5 findings from our VPN tests that surprised us the most
The results are in – and they’re pretty juicy
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VPNs are constantly improving, so we regularly re-test today’sbest VPN servicesto ensure our guides are accurate and up-to-date.
Sometimes this means adjusting stats, but more often than not we uncover significant changes for the VPNs on our radar.
Our latest round of first-hand testing has been no exception. It’s prompted a shakeup in our rankings and revealed all sorts of interesting insights that we’re eager to share with you. From server expansions to customer support hiccups, here are the top five findings from our VPN re-reviews.
NordVPN– from $2.99 per monthThe best VPN overallIf you’re looking for a solid VPN with the perfect balance of speed, security, and value for money, there’s one standout choice: NordVPN. With servers in over 111 countries, fantastic unblocking capabilities, and a user-friendly interface, NordVPN gets all of the essentials right and has a huge number of extra security features to keep your data private. Interested? Check it out risk-free with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
1. Proton VPN’s server network is going global
We’re always happy to see a provider improve on a relatively weak point – and nowhere has there been a more evident improvement than Proton VPN’sserver network.
Proton VPNnow has servers in 112 countries, making it the undisputed leader when it comes to per-country coverage, beatingNordVPNat 111 andExpressVPNat 106. Much of this growth comes from significant coverage in Africa and the Middle East, too, which other top-tier providers tend to cover more sparsely.
Proton VPN has servers in 112 countries, making it the undisputed leader in per-country coverage
Proton VPN is now one of the most versatile options on the market for folks looking to do some server hopping and access geo-restricted content – but it’s a great pick if you need to spoof your connection from a specific location or need a local server to join when prioritizing performance.
Proton VPN already does so much to make its service appealing to whistleblowers and users in countries with heavy internet surveillance, from theSecure Core featurewhich lets you route your VPN connection through another server for added security, to a Stealth protocol that obfuscates your VPN usage. Once you add a truly global presence into the mix, I think it’s clear that Proton VPN is a stellar option for users with hardcore privacy needs.
2. VPNs are getting serious about audits
Transparency is at the heart of the VPN industry – your internet data is simply too important for it not to be.
Thankfully, we’ve seen that today’s top VPNs are taking audits more seriously. ExpressVPN, for instance, recentlycompleted its 18th audit, focusing on its browser extension, whileProton VPN also published the resultsof a no-logs audit. The results of both these audits are fully available on their respective websites.
The importance of these audits cannot be overstated. Without them, there’s no way to effectively verify the claims made byno log VPN providers.
Wondering why no logs policies are so important? Check out our detailedno log VPNexplainer for all the details
We’d love to take these promises at face value – but not at the cost of some serious privacy pitfalls if they don’t turn out to be true. We’ve seen far too many instances of less-than-trustworthy VPN providers harvesting their users' data and selling it on to third parties (andfree VPNstend to be the main culprits). Auditing is the only way forward, and it seems like the top VPNs agree with us.
It isn’t just about data hygiene, either. Regular security audits ensure that VPNs are built correctly without vulnerabilities. If vulnerabilities do exist, however, they’re identified during the auditing process and subsequently addressed before hackers can take advantage of them.
In an ideal world, we’d build everything right the first time, but the reality is that security flaws are practically unavoidable. Finding and fixing them should be a top priority, so don’t be turned off if you find a software audit for the VPN you’re considering has discovered a few. The alternative is that, without audits, these vulnerabilities will still exist and won’t be fixed until it’s too late.
3. Our top VPNs can unblock pretty much everything
Just like auditing, we’ve found that unblocking is a top priority for today’s VPN titans. We put each provider through some pretty rigorous tests to make sure they perform as they should – and we’re happy to report that each one came back with full marks.
No matter whichstreaming VPNyou go for, you’ll have access to Netflix libraries from around the world, as well as sites like BBC iPlayer,AmazonPrime, Disney+, ITV, Channel 4, 9Now, and 10Play.
If you’re on the hunt for a reliableNetflix VPN, our comprehensive rankings and analysis have you covered.
Admittedly, we did run into a few hiccups with ExpressVPN. Access to Netflix Australia and Japan was spotty during our initial testing. This was a surprise, but after retrying (and connecting to different servers) we were able to unblock the libraries.
ExpressVPN accessed Netflix US, Canada, and UK flawlessly the first time, too. We see blips like this happen from time to time, regardless of provider, so we don’t think it’s fair to dock points from ExpressVPN this time around.
While all of our top-rated VPNs performed perfectly, unblocking streaming platforms tends to be a major obstacle for most VPNs – for one reason or another.
Usually, it’s because they useIP addressesthat have already been blacklisted by the likes of Netflix and BBC iPlayer. After all, they’re not a fan of a VPN’s ability to bypass regional restrictions.
Only today’s leading services can afford to stay ahead of the curve by buying new IP addresses and updating their services when their current IPs are blacklisted.
4. PIA’s customer support fails to impress
While we were happy withPrivate Internet Access’actual performance as a VPN – the customer service left us cold.
Our review team encountered a total connection failure when evaluating PIA’s servers and, as you’d expect, got in touch with PIA support to determine the root cause.
A support agent responded quickly and walked us through a reinstall process – but it felt like they were reading from a script instead of listening to what we were saying about the particular issue. Eventually, we were told to use an older version of the VPN, and the support agent in charge of the case simply stopped responding altogether.
We suspect that the issue has been escalated to senior developers for investigation, but the lack of proper communication left a sour taste in our mouths after what was otherwise an excellent experience with PIA’s service.
Customer service is often the extra factor that propels a VPN into greatness and, as far as we can, tell PIA just doesn’t stack up against the competition.
However, it’s important to take this in context. PIA is one of thebest cheap VPNson the market and, let’s be real, quality support staff are expensive
This is the reason why you’ll pay extra for a provider like ExpressVPN. A non-insignificant part of the subscription fee goes towards ensuring that you always have access to 24/7 support.
5. Surfshark’s virtual location issue has been solved
One of the more interesting findings from our tests (and some detective work) uncovered that Surfshark’s virtual server locations seemed to be labeled inconsistently.
The online server list indicated that around 50 locations used virtual location hosting instead of physical servers – but only 27 of these were accurately marked as virtual in the app location browser.
Surfshark is the quickest service on the market today – so head on over to ourfastest VPNpage to see which services are challenging for the throne.
We were curious to see ifSurfsharkwas really hosting physical servers in relatively small and underserved locations like Monaco, the Isle of Man, and Jersey. So, we contacted the VPN with our concerns to see how they’d respond.
In all fairness, Surfshark immediately identified that this was a case of the client apps incorrectly displaying some virtual locations and physical servers and, as a result,updated its labeling within two days.
While it’s unfortunate that this inconsistency wasn’t picked up sooner by Surfshark itself, the speedy resolution showed to us that the provider is willing to respond to feedback and improve, which is always a positive sign.
Sam Dawson is a cybersecurity expert who has over four years of experience reviewing security-related software products. He focuses his writing on VPNs and security, previouslywriting for ProPrivacybefore freelancing for Future PLC’s brands, including TechRadar. Between running a penetration testing company and finishing a PhD focusing on speculative execution attacks at the University of Kent, he still somehow finds the time to keep an eye on how technology is impacting current affairs.
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