saasrankedSoftware, ranked on the facts

Security & Privacy

Best VPN services

Encrypt your connection and hide your IP address from the websites and networks you use. 9 VPN services, ranked by points out of 100.

Facts checked 8 Oct 2026 · How we score VPN services

In short

  1. 1
    Proton VPNPeople who want a free VPN with no data limit
    81/100
    $6.99/moprice on a one-year plan
  2. 2
    WindscribePeople who want a free VPN or a pay-per-location plan
    79/100
    $5.75/moprice on a one-year plan
  3. 3
    Mullvad VPNPeople who want to sign up without an email and pay one flat price
    78/100
    $5.59/moprice on a one-year plan
  4. 4
    SurfsharkHouseholds with many devices on one subscription
    76/100
    $3.79/moprice on a one-year plan
  5. 5
    Private Internet AccessPeople who want a steady yearly price and open-source apps
    72/100
    $3.99/moprice on a one-year plan
  6. 6
    IVPNPeople who want anonymous sign-up and a price that never jumps
    68/100
    $5/moprice on a one-year plan
  7. 7
    ExpressVPNPeople who want RAM-only servers and many devices on one plan
    65/100
    $7.45/moprice on a one-year plan
  8. 8
    CyberGhost VPNPeople who buy a 2-year plan and want a long refund window
    57/100
    $13.41/moprice on a one-year plan
  9. 9
    TunnelBearPeople who want to try a VPN free before paying
    36/100
    Not publishedprice on a one-year plan

How the points add up

Points earned out of the points available in each part of the method.

ProductPrivacy and audits
of 35		Security features
of 20		Apps
of 15		Everyday use
of 10		Price
of 20		Total
Proton VPN301514101281
Windscribe30151510979
Mullvad VPN3020136978
Surfshark25201510676
Private Internet Access251014101372
IVPN152012101168
ExpressVPN25151510065
CyberGhost VPN2010146757
TunnelBear155115036

Each VPN service in brief

1. Proton VPN

Proton VPN is the pick for people who want a free plan without a data cap. Paid plans add Secure Core double-hop routing and 10 devices, and Securitum audits the no-logs policy every year. The catch: post-quantum encryption is still only planned, and the servers use encrypted disks rather than running from memory alone.

Best for: People who want a free VPN with no data limit. Prices, facts and sources

2. Windscribe

Windscribe suits people who want to start free without an email address and use it on every device. Its apps are open source, its servers run from RAM, and Packetlabs audited the server stack in June 2024. The catch: the free plan is capped at 10 GB a month, and the latest app audits date from 2021 and 2022.

Best for: People who want a free VPN or a pay-per-location plan. Prices, facts and sources

3. Mullvad VPN

Mullvad suits people who put privacy first: you sign up with an account number, can pay in cash or Monero, and pay €5 a month on any term. Its servers run without disks, had an outside audit in 2024, and its open-source apps were audited the same year. The catch is a 5-device limit and no free plan.

Best for: People who want to sign up without an email and pay one flat price. Prices, facts and sources

4. Surfshark

Surfshark suits households that want one subscription for every device, since connections are unlimited. Deloitte checked its no-logs policy in 2023 and 2025, and every server runs from RAM. The catch is renewal: plans renew at full price, so Starter's 1-year plan goes from €50.85 for 15 months to €70.57 a year.

Best for: Households with many devices on one subscription. Prices, facts and sources

5. Private Internet Access

Private Internet Access suits people who want a low yearly price that does not jump at renewal: the 1 Year plan is $47.88 and renews at $47.88. It publishes its app code, runs RAM-only servers and had its setup reviewed by Deloitte for the third time in 2025. The catch: multi-hop runs through a proxy server rather than a second VPN server.

Best for: People who want a steady yearly price and open-source apps. Prices, facts and sources

6. IVPN

IVPN suits privacy-minded users who want anonymous sign-up and a fixed price: no email, cash or Monero accepted, and $60 a year on Standard. Its apps are open source and use post-quantum WireGuard by default. The catch: its audits since 2024 covered its website and side services, not the VPN servers or apps.

Best for: People who want anonymous sign-up and a price that never jumps. Prices, facts and sources

7. ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN suits people who want RAM-only servers, post-quantum Lightway and a regular transparency report. KPMG checked its no-logs claims in 2025. It is run from the British Virgin Islands and owned by Kape Technologies. The catch: sign-up needs an email and a card or wallet payment, and the first-term discount ends at renewal.

Best for: People who want RAM-only servers and many devices on one plan. Prices, facts and sources

8. CyberGhost VPN

CyberGhost suits people who buy a long plan and want a 45-day refund window. Deloitte reviewed its servers and no-logs setup in 2022, 2024 and 2025, and its transparency report covers the first half of 2026. The catch: there is no 1-year plan, the 2-year plan more than doubles in yearly cost at renewal, and only 7 devices connect at once.

Best for: People who buy a 2-year plan and want a long refund window. Prices, facts and sources

9. TunnelBear

TunnelBear suits people who want to try a VPN free before paying, with 2 GB of free browsing. Cure53 audited its apps, servers and APIs in late 2024. The catch: there is no Linux app, quantum-safe protection is still in the works, and the pricing page does not show a yearly price or renewal price.

Best for: People who want to try a VPN free before paying. Prices, facts and sources

Every fact, side by side

Each row is one rule of the method and the points it is worth. "–" means the vendor does not publish it, which earns nothing.

Rule (points)Proton VPNWindscribeMullvad VPNSurfsharkPrivate Internet AccessIVPNExpressVPNCyberGhost VPNTunnelBear
No-logs audit since 2024 (10)YesYesYesYesYes–YesYesYes
App security audit since 2024 (5)YesNoYesYes––Yes–Yes
RAM-only servers (5)NoYesYesYesYes–YesYes–
Open-source apps (5)YesYesYes–YesYes–––
Anonymous sign-up (5)YesYesYes––YesNoNoNo
Transparency report (5)YesYes–YesYesYesYesYes–
WireGuard (5)YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes–
Kill switch (5)YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes
Post-quantum encryption (5)No–YesYes–YesYes–No
Multi-hop (5)YesYesYesYesNoYes–––
Apps (10)5 of 55 of 55 of 55 of 55 of 55 of 55 of 55 of 54 of 5
Browser extensions (3)2 of 33 of 31 of 33 of 32 of 30 of 33 of 32 of 33 of 3
Router setup (2)YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes–
Devices at once (5)10Unlimited5UnlimitedUnlimited10147Unlimited
Split tunnelling (5)YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes–
Free plan with no data cap (5)YesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
Price on a one-year plan (8)$6.99/mo$5.75/mo$5.59/mo$3.79/mo$3.99/mo$5/mo$7.45/mo$13.41/mo–
Same price on renewal (7)YesYesYesNoYesYesNoYes–

Head to head

We read each vendor's own pages, record every fact with its source and date, and score it by the rules on how we score VPN services. A tie goes to the lower price. Consumer VPN services with a Windows app. Business VPNs and self-hosted VPN software are left out. Vendor claims about speed or quality are shown on product pages but never scored. Prices are in US dollars before tax.