Bottom line
- Proton VPN is my top pick: a strong audit and legal record, open-source apps, and a free plan with no data cap.
- NordVPN was the fastest in PCMag’s tests, but it costs the most to keep after the first term.
- Mullvad has the simplest price, €5 a month at any plan length, and a link to it earns synthbid nothing.
I scored five widely used VPNs on the same checklist: core features, ease of use, privacy and data, value and support. Prices come from each company’s pricing page, and the speed and audit figures come from the published tests and audit summaries linked in each entry.
The ranking at a glance
| VPN | Score | Price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Proton VPN | 8.7 | from $3.49/mo | A long privacy record and a free plan to try first |
| 2. Surfshark | 8.2 | from $2.49/mo | Households with many devices on a tight budget |
| 3. NordVPN | 8.0 | from $3.49/mo | Speed and extras, if you watch the renewal |
| 4. Mullvad | 7.9 | €5/mo flat | Simple pricing and the least account data |
| 5. ExpressVPN | 7.6 | from $2.99/mo | A polished app, if you accept the price |
Prices are the introductory two-year prices on each company’s pricing page, checked August 2026. The Pricing section below shows what each plan renews at.
Proton VPN: best overall
Proton VPN scores highest because its privacy record stands out among the five and its free plan is a real way to try it. The free plan offers unlimited data and access to eight servers, and Proton’s pricing page limits it to 1 device and 10 countries. The paid Plus plan covers 10 devices.
The record is what sets it apart. Proton has open-sourced its apps, and it has Securitum audits in April 2022, July 2024 and August 2025, the last two confirming its no-logs claim. It had received 29 legal requests for user information as of June 2025 and denied all of them. It is based in Geneva and operates under Swiss law.
The trade-off is speed. In published tests Proton’s download speed fell 20.11% and upload 43.21%, and latency rose by a median of 351.26%, one of the largest increases the tester has recorded. If you play games or make video calls over the VPN, that matters.
Plus costs $3.49 a month on the two-year plan, billed at $83.76 for the first 24 months and then $83.88 every 12 months.
Why 8.7. I give core features 8.5 for Secure Core multi-hop and Tor support, held back by the latency. Ease of use gets 9.0, privacy 9.5 and value 8.5 thanks to the free plan and a modest renewal. Support gets 7.5, with live chat and email replies in one to two business days.
Scores: core 8.5, ease 9.0, privacy 9.5, value 8.5, support 7.5. Total 8.7.
Surfshark: best for many devices
Surfshark suits households that want to cover every phone, laptop and TV. It allows unlimited simultaneous connections, and Surfshark says its servers run on RAM only. In published speed tests download speed fell 7.73% and upload 7.12%, though latency rose 201.34%.
Its audit history is solid: Cure53 audits in 2018 and 2021, a Deloitte audit in January 2023 that confirmed the no-logs policy, and a SecuRing audit in January 2026. Surfshark’s terms put the customer contract with Surfshark B.V., a Netherlands-based company, while British Virgin Islands law still governs the contract, as it did before the company moved. It merged with Nordsec, the company behind NordVPN, in 2022.
Starter costs $2.49 a month on the two-year plan, at $67.23 for the first 27 months, with a 30-day refund. The page I read does not show what the plan renews at, which is why value stops at 8.0.
Why 8.2. I give core features 8.5 and ease of use 8.5. Privacy gets 8.0 because the ownership is shared with NordVPN and the company’s base is now the Netherlands, which I count as less protective than Switzerland. Value gets 8.0 and support 7.5, with a fast live chat on offer.
Scores: core 8.5, ease 8.5, privacy 8.0, value 8.0, support 7.5. Total 8.2.
NordVPN: fastest, with a pricey renewal
NordVPN came first in PCMag’s speed testing and earned its Lab Award for fastest VPN: download speed fell 1.94%, upload 5.54% and latency rose 67.04%. It supports 10 simultaneous devices and has a long list of extras, including multi-hop and Onion Over VPN.
Its audits include PwC in 2018 and 2020, Deloitte in January 2023 and February 2025, and Cure53 in February 2023. It is incorporated in Panama. In October 2024 NordVPN complied with a warrant by handing over payment data, the account email and confirmation that the account existed, with no connection or activity data.
The renewal is where it loses points. Basic costs $3.49 a month on the two-year plan, billed at $94.23 for the first 27 months, then renews at $139.08 a year, which is $139.08 ÷ 12 = $11.59 a month. A one-month plan costs $14.99. A class action over its renewal tactics has been reported, and users report increases of upward of 200% at renewal.
Why 8.0. I give core features 9.0 on speed and breadth. Ease of use gets 8.5 and privacy 8.0, where strong audits are offset by the warrant and third-party trackers on its website. Value gets 6.5 because of the renewal jump. Support gets 7.0, since a chat agent in one review could not fix an install problem and sent it to a ticket.
Scores: core 9.0, ease 8.5, privacy 8.0, value 6.5, support 7.0. Total 8.0.
Mullvad: simple and private
Mullvad charges €5 a month whether you pay for 1 month, 1 year or 1 decade, and its pricing page says the price has not changed since it launched in 2009. It has no free plan, a 14-day refund, and an account works on up to 5 devices. You can pay with cash or Bitcoin, and you get a generated account number in place of a username or password.
Mullvad is based in Gothenburg, Sweden. It has published several audits and has committed to annual verification. In published speed tests download speed fell 8.04%, upload 5.54% and latency rose 74.78%. Mullvad does not pay for reviews or engage in affiliate commerce, so a link to it earns synthbid nothing and it is ranked on the checklist alone.
Why 7.9. I give core features 7.5 because there is no port forwarding and the feature list is short. Ease of use gets 7.0 for a plain, small app. Privacy gets 9.5 and value 8.0. Support gets 7.5: there is no live chat, but a reviewer’s email was answered within one hour.
Scores: core 7.5, ease 7.0, privacy 9.5, value 8.0, support 7.5. Total 7.9.
ExpressVPN: polished, but pricey
ExpressVPN has a polished app and a long audit history: it has been audited 23 times, the latest by Cure53 in February 2026, and its servers run on RAM only. It is headquartered in the British Virgin Islands. In published speed tests download speed fell 15.48%, upload 13% and latency rose 109.40%. It has no multi-hop.
Basic costs $2.99 a month on the two-year plan, billed at $83.72 for the first 28 months and then renewing at $99.95 a year, with 10 simultaneous devices and a 30-day refund for new users. The tier structure is confusing, and you have to work out the bonus months and renewal math to see what you are paying.
Why 7.6. I give core features 8.0 and ease of use 8.5. Privacy gets 8.0 on the strength of the audits. Value gets 6.0 for the price and the unclear tiers. Support gets 7.0, since chat starts with an AI assistant before you can ask for an agent.
Scores: core 8.0, ease 8.5, privacy 8.0, value 6.0, support 7.0. Total 7.6.
Pricing
| Plan | Price | Billed | Refund |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proton VPN Plus | $3.49/mo | $83.76 for 24 months, then $83.88 a year | 30 days |
| Surfshark Starter | $2.49/mo | $67.23 for 27 months | 30 days |
| NordVPN Basic | $3.49/mo | $94.23 for 27 months, then $139.08 a year | 30 days |
| Mullvad | €5/mo | Same rate for any length | 14 days |
| ExpressVPN Basic | $2.99/mo | $83.72 for 28 months, then $99.95 a year | 30 days for new users |
Prices from each company’s pricing page, checked August 2026. Refund windows from the same pages.
FAQ
Is a free VPN good enough?
Mostly not, with one exception in this list. Proton’s free plan has unlimited data on eight servers, but Proton’s own page limits it to 1 device and 10 countries, with medium speed. If you only need to try the app, start there.
Should I pay for the long plan upfront?
I would not. Longer plans make a provider keep your payment details for longer, and renewals can jump in price. A one-month plan is the safer way to try a service, and every plan here has a refund window.
Does a VPN make me anonymous?
No. A VPN cannot protect against everything, so pair it with multi-factor authentication, unique passwords from a password manager and antivirus software. A VPN moves your traffic through the provider, so you are trusting the provider’s logging policy.