The VPN market is 90% marketing and 10% engineering. Everyone claims the same three things (no logs, military-grade encryption, blazing speeds) and it's almost impossible to tell which claims survive independent scrutiny.
We tested every mainstream provider for six months on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android — with real speed tests, streaming tests, and independent audit reviews. Here's the shortlist.
1. Mullvad VPN — the privacy purist's pick
€5/month, flat, no discounts, no annual plans. No email required. Accepts cash payments in the mail.
If you actually care about privacy (not just streaming), this is the pick. Mullvad publishes its full server infrastructure, has been audited by Cure53 and Assured multiple times, and has demonstrably no logs (they've been raided; nothing was found).
The catch: fewer servers than the big names, doesn't reliably unblock Netflix. If you want a VPN as a privacy tool, this is the best. If you want it as a streaming tool, keep reading.
Get Mullvad here.
2. IVPN — Mullvad's smaller sibling
€6/month or €60/year. Similar philosophy to Mullvad — privacy-first, transparent, independently audited. Slightly nicer app UI.
If Mullvad had a downtime issue or you want a second option, IVPN is the right backup.
3. Proton VPN — the free tier that actually works
Free tier available with unlimited data (just three server locations). Paid Plus tier is $10/month, $60/year, or bundled with Proton Mail.
Best free VPN by a wide margin. The paid tier is competitive with NordVPN on features while being run by a company whose business model isn't dependent on ads.
If you want to try a VPN before paying, start with Proton VPN's free tier.
4. NordVPN — the streaming champion
$3-5/month on the 2-year plan. Yes, the marketing is aggressive. Yes, the pricing is aggressive at renewal. But: it reliably unblocks Netflix libraries worldwide, servers are fast, apps are polished.
If your primary use case is watching Peacock in the UK or BBC iPlayer abroad, NordVPN is the pick. Get it on the 2-year plan and set a calendar reminder to cancel before renewal.
5. Surfshark — unlimited devices at a low price
$2-4/month on the 2-year plan. Unlimited simultaneous connections (rare — most VPNs cap at 5-10), decent streaming unblocking, and the price is genuinely cheap.
Best pick if you have a household with 8+ devices you want to run through the VPN.
The three big-name VPNs to avoid
ExpressVPN — bought by Kape Technologies in 2021, which has a history of adware and previously owned known malware operators. The underlying tech is still fine, but the ownership structure makes "trust us with all your traffic" a hard sell.
HideMyAss — even the name is misleading; owned by Avast which was caught selling user data. Actively harmful.
Any "free VPN" that isn't Proton — free VPNs are almost universally selling your data, injecting ads, or running out-of-date encryption. Free Proton is fine. Everything else free — Hola, Betternet, Turbo VPN, TouchVPN — is worse than no VPN at all.
Rule of thumb: if a VPN advertises heavily on YouTube, it's optimising for sales, not for you. If it's boring, quiet, and audited — that's usually the one to pick.
What a VPN actually does (and doesn't)
Does:
- Hides your traffic from your ISP and your Wi-Fi network host
- Encrypts your traffic on untrusted networks (hotel Wi-Fi, coffee shops)
- Changes your apparent location for geo-restricted content
- Prevents your IP address from being logged by websites you visit
Doesn't:
- Make you anonymous online (browser fingerprinting is far more invasive than IP tracking)
- Protect you from malware
- Hide your traffic from the VPN provider itself (which is why picking a trustworthy one matters)
- Make you safer on your home Wi-Fi (that traffic is already private)
For most people, the biggest privacy wins come from a password manager, 12 free privacy tools, and better browser habits — a VPN is the last layer, not the first.
Which one should you actually get?
Simple guide:
- Casual privacy + occasional streaming: Proton VPN free → upgrade to Plus if you love it ($60/year)
- Serious privacy, don't need Netflix hacks: Mullvad (€60/year)
- Netflix/streaming is the goal: NordVPN 2-year plan (~$100 for 2 years)
- Big household, unlimited devices: Surfshark 2-year plan (~$80 for 2 years)
- Business use with fixed IP requirement: NordLayer or Perimeter 81 (not consumer VPNs)
Setup takes ten minutes
Once you've picked one:
- Sign up + download the app for each device
- Install browser extensions on Chrome/Firefox
- Turn on "Kill Switch" in the app (blocks internet if the VPN drops — critical)
- Connect to a nearby server for daily use, a specific country for streaming
- Add exceptions for your banking apps (some banks flag VPN traffic as suspicious)
Need help?
If setting up a VPN and configuring it correctly feels overwhelming, book a 30-minute session and we'll get you fully set up. From $29 flat.
How we tested for privacy recommendations
Every tool recommended here was set up on real devices and used in real workflows for a minimum of 30 days. For each password manager, VPN, browser extension, or backup service, we specifically checked: what data the service actually collects, how transparent their business model is, whether they've been independently audited, and what happens if the company goes under.
We reviewed audit reports where available (Cure53, iVerify, Trail of Bits are the auditors we weight most heavily) and read the actual privacy policies — not just the marketing summary. A product doesn't make our recommended list unless we're comfortable with a family member using it long-term.
Related privacy guides
- 12 free privacy tools you can set up in one rainy afternoon — the full weekend setup.
- 7 best password managers for families — the honest ranking.
- 5 VPN services worth paying for — plus the three to skip.
- The complete backup guide — because privacy without backups is fragile.
Common privacy questions we get
Am I paranoid for wanting more privacy?
No. Privacy tools are just seatbelts — you're not expecting a crash, but you'd rather have them. The barrier for the vast majority of attacks is low; a password manager and 2FA alone puts you in the safest 5% of internet users.
Isn't switching to privacy-focused tools a big commitment?
The initial migration takes an afternoon. After that, most privacy tools are set-and-forget — you use them the same way you used the tracker-heavy alternative, just without the data leak.
What's the single most impactful privacy upgrade?
A password manager (Bitwarden free tier, if budget is zero). Second: 2FA on your critical accounts. Third: privacy-friendly search + browser (DuckDuckGo, Firefox with Enhanced Tracking Protection strict).