When seeking to protect your privacy on the internet, it is reasonable to ask the question ‘Which is the fastest VPN?’ After all, while VPNs can help you to speed up your connection speeds by stopping your internet service providers from limiting your bandwidth, that benefit is rather nullified if the VPN itself has particularly slow download speeds.
So which is the fastest VPN? Well, to answer that question, it’s best to look at the download speeds of the major VPN providers. This can be most easily quantified in megabits per second (Mbit/s).
However, one problem that we face in determining the fastest VPN is that, by their very nature, VPNs use a huge number of different servers, and different servers can be faster or slower than one another. Two people using the same VPN provider, for example, might experience different connection speeds because one of them uses a server in Japan, while another uses a server in Argentina.
Therefore, in order to ascertain which provider is truly the fastest, we have to take a look at the average Mbit/s of all the servers that an individual VPN provider offers. However, because we’re dealing with averages here, someone using the provider with the fastest Mbit/s might find themselves with a slower connection than somebody using the second fastest Mbit/s. Equally, performance can change and fluctuate over time. For this reason, we have selected a top three for you.
The fastest VPN providers are as follows:
1. The Fastest VPN
NordVPN is one of the biggest names in the VPN field, which boasts connection speeds of 65.79Mbit/s using OpenVPN encryption. NordVPN also uses the faster WireGuard protocol in order to encrypt your data almost instantaneously, so if you’re stickler for privacy, that should tickle your fancy.
NordVPN is a popular choice with internet users for good reason, because it provides a steady and reliable service, with more than 5,000 servers in over 60 countries around the world. If you’re not satisfied with the speed in one of them, there are plenty of others to choose from, so you could still find download speeds that exceed your native connection.
| NordVPN features | |
|---|---|
| Locations | 5,308 servers in 60 countries |
| Services unblocked | Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, YouTube |
| Free trial length | No free trial |
| Money-back guarantee | 30 days |
| Simultaneous connections | 6 |
| Router support | Yes |
2. The second fastest VPN
With an average connection speed of 65.32Mbit/s, PureVPN is one of the fastest VPN providers. This is a particularly appealing option for anybody who is particularly concerned about their privacy, because in order to reassure customers that it is not being as callous with their data as an internet service provider might be, it has an annual independent audit to confirm its trustworthiness.
If you want to dip your toe without buying the bathtub, you may be pleased to hear that PureVPN offers a seven day free trial, allowing you to try it out before you make any monetary commitment. Even after that, they have a 30-day moneyback guarantee, so if you’re not satisfied with its speed or performance as you get towards the end of your first month, you can get a full refund.
| PureVPN features | |
| Locations | 6,500+ servers in 140+ countries |
|---|---|
| Services unblocked | Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Disney+, Hulu, YouTube |
| Free trial length | 7 days |
| Money-back guarantee | 30 days |
| Simultaneous connections | 10 |
| Router support | Yes, but only under PPTP and OpenVPN |
3. The third fastest VPN
With ExpressVPN you can enjoy connection speeds of up to 55.76Mbit/s on OpenVPN, and even higher using its own Lightway encryption. In our best VPN guide, we mentioned that ExpressVPN is the best gaming VPN. In part, this is because of the fact that it more than 3,000 servers across 94 countries, but its speed is also going to be appealing to gamers who have been burned by the frustrations of lag.
In addition to that, it is also compatible with most major streaming services (Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, etc.), so if you ever find yourself thinking that your native connection is too slow, or want to be able to access your native streaming library when travelling abroad, it’ll help you on that front too.
| ExpressVPN features | |
| Locations | 3,000+ servers in 94 countries |
|---|---|
| Services unblocked | Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, YouTube |
| Free trial length | No free trial |
| Money-back guarantee | 30 days |
| Simultaneous connections | 5 |
| Router support | Yes |
So there you have it – three of the fastest VPN providers. Please do take all of this with a grain of salt, as providers are always enhancing and improving their services. Providers who are not on our radar may also have exceeded these. Still, if you want a fast, trustworthy VPN, then you can’t go wrong with PureVPN, NordVPN, or ExpressVPN. All data on VPN speeds is accumulated via the ProPrivacy VPN Speed Testing Tool, which exclusively uses OpenVPN encryption – this keeps the tests fair, but this isn’t as fast as alternatives like WireGuard or Lightway.
If you’re stuck with a strict budget, why not check out our guides on the best VPN deals and the best free VPNs for some money-saving solutions?
