Fastest VPN of 2024

AstrillVPN

AstrillVPN has a network of “powerful servers” located in 111 cities in over 60 countries, helping you maintain a high-speed connection with little lag time. You can use the VPN on any number of devices, but you can only have five devices connected at once.

Personal plans cost $20 every month, or $10 per month paid yearly. Business plans are available for $9 per user per month. There’s no money-back guarantee, but you can try out AstrillVPN for 7 days on a free trial to see if it’s right for you.

While Astrill’s speed tests are impressive, some reviewers have raised concerns about its privacy policies. It’s based in Seychelles, which is a good jurisdiction from a privacy perspective, but it does keep partial connection logs, such as connection time and IP address, that are deleted after each session.

Depending on your privacy preferences, this may be a deal-breaker, but you can read through the specific details of their logging policy on their website.

CyberGhost

CyberGhost is a Romanian-based VPN known for its annual Transparency Reports and its NoSpy servers, which the company manages itself for added security. CyberGhost’s other servers (6,100+ in all) are located all over the world in over 60+ countries.

There are several ways in which CyberGhost claims to be the “fastest VPN.” One is by providing dedicated servers that are optimized for high-speed streaming and torrenting. Another is by offering the fastest VPN protocols available (L2TP and IKEV2).

There’s also split-tunneling, which lets you decide for yourself which traffic to encrypt. Instead of directing all your traffic through the VPN, you can connect to websites that you trust without encryption, cutting down on your data transfer speeds.

Plans are as low as $2.75 per month when you pay for 18 months up front, and allow you to connect up seven devices at once. There’s only a one-day free trial, but you can get a full refund within 45 days if the service isn’t what you’re looking for.

Read our full CyberGhost review.

ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN has a handy speed test built right into its VPN app, so you can check the speed of any server connection and choose the fastest one for your location. You’ll be able to view the speed index, latency, and download speed all within the app.

Third-party reviews rate ExpressVPN highly for speed and consistency, allowing you to play online games, stream HD video, and more, no matter where you are. Their network of 160 server locations in 94 countries provides comprehensive coverage.

As for price, ExpressVPN isn’t the cheapest option on the market, but the monthly price of $12.95 will drop down to $8.32 per month if you subscribe to a 12-month plan. There’s no free trial, but you do get a 30-day money-back guarantee and 24/7 live chat support to help you troubleshoot any issues. All plans allow up to five simultaneous connections.

Read our full ExpressVPN review.

Hotspot Shield

Hotspot Shield promises to increase your download speeds by 26% by using its own proprietary VPN protocol to reduce packet loss. It uses AES-128 encryption, which is less advanced than the 256-bit AES encryption the other VPNs on our list use, but it’s still strong enough to provide an industry-standard level of protection.

Hotspot Shield has a free plan, but it’s limited to one server location (in the U.S.) and 500 MB of data, which won’t be enough for most users. Paid plans start at $7.99 per month, and give you access to over 115 server locations in 80+ countries. You can connect up to five devices at once, or 25 devices on the Premium Family plan.

All plans come with 24/7 live chat support, and some come with an additional security suite that includes spam call blocking and a password manager.

Read our full Hotspot Shield review.

IPVanish

IPVanish manages its entire network in-house, helping to eliminate the hardware and infrastructure issues that come with outsourcing them to third parties. This includes 1,500+ servers in 75 countries, giving you comprehensive coverage around the world.

You can pay for IPVanish monthly for $10 per month, or subscribe for three months or a year to reduce your monthly rate to as little as $6.49 per month. IPVanish is one of the few VPN providers to offer customer support by phone, in addition to live chat and email. You can connect unlimited devices, and are protected by a 30-day money-back guarantee.

As for speed, IPVanish is specifically optimized for torrenting, and resists Deep Packet Inspection, which ISPs can use to throttle your internet connection. It uses 256-bit AES encryption, and supports IKEv2, OpenVPN, and L2TP/IPsec protocols. It also includes 250 GB of encrypted data storage provided by SugarSync®.

Read our full IPVanish review.

Ivacy

Ivacy VPN doesn’t offer a free trial, but you can test it out for seven days for $0.99. Other options include a one-month plan for $9.95 or a two-year plan for $2.40 per month. Payment methods include credit card, Paypal, Bitcoin, and other cryptocurrencies.

Ivacy offers P2P optimized servers, and a streaming option built into the app that will automatically connect you to the fastest server for streaming. Other add-ons include a dedicated IP address and port forwarding. Ivacy uses 256-bit encryption and supports multiple VPN protocols, and has over 1,000 servers in 100+ locations. You can install it on Mac, Android, or Windows devices, with up to 10 connections allowed at once.

Split-tunneling is available for those who only want to encrypt some of their traffic, while maintaining higher speeds for less sensitive data. A kill switch will pause your internet traffic altogether if your VPN connection drops.

Read our full Ivacy review.

NordVPN

NordVPN has over 5,100 servers in 59 countries, providing you with a range of options to choose from to find the fastest server for gaming, streaming, and more. Third-party reviewers report that NordVPN has consistently fast upload and download speeds.

NordVPN supports torrenting and streaming, and also has specialty servers, such as Tor over VPN, Double VPN, and obfuscated servers. It uses 256-bit AES encryption, and offers its own VPN protocol called NordLynx. One feature that NordVPN doesn’t offer is split-tunneling, so all of your traffic is encrypted when your VPN is on.

You can use NordVPN on up to six devices at once, with apps and browser extensions available for all major platforms. Plans cost $11.95 per month, with a steep discount if you pay for a year or six months in advance. All plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee, and optional add-ons such as file storage and a password manager.

Read our full NordVPN review.

Private Internet Access

Private Internet Access is a speedy VPN that won’t set you back too much each month, with the cost of a two-year plan as low as $2.69 per month. You can connect to over 3,300 servers in 32 countries, with up to 10 of your devices connected at a time.

PIA supports WireGuard®, PPTP, OpenVPN and L2TP/IPSec protocols, keeps no logs, and protects your data using AES-256 encryption. It also has an ad blocking tool called MACE that blocks ads, trackers, and malware, and a split-tunneling feature that allows you to configure trusted apps or websites to bypass the VPN for faster speeds.

For those concerned about privacy, PIA doesn’t keep logs, and you can pay with a gift card for added anonymity. All plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Read our full Private Internet Access review.

PrivateVPN

PrivateVPN ranks highly on speed tests, with an average speed of 71 Mbps and support for 4K video and HD video conferencing. It can unblock a variety of streaming platforms, allows torrenting, and uses 256-bit AES encryption. Since it’s based in Sweden, it has a strict no-logging policy and operates in a privacy-friendly jurisdiction.

Plans start at $3.82 per month for 13 months, or $8.10 per month paid monthly. They all come with a 30-day money-back guarantee and 24/7 customer support, as well as easy “1-click” apps for Mac, iOS, Windows, Android and Linux devices. You can connect up to six devices at once to 150+ servers in 60 countries.

Although PrivateVPN has fewer servers than many of its competitors, it claims to have “supercharged connections” to help reduce buffering and download times. A kill switch is available, but it only works on Windows devices at the moment.

PureVPN

PureVPN features a speed test tool to help you find the best server for your location and activity. You can access it via the PureVPN app or configure it manually. With over 2,000 servers in 140+ countries, you’ll have plenty of options to choose from.

PureVPN allows you to connect up to 10 devices at once, and it’s compatible with most major browsers and operating systems. There’s no free trial, but you can give it a seven-day test run for $0.99, after which you’ll be billed annually. One-month and six-month plans are also available, and they all come with a 31-day money-back guarantee.

Add-ons include DDoS protection, port forwarding, and a dedicated IP for less than $1 per month each. A kill switch, leak protection, and 256-bit AES are included with your subscription, along with dedicated servers for streaming and torrenting.

Read our full PureVPN review.

Speedify

Speedify calls itself “the only VPN with channel bonding,” which means you can use it on multiple connections at the same time to get faster speeds. It’s especially useful on mobile devices, since you can protect your mobile and Wi-Fi connections at once, and automatically switch between them if one connection slows down or drops.

Speedify also offers a dedicated Streaming Mode for live streaming, video conferencing, VoIP, and gaming, as well as historical statistics to help you compare your performance over time, including your top upload and download speeds and total data encrypted.

While Speedify has a no-logging policy, it does collect some data, including your Device ID, the time of each connection, and the amount of data you used, so it may not be the right choice for more privacy-conscious users. For those who want to give it a try, you can sign up for an Individual, Team, or Family Plan, with up to five devices per user. Or, check out the Starter Plan, which is free but has a 2 GB per month data limit.

Surfshark

Surfshark offers relatively fast connection speeds, with “at least 1Gbps port connected per server.” You can use the built-in Quick Connect feature to automatically connect to the fastest server near you, or manually choose a connection in your preferred region. With a network of 1,700 servers in 63+ countries, you have a wide range of options.

Additional features include a kill switch, split-tunneling, and a CleanWeb tool that blocks unwanted advertisements and malware. Surfshark uses AES-256-GCM encryption, and offers several VPN protocols, including IKEv2 and OpenVPN. It also has a strict no-log policy, and is based in the British Virgin Islands for strong legal protections.

With plans as low as $2.49 per month, Surfshark provides a fast VPN connection at an affordable price. Free trials are available on macOS, iOS, and Android apps, and other users can make use of a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Read our full Surfshark review.

UltraVPN

UltraVPN’s network is designed for speed, with 100+ global servers to help you unlock geo-blocked content, stream live sporting events, watch HD video, and more. Reviews say that its download speeds and security practices are comparable to other top VPN providers, but that its overall features are a bit lacking.

For $7.99 per month, you get 256-bit encryption, a zero logging policy, and no caps on bandwidth. You can connect up to three devices at once, with apps available for Mac, iOS, Android, and Windows, and support for browsers and FireTV.

Beyond that, it comes with a kill switch to protect your data if your connection drops, as well as a tool called ULTRAFLIX, which automatically connects you to the best servers for streaming. You also get 24/7 customer support by email, phone, or live chat.

VPNArea

This Bulgarian-based VPN allows you to connect up to six devices at a time, and doesn’t mind account sharing if you want to split the cost with a friend. VPNArea has servers in over 70 countries, some of which run on 10 Gbps connections for added speed. It also offers a Dedicated IP address if you want your own VPN server.

VPNArea doesn’t provide a free trial, but you can get a full refund within 14 days on a one-month plan, which costs $9.90. Longer-term plans cost as little as $2.99 per month, and come with a 30-day money-back guarantee. With any plan, you’ll have access to 24/7 live chat support and can pay with credit card, PayPal, Bitcoin, and more.

VPNArea supports Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and Linux devices, as well as routers, and has a built in Speed Test feature to help you find the fastest server.

VyprVPN

With over 700 servers in 70+ countries, VyprVPN promises fast, reliable connections that can get around geo-restrictions and ISP throttling. In part, that’s because it uses a proprietary VPN protocol called Chameleon™ that fights Deep Packet Inspection, so your ISP can’t detect what you’re doing and restrict or throttle your connection.

VyprVPN owns and manages its own servers, so you don’t have to worry about third parties mishandling your data. It also offers built-in DNS protection and a kill switch, plus a no-logging policy that’s been independently audited

As for streaming, VyprVPN claims it can unblock Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, and dozens of other platforms. You can test it out for yourself with a 30-day money-back guarantee, and get 24/7 customer support if you have any issues.

Read our full VyprVPN review.