BEST VPN Comparison 2026 | Tested The Top 4 VPNs On The Market

Best VPN Comparison 2026: NordVPN vs Surfshark vs Proton VPN vs IPVanish, The VPN industry doesn’t stay in one place, so I got to start moving as well. After careful consideration, I have to say that many changes have rendered my previous comparisons, well, useless. Here it is, a totally updated for best VPN comparison, 2025. Just to be clear, this time it’s a NordVPN versus Surfshark VPN versus Proton VPN versus IPVanish comparison, 2025. That was long.

Similarities Across All Four VPNs

In any case, I’m going to begin by dashing through all the similarities because they’re basic and boring. Just look at the table and turn your brain off. Now, encryption, check. Both the golden standard and the newer, faster option.

That said, NordVPN does run a proprietary protocol, but I’ll talk about that later. No-logs policy. Every single VPN in this comparison has it, and they have undergone audits as well. Leak protection is a given, and it’s common for VPNs to have over 100 countries to offer, though NordVPN and Proton VPN are notably racing each other for the winning number.

Read More: PrivateVPN review | PROS & CONS: Is it a new top VPN?

Of course, all four are great for streaming and torrenting. Of course, this is the bare minimum for any good VPN provider these days. If you want a VPN that’s going to last you for years and provide reliable service, check the special best VPN discounts for one of those four. Links are in the description.

Privacy and Jurisdiction

Even if all four provide a similar level of security, their privacy qualities are very different. For instance, NordVPN and Proton VPN operate from privacy-friendly jurisdictions, Panama and Switzerland, respectively.

Those countries both have privacy-friendly laws. On the other hand, the Netherlands, where Surfshark is based, belongs to the Nine Eyes Intelligence Sharing Alliance, while IPVanish operates from the US, the Five Eyes Alliance member. They’re not the most privacy-oriented locations, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that Surfshark and IPVanish are bad for privacy. After all, they keep no-logs of user activity. Remember the table?

Furthermore, Surfshark and NordVPN run their connection exclusively through RAM-only servers. These servers are physically incapable of storing user data long term, so there’s nothing to leak. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for Proton VPN or IPVanish. If you care the most about privacy, the final order would be like this.

Anti-Malware and Security Features

Still, since I have the best VPNs of 2025 compared, there’s more left to discuss regarding the overall security, specifically the anti-malware features. For a while now, VPNs have included specific features designed to filter malicious ads, links, or websites, and some of them are even capable of blocking malicious files found online.

NordVPN: Threat Protection Pro

Among them, NordVPN’s Threat Protection Pro is the most impressive one. If you remember my last NordVPN review, this feature was updated in the last quarter of 2024, so now it’s a strong measure against all manner of online threats and nuisances.

This includes adverts and popups, notifications or fishing websites. In fact, this feature got NordVPN certified as the only anti-fishing VPN. If you need an app that will protect all aspects of your online life, NordVPN is definitely the best choice. Go ahead and try it out by clicking the link in the description or just scanning this QR code.

Surfshark: Built-In Antivirus

While that is very impressive, if you’ve seen any Surfshark VPN review before, you know that it has by far the best anti-malware protection. That’s because its Surfshark One plan includes a built-in antivirus. Similarly to NordVPN’s threat protection, this antivirus is a genuine article. It was audited by AV-TEST and given high marks in protection, performance, and usability.

I tested it myself as well, and I’ve gotten better results than with some of the top anti-viruses such as Norton. The only tangible downside here is that the bundle with Surfshark Antivirus comes at an additional price. That said, the CleanWeb feature that blocks ads, trackers, and malicious links, is included with all the plans without an extra cost.

IPVanish: Threat Protection

Now, to be clear, I’m talking about NordVPN’s threat protection since IPVanish has a similar feature with exactly the same name. However, it’s not even close to having the same performance. In the joint testing performed by AV-TEST, I can clearly see that this imposter is not holding a candle to the original. While this feature can still pick up and block a lot of ads and trackers, NordVPN performs better.

Proton VPN: NetShield

Returning to the AV-TEST evaluation I’ve just showcased, Proton VPN’s NetShield stands right after both threat protections. In my experience, this is a decent feature for dealing with ads, trackers, and malicious links. However, to have the best VPN compared, Proton VPN does come in last.

Performance and Speed Comparison

Keep in mind, though, that this is not the end. I still have the whole performance comparison to go through. Looking at the speed test, we can see that it all boils down to the NordVPN versus Surfshark comparison.

The remaining two are even slower. Furthermore, NordVPN has one of the biggest server grids, just not the biggest. That honor goes to Proton VPN with over 11,000 servers, and that number is growing, actually, very fast. In comparison, both Surfshark and IPVanish are much more modest though you won’t find me complaining. Even that number is more than enough to host millions of users without any issues.

Issues arise with streaming speeds. While I can’t complain about Proton VPN, Surfshark, or NordVPN, IPVanish struggles with long-distance connections. Streaming from Japanese or Indian libraries was too laggy for me, but it still worked better than CyberGhost, which is why it’s not in this comparison, it got outscaled. Regarding torrenting support, I don’t need the best VPN review 2025 to tell you that there’s not much to highlight. All four providers have no restrictions on P2P, and that’s all I could ask for. If I had to draw some conclusions, I’d do something like this. After all, only IPVanish sometimes disappoints with its performance.

Unique Features of Each VPN

For the next section, I want to dissect each provider and take a look at what makes them truly unique compared to competitors.

NordVPN: Meshnet and Dark Web Monitor

For instance, with NordVPN, that would be Meshnet. That’s a feature quite underestimated by many users and even reviewers.

Surprisingly, this is great not just for gaming enthusiasts, but also for work. I sometimes use Meshnet to send important info to Carlos, the Spanish VPN Pro guy. NordVPN also has a feature that detects data leaks on Dark Web, appropriately called Dark Web Monitor. Admittedly, it’s a niche feature, but I’d still rather prefer to know if some of my data got leaked by Facebook, surprisingly, that keeps happening.

Surfshark: Alternative ID and Static IP

NordVPN is not the only one with unique features to brag about. Surfshark’s alternative ID is also pretty interesting. This feature can be used to create fake identities, very spy movie-esque, though those identities only apply to browsing. Still, I found this to be a great way to avoid leaving a digital footprint, making me more anonymous than I thought I could be.

Oh, you think this makes me sound like a criminal? Well, sorry, I can’t hear you over the sound of not getting my real details exposed to yet another Facebook breach. I got a grudge. Can you tell? In any case, Surfshark also stands out with a nice static IP implementation. So far, it’s the cheapest way to get an unchanging IP address, which is extremely handy for streaming since some platforms are hell-bent on mass blocking any IPs that they find suspicious.

Proton VPN: VPN Accelerator

Proton VPN has a unique feature of its own. It’s uniquely underwhelming as well. Don’t get me wrong. VPN Accelerator is a feature that’s supposed to increase my VPN speeds fourfold. That sounds exciting. The feature does boost my speeds to the level where it’s almost as fast as Surfshark. Nowhere near as close to what’s promised, 400% boost. It’s nice to have. Sure. Should they have promised so much? Probably not.

IPVanish: Fire TV Kill Switch

Finally, IPVanish review 2025, kill switch for the Fire TV app. That’s it. Done. No, seriously. While no other provider in this comparison offers a kill switch for the Fire Stick, it’s also the least important thing for a Fire Stick, so good job, I guess.

App Compatibility and Simultaneous Connections

Now it’s time to discuss apps and compatibility. Don’t worry, there’s no biased opinions about the app’s appearance, just which devices you can use. This is going to be straightforward. All four competitors have apps for Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android. What else do you need? They can also be used on Linux, but Surfshark is the only one with a graphical user interface on that OS. You can also get browser extensions for all major browsers.

Of course, to fully cover compatibility, I have to point out that all four providers have apps for smart TVs and also router support. Where the main differences lie is the simultaneous connections. Only Surfshark and IPVanish allow using one account on any number of devices at the same time. For NordVPN and Proton VPN, there is a hard cut-off of 10 devices. That said, each provider should give you enough to share the account with your family.

Brand Ethics and Transparency

Now, before we proceed to the pricing overview, here’s a bonus round in which I discuss the brand’s ethics. If you’re wondering, where does this even come from? Sometimes companies behind VPN providers are involved in some weird things. That’s why you do not see ExpressVPN or CyberGhost in this comparison.

On the contrary, Proton VPN gets an extra point for being developed by a privacy software company with a long track record. Besides, Proton VPN is an open-source app. It started as a crowdfunded service by cybersecurity researchers and still offers a free plan. While nowhere as impressive, NordVPN, Surfshark, and IPVanish, also get extra points from me for running an ongoing emergency VPN program for activists and journalists in authoritative countries and restrictive environments. I think I can freely give everyone an extra point and one on top for Proton VPN for their exemplary ethics.

Pricing and Value for Money

If only ethics could put bread on the table, I would have ended my best VPN comparison 2025 right there. That said, we still have to discuss pricing. If you’re looking for an affordable provider, IPVanish and Surfshark are the two of the best options.

They have the best pricing. But when it comes to the price to value ratio, NordVPN is right in between them. It’s a bit more expensive, but you’re paying for many extra features. Proton VPN is the priciest one in this comparison, but it’s still not expensive to the point where it’s not worth it. Besides, each of those four offers great discounts that make it even more affordable. Just check out the link in the description for the best deal.

Final Verdict: Which VPN Wins in 2025?

Which is the best VPN 2025 at the end? Numbers don’t lie, NordVPN stands on top as the most versatile provider with the most unique features and the fastest performance. Surfshark is slightly behind, even though it’s a bit more affordable, and it also offers its share of great features. Now, Proton VPN is third. It is an open-source VPN with great security, and it offers the most servers of them all, plus, it has a great brand to back itself. While IPVanish does come in last, I still consider it a great VPN for those who need a reliable VPN with decent performance and very user-friendly pricing.