The best VPN service 2025

Ease of Use ★★★★

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Getting started with NordVPN is easy thanks to the onboarding wizard that springs to life when you fire up the Mac or Windows version for the very first time. It'll walk you through Nord's features and make sure you understand what's going on.

So, why just four stars for ease of use? NordVPN has users well covered for apps but the browser extension isn't great. There's also no GUI for the Linux version which is a bit disappointing. Lastly, Surfshark and ExpressVPN are just a little bit more obvious when it comes to basic use. Unless you're a Linux user, or you're all about browser extensions, though, you shouldn't let that put you off.

Read more details on NordVPN apps.

Streaming ★★★★★

We rate NordVPN as the best streaming VPN that money can buy. It boasts over 7400 ultra-fast servers covering 118 countries, all of which are optimised for streaming.

It unblocks all major streaming services – including international Netflix libraries, Amazon Prime Video and Disney Plus – as well as a host of other other regional streamers such as BBC iPlayer, 9Now, SBS On Demand, ITVX, Sling, FuboTV, Max and many, many more. In fact, it's not often we find a streaming service that NordVPN can't get round the back of.

Speeds are easily enough to handle 4K HDR video. The only streaming-related caveat is that NordVPN isn't the best torrenting VPN. That accolade goes to ExpressVPN. That's because there are only a handful of NordVPN servers optimised for P2P use.

Read more details on NordVPN unblocking.

Privacy & Security ★★★★★

NordVPN comes with cutting-edge security and privacy features, including its recently launched NordWhisper protocol for specific for VPN obfuscation and censorship avoidance. It also runs both OpenVPN and its own proprietary WireGuard-based Nordlynx protocol with super-secure, recently audited, zero-trust AES-256 encryption, meaning you can be confident that nobody has access to your data but you.

If someone ever did manage to pilfer it, it would take them millions of years to crack the encryption, particularly as NordVPN's quantum-safe encryption is theoretically future-proofed.

The company has a strict no-logs policy – which has just been successfully audited for the fifth time – meaning that not even NordVPN itself has a record of your browsing data. There's a kill switch for further assurances and DNS leak protection to prevent your ISP from getting even a whiff of what you're up to.

Read more details on NordVPN privacy and security.

Speed & Performance ★★★★½

The NordLynx proprietary protocol performed brilliantly in our speed tests. It clocked consistent speeds upwards of 950 Mbps in servers to the UK as well as when heading across the Atlantic to the US. The latter of these is where many other VPNs struggle to perform. That's worth considering given that plenty of people will be looking to access streaming services and other content across The Pond.

OpenVPN speeds are much slower, as with all VPNs. It's only Surfshark that stands out in this area but, again, it shouldn't put you off unless you insist on using OpenVPN over NordLynx.

Read more details on NordVPN speed and performance.

NordVPN price plan comparison

There are four NordVPN price plans to choose from if you're based in the US – three if you live anywhere else in the world. NordVPN Basic is just the VPN software. It's available everywhere. If you want to add some anti-virus functionality (Nord Threat Protection Pro), then go for NordVPN Plus. For a password manager (NordPass), cloud storage (NordLocker), and up to $5000 of cyber insurance on top, go for NordVPN Ultimate.

NordVPN has a slightly different pricing structure in the US with its NordProtect program which includes up to $1M in identity theft insurance and $100K in cyber extortion insurance. There's confidence for you!

So, instead of the Plus and Ultimate tiers, the USA gets Basic, Plus, Complete, and Prime.

For our money, the Basic plan is the best value but if you really need the extras on offer in Plus, Complete, Ultimate, or Prime, then go for it. Each plan type comes with a different possible contract length: 1-month, 1-year, or 2-year.

The best value, by a long shot, is the 2-year plan and, right now, the biggest discounts are on the Prime plan, so do take a look.

Do remember that you need to pay the full amount upfront and that, whichever you choose, you get 30 days to change your mind and ask for a full refund.

Here's a comparison table of the NordVPN plans and what each one offers. Just be careful not to fall for a fake NordVPN ad scam when you come to buy:

Ease of Use ★★★★

Surfshark has an app for pretty much every platform and is one of the few to have a proper GUI for Linux. It's got you covered for routers, browsers, Fire Stick, and Apple TV, as well as all the regulars.

It's pretty straightforward to use – we love the QR code log-in for your secondary devices – but, with the location guide and quick access feature buttons all competing for screen real estate, there's a fair bit going on at a glance. That makes the interface a little tougher on the eye than NordVPN or ExpressVPN but not so much that it should put off any beginners.

If you do need help, the built-in AI chatbot will spit out some solid how-to type articles and there aren't many layers between you and a real, live customer support operative if that doesn't do the trick.

Read more details on Surshark's ease of use.

Streaming ★★★★½

Surfshark is great for streaming. It had no problems unblocking all the major streaming services in all kinds of geos, and, with 140 server locations across 100 countries, you won't be short of options of places to pretend to be.

All of Surfshark's servers are optimized for streaming and torrenting but we did have a couple of issues of jitter which meant that video streams dropped out once or twice in our tests. Obviously, just reconnect the VPN and press play again should that occur.

A problem, you say? Well, maybe but balance that against Surfshark's unlimited connections policy. That's right, you can use Surfshark on as many devices as you like simultaneously, all from just one account!

Read more details on Surfshark's unblocking and content.

Privacy & Security ★★★★½

Surfshark's AES-256 encryption tech puts it at the top table for security. Its CleanWeb browser add-on blocks ads from appearing on websites and denies cookie requests without you having to bother which we really, really like.

It also has a rather wonderful Alternative ID tool that effectively creates a fake persona – complete with name, email address, and phone number – to autofill into online forms when you'd rather not give your real details. Emails, calls, and messages get forwarded to your real versions until you pull the plug.

Surfshark's Camouflage Mode obfuscation technology helps you bypass VPN blocks by hiding the fact you're using a VPN. Its No Borders feature, meanwhile, detects if your current network is facing any restrictions and automatically recommends servers that perform best under those restrictions. There's no post-quantum protection future-proofing, like NordVPN or ExpressVPN, to prevent possible "store now, decrypt later" attacks but you can't expect everything for a bargain price.

Read more details on Surshark privacy and security.

Speed & Performance ★★★★★

You want speed? You got speed. Surfshark is the No.1 fastest VPN, maxing out beyond 950 Mbps for local and trans-Atlantic servers. As we said above, though, it can be prone to jitter which might make you suffer during gaming and streaming. If you're looking at pure up/download speeds, though, then Surfshark is hard to beat.

Read more details on Surfshark's speed and performance.

Surfshark price plan comparison

The Surfshark Starter plan is where to go to keep costs at rock bottom. That's your VPN use, including ad and cookie pop-up blockers, plus the Alternate ID personal detail mask and masked email generator.

But it's very hard to turn down the upgrade to the Surfshark One plan given that it's only about $13 more over 2 years and only about a $3 difference on the 12-month plan. That adds a built-in anti-virus, webcam protection, and real-time credit card, ID, and email breach alerts.

Surfshark's premium plan, One+ is a tougher sell. It's about double the price of Starter. That adds the Incogni data removal tool into the mix. It's a decent service but it's probably only worth opting for Surfshark One+ if you were considering Icogni anyway.

Here's a comparison table of the Surfshark plans and what each one offers and a direct comparison of NordVPN vs Surfshark:

Ease of Use ★★★★★

The ExpressVPN user interface is just great. There's nothing glitzy about the look of its apps but there's a simplicity that belies a lot of very clever design. It's red when it's off, it's green when it's on and the first two sections that draw your eyes are the massive Connect button and the server location option which opens up a list of countries either recommended or by continent. The casual user needs to go no further and get everything they need right there.

There are apps for every platform. ExpressVPN even has its own Aircove router if you want the VPN working at the heart of your home network. Only those on Linux should feel irked with just command line access to work with.

The other place your money goes is the 24/7 live chat in the help section of the app. Waiting times to get connected to human support can be as little as 30 seconds. We were never left hanging for more than 5 minutes in our tests. There is just no better VPN for usability.

Read more details on ExpressVPN's ease of use.

Streaming ★★★★

With over 148 locations in 105 countries, ExpressVPN will have you covered for most of your streaming needs – certainly when accessing streaming services across the States, UK, and Europe. It has the most Oceania server locations in our top three although we did run into some trouble with Netflix and 10Play in Australia. Use the 24/7 live chat for advice on the best server choice if you find similar issues and that should sort it.

ExpressVPN is a bit short across the Middle East with just two countries to choose from. Not great for BeIn sports content in that part of the world, or watching Ronaldo in the Saudi Pro League or any other local content from Saudi, UAE, and the like.

In terms of stream stability, ExpressVPN does pretty well, although it does feel like NordVPN has the edge here with fewer instances of dropping out when viewing trans-Atlantic content – another reason why you might want to make a different choice if streaming is your no.1 VPN use case.

Read more details on ExpressVPN unblocking and content.

Privacy & Security ★★★★★

You might pay more – pretty much double the cost of all the other VPNs here – but you do get a lot of security features with ExpressVPN. You just need to decide whether you need them or not. These include the ExpressVPN Keys password manager, parental controls to stop access to adult sites, a tracker and malware threat manager, and one of the best built-in ad blockers on this list. The only disappointment is the fake website warning system which let far too many slip the net to really trust.

Fortunately, ExpressVPN gets the basics of security bang on. It uses top-end, rotating key, AES-256 encryption as well as a 1000-dimension secure ML-KEM key designed to future-proof your data for the quantum computing age too. We're also big fans of the randomly allocating Shuffle IP system which ensures there's no correlation between your identity and your online activity.

Combine that with the provider's TrustedServer technology, and commitment to post-quantum encryption, and it's full marks here. The company is so confident that it offers a $1 million bug bounty should you ever get inside an ExpressVPN server. Good luck!

Read more details on ExpressVPN privacy and security.

Speed & Performance ★★★★

Lightway is the name of ExpressVPN's bespoke VPN protocol. It's not quite as fast as NordLynx or WireGuard, as used by Surfshark, but it's easily enough for the needs of the casual user. It's optimized for mobile use – certainly no bad thing in the modern age – and outperforms OpenVPN by a long shot.

It's slightly disappointing that Lightway's 898 Mbps speeds dropped to more like 396 Mbps once we connected to the US from the UK but it's worth remembering that you only need a fraction of that to stream 4K video.

Lightway's performance may be about to change, though, with the roll out of Lightway Turbo and DCO on Windows apps and with the recently launched Lightway 2.0. and its more streamlined coding in Rust. Lightway in Rust is already on Aircove devices and is expected to land elsewhere over 2025.

Read more details on ExpressVPN speed and performance.

ExpressVPN price plan

There's only one price plan for ExpressVPN which makes things a lot more straightforward. Granted, it's a very expensive price plan but that's because you get the kind of optional extras found in NordVPN and Surfshark's top-tier packages included as standard.

Here's a table showing ExpressVPN's main features and a direct comparison of ExpressVPN vs NordVPN:

Ease of Use ★★★★

Proton VPN is easy to use, thanks to a recent UI refresh of its Windows, iOS and Android apps. It may not have a Chrome browser extension that's as reliable as others but it does boast a Linux application with a decent graphic interface and those new-look mobile and desktop apps. We really like the added home screen widgets for mobile and upgrades to the Profile feature which allowed us to switch protocol and server by use cases like streaming, anti-censorship and gaming, really quickly.

Proton also recently partnered with privacy-focused browser Vivaldi. So, if you really do want a VPN browser extension for Proton, you might consider Vivaldi instead of Chrome. Sadly, there's still no news for Mac OS Proton VP users who currently don't have access to the split tunneling feature.

Proton VPN also loses marks in this category for customer service. Like the others in this list, the live chat isn't 24/7. It's only available during Swiss work hours – not great if you're based on Pacific Time in the States or live in Australia or New Zealand. That said, we're assured that this is an area where Proton VPN is soon to improve.

Read more details on Proton VPN's apps and ease of use.

Streaming ★★★★★

Proton VPN is a good choice for both streaming and torrenting. It's one of the few VPNs where port forwarding is still available and there are dedicated, P2P-optimized servers, which, again, is great for torrenting.

Proton VPN also has more country locations than any other VPN. If you're looking to connect to a regional service in Africa (22 countries) or the Middle East (14 countries) then it should be high on your list. It also has more Asia locations covered than any other provider on this page.

The trade-off is that there aren't so many server locations in the US or across Europe, but most countries are covered in those places, even if there's not much at the city/region level. More to the point, Proton VPN had no trouble with any local or international streaming services we tried. We managed to access the desired Netflix, Prime Video, and Disney Plus libraries with every server we tried.

Read more details on Proton VPN's unblocking and content.

Privacy & Security ★★★★½

Proton VPN has been built from the ground up as a privacy-first product and plenty of features show that off. Proton's Secure Core sends your VPN traffic through an extra secure server in a privacy-friendly location (Switzerland, Iceland, or Sweden) and then onto the endpoint VPN server. Similar to NordVPN's Double VPN system, that means your traffic is secured twice, reducing the risk of your IP getting exposed if the endpoint server is hacked.

As well as OpenVPN and WireGuard, Proton uses its own Stealth protocol which hides the fact you're even using a VPN which could be very important if you're in a region where VPN use is banned.

Equally, you can opt to use the Alternate Routing feature instead which sends your IP-relocated internet traffic through a third-party server, like Amazon's, for example. That helps to get around sites that don't play nice with VPNs.

You can also connect directly to the Tor network through some Proton VPN servers which might be handy if you're in a line of work that requires extra anonymity.

Proton VPN Plus also brings the use of the NetShield Ad-blocker feature. It did a decent job with ads and trackers, although the malware-blocking end wasn't particularly comprehensive. Get a decent AV for that instead.

Read more details on Proton VPN privacy and security.

Speed & Performance ★★★½

Proton VPN plays second fiddle when compared to the speeds on offer with other VPNs on this list. The VPN Accelerator feature does a good job of automatically finding the routes with better speeds when connecting to long-distance servers but if a fast VPN is your no.1 feature, then Proton won't be the best choice.

Do bear in mind, though, that for streaming purposes, Proton VPN still has plenty under the hood. Indeed, its latency and jitter scores were nice and low, which arguably, is more important for some use cases.

Read more details on Proton VPN speed and performance.

Proton VPN price plan comparison

The free version of Proton VPN is one of the best free VPNs available, and worth your consideration, depending on your needs. The paid version of Proton VPN is the one to go for if you want to use the streaming functionality, though. Upgrade to Proton Unlimited if you want all of that plus access to the full suite of Proton web products including Proton Mail, Proton Drive, Proton Pass and more.

Proton VPN's two-year plan is the best value. You only need to subscribe to the full Proton Unlimited package for a year if you want the best monthly price for all the Proton products, though. Here's a comparison table of the Proton VPN plans so you can see for yourself:

Ease of Use ★★★★

PrivadoVPN Free doesn't come with as much customization and functionality as a paid VPN, the upside of which is that it’s certainly easy to use. There are