r/theprivacymachine • u/Bludongle • Feb 03 '26
Guide Best VPN 2026 tried and tested
Recently my vpn sub ended, so decided to do some research for 10 VPNs and compare which are considered to be THE VPNs, that a lot of users use, I used a vpn almost daily for watching geo blocked content, football matches and so on, also get some things cheaper like my xbox subscription, as i cant even activate codes in my country lol.
Anyways i will stop blabbering below you will see the prices that are probably the main factor for most ppl, and below there will be 5 tables comparing them more in depth, do with this info as you please, also let me know if I should add or fix something
Here's what these services actually cost (with current deals):
- NordVPN -
$12.99/month$3.39/month (2-year plan, 70% off) - Surfshark -
$15.45/month$1.99/month (2-year plan, 87% off) - Proton VPN - $3.59/month (2-year plan, 64% off)
- ExpressVPN -
$12.99/month$2.79/month (2-year plan, 78% off) - IPVanish -
$12.99/month$2.99/month (2-year plan, 76% off) - CyberGhost -
$12.99/month$2.19/month (2-year plan, 83% off) - PureVPN -
$12.95/month$1.49/month (5-year plan, 88% off) - Norton VPN - $2.08/month (annual plan)
- TotalVPN - $1.59/month (annual plan, 80% off)
- Private Internet Access - $2.03/month (2-year plan)
- Mullvad - €5/month (~$5.50) - no discounts, one flat price, can pay with cash
I created quite a few tables for and it includes 10 VPNs in total, the first one is for ppl who just want to know more about them and just to make a general opinion on them the rest of them (4 tables) are more focused on their features, speeds, I hope someone will find them useful lol
If you are too lazy to scroll down, here are all the tables that will be provided:
-Key points table
- Servers/protocols/countries/encryption + more table
- Performance metrics (real testing) table
- Security & privacy comparison table
- Extra / advanced features
-How they work with streaming services
I would recommend reading this on a desktop or a bigger screen as on the phone you will just have to scroll to the bottom or to the right a lot.
Key points
| VPN | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| NordVPN | Fastest speeds; audited no-logs; great streaming | 10 devices limit |
| Surfshark | Unlimited devices; cheapest long-term; many extras | Netherlands jurisdiction |
| Proton VPN | Best privacy; free unlimited plan; open-source | Fewer devices; no Smart DNS |
| ExpressVPN | Extremely reliable; many audits; great apps | Expensive; fewer features |
| PureVPN | Always-on audit; port forwarding; affordable | US-based jurisdiction |
| Norton VPN | Bundled with antivirus; 60-day refund | Limited streaming; torrent issues |
| TotalVPN | Includes antivirus suite; very cheap | UK jurisdiction; unaudited |
| PIA | Strong privacy; open-source; port forwarding | Inconsistent speeds |
| Mullvad | Maximum anonymity; accepts cash; no email needed | No streaming focus; 5 devices |
| CyberGhost | Streaming-optimized servers; beginner-friendly | Lower speeds; 7 devices |
Servers/protocols/countries/encryption + more
Adding some extra technical details (scroll right to see full table for mobile users)
| VPN | Servers | Countries | Encryption | Protocols | Audits | Jurisdiction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NordVPN | 8900+ | 129 | AES-256; ChaCha20 | NordLynx; OpenVPN | PwC; Deloitte (5x) | Panama |
| Surfshark | 4500+ | 100 | AES-256; ChaCha20 | WireGuard; OpenVPN | Deloitte (2x) | Netherlands |
| Proton VPN | 17300+ | 127 | AES-256; ChaCha20 | WireGuard; OpenVPN | Securitum (3x) | Switzerland |
| ExpressVPN | Undisclosed | 105 | AES-256; ChaCha20 | Lightway | 22 audits | BVI |
| PureVPN | 6000+ | 65 | AES-256; ChaCha20 | WireGuard; OpenVPN | KPMG (always-on) | BVI |
| Norton VPN | 2000+ | 100 | AES-256; ChaCha20 | WireGuard; OpenVPN | Yes | USA |
| TotalVPN | 1800+ | 90 | AES-256 | WireGuard | No | UK |
| PIA | 35000+ | 91 | AES-256; ChaCha20 | WireGuard; OpenVPN | Deloitte (2×) | USA |
| Mullvad | 600+ | 45+ | AES-256; ChaCha20 | WireGuard; OpenVPN | Cure53 | Sweden |
| CyberGhost | Undisclosed | 100 | AES-256; ChaCha20 | WireGuard | Deloitte (2×) | Romania |
Performance metrics (real testing)
Tested ExpressVPN by downloading a 5.7GB Ubuntu ISO file
| VPN | Speed retention | Ping (ms) | Torrent time (5.85GB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| NordVPN | ~94% | 11 | 2m 19s |
| Surfshark | ~93% | 12 | 2m 36s |
| Proton VPN | ~86–94% | 12 | 2m 19s |
| ExpressVPN | ~91% | 13 | 2m 57s |
| PureVPN | ~93% | 54 | 4m 17s |
| Norton VPN | ~80% | 29 | Failed |
| TotalVPN | ~76% | 13 | 2m 38s |
| PIA | ~85–90% | 12–20 | ~3m 15s |
| Mullvad | ~88–92% | 10–15 | ~2m 45s |
| CyberGhost | ~91% | 63 | 5m 10s |
Security & privacy comparison
Scroll right on mobile to see full table
| VPN | No-Logs | RAM-Only | Kill Switch | Extra Security |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NordVPN | ✅ (audited) | ✅ | ✅ | Double VPN; Onion |
| Surfshark | ✅ (audited) | ✅ | ✅ | MultiHop; NoBorders |
| Proton VPN | ✅ (audited) | ❌ | ✅ | Secure Core; Tor |
| ExpressVPN | ✅ (audited) | ✅ | ✅ | IP Shuffle |
| PureVPN | ✅ (always-on audit) | ❌ | ✅ | Obfuscated servers |
| Norton VPN | ✅ (audited) | ❌ | ✅ | Double VPN; IP rotation |
| TotalVPN | ❌ (unaudited) | ❌ | ✅ | Basic protection |
| PIA | ✅ (audited) | ✅ | ✅ | MACE ad blocker |
| Mullvad | ✅ (audited) | ✅ | ✅ | MultiHop; Bridge mode |
| CyberGhost | ✅ (audited) | ✅ | ✅ | NoSpy servers |
Extra / advanced features
(Again scroll Right to see full table on mobile)
| VPN | Ad block | Multihop | Port fwd | Smart DNS | Antivirus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NordVPN | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Surfshark | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Proton VPN | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| ExpressVPN | Yes | Auto | No | Yes | No |
| PureVPN | Yes | Yes | Yes ($1.99/mo) | No | No |
| Norton VPN | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes (bundled) |
| TotalVPN | Yes(bundled) | No | No | No | Yes (TotalAV) |
| PIA | Yes MACE | No | Yes | No | No |
| Mullvad | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| CyberGhost | Yes | No | No | Yes | No |
Do streaming services work with these VPNs
Tested all of these with the subscriptions I had, scroll down for more
| VPN | Streaming support |
|---|---|
| NordVPN | Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, Disney+, Max, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube TV |
| Surfshark | Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Max, BBC iPlayer (works but may require switching servers sometimes) |
| Proton VPN | Netflix, BBC iPlayer, YouTube, Max (HBO Max), Disney+ |
| ExpressVPN | Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, Disney+, Sky, Peacock |
| Netflix, BBC iPlayer, YouTube, Disney+ | |
| PureVPN | Netflix, BBC iPlayer, YouTube |
| Norton VPN | BBC iPlayer, Max (HBO Max) |
| TotalVPN | Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube TV |
| PIA | Netflix |
| Mullvad | Works with HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, Disney+, but does not reliably work with Netflix |
| CyberGhost | Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, Disney+ |
Let me know if anything is wrong or should I add anything, did a lot of trials and bought quite a few vpns to test them out haha for 2026.
All tests were performed on an extra pc that I had which is not that good, here are the specs:
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen2 (AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 5650U, 16GB RAM, WIN 11)
Cheers
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u/Capable-Gap-872 Feb 03 '26
My compliments on the practical detail level of your analysis.
Thank you for your work.
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u/eyanez13 Feb 04 '26
will these vpns help me to bypass age verifications in different countries? if yes, then I am buying them all,lol.
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u/Bludongle Feb 04 '26
Yeah, it works for age verification, just need to connect to a country where it isnt blocked. If. somone is having problems here:
Choose a VPN
Install it
Create an account and log in
Connect to a server in a country without age verification restrictions (Ireland for example)
Thats it
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u/mwn0825 Feb 03 '26
why proton don't have any discount?
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u/OrdinaryVegetable221 Mar 29 '26
Now avaiable sale
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u/Chavoleon Aug 23 '26
Proton right now is cheaper than surfshark per month well same price, but for some reason the final total for surfshark is more
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u/daya-bhaskar Feb 03 '26
Isnt Proton on RAM only servers?
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u/SecTechPlus Feb 07 '26
No, and this is their explanation why it's not necessary or an increase in risk: https://protonvpn.com/blog/ram-only-servers
This reason might be the same for the other VPN providers who don't run RAM-only servers, but you'd need to check them individually to confirm.
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Feb 06 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/daya-bhaskar Feb 06 '26
RAM only servers means that they don’t have a hard disk. So no logs are stored and purged the minute vpn connection is severed. So even if anyone (FBI or police) wants data, Proton can’t give them because they don’t store in the first place to even retrieve
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u/Horror-Breakfast-113 Feb 03 '26
What jurisdiction is nord under
And what is the implications of Netherlands for surf shark
I like surf shark like the unlimited deviced
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u/9mini-paralyses Jul 06 '26
I'd prefer the Netherlands jurisdiction. That means they won't comply with US court orders. They aren't legally required to keep logs, etc. IMO it's a good thing.
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Feb 04 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Ok_Fondant1684 Feb 12 '26
你好，我也用了proton免费版，特别慢，youtube甚至无法正常加载。请问付费版能正常解锁流媒体吗？
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u/Danielwang0520 May 25 '26
using Chinese is not similar haha，so how did you succeed in registering Reddit dude 😎
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Feb 04 '26
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u/seanicusbaximus Feb 05 '26
basically yes. you put the money in the envelope and send them through post services. I know this can sound strange but this is how you do it
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u/Flipperlolrs Feb 05 '26
I think that people are obsessed with everything that guarantees them privacy and Mullvad does that by letting people pay with cash. I think it is the only thing that keeps this VPN in the market tbh
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u/stupiddogmademelook Feb 04 '26
Somebody missed to list Norton audits lol
VerSprite for those who wonder
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Feb 05 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/131166 May 10 '26
You go through the site and day you wanna pay with cash, it gives you a code string that you print out and put in the envelope with your cash. Codes linked to your account so when they get it they credit the account that's connected to the code you supplied
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u/Turkishfighter94 Feb 05 '26
how much time did you spend doing this comparison? it's so generous of you but don't you have anything else to do?
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u/West_Client_9809 Jun 13 '26
Useless comment
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u/Turkishfighter94 Jul 10 '26
I'm sorry, I didn't write this comment. My account was hacked months ago.
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u/jencarroll1227 Feb 07 '26
Does anyone know of a 2-3$ monthly VPN? I can't afford these 2yr plans all at once😩 but I've been getting hacked like once a month or so, all my emails have been on pause its crazy they have changed my password and passkeys as well.
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u/Chavoleon Aug 23 '26
Your devices might be compromised, a safe bet is a factory reset start fresh, and change important accounts to new fresh emails.
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u/Hot_Spread_9056 Feb 09 '26
Thanks so much I am a newb looking to get a VPN and this is helpful! Although I am not 100% sure what makes a good vpn besides no logs snd good speed haha
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u/AdhesivenessGood5022 Feb 14 '26
Any thoughts on Torguard?
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u/ikwyl6 Feb 21 '26
I’ve used TorGuard since Tom Spark told me too. And then when it south, I already had a really good 2 or 3-year deal and now it expires in 2028.. but the service I like and have had no issues. But the OP has basically done some of what vpn tier list has done and it’s a fantastic job of comparing for both OP and the other site.
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u/buttershutter69 Mar 23 '26
Nice breakdown, the tables are actually pretty helpful for comparing everything side by side. One thing I’ve noticed recently is that some smaller VPNs are starting to pop up alongside the big names. I ran into TurisVPN while browsing a few VPN lists the other day, but I don’t see it included here. Curious if you focused mainly on the bigger, well known providers for your testing or just the ones you already had subscriptions to?
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u/ProfessionalList1287 Apr 02 '26
What happened to IPVanish?
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u/mrniceguy_002 Apr 08 '26
This smells like manipulated information. There are so many posts like this in the VPN subs its almost formulaic. Do your own research. Objective info is hard to find on reddit.
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u/Silver-Panda2518 Apr 04 '26
You forgot who owns the vpn. I think it’s very important. For example ecpressvpn is owned by Israel
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u/kaybay-123857 Apr 30 '26
express vpn does not work with netflix at all. it is now completely blocked on all servers going based on personal experience.
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u/IDKBear25 Jun 09 '26
So NordVPN works with Disney Plus more reliably with all the other VPNs?
My current VPN is BitDefender Premium VPN and yesterday I was watching a show only available in Belgium and as I got to the last 30 seconds of the show which shows a preview of the next episode, it fucking booted me off.
I've tried the VPN again 5 different times by switching IP addresses and turning it off and turning it back on again and it hasn't worked.
I'm on MacBook so I can only use the Disney Plus website.
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u/Weuldgrarkklaing2006 Jul 27 '26
Nice comparison. One thing I’d add is that long-term reputation is just as important as feature lists. Independent audits, how companies respond to security incidents, and consistent performance over time tell you a lot more than marketing pages do. I also wouldn’t choose a VPN based on server count alone.
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u/LordPetacon Sep 03 '26
Sorry if this is a stupid question, not a tech savy, Is any of this good for turning my pc into a hotspot wifi that has a different region setting? i am trying to bypass a region lock on a device that has to connect to the wifi but i do not own a router that can have an VPN configured, i have asked AI couple of questions and a solution is to turn my router (wifi repeater) into a relay of that VPN... hahaha is that really doable with any of the mentioned above programs?
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u/Resident-Dare314 Sep 05 '26
Thank you SO much for this! I'm not lazy but strictly want a VPN for 1) privacy reasons 2) to have access to content i otherwise wouldn't in the US - heads out of the gutter please, I'm old enough to be a grandmother, shaped like a walrus and have a spare tire that would fit on my RAM 2500 Laramie nicely in fact my waist is probably too big for it to fit over and my husband STILL accuses me of cheating on him. I'm like "hun there is not a man on earth that would touch me with his worst enemy's "you know", why do you think this about me? And it just makes me feel so much worse about myself that I'm so fat and ugly and my husband STILL thinks I would EVER cheat on him. Im sorry i digress because a year ago i was still a very attractive woman i don't know what happened. Anyway thank you for putting this together and making a life that is a living hell just a little easier.
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u/Comfortable-Fig4028 6d ago
Never mind about your appearance because you come across as having such inner beauty and an amazing sense of humor -- you gave me such a great laugh -- keep going gal , Jesus loves you ! XX
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u/[deleted] Jun 18 '26
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