Best VPN 2026 — Our Annual Roundup

We ran extended tests across six VPN services — measuring real-world download speeds, auditing privacy policies, and actually using each service daily for a month. Here's what we found.

How we evaluated

• Speed: average download speed across 5 server locations (US, UK, EU, Asia, Oceania)
• Privacy: no-logs policy, audit status, jurisdiction, WebRTC/DNS leak test results
• Ease of use: apps for all major platforms, setup time, UI quality
• Value: price at monthly and annual billing, commitment required

🥇 CyberCat VPN — Best overall

CyberCat leads on the combination of speed, Standard and Stealth on every plan, a clean interface, 24/7 live chat support, and no long-term commitment requirement. It's the VPN we'd recommend to most people — privacy without complexity.

🥈 Mullvad — Best for privacy purists

No-account sign-up, cash payment accepted, and an unwavering commitment to anonymity. Mullvad runs 700+ servers. CyberCat has 23 locations in 19 countries, and Mullvad has no live chat support. For users whose threat model requires maximum anonymity, Mullvad is unmatched.

🥉 ProtonVPN — Best open-source option

All apps are open source and independently audited. The free tier is generous by VPN standards (no data cap, just slower speeds). The interface can be overwhelming for beginners, and the annual price is higher than CyberCat.

NordVPN — Best server network

6,000+ servers across 111 countries makes NordVPN the clear winner on geographic coverage. Threat Protection (their ad blocker) works well. The downside: you need a 2-year commitment to get the advertised price.

ExpressVPN — Most expensive, least value

ExpressVPN's brand recognition outpaces its actual differentiation. At $6.67/month on annual billing, it costs twice what you'd pay for CyberCat for comparable performance. Lightway is fast — so is CyberCat's Standard mode, and Stealth is included on every plan.

Private Internet Access — Best for power users

PIA's 35,000+ servers and unlimited device connections are genuinely impressive. Highly configurable — which means complex for non-technical users. Requires a 3-year commitment for its lowest price.

Bottom line

For most users: CyberCat or Mullvad. For open-source advocates: ProtonVPN. For the largest server network: NordVPN. All four pass our privacy threshold. Avoid free VPNs — they typically monetise your data.