Privacy is the component this site already weights most heavily, so this guide weights it harder still — and then asks what can actually be verified.
Every provider claims not to log. The difference between them is what happens when that claim is tested: independent audits, RAM-only infrastructure that cannot retain data after a restart, named ownership, and court cases where the answer was nothing.
We record those facts per provider rather than summarising them into a feeling. Where a claim has never been examined we say so — not published is a real answer and it is printed as one.
Ordered by how well each one fits this task, not by our overall ranking — every score here is the score on that provider's review.
Swiss jurisdiction, open-source apps and a transparency report with real numbers in it.
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Privacy 9.7, the highest we publish: Swiss jurisdiction, open-source apps and a transparency report with numbers in it.
Six independent no-logs audits, a RAM-only fleet, and the highest overall score in our comparison.
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Privacy 9.6 with six audits and RAM-only servers — the claim is enforced in hardware rather than in a policy document.
Swedish, independent, no account email, no subscription tier — and a police raid that came up empty.
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Privacy 9.4, Swedish jurisdiction and a court-tested record: a 2023 police raid that left with nothing.
Privacy carries 55% here — the heaviest single weight of any guide — with speed and ease of use at 15% and 10%, value at 10% and streaming at 10%. The privacy component itself is built from jurisdiction, audits, infrastructure and court evidence.
| Criterion | Weight | How it is scored |
|---|---|---|
| Privacy | 55 % | Jurisdiction and data-retention law; membership of the 5/9/14-Eyes alliances; independent audits of the no-logs claim with a named firm and date; whether servers are RAM-only, which makes retention structurally impossible; documented cases of legal compulsion; how much identifying information signup collects. |
| Speed | 15 % | An architectural estimate, not our own benchmark. Protocol support and whether WireGuard is available; RAM-only versus disk infrastructure; server density and proximity to major cities; dedicated streaming and gaming capacity; stability reported in published independent reviews. |
| Ease of use | 10 % | How quickly a non-technical person can install, connect and trust the app; whether servers are labelled by purpose; platform coverage including smart TVs and routers; and whether support is reachable and useful. |
| Value | 10 % | The effective monthly cost of the longest term offered, weighted against what the subscription actually delivers — device count, features and network size. Providers whose renewal price roughly doubles score lower, because the real cost of a VPN is the second year, not the first. |
| Streaming | 10 % | How consistently the provider restores geo-blocked catalogues across major streaming services, whether it maintains dedicated servers for them, and how often the answer changes. Providers that do not attempt this score low by design, which we state rather than penalise silently. |
The full table with the same published scores. Sort it here, or open the main comparison with filters.
| # | VPN | Our score | From /month | Devices | Jurisdiction | Audits | Free tier | Guarantee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | ExternalNordVPNBest overall | 9.3 | $3.09 | 10 | Panama Outside | 6x Deloitte | No | 30 days |
| #2 | ExternalSurfsharkBest value | 9.1 | $2.49 | Unlimited | Netherlands 9 Eyes | 2x Deloitte | No | 30 days |
| #3 | ExternalExpressVPNBest for speed | 9.0 | $4.96 | 8 | British Virgin Islands Outside | 6x KPMG | No | 30 days |
| #4 | ExternalProton VPNBest privacy | 8.9 | $3.68 | 10 | Switzerland Outside | 5x Securitum (no-logs) | Yes | 30 days |
| #5 | ExternalCyberGhostBest for beginners | 8.9 | $2.69 | 7 | Romania Outside | 3x Deloitte | No | 45 days |
| #6 | ExternalPrivate Internet AccessBest for power users | 8.5 | $1.64 | Unlimited | United States 5 Eyes | 3x Deloitte | No | 30 days |
| #7 | ExternalWindscribeBest free tier | 8.4 | $2.25 | Unlimited | Canada 5 Eyes | 2x Leviathan Security Group | Yes | 30 days |
| #8 | AdAdGuard VPNBuilt-in ad blocking | 8.4 | $2.99 | 10 | Cyprus Outside | None found | Yes | 30 days |
| #9 | ExternalTunnelBearBest simple apps | 8.1 | $3.67 | 5 | Canada 5 Eyes | 9x Cure53 | Yes | 30 days |
| #10 | ExternalIVPNBest transparency | 7.9 | $4.12 | 2 | Gibraltar Outside | 7x Cure53 | No | 30 days |
| #11 | ExternalMullvadBest anonymity | 7.5 | $5.00 | 5 | Sweden 14 Eyes | 6x Cure53 | No | 30 days |
No provider matches those filters. Try widening them.
Start with jurisdiction and ownership: where the company is, which intelligence alliances that country belongs to, and who is behind it. None of that is secret — we list it on every review — and it changes what a legal request can compel.
Then look for the boring evidence: how many audits, which firm, when the last one was, and whether the infrastructure would even hold the data after a restart. A provider with seven audits and named owners is a different proposition from a logo and a promise.
Proton VPN on our privacy component, at 9.7 of 10. NordVPN follows at 9.6 with RAM-only infrastructure and six audits, and Mullvad at 9.4 with Swedish jurisdiction and no account email at all. All three are open about what they are.
In most countries yes, including Sweden, the EU and the US. A minority of countries restrict or license them, and the rules change. Check the law that applies where you are before you rely on one — we will not give you a single global answer.
No. It hides your address from the sites you visit and from your network operator, not from yourself: your accounts, your browser and your payment provider still know who you are. Treat a VPN as one layer, not as a costume.
Twelve guides, one per task. Pick the job you actually have.
All eleven providers, with the same published scores this guide is built on — no separate list, no inflated numbers.
