The Fastest VPNs in 2021

The 5 Fastest VPNs in July 2021

1. 1. Hotspot Shield: 0% Speed Loss

   The world's fastest VPN and winner of our 2021 speed test results.

   Ranked #1 out of 68 VPNs for Speed

    88% 

   (5 user reviews)

   Visit Hotspot Shield

   Pros

   1. The fastest VPN available
   2. Works with US Netflix & Hulu
   3. Unrestricted torrenting on all servers
   4. Allows router-level installation for gaming
   5. Large server network in 82 countries

   Cons

   1. Less trustworthy VPN protocol
   2. Kill switch is only available on Windows

   Overall Speed Rating: 9.8/10

   This VPN's overall speed rating is calculated based on the following subcategory ratings. To learn more, read our full testing methodology.

   • Local Download Speed: 10.0/1010
   • International Download Speed: 10.0/1010
   • Consistency: 8.0/108

   Our July 2021 speed test results show that Hotspot Shield is the fastest VPN available. It delivers the fastest connection speeds on both nearby and far-away servers, it doesn’t throttle or block torrenting traffic, and it streams US Netflix in 4K UHD.

   Local Speed	100Mbps
   International Speed	91Mbps
   Fastest VPN Protocol	Hydra
   Cheapest Price	$2.99/mo over 36 Months See all plans
   See all features
   US Netflix	Yes
   Torrenting	Unlimited
   Compatible with	Windows MacOS iOS Android Fire TV Router +more

   The fastest VPN across all locations

   Hotspot Shield’s speeds are unmatched — we recorded no impact on our download speeds when connected to most VPN servers.

   No other VPN service comes close to competing with Hotspot Shield’s lossless speed performance. It’s clear from our tests that if you want the very fastest speeds, you should get Hotspot Shield.

   We experienced the slowest speeds when connecting to South Africa, over 5,000 miles from our location. On average, our speeds dropped by 51% when connected to this server.

   This was much slower than other locations and stands out as an anomaly. We hope Hotspot Shield can fix this as soon as possible.

   Besides that, Hotspot Shield is able to achieve its fast speeds through a combination of its proprietary Catapult Hydra protocol and the way it treats TCP traffic.

   A representative from Hotspot Shield told us that the VPN transmits TCP traffic via a transparent TCP proxy on a nearby internet device. The nearby device intercepts the connection between the VPN server and your device to prevent lost packets and to resolve slowdowns caused by congestion.

   For casual users, our tests show that this process makes Hotspot Shield much faster than standard VPN connections.

   We found that Hotspot Shield is the fastest VPN in every location.

   Hotspot Shield Speed Test Data

   Server Location	Download Speed	Speed Loss	Distance (miles)
   Starting Speed	100Mbps	0%	0 mi
   UK	100Mbps	0%	0 mi
   Germany	100Mbps	0%	457 mi
   USA	100Mbps	0%	4,484 mi
   Brazil	100Mbps	0%	5,496 mi
   South Africa	49.42Mbps	51%	5,635 mi
   Japan	97.02Mbps	3%	5,870 mi
   Australia	97.01Mbps	3%	9,420 mi

   Unblocks US Netflix, Hulu, and more

   Hotspot Shield’s fast speeds will allow you to stream content in HD without any buffering or lag. We found that Hotspot Shield works with most major streaming sites around the world, including Netflix, BBC iPlayer, HBO Max, and Hulu.

   The VPN comes with an impressive app for Amazon Fire TV, too, so you can unblock your favorite TV shows and movies on your biggest screen. However, if you want to use a fast VPN primarily for streaming, there are better VPNs for streaming available.

   Other fast VPNs, like ExpressVPN, can stream over four times as many Netflix libraries as Hotspot Shield — giving you access to more TV shows and movies.

   Less secure VPN protocol

   The drawback to using Hotspot Shield is that it uses a closed-source VPN protocol that is not as reputable as open-sourced and established protocols, like OpenVPN or WireGuard.

   Catapult Hydra is a VPN protocol developed by AnchorFree, the company that founded Hotspot Shield.

   Catapult Hydra is based on TLS 1.2, it uses 128-bit AES encryption, and it incorporates Perfect Forward Secrecy. In this way, its encryption matches other leading VPN protocols.

   However, technology developed by VPN services themselves cannot be error-checked by security experts and enthusiasts. Open-source VPN protocols, like OpenVPN, have been built upon for over 18 years by a large community of contributors.

   On the other hand, Hotspot Shield claims Catapult Hydra has been audited by “third-party security experts,” but gives no further details on how frequent or how rigorous these examinations are.

   To summarize, Hotspot Shield is undoubtedly the fastest VPN in 2021. It is fast enough to  download torrent files in seconds, stream Netflix buffer-free, and have a minimal impact on all browsing activity. Although the VPN uses a less-reputable protocol than other VPNs, it’s still the number one choice if speed is your priority.

   Visit Hotspot Shield

   or read our full Hotspot Shield Review.

2. 2. Surfshark: 5% Speed Loss

   One of the fastest VPNs available for just $2.49.

    82% 

   (105 user reviews)

   Visit Surfshark

   Pros

   1. Very fast speeds on nearby servers
   2. Reliable performance across its server network
   3. Works with over 30 Netflix libraries
   4. Cheap on long-term plans
   5. Great for torrenting
   6. Unlimited simultaneous connections

   Cons

   1. Delay when connecting to some servers
   2. Slow WireGuard performance
   3. Sometimes leaks IPv6 addresses

   Overall Speed Rating: 9.2/10

   This VPN's overall speed rating is calculated based on the following subcategory ratings. To learn more, read our full testing methodology.

   • Local Download Speed: 9.5/109.5
   • International Download Speed: 9.0/109
   • Consistency: 9.0/109

   Surfshark is the second-fastest VPN, despite being available at a lower price than other services. Its speeds are fast on both nearby and far away servers and it can be used on as many devices as you want, making it great for multi-device users.

   Local Speed	95Mbps
   International Speed	79Mbps
   Fastest VPN Protocol	OpenVPN (UDP)
   Cheapest Price	$2.49/mo over 24 months See all plans
   See all features
   US Netflix	Yes
   Torrenting	Permitted
   Compatible with	Windows MacOS iOS Android Fire TV Router +more

   Fast speeds throughout its server network

   Our research found Surfshark to consistently be one of the very fastest VPNs on local connections. When connecting to a UK server from our location in London, we saw an average speed loss of just 5%, which is unnoticeable in normal use.

   Surfshark performs just as well on international connections, too. When connecting to the US, our speed dropped by just 13%, and by 27% when connecting to Japan — making it faster than most other VPNs we tested.

   Although it does support WireGuard, our tests found that Surfshark’s OpenVPN speeds were the fastest. This is most likely because Surfshark has not yet fully optimized its service for WireGuard, which is something we hope it can fix soon.

   Surfshark recorded download speeds of over 95Mbps.

   Surfshark Speed Test Data

   Server Location	Download Speed	Speed Loss	Distance (miles)
   Starting Speed	100Mbps	0%	0 mi
   UK	95.18Mbps	5%	0 mi
   Germany	95.06Mbps	5%	457 mi
   USA	86.78Mbps	13%	4,484 mi
   Brazil	78.44Mbps	22%	5,496 mi
   South Africa	76.72Mbps	23%	5,635 mi
   Japan	73.11Mbps	27%	5,870 mi
   Australia	72.67Mbps	27%	9,420 mi

   Great VPN for streaming and torrenting

   With Surfshark’s excellent international speed performance, you can access streaming services from around the world. It works with BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime Video, and 31 Netflix libraries.

   Using Surfshark, we were able to watch geo-restricted content in HD and 4K. This is in contrast to some other services we tested, like CyberGhost and Private Internet Access, which caused our streams to buffer and lag.

   Surfshark is also a top VPN for quick P2P file-sharing. It has optimized servers for fast torrent downloads and its private logging policy and strong encryption will keep your activity anonymous, too.

   Does not support IPv6 addresses

   Despite its speed, there are a few drawbacks that prevent Surfshark from being the best overall VPN service.

   Most importantly, Surfshark does not support IPv6 addresses. This means that Surfshark cannot always be trusted to protect against IP leaks. If this happens, any website can see your true location and identity.

   In addition, Surfshark is slower than most other VPNs to initiate a server connection. Our recent tests found that Surfshark takes twice as long as ExpressVPN to connect to a VPN server.

   Overall, Surfshark is a fast VPN that works well for almost every use case. You can securely encrypt your traffic, privately torrent, and secure unsafe public WiFi networks without having to worry about performance issues.

   Visit Surfshark

   or read our full Surfshark VPN Review.

3. 3. NordVPN: 6% Speed Loss

   Fast speeds for secure browsing and buffer-free streaming.

    94% 

   (246 user reviews)

   Visit NordVPN

   Pros

   1. Exceptional speeds across most locations
   2. The fastest implementation of WireGuard
   3. Torrenting permitted on most servers
   4. Unblocks all major streaming services
   5. Fully-featured app for Fire TV Stick
   6. Low ping for gaming

   Cons

   1. Slower speeds on far-away servers

   Overall Speed Rating: 9.1/10

   This VPN's overall speed rating is calculated based on the following subcategory ratings. To learn more, read our full testing methodology.

   • Local Download Speed: 8.5/108.5
   • International Download Speed: 9.5/109.5
   • Consistency: 9.8/109.8

   NordVPN is a well-rounded and extremely fast VPN. Although slightly slower than Hotspot Shield and Surfshark, NordVPN has many advanced features. These include Double VPN, Smart DNS support, and the ability to unblock lots of Netflix libraries.

   Local Speed	94Mbps
   International Speed	83Mbps
   Fastest VPN Protocol	NordLynx
   Cheapest Price	$3.30/mo over 27 Months See all plans
   See all features
   US Netflix	Yes
   Torrenting	Permitted
   Compatible with	Windows MacOS iOS Android Fire TV Router +more

   Average download speeds of 94Mbps

   We found that NordVPN is fast on both local and international connections. On the whole, the reduction in our internet speed was unnoticeable.

   When connecting to a nearby server in the UK, we recorded an average speed of 94Mbps — which is faster than most other top VPNs.

   The VPN’s performance was even more impressive on international connections. We recorded a speed loss result of 11% when connecting to the US and a speed of 78Mbps when connecting to Japan.

   NordVPN also scored the highest of any VPN service for reliability. This means you can count on the VPN to deliver fast and consistent speeds, no matter the server location.

   NordVPN’s speeds were reliable and quick.

   NordVPN Speed Test Data

   Server Location	Download Speed	Speed Loss	Distance (miles)
   Starting Speed	100Mbps	0%	0 mi
   UK	94.28Mbps	6%	0 mi
   Germany	93.20Mbps	7%	457 mi
   USA	88.63Mbps	11%	4,484 mi
   Brazil	79.94Mbps	20%	5,496 mi
   South Africa	82.55Mbps	17%	5,635 mi
   Japan	77.63Mbps	22%	5,870 mi
   Australia	80.54Mbps	19%	9,420 mi

   NordLynx is highly-secure and speedy

   NordVPN can achieve these impressive speed results due to the NordLynx protocol, which is its implementation of WireGuard. NordLynx allows for much faster connections compared to UDP OpenVPN connections, without sacrificing privacy or security.

   WireGuard is also open-source, which means anyone can view and inspect the mechanics of the codebase. This is in contrast to Hotspot Shield’s Catapult Hydra, which is a closed-source protocol that has only been viewed by certain parties.

   Ultimately, this transparency makes WireGuard more trustworthy and will allow it to improve over time from the contributions of a large error-checking community.

   Great for torrenting & Netflix

   NordVPN provides lots of great VPN features that take full advantage of its fast speeds. The VPN unblocks 15 different Netflix libraries from around the world in 4K UHD.

   It also comes with a fully-featured app for Amazon Fire TV, and a Smart DNS feature — so you can unblock geo-blocked content on all of your devices.

   In addition, torrenting is permitted on over 85% of NordVPN’s servers. The app conveniently lists these in the ‘P2P’ section under ‘Specialty Servers’.

   Alternatively, you can use NordVPN’s server recommendation feature to find the best torrenting server based on your location. After connecting to our recommended server, we were able to download a legal torrent in seconds.

   The only drawback to NordVPN’s performance is that its speeds drop noticeably on long-distance connections. That said, it’s still incredibly fast and is only beaten by Hotspot Shield.

   Overall, NordVPN is a superb, fast VPN that is a great choice for most users. It’s the best WireGuard VPN and includes more advanced VPN features than almost all other top VPNs. Although it misses out on the number one spot based on raw speed performance, it’s a terrific and highly-secure service.

   Visit NordVPN

   or read our full NordVPN Review.

4. 4. Mullvad: 5% Speed Loss

   WireGuard VPN with robust privacy and security features.

    0% 

   No user reviews

   Visit Mullvad

   Pros

   1. Fast on close by servers
   2. P2P traffic allowed on all servers
   3. Cheap monthly price
   4. Private logging policy

   Cons

   1. Slower speeds on far-away servers
   2. Doesn't work with Netflix
   3. Small server network

   Overall Speed Rating: 8.4/10

   This VPN's overall speed rating is calculated based on the following subcategory ratings. To learn more, read our full testing methodology.

   • Local Download Speed: 9.0/109
   • International Download Speed: 8.0/108
   • Consistency: 7.3/107.3

   Mullvad runs on the WireGuard protocol, making it a fast and secure VPN. It can be installed on routers for gaming purposes and it’s a great choice for torrenting and anonymous web browsing.

   Local Speed	95Mbps
   International Speed	71Mbps
   Fastest VPN Protocol	WireGuard
   Cheapest Price	$5.95/mo See all plans
   See all features
   US Netflix	Yes
   Torrenting	Unlimited
   Compatible with	Windows MacOS iOS Router +more

   Fast local, but slower international speeds

   After putting Mullvad through our speed testing process, we found that although it’s a very fast VPN on nearby servers, its speeds noticeably slow down on long-distance connections.

   When connecting to a local server in the UK, our internet speed fell by just 5%, meaning we could torrent, download files, and browse the web without any slowdowns. We recorded similarly impressive results when connected to a Mullvad server in Germany, with the VPN again only slowing our connection down by 5% on average.

   Our internet speed fell by 45% when connected to an Australian VPN server, though, and 32% on a Japan server. These results are worse than other VPNs in this list, so if you expect to frequently connect to international locations, you should avoid Mullvad.

   Mullvad is very fast on local connections.

   Mullvad Speed Test Data

   Server Location	Download Speed	Speed Loss	Distance (miles)
   Starting Speed	100Mbps	0%	0 mi
   UK	94.94Mbps	5%	0 mi
   Germany	95.18Mbps	5%	457 mi
   USA	91.65Mbps	8.35%	4,484 mi
   Brazil	77.98Mbps	22%	5,496 mi
   Japan	67.9Mbps	32%	5,870 mi
   Australia	54.92Mbps	45%	9,420 mi

   Note: Mullvad doesn’t have any servers in South Africa.

   Cheap & P2P allowed on all servers

   Mullvad permits torrenting traffic on all of its servers. This, coupled with Mullvad’s fast local speeds and its minimal-logs policy makes it a great VPN for fast and private torrenting. Although not as fast as some other VPNs in this list, we were able to torrent a file in minutes with Mullvad.

   The VPN is also unique in that it only offers one price tier. Mullvad is available for a flat monthly fee of $5.80, with no options to pay for a long-term subscription. Although this does limit flexibility, it means that Mullvad is available for a much cheaper monthly price than other fast VPNs. In fact, it’s at least $6.15 cheaper when paying monthly than all other VPNs on this page.

   Small server network & no streaming

   Although cheap, Mullvad suffers from too many drawbacks to make it one of the very best fast VPNs.

   The VPN only has servers in 35 countries, with the vast majority of these located in Europe. If you’re in Asia, South America, or Africa — you’ll be forced to connect to a far away server, which will slow down your internet speed. This is particularly a problem with Mullvad, given its relatively poor international performance.

   Mullvad also doesn’t work reliably with any streaming sites and it doesn’t have apps for Amazon Fire TV or Smart TVs. This means that you won’t be able to take advantage of Mullvad’s fast speeds for unblocking geo-restricted content.

   In general, Mullvad is a capable fast VPN that’s perfect for users who prioritize privacy and anonymity. However, the VPN is not fast enough over long-distance connections and its lack of Android app, poor streaming ability, and non-existent support for TVs means there are better options available.

   Visit Mullvad

   or read our full Mullvad VPN Review.

5. 5. ExpressVPN: 7% Speed Loss

   Well-rounded VPN that's perfect for torrenting and streaming.

    96% 

   (1,768 user reviews)

   Visit ExpressVPN

   Pros

   1. Excellent long-distance speed performance
   2. Consistent and reliable speeds
   3. Works with all streaming services
   4. App for Fire TV Stick and Smart TVs
   5. Includes Smart DNS functionality

   Cons

   1. Slower on local connections
   2. More expensive

   Overall Speed Rating: 7.9/10

   This VPN's overall speed rating is calculated based on the following subcategory ratings. To learn more, read our full testing methodology.

   • Local Download Speed: 7.0/107
   • International Download Speed: 8.5/108.5
   • Consistency: 9.5/109.5

   ExpressVPN is a fully-featured service that is one of the fastest VPNs on international connections but performs poorly over short distances. It’s also the most expensive VPN on the market, but its unrivaled streaming and torrenting support make it worth the extra cost.

   Local Speed	93Mbps
   International Speed	76Mbps
   Cheapest Price	$6.67/mo over 15 Months See all plans
   US Netflix	Yes
   See all features
   Torrenting	Unlimited
   Compatible with	Windows MacOS iOS Android Fire TV Router +more

   Very fast international speeds

   ExpressVPN makes it in the top five fastest VPNs due to its impressive performance when connected to far-away servers. Our speed tests showed that ExpressVPN is the fourth-fastest VPN over international connections, with an average speed loss of 24% across our six test locations.

   Results were particularly impressive when connected to a US server. ExpressVPN kept our internet speed at a fast 86Mbps, which was more than fast enough for HD streaming and uninterrupted gaming sessions.

   The disadvantage to ExpressVPN, though, is its relatively poor local speed performance. Our results show it is the seventh-fastest VPN when connected to a nearby server, beaten by typically slower VPNs, like PIA and PrivateVPN.

   Our speeds slowed to 93Mbps when connected to a local VPN server. While still fast enough for most uses, this isn’t competitive with the very fastest VPNs.

   ExpressVPN’s local speeds are disappointing.

   ExpressVPN Speed Test Data

   Server Location	Download Speed	Speed Loss	Distance (miles)
   Starting Speed	100Mbps	0%	0 mi
   UK	92.15bps	7.9%	0 mi
   Germany	92.28Mbps	7.7%	457 mi
   USA	89.41Mbps	10.6%	4,484 mi
   Brazil	67.80Mbps	32.3%	5,496 mi
   South Africa	73.92Mbps	25.1%	5,635 mi
   Japan	68.00Mbps	32%	5,870 mi
   Australia	60.99Mbps	39%	9,420 mi

   Lightway protocol is safe and fast

   ExpressVPN has recently improved its speeds thanks to the introduction of its proprietary Lightway VPN protocol. Lightway has been developed in-house by ExpressVPN, and our test results have shown it to be faster than OpenVPN.

   It also uses wolfSSL encryption, which is widely regarded to be safe and secure.

   Although we typically prefer for VPN providers to adopt established protocols, ExpressVPN has open-sourced the Lightway codebase. By contrast, Hotspot Shield only provides Catapult Hydra’s code to third-party security companies.

   Lightway is slightly less proven than the very best protocols right now, but we expect it to challenge WireGuard soon.

   The best VPN for streaming

   ExpressVPN’s fast international speeds are put to good use, too, as it is the very best VPN available for streaming. It unblocks every streaming site including Hulu and BBC iPlayer, as well as 19 different Netflix libraries. For each of these services, our speeds remained fast enough to stream in HD without any buffering.

   Unlike most other VPNs, ExpressVPN also comes with a Smart DNS feature. This will allow you to unblock geo-blocked content on devices that don’t support VPNs, so you can stream on PS4, Apple TV, and Smart TVs.

   All this functionality does come at a cost, though, as ExpressVPN is the most expensive VPN on this list. The cheapest price is on the fifteen-month plan, which works out to $6.67 a month. You do get plenty of features for that price, so it’s worth the extra cost.

   Overall, ExpressVPN is a great choice if you want a VPN for more than just raw speed. It beats out every other VPN on this list when it comes to general use, but it doesn’t match them when it comes to pure speed results.

   Visit ExpressVPN

   or read our full ExpressVPN Review.

The 10 Fastest VPNs Compared

Using the table below, you can compare the ten fastest VPNs based on categories including local speeds, international speeds, and price.

VPN Speed Test Results July 2021

All of our findings on this page are from our manual tests, which involves physically using and speed testing VPNs, just like you would at home.

This gives us findings that mirror your experience as best as possible. You can read more about our research process and limitations in our speed testing methodology.

Local VPN Speed Test Results

Here are our VPN speed test results when connecting to a local server with our 100Mbps internet connection:

Only two VPNs recorded a download speed loss of below 5%.

As the graph above shows, Hotspot Shield is the fastest VPN on local connections. 90% of VPNs were able to sustain speeds of over 90Mbps, though, which is an extremely impressive result.

CyberGhost performed the worst by far — experiencing slowdowns of up to 40%. This is still fast enough for most tasks, but you may struggle to perform high-bandwidth activities with this VPN.

International VPN Speed Test Results

Here are the results when connecting to international servers with our 100Mbps internet connection:

Only two VPNs recorded an international download speed loss of below 20%.

The results from our research are clear: Hotspot Shield is the fastest VPN service. It is faster than all other VPNs on both nearby and far-away servers. With Hotspot Shield you can stream, torrent, and game without worrying about your network speed slowing down.

How We Test VPN Speed

To ensure our VPN speed test findings are as accurate as possible, we follow a strict and scientific process. This has been refined over many years by our team of VPN experts.

Our methodology is designed to extract just raw data, to remove any risk of bias or human error in our results.

To find the fastest VPNs, we measure:

• A VPN’s average download speed when connected to a nearby server.
• A VPN’s speed performance when connected to multiple far-away locations.
• How reliable and consistent a VPN’s speed results are.

Here’s a more in-depth overview of the measurements we take when finding the fastest VPN, along with how much of our overall rating they make up:

1. Local Download Speed: 45%

Minimum Requirement: Speed loss of 20% or less.
We Recommend: Speed loss of 10% or less.

As you’ll be connecting to a local VPN server most often, we prioritize short-distance speeds in our tests.

We’ve developed a test to measure the average local download speed of every VPN.

Here’s how we test for a VPN’s local speed performance:

1. We perform this test every Friday of each month.
2. We use a virtual machine with just the VPN we’re testing installed.
3. Using Ookla’s Speedtest app, we record our download speed three times without the VPN running.
4. We launch the VPN and connect to the nearest server location. We record our download speeds three times.
5. We repeat the above steps for every VPN.
6. At the end of the month, we work out the mean result without the VPN running and while connected to the nearest server location.
7. We calculate the download speed loss for each VPN. The lower the speed loss, the better.
8. The top-performing VPNs are ranked from 1-10. Depending on their position, each VPN service is given a score from 5.5 to 10, with each position being a difference of 0.5.
9. We update this page with our new findings.

2. International Download Speed: 45%

Minimum Requirement: Speed loss of 50% or less.
We Recommend: Speed loss of 20% or less.

VPNs can be used to watch geo-restricted Netflix libraries and play games on servers from the other side of the world. Because of this, it’s important that a VPN also has fast international speeds.

The extra distance traveled will have an impact on your download speeds. Generally speaking, the further a VPN server is from your physical location, the slower your speeds will be.

We’ve formulated a standardized and unbiased test to calculate the average international download speed of every VPN.

Here’s how we test for a VPN’s international speed performance:

1. We perform this test every Friday of each month.
2. We use a virtual machine with just the VPN we’re testing installed.
3. Using Ookla’s Speedtest app, we record our download speed three times without the VPN running.
4. We launch the VPN and connect to seven server locations from across all five inhabited continents of the world — Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, and South America.
5. We record our download speeds from each location three times.
6. We repeat the above steps for every VPN.
7. At the end of the month, we work out the mean result without the VPN running and while connected to all far-away locations.
8. We calculate the download speed loss for each VPN. The lower the speed loss, the better.
9. The top-performing VPNs are ranked from 1-10. Depending on their position, each VPN service is given a score from 5.5 to 10, with each position being a difference of 0.5.
10. We update this page with our new findings.

3. Consistency: 10%

Minimum Requirement: Difference of up to 10Mbps on local speed tests and 40Mbps on international results.
We Recommend: Difference of up to 3Mbps on local speed tests and 10Mbps on international results.

It’s not enough for a VPN just to have fast peak performance. It needs to deliver fast speeds reliably, across every server location.

We’ve developed a method to calculate every VPN’s consistency. The more fluctuation present in a VPN’s speed test results, the lower it scores in this category.

Here’s how we test for a VPN’s speed reliability:

1. We complete this calculation on the final Friday of every month after all speed test results have been completed.
2. We work out the standard deviation of each VPN’s local download speeds. A lower standard deviation means more reliable speed performance.
3. Each VPN is ranked from 1-10. Depending on their position, each VPN service is given a score from 5.5 to 10, with each position being a difference of 0.5. This constitutes 5% of the overall consistency score.
4. We repeat the above steps for each VPN’s international speed results. This tells us how reliable a VPN’s speeds are across every global server location, not just the consistency per country. This constitutes 5% of the overall consistency score.
5. We update this page with our new findings.

Control Variables

Here are the steps we have in place to ensure our speed test results are the most reliable findings available:

Dedicated 100Mbps Broadband Line

We have a dedicated 100Mbps fiber-optic broadband line that is only used for conducting our VPN speed tests. This means that our speed is not slowed down by any external factors, like bandwidth-consuming activities from anyone else on the network. Any drops in speed are a direct result of the VPN running.

Consistent Infrastructure & Equipment

All of our speed tests are done using a Lenovo ThinkPad PC running Windows 10 and on an iMac running MacOS Big Sur. These devices are connected to the broadband line using a Cat7 ethernet cable.
By keeping all of our equipment consistent, we can always conclude that any speed changes are as a result of the VPN, and not any issues with our test devices.

Only Use the VPN’s Preferred Protocol

For our speed tests, we use the VPN with the fastest protocol available. This allows us to give an accurate representation of the speeds you can expect while using the VPN.

For the tests on this page, the protocols used were as follows:

• CyberGhost, Mullvad, NordVPN, Private Internet Access, Surfshark — WireGuard
• ExpressVPN — Lightway
• Hotspot Shield — Catapult Hydra
• HideMyAss, IPVanish, PrivateVPN — OpenVPN (UDP)

Same Speed Testing Tool

We use Ookla’s popular speed test tool for all of our tests. We elected to use this because a representative from Ookla assured us that it has “strong mitigations in place to prevent such behavior [VPNs prioritizing traffic to Ookla].”

None of the other speed test tools would provide this guarantee. In turn, this rules out the possibility of a VPN speeding up its service when it detects a speed test, which would give unreliable results.

Tested Over a Long-period

To minimize the risk of random and anomalous results, our final speed test result is the average from a series of tests, performed over a month. We tested all VPNs at regular six-hour intervals, equaling four different times per day. In total, we manually undertook thousands of VPN speed tests, ensuring our results most accurately represent the speeds of the fastest VPNs.

Research Limitations

Although we have taken steps at every stage to keep our speed test results as accurate as possible, there are still some unavoidable limitations to our research.

These limitations may result in a VPN performing differently when you test it yourself. These include:

Speed Fluctuations

To quantify speeds and account for speed fluctuations, we would have to test every single VPN server during every second of the day.

To counter this, we pace our testing out throughout the day. Tests are performed four times a day, with a six-hour break between each test. Although not perfect, this allows us to test each VPN during both peak and quiet hours of the day, giving us an accurate, but not perfect, representation of typical speeds.

Upload Speed & Ping

The fastest VPN is not necessarily the fastest VPN for all activities. For example, a VPN with fast download speeds but slow ping time will be great for streaming, but poor for online gaming.

For this page, we’ve chosen to focus solely on download speed. This is because the vast majority of online activities rely on a fast download speed, and fewer need a speedy upload speed or ping rate.

If download speed is less important for your use case, you can read our dedicated recommendations for the best VPNs for gaming and best torrenting VPNs.

Varying Device Performance

Different devices, with different network cards and performance capabilities, can yield dramatically different speed test results. For example, desktop PCs will often have larger and faster wireless cards than mobile devices. This means that you may not always experience the same results as us, depending on your device.

To address this, we use two different test devices — one Lenovo ThinkPad and one Apple iMac. These devices are made by different manufacturers, which gives us speed test data from the two major desktop operating systems.

Overall, we have tried our best to eliminate all possible factors that could hold back our investigation into the fastest VPNs. However, with the VPN industry constantly changing, just keep in mind that we can only ever provide a snapshot and not an absolute answer for the fastest VPN.

How to Test VPN Speed at Home

To test your VPN speed at home, you’ll need to perform two separate tests — one while disconnected from the VPN, and one while connected to the VPN.

This first stage will give you your baseline internet speed. From this, you can calculate how much your VPN impacts your speed.

You can test internet speed by using Speedtest by Ookla.

To test VPN speed, just follow the steps below:

Testing Internet Speed Without a VPN:

1. Make sure that you are disconnected from your VPN.
2. Ensure no other apps are running in the background.
3. Visit speedtest.net and click ‘Go’ to start your speed test.
4. Note your results for download, upload, and ping.

Testing Internet Speed With a VPN:

1. Ensure no other apps are running in the background.
2. Open your VPN app and connect to your chosen location.
3. Visit speedtest.net and click ‘Go’ to start your speed test.
4. Compare these results to the results you got when disconnected to the VPN.

EXPERT TIP: Your ISP will often exaggerate your baseline internet speed. Make sure to test your speeds while disconnected from the VPN before testing VPN speed.

For download and upload speeds, the smaller the difference between your original result and your VPN result, the better. Generally speaking, less than a 10% loss in speed is a great result for a local server, and under 40% loss in speed is a good result for a server in a different continent.

To compare the speeds of popular VPNs on servers around the world, use our automated VPN speed testing tool.

How to Speed Up Your VPN

Although some loss in performance is inevitable when running a VPN, there are a few things you can do to make this unnoticeable.

Here are four ways to speed up your VPN:

1Use one of the VPNs we recommend

All of the services on this page have been verified by our team of experts as the fastest VPNs on the market. If you instead choose a slow VPN service, there is nothing else you can do to boost speed performance.

2Use WireGuard or the VPN’s proprietary protocol

Although secure, our tests have found that OpenVPN is noticeably slower than WireGuard and proprietary VPN protocols, like Catapult Hydra. If your VPN app allows you to choose, make sure to use WireGuard or the VPN’s custom protocol.

3Connect to the server closest to you

In general, connecting to a closer VPN server to your location will give you faster speeds. This is because your traffic takes a shorter route, allowing the packets to be delivered at a much faster rate.

4Connect using an ethernet cable

Due to channel interference, WiFi connections are less efficient than wired connections. Connecting your device directly to your router with an ethernet cable will give you faster and more reliable speeds.

EXPERT TIP: Your VPN’s speed is dependent on your regular internet connection. The best way to maximize speed is to make sure you’re getting the fastest connection from your ISP.

What's the Fastest Free VPN?

The fastest free VPNs are:

1. ProtonVPN
2. Windscribe
3. Hide.me

Free VPNs are typically a lot slower than paid options. This is primarily because free VPNs have more users, which results in server congestion and slowdowns. Additionally, VPN providers often provide better infrastructure for paying users and impose bandwidth caps on free servers.

There are still a handful of free VPNs that provide good speeds, though. After putting all of the best free VPNs through our scientific speed testing process, we found that ProtonVPN is the fastest free VPN in 2021.

We recorded just a 5% loss in internet speed when connected to both a nearby and far-away ProtonVPN server. This level of speed performance matches results from some premium VPNs, so it’s very impressive.

ProtonVPN is the fastest free VPN.

The reason that ProtonVPN is able to maintain fast speeds is that it reroutes traffic to a pool of over 200 servers, far exceeding the amount offered from other free VPNs. This minimizes server load and keeps connections fast. On top of this, ProtonVPN is the only safe free VPN that does not impose any monthly data caps — so you can keep the VPN running at all times.

You won’t be able to use it for streaming or torrenting, though, as both activities don’t work on ProtonVPN’s free tier.

Though slower, Windscribe worked with US Netflix and BBC iPlayer in our tests, and we were able to download torrent files quickly. You’ll be limited to 10GB of bandwidth per month, which is not enough for most users.

These free VPNs are useful if you’re on a budget or just want to test what you can do with a VPN. However, if you want the best and fastest VPN performance, it’s worth paying for a premium VPN service.

Additional research by Luke Williams