Protecting your online privacy and security is more important now than it ever has been. To keep your sensitive information private, stay anonymous online, or bypass geo-restrictions to access blocked content – whether that's for streaming or censorship reasons – using a trustworthy VPN (virtual private network) is crucial for all your digital devices.
At TechRadar, we’ve just finished rigorously re-testing all the major VPN services and our rankings have seen some changes. While NordVPN remains our top recommendation for most users, Surfshark has climbed up to second spot – thanks primarily to its amazing speeds, brilliant unblocking, improved kill switch, and bargain price. That pushed ExpressVPN, which suffered from some streaming issues, down to third. Meanwhile, Private Internet Access has dropped out of the top five altogether, and been replaced by Proton VPN.
In this comprehensive guide, you’ll find quick recommendations, followed by in-depth comparisons of how these top VPNs stack up in terms of speed, security, and features. Scroll down to find the best VPN for your needs, and see why these services stand out in an increasingly crowded market.
5 best VPNs: quick overview
Here's a quick rundown of our top five VPN picks. For more analysis of each provider, jump down the page to our in-depth reviews.
VPN reviews
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Recent updates
There have been some big changes in our rankings following our latest round of testing. Surfshark has jumped from third to second position, pushing ExpressVPN from two down to three, while Proton VPN has replaced Private Internet Access at number four. We've also added maps of server locations so that you can see which VPNs have servers in your region.
The best VPN overall
We continue to rate NordVPN as the best VPN for most people, thanks to its rock-solid performance, excellent features, and great value for money. If you’re just looking for a VPN service that does all the basics well, it’s the standout choice for most people. It’s also the best VPN for streaming, and offers consistently fast speeds, as well as airtight privacy. Plus, at almost half the price of ExpressVPN, it’s one of the cheapest VPNs there is, too.
Features
Nord now offers three different pricing tiers: Basic ($2.99/month on the two-year plan; $80.73 upfront), Plus ($3.89/month; $105.04 upfront) and Ultimate ($5.89/month; $159.03 upfront).
Basic gives you all the VPN features and functionality, but also bundles in what Nord calls Threat Protection Lite – software that blocks common viruses and ads. The basic plan is absolutely all you need if you just want normal VPN functionality without any of the extras, and you shouldn't feel compelled to be upsold if that's all you need.
Plus is comparable to ExpressVPN's feature set, in that it bundles in a load of extras. It gives you NordPass, which we rate as the best password manager on the market, as well as a data breach scanner, and Nord's Threat Protection Pro tool, which delivers advanced malware protection. You also get ad and tracker blocking to keep your devices safe from even the newest threats.
This goes further than just a simple DNS-based block list, and uses AI to detect potential threats. However, it's still not a full-blown antivirus service like Surfshark offers. While Nord's blocks can check files and websites, if you get a virus on your device, you'll still want one of the best antivirus apps to quarantine and remove it. Surfshark offers a full-blown antivirus with its apps, so it would be a better option if you’re looking to cut costs and don’t want to buy an AV and VPN separately.
The Ultimate plan, meanwhile, gives you all of the above, alongside a terabyte of secure cloud storage with NordLocker. Ever since ExpressVPN's partnership with cloud backup solution Backblaze ended, Nord is one of the few leading VPNs offering secure storage. It also gives you cyber insurance that covers you to varying degrees against identity theft recovery and cyber extortion etc. Nord is the only leading VPN to offer cyber insurance, so if you’re particularly concerned about identity theft – and it’s a growing issue – the Ultimate plan is well worth considering.
If you find all of that overwhelming, our advice is to start with the basic plan, which gets you all the brilliant VPN features. You can always upgrade for the extras at a later date.
Read more about Nord's features, app support, streaming, security and speed ▼
Other features – all tiers
Like all the other top VPNs in our guide, Nord Basic offers an extra privacy layer with its Double VPN feature. This encrypts your data twice by routing it through two servers (instead of one) to make it twice as hard to decode, ensuring top-notch protection against opportunistic cybercriminals.
Onion over VPN, meanwhile, is a special set of NordVPN servers that lets you access the super-secure Tor network without having to download the Tor browser and configure it yourself. It’s great for anyone looking for true anonymity.
Another standout feature is Meshnet. It allows you to create your own secure and encrypted network and connect up to 60 devices at a time, making NordVPN the perfect solution for folks who want to communicate securely with devices far away – with Meshnet, it would be as if the devices were all on the same local network. Recent updates to Meshnet have made file sharing faster, and you can personalize device names so that they’re easier to recognize.
App support
NordVPN offers native apps for all device types, including Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS, as well as Apple TV, Android TV, and even Fire Stick. It's just totally overhauled its TV apps too, with a fresh new design that removes the previous clutter, making it easier to use. We rate it very highly.
Nord even works natively on Windows ARM laptops, which typically don't play nice with VPNs (and it was one of the first to do so). That means it's guaranteed to work on the next generation of laptops with Snapdragon Elite chips. Other VPNs like Proton VPN and PrivadoVPN don't yet work with ARM, so you’ll need to be careful if you're thinking of upgrading to one of the best laptops and bundling in a VPN.
From an overall ease-of-use perspective, we still rate ExpressVPN higher than NordVPN, primarily because it’s more intuitive and easy to use. For example, the Settings menu in Nord’s apps is tucked away slightly and takes a few additional taps to find. And while all the NordVPN apps are powerful and come stacked with features from top to bottom, its map-style interface can be slightly awkward to use on the smaller screens of smartphones. It looks great on tablets and PCs though.
One of the biggest changes we've noticed is in NordVPN’s Firefox extension: it's been rebuilt from the ground up to make sure it’s even more secure than it was before. Besides this, NordVPN has also added a few extra features (such as location spoofing) to its extensions for Chrome and Edge. These extensions don't have the bells and whistles of the desktop or mobile apps, making them a simpler, no-nonsense alternative for users who'd like the basic NordVPN benefits directly from their browser. But this also means that they can't compete with full-fledged Nord apps, which are much better for protecting your entire device (and not just your browser).
What’s more, NordVPN still only offers a command-line interface for Linux devices and has yet to bless its Linux user base with a GUI. While this is admittedly a minor gripe, it's still something we'd like Nord to address, especially when the best Linux VPNs – Private Internet Access and Surfshark – are offering proper Linux apps.
NordVPN's server locations
Nord has servers in over 111 countries, with particular focus on Europe, North America, and Asia. That’s above average for most regions, but it’s significantly behind Proton for servers in Africa and the Middle East, so if you’re in those areas you’re likely to experience slower speeds.
You can use the map to see NordVPN's servers.
Privacy and security
As one of the biggest names in the cybersecurity space, it's no surprise NordVPN offers airtight privacy. It doesn’t log your data (and has proven its no-logs claims four times) and offers industry-standard AES-256-GCM encryption, a reliable kill switch, and extra privacy features like Double VPN and Onion over VPN. We believe every VPN should be thoroughly audited, and Nord and ExpressVPN lead the way when it comes to this.
NordVPN has become the first VPN to have its anti-phishing protection, Threat Protection Pro, certified by the top independent lab AV-Comparatives. We tested it, and the service blocked 87% of all our sample threats. However, it’s worth noting that when we used a custom browser for testing (Microsoft’s WebView2, a standard Edge-based component), Threat Protection Pro didn’t do anything at all. So, while it’s undoubtedly an impressive and handy service, it’s not a full replacement for specialist antivirus software.
NordVPN's post-quantum protection is another recent addition to its security repertoire and is a great addition for any privacy purist. This is due to the coming swathe of "store now, decrypt later" attacks – hackers and government bodies are hoarding encrypted data to decode down the line when quantum computing is more advanced. NordVPN was slower to act than ExpressVPN and Mullvad when it came to post-quantum protection: Nord decided to proceed cautiously and wait for the NIST standardizations to come out.
Streaming, unblocking, and speed
NordVPN sits at the top of our streaming guides – it’s the best VPN for Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Disney Plus, and everything else we've thrown at it, too. There's nothing the service could have improved on from our previous test results, where it unblocked everything we tested, first time, from every location we tried.
Nord, Surfshark, and Proton VPN have consistently scored top marks for streaming over the past year, and it's great to see them maintaining this level of consistency – it shows that all three are continuing to invest in content unblocking. The top streaming platforms are constantly trying to hamper VPN usage, meaning VPNs have to be on their toes to maintain their ability to unblock these sites. Comparatively, ExpressVPN fared less well in our streaming tests this time around, struggling to unblock everything first try, but still coming through most of the time.
Take a look at the table below to see which streaming services NordVPN unblocked, and where.
| Netflix libraries | US services | UK services | Australian services |
|---|---|---|---|
| US, UK, AU, CA, JP | Amazon, Disney, Hulu, HBO Max | iPlayer, ITV, C4 | 9Now, 10 play |
For the past year, NordVPN has maxed out our connection lines with peak speeds of over 950 Mbps when using the proprietary WireGuard-based NordLynx protocol. This speed is on par with what we see from Surfshark, Proton VPN, Mullvad, and PrivadoVPN, and is slightly faster than ExpressVPN. In realspeak, it's highly likely to be faster than your broadband connection can go, and you're therefore unlikely to ever be slowed down by it.
Read more: VPN protocols explained
Nord’s OpenVPN speeds, on the other hand, are a lot slower, but have improved by a decent margin. We recorded top speeds of around 173 Mbps in our most recent tests, as compared to 110 Mbps previously. Although these speeds may not seem too impressive, that’s only because some of the fastest providers, like Surfshark and Mullvad, offer over 400 Mbps when using the OpenVPN protocol through a technique called Data Channel Offload (DCO).
In reality, though, most folks won't need to use OpenVPN. Even if they do, 110 Mbps is lightning-fast for most home connections in the US and UK – it’s still over four times faster than you need for 4K streaming (25 Mbps).
NordVPN is more than enough for most people: it's fast, cheap, and relatively easy to use – but with plenty of tools for even the biggest technophiles. There are some niche cases where you may be better off with another service (Express is a better choice for countries with extreme censorship, for example). But if you just want a VPN for streaming your favorite shows, gaming, and keeping yourself safe on public WiFi, Nord is the best VPN for the job.
★★★★½
Read more: NordVPN review
| Features | In brief | Scores |
|---|---|---|
| Usability | A fresh redesign makes it easier to use than ever before – but it's still slightly clunky on mobile | ★★★★ |
| Speed | A super-fast VPN that won't slow you down while browsing, streaming, or gaming | ★★★★★ |
| Streaming | Unblocks every streaming platform you can think of, including smaller, region-specific sites | ★★★★★ |
| Technical | Has a clear commitment to improving app security, and an impressive roster of privacy tools | ★★★★★ |
| Support | 24/7 live chat and email ticketing system, and offers friendly, round-the-clock support | ★★★★★ |
| Value | It's the best VPN, and with Black Friday pricing, it's one of the cheapest too | ★★★★ |
The best cheap VPN service
Surfshark has jumped to second place in our rankings, after adding a new phone masking feature and fixing a critical kill switch bug that we identified in our previous testing. With one of the cheapest subscriptions in our rankings, it's our top choice for the best cheap VPN. But it's more than this: it's also an all-in-one security suite, with ad-blocking, antivirus, tracker-free web browsing, and a data breach notifier built-in.
Surfshark gives more expensive providers a serious run for their money. It's consistently been the fastest VPN provider this year. It maxed out our testing line with WireGuard, and it has significantly faster OpenVPN speeds than every other VPN out there. (See our speed test results for proof.)
Features
Surfshark has more features than most premium VPNs and delivers them with exceptional quality. It was one of the first providers to offer unlimited simultaneous connections, so you won't have to buy a second subscription if you want to protect your whole family's devices.
Speaking of protection, Surfshark isn’t short on security features. If you choose to upgrade to the Surfshark One+ plan, you'll get your VPN, an ad blocker, cookie pop-up blocker, data breach alerts, a private web browser, antivirus, and a whole lot more.
Its data removal service comes courtesy of its sub-company Incogni, and actively removes your information from company databases, so your online habits won't be exploited for targeted marketing. Nord previously offered Incogni, but has since dropped it, so now Surfshark is the only VPN provider offering a data removal service.
With its latest feature, Alternative ID, it generates a brand new identity and email address to use online to protect you from spam or your details from being harvested. I personally love this feature because of its phone number generator. You get a fake phone number that will redirect to your phone number until you disconnect it. If that creep in the bar keeps asking for your number, for example, just give them the fake one and show it ringing. Then, when they're gone, disconnect the number and they won't be able to call or text you at all. Nord also offers email masking, but no one else offers any sort of phone masking like this.
Surfshark's ad and malware blocker, CleanWeb, has massively improved its ab-blocking score, jumping from 3% to 84% in our latest round of tests. Its antivirus blocked 94% of phishing sites, but only 34% of malware sites. This is interesting, as more dedicated malware testing services like AVTest gave Surfshark top marks for protection back in June.
Last but not least, Surfshark's obfuscation technology (called Camouflage Mode) 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.
With so many features to play with, Surfshark is a great choice for anyone looking to save money by consolidating security and privacy services, and just getting a single subscription.
Read more about Surfshark's apps support, streaming, security and speed ▼
App support
In addition to neat and powerful apps for Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS, Surfshark also offers outstanding support for Linux, thanks to a fully functioning GUI This makes installing and using the VPN app on Linux as simple as it is on any other OS. Additionally, Surfshark has finally launched a dedicated app for Apple TV, further expanding its list of native apps, which also includes client options for Amazon Fire Sticks, routers, and browsers.
Surfshark has made several positive changes to its browser extensions since our last round of testing. For starters, it now includes location spoofing, which tells your browser to use the VPN’s virtual location. It also automatically fills out web data forms with your chosen Alternative ID.
One of the main reasons why Surfshark jumped to the second spot in our rankings is down to the assortment of app improvements the service has made. These include the launch of dedicated widgets, which enable you to connect, pause, and disconnect the VPN without opening the full mobile app. Additionally, it’s now easier to log into Surfshark on a new device – just scan a QR code on another device that's already logged in.
At first glance, Surfshark’s apps appear busier than, say, ExpressVPN. But actually, everything is neatly organized, with a quick-connect button on the homepage (similar to ExpressVPN) that allows you to secure your connection instantly. This makes Surfshark a plug-and-play solution that's ideal for beginners. Many of the VPN’s features (like Alternative ID) are also easily accessible through the bar at the bottom, with the VPN configurations (including advanced settings) just a few taps away inside the Settings menu.
Surfshark's server locations
Use the map to see Surfshark's servers.
Privacy and security
Surfshark wouldn’t sit this high in our VPN rankings if it wasn’t a privacy-focused provider. It backed up its privacy claims with an audit by Deloitte in January 2024, and continues to offers all the essential features, such as a kill switch and DNS leak protection. However, Surfshark is yet to offer post-quantum protection, which may compromise your security if you become the target of a "store now, decrypt later" attack – where hackers are hoarding encrypted data to decode it with a quantum computer in a few years' time. If that's important to you, choose Nord or Surfshark instead.
One major positive, however, is that Surfshark has fixed the Windows kill switch issue we previously noted in our analysis. Until now, we were able to break the kill switch by closing the process in task manager, silently disconnecting the VPN in a way the kill switch should catch, but didn't. However, we alerted the team at Surfshark, and after a series of rigorous tests, we were able to prove that it is, indeed, fixed.
Streaming, unblocking and speed
Like NordVPN, Surfshark performed a clean sweep of streaming services in our latest tests, continuing its flawless unblocking record from last time. We used multiple locations (the US, UK, Australia, Canada, and Japan) and streaming sites in our testing, including Netflix, Disney Plus, BBC iPlayer, and Amazon Prime Video, as well as smaller platforms like 9Now and 10 Play, and Surfshark, once again, effortlessly unblocked them all. The consistency is impressive and exactly what we’ve come to expect from top providers.
While there’s hardly anything to choose between Surfshark and NordVPN when it comes to sidestepping geo-restrictions on sites, streaming enthusiasts will arguably be better off with Surfshark, as it presents a more affordable option.
Take a look at the table below to see which streaming services Surfshark unblocked, and where.
| Netflix libraries | US services | UK services | Australian services |
|---|---|---|---|
| US, UK, AU, CA, JP | Amazon, Disney, Hulu, HBO Max | iPlayer, ITV, C4 | 9Now, 10 play |
Surfshark is the undisputed champion when it comes to speed, and it's been dominating our tests for a while now. It’s the fastest VPN service right now: with speeds of over 950 Mbps when using the WireGuard protocol, it matches other top providers like Nord and Proton – but it continues to deliver the quickest OpenVPN speeds of all the providers we tested. It's worth pointing out that Surfshark's OpenVPN speeds did see a drop from last time (460 Mbps, down from 640 Mbps), but they're still well ahead of its nearest rival, PIA, at 257 Mbps. By comparison, NordVPN hit 173 Mbps, and ExpressVPN, 160 Mbps.
Surfshark achieves these speeds through Data Channel Offload (DCO) – a technique that few other providers have utilized. The reality is that your broadband connection is unlikely to be able to make the most of these speeds, but if speed is important – whether you’re streaming 4K content or chipping away at opponents in a high-octane online game – Surfshark will provide a seamless experience.
Surfshark is the epitome of quality without cost, delivering a full, personal privacy suite, as well as the fastest speeds out there, for a lot less than the other premium VPNs in this list. Its alternative ID feature is something I'd recommend to everyone.
★★★★½
Read more: Surfshark review
| Features | In brief | Scores |
|---|---|---|
| Usability | Clean apps for all devices with no clutter or ads to slow you down | ★★★★ |
| Speed | The fastest VPN we tested, maxing out our testing line | ★★★★★ |
| Streaming | Provides affordable and reliable access to all the most popular streaming sites | ★★★★★ |
| Technical | A privacy-first provider that's solved its lingering Windows kill switch issue | ★★★★ |
| Support | Live chat support is quick and personable, and there's a well-stocked help center | ★★★★ |
| Value | Unbeatable value. Awesome unblocking power, speed, and security for a bargain price | ★★★★★ |
The best VPN for beginners
ExpressVPN has dropped a rank in our latest round of testing, due to some minor streaming issues with Australia and Japan, and underwhelming threat protection scores. Despite this, it's still the best VPN for beginners thanks to its simple design and the way it automates configuration to give you the fastest and safest connection possible every time.
Since our last round of testing, we've seen an impressive improvement in ExpressVPN's speeds, and it's now on par with some of the fastest VPN providers. It's not quite as fast as NordVPN and Surfshark, but it's clear to see that Lightway can handle speed just as well as WireGuard and NordLynx can.
Features
At its core, ExpressVPN is a privacy-first VPN. Compared to a full-suite Surfshark or NordVPN subscription, Express offers fewer features. However, it comes with attention to detail and a wealth of perks that solidify it as the most secure VPN around.
One of its leading innovations is IP shuffle, which assigns a different IP address to every website you visit. This makes it much harder to track your internet usage across sites, whereas most other VPNs that use a single IP for all your sessions will create an identifiable pattern. It's a great function if you need a VPN you can stake your life on.
Additionally, ExpressVPN's built-in ad blocker stopped more ads than any other VPN we tested, with a whopping 90% stoppage rate. However, when it came to blocking malware and phishing sites, it didn't catch a single one. This was a real surprise, and after retesting we realized that it struggles to block new threats. When we retested with threats that were over a day old, it blocked 21 of 25. For comparison, Nord's Threat Protection Pro blocked 79% of malware sites and 87% of phishing sites.
On the plus side, Express offers its own password manager with every subscription. ExpressVPN Keys is a convenient addition to ExpressVPN's repertoire, and in keeping with its security promises, it commissioned Cure53 to conduct an independent audit of the security of Keys – which it passed with flying colors. Keys isn't as fully fledged as NordPass, but when it's bundled into your subscription, it's a great way to cut costs without having to pay more.
If you're looking to customize your VPN, Express offers some excellent tools for all users, but unlike every other VPN we've tested, it also has a parental control feature, which blocks adult sites to keep your children safe from things they shouldn't see on the internet, as well as from cybercriminals.
Read more about ExpressVPN's app support, streaming, security and speed ▼
App support
ExpressVPN is available across MacOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android platforms, as well as smart devices like gaming consoles, routers, and even Amazon Fire TV. The Windows and Mac apps in particular are slick, intuitive, and arguably among the best-designed VPN interfaces available to both new and experienced VPN users. Linux remains a command-line only interface, but a GUI (visual app) is in development.
Getting started with desktop apps is fairly straightforward. With the exception of a small quirk during the install process, which requires you to enter login credentials from the ExpressVPN dashboard instead of your email, there's really nothing complicated at all. Enable your VPN with a one-click connect from the home screen, and you're good to go.
Diving into your ExpressVPN Android or iOS app while you're on the move is just as uncluttered and intuitive as it is on a desktop. For extra streamlining purposes, I recommend making use of the convenient "shortcuts" feature, which allows you to create instant access to specific apps immediately after connecting to the VPN.
If you're a VPN power user and want to install it on your router, you can use ExpressVPN on certain Asus, Linksys, and Netgear routers, as well as its in-house AirCove router. The best part about ExpressVPN on a router is Device Groups, which gives you total control over the configuration of devices connected to your router.
ExpressVPN's server locations
Use the map to see ExpressVPN's servers.
Privacy and security
There's a reason ExpressVPN is the most secure VPN on the market: it constantly invests in researching ways to break and improve the security of VPNs across the industry, and it was the first to identify a new type of DNS leak earlier this year.
ExpressVPN's stellar audit history is the industry benchmark for VPN security. A total of 18 separate audits of its overall security and no-logs policy set an industry precedent, including the latest KPMG-verified no-log privacy policy claims in the July 2024 transparency report.
The provider's TrustedServer technology is the main reason for a lot of its security prowess. This is Express' unique approach to ensuring your data remains completely safe. The technology is based on RAM-only servers that are reinstalled weekly. Because of the regularity of updates and data wipes being performed, there's little damage an attacker could do. The company is so confident that it offers a $1 million bug bounty should you ever get inside an Express server.
Express launched its own encryption protocol, Lightway, as a means to compete with WireGuard, and as a replacement for OpenVPN – the latter is over 20 years old and was never designed for today's bandwidth capabilities. Since WireGuard is almost impossible to obfuscate perfectly (truly hiding the fact that you're using a VPN), Lightway is a modern alternative offering cloaking capabilities on par with OpenVPN.
AES 256-bit and ChaCha20 encryption comes as standard, with a quantum secure hybrid 1000-dimension ML-KEM and 4096-bit RSA key exchange. Even if a third party were to somehow capture your data, ExpressVPN uses such strong encryption that, with today's technology, it would take thousands of years to decode.
Then there's the Shuffle IP feature, which allocates a random IP address to every site you visit. This means there is absolutely no correlation between your online activity, making it that much more difficult to track. In contrast, a poorly configured rotating IP would generate a wave pattern, making your activity stand out more than normal.
The only area for improvement is in Express' DNS-based threat protection. We'd love to see ExpressVPN revamp its phishing and malware protection, which is where it falls behind rivals like NordVPN and Surfshark quite significantly. This doesn't affect your VPN connection, but does fall short of the all-in-one solution that budget-conscious privacy seekers are often looking for.
Streaming, unblocking and speed
For the past few years, ExpressVPN has maintained a perfect score in our streaming unblocking tests. However, this time it unblocked every region we tested, but only unblocked Netflix Australia in one out of three locations, Netflix Japan in two of three locations, and 10 Play Australia in one of three locations. While you technically only need one to work, Express was the only top provider to experience issues in this regard.
The table below shows every region we were able to unblock with ExpressVPN, but keep in mind what we said above.
| Netflix libraries | US services | UK services | Australian services |
|---|---|---|---|
| US, UK, AU, CA, JP | Amazon, Disney, Hulu, HBO Max | iPlayer, ITV, C4 | 9Now, 10 play |
ExpressVPN struggled in our previous speed tests, but some internal analysis made us realize that this was a result of our virtual testing rig. When we tested on actual computers and phones, the speeds shot up. During testing, speeds on our gigabit line hit 898 Mbps with Lightway – coming in just shy of Nord and Surfshark at over 950 Mbps. Previously, we've seen Express dip as low as 410 Mbps, which makes us question the consistency of those speeds. Still, anything over 200 Mbps is absolutely soaring, so don't let these figures fool you: ExpressVPN has never been slow.
When it comes to OpenVPN, Express dropped to 176 Mbps (down from 210 Mbps last time). While these speeds are more than sufficient for gaming and 4K streaming, it's still a big drop compared to NordVPN, or the king of our speed tests, Surfshark. It's worth noting that Express is investing heavily in its Lightway protocol to make it a superior alternative to OpenVPN, so it's no surprise that it's not investing in improving its OpenVPN speeds.
ExpressVPN may be an expensive option, but if you just want to set it and forget it, there's no better pick. The attention to detail is second to none, and that's reflected in the consistently high scores it's had over the years. If you have to stake your life on a VPN, this is the one to choose.
★★★★½
Read more: ExpressVPN review
| Features | In brief | Scores |
|---|---|---|
| Features | The very best option for beginners, thanks to one-click connect and streamlined apps | ★★★★★ |
| Speed | Performance impressed after we adjusted our testing process - but still trails after NordVPN and Surfshark | ★★★★ |
| Streaming | Some hiccups with Netflix Australia and Japan, and 10 Play, but otherwise flawless | ★★★★ |
| Technical | No other VPN can claim to have undergone as many independent audits, or be as dedicated to developing cutting-edge security tools | ★★★★★ |
| Support | Live chat support is available around the clock, with quick responses from knowledgeable agents | ★★★★★ |
| Value | Its two-year plan is cheaper than ever, but it remains an expensive choice (almost twice as expensive as NordVPN) | ★★★ |
4. The best VPN for small businesses
