In 2026, the VPN industry will face intense scrutiny. As governments pass new laws and censors develop increasingly sophisticated surveillance and censorship capabilities, it is critical that providers continue to push their products to the next level.
I spent this year becoming familiar with all types of VPNs and several development features. Combating ongoing censorship and anti-VPN measures, optimizing for new users, and increasing transparency are all key areas for improvement.
The problem of censorship
During 2025, several VPNs improved their anti-censorship capabilities, most notably NordVPN. However, factors such as the Great Firewall of China and Russia's evolving censorship system remain ever-changing dilemmas that need to be addressed.
Each VPN provider solves these problems differently. However, detailed information about these measures is difficult to find, since service providers must avoid obstacles from the authorities they are trying to circumvent.
The goal of each remains the same: to make a secure VPN connection identical to regular Internet traffic.
We've tested VPNs in regions like China through 2025. It's no surprise that our top providers are some of the most stable, but even they don't guarantee a connection every time. Download speeds are often inconsistent and latency is high – and that's if you have a connection at all.
Given the growing number of social media shutdowns and censorship measures, improving the stability of these tools is of utmost importance.
In 2025 China's Great Firewall in a Box Approach was discovered. Given this, it is likely that China's sophisticated approach to internet censorship will spread to even more countries over the next 12 months. Without advanced, convoluted protocols, these approaches could lead to more people looking for ways to connect to the free Internet.
VPN for the masses
However, VPNs are not only used in extreme cases. In addition to government censorship, the global spread of age verification measures has led to more people using VPNs than ever before.
This means resources are needed to properly train new users. The goal should not just be to provide a fast connection, but to help users understand the potential and limitations of VPNs.
Essentially, the product should work without training the customer.”
Martin Budak, Head of Privacy Products at Gen Digital
Some VPNs are already taking big steps towards this. Proton VPN's apps have lots of tips and explanations built into them, and NordVPN has a huge bank of articles, but these methods aren't universally applicable.
Norton VPN is one provider looking to take this simplicity to the next level. Speaking to TechRadar, Martin Budak, head of privacy products at Gen Digital, explained that “usability is one of the biggest challenges” in the industry.
“Essentially, the product has to work without training the customer,” Budak said.
Norton's approach uses the same family style that you see in its antivirus product: lots of explanation, very little clutter in the app's design, and no design flaws that could lead to unwanted features being accidentally enabled.
Creating clarity
However, privacy is not just about what a user can see on their screen, but also what happens to their data behind the scenes.
Every year, VPN companies receive legal requests for user data that they either refuse or are unable to comply with. These requests often go undetected unless the VPN provider publishes transparency reports.
These reports provide users with clear information about how the provider is protecting their privacy from legal requests. While auditing without logging provides the same sense of security, a full-blown audit is rarely consumer friendly as it often involves dense technical language.
Another step providers can take is to make parts of their services open source. If a provider makes its applications or protocols open source, users with the necessary knowledge can check the code to ensure that everything is as it seems.
Providers like Proton VPN and PIA already offer open source apps. Proprietary protocols are rarely open source, although ExpressVPN's Lightway protocol is a notable exception.
There is rarely a need to worry about open source protocols. If the provider uses the WireGuard or OpenVPN standard, both protocols are already open source; It is only when providers make unique additions to these protocols that they “close” the code.
It is especially important that the provider's applications are open source for privacy reasons when collecting data. By doing this, the provider allows its users to ensure that everything is in order and that their data is processed correctly.
The VPN industry will face several widespread challenges in 2026, so addressing these issues is more of a possibility than a certainty at this point. However, over time, the integration of these improvements should ensure that the VPN industry remains fair and accessible as more people turn to these tools to support their digital lives.
We test and review VPN services in the context of legal entertainment use. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protect your online security and enhance your online privacy when you're abroad. We do not support or condone the use of a VPN service to break the law or conduct illegal activities. The use of paid pirated content is not condoned or endorsed by Future Publishing.
