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What Is Double VPN & When Should You Use It?
Overview
Double VPN (multi-hop) is a security feature that routes your traffic through two VPN servers instead of one. This provides additional protection, but it does slow down your connection speed. Despite the benefits of Double VPN, a normal VPN connection is faster, more stable, and provides sufficient security and privacy.
Double VPN, also known as multi-hop, is an advanced security feature offered by certain VPN services.
When you connect to a VPN normally, your web traffic travels from your device to the VPN server and then to its destination. By enabling Double VPN, a second VPN server is added to the flow of traffic, encrypting your data twice.
Double VPN is great for protecting sensitive data and concealing your IP address online. However, adding a second server introduces drawbacks, including reducing your internet speed.
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What Is Double VPN (Multi-Hop)?
Double VPN is an advanced privacy and security feature that routes your internet traffic through two VPN servers instead of just one.
Here’s a diagram outlining the data flow of a simple Double VPN configuration:
With Double VPN, your data is encrypted twice before reaching the internet.
With most VPNs, Double VPN ensures your data is encrypted twice, providing an additional layer of security. But there are some exceptions.
For instance, our research found that Proton VPN routes your traffic through one VPN server and one proxy server, resulting in single encryption.
Thankfully, you still get protection against sophisticated network attacks because attackers monitoring VPN servers in the second server location would only be able to follow your traffic back to the first VPN server.
For added privacy, we recommend using Double VPN that routes your traffic through a safe jurisdiction like Switzerland or Sweden before your second VPN server.
How Double VPN Works
To better understand how Double VPN works, let’s compare the step-by-step process of a regular VPN connection with a Double VPN connection:
| Steps for Regular VPN Connection | Steps for Double VPN Connection |
|---|---|
| 1. Select a VPN server and open a website in your browser. | 1. Select a Double VPN server and open a website in your browser. |
| 2. The VPN client encrypts your request, hiding it from your ISP. | 2. The VPN client encrypts your request, hiding it from your ISP. |
| 3. The encrypted data is sent to the VPN server, where it’s decrypted. | 3. The encrypted data is sent to the first VPN server, which may add another encryption layer. |
| 4. The VPN server connects to the website on your behalf. | 4. The first server forwards the data to the second VPN server, where the encryption is removed. |
| 5. The website sends a response back to the VPN server. | 5. The second VPN server connects to the website on your behalf. |
| 6. The VPN server encrypts the response and sends it to your device. | 6. The website sends the response to the second VPN server. |
| 7. Your VPN client decrypts the response, displaying the website in your browser. | 7. The second VPN server encrypts the response and sends it to the first VPN server. |
| 8. The first VPN server decrypts the outer layer and sends the response to your device. | |
| 9. Your VPN client decrypts the data, displaying the website in your browser. |
Pros and Cons of Double VPN
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Usually encrypts your data twice | Slows your connection |
| Makes it harder to identify your real location & IP address | Limited server locations |
| Increased protection against traffic correlation attack | Rare among VPN services |
| Uses more data than a regular VPN connection |
Double VPN is far more secure than a normal VPN connection because it creates separation of personal data, splitting the content of your traffic between two VPN servers in different locations.
The first VPN server processes your real IP address and does not communicate with your target site. The second VPN server can only see your VPN IP address and communicates with the website web server.
This adds an extra layer of privacy and security, as both VPN servers would need to be monitored to identify your activity.
Choose from preset multi-hop configurations or create your own server combinations.
However, Double VPN does have its flaws. Most free VPN services don’t offer the feature because it’s expensive to maintain double the amount of servers for the feature to function. Routing your connection through two separate servers can also result in slower connection speeds.
It’s also more resource intensive. By encrypting your traffic twice, Double VPN consumes more bandwidth and processing power, which is particularly noticeable on mobile devices where resources are limited.
Lastly, VPN services typically limit Double VPN to a handful of server locations – often just in the US and Europe. If you want Double VPN in a wide range of locations, Proton VPN is the recommended choice since it offers Double VPN (called Secure Core) servers in 68 countries in total.
When to Use Double VPN
We recommend enabling Double VPN in the following circumstances:
1. Protect Sensitive Data from Advanced Attacks
Normal VPN connections can be susceptible to traffic correlation attacks. This is when an attacker attempts to de-anonymize data by finding patterns in both ends of the communication channel.
By passing your data through two servers in two different locations, Double VPN can obscure one end of the communication channel and protect you against these attacks.
Even if your first server was compromised, your data’s endpoint would be hidden behind the second VPN server.
An individual or institution with sufficient jurisdiction in the locations of both the first and second VPN server could still, in theory, successfully carry out a traffic correlation attack. This is an extreme example, though.
2. Bypass Online Censorship
Large-scale attempts at web censorship, such as China’s Great Firewall, involve blocking or restricting connections to specific foreign websites.
Double VPN can bypass this censorship by initially routing your traffic through a VPN server in an accessible country, then transferring your request to a second VPN server in a blocked country.
For example, if you’re in China and want to access an American website, you can use Double VPN to connect to Singapore, then connect to a second server in the US. The Government censors in China will only be able to see your connection to a Singaporean server and will not detect an American IP address.
We used Hide.me’s Hulti-Hop feature to bypass the Great Firewall in our tests.
A VPN might also have other obfuscation features that can bypass online censorship, such as Shadowsocks and Obfsproxy.
When to Avoid Using Double VPN
Here’s a summary of when not to use Double VPN:
1. Streaming Region-Restricted Content
Using Double VPN routes your traffic through multiple servers before finally connecting to the streaming site, which will increase your latency and might cause the stream to buffer.
Double VPN can severely slow down your connection, impacting streaming quality.
It’s also much harder to find Double VPN servers in a wide range of locations. Server coverage is essential for streaming, as connecting to a server in a different country allows you to unlock content exclusive to that region.
2. Online Gaming
Even the best-performing gaming VPNs increase your ping which, in turn, causes your game to lag. Double VPN routes your traffic to a second server, raising your ping even higher.
One of our fastest Double VPNs, Surfshark, failed to connect to the online game server in our testing. In the image below, we registered a ping in the excess of 100ms when attempting a connection.
We were unable to get past the loading screen with Double VPN enabled.
Double VPN’s limited server coverage may force you to matchmake in a region far away from your real location. This would further worsen your lag, potentially causing you to disconnect from your game entirely.
3. Torrenting & P2P Activity
We tried torrenting with NordVPN’s multi-hop feature and recorded an average bitrate of 5.5 MiB/s. This is a 44% decrease from NordVPN’s standard bitrate of 9.8MiB/s.
NordVPN’s Double VPN greatly reduced our download speed.
It is also unlikely that both of your VPN servers are optimized for P2P traffic and configured in a way to allow these types of connections.
Our favorite VPNs for torrenting conceal your IP address, encrypt your P2P traffic, and hide your torrenting activity from your ISP without sacrificing your internet speeds.
How to Set Up & Use Double VPN
Follow the simple instructions below to set up and use Double VPN.
- Subscribe to a VPN with Double VPN: We recommend NordVPN or Surfshark.
- Install the app and login to your account.
- Configure Double VPN/Multi-Hop: Go to Settings > Double VPN/Multi-Hop and select your server or create your own server combination.
- Connect to the VPN server: Once connected, your traffic will be routed through two different VPN servers when you use the internet.
Video Walkthrough
In this tutorial, we show you how to use Double VPN (or Multi-Hop) with Surfshark.
VPNs That Offer Double VPN
Out of the 61 VPNs we’ve tested, only 14 offer Double VPN servers. Even top VPNs, like ExpressVPN and IPVanish, don’t include this feature.
Here’s a full list of VPNs that offer Double VPN servers:
- Astrill (additional subscription)
- Hide.me
- IVPN
- Kaspersky VPN Secure Connection
- Mozilla VPN
- Mullvad
- NordVPN
- Perfect Privacy
- Private Internet Access (app + proxy)
- Proton VPN (Secure Core)
- Surfshark
- VPN.AC
- Windscribe (app + browser extension)
- X-VPN
The Best VPNs with a Multi-Hop Feature
We’ve analyzed and ranked VPN services based on how many Double VPN servers they offer, their average download speed when making a multi-hop connection, and their logging policy.
The VPNs we recommend below come equipped with a functioning VPN kill switch, ensuring your real IP address remains hidden in the event the multi-hop connection fails.
The table below compares our preferred VPNs with a Double VPN setting, based on our testing parameters:
1. Surfshark: Fully Customizable Multi-Hop
Ranked #1 out of 61 VPNs with Multi-Hop
Surfshark is one of the best-performing VPNs we’ve reviewed, and its Double VPN feature is our preferred choice for fast speeds, personalization, and affordability.
Unlike NordVPN and Proton VPN, Surfshark’s dynamic Multi-Hop lets you create your own server duos, connecting any two servers across its huge network, and providing twice the encryption.
Surfshark’s Double VPN feature encrypts your using the AES-256 or ChaCha20 ciphers, completely nullifying brute force and traffic correlation attacks.
It doesn’t keep identifying logs, and it almost matches NordVPN’s speeds, with barely any speed loss on nearby servers.
Create your own Multi-Hop server combination using any location in Surfshark’s network.
Fully Customizable Multi-Hop Feature
We love how Surfshark’s Multi-Hop lets you select an entry and exit server from its entire server network — 100 countries in total.
This level of personalization in a Double VPN feature is extremely rare. The only competitor we would recommend with a similar feature is Hide.me — but it only has servers in 55 countries.
If you prioritize privacy, we recommend Iceland, Switzerland, or Sweden entry servers. Whereas, if you want the best speeds while browsing casually, connect to a server close to where you are.
If you’re new to VPNs, you’ll be glad to hear that Surfshark also offers pre-configured Double VPN servers. Useful combinations include US via Canada, UK via Germany and Hong Kong via Singapore.
Affordable Price & User-Friendly Apps
Surfshark VPN is more affordable than its competitors, only costing $1.99 over a period of 26 months.
For such an advanced Double VPN feature, we think it’s well worth the price, and much cheaper than other competitors.
In our hands-on testing, we found its apps extremely easy to use on iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS. No matter which devices one of these devices you want to use it on, Surfshark offers multi-hop in the app.
We configured custom Multi-Hop combinations on iPhone and could easily connect to them via the iOS widget.
If you plan to use it on iPhone, we recommend installing the VPN’s widget for home-screen access to recent servers. However, do keep in mind you’ll have to configure the Double VPN in-app.
2. NordVPN: Fastest Double VPN Speeds
NordVPN is one of our highest-rated VPNs with multi-hop available. It’s a reliable all-rounder: excellent for streaming, gaming, torrenting, and generally keeping you safe online.
However, it’s Double VPN feature isn’t as customizable as Surfshark’s. Nonetheless, it’s great for beginners that want pre-configured Double VPN servers.
NordVPN’s proprietary WireGuard protocol, NordLynx, outputs some of the fastest speeds we’ve tested.
NordVPN offers Double VPN servers in 9 countries, including the US, UK, and France.
Double Encryption & Private Logging Policy
NordVPN provides double encryption on all of its Double VPN servers. This isn’t a necessary feature, but it provides a further layer of protection and anonymity.
Its minimal logging policy has been backed by four audits, the most recent by Deloitte at the end of 2023. Furthermore, NordVPN operates under the jurisdiction of Panama, a privacy haven exempt from intrusive data laws.
Double VPN is an advanced security feature, but it is only as secure as the company operating it. NordVPN’s excellent logging policy, jurisdiction, and double encryption makes it an ideal option if you’re looking to maximize your security and privacy.
Limited Multi-Hop Server Network
NordVPN used to offer a customizable Double VPN feature, so you could choose an entry and exit server location. Disappointingly, NordVPN removed this functionality from the feature. Now you can only select exit server locations.
NordVPN’s Double VPN server network is limited to 9 destination countries:
- Canada
- France
- Hong Kong
- Netherlands
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Taiwan
- UK
- US
However, NordVPN recorded a respectable average speed loss of just 19% when connecting to distant Double VPN servers, which should help mitigate the restricted server coverage.
NordVPN’s Double VPN connections were on average faster than Surfshark and Proton VPN’s.
3. Proton VPN: Privacy-Focused Double VPN
Proton VPN’s greatest strengths is its privacy and security standards. It’s genuinely been proven no-logs in independent server and software audits, as well as real-life court cases.
It’s Double VPN servers, called Secure Core servers, are always routed through high-security data centers in Switzerland, Iceland or Sweden to maintain the highest levels of privacy for its users.
Proton VPN’s Secure Core servers don’t offer as much flexibility as Surfshark does, and they are slower on long distance connections, so we’ve ranked it third place.
Proton VPN offers multi-hop (Secure Core) servers in 68 different locations.
Excellent Double VPN Server Coverage
With 68 different server locations and 107 servers, Proton VPN has amazing Double VPN server coverage.
Proton VPN’s extensive server coverage mitigates its mediocre long-distance speeds as it’s unlikely you’ll be located too far away from a Secure Core server.
Slightly Slower Than Competitors
Proton VPN’s Double VPN servers use WireGuard to its full effect, with its short distance servers recording an impressive average speed of 92Mbps. We rarely see a speed decrease of more than 1% on Proton VPN’s shorter distance servers, and its upload speeds follow a similar trend.
At longer distances Proton VPN maintained a slightly disappointing average speed of 60Mbps, and with a higher ping rate than its competitors.
It’s important to note that all VPNs, especially with multi-hop enabled, will slow down your speeds somewhat.
We recommend toggling on the VPN Accelerator in Settings.
Proton VPN is slightly slower than its competitors, so we suggest enabling VPN Accelerator to boost your speeds.
