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NordVPN
9.4Best for streaming
- 10 devices
- 30-day refund
- Panama
$3.99per month, 2-year plan
Get the dealIndependent VPN comparison
Find the VPN that fits how you actually browse.
Tell us what you need it for. We show the one provider that wins for your case — from the speed, streaming and price checks we run ourselves, not the press kit.
Commission never moves a score. Ever.
What do you need it for?
Our pick
NordVPN
Top of the board
The strongest all-round score here: quick at peak hours, dependable on streaming, and an independently audited no-logs policy.
Get the dealSample data — picks and prices on this page are illustrative for the prototype.
The board
Six providers, scored on the four things that matter.
Filter by use case
Order by
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ExpressVPN
9.2Best for travel
- 8 devices
- 30-day refund
- BVI
$4.99per month, 2-year plan
Get the deal3
Surfshark
9.0Best value
- Unlimited devices
- 30-day refund
- Netherlands
$2.49per month, 2-year plan
Get the deal4
Proton VPN
8.8Best for torrenting
- 10 devices
- 30-day refund
- Switzerland
$3.99per month, 2-year plan
Get the deal5
Mullvad
8.5Best for privacy
- 5 devices
- No account needed
- Sweden
€5.00flat, monthly
Get the deal6
Private Internet Access
8.2Best for power users
- Unlimited devices
- 30-day refund
- United States
$2.19per month, 3-year plan
Get the dealDemo data
A cheap VPN that logs your traffic isn't a bargain. It's a subscription to being watched.
Start from a case
Pick the job. We've already done the reading.
Streaming that actually loads
We open the big libraries on each provider and note who still works, who buffers at 8pm, and who quietly dropped the one you care about.
Pick: NordVPN · see its row
Privacy you can actually read
We read the logging policy and the jurisdiction instead of the homepage. If a provider has never had its no-logs claim audited, it doesn't rank.
Pick: Mullvad · see its row
Working from a hotel, airport or dorm
Some networks block VPN ports outright. We test which providers still connect on locked-down Wi-Fi, and how fast you can get set up on a phone.
Pick: ExpressVPN · see its row
How we test
Four checks. Same order, every provider.
Speed
Three runs per server, at peak hours, on the same connection. The number is what you'll actually get — not what the marketing page claims.
Streaming
We try the platforms people actually pay for and record whether the connection holds for a full episode, not just the login screen.
Privacy
Policy, jurisdiction and audit history. A provider that has never been independently audited is marked down, however loud the homepage is.
Price
We show the renewal price next to the intro price, because that's the number that shows up on your card in year two.
The awkward question
Yes, we earn commission. Here's what that does and doesn't buy.
Every link on this page is an affiliate link. You pay the same price either way — the provider just sends us a cut. That's the whole business.
- We can't buy a place on the board. Providers don't get to purchase a rank, a score or a "best for" label.
- Commission never edits a number. If a provider's renewal price goes up or an audit lapses, the score drops — payout or no payout.
- We'll sometimes tell you to pay less. If the provider you already have is fine, we say so instead of selling you a switch.
- No free tier gets a pass. Free VPNs get scored on the same four checks, and they usually lose on privacy.
Straight answers
Questions people actually send us.
Are the rankings paid for?
No. Providers cannot buy a position, a score or a label. We earn commission when someone signs up through a link, and that's the only money that changes hands — it never touches the order of the board.
Which VPN is best for streaming?
On our checks, NordVPN and ExpressVPN cleared the most platforms and held a stable connection for a full episode. The right answer still depends on which library you care about, which is why the filter above narrows the board.
Isn't a free VPN good enough?
For casual browsing on a trusted network, sometimes. But a free VPN has to pay for its servers somehow, and that is usually your browsing data. We score free providers on exactly the same four checks, and they almost always lose on privacy.
Why show the renewal price?
Because the intro price isn't the price. A plan advertised at a couple of dollars a month can renew several times higher. Both numbers sit on every row so the second year isn't a surprise.
How often does the board change?
Prices get rechecked monthly and scores move whenever a test result changes. This prototype shows a fixed snapshot of sample data rather than a live feed.
One last nudge
One case, one pick, no signup.
Choose your use case and the board filters down to the providers that actually fit it.
Match me to a VPN