with simplified design and trusted Mullvad infrastructure

Best for
Security fundamentals are sound and the app is about as easy as a VPN gets.
Watch out for
Connectivity issues particularly on iOS, where the VPN can disconnect without warning or fail to toggle on.
6.9/10
RC Score
From$4.99/mo
19
Rank
A

AirVPN

AirVPN (Italian privacy advocates)

Open-source, customisable VPN for privacy-focused and advanced users

Best for
Industry-leading encryption (AES-256-GCM) and strong kill switch for security-conscious users
Watch out for
Steep learning curve; desktop client (Eddie) buries features across 12+ tabs, unsuitable for beginners
6.7/10
RC Score
From$3.13/mo
20
Rank
B

Bitdefender Premium VPN

Bitdefender

Budget-friendly VPN bundled with or standalone from Bitdefender security suite

Best for
Very affordable entry pricing at $2.92–$6.99 per month depending on plan length
Watch out for
IP address logging and ambiguous no-logs policy; company logs data but promises not to share with third parties
6.7/10
RC Score
From$0/mo