5 Best VPN Services (2024): For Routers, PC, iPhone, Android, and More

In my testing, speeds with TunnelBear were competitive with the other options listed here. One of my favorite parts of TunnelBear is the free trial option, which makes it easy to test-drive it and see what your speeds are like without committing. TunnelBear has fewer geographic server locations than some of our other options, but unless you’re traveling abroad or need to get around a specific geo-restriction, that shouldn’t matter for most users.

TunnelBear costs $3.33 per month if you buy one year upfront.

The Fastest VPN

NordVPN has been in our guide for years, though after some bad customer-service incidents we pulled it out to retest. After testing NordVPN over the past six months, and repeatedly asking customer service to solve problems, which they did, I am adding it back to our list of recommendations.

In 2020 Nord Security merged with Surfshark VPN (recommended above). Both VPNs continue to operate independently, but there is considerable overlap in the services offered. Nord’s parent company is based in Panama, which is outside the 14-Eyes Alliance, meaning there’s nothing forcing NordVPN to gather user data.

NordVPN has much to recommend about it, perhaps the highlight being speed, especially when it comes to upload speeds, which makes it a popular choice for sharing torrents. I like the built-in ad and tracking blocker in the mobile app, and NordVPN is great for unblocking entertainment sites like Netflix, Hulu, and Max. The NordVPN apps offer a kill switch that automatically stops your traffic if your VPN connection fails, and it supports multi-hop VPN connections. NordVPN supports a good variety of protocols, including OpenVPN, IKEv2/IPsec for mobile, and what the company calls NordLynx, which is based on WireGuard.

NordVPN’s track record for privacy is pretty good too. In October 2024, in connection with a criminal investigation, NordVPN received a binding warrant from the Panamanian government to provide user data. The company says “the only information we were able to provide was payment-related data and confirmation about the existence of the account tied to the email address provided to us by the authorities.”

Best for High-Risk Use Cases

If you’re in a situation where personal security is of the utmost importance, do not rely on a VPN. Use Tor (ideally through Tails) instead. Using the Tor network accomplishes some of the same things as a VPN, but it’s different. Tor provides anonymity, meaning no one can figure out who you are, but not necessarily privacy. People still might be able to see what you’re doing, they won’t know it’s you doing it. (VPNs provide privacy because no one can see what you’re doing while you’re going out of a VPN tunnel, but you don’t have anonymity because the VPN provider knows who you are.)

Tor is simple to set up. All you need to do is download the Tor browser and it will connect you to the web. Once connected to the Tor network, you can browse the web normally. Except everything will be slower. When using Tor, your request for a website hops around the Tor network, bouncing between servers, before emerging and connecting to the site you want to visit. This makes Tor slow, sometimes incredibly slow, but that’s necessary to protect your anonymity. And yes, you can combine a VPN with Tor, though that’s somewhat beyond the scope of this guide.

Other VPNs We’ve Tried

• ExpressVPN: We also used to recommend ExpressVPN, but we no longer do because it has a new parent company and we haven’t been able to verify anything about it.
• Google One VPN: Google One VPN was part of Google One but is slated to be shut down. We never recommended it—let us not forget that Google has repeatedly been caught collecting data that it said it wasn’t collecting, which is not what you want to hear from a VPN provider. Nor do we recommend the VPN that comes with Google Fi or the one available in Pixel phones. If you aren’t paying for your VPN, two things will happen: It will either shut down, or you will be the thing being sold. Most of the VPNs we recommend are about $5 per month; real privacy is worth $5 a month.

There are a lot of VPNs out there, but most are not worth your money. If all you want to do is circumvent some Netflix geographic restrictions, then just about any of them will work (we still suggest sticking with our recommended options, but if you can’t be stopped, then carry on). For anything more serious, like actually protecting your privacy and data, learn to use Tor. Yes, it’s a little technical, but trust me, it’s worth learning how to do if your life, family, and job are at stake.

The Best Free VPN

As noted above, ProtonVPN has a free version. It’s limited to a single device and there are only three servers to connect to which means it can be slow. There are no logs, no ads, and no other limits. In my testing, it was slower than the paid account, but it does work. Several other VPNs offer 30-day money-back guarantees, here’s the details on NordVPN’s refund policy.

Other than that, it’s worth keeping in mind the adage, “If you’re not paying for it, you are the product.” Do not trust a VPN that isn’t taking your money (and don’t trust many that are either). The good news is that all the picks above offer free trials, which allow you to evaluate how well each VPN will work in your unique situation and for your needs.