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All About Cookies has tested 54 VPNs since March 2024 and logged 270 speed test results, retesting top VPNs about every quarter. This page publishes the full results: the average speed impact for every VPN we’ve tested, nearby server results, and how VPN speeds have changed over time.
Across all 267 tests with full speed results, VPNs slowed our download speeds by 33.2% on average. But results varied widely by VPN: among those we’ve tested at least four times, average speed loss ranged from 1.6% to 63.7%. Only about one in five kept its average slowdown under 20%.
In our latest round of testing, Proton VPN and CyberGhost both ran close to 20% faster than our no-VPN baseline on U.S. servers. ExpressVPN went the other way: its latest result was more than double its historical average.
The table below breaks down each top pick’s most recent test by server location, next to its historical average, so you can see who’s trending up and who’s slipped.
| Speed impact with US server | Speed impact with CA server | Speed impact with UK server | Speed impact with AU server | Historical speed impact average | |
| Proton VPN | +18.99% faster | -4.54% slower | -4.87% slower | -18.01% slower | 13% slower |
| Total VPN | -1.80% slower | -32.98% slower | -21.02% slower | -35.64% slower | 30% slower |
| Surfshark | -4.43% slower | -8.12% slower | -17.62% slower | -17.62% slower | 8% slower |
| NordVPN | -1.65% slower | -4.42% slower | +0.63% faster | -13.51% slower | 2% slower |
| ExpressVPN | -14.72% slower | -20.38% slower | -28.69% slower | -36.85% slower | 12% slower |
| CyberGhost | +19.68% faster | -49.81% slower | +3.16% faster | -7.55% slower | 30% slower |
| Private Internet Access | -41.50% slower | -69.42% slower | -59.03% slower | -67.41% slower | 42% slower |
| Bitdefender VPN | -22.14% slower | -36.36% slower | -49.31% slower | -12.36% slower | 31% slower |
| Mullvad | +2.90% faster | -6.62% slower | +1.92% faster | -4.92% slower | 18% slower |
| VeePN | -16.81% slower | -29.72% slower | -23.76% slower | -29.29% slower | 37% slower |
| AdGuard VPN | +13.57% faster | -34.83% slower | -63.21% slower | -20.95% slower | -28% slower |
| AirVPN | -13.66% slower | -88.86% slower | -52.27% slower | -76.40% slower (with New Zealand server) | 53% slower |
| Astrill VPN | -7.59% slower | -5.28% slower | +4.02% faster | -1.15% slower | 6% slower |
| Avast Premium VPN | +3.49% faster | +0.10% faster | -3.34% slower | -3.01% slower | 26% slower |
| AVG Secure VPN | -8.63% slower | -22.67% slower | +0.90% faster | -30.05% slower | 22% slower |
| Avira Phantom VPN | -77.86% slower | -80.92% slower | -78.31% slower | -81.74% slower | 60% slower |
| Betternet | -33.34% slower | -52.01% slower | -45.03% slower | -50.33% slower | 39% slower |
| BolehVPN | -3.26% slower | -34.24% slower | +24.84% faster | +11.42% faster | 39% slower |
| CactusVPN | -71.01% slower | -42.51% slower | -42.16% slower | -32.19% slower | 52% slower |
| ClearVPN | -0.41% slower | -19.87% slower | -8.93% slower | -20.99% slower | 61% slower |
| EventVPN | -26.62% slower | -30.72% slower | -19.83% slower | -34.70% slower | 28% slower |
| FastestVPN | -26.49% slower | -39.72% slower | -45.94% slower | -40.74% slower | 39% slower |
| FrootVPN | -80.44% slower | -82.80% slower | -59.62% slower | -83.28% slower | 60% slower |
| HMA VPN | -20.50% slower | +9.81% faster | -3.65% slower | -34.90% slower | 25% slower |
| Hide My IP | +6.24% faster | +18.11% faster | -4.64% slower | -1.10% slower | 34% slower |
| hide.me | -9.82% slower | -9.62% slower | -11.08% slower | -18.66% slower | 18% slower |
| Hotspot Shield | -22.61% slower | -37.76% slower | -51.86% slower | -55.16% slower | 35% slower |
| IPVanish | -9.58% slower | -42.40% slower | -26.77% slower | -60.95% slower | 23% slower |
| iTop VPN | -31.56% slower | -28.71% slower | -28.75% slower | -28.81% slower | 35% slower |
| IVPN | -9.89% slower | -63.54% slower | -18.79% slower | -64.05% slower | 54% slower |
| KeepSolid VPN Unlimited | -14.64% slower | -73.68% slower | -85.50% slower | -94.85% slower | 51% slower |
| Malwarebytes VPN | -10.37% slower | -39.57% slower | -78.01% slower | -65.58% slower | 24% slower |
| McAfee Safe Connect VPN | -33.35% slower | -29.70% slower | -39.72% slower | -37.29% slower | 42% slower |
| Mozilla VPN | +44.32% faster | +18.46% faster | +35.00% faster | +19.93% faster | 15% slower |
| Norton Secure VPN | +7.85% faster | -15.88% slower | -4.58% slower | -11.00% slower | 14% slower |
| Opera VPN Pro | -18.04% slower | -48.01% slower | -58.98% slower | -55.18% slower | 13% slower |
| PrivadoVPN | -38.85% slower | -18.36% slower | -44.60% slower | -73.14% slower | 25% slower |
| PrivateVPN | -66.45% slower | -65.66% slower | -67.75% slower | -70.06% slower | 57% slower |
| PureVPN | -4% slower | -27% slower | -16% slower | -35% slower | 34% slower |
| SlickVPN | -94.84% slower | -41.83% slower | N/A | N/A | 65% slower |
| StrongVPN | -33.51% slower | -25.64% slower | -21.19% slower | -20.29% slower | 32% slower |
| TopWall VPN | -88.20% slower | -87.50% slower | -82.50% slower | -95.00% slower | 88% slower |
| TorGuard | -24.27% slower | -36.25% slower | -47.68% slower | -49.88% slower | 62% slower |
| Trust.Zone VPN | -15.24% slower | -86.15% slower | -82.50% slower | -91.96% slower | 62% slower |
| TunnelBear | -24.21% slower | -24.21% slower | -24.21% slower | -24.21% slower | 23% slower |
| Turbo VPN | -56.00% slower | -58.14% slower | -45.60% slower | -66.48% slower | 23% slower |
| VyprVPN | -60.28% slower | -69.31% slower | -55.67% slower | -1.44% slower | 20% slower |
| WhoX VPN | -78.07% slower | -93.68% slower | N/A | N/A | 76% slower |
| Windscribe | -18.00% slower | -20.00% slower | -39.00% slower | -21.00% slower | 24% slower |
| ZenVPN | -97.95% slower | -99.86% slower | -28.13% slower | -16.06% slower | 64% slower |
NordVPN was the fastest VPN in our speed tests, slowing our connection by just 1.6% on average. Astrill VPN (6.1% slower) and Surfshark (7.6% slower) came next. We ranked VPNs by their average speed impact across our U.S., Canadian, U.K., and Australian servers, and only included VPNs we’ve tested at least four times, so one lucky result can’t put a VPN on this list.
These 10 stand well apart from the pack. They’re the only VPNs out of 45 with four or more tests that averaged less than 20% slower than our baseline. The typical VPN in that group averaged about 31% slower, and about a quarter averaged more than 50% slower.
Even the best VPNs had off days. NordVPN averaged just 1.6% slower, but its results ranged from 32% faster to 30% slower. ExpressVPN’s latest test came in 25.2% slower, more than double its 11.9% average. That’s why we rank by averages across rounds, not a single test.
Surfshark was the steadiest of the group. Its results never strayed more than 18% slower or 10% faster across eight rounds of testing.
For our top picks by speed, see the fastest VPNs.
| VPN | Avg. speed impact | Times tested | Last tested |
| NordVPN | 1.6% slower | 8 | Jul 2026 |
| Astrill VPN | 6.1% slower | 6 | Feb 2026 |
| Surfshark | 7.6% slower | 8 | Oct 2026 |
| ExpressVPN | 11.9% slower | 8 | Sep 2026 |
| Proton VPN | 13.1% slower | 9 | Sep 2026 |
| Opera VPN Pro | 13.3% slower | 5 | Dec 2025 |
| Norton Secure VPN | 15.0% slower | 6 | Jul 2026 |
| Mozilla VPN | 15.4% slower | 5 | Dec 2025 |
| hide.me | 17.6% slower | 5 | Nov 2025 |
| Mullvad | 18.4% slower | 6 | Mar 2026 |
On nearby servers, three VPNs were actually faster than our connection with no VPN: NordVPN (5.1% faster), AdGuard VPN (3.9% faster), and Surfshark (0.3% faster). Staying close to home cut speed loss sharply. 86% of the VPNs in our results lost less speed on their nearest server than on servers in other countries.
| VPN | Avg. speed impact | Times tested | Last tested | Last tested server location |
| NordVPN | 5.1% faster | 8 | Jul 2026 | Houston, TX |
| AdGuard VPN | 3.9% faster | 5 | Dec 2025 | Dallas, TX |
| Surfshark | 0.3% faster | 8 | Oct 2026 | Dallas, TX |
| Avast SecureLine VPN | 0.2% slower | 6 | Mar 2026 | McAllen, TX |
| Opera VPN Pro | 0.4% slower | 5 | Dec 2025 | Dallas, TX |
| Proton VPN | 0.6% slower | 9 | Sep 2026 | Houston, TX |
| ExpressVPN | 3.9% slower | 8 | Sep 2026 | Houston, TX |
| Norton Secure VPN | 6.2% slower | 6 | Jul 2026 | McAllen, TX |
| Mozilla VPN | 6.3% slower | 5 | Dec 2025 | Houston, TX |
| Hide My IP | 7.6% slower | 5 | Dec 2025 | Dallas, TX |
Our nearest server result for every VPN in this table comes from testing in Austin, Texas. We used each VPN’s “fastest server” option when it had one. Otherwise, we picked the closest server city.
Among VPNs we’ve tested at least four times, the typical one averaged about 20% slower on its nearest server, compared with about 35% slower on servers in other countries.
All 10 VPNs on this list averaged less than 8% slower. In our tests, they barely touched our speeds on nearby servers.
VPNs got faster from 2024 to 2025. For the 45 VPNs we tested in both years, the average slowdown improved by 3 percentage points, from 35.6% to 32.6%. Most of these VPNs got faster: 62% averaged faster in 2025 than in 2024. Because we retest the same VPNs every few months, we can track these changes, not just where VPNs stand today.
Strong results became more common, too. In 2024, 20% of these VPNs’ results were less than 15% slower than our baseline. In 2025, that share grew to 27%. We only compared VPNs we tested in both years, so the trend reflects the same VPNs over time, not a changing lineup.
| Year | Avg. speed impact |
| 2024 | 35.6% slower |
| 2025 | 32.6% slower |
Nearest server results held steady from 2024 to 2025, at 21.2% and 20.9% slower. But more connections got faster with the VPN on. In 2024, 16% of these VPNs’ nearest server results beat our baseline. In 2025, that share grew to 21%.
| Year | Avg. speed impact |
| 2024 | 21.2% slower |
| 2025 | 20.9% slower |
Across the 50 VPNs in our results, average speed impact ranged from 1.6% slower (NordVPN) to 63.7% slower (ZenVPN) among VPNs we’ve tested at least four times. The table covers all 50, sorted alphabetically.
Each VPN’s averages include only the rounds we tested it in, and the number of rounds varies. Five VPNs have fewer than four tests, so their averages could shift more after the next round. VPNs marked with an asterisk (*) are ones we no longer test or recommend.
| VPN | Avg. speed impact | Avg. nearest server impact | Times tested | First tested | Last tested |
| AdGuard VPN | 28.4% slower | 3.9% faster | 5 | May 2024 | Dec 2025 |
| AirVPN | 53.1% slower | 38.1% slower | 6 | Jun 2024 | Mar 2026 |
| Astrill VPN | 6.1% slower | 10.9% slower | 6 | Jun 2024 | Feb 2026 |
| Avast SecureLine VPN | 26.0% slower | 0.2% slower | 6 | Jun 2024 | Mar 2026 |
| AVG Secure VPN | 22.1% slower | 11.4% slower | 6 | May 2024 | Mar 2026 |
| Avira Phantom VPN | 60.2% slower | 50.7% slower | 5 | Jun 2024 | Feb 2026 |
| Betternet | 38.8% slower | 43.0% slower | 3 | Dec 2024 | Sep 2025 |
| Bitdefender VPN | 31.1% slower | 23.8% slower | 6 | May 2024 | Mar 2026 |
| BolehVPN | 39.3% slower | 41.6% slower | 4 | May 2025 | Dec 2025 |
| CactusVPN | 52.3% slower | 45.9% slower | 6 | Jun 2024 | Mar 2026 |
| ClearVPN | 60.6% slower | 48.4% slower | 6 | May 2024 | Oct 2026 |
| CyberGhost | 30.4% slower | 9.6% slower | 7 | Jun 2024 | Oct 2026 |
| EventVPN | 28.0% slower | 26.6% slower | 1 | Oct 2025 | Oct 2025 |
| ExpressVPN | 11.9% slower | 3.9% slower | 8 | May 2024 | Sep 2026 |
| FastestVPN | 38.9% slower | 22.7% slower | 5 | Jun 2024 | Mar 2026 |
| FrootVPN | 62.7% slower | 56.8% slower | 6 | Jun 2024 | Mar 2026 |
| Hide My Ass | 24.6% slower | 15.8% slower | 5 | Jun 2024 | Dec 2025 |
| Hide My IP | 34.5% slower | 7.6% slower | 5 | Jun 2024 | Dec 2025 |
| hide.me | 17.6% slower | 10.3% slower | 5 | Jun 2024 | Nov 2025 |
| Hotspot Shield | 34.8% slower | 34.8% slower | 5 | Jun 2024 | Oct 2025 |
| IPVanish | 23.3% slower | 8.5% slower | 7 | May 2024 | Jul 2026 |
| iTop VPN | 35.2% slower | 27.7% slower | 5 | May 2024 | Nov 2025 |
| IVPN | 53.5% slower | 20.9% slower | 6 | Jun 2024 | Jun 2026 |
| KeepSolid VPN Unlimited | 51.0% slower | 13.9% slower | 5 | May 2024 | Nov 2025 |
| Malwarebytes Privacy VPN | 24.5% slower | 7.8% slower | 6 | Jun 2024 | Jul 2026 |
| McAfee Safe Connect VPN | 41.6% slower | 35.6% slower | 5 | May 2024 | Nov 2025 |
| Mozilla VPN | 15.4% slower | 6.3% slower | 5 | Jun 2024 | Dec 2025 |
| Mullvad | 18.4% slower | 11.1% slower | 6 | May 2024 | Mar 2026 |
| NordVPN | 1.6% slower | 5.1% faster | 8 | May 2024 | Jul 2026 |
| Norton Secure VPN | 15.0% slower | 6.2% slower | 6 | May 2024 | Jul 2026 |
| Opera VPN Pro | 13.3% slower | 0.4% slower | 5 | Mar 2024 | Dec 2025 |
| PrivadoVPN | 25.2% slower | 24.1% slower | 6 | May 2024 | Aug 2026 |
| Private Internet Access | 41.8% slower | 19.2% slower | 7 | Jun 2024 | Sep 2026 |
| PrivateVPN | 57.3% slower | 44.7% slower | 5 | Jun 2024 | Oct 2025 |
| Proton VPN | 13.1% slower | 0.6% slower | 9 | Jun 2024 | Sep 2026 |
| PureVPN | 33.7% slower | 18.7% slower | 6 | Jun 2024 | Aug 2026 |
| SlickVPN* | 65.1% slower | 77.9% slower | 2 | Jun 2024 | Dec 2024 |
| StrongVPN | 32.3% slower | 22.7% slower | 5 | Jun 2024 | Nov 2025 |
| Surfshark | 7.6% slower | 0.3% faster | 8 | May 2024 | Oct 2026 |
| TopWall VPN | 88.0% slower | 88.2% slower | 1 | Dec 2025 | Dec 2025 |
| TorGuard | 62.4% slower | 49.7% slower | 4 | Jun 2024 | Sep 2025 |
| Total VPN | 30.3% slower | 21.2% slower | 7 | May 2024 | Aug 2026 |
| Trust.Zone VPN | 62.5% slower | 41.5% slower | 5 | Apr 2024 | Mar 2026 |
| TunnelBear | 23.3% slower | 20.6% slower | 5 | May 2024 | Nov 2025 |
| Turbo VPN | 47.7% slower | 27.6% slower | 5 | May 2024 | Dec 2025 |
| VeePN | 37.3% slower | 19.8% slower | 6 | May 2024 | Mar 2026 |
| VyprVPN | 20.2% slower | 29.1% slower | 5 | Jun 2024 | Nov 2025 |
| Whoer* | 76.2% slower | 74.2% slower | 3 | Feb 2025 | Oct 2025 |
| Windscribe | 25.3% slower | 17.6% slower | 5 | May 2024 | Oct 2025 |
| ZenVPN* | 63.7% slower | 95.8% slower | 4 | Apr 2024 | Sep 2025 |
*We no longer test SlickVPN, Whoer (now WhoX VPN), or ZenVPN, and we don’t recommend any of them. Antivirus programs flagged SlickVPN as malware during our testing, and the service often didn’t work. Whoer infected our test device with malware. ZenVPN didn’t work on our Mac, and antivirus software flagged it as malware on our PC. Their results above reflect past testing only.
We also tested Atlas VPN, Ivacy VPN, Microsoft Privacy Protection, and ZenMate VPN, but they’ve since been discontinued or merged with another service, so they don’t appear above.
We measure how much speed a VPN costs by comparing its download speeds to our connection with no VPN, across servers in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and Australia.
| Test tool | SpeedTest.net |
| Connection | Wi-Fi |
| Protocol | VPN default |
| Server locations | VPN’s recommended server in the following countries: U.S., Canada, U.K., Australia |
| Tests per server | 1-2 |
| Retest frequency | Quarterly to annually |
| Tester location | Primarily Austin, Texas, U.S. |
We start by recording a baseline download speed on SpeedTest.net with no VPN on. Then we connect to VPN servers in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and Australia and test each one. We run one to two tests per server, compare each result to our baseline, and average the four locations to get a VPN’s overall speed impact for that round.
We also track the nearest server result. That’s the speed impact when the tester connects to a server in their own country: U.S. to U.S., or Canada to Canada. It’s the closest match to how most people use a VPN every day. To pick the server, we use the VPN’s “fastest server” option when it has one. Otherwise, we choose the closest server city.
We test over Wi-Fi, using each VPN’s default protocol. Our baseline speed changes from test to test, so we report results as a percentage of the baseline instead of raw speeds. That keeps results comparable across different days and connections.
We report each result as how much faster or slower a VPN made our connection, compared with our baseline. We retest our top VPNs about every quarter, at different times of day. Each VPN’s historical average includes only the rounds we tested it in.
For the full process, see how we test VPNs.
Server distance, protocol, server load, and your own internet connection all affect how much a VPN slows you down. A VPN sends your traffic through an extra server and encrypts it along the way, and that extra step usually costs some speed.
Here’s how each one showed up in our tests:
Our VPN recommendations are based on extensive hands-on testing, not just product specifications. From September 2023 through October 2026, the All About Cookies editorial team tested 55 VPNs across seven testing categories, completing more than 270 rounds of testing.
While only 10 VPNs made our recommended lineup, we've evaluated many more services to understand how they compare in privacy, security, performance, and usability. Explore our individual VPN reviews below to see how each performed in our testing.
Our testing history also includes five VPN services that are no longer available. You can still explore our original reviews:
Sometimes. In our tests, 19% of our nearest server results were faster with the VPN on. This can happen when a VPN takes a better route to a website than your internet provider does, or when your provider slows down certain kinds of traffic.
But most of the time, a VPN slows you down at least a little.
NordVPN slowed us down the least, at 1.6% slower on average. Astrill VPN (6.1% slower) and Surfshark (7.6% slower) came next.
For a head-to-head look at the top two, see our NordVPN vs. Surfshark comparison
VPNs slowed our connection by 33.2% on average across 267 results. On a nearby server, the average was 21.8% slower.
We retest our top VPNs about every quarter. Since March 2024, we’ve tested 54 VPNs, and some have been through as many as nine rounds.
VPN that earned the only Platinum rating in a five-way independent speed and security test by Artifact Security
Historically unlocks Netflix libraries in the US, Canada, UK, and Australia with no errors
Bundles with ad blocker, data removal, and encrypted storage for a more complete privacy setup
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