Best VPN Service for 2025: Our Top Picks in a Tight Race

Internet · 5 天前

Streaming, gaming or traveling? You might want a virtual private network. Our expert testing team rigorously evaluated these top VPNs for privacy, speed and more.

What is the best VPN in 2025?

The race for the best VPN title tightened after our round of August retests, leaving our top three VPNs all within half a point of one another. ExpressVPN rolled out new subscription options, but while some configurations are cheaper, most are not a better value than the previous iteration. It remains at a 9.0/10.

Conversely, Surfshark has added helpful new features like FastTrack, better justifying its higher prices. We've raised its overall rating to 8.6/10.

Here's a fuller breakdown of where our top picks stand.

ExpressVPN is the best VPN overall thanks to its streamlined apps, fast server speeds, excellent streaming service unblocking and strong privacy. All told, ExpressVPN is an outstanding VPN for beginners and privacy experts alike. Its intuitive apps are a breeze to use, and we appreciate ExpressVPN’s forward-thinking approach to privacy. You'll even find servers across all 50 of the United States, making it a great choice for travel within the US and unblocking regional sports such as NFL games.

However, ExpressVPN charges a premium for its service. For its new basic plan, which is essentially just the VPN service, you'll pay $13 per month, $75 for the first year or $98 total for the first two years (the one- and two-year plans renew at $99 annually).

NordVPN is an exceptional VPN that’s extremely fast, great for streaming and packed with privacy features. Its connection speeds were the fastest we tested. Coupled with its extensive international server network and fantastic streaming service unblocking, Nord is one of the top VPNs for streaming. Plus, its massive global server footprint means NordVPN works well for travel.

While NordVPN is initially a superb value at $13 per month, $60 for the first year or $83 total for the first two years, auto-renewal price hikes jack the cost up to an extortionate $140 annually on the one- and two-year plans. So we recommend monitoring your subscription to avoid a costly price increase. In July 2025, NordVPN released scam call protection on Android, making it an even more attractive mobile VPN.

Surfshark is a great choice for folks seeking unique privacy features on a budget. It offers connection speeds and features comparable to ExpressVPN and NordVPN, but at an annual rate that's considerably cheaper at $48 for the first year or $60 total for the first two years (then $79 a year after the promotional period for both the one- and two-year plans). Surfshark gives you unlimited simultaneous connections, a benefit that most pricier competitors lack, including ExpressVPN and NordVPN.

Despite its relative affordability in comparison with VPN rivals, Surfshark packs a privacy punch, offering unique features like split tunneling on MacOS and Dynamic MultiHop. Still, Surfshark doesn't quite match ExpressVPN's commitment to privacy, making it less suitable for people with critical privacy needs.

Proton VPN is the most versatile VPN on the market. It's privacy-forward, with neat features such as discreet app icons on Android to disguise your VPN app as a notes, weather or calculator app. An obfuscation-focused VPN protocol focuses on masking your VPN connection as standard web traffic to slip through firewalls. But Proton VPN works equally well for casual users seeking an excellent VPN for streaming -- it even unblocks tough-to-access regional content like Netflix Egypt.

At $10 per month, $60 for the first year or $108 total for the first two years (the one- and two-year plans renew at $80 annually), Proton is a great value.

Mullvad VPN is the most private VPN. While you'll find the privacy basics, Mullvad goes above and beyond what most VPNs provide. Its unique privacy approach means you don't need to give the company any personal information if you don't want to -- not even an email address -- and you can even pay with cash. All of its apps are open-source, meaning anyone can inspect its source code for bugs or vulnerabilities.

What's more, Mullvad's transparency extends to its pricing -- you'll pay 5 euros per month (about $6) whether you sign up for one month, one year or more with no price hikes at all. If you're seriously concerned about privacy, Mullvad is the VPN for you.

Each VPN service we recommend has excellent value for a specific use case, and we point out the ideal customer for each one. The array of options available means there's a VPN service suited to your needs, whether your privacy needs are casual or critical. Also, consider jumping on one of the best VPN deals currently available, which many of our top picks are offering.
VPN feature comparison: See how our top picks stack up

ExpressVPN

NordVPN

Surfshark

Proton VPN

Mullvad

Best

Overall

For power users

Value

Versatility

Privacy

Price

$13 per month, $75 for the first year or $98 total for the first two years (one- and two-year plans renew at $100 per year)

$13 per month, $60 for a year or $83 for two years (one- and two-year plans auto-renew at $140 a year)

$15 per month, $48 the first year or $60 total for the first two years (one- and two-year plans renew at $79 per year)

$10 per month, $60 for a year or $108 for two years (one- and two-year plans auto-renew at $80 a year)

$6

Server network

3,000-plus servers in 105 countries

8,000-plus servers in 126 countries

3,200-plus servers in 100 countries

14,900-plus servers in 122 countries

730 servers in 49 countries

Free plan available

No

Yes

No

Money-back guarantee

30 days; 7-day free trial available in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store

30 days

14 days

Average internet speed loss

18%

3%

21%

16%

24%

Simultaneous connections

8

10

Unlimited

10

5

Jurisdiction

British Virgin Islands

Panama

Netherlands

Switzerland

Sweden

Part of the 5, 9 or 14 Eyes data-sharing alliances?

No

Yes

No

Yes

Kill switch

Yes

Split tunneling

Yes

Audited no-logs policy

Yes

Double VPN/multi-hop

No

Yes

Torrenting support

Yes (all servers)

Yes (dedicated P2P servers)

Yes (all servers)

Yes (dedicated P2P servers)

Yes (all servers)

Streaming support

Netflix, HBO Max, Disney Plus, Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, CBC and more

Netflix, HBO Max

Unblocks regional content reliably

Yes

No

Supported platforms

Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android, Android TV, iOS, iPadOS, Apple TV, Fire TV, web browsers, routers

Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android, Android TV, iOS, iPadOS, Fire TV, Apple TV, web browsers, routers

Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android, Android TV, iOS, iPadOS, Fire TV, web browsers, routers

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Best VPN Service for 2025: Our Top Picks in a Tight Race

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