Fastest VPN 2026: Expert picks of the top 5 VPN speed demons

Who should use NordVPN?

With all of the great features included with NordVPN, it will appeal to a wide audience. Thankfully, you won’t need to sacrifice any speed for those features either. Other competitors might win out on a good day, but NordVPN has the most (and best) consistent speeds. If speed is what you’re seeking, NordVPN has it — in droves.

Nord regularly appears at the top of many VPN rankings, and it’s no surprise to see it here. In my tests, NordVPN retained a blazing fast 72 percent of the base download speed easily taking the checkered flag in a VPN race. It’s also inside the top 10 for upload speeds, maintaining an impressive 80 percent of the base.

NordVPN: Further considerations

Of all the VPNs currently on the market, NordVPN is probably the most feature-packed. It supports multi-hop connections, TOR over VPN, ad- and tracker-blocking at the server level, and a variety of other options.

The only real downside is that NordVPN’s pricing can be more expensive than many other VPN services. Even with the discounts offered by long-term plans, it’s still on the pricey side. But, you get what you pay for and in this case: the fastest speeds and a huge feature set.

Who should use ExpressVPN?

Again, this is a VPN that should please most anyone. As one of the best VPNs overall, ExpressVPN is, no surprise, also a good choice for speeds. It ranks second overall in my download speed tests, retaining more than 70 percent of the base speed, and uploads with 80 percent scores in testing.

While based on averages it placed second, just slightly behind NordVPN, at times it can even be the fastest service. The recent addition of its Lightway Turbo protocol promises to optimize connections leading to even faster speeds—and it mostly did in my testing with some servers showing solid speed boosts. Plus, the speeds have always been consistent in my testing over the years, meaning you can’t go wrong if you decide to go with ExpressVPN as your speedy VPN of choice.

ExpressVPN: Further considerations

ExpressVPN is one of the more costly VPNs out there. Having just revamped their membership tier model, though, you can opt for just the basic VPN service for a relatively affordable price nowadays—extra security features come with more expensive, premium tiers. For your money, however, you get solid speeds, a promise to work with Netflix, split tunneling, and unrivaled device support. The app is also extremely easy to use and there are a wide range of country locations to choose from.

Plus, the service is regularly bringing in third-party auditors to validate its privacy credentials. So, it might be a bit pricey but you get great value for your money.

Who should use Windscribe Pro?

This is the VPN for users who want speed at no cost. Windscribe Pro’s free version is one of my favorite free VPNs, period. But in terms of speed, there’s no contest. In my testing, Windscribe achieved a thoroughly impressive 64 percent of the base download speeds and 70 percent upload speeds. That’s good enough to warrant a place on the fastest VPNs list regardless. But its free plan with no speed restrictions means it’s a no-brainer if your looking for a fast VPN that you don’t have to pay for.

Windscribe Pro: Further considerations

The free version does come with a maximum 10GB per month data restriction, so you’ll need to be cognizant of your bandwidth usage, and the server network is smaller. But otherwise you pretty much get the full feature-set of the premium subscription. And did I mention those speeds?

While testing Windscribe, I did notice that both the free and paid versions struggled a bit to unblock streaming services. Additionally, some users might be turned off of the interface, which is a bit over-designed and not as intuitive as it could be.

Who should use CyberGhost VPN?

If upload speeds are your primary concern, you should consider CyberGhost VPN. While I found that the service had rather average download speeds, I was absolutely blown away by its upload speeds. CyberGhost retained an unbelievable 89 percent of the base upload speed across all of my tests — the VPN’s servers might as well have been in my backyard with those numbers.

Upload speeds can be extremely important, particularly if you work from home and need to connect to a remote work server or you’re looking to securely upload data. If this is you, then CyberGhost should be at the top of your list for fastest VPNs.

CyberGhost VPN: Further considerations

CyberGhost VPN also has extra features that may interest some, such as streaming optimized servers and a dizzying 9,000 plus servers to choose from all over the world. If the super-fast upload speeds and large server network aren’t enough, the service also offers good privacy with an independently verified no-logs audit and seriously affordable pricing on its long-term plans.

Who should use Mullvad?

If you don’t want to compromise on privacy and anonymity, while still getting solid speeds, then Mullvad is the best choice. Mullvad should be considered the “Swiss bank account” version of a VPN, as it actively resists obtaining any of your personal information and provides premium service. Instead of signing up for an account with the standard email and password, Mullvad assigns you a random account number and that’s it. No birth date or anniversary passwords to give you away. One number and that’s it.

In my tests, Mullvad performed well in download and upload speeds, maintaining around 48 percent of the baseline with each. That puts it firmly in the top half of all VPNs I’ve ever tested and it’s plenty fast enough to do just about everything you’d want to do. There may be a few faster VPNs on the market, though they won’t provide the same amount of anonymity as you’ll get with Mullvad and sometimes it’s worth sacrificing a little speed for a whole lot of privacy.

Mullvad: Further considerations

This super-simple VPN also supports connections via 41 different countries, and it costs just 5 euros per month (around $5.40 at this writing). That price is locked in for all plans, no matter the length though. So, while it’s very affordable month-to-month, it does lose value compared to other top VPNs that significantly reduce their prices in the long-term.

I also found some hiccups when trying to access streaming services, so users who want their VPN to bypass location-restricted content may want to take that into consideration before subscribing.