All About Cookies is an independent, advertising-supported website. Some of the offers that appear on this site are from third-party advertisers from which All About Cookies receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear).
All About Cookies does not include all financial or credit offers that might be available to consumers nor do we include all companies or all available products. Information is accurate as of the publishing date and has not been provided or endorsed by the advertiser.
The All About Cookies editorial team strives to provide accurate, in-depth information and reviews to help you, our reader, make online privacy decisions with confidence. Here's what you can expect from us:
- All About Cookies makes money when you click the links on our site to some of the products and offers that we mention. These partnerships do not influence our opinions or recommendations. Read more about how we make money.
- Partners are not able to review or request changes to our content except for compliance reasons.
- We aim to make sure everything on our site is up-to-date and accurate as of the publishing date, but we cannot guarantee we haven't missed something. It's your responsibility to double-check all information before making any decision. If you spot something that looks wrong, please let us know.
Best for Premium Security
Best for Affordable Privacy
Small businesses have unique needs for a virtual private network (VPN). They may need to securely connect remote employees to company servers and protect company data from hacking attempts. But small businesses still need a VPN that doesn’t slow down internet speeds and rings up at an economical price.
We've tested over 50 VPNs and have determined that NordVPN, Surfshark, and ExpressVPN meet a variety of needs for small businesses. NordVPN offers additional security to help protect your entire network, Surfshark is affordable without sacrificing privacy, and ExpressVPN can protect most of the devices in your home, including those used for your home office.
Methodology
NordVPN: Best for premium security
Surfshark: Best for affordable privacy
ExpressVPN: Best for home-based businesses
Business vs. home VPNs
Bottom line: The best small business VPNs
FAQs
The best small business VPNs
Compare the best small business VPNs
| VPN |
|
|
|
| Best for | Premium security | Affordable privacy | Home-based businesses |
| Starting price | Custom pricing, but standard pricing starts at $3.09/mo for 1 user | Custom pricing, but standard pricing starts at $1.99/mo for 1 user | Custom pricing, but standard pricing starts at $3.99/mo for 1 user |
| Server count | 9,300+ servers in 130+ countries | 4,500+ servers in 100 countries | Unlisted in 105 countries |
| Encryption | xChaCha20 or AES-256 | AES-256-GCM | AES-256 |
| Split tunneling | |||
| Single sign-on | |||
| Remote access | |||
| Learn more | Get NordVPN Read NordVPN Review |
Get Surfshark Read Surfshark Review |
Get ExpressVPN Read ExpressVPN Review |
How we tested the best VPNs for small business
There are several key features and qualities we considered when reviewing VPNs for small businesses. Here is what we considered:
- Affordability: Price is always a concern for small businesses. Unfortunately, not all VPN providers are transparent about the costs of a business VPN. We evaluated standard pricing to determine if the VPN was worth the cost and if it offered some type of bulk discount based on the number of users.
- Scalability: Your business may grow or change, and you'll need a security plan to adapt to these changes. We chose VPNs that base their price on the number of users.
- Remote access: If your employees need to access your company's servers, you'll need to choose a VPN that offers remote access. While not all organizations will need this feature, it may be important if you have remote workers.
- Premium security features: All of our best VPNs for small businesses have essential security features, such as AES-256 encryption, DNS leak protection, and top-grade protocols like OpenVPN, WireGuard, and IKEv2. We also sought out more advanced security features that distinguish them from their competitors and safeguard your sensitive business data.
NordVPN: Best for premium security
What we liked
NordVPN is ideal for small businesses that require more than just a reliable VPN. Businesses can bundle NordVPN with NordLayer to gain additional security features that help protect their network and support compliance with data regulations. But as a standalone VPN provider, NordVPN is best-in-class based on proven performance.
NordVPN offers several security features that can protect a company's network and its remote workers. Some of the notable features available on all plans include:
- Always-on VPN
- Auto-connect
- Single Sign-On (SSO) through the NordAccount platform
- Threat Protection, which blocks malicious websites
- Kill switch
- Double VPN
- Onion over Tor
- Meshnet
- 24/7 email support
- Device posture monitoring (through NordLayer)
What we didn’t like
You'll need to pay an additional fee to obtain a dedicated server with a fixed IP address.
NordVPN recommends using NordLayer for small businesses because it's designed for scalability and includes more network management features. However, NordVPN can be an excellent solution for scrappy businesses that don't have a ton of employees.
NordVPN specs
| Feature |
|
| Starting price | Custom pricing, but standard pricing starts at $3.09/mo for 1 user |
| Server count | 9,300+ servers in 130+ countries |
| No-logs policy | No logs |
| Encryption | xChaCha20x |
| Split tunneling | |
| Single sign-on | Yes, through the NordAccount platform |
| Remote access | |
| Priority customer support | Yes (Advanced and Custom plans only) |
| Learn more | Get NordVPN Read NordVPN Review |
Test results
To assess NordVPN’s performance, we conducted tests to review impact on speed, ability to unblock Netflix geo-restrictions, and protection against potential data leaks.
NordVPN passed all three tests with flying colors. It has minimal impact on our speeds, unblocked all the Netflix libraries we tested, and prevented all data leaks.
|
|
| Audited no-logs policy | Yes, audited by Deloitte from November-December 2025 |
| Speed | Decreased our download speeds by an average of 16% |
| Netflix | Unblocked Netflix U.S., Canada, U.K., and Australia |
| DNS leak | Passed, no DNS leaks |
| WebRTC leak | Passed, no WebRTC leaks |
| Kill switch | Passed, no trace of our physical location when switching servers |
| Learn more | Get NordVPN |
Star rating summary
NordVPN has a perfect star rating of 5.0 and is our top VPN recommendation. You can expect a user-friendly experience, standard VPN features along with helpful extras, an audited no-logs policy, and intuitive apps across devices.
| Decision factor | Weight | Verdict |
| Our experience | 15% | 5.0 |
| Value | 11% | 5.0 |
| Features | 30.5% | 5.0 |
| Test results | 20% | 5.0 |
| Privacy and security | 9.5% | 5.0 |
| Compatibility | 3% | 5.0 |
| Customer service | 5% | 5.0 |
Surfshark: Best for affordable privacy
What we liked
Organizations seeking a high-quality VPN at an affordable price may find Surfshark useful. Surfshark is reliable, fast, and comes with most of the VPN features you’d expect
Surfshark has a business VPN that creates an encrypted tunnel between your employees and your online resources. It comes with features such as military-grade encryption, a kill switch, and an audited no-logs policy.
We also appreciate Surfshark’s extensive network of server locations. With its 4,500+ servers, you and your employees will find it easier to find a high-speed connection.
Surfshark is also one of the most affordable VPNs on the market, making it an ideal option for small businesses with limited budgets. Pricing for its consumer VPN service starts at about $2 a month for a two-year plan, and we expect the custom pricing for its business VPN to be similarly affordable. It also comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can determine whether it meets your business needs.
What we didn’t like
Surfshark doesn't provide a clear indication of how much its business VPN costs, making it difficult to determine its affordability. However, since its standard pricing is one of the most affordable VPN options, and the base VPN includes unlimited simultaneous connections, the business VPN is likely to be cost-effective.
Feature-wise, there is no SSO option, and it also lacks priority customer support for business accounts.
Surfshark specs
| Feature |
|
| Starting price | Custom pricing, but standard pricing starts at $1.99/mo for 1 user |
| Server count | 4,500+ servers in 100 countries |
| No-logs policy | No logs |
| Encryption | AES-256-GCM |
| Split tunneling | |
| Single sign-on | |
| Remote access | |
| Priority customer support | |
| Learn more | Get Surfshark Read Surfshark Review |
Test results
We conducted several tests on Surfshark to assess its performance: speed tests to measure impact, Netflix tests to unblock geo-restrictions, and leak tests to determine privacy protection.
Surfshark went above and beyond, causing minimal impact on our download speeds and unblocked all the Netflix libraries we tested. It also recently passed all three leak tests.
|
|
| Audited no-logs policy | Yes, audited by Deloitte in June 2025 |
| Speed | Decreased our download speeds by an average of 8% |
| Netflix | Unblocked Netflix U.S., Canada, U.K., and Australia |
| DNS leak | Passed, no DNS leaks |
| WebRTC leak | Passed, no WebRTC leaks |
| Kill switch | Passed, no trace of our physical location when switching servers |
| Learn more | Get Surfshark |
Star rating summary
Surfshark has a perfect star rating of 5.0 because of its affordable plan pricing, allowance for unlimited simultaneous connections, a robust server network and features, and an audited no-logs policy.
| Decision factor | Weight | Verdict |
| Our experience | 15% | 5.0 |
| Value | 11% | 5.0 |
| Features | 30.5% | 5.0 |
| Test results | 20% | 5.0 |
| Privacy and security | 9.5% | 5.0 |
| Compatibility | 3% | 5.0 |
| Customer service | 5% | 5.0 |
ExpressVPN: Best for home-based businesses
What we liked
ExpressVPN is a great option for freelancers and small businesses based at home. The Aircove router ensures all Wi-Fi-connected devices use a VPN and remain protected.
The easiest way to ensure all devices are protected is to install a VPN on a router. But it may be a hassle to install for those who aren't tech-savvy. That's why the Aircove router is the ideal choice. It comes pre-installed with ExpressVPN and can be set up in just minutes. Then you can connect dozens of devices to ExpressVPN.
You can customize your home router to separate your work and home devices into different groups. This means your work devices can connect to the fastest local servers while allowing you to disable VPN usage for certain home devices.
If the ExpressVPN router is out of your budget, it may still be an ideal VPN solution for your home business. ExpressVPN offers apps for multiple platforms, including Linux, Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS.
Alternatively, you can also request volume licensing to have ExpressVPN cover multiple users. While pricing isn’t publicly available, ExpressVPN may be more expensive than Surfshark based on standard consumer pricing.
What we didn’t like
ExpressVPN is the most expensive VPN on this list, starting at $2.49/mo. Combine that with the initial cost of the Aircove router ($189 on Amazon), and it can be pricey to protect your home-based business with a VPN.
This may still be a good fit for small offices with limited security budgets. But if you are comfortable installing a VPN on a router, then you may find other VPN services that are more affordable.
ExpressVPN specs
| Feature |
|
| Starting price | Custom pricing, but standard pricing starts at $2.49/mo for 1 user |
| Server count | Unlisted in 105 countries |
| No-logs policy | No logs |
| Encryption | AES-256 |
| Split tunneling | |
| Single sign-on | |
| Remote access | |
| Priority customer support | |
| Learn more | Get ExpressVPN Read ExpressVPN Review |
Test results
We put ExpressVPN through three types of tests: speed tests to measure impact with different servers, Netflix tests to unblock geo-restrictions, and leak tests to determine privacy protection.
ExpressVPN had almost no impact on our download speeds and successfully unblocked all the Netflix libraries we tested. However, ExpressVPN only partially passed the WebRTC leak test, as the BrowserLeaks site detected that something was off.
| Test type |
|
| Audited no-logs policy | Yes, audited by KPMG in June 2025 |
| Speed | Maintained our download speed with most servers |
| Netflix | Unblocked Netflix U.S., Canada, U.K., and Australia |
| DNS leak | Passed, no DNS leaks |
| WebRTC leak | Partially passed, WebRTC IP didn't match remote IP |
| Kill switch | Passed, no trace of our physical location when switching servers |
| Learn more | Get ExpressVPN |
Star rating summary
ExpressVPN has a high star rating of 4.8 due to its intuitive dashboard, wide price range that suits multiple budgets, audited no-logs policy, and extensive compatibility.
ExpressVPN received a lower score in the test results category because it failed to unblock Netflix U.K. It also was marked down in the features category because it doesn't offer multi-hop servers.
| Decision factor | Weight | Verdict |
| Our experience | 15% | 5.0 |
| Value | 11% | 5.0 |
| Features | 30.5% | 4.8 |
| Test results | 20% | 4.5 |
| Privacy and security | 9.5% | 5.0 |
| Compatibility | 3% | 5.0 |
| Customer service | 5% | 5.0 |
Business vs home VPNs
There are several differences between VPN usage in a small business and at home. This is for a good reason, and you shouldn't expect to be able to use a home VPN in a business setting. Here are a few of those differences you can expect:
- User limit: For a business VPN, it's expected that multiple users will use the VPN on various devices. In comparison, a home VPN is typically used by a single user. This means that VPNs in a small business are more likely to be set up to manage multiple user accounts.
- Pricing: A business VPN, even one meant for a small business, will have a higher price than a home VPN. This is to support the additional security features that home VPNs often lack, such as user management and secure logins.
- Intended use: Home VPNs are primarily intended to conceal the user's IP address or provide access to geo-blocked content. While a business VPN will still have a strong focus on data security, there's also the added factor of establishing a secure connection between devices on the same network.
Bottom line: The best small business VPNs
If you need advanced security to protect your network, consider NordVPN. It’s our top-rated VPN provider due to its proven performance and competitive price.
Surfshark is a great budget solution that boasts unlimited simultaneous connections and comes bundled with antivirus and browser protection software. Home-based businesses typically don’t require enterprise-level security features, so consider an option like ExpressVPN, which offers an easy-to-set-up router to protect all connected devices.
If these VPN providers don’t match your needs, consider these other companies or explore our picks for the best VPN services.
FAQs
Is a VPN good for a small business?
A VPN is beneficial for small businesses that want to protect their data by establishing an encrypted tunnel. VPNs are a legal way to keep sensitive information private from prying eyes or hackers. Cybersecurity should be taken seriously by every organization, even if you think you are too small to become a target of a cyberattack.
How much is a VPN for a small business?
VPN costs for a small business will vary depending on the provider, the number of users, and any additional features. During our research, prices for a business VPN ranged from $2.50 to $16 per user per month. If you're a small business on a budget, consider installing a VPN on your router to secure dozens of devices. To make the setup easier, you could consider the Aircove router with ExpressVPN pre-installed.
What’s the best VPN for a startup?
The best VPN for a startup covers all of your connected devices and provides all the necessary security features to protect your network. You'll also want to prioritize a VPN that grows with you as you scale. NordVPN may be the best option for startups looking for network security.


