VPNs are a fantastic tool to stay safe and more anonymous online, but you might not consider their speed when selecting one. However, if there were to be a sprint race at the VPN Olympics, there would be a clear disparity between the performance of even some of the best VPNs.
But what effect does a VPN's speed have, and how much emphasis should you put on pure speed in a VPN when choosing the service for you? Is the fastest VPN always the best option?
What do we mean by a VPN's speed?
Obviously, we can't measure VPN speed in miles per hour, it's done in megabits per second (Mbps) like traditional internet speeds.
Download speeds are important in determining how quickly data travels from the internet to your computer when browsing the internet while upload speeds measure how quickly data travels between your computer and your network. With a VPN in the mix that's another layer for data to travel through, so upload and download speeds are generally slower than with unprotected internet.
How important is having a fast VPN?
It all depends on your own raw internet speed. If you have a lightning-fast 1 Gbps connection, you don't want a VPN that can only handle 300 Mbps holding you back. Conversely, if your home connection tops out at 100 Mbps it doesn't really matter how fast your VPN is, it will only ever reach a max of 100 Mbps (probably slightly lower).
Your VPN speed is important if you plan on doing more than just browsing the internet. If you're after the best streaming VPN, you'll want to choose a speedy service. Streaming can be pretty bandwidth intensive and the last thing you want is your favorite Netflix drama to start buffering at the most climatic moment. Your connection speed will also impact how high a picture resolution you can stream comfortably.
When considering the best gaming VPN, speed is a priority too. Playing online with lag puts you at a massive disadvantage with competitors while downloading new titles and updates is much less painful with a fast connection.
What is the fastest VPN?
In our extensive testing, we've found Surfshark to be the Usain Bolt of VPNs with a download speed of over 950 Mbps. That's seriously quick and probably more than your internet is capable of. NordVPN and Proton VPN take the remaining podium spots with similar speeds over WireGuard encryption.
What blew us away about Surfshark however was its speeds over OpenVPN. This is generally a more secure but slower form of encryption and using OpenVPN Surfshark registered a speed of 640Mbps, more than 200Mbps quicker than the competition.
