How to Choose a VPN (And Why Most Reviews Won’t Help You)
The VPN industry is built on a lie: that independent review sites help you make an informed choice. The reality? Two companies now own most of the VPNs you see recommended, and some of them own the review sites doing the recommending.
This guide won’t tell you which VPN is “the best” — because there isn’t one. What it will do is teach you what actually matters when choosing a VPN, expose the conflicts of interest nobody else talks about, and then show you how every VPN we’ve reviewed stacks up on the things that count.
The ownership problem
The VPN market looks crowded from the outside — dozens of brands, flashy YouTube sponsorships, comparison sites ranking them in neat little lists. But look closer and you’ll find a duopoly:
Nord Security owns NordVPN, Surfshark, and Atlas VPN. They merged in 2022. Every “NordVPN vs Surfshark” article you’ve ever read is comparing products from the same company.
Kape Technologies — formerly Crossrider, whose software was flagged as malware by Malwarebytes and Symantec — owns ExpressVPN, Private Internet Access, CyberGhost, and ZenMate. Kape also owns multiple VPN review websites including vpnMentor and Wizcase, creating a closed loop where they review their own products.
That leaves a handful of genuinely independent VPN companies. Swiss-based Proton VPN (backed by the non-profit behind Proton Mail) and Swedish-based Mullvad are the most prominent. If independence matters to you — and it should for a privacy tool — start there.
What actually matters
Most VPN reviews obsess over speed tests and server counts. Those matter, but they’re not what separates good VPNs from bad ones. Here’s what to look for, in order of importance:
1. Who owns it?
As mentioned above — if you can’t answer this question, don’t buy it. A privacy tool owned by a company with a history of malware distribution is a contradiction. A privacy tool owned by a Swiss non-profit is not.
2. Has the no-logs policy been verified?
Every VPN claims “no logs.” The question is whether that claim has been tested. Independent audits help, but the gold standard is a court test — has the VPN been subpoenaed and had nothing to hand over? Only one VPN on the market has passed that test twice.
3. Is the code open-source?
If the VPN app is closed-source, you’re trusting the company’s word that it does what it says. Open-source apps let anyone — security researchers, journalists, competitors — verify that the code is clean. Proton VPN, Mullvad, and PIA all publish their source code. Most others don’t.
4. Where is it based?
Jurisdiction determines what laws the company is subject to. Switzerland and Sweden have strong privacy protections. The USA is part of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance. Panama is opaque in a different way. There’s no “perfect” jurisdiction, but you should know which one applies to your VPN.
5. What’s the real price?
VPN pricing is deliberately confusing. Every provider shows the monthly rate for a 2-3 year commitment. The actual cost is what you pay when the promotional period ends. We show both prices in every review because most sites only show the bait.
How every VPN we review compares
We review VPNs on an ongoing basis. Here’s how every VPN in our database currently compares across the factors that matter. Check our Rankings page for the latest scores, or click any VPN name for the full review.
Ownership & trust
| VPN | Owner | Jurisdiction | Open source? | Audited? | Court-tested? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proton VPN | Proton AG (non-profit backed) | Switzerland | Yes | Yes — multiple | No |
| Mullvad | Independent | Sweden | Yes | Yes — multiple | No |
| NordVPN | Nord Security | Panama | No | Yes — 4 audits | No |
| Surfshark | Nord Security | Netherlands | No | Yes | No |
| PIA | Kape Technologies | USA (Five Eyes) | Yes | Yes | Yes — twice |
| ExpressVPN | Kape Technologies | BVI | Partial | Yes | No |
Price & value
| VPN | Free plan? | Best monthly | Renewal price | Devices | Money-back |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proton VPN | Yes — unlimited data | $2.99/mo (2yr) | $9.99/mo | 10 | 30 days (prorated) |
| PIA | No | $2.03/mo (3yr) | ~$3.33/mo | ∞ | 30 days |
| Surfshark | No | $2.49/mo (2yr) | ~$5/mo | ∞ | 30 days |
| NordVPN | No | $3.49/mo (2yr) | ~$5/mo | 10 | 30 days |
| Mullvad | No | €5/mo (flat, always) | €5/mo (never changes) | 5 | 14 days |
| ExpressVPN | No | $6.67/mo (1yr) | ~$9/mo | 8 | 30 days |
Streaming
| VPN | Netflix | Disney+ | BBC iPlayer | Prime Video |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NordVPN | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Surfshark | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| ExpressVPN | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Proton VPN | ✓ (Plus) | ✓ | Varies | ✓ |
| PIA | Varies | Varies | ✗ | Varies |
| Mullvad | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ |
If streaming is your main reason for buying a VPN, the top three (NordVPN, Surfshark, ExpressVPN) all handle it well. Mullvad doesn’t try — it’s a privacy tool, not an entertainment tool. Proton VPN works on paid plans but isn’t as reliable as the dedicated streaming VPNs.
Choose by use case, not by ranking
Instead of asking “what’s the best VPN?”, ask “what do I actually need?”
“I want the safest all-rounder”
You want strong encryption, reliable speeds, good streaming, and a company you can trust. You don’t mind paying $3-4/mo on a long-term plan.
Read our NordVPN review →“I have a lot of devices”
Families, students, anyone with more than 5 devices. You need unlimited connections without paying per device.
Read our Surfshark review →“I don’t want to spend anything”
You want a VPN that works, costs nothing, and doesn’t sell your data. There’s only one that fits.
Read our Proton VPN review →“Privacy is my only priority”
You don’t care about streaming. You want maximum anonymity with minimum data collected. No email needed, pay with cash.
Read our Mullvad review →“I want the absolute cheapest paid option”
You’re comfortable with the Kape ownership story and just want the lowest monthly price with strong technical credentials.
Read our PIA review →For the latest scores and head-to-head data, check our Rankings page — it’s updated every time we review or re-test a VPN.
The questions to ask before you buy
Bookmark this checklist. Before committing to any VPN — including ones we haven’t reviewed — ask:
1. Who owns this company? Have they been involved in anything dodgy?
2. Is the no-logs policy independently audited? Has it been tested in court?
3. Is the app open-source? Can security researchers verify the code?
4. What jurisdiction is it based in? What laws apply to my data?
5. What’s the renewal price — not just the promotional price?
6. Does the review site recommending this VPN have financial ties to the company?
If a VPN can’t answer all six clearly, that tells you something. If a review site can’t either, that tells you more.