1. ExpressVPN
8.4/10
Rank #1 of 12
- Lowest price
- $2.99/moBasic 2 Years + 4 Months
- Money-back
- 30 days
Independent VPN comparisons
VPN comparisons, verified daily.
Independent VPN comparisons. We check prices every day, publish how we score, name the drawbacks and track VPN laws around the world.
- 12 providers tracked
- Prices verified 5 Nov 2026
- No popups, no fake countdowns
Best VPN by use case
- Free trial 6 verified picks
- Travel 5 verified picks
- Torrenting 5 verified picks
- Streaming 6 verified picks
- Privacy 6 verified picks
- Netflix 6 verified picks
Also: iPhone, Gaming, Fire TV Stick, China, Android, Age verification
All best-VPN guides · Black Friday 2026 deals, verified daily
Top-ranked VPNs right now
Ranked by our published scoring, using data checked against official pages. Speed is left out until our lab runs.
We may earn a commission if you buy through links on this page. It never changes our scores. How we make money
2. Proton VPN
8.4/10
Rank #2 of 12
- Lowest price
- $3.49/moVPN Plus, 2 years
- Money-back
- 30 days
3. NordVPN
8.1/10
Rank #3 of 12
- Lowest price
- $3.49/moBasic 2-year
- Money-back
- 30 days
8.1/10
Rank #4 of 12
- Lowest price
- $2.03/mo3 Years + 4 Months Extra
- Money-back
- 30 days
5. CyberGhost
8.0/10
Rank #5 of 12
- Lowest price
- $2.19/mo2 Years + 4 Months
- Money-back
- 45 days
6. Surfshark
7.9/10
Rank #6 of 12
- Lowest price
- $2.49/moSurfshark Starter 24-month
- Money-back
- 30 days
Head-to-head comparisons
All comparisons- Windscribe vs Proton VPN (2026): Free Tiers, Prices, AuditsUpdated 31 Oct 2026
- Proton VPN vs Surfshark (2026): Price, Privacy, DevicesUpdated 5 Nov 2026
- Surfshark vs PIA (2026): Price, Renewal, Audits and DevicesUpdated 5 Nov 2026
- Windscribe vs NordVPN (2026): Prices, Audits and FeaturesUpdated 1 Nov 2026
- NordVPN vs Surfshark (2026): Same Owner, Different DealsUpdated 2 Nov 2026
- NordVPN vs Proton VPN (2026): Audits, Free Tier, RenewalsUpdated 2 Nov 2026
VPN laws and age verification
Country tracker- Texas Age Verification and VPNs: HB 1181 and SB 2420 Age verification in force
- Age Verification Laws by State: Is a VPN Legal in the US? Age verification in force
- Is a VPN Legal in the UK? Online Safety Act and Age Checks Age verification in force
- Australia Age Verification and VPNs: Is a VPN Legal? Age verification in force
- VPN Age Verification Laws: UK, US, Australia and Brazil Age verification in force
Learn how VPNs actually work
All explainers- What Does a VPN Do? What It Changes and What It Does Not
- WireGuard vs OpenVPN: Which VPN Protocol Should You Use?
- What Is a VPN? Meaning, Uses and What It Cannot Do
- VPN vs Tor: What Each Hides and When to Combine Them
- VPN vs Proxy: Encryption, Scope and When a Proxy Is Enough
- What Is a VPN Kill Switch? Meaning, Types, How to Test
- 5 Nov 2026Windscribe VPN API: Buy a VPN With No Account, Paid in USDCWindscribe now sells WireGuard access with no account: $9 a month or $69 a year, paid in USDC on Base. Purchases cannot be refunded.
- 1 Nov 2026Utah Age Verification Enforcement: What It Means for VPNsUtah began enforcing its age-check law for adult sites on 2 November 2026. Its VPN location rule stays blocked, and using a VPN is still legal.
- 31 Oct 2026Utah's VPN Age-Check Provision Blocked: Case Paused to 2027A federal judge blocked the part of Utah's SB 73 that treated VPN users as if they were in Utah. The case is paused until the 2027 session ends.
- 31 Oct 2026NordVPN Moves Obfuscated Servers to NordWhisper on Linux 6.0NordVPN 6.0.0 for Linux, released on 22 October 2026, finishes moving obfuscated servers from OpenVPN to NordWhisper. The switch began on iOS in July 2026.
Verified daily
A scheduled check reads every provider's official pricing, refund and server pages each day and records what changed. How we test.
Published weights
Scores are computed from eight dimensions with weights you can read. Speed stays unscored until our lab measures it. Scoring methodology.
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Commissions never change a ranking, and we show renewal prices next to every deal. How we make money.