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The Best VPNs for Windows PCs
Simon Migliano
Simon Migliano is a recognized world expert in VPNs. He's tested hundreds of VPN services and his research has featured on the BBC, The New York Times and more. Read full bio
The absolute best VPN for Windows PCs is ExpressVPN, scoring a 9.4/10 rating in our tests. Its user-friendly and fully-featured PC app outperformed all other VPNs in most testing categories.
As Windows is the most popular computer operating system in the world, it’s also subject to more cyber attacks and hacking attempts than any other platform.
Using a VPN helps improve your privacy and security while using the Internet on your PC, but not all VPNs are reliable or trustworthy.
Only a handful of VPNs can safely encrypt your internet connection and hide your real IP address from third parties at all times.
Summary: The Best Windows VPNs
Based on our testing and user experience, the highest rated Windows VPNs are:
Windscribe Free: Excellent Free VPN for Streaming on Windows
Why Trust Us?
We’re fully independent and have been reviewing VPNs since 2016. Our ratings are based on our own testing results and are unaffected by financial incentives. Learn who we are and how we test VPNs.
Windows VPNs Tested
61
Total Hours of Testing
30,000+
Test Devices
Lenovo T480 & Lenovo T480s
All of these recommended VPNs are easy to set up and use on Windows, and worked well on our Lenovo T480 and T480s test laptops.
In addition to testing VPNs on Windows 10 and 11, we also assessed any Microsoft Edge browser extension provided by the VPN.
Comparison of the Best Windows VPNs
The table below compares our top-rated Windows VPNs based on download speed, server locations, cheapest price, and more.
Unblocks 18 Netflix regions & many other platforms
Full browser extension for Microsoft Edge
Private logging policy & no data leaks
24/7 live chat support
More expensive than competitors
No multi-hop or other advanced features
Search engine CAPTCHAs triggered by multiple servers
Pricing Plans
$12.95/mo
$6.25/mo over 16 months
$4.99/mo over 28 months
Logging Policy
No Identifiable Data
Countries with Servers
106
Local Download Speed
85Mbps (15% loss)
ExpressVPN is one of the easiest VPNs to use on Windows 10 and 11 due to its accessible and well-designed desktop app that only needs one click to connect.
We used it to watch geo-restricted streaming services on our PC, like Netflix and Hulu, in full 4K quality and without any error codes or buffering. We also found ExpressVPN to be an excellent choice for torrenting with a fast download bitrate and trustworthy logging practices.
Well-designed & Intuitive Windows App
It’s straightforward to start using ExpressVPN on Windows. You simply need to launch the app and click the power button to connect to a nearby server.
We found this process near-instantaneous and the app changed from red to green to confirm the VPN connection. If you’re unsure about your connection status, ExpressVPN also updates you through your Windows notifications.
In particular, we liked how minimal and simple the app’s user interface is with all of the essential features present on the home screen. This was much more accessible than competing services, like Surfshark and NordVPN, which tend to clutter its app interface with extra features.
ExpressVPN also uses a slick red, green, and white color palette which stood out on our Windows display and made the text within the app easy to read.
Excels at Streaming & Torrenting
ExpressVPN is an excellent choice for unrestricted streaming on Windows. It works to access US Netflix from overseas, as well as 17 other regional Netflix libraries.
ExpressVPN unblocked Max without any issues on our PC
It also unblocks popular content platforms like Max, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, and more.
In each instance, ExpressVPN almost always assigned us a working server for the streaming service, at the first time of asking. Its fast Lightway protocol also ensured that we streamed in maximum video quality with no buffering whatsoever.
Likewise, ExpressVPN was one of the best performing torrenting VPNs with an average bitrate of 9.4MiB/s. In our personal experience, ExpressVPN worked well with qBittorrent’s Windows client and we never had any issues with stalled or blocked downloads.
Fast Speeds across 106 Countries
ExpressVPN remains one of the fastest VPNs available, due to its proprietary Lightway protocol.
As part of our regular testing, we recorded an average download speed loss of just 3% while connected to a local ExpressVPN server. Regardless of your location, you can expect similar speeds when connecting to a nearby server.
For added context, you can use the chart below to see how ExpressVPN’s local speed performance compares to other leading Windows VPNs:
As shown above, ExpressVPN is faster than most of its rivals over short-distance connections. However, ExpressVPN registered an average speed loss of 15% on international connections which is still excellent but falls short of rivals like IPVanish and PIA.
NordVPN’s PC app is highly advanced with more features than most VPNs, like multi-hop and Onion over VPN servers.
It provides IP addresses from 111 countries, second only to HMA, and unblocks almost every streaming service that we test.
Windows App Is Full of Extra Features
NordVPN includes more advanced features than almost every Windows VPN, which allows you to tailor the VPN to your needs.
We’ve listed some of NordVPN’s extra features on Windows below alongside an explanation of how they work:
Dedicated IP addresses for bypassing IP blocklisting and search engine CAPTCHAs.
Multi-hop servers for enhanced privacy and protection against cyberattacks.
Advanced kill switch to block all internet traffic, even when the VPN is disconnected.
Onion over VPN for increased anonymity while using the Tor browser.
As such, NordVPN is one of the safest and most secure apps for PC. Its VPN kill switch was especially impressive as it allowed us to target specific apps on our Windows to be disconnected.
We were pleasantly surprised by how easy this was to do, you just need to click the cog symbol to open Settings and then select Kill Switch > Add apps.
NordVPN’s kill switch is customizable on Windows.
That said, we felt that the Windows app was too saturated with extra features, like ‘Threat Protection’ taking up one quarter of the home screen. The option to hide these features would be a welcome addition and help streamline the UI.
Excellent Speeds for 4K Streaming
We used NordVPN to unblock 17 Netflix libraries, including US Netflix, Max, BBC iPlayer, and many more.
NordVPN automatically assigned us a server that always worked with the streaming platform, resulting in the perfect user experience. This is much better than our experience with PrivateVPN which sometimes required us to switch servers before the stream would load.
To demonstrate how easy this is, we’ve showcased how to unblock US Netflix with NordVPN in the video below:
You can use NordVPN to consistently unblock US Netflix on Windows.
With a speed loss of just 5% on a local server, the stream loaded in HD or 4K quality without fail.
Highly-Secure Servers Available in Most Regions
NordVPN offers IP addresses from 111 countries, more than any VPN we’ve reviewed except HMA. For example, it has servers in 6 more countries than IPVanish and 42 more than Windscribe.
This ensures you’ll always have a server close by to connect to, even during periods of peak usage.
We also tested our connection to NordVPN’s servers by running our Windows traffic through a packet analyzer. Our results indicated that NordVPN successfully encrypted our traffic with AES-256 encryption, backed by first-party DNS servers:
NordVPN kept our internet traffic private and secure.
PIA has one of the most technical Windows apps we’ve used and we struggled at times to navigate its menus. We think the app would benefit from copying PrivateVPN’s approach of including a ‘Simple’ and ‘Advanced’ view to simplify its UI, especially for beginners.
That said, we liked that we could customize our VPN encryption beyond just selecting a protocol, with the option of different ciphers. We also loved how easy it was to set up VPN port forwarding: you just need to tick a checkbox within the app’s Network settings.
PIA port forwarding can be set up with one click from within the app’s settings menu.
This is far less time-consuming than Windscribe’s setup which requires you to manually enable port forwarding on the VPN service’s website.
Perfect for Anonymous Torrenting
PIA’s proven no-logs policy, robust security, and fast download bitrate make it the best VPN for torrenting.
From a baseline of 10.0MiB/s, we recorded an average download bitrate of 9.6MiB/s with PIA. This is exceptional and allows you to download HD movies, e-books, and software in minutes.
In the video below, we demonstrate how much faster PIA is for torrenting than its rivals on Windows:
PIA downloads torrents faster than its competitors — including NordVPN.
For added privacy, PIA also comes with an effective kill switch which has never failed in our testing. As such, your torrents and real IP address will remain anonymous even if your VPN unexpectedly cuts out.
Exceptional Privacy & Security Features
Unlike most VPNs, PIA is a genuinely no-logs VPN service. This means that PIA doesn’t collect any information about you when you use its Windows app.
PIA’s transparency report verifies that it’s never provided logs for a court order, subpoena, or a warrant.
PIA also uses diskless VPN servers which automatically delete your data on a regular basis. This makes it virtually impossible for anyone to view your browsing activity or connection logs.
As with all the VPNs on this list, PIA uses industry-standard WireGuard and OpenVPN protocols. These protocols are open-sourced and can be trusted to keep your traffic secure.
Proton VPN Free is the only free Windows VPN that doesn’t cap your data, subject you to ads, or compromise your online anonymity in any way.
It’s fast, secure, and private but we found its desktop app quite cluttered and in need of a redesign. Plus, its free tier comes with several downsides like a small server network and blocked torrenting traffic.
Unlimited Data for Free
You can use Proton VPN for free on your PC with no payment details needed. It also doesn’t sell your data to third-parties or use in-app ads to monetise your usage, like SkyVPN and VPN Proxy Master do.
Another way Proton VPN stands out from most free VPNs is its unlimited data. This is unlike Windscribe which caps you at 10GB monthly, TunnelBear at 2GB, or Betternet at 500MB.
Functional Desktop App
Proton VPN uses a map interface for its PC app, like IPVanish. We found this slightly distracting and were pleased to learn that you can hide it by resizing the app.
We’d like to see Proton VPN streamline its Windows app further by removing pointless graphics like the download speed graph and ‘Session Traffic’ statistics.
It’s simple to start using the VPN, just click the Connect button, and Proton VPN even provides an optional tour of the app upon your first start-up.
Free Tier Includes Limitations
As is the case with most free VPNs, Proton VPN imposes several restrictions to encourage users to upgrade to its premium service.
On its Windows app, you are limited to just 200 servers covering 5 countries: the US, Japan, Netherlands, Romania, and Poland.
You also can’t manually select the server location, as Proton VPN Free automatically connects you to your nearest server.
As such, we were unable to bypass any geo-restricted streaming services with Proton VPN Free, as it continually connected us to a local US server.
Proton VPN Free also blocks P2P traffic, so torrenting won’t work either.
Windscribe Free is an excellent streaming VPN and one of the highest-rated free VPNs we’ve tested.
You can use Windscribe Free to stream Amazon Prime Video, Max, BBC iPlayer, and more on your PC or laptop.
However, you are limited to 10GB monthly data and only 10 server locations to choose from.
Easy-to-use Windows App
Windscribe’s desktop app uses a simple and condensed design, making it accessible to all users.
You just need to click the power button to start your VPN connection and you can activate the kill switch by toggling the widget – there’s no need to go into the settings.
We also liked that you can toggle between a windowed or system tray app, though we prefer the latter.
However, we found it difficult to read some of the in-app text and UI elements, especially the tool tips. We’d like to be able to resize the Windows app to mitigate this issue.
Integrates Seamlessly into the Windows Ecosystem
Windscribe is very lightweight on desktop, consuming 32MB of RAM on average. This is the lowest of any VPN we tested and ensures your PC runs at optimal performance.
Windscribe also accommodates the default Windows browser, Microsoft Edge, with custom VPN extensions. Like the VPN app, it’s free to use and offers up to 11 different locations to connect to.
We used Windscribe’s Microsoft Edge extension to unblock BBC iPlayer with ease.
Most VPNs don’t provide a Microsoft Edge extension, and even less make it completely free like Windscribe.
Free Servers Unblock Streaming Platforms
Unlike most free VPNs, Windscribe Free unblocks multiple Netflix libraries, Max, Hulu, and BBC iPlayer.
We used Windscribe’s free UK server to unblock its Netflix library in 4K quality. The stream loaded almost immediately and we rarely had to change VPN servers to get the service to work.
Windscribe Free almost always works with UK Netflix.
We did notice buffering on occasion, especially when streaming live content. We found this quite frustrating, particularly after multiple hours of testing.
It’s also worth taking Windscirbe’s monthly 10GB data cap into consideration. While this may be enough for everyday browsing, it limits you to around 90 minutes of 4K Netflix streaming on desktop.
To compile our recommendations for Windows, we tested 65 VPNs and found that many of them simply weren’t good enough.
Many of these services performed well in other testing criteria but fell short of qualifying as a top-rated Windows VPN.
You can see a selection of well-known VPNs that failed to meet our requirements in the table below:
VPN Service
Reason for Exclusion
CyberGhost
Inconsistent connection speeds
Slow average bitrate
PureVPN
Fails to unblock most streaming services
Faulty kill switch
Regularly fails to connect
Mullvad
Fails to unblock most streaming services
Less server locations than rivals
TunnelBear
Canadian jurisdiction
Doesn’t work with Amazon Prime Video or Hulu
Slow average bitrate
Less server locations than rivals
Risky Free VPNs to Avoid
Aside from a few exceptions, most free VPNs are unsafe and should not be used.
To compensate for the lack of subscriptions, free VPNs may sell your user data to third-parties, allow ads within the app, or infect your PC with malware.
Free VPNs also often lack the security features and infrastructure of paid services due to their lack of investment.
Below are some popular free Windows VPNs that are too dangerous to use:
VPN Service
Reason for Exclusion
Turbo VPN
Paywalls kill switch
Ownership ties to China
Blocks torrenting
Only 3 server locations on Windows
Throttles internet connection
Avira Phantom VPN
Logs your real IP address
Paywalls kill switch
Fails to unblock most streaming services
Free tier only has one server location on PC
Touch VPN
Logs identifying data
Unlimited daily data cap
Fails to connect on Windows
Fails to unblock any streaming services
Blocks torrenting
How We Test VPNs for Windows
We’ve tested over 61 VPN services to determine the optimal VPNs for Windows users.
All of our testing was carried on both Windows 10 and 11 devices to properly assess how each VPN performs across different iterations of the OS.
To form our recommendations, we tested each VPN in six different categories, rating each category out of 10. We then weighted these categories by importance and combined them to calculate an overall rating for Windows.
You can find the categories and their weightings in the pie chart below:
In the table below, we summarize how each Windows VPN performed in the individual categories as well as their overall rating:
In the section that follows, we outline why we test each category, how the testing works, and how much of the overall rating they account for:
1. Windows App (30% of Overall Rating)
Test Conducted: We personally used each VPN’s Windows app and recorded our experience. This included an assessment of the installation process, general ease of use, and availability of features. We also noted quality of life features like dark mode, the option to pin to the system try, and simple server navigation.
Why It’s Important: A positive user experience ensures that the app can be used every day without friction and is accessible to the greatest number of users.
Optimal Result: A well-designed desktop app that integrates seamlessly into the Windows ecosystem without compromising on features or usability.
2. Privacy (15% of Overall Rating)
Test Conducted: We examined each VPN’s privacy policy and cataloged the data they collect and how long they retain it for. We also looked for any privacy-friendly features, like diskless servers, and checked for transparency reports or logging audits.
Why It’s Important: To ensure that your online anonymity isn’t compromised while using a Windows VPN. Many VPNs, typically free ones, log and sell your user data to third-parties.
Optimal Result: A clearly-written no-logs policy that’s been audited and proven in the real-world. Plus, diskless VPN servers that have a proven track record of deleting user data.
3. Security (15% of Overall Rating)
Test Conducted: We checked each VPN for security features, with an emphasis on the availability of OpenVPN or WireGuard protocols and the option of AES-256 or ChaCha20 encryption. We tested each VPN’s encryption, kill switch, and IP leak blocking with a mix of in-house and third-party tools.
Why It’s Important: Robust security is essential for establishing an encrypted VPN connection and preventing the monitoring of your network activity. Inadequate security measures could expose you to data breaches, man-in-the-middle attacks, and more.
Optimal Result: A VPN with OpenVPN or WireGuard support that’s properly configured and has no known data breaches or vulnerabilities.
4. Speed (15% of Overall Rating)
Test Conducted: We used our proprietary speed testing tool to calculate the speed loss of each VPN while connected to servers in multiple countries.
Why It’s Important: Fast connection times indicate that the VPN has had a minimal impact on your internet speed. This is vital for 4K streaming, online gaming, and even everyday browsing.
Optimal Result: A download speed loss of below 10% across all server locations.
5. Streaming (15% of Overall Rating)
Test Conducted: We tried to access 97 streaming services while connected to the VPN’s server in the corresponding country. These tests are constantly ongoing to determine the VPN’s reliability and avoid any false positives or anomalies.
Why It’s Important: Unblocking geo-restricted streaming services provides access to content you otherwise wouldn’t have.
Optimal Result: A VPN that consistently bypasses geo-blocks on more than 10 Netflix libraries, Hulu, Max, Disney+, BBC iPlayer, and all other popular streaming apps.
6. Torrenting (10% of Overall Rating)
Test Conducted: We measured the download bitrate of each VPN while connected to a local server. We also tested relevant security features, like a kill switch, and took into account the VPN’s privacy and logging policy rating.
Why It’s Important: Torrenting without a VPN exposes your real IP address to your ISP, copyright trolls, and potentially even law enforcement.
Optimal Result: A fast average bitrate of at least 8MiB/s alongside a working kill switch and a private logging policy.
Data Cap Penalty
Freemium VPNs almost always impose a data cap on its free users. As with most restrictions on free VPNs, this is intended to encourage customers to upgrade to a paid subscription.
A generous data allowance is vital for accommodating data-intensive activities, such as 4K streaming, torrenting, and online gaming.
If you use up your data cap, your online activity will be left unencrypted and visible to third-parties, including your ISP.
We apply a penalty to the VPN’s final overall rating for Windows based on its data cap:
Unlimited bandwidth: No deduction to the overall rating
10GB per month: -20% to the overall rating
500MB per day: -25% to the overall rating
5GB per month: -30% to the overall rating
1GB per month: -35% to the overall rating
200MB per day: -40% to the overall rating
500MB per month: -50% to the overall rating
FAQs
Does Windows Have a Built-in VPN?
Windows 10 and 11 have built-in support for manual VPN configuration, using PPTP, L2TP/IPsec, SSTP, or IKEv2 connections.
This method doesn’t require the installation of any third-party software, but you’ll still need a VPN subscription and account.
This method isn’t the most straightforward and, once set up, the VPN lacks the functionality of a full desktop client. Instead, we recommend using a VPN service with a native Windows app.