You have come to the right place. Welcome! My name is Tim, and I created this site. I come from the world of computer networks and IT security, work with VPNs on a daily basis, and know a thing or two about what separates the good from the bad.
The one promise I will make is that every speed test, review, and all opinions you find on this site will always be unbiased. No BS, period. And while this site does focus on VPN speed, I never overlook any of the other factors that can be just as important when evaluating a VPN service.
The table below will give you, at a glance, all of the up to date relevant information on what I consider to be the top VPN providers out there. For each service, you will also find a complete speed test as well as a full review. If you’re interested, this is how we run speed tests. The numbers in the table are for the most popular connection location, the United States.
Below the table, you’ll find other handy information, including how to pick a VPN service that is right for you and a quick explanation of the three common VPN speed metrics.
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How To Choose a VPN Service
When choosing a VPN service, above all, you want to make sure that it will meet your needs. We all use VPN services for a variety of reasons, and what’s important to you may be less so to someone else. This is why I suggest anyone looking for a VPN takes a few minutes and read over the points below. Doing this should help you identify what’s important to you and help you invest in a product that’s just right.
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Location
We usually get a VPN with the intent of connecting to a particular location or country. Is there a specific one you’re hoping to connect to? If so, pay attention to how many servers (if any) a VPN provider has in that locations. If this information is available, also take note of the number of IPs. The more of both, the better.
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Speed
How fast a VPN service can make or break our experience of using it. You should first ask yourself which speed metric is important to you. I explain the three major VPN speed measurements further down this page.
It is also possible to care about multiple metrics. I for example very much care about both upload and download speed, but ping time is much less of consideration.
Once you know what you need, lean towards a VPN service with the fastest metrics in the country or location you would like to connect to. You can use my handy fastest VPN summary table to quickly narrow down your selection. Remember that just because a VPN provider has blazing fast servers in the US, it does not mean they also will in the Netherlands.
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Privacy and Logging
For many of us, increased online privacy is the primary reason to use a VPN. If this is something that is important to you, the first thing to check is if the provider you’re considering does not keep logs (this is also known as a zero log or logless service) and what kind of information about you they do keep.
The country the VPN company is based out of can also affect both its data retention policies as well as what they need to disclose when told to do so. When possible, choose a country where no such laws exist.
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Technical Features
You may have a preferred VPN protocol (OpenVPN, PPTP, L2TP, etc…) you intend on using. Does the provider you’re considering offer it?
If you don’t care about a particular protocol, I recommend you at least check if OpenVPN is available. It is considered the most secure and, all things being equal, the best VPN protocol around. If you have no strong preference, use it over any other option.
If you intend on using file sharing, peer-to-peer or BitTorrent services, you should ensure the VPN provider you’re considering allows these activities. Even though BitTorrent is often used for completely legal and legitimate reasons, some VPN providers choose to blanket disallow its usage to protect themselves from anyone using BitTorrent for more questionable purposes.
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Platform Features
Not all VPN services are available on all devices or operating systems. Amongst those that are, some do not necessarily offer the same features on each platform. What I mean is that on an Android device, the fastest VPN software may not have all the same options implemented as the Windows version. The same goes for an AppleTV or router implementation.
Whatever platforms you’re planning to use the VPN on, double check that all relevant features (and especially all those you really care about) are available on it.
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Restrictions
Some VPN providers impose limitations on their service. A maximum number of simultaneous connection is a very common one. Take stock of how many connection you’re reasonably going to need. Certain providers only allow two concurrent connections, and for others, that number could be ten. Pick one that will meet your needs.
Other restrictions to keep in mind include limits on upload or download amounts, or intentionally reduced speed at certain times of the day.
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Price
The cost of VPN services can vary significantly, and how much you’re willing to pay can eliminate some options right off the get go. Committing to six or twelve months instead of going month to month will bring the price down significantly, but before you take that path, you should be sure that provider is right for you.
If you’re hesitant to make a long-term commitment, check what refund policy a VPN service offers. Some also offer a free trial. This way you can evaluate them with zero worries.
If you decide to go down the month to month subscription road, check whether a switch to a longer term subscription is possible later on. That way, if that fastest VPN service turns out to be all that you have hoped for and more, the cheaper cost options is still there.
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Payment Options
Some of us may have a strong preference for certain methods of payment over others. If privacy matters to you, you will likely want to pay using Bitcoin. Or you may just not feel comfortable giving yet another company your credit card number and choose to use PayPal.
Whatever your payment preference, you should always double check the VPN provider accepts it before you look into them any further.
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Customer Support
To a greater or lesser extent, customer support should be on everyone’s list of important items. Even if you are technically savvy and may not need tech support, something like a billing issue can come up anytime.
24/7 customer service is what I always aim for, and the more interactive the way of reaching support the better. For example, I much prefer live chat over email or a ticketing system. Active social media accounts are also always a positive and can be a good way to get support.
Which Speed Matters?
Fastest VPN Guide is primarily concerned with speed (though I would like to think we don’t overlook any of other relevant metrics either). Because of this, I felt it appropriate to have a special section to briefly describe the three types of VPN speed metrics and which one (or ones) will matter to you depending on your intended usage.
Ping Time
Ping time measures how long it takes for one packet of data to make the trip from your computer to the VPN server and back. It is the reaction time of the high speed VPN connection. Specified in milliseconds, it simulates how fast the server is. The lower the number, the better.
Ping time is critical if you’re using real time application like VOIP (voice over IP), or plan on playing online games.
Download Speed
Download speed determines how quickly data is received. If you intend on receiving large files or a lot of them, download speed most definitely matters. The higher it is, the better.
Using file sharing or file hosting services (like Usenet), or streaming video (especially in high definition) are prime examples of where high download speed is critical.
Upload Speed
The opposite of download speed, it tells you how quickly you can send data to a remote destination. Similar to the download speed, upload speed should matter you if you routinely send many or large files. Again, the higher it is, the better.
Usage examples include syncing files to cloud services like Google Drive or Dropbox. Though in these situations, you will probably want a decent download speed as well. Anything uploaded to a cloud service will presumably eventually be pulled back down.
How the Tests Are Done
At Fastest VPN Guide, every VPN service that we look at is tested using a Window 7 machine and a MacBook Pro. Both devices use a fairly common 30 Mbit down and 5 Mbit up Internet connection.
We run a total of three VPN speed test pairs. Each pair consists of two tests, one using a high speed VPN and the other not using one at all. The two tests are run as close to one another as possible to try to minimize any external factors that may affect speed. The three pairs are run at various times during the day. We then make a VPN speed comparison and take the quickest result.
All tests use Speedtest and TestMy.net. If you’re looking for other services, SpeedOf.Me is also a decent option.
We run tests on US, UK, Canadian, Australian, German, French and Dutch servers (when those countries are available for any given VPN service). The tests originate from Canada. If there are any other countries you would like to see added, please let us know.
When testing, we only use the OpenVPN protocol over UDP. It is the most secure and fastest protocol of the bunch unless you have specific reasons not to, it is the one I recommend using.
The Time of Day Factor
Please note that regardless of what the VPN speed test results say, performance will differ depending on the time of day. There is, unfortunately, no way around it. The more people use a fast VPN service at the same time, the slower it will be. That said, with good services, the slowdown should be minimal. You can typically expect a less than optimal connection around dinner time or early in the evening than you would at 4 AM (though sometimes there are exceptions).
Likewise, if any major event is happening, one that a lot of people may be streaming (a big World Cup game or the Super Bowl are great examples), also expect things to be slower.
You say “use a fairly common 30 Mbit up and 5 Mbit down Internet connection”.
Are those numbers switched?
Yes they were. Thank you for spotting it and letting me know.
Some of the streaming site is using 3rd party product such as IP2Proxy to detect proxy. Do you have a list of VPN providers which is not detected by them?
Sorry, I unfortunately do not. I imagine it would be pretty tough keeping such a list up to date since anytime a VPN provider changes or adds IPs, that may affect whether or not that provider is currently detected by services like IP2Proxy.