The Best VPNs for Small Business 2024

Small businesses have unique needs for a virtual private network (VPN). They may need to securely connect remote employees to company servers or protect their 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 researched and reviewed several VPNs to find the best VPN services for small businesses. We determined Surfshark, NordLayer (from the makers of NordVPN), and ExpressVPN meet a variety of needs for small businesses. Surfshark is affordable without sacrificing privacy, NordLayer offers additional security to help protect your entire network, and ExpressVPN can protect most of the devices in your house, including your home office.

The best small business VPNs

• Surfshark: Best for affordable privacy
• NordLayer: Best for premium security
• ExpressVPN: Best for home-based businesses

Top 3 VPN services for small businesses compared

VPN
Starting price	Custom pricing, but standard pricing starts at $1.99/mo (billed every two years) for 1 user	Starts at $7.00/mo for 1 user (5 user minimum)	Custom pricing, but standard pricing starts at $6.67/mo (billed annually) for 1 user
Server count	3,200+ servers in 100 countries	33 countries	Unlisted in 105 countries
Encryption	AES-256-GCM	AES-256-GCM	AES-256 bit
Split tunneling
Single sign-on
Remote access
Learn more	Get Surfshark Read Surfshark Review	Get NordLayer Read NordVPN Review	Get ExpressVPN Read ExpressVPN Review

How we tested the best VPNs for small business

There are a few features and qualities we looked for while reviewing which VPNs would be best 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 they 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 adjust with it. We chose VPNs that base their price on the number of users.
• Remote access: If your employees need access to your company servers, then you'll need to choose a VPN with 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-bit encryption, DNS leak protection, and top-grade protocols like OpenVPN, WireGuard, and IKEv2. We also looked for more advanced security features that set them apart from their competitors and keep your sensitive business data safe.

Surfshark: Best for affordable privacy

Organizations looking for a high-quality VPN with an affordable price tag may find this software useful. Surfshark is reliable, and fast, and comes with most of the VPN features you expect.

What we liked

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 like Surfshark’s large number of server locations. With 3,200+ servers, you and your employees will find it easier to find a high-speed connection.

Surfshark is also one of the cheapest VPNs on the market which may make it an ideal option for small businesses on a budget. 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, which gives you a chance to try it out to see if it meets your business needs.

What we didn’t like

Surfshark doesn't give any clear indication of how much their business VPN costs, which makes it difficult to determine its affordability. However, since its standard pricing is one of the most inexpensive VPN options, and Surfshark most likely offers affordable bulk discounts for businesses, then the business VPN is probably low cost.

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 (billed every two years) for 1 user
Server count	3,200+ 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 Surshark Read Surfshark Review

NordLayer: Best for premium security

NordLayer is great for small businesses needing more than just a reliable VPN. They may also need additional security features to protect their network or to comply with data regulations.

What we liked

NordLayer is from the same company behind NordVPN, so it has the reputation of being reliable and one of the best VPNs overall. But NordLayer offers several security features designed to protect a company's network and your remote workers. Some of the notable features available on all plans include:

• Always-on VPN
• ThreatBlock, which blocks malicious websites
• Single sign-on (SSO)
• Auto-connect
• Device posture monitoring
• Kill switch
• 24/7 email support

What we didn’t like

Some important features like remote access, priority customer support, and a dedicated IP address are not available on the Basic plan. You'll also have to pay an extra fee to get a dedicated server for the fixed IP.

NordLayer is technical, and if you don't understand IT you may get lost in the matrix. This is a more suitable option for organizations with IT staff onboard who can help deploy and maintain NordLayer.

Unlike Surfshark or ExpressVPN, it's not possible to only get a VPN for multiple users. If you want a secure VPN for business, you'll have to get NordLayer with all of its additional security features.

NordLayer specs

Feature
Starting price	Starts at $7.00/mo for 1 user (5 user minimum)
Server count	33 locations
No-logs policy	No logs
Encryption	AES-256-GCM
Split tunneling
Single sign-on
Remote access
Priority customer support	Yes (Advanced and Custom plans only)
Learn more	Get NordLayer Read NordVPN Review

ExpressVPN: Best for home-based businesses

ExpressVPN is a great option for freelancers and small businesses based out of a home. The Aircove router ensures all Wi-Fi-connected devices are using a VPN and are protected.

What we liked

The easiest way to ensure all devices are connected 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 ideal. It comes pre-installed with ExpressVPN and takes only minutes to set up. 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. It means your work devices can connect to the fastest local servers or turn off 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 shared, it might be more expensive compared to Surfshark based on their standard pricing for a VPN.

What we didn’t like

ExpressVPN is one of the most expensive VPNs on the market. 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. However, this still might be ideal for small offices with a budget for security.

But if you are comfortable installing a VPN on a router, then you may find other VPN services that are more affordable.

One other potential drawback to using ExpressVPN to secure your office network is its limited number of devices supported at the same time. While some VPN apps, like Surfshark and IPVanish, offer unlimited secure connections, ExpressVPN is limited to 8 devices.

ExpressVPN specs

Feature
Starting price	Custom pricing, but standard pricing starts at $6.67/mo (billed annually) for 1 user
Server count	Unlisted in 105 countries
No-logs policy	No logs
Encryption	AES-256 bit
Split tunneling
Single sign-on
Remote access
Priority customer support
Learn more	Get ExpressVPN Read ExpressVPN Review

VPNs that didn’t make the cut

There are plenty of contenders for the best business VPN. While some may be a good choice for some users, they didn't quite meet our criteria as one of the best VPNs for small businesses. Here are other VPNs we considered, and why they didn't make the cut.

VyprVPN

VyprVPN offers solid security features and two plans specifically for businesses. It includes a dedicated account manager, a no-logs policy, dedicated server, and user management.

But VyprVPN was one of the most expensive options. Business plans range from $299 to $349 per year and include three users — each additional user is $99 per year. This is roughly $8.30 to $9.69 per user per month.

Read Our VyprVPN Review

Perimeter 81

Like NordLayer, Perimeter 81 is more than a VPN. It includes several other security features including a dedicated IP, remote access, and a dedicated manager.

But it was slightly more expensive than NordLayer. Its robust network security features were also more appropriate for mid-sized or enterprise companies instead of small businesses.

hide.me

hide.me quickly became a contender due to its affordable and transparent pricing. For example, 10 users cost $4.75 per user per month. It also made our list of the best free VPN services.

However, compared to Surfshark it was more expensive and offered fewer servers in fewer countries.

Business vs home VPNs

There are multiple differences between VPN usage in a small business compared to 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 there will be multiple different users using the VPN on multiple devices. In comparison, a home VPN is usually expected to be used by a single user. This means VPNs in a small business are more set up to allow for the management of 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 extra security features that home VPNs don't provide, such as user management or secure log-ins. 
• Intended use — Home VPNs are mostly intended to hide the user's IP address, or grant them 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. 

Best VPNs for small business FAQs

Bottom line: The best small business VPNs

If you're a small business, then Surfshark may be the best option for you since it's affordable and has all the essential security features of a VPN. If you need additional security to protect your network, then you should consider NordLayer as your VPN provider. Home-based businesses most likely don't need such robust security features, so consider an option like ExpressVPN which has an easy-to-setup router to protect all connected devices.

If those VPN providers don't match your needs, you can always look into these other companies as well as our picks for the top VPN services:

• VyprVPN
• Perimeter 81
• hide.me

3 best VPNs for business owners

	Starting price	Best for	Learn more
	Custom pricing, but standard pricing starts at $1.99/mo (billed every two years) for 1 user	Best for affordable privacy	Get Surfshark Read Surfshark Review
	Starts at $7.00/mo for 1 user (5 user minimum)	Best for premium security	Get NordLayer Read NordVPN Review
	Custom pricing, but standard pricing starts at $6.67/mo (billed annually) for 1 user	Best for home-based businesses	Get ExpressVPN Read ExpressVPN Review