10 Best VPN Services of 2026

Proton VPN is the safest default in a crowded market. The free plan is the best we found: no ads and no data cap, though it limits you to one device and assigns a server from 10 countries at random. VPN Plus opens the full network of more than 20,000 servers in over 140 countries, supports streaming and P2P, blocks ads, trackers and malware, and covers 10 devices. The apps are open source and the no-logs policy has been independently audited, which counts for a lot when a company can see all your traffic. At $3.49 a month on a 2-year plan it is fairly priced, and Proton Unlimited folds in Proton Mail, Pass and Drive for more. The monthly price of $9.99 is less attractive, and the free tier is too limited for streaming. Overall, it is the VPN we would recommend first.

NordVPN is the most complete paid suite on this list. Every plan covers 10 devices and includes scam and phishing protection. Complete adds next-gen antivirus, ad and tracker blocking, monitoring for your email, phone, cards and ID numbers, a password manager and 1 TB of cloud storage. Ultra adds Incogni, a service that asks data brokers to remove your details. The apps are fast and well designed, and a dedicated IP is available if you need one for work or banking. The trade-off is pricing structure: the best deals require a 2-year term and renew at noticeably higher rates, and the cheapest Basic plan lacks the ad blocker. Its pricing page showed only zloty from our location, so we list the price as pending. Pick NordVPN if you want one vendor for VPN and everyday security tools.

ExpressVPN has long been the VPN that just works, and the apps remain among the easiest to use. Its Lightway protocol is fast and now includes post-quantum protection, and servers cover 113 countries. Plans now come in three tiers. Basic covers 10 devices and blocks ads, trackers and malicious sites. Advanced raises that to 12 devices and adds the ExpressKeys password manager. Express Pro covers 14 devices and includes a dedicated IP. Each tier also bundles credits for ExpressAI and a private email relay, which few people buy a VPN for. The weak spot is value. Renewal prices are high compared with Proton VPN or Surfshark, and the long-term deals run 28 months. Its order page showed euros only from our location, so we mark the USD price as pending. Choose ExpressVPN if ease of use is worth a premium to you.

Mullvad is the anti-marketing VPN. There is one price, €5 a month, whether you pay for a month or a decade, and it never runs sales. You sign up by generating an account number, not by entering an email, and you can pay with cash in an envelope or cryptocurrency for full anonymity. Each account covers 5 devices. The apps are open source and simple, and Mullvad also offers a privacy-focused browser. This approach suits people who want privacy without a sales funnel. It also has limits. There is no free plan, no port forwarding, and Mullvad does not market streaming support the way NordVPN or ExpressVPN do. The 14-day refund window is shorter than most. The page shows $5.63 as the USD equivalent of the euro price, so US buyers pay a little more or less as rates move.

Surfshark's main selling point is simple: there is no device limit. One account covers every phone, laptop, tablet and TV in the house, which makes it the easiest choice for a big family. The VPN itself comes with useful extras. Bypasser lets banking apps skip the tunnel, Rotating IP changes your address during a session, and Dynamic MultiHop routes traffic through two servers. An ad blocker and cookie pop-up blocker clean up browsing, and Alternative ID generates a masked email and a throwaway persona for sites you do not trust. Higher tiers add antivirus, data leak alerts and Incogni data removal. Pricing relies on 2-year deals, and the bundle names shift often enough to confuse. The page showed zloty only from our location, so the price is pending. Choose Surfshark if device count is your constraint.

CyberGhost is one of the cheapest well-known VPNs on this list if you commit to its longest plan, which works out to $2.19 a month, just above PIA's $2.03. It backs that plan with a 45-day money-back guarantee, the longest window here, so you have six weeks to test streaming and speed. Every plan covers 7 devices and access to servers in 100 countries, with 24/7 live support and an optional dedicated IP. The apps are aimed at beginners, with clear presets rather than walls of settings. The compromises are easy to spot. Seven devices is fewer than NordVPN's 10 or Surfshark's unlimited, the monthly plan costs $12.99 with only 14 days to claim a refund, and the order page leans hard on countdown timers. If you want the lowest long-term price from a big-name VPN, CyberGhost delivers it.

IVPN wins on candor. Its pricing page lists what it does not do: no port forwarding and no streaming guarantees, with a network of 58 locations in 41 countries. What it does offer is a carefully built privacy service. Signup needs no email, apps are open source, WireGuard connections are quantum resistant, and annual third-party audits have run since 2019. AntiTracker blocks trackers at the DNS level, and obfuscation protocols help on restrictive networks. Pricing is plain USD with no countdown timers: Standard costs $6 a month, $60 a year or $2 for a single week, which is handy for a trip. Plus and Pro Suite add DNS and email privacy services and more devices. If you mainly want to stream, look elsewhere. If you want a VPN that tells you exactly what you are buying, IVPN is a strong choice.

Private Internet Access, usually called PIA, offers a lot for little money if you commit for years. The longest plan works out to $2.03 a month and renews at $81.20 every three years, a renewal price the page states clearly. The 1-year plan is $3.99 a month. Every plan allows unlimited simultaneous devices, and servers span 113 countries. Add-ons include antivirus and a dedicated IP. The apps expose more connection settings than most rivals, which experienced users will like and beginners may find cluttered. The monthly plan at $11.95 is poor value next to the long plans. PIA is a good fit for people who want unlimited devices for the lowest long-term cost and are comfortable with a few more settings.

Windscribe is the most flexible VPN on this list when it comes to paying. You can start on the free plan, pay $1 per location per month with a $3 minimum through Build A Plan, or buy Pro at $9 a month or $69 a year. That yearly price, $5.75 a month, is competitive without the 2-year commitments others push. Pro opens servers in more than 69 countries and 112 cities. R.O.B.E.R.T, its blocker, filters ads, trackers and malware at the DNS level, and a config generator lets you use OpenVPN, IKEv2 or WireGuard on routers and other devices. You can pay with cryptocurrency or cash. The catch with Build A Plan is data: each location adds just 10 GB a month. It is best for people who connect to a handful of countries and want low, flexible bills.

TunnelBear is the VPN we would give to someone who is nervous about technology. The app is cheerful and clear, you pick a country and connect, and there is little else to learn. The free plan gives 2 GB of browsing, enough to test the service or protect occasional hotel Wi-Fi, but not enough for daily use. TunnelBear Unlimited, from $3.33 a month, covers unlimited devices and adds split tunneling, city-level server selection and priority support. A Teams plan costs $5.75 per user per month with central billing. TunnelBear says it is the only consumer VPN provider to run annual security audits and publish the results, a claim we did not verify independently, but the audits are public. It has fewer extras than the big suites and does not push streaming. For simplicity and a low price, it works well.