10 Best VPN Services of 2026

Proton VPN is the pick we would give someone who wants privacy on public Wi-Fi without paying on day one. Its free plan has no ads and no data limits, runs under a strict no-logs policy and includes a kill switch and always-on VPN, which is rare among free VPNs. The limits are real: one device at a time, medium speeds and servers in 10 countries chosen at random, so it will not reliably put you in a specific country. That is where VPN Plus comes in. It covers 10 devices, opens up 20,000+ servers in 140+ countries, adds streaming support and blocks ads, trackers and malware. The 2-year plan works out to $3.49 a month, billed $83.76 up front, and renews at $83.88 a year. Proton is based in Switzerland and its apps are open source and independently audited, which matters if trust is your main concern.

Surfshark is the value choice for anyone who wants to cover a lot of devices. One account works on unlimited devices, so a family can put it on every phone, laptop, streaming stick and router without counting connections, which is useful when you travel with several gadgets. It runs 4,500+ servers across 100 countries, and Surfshark says its servers reach 10 Gbps. Apps cover Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android plus smart TVs, consoles and routers, so you can set up a TV in a hotel or a holiday rental as well as your phone. On the US App Store the annual VPN subscription costs $47.99, about $4.00 a month, and a month costs $10.99. Surfshark One, listed at $64.99 on the App Store, adds antivirus and Surfshark Alert breach monitoring. There is no free plan, but Surfshark offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

NordVPN has the widest reach on this list, with 7,000+ servers covering 225+ locations, so there is usually a server close by and many countries to pick from when you are away. It uses post-quantum encryption and adds tracking prevention and protection against malware, which helps on airport and hotel Wi-Fi. You can use it on up to 10 devices at the same time or install it on a Wi-Fi router to cover everything at home. The tradeoff is price. On the US App Store the 12-month plan is $83.99, about $7.00 a month, which is more than Surfshark or Proton VPN Plus, and a month starts at $11.99. NordVPN runs frequent promotions on its own website with a 30-day money-back guarantee, but those prices did not load in US dollars from our location, so we list the App Store price instead.

ExpressVPN is the premium option for people who want the app to stay out of the way. It has servers in 113 countries, its own Lightway protocol, a kill switch, split tunneling and private encrypted DNS, and its TrustedServer technology means data is never written to hard drives. ExpressVPN says it works in heavily restricted regions, which matters if you travel to countries that block websites and apps. Apps cover Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, Apple TV, Fire Stick and Android TV, and its Aircove router protects every Wi-Fi device at home. Its App Store listing says a subscription supports up to 14 simultaneous connections, though the website notes device details vary by plan. Value is the weak spot: the 12-month Basic plan is $79.99 on the US App Store, about $6.67 a month, and there is no free tier. First-time users get a 30-day money-back guarantee.

CyberGhost is a good fit for buyers who want a cheap long-term plan and time to change their mind. Its 2 years plus 2 months plan costs $2.19 a month, billed $61.32 for the first 2 years, and longer plans carry a 45-day money-back guarantee, the longest on this list. The monthly plan is $12.99 with a 14-day window. It runs servers in 100 countries with unlimited bandwidth and supports WireGuard, OpenVPN and IKEv2, plus DNS and IP leak protection. The site points to streaming sports and movies as main uses, and apps cover smart TVs and the Amazon Fire TV Stick as well as phones and computers. One subscription covers 7 devices at once, which is fewer than Surfshark, PIA or IPVanish, though you can install it on a router to cover more. CyberGhost follows a no-logs policy and states that all prices on its order page are in US dollars.

Private Internet Access, or PIA, offers the lowest long-term price we found. Its 3 years plus 4 months plan works out to $2.03 a month and renews at $81.20 every 3 years, the 1-year plan is $47.88, and a month costs $11.95, all shown in USD. One plan covers unlimited devices. PIA runs servers in 113 countries, including 10-Gbps servers that it pitches for streaming and gaming, and it states a verified no-logs policy. All of its apps are open source, so anyone can inspect the code, which few rivals besides Proton and Mullvad offer. PIA leans toward people who like to adjust things: the apps expose more settings than ExpressVPN or Surfshark, which can be useful but takes a little longer to learn. There is no free plan, but new users get a 30-day money-back guarantee. For a cheap, long-term VPN that covers every device, it is hard to beat.

Mullvad is built for people who care most about privacy. You do not sign up with an email: you get a generated account number and pay, including by mailing cash in an envelope. The price is a flat 5 euros a month, shown as equivalent to $5.57, and it is the same whether you pay for a month, a year or longer, so there are no first-year discounts that jump at renewal. Mullvad says its price has never changed. It keeps no logs and markets its service for getting around censorship. One account covers up to 5 devices across Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android, and there is a 14-day money-back guarantee except for cash payments. The tradeoff for travelers is that Mullvad does not promote streaming access, so it is a better fit for safe browsing on public Wi-Fi than for watching home TV services abroad.

Windscribe suits people who want a free option with real servers or who only need a few countries. Confirm an email and you get 10GB of data a month for free, enough for checking mail and banking on public Wi-Fi, though not for much streaming. Its Build A Plan option charges $1 per location per month with a $3 minimum, and each location adds 10GB to your monthly allowance, which works if you only need, say, a US server while abroad. Pro costs $9.00 a month or $69 a year, about $5.75 a month, for the full network in 69+ countries and 135+ cities, which Windscribe says has no virtual servers. Every account allows unlimited connections. Its R.O.B.E.R.T. tool blocks ads, trackers and malware, and protocols include WireGuard, IKEv2, OpenVPN, Stealth and WStunnel for networks that block VPNs. The number of settings is a plus for tinkerers but more than beginners need.

IPVanish stands out for travelers because its plans now bundle eSIM data with the VPN. The Essential plan includes 3GB of eSIM data, Threat Protection and 24/7 live chat, and every plan covers unlimited devices with unmetered connections. The network has 3,100 servers in 145+ locations including the UK, and apps cover Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, Apple TV, Fire TV, NVIDIA SHIELD and Chromecast, so it can follow you onto a hotel TV. Essential costs $2.19 a month on the 2-year plan, billed $52.56 for the first 2 years, or $46.68 for the first year, while the monthly plan is $14.99, the highest monthly price we saw. Complete and Advanced tiers add antivirus, phone support and cloud storage. There is a 30-day money-back guarantee. IPVanish is a reasonable choice, but rivals offer bigger networks for similar money.

PureVPN is a budget option that bundles extra privacy tools. The Standard plan costs $3.40 a month on the 1-year plan, billed $40.80 for 12 months, then renews at $57.95 a year, and higher tiers add a tracker blocker, a password manager, data removal, dark web monitoring and 3GB of eSIM data. It runs 6,000+ servers across 65+ countries and supports up to 10 simultaneous logins, with apps for Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Apple TV, Linux and Fire Stick. PureVPN says its no-log policy has been independently audited, and it offers a 31-day money-back guarantee. The limits are worth knowing. Its network covers fewer countries than the other paid picks here, and P2P traffic is not supported on servers in the US, UK, Canada, Australia and some other locations. The renewal jump is also steep compared with Mullvad's flat price, so set a reminder before the first year ends.