6 Fastest VPNs Services (& 3 Slowest): Speed Test Results (2026)

VPNs boost security, but slow speeds.

That’s unfortunate. And there’s no way to solve one without the other.

The extra VPN funnel to secure your entire connection adds layers of encrypted security, which inevitably dings server speeds.

But how do you find a fast VPN?

The good news is that the best VPNs in existence only see a negligible drop in performance.

The bad news is that many of the bad ones siphon off so many resources that it makes web browsing a drag and streaming HD video content nearly impossible.

It could be the greatest anonymous system known to man, with no logging, unlimited torrenting, Netflix functionality, and a killer price tag.

But if it’s killing 95% of your speed, it’s not worth it.

There are four main reasons why a VPN will slow your internet speed to a crawl:

1. Encryption: When a VPN sends information across the web, it encases it in advanced encryption to keep prying eyes from seeing our activity and data. High-quality encryption pulls a lot of CPU power, so the better the encryption is, the more speed it’s going to pull away. That’s why we say that decreased speed is the cost of security. Modern protocols like WireGuard have significantly reduced this performance impact compared to older protocols. They also use less extra data: WireGuard typically adds around 4-6% overhead, while OpenVPN over TCP can add roughly 20-40%.
2. Physical Distance from VPN Server: Signal deteriorates over distance, so where you are as it pertains to your VPN’s server will dictate speed loss. Connecting to nearby servers typically results in only 5-15% speed reduction with quality VPN providers.
3. User Overload: The more people pulling at a server the more bandwidth is eaten up. Low bandwidth means low performance which also means low speed. This is usually not an issue for higher quality VPN systems, because they’re built to handle the load with 10Gbps+ server connections.
4. Your ISP Speed: It stands to reason that the slower the speed you start out with is, the slower your VPN speed will be. Speed loss is more noticeable on systems that weren’t getting great speeds to begin with.

We tested 74+ VPN speed using speedtest.net and modern testing methodologies. Current testing uses baseline connections of 500 Mbps or higher to accurately measure VPN performance. Read more about our review process here.

The 6 Fastest VPNs

We’ve reviewed 74 VPNs to date. Some were awesome. Most were ‘meh.’ And a few were downright shocking.

What’s interesting to note is that only one of these VPNs are in our top ten. And only one other is in the top 20.

How can that be? Let’s find out!

1. PersonalVPN

• Overall Rank: 20/74
• EU Download Speed: 73.78 Mbps
• US Download Speed: 125.58 Mbps
• Logging Policy: Logs Some Information
• Leaks: IP Leaks Detected
• Torrenting: Not Officially Supported
• Netflix: Works with US and UK Netflix

This is the fastest VPN we’ve seen. By far.

Check out these results:

US Server:

• Ping: 118ms
• Download: 125.53 Mbps (45% faster)
• Upload: 29.38 Mbps (13% slower)

EU Server:

• Ping: 118ms
• Download: 73.78 Mbps (15% slower)
• Upload: 40.69 Mbps (21% faster)

The US server speeds were actually faster than our benchmark download speeds!

To put it mildly:

That’s amazing.

There’s a lot to love besides speed, too.

Witopia also offers four different VPN tunneling protocols (OpenVPN, L2TP, IPSec, and PPTP), plus bulletproof AES-256 encryption. As of 2025, they’ve expanded to over 300 servers in more than 40 countries and added support for WireGuard protocol. This VPN doesn’t play around when it comes to safety.

Unfortunately, there were a few drawbacks.

For starters, they log your information. Like….a lot of it. There were tons of IP leaks, exposing our true location and shattering the anonymity of the product. While recent reviews show improved performance and some streaming capability with Netflix US and UK, the logging concerns remain.

And while those speeds were awesome, the fact that you can’t watch Netflix on all servers and torrenting isn’t officially supported means you can’t really get the full effect on every server.

This is the fastest VPN we’ve ever seen. But in our official review, we did not recommend it due to privacy and leak issues.

2. Hide My IP

• Overall Rank: 43/74
• EU Download Speed: 81.66 Mbps
• US Download Speed: 81.61 Mbps
• Logging Policy: Some Logging
• Leaks: No Leaks
• Torrenting: Allows Torrenting
• Netflix: Works With Multiple Netflix Libraries

Our Hide My IP EU and US speed tests were nearly identical in terms of download speeds. That’s a good thing, showing that they’re able to consistently post strong server speeds.

EU Speed Test:

• Ping: 44 ms
• Download: 81.61 Mbps (16% slower)
• Upload: 20.36 Mbps (61% slower)

US Speed Test:

• Ping: 113 ms
• Download: 81.66 Mbps (16% slower)
• Upload: 19.99 Mbps (62% slower)

Our benchmark means that your speeds might only decline a few percentage points with Hide My IP. You probably won’t even notice it, to be honest.

We also found no leaks at all. So it’s a strong system.

Where does it go wrong then?

Unfortunately, Hide My IP thinks it’s ok to log your information. They don’t track your activity, but they are keeping some of your personal data. As of 2025, Hide My IP has upgraded to AES-256 encryption and now operates over 140 server locations worldwide, with support for both OpenVPN and WireGuard protocols.

It allows torrenting with no restrictions, and multiple servers now work with Netflix. Current reviews show it successfully unblocks Netflix US and Canada, though UK Netflix can be inconsistent.

Also, they’re located smack in the middle of the 5 Eyes Surveillance Alliance, which is an agreement between the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand to share espionage information.

So if Hide My IP ponies up the information they’re logging, it’s going to be shared with four other governments. Read more about Hide My IP VPN in our review.

3. Private Internet Access

• Overall Rank: 9/74
• EU Download Speed: 81.46 Mbps
• US Download Speed: 77.56 Mbps
• Logging Policy: No Logging – Independently Audited
• Leaks: No Leaks
• Torrenting: Torrenting Allowed
• Netflix: Works With 15+ Netflix Libraries

Private Internet Access is the highest ranked overall VPN on this list.

We ranked this product as the ninth VPN we’ve reviewed. And with good reason.

Speeds were awesome, as should come as no shock.

We tested a number of servers and were very impressed. Take a look:

EU Speed Test:

• Ping: 41ms
• Download: 81.46 Mbps (15% slower)
• Upload: 40.30 Mbps (29% slower)

US Speed Test:

• Ping: 118ms
• Download: 77.56 Mbps (19% slower)
• Upload: 36.75 Mbps (34% slower)

Those speeds, coupled with a strict no-logging policy, full torrenting allowance, and no leaks made this a fantastic option.

Of course, they weren’t perfect.

As of 2025, Private Internet Access has dramatically improved its Netflix capabilities. The service now successfully unblocks 15+ Netflix libraries including US, UK, Japan, Canada, and Australia through dedicated streaming-optimized servers. PIA has expanded to servers in 91 countries with unlimited simultaneous connections, making it excellent value for families. The VPN’s no-logs policy has been independently audited by Deloitte twice (2022 and 2024), confirming they collect no user data.

Their US jurisdiction does create some surveillance concerns for privacy-focused users, though their proven court track record and audited no-logs policy provide strong reassurance.

For more information, check out our official review.

4. BolehVPN

• Overall Rank: 34/74
• EU Download Speed: 88.41 Mbps
• US Download Speed: 62.85 Mbps
• Logging Policy: Logs Traffic
• Leaks: No Leaks
• Torrenting: Torrenting Allowed
• Netflix: 1/5 Worked With Netflix

BolehVPN produced slightly mixed results.

The upload speeds were consistent across both servers. But the EU download speeds were significantly faster than the US one.

Take a look.

EU Speed Test:

• Ping: 47ms
• Download: 88.41 Mbps (9% slower)
• Upload: 36.63 Mbps (31% slower)

US Speed Test:

• Ping: 117 ms
• Download: 62.85 Mbps (35% slower)
• Upload: 35.38 Mbps (38% slower)

Plus, they allow torrenting and one of the servers worked with Netflix. So you can get full use of those strong speeds.

Why didn’t we recommend this VPN in our review, then?

It logs some information, has a limited number of servers, and we had an overall clunky experience working with the app.

5. VPN.ac

• Overall Rank: 46/74
• EU Download Speed: 90.22 Mbps
• US Download Speed: 58.53 Mbps
• Logging Policy: Logs Some Info
• Leaks: No Leaks
• Torrenting: Torrenting Limited
• Netflix: Does Not Work With Netflix

VPN.ac produced blazing-fast EU speeds and pretty good US ones.

EU Speed Test:

• Ping: 33 ms
• Download: 90.22 Mbps (7% slower)
• Upload: 48.76 Mbps (8% slower)

US Speed Test:

• Ping: 115 ms
• Download: 58.53 Mbps (40% slower)
• Upload: 25.60 Mbps (51% slower)

There were no IP leaks found in this VPN, and they don’t log any major information. (Just your email address which isn’t enough to identify you.)

That being said, they limit their torrenting services to a few servers. And none of the servers we tested worked with Netflix. That’s a shame with such impressive speed.

Read more about their service in our review.

6. Astrill

• Overall Rank: 25/74
• EU Download Speed: 69.08 Mbps
• US Download Speed: 78.65 Mbps
• Logging Policy: Logs Some Info
• Leaks: No Leaks
• Torrenting: Torrenting Allowed
• Netflix: 3/5 Worked With Netflix

Rounding out our list of the six fastest VPNs is Astrill, a strong middle-of-the-road option that doesn’t drop the server speed.

EU Speed Test:

• Ping: 44 ms
• Download: 69.08 Mbps (29% slower)
• Upload: 53.30 Mbps (0.6% faster)

US Speed Test:

• Ping: 182 ms
• Download: 78.65 Mbps (19% slower)
• Upload: 18.99 Mbps (64% slower)

Astrill VPN works well with torrenting. And this was also the best option for streaming services (3 out of 5 Netflix servers worked) on this list.

Unfortunately, some shady logging policies in their privacy policy undermine the good results we saw. We discuss it at length in our official review.

The 3 Slowest VPNs

You’ve seen the best.

Now here are the rest. Or worst, when it comes to speed.

These last three VPNs sap away speed at an alarming rate. But they’re not all bad. In fact, one of them even ranks higher than some of the earlier VPN services above.

Here’s how they shake out.

1. Avira Phantom

• Overall Rank: 33/74
• EU Download Speed: 6.98 Mbps
• US Download Speed: 4.34 Mbps
• Logging Policy: Unclear Logging Policy
• Leaks: No Leaks
• Torrenting: Torrenting Allowed
• Netflix: 1/5 Worked With Netflix

There’s no doubt about it.

Avira Phantom is a slow program. They do have some positive features, but the speeds are downright abysmal.

EU Speed Test:

• Ping: 40ms
• Download: 6.98 Mbps (93% slower)
• Upload: 9.02 Mbps (83% slower)

US Speed Test:

• Ping: 194 ms
• Download: 4.34 Mbps (96% slower)
• Upload: 2.23 Mbps (96% slower)

That’s ridiculously slow.

That being said, torrenting is allowed and one out of five tested servers worked with Netflix.

But, as you can see in our official review, the speed loss coupled with a shady logging policy made us pass on this one.

2. Hide All IP

• Overall Rank: 49/74
• EU Download Speed: 5.31 Mbps
• US Download Speed: 2.58 Mbps
• Logging Policy: No Logging
• Leaks: No Leaks
• Torrenting: Torrenting Allowed
• Netflix: 3/5 Worked With Netflix

Hide All IP doesn’t just hurt your speed. It guts it with a rusty kitchen knife.

This Hong Kong-based VPN slows you down by upwards of 94%.

EU Speed Test:

• Ping: 74 ms
• Download: 5.1 Mbps (94.5% slower)
• Upload: 3.16 Mbps (94% slower)

US Speed Test:

• Ping: 149 ms
• Download: 2.58 Mbps (97% slower)
• Upload: 1.07 (98% slower)

This was an all-around bad VPN, with questionable logging policies, Chinese jurisdiction, and only one connection per account. On their poorly translated website, they tout their ability to provide geo-blocked streaming services.

And we found that Netflix worked on one (out of five) servers. Plus, they allow unlimited torrenting.

But both will be affected by such slow speeds.

Read more about why we don’t recommend Hide All IP in our official review.

3. Betternet

• Overall Rank: 69/74
• EU Download Speed: 3.18 Mbps
• US Download Speed: 2.53 Mbps
• Logging Policy: Logs IP Addresses and Connection Data
• Leaks: No Leaks (When Leak Protection Enabled)
• Torrenting: Torrenting Allowed
• Netflix: Works With Netflix (Premium Version)

Betternet is a free VPN. And you get what you pay for in this case.

EU Speed Test:

• Ping: 64 ms
• Download: 3.18 Mbps (97% slower)
• Upload: 12.41 Mbps (76% slower)

That is one slow system.

As of 2025, Betternet has made several improvements but still lags behind premium competitors. Now owned by the Aura Group (which also owns Hotspot Shield), Betternet offers both free and premium versions. The service has upgraded to AES-256 encryption, added WireGuard and IKEv2 protocols alongside its proprietary Catapult Hydra protocol, and introduced a kill switch (though it must be manually enabled).

Recent testing shows that the premium version successfully unblocks Netflix on multiple servers, and streaming works well when connected. The free version now offers servers in the US, UK, and Singapore, though with a 500MB daily data limit on mobile devices.

However, significant concerns remain. Betternet logs IP addresses, connection timestamps, bandwidth usage, and device information. The service has a troubled history – in 2016, researchers found malware and tracking libraries embedded in the Android app. While the company claims improvements, they’ve never publicly addressed these security controversies, leaving users uncertain about current safety standards.

Betternet is the slowest VPN we’ve reviewed, and the combination of privacy concerns, inconsistent speeds, and questionable security history makes it difficult to recommend.

But incredibly, they’re not the lowest overall VPN on our list. Their 69th position means that there are still a few others with the distinction of somehow being ranked below the slowest VPN in the marketplace.

There are many factors that make a VPN great (or not). But speed is often the Achilles Heel.

For more on what makes a VPN truly impressive, check out our list of the 7 best VPNs.

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