Best VPN services in 2026: five trusted picks compared

NordVPN is the best VPN for most people: it is fast, widely supported and priced reasonably on longer terms. ExpressVPN is the easiest to live with, Proton VPN is the best free option, Surfshark is the best budget pick, and Mullvad is the choice for people who want to share as little as possible with their provider.

A VPN encrypts the connection between your device and a server run by the provider, hiding your traffic from your internet provider and from anyone on the same public Wi-Fi, and changing the IP address that websites see. It does not make you anonymous, it does not protect you from malware or phishing, and it does not stop sites recognising you when you log in. Treat it as one privacy layer among several.

VPN pricing is promotional and varies by region, so confirm current terms before buying.

Our picks at a glance

NordVPN: Best overall

NordVPN is the all-rounder. It has a large server network, apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android and routers, and its own WireGuard-based protocol, NordLynx, which reviewers regularly praise for speed. It also offers extras such as threat and ad blocking, depending on tier. Higher tiers add security extras and bundled apps, and NordVPN advertises a 30-day money-back guarantee on its plans.

Plan names and extras differ by region, and multi-year deals are much cheaper than monthly billing, so review the pricing page for your country and note the renewal price. The company has commissioned independent audits of its no-logs policy; as with all providers, an audit is a snapshot in time rather than a permanent guarantee.

ExpressVPN: Easiest to use

ExpressVPN focuses on simplicity. Its apps are clean, setup takes minutes and reviewers regularly highlight reliability. It lists three 2-year plans: Basic at $2.99 per month for 10 devices, Advanced at $4.49 for 12 devices and Express Pro at $7.49 for 14 devices with a dedicated IP included. Higher plans bundle extras such as email relay features and a password manager.

The introductory prices are for a 2-year term (28 months in total with the current offer), after which the plans renew annually at higher rates: $99.95, $119.95 and $199.95 per year respectively. A 30-day money-back guarantee applies to new users. It is not the cheapest, but it is the least fiddly.

Proton VPN: Best free VPN

Proton VPN is from the Swiss company behind Proton Mail, and its apps are open source. Its free plan covers one device at a time, with medium speed and servers in 10 countries, selected for you. No credit card is needed.

VPN Plus costs $3.49 per month on a 24-month term and supports up to 10 devices at once, with the highest speeds, 20,000+ servers in 140+ countries, streaming support and ad, tracker and malware blocking. Proton Unlimited at $7.99 per month on 24 months bundles Mail, Drive, Pass and more. All paid plans have a 30-day money-back guarantee. Proton has published independent no-logs audits, which are listed on its site.

Surfshark: Best budget VPN

Surfshark lets you connect an unlimited number of devices at once, which makes it a favourite for households. Promotional 2-year pricing starts at $2.49 per month for the Starter and One tiers, with One adding antivirus and breach alerts, and One+ at $3.99 per month adding data-removal service Incogni. Those prices are billed upfront for the first 27 months, and renewal prices are higher. All plans carry a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Speeds vary with server and location, as with every VPN, but the value is difficult to match if you have many devices.

Mullvad: Best for privacy purists

Mullvad is deliberately different. You create an account with one click and get an anonymous account number, with no email or password required. The price is a flat EUR 5 per month, with no discounts for longer terms and no sales, and one account works on up to five devices. You can pay by card, PayPal, bank wire, cash sent in an envelope or cryptocurrency, with a 10% discount for accepted cryptocurrencies. A 14-day money-back guarantee applies, except for cash payments.

It does not market itself for streaming and has fewer extras, but for people who want minimal data collected about them, that is the point. The company has published independent security audits of its apps and infrastructure.

Key point

No VPN makes you anonymous or invulnerable. Your provider can, in principle, see your traffic metadata, so choose one whose policies you trust, and keep using HTTPS, a password manager and two-factor authentication.

Devices and limits compared

When a VPN helps, and when it does not

A VPN is useful when you:

• use public Wi-Fi in cafes, hotels or airports and want your traffic hidden from other people on the network;
• want to stop your internet provider seeing which sites you visit;
• travel and want to reach services from your home country, where the service’s terms allow it;
• want to hide your home IP address from the sites and services you connect to.

A VPN will not:

• make you anonymous, since accounts, cookies and browser fingerprints still identify you;
• protect you from phishing, malware or unsafe downloads;
• make a site trustworthy. HTTPS already protects most web traffic between you and the site;
• guarantee you can use a streaming service, since services block VPN traffic and change their rules.

Note

The provider replaces your internet provider as the party that can see your traffic metadata. That is why the provider’s policies and track record matter more than its feature list.

Setting up a VPN sensibly

1. Choose a plan with a refund window. Every service above advertises a money-back guarantee, though Mullvad’s does not apply to cash payments. It lets you try the service on your own devices.
2. Install the official apps from the provider’s site or your device’s app store, rather than from search ads or unfamiliar download pages.
3. Pick a modern protocol, such as WireGuard or the provider’s own equivalent, in the app settings.
4. Turn on the kill switch, which cuts your connection if the VPN drops so traffic does not leak.
5. Set it to connect automatically on untrusted Wi-Fi networks.
6. Check it works by visiting a site that shows your IP address, with the VPN on and off.
7. Note the renewal date. Long-term deals renew at higher prices, so decide in advance whether you will keep the service.

Common mistakes

• Using a free VPN you know nothing about. If you are not paying, check how the company funds itself. Reputable free tiers, such as Proton VPN’s, are a way to promote the paid plan, not a data business.
• Buying the longest term first. A multi-year plan saves money only if you will use it. Test the service during the refund window.
• Trusting marketing about logs. Look for published policies and independent audits instead.
• Assuming it replaces other protection. Keep your system updated, use a password manager and turn on two-factor authentication.
• Leaving it on and forgetting about it. Some banks and streaming apps block VPN traffic, so know how to pause it and when to switch it back on.

Households, routers and shared use

If several people share a connection, the device limit matters more than it first appears. A household with phones, laptops and tablets can pass five devices quickly, which is why Surfshark’s unlimited connections appeal to families. Several providers also support routers, which protects every device on the network without installing an app on each one, though it can reduce speed and makes it harder to switch a single device off. Smart TVs and games consoles often cannot run VPN apps directly, so a router or a shared connection is the usual route.

What to look for

• A clear no-logs policy. Look for a stated policy, published independent audits and a track record. Audits describe a point in time, so check the date.
• Jurisdiction and ownership. Where the company is based affects which laws apply. Read the privacy policy rather than relying on marketing.
• Speed and servers. Modern protocols such as WireGuard are fast. A large network helps if you need servers in specific countries.
• Devices. Check the simultaneous connection limit, and whether router apps are supported.
• Renewal pricing. The headline price is almost always for a long first term. Compare what you will pay at renewal, and note the money-back window.
• Open-source apps. Not essential, but Proton VPN and Mullvad publish app code, which allows scrutiny.
• Legitimate use. A VPN is lawful in most countries, but rules vary, and using one to break a service’s terms or the law is your responsibility.

How we chose

We began with providers with a long public track record, clear pricing and policies, and broad platform support. We compared official plans, features and pricing as of October 2026, alongside the consensus of established independent reviews. We weighted privacy practices, reliability, apps, value and transparency.