How we review VPNs
We review VPNs on the evidence anyone can check: who owns the service, what independent auditors found, what has gone wrong, and what the provider promises in writing.
Why we don't print speed scores
VPN speed depends on where you are, which server you pick, your own internet connection, the time of day and the protocol. A single test run from one city says little about yours, and most review sites don't publish enough detail for anyone to repeat their numbers. We don't run a test lab, so we don't print speed numbers, streaming success rates or star ratings.
What we can do well is check the record. A VPN asks you to trust it with all of your traffic. Whether that trust is earned shows up in documents: ownership filings, audit reports, court cases, breach disclosures and the provider's own policies.
What we check for every service
- Ownership The parent company today, and any recent sale or merger. Many well-known brands share an owner, which matters if you are choosing between them. See who owns your VPN.
- Jurisdiction Where the company that runs the service is registered, since that decides which courts and data laws apply to it.
- Logging policy and audits What the privacy policy says is kept, and whether an independent firm has checked the claim. We record the auditor, the year and what was in scope. See the VPN audit tracker.
- Track record Security incidents, data leaks, court cases and police requests where the outcome showed what the provider could hand over, from primary sources or reputable reporting.
- Security features Protocols offered, kill switch, leak protection and whether the apps are open source, from the provider's documentation.
- Policies on torrenting and streaming What the provider itself allows. We also say plainly that watching another country's catalogue usually breaks the streaming service's terms, and that a VPN doesn't make copyright infringement legal.
- Price and refunds Read from the provider's own pricing page, with the date. Introductory prices often rise at renewal, and we say so when the page shows it.
What the verdicts mean
| Verdict | What it means |
|---|---|
| Strong | Independent audits on record, a clean or well-handled track record, clear policies and transparent ownership. |
| Good | Sound on most points, with a gap: an older or narrow audit, or a past issue that was handled reasonably. |
| Mixed | Real strengths alongside a serious weakness, such as no independent audit, unclear ownership or a poorly handled incident. |
| Weak | Several weaknesses, or claims that the record doesn't support. |
| Avoid | Evidence of logging despite no-logs claims, misleading practices or a serious unresolved problem. |
Best-of lists rank services on the same evidence, weighted for the use in question. A list for streaming weighs a provider's own streaming policy and app support. A list for torrenting weighs its P2P policy and kill switch.
Sources and dates
Every factual claim on a page appears in its source list with the date we read it. We prefer primary sources: the provider's own pages, auditors' reports, court records and official sites. After those we use established technology and news outlets. We don't use other VPN review sites or coupon sites as sources for facts.
Prices, policies and ownership change. Each page shows the date it was last updated. When we learn something has changed, we update the page and its date.
Money and independence
Some links to providers may be affiliate links, which pay us a commission if you buy. Those links are marked "Sponsored link". Providers can't pay for a verdict or a place on a list, and a service with no affiliate program can still rank first. Read how we make money.
Corrections
If something on a page is wrong or out of date, tell us and include a source. We correct errors and update the page's date.