Online privacy is more of a concern than ever, and the first step towards digital anonymity is picking up the most private VPN. By changing your IP address and encrypting your traffic, the best VPN offers a quick and easy way of protecting your traffic – but not every provider is as private as they make out to be.
On this page, we've run down the top 5 providers that we believe offer the most anonymous VPN experience. We've tested each service thoroughly, dug around in privacy policies, and tested kill switches to breaking point in order to determine which providers you can trust with your data.
What makes the most private VPN?
There are a few very important features to look out for in the most private VPN. Firstly, you should consider where your chosen VPN is based – those in countries like the US and much of Europe are subject to data retention laws, although there are exceptions.
You'll also want to make sure it has a watertight no-logging policy. That means that no records of how you use the VPN are kept, and if anyone demands them they won’t be there to hand over.
It’s also worth considering what payment methods you can use – does your VPN accept Bitcoin, perhaps even cash, or do you have to use PayPal? Finally, almost all VPNs require you to use an email, but if you use a secure email service like Proton Mail, you can keep that private and unidentifiable, too.
When considering all of those points and more, we’ve named ExpressVPN as the most private VPN available today – there are no sacrifices made in terms of privacy or usability, and it has a rock-solid and fully audited no-logging policy that's been proven in practice. However, there are some other strong contenders, so read on to find out the five most private VPNs available today.
The most private VPNs available today
Privacy-wise, a big part of why ProtonVPN sits atop our list is its widely impressive Secure Core servers. They allow you to connect to an ultra-secure location (kind of like an underground server bunker in Sweden) before routing your connection to another server. While the company recommends doing this when connecting to more vulnerable locations like Turkey, there's nothing stopping you from using this feature continuously.
Additionally (and curiously), as impressive as Secure Core servers are, they're not what put ProtonVPN on the map. Its ProtonMail service is the company's flagship product, which you may have used to keep your paper trail anonymous when signing up to other devices. A standout feature in its own right, you can read more about it in our most recent ProtonVPN review.
Open-source bragging rights and audited credentials prove its trustworthiness, but what really surprised us during our latest round of testing was its jaw-dropping performance as one of the best streaming VPNs. It crushed every obstacle we placed before it, and accessed iPlayer, Amazon Prime, Netflix, and more without breaking a sweat.
If I were to nitpick and find a flaw for the sake of fairness, I'd say it would be the price tag. Even compared to the very premium ExpressVPN, ProtonVPN is still quite expensive. That said, I wouldn't blame you if you'd be willing to go for Proton in the interest of complete privacy, especially if you, like myself, have been taken in by the Swiss privacy and the green and black interface.
NordVPN is the go-to choice for those looking for a privacy VPN, and has been for quite some time now. It's absolutely deservedly a household name, and it performed just as stellarly in our latest NordVPN review.
In fairness, many of us still remember the 2018 server hack that almost threw Nord to its knees, and yes - it does leave a bitter taste. However, in its defense, NordVPN has undertaken two independent audits of its servers and policies since then, proving that the provider has worked hard to regain user trust.
During these audits, Nord allowed the firm PwC access to its Standard VPN, Double VPN, Obfuscated (XOR) VPN, and P2P servers, not to mention its central infrastructure. The results indicated that Nord's no-logging policy was upheld in its entirety.
Additionally, Nord is based in Panama, which (just like the BVI) doesn't require companies registered there to retain the data of its users, and the provider also accepts cryptocurrency payments. As an extra bonus, it's also one of the fastest VPNs around, with speeds of over 950 Mbps in our latest round of testing.
If you're still unable to wholly get over the hacking incident, NordVPN does offer a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can test it out without committing to make sure you're happy with your choice.
Another household name that continuously tops our charts in most VPN-related aspects (including privacy), ExpressVPN is an excellent choice for those looking to combine privacy with ease of use.
Express has also undertaken an independent audit fairly recently with positive results, delivering on the no-logging front. Additionally, it's based in the British Virgin Islands - a jurisdiction that does not have mandatory data retention laws.
Infrastructure-wise, this provider uses RAM-only servers, known as TrustedServer, meaning servers that don't use hard drives and, therefore, cannot store any data after powering off. Thanks to Bitcoin support, you can also avoid handing over any identifying information when signing up, and even though an email is required, you can easily get a free account with a decent privacy-focused provider.
As usual, ExpressVPN unblocked tons of streaming sites in our most recent testing round, including Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, BBC iPlayer, Netflix, and others. This is unsurprising considering it's one of the best streaming VPNs on the market.
While Express is also known for being among the pricier VPN options, you could get your subscription for less with our ExpressVPN promo codes, as well as a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Off the bat, many - if not all - VPN providers in the industry claim and promise to protect your digital privacy. However, Mullvad is one of the few that turns these claims into reality. It only takes a click of a button to create an account number, and in doing so, you don't need to supply a name, email, or other personal details to use the service.
Additionally, Mullvad recommends using Bitcoin or cash to pay for the service and further protect your anonymity. In fact, the company is so determined to protect your privacy that it doesn't even accept subscriptions, because that would require keeping payment information, and the provider wants to know as few details about its users as possible.
In June 2024, it passed a massive infrastructure audit by Cure53, and in December 2024, it also published the report of its annual app audit by X41 D-Sec. In May 2024, Mullvad also added DAITA (Defense Against AI-guided Traffic Analysis) to Windows, and it's since been rolled out to Linux, MacOS, Android, and iOS.
I'd be remiss not to mention that, while it's true Mullvad has gone to great lengths to boost its service geared towards more technical and privacy-focused users - and deserves ample praise for it - it's still lacking in numerous other core VPN areas. For instance, it won't be making our list of the best Netflix VPNs anytime soon as it can't access Netflix (besides the US library), Prime Video, or Disney+, has a relatively small server network, recently discontinued port forwarding, missing live chat support, and more.
Therefore, Mullvad is great for tech-savvy privacy purists - and, it would seem, only for them. If you need a broader spectrum of VPN services, you're better off with any of the other entries on this list.
Privacy-wise, PIA's track record is excellent and demonstrated in court twice, where it had no personal user details to hand over, as well as being audited by Deloitte to back up its privacy claims. It also has 3-monthly Transparency Reports, further bolstering trust in putting user privacy first.
Private Internet Access is very much a core VPN service first, with great unblocking so you can get more out of your streaming services wherever you are in the world (including dedicated streaming servers). There's also impressive support for torrenting a P2P sharing, as well as more advanced features like port forwarding for some servers.
PIA has one of the largest server fleets, including over 10,000 individual servers, across 151 locations and 91 countries, as well as servers in all 50 US states - which makes sense, since the company is headquartered in Denver, Colorado. With such a wide coverage, it makes sense that PIA is an excellent choice for unblocking streaming libraries and shows from almost every region imaginable. Average download speeds are just around 436 Mbps, which is more than enough for most users despite being lower than other entries on this list.
Overall, Private Internet Access is deservedly on this list of the most private VPNs despite being ranked last. As such, it's a good enough choice for the privacy-conscious user who wants to have absolute anonymity occasionally. For more regular use, any of the aforementioned entries should work well.
Most private VPN FAQ
What is the most private VPN?
Overall, we recommend Proton VPN as the most private VPN on the market. It's great for streaming, staying anonymous, has plenty of servers, and also delivers excellent connection speeds.
However, close on its tail is NordVPN, with a very similar feature set for a little cheaper, and a great bargain option is Surfshark, which is available for less than $2.50 a month.
Can you trust any VPN to be private?
When you sign up for a VPN service, you give it permission to view all the data you're trying to keep private from some other party, such as your internet service provider – you're essentially swapping who you show your data from a party you don't trust to one you do. But, can you actually trust VPNs?
You shouldn't blindly trust anything. It helps to know as much as possible about a VPN provider, such as who owns it, who runs it and where it's based, but if you're really privacy conscious, you'll want to give your VPN provider as little information about yourself as possible. That means seeking out a provider that might offer anonymous payments, or perhaps doesn't require an email address.
However, while many do require an email address, if you're really keen on staying anonymous you can sign up for a free, secure email provider like ProtonMail. That way you don't have to tie your name to your VPN.
Who needs a private VPN?
If you don't want the government or your ISP snooping on what you're up to, and want to evade hackers and trackers, having a private VPN should be a priority.
That's not incriminating either – why should we have to do all our business and leisure activities in plain sight? We close our curtains when we want privacy at home, so think of a private VPN as the shutters on your computer's windows.
Thankfully, even if you're after a fast VPN as well, you don't need to sacrifice anything. The very best private VPN will be able to do it all for you.
