In my testing, speeds with TunnelBear were competitive with the other options listed here. One of my favorite parts of TunnelBear is the free trial option, which makes it easy to test drive it and see what your speed is like without committing. TunnelBear has fewer geographic server locations than some of our other options, but unless you’re traveling abroad or need to bypass a specific geo-restriction, this shouldn’t matter to most users.

TunnelBear costs $3.33 per month if you purchase one year in advance.

The fastest VPN

NordVPN has been in our guide for years, but after a few bad customer service incidents, we pulled it out to test again. After testing NordVPN for the past six months and repeatedly asking customer support to fix problems, which they did, I’m adding it back to our list of recommendations.

In 2020, Nord Security merged with Surfshark VPN (recommended above). Both VPNs still operate independently, but there is considerable overlap in the services offered. Nord’s parent company is based in Panama, which is outside the 14-Eyes Alliance, meaning there is nothing forcing NordVPN to collect user data.

NordVPN has a lot to recommend it, perhaps the highlight is speed, especially when it comes to upload speeds, making it a popular choice for sharing torrents. I like the built-in ad and tracking blocking in the mobile app, and NordVPN is great for unblocking entertainment sites like Netflix, Hulu, and Max. The NordVPN apps offer a kill switch that automatically stops your traffic if your VPN connection fails, and it supports multi-hop VPN connections. NordVPN supports a good variety of protocols, including OpenVPN, IKEv2/IPsec for mobile, and what the company calls NordLynx, which is based on WireGuard.

NordVPN’s record for privacy is also pretty good. In October 2024, in connection with a criminal investigation, NordVPN received a binding warrant from the Panamanian government to provide user data. The company says “the only information we could provide was payment-related data and confirmation about the existence of the account linked to the email address provided to us by the authorities.”

Best for high-risk use cases

If you’re in a situation where personal security is of the utmost importance, don’t rely on a VPN. Use Tor (preferably by Tails) instead. Using the Tor network accomplishes some of the same things as a VPN, but it’s different. Tor offers anonymity, which means no one can find out who you are, but not necessarily privacy. People may still be able to see what you’re doing, they won’t know it’s you doing it. (VPNs offer privacy because no one can see what you’re doing while you’re out of a VPN tunnel, but you don’t have anonymity because the VPN provider knows who you are.)

Tor is easy to set up. All you have to do is download the Tor browser and it will connect you to the web. Once you’re connected to the Tor network, you can browse the web normally. Except everything will be slower. When you use Tor, your request for a website hops around the Tor network, bouncing between servers, before emerging and connecting to the website you want to visit. This makes Tor slow, sometimes incredibly slow, but it is necessary to protect your anonymity. And yes, you can combine a VPN with Tor, although that’s somewhat beyond the scope of this guide.

Other VPNs We’ve Tried

• ExpressVPN: We also previously recommended ExpressVPN, but we no longer do because it has a new parent company and we couldn’t verify anything about it.
• Google One VPN: Google One VPN was part of Google One but is expected to be shut down. We never recommended it – let’s not forget that Google has been repeatedly caught collecting data it said it didn’t collect, which is not what you want to hear from a VPN provider. We also don’t recommend the VPN that comes with Google Fi or the one available on Pixel phones. If you don’t pay for your VPN, two things will happen: it will either be shut down, or you will be the thing being sold. Most of the VPNs we recommend are around $5 per month; real privacy is worth $5 a month.

There are many VPNs out there, but most are not worth your money. If all you want to do is bypass some Netflix geo-restrictions, then just about any of them will work (we still suggest sticking to our recommended options, but if you can’t be stopped, then move on). For anything more serious, like protecting your privacy and data, learn to use Tor. Yes, it’s a little technical, but trust me, it’s worth learning how to do when your life, family, and job are on the line.

The best free VPN

As mentioned above, ProtonVPN has a free version. It’s limited to a single device and there are only three servers to connect to, which means it can be slow. There are no logs, no ads and no other restrictions. In my testing, it was slower than the paid account, but it does work. Several other VPNs offer 30-day money-back guarantees, here are the details on NordVPN’s refund policy.

Other than that, it’s worth keeping in mind the adage: “If you’re not paying for it, you’re the product.” Don’t trust a VPN that doesn’t take your money (and don’t trust a lot either). The good news is that all of the choices above offer free trials, allowing you to evaluate how well each VPN will work in your unique situation and for your needs.