5 findings from our VPN tests that surprised us the most

VPNs are perpetually improving, truthful we regularly re-test today's best VPN services to guarantee our guides are meticulous and up-to-date.

Sometimes this intends adjusting stats, but much often than not we uncover important changes for nan VPNs connected our radar.

Our latest information of first-hand testing has been nary exception. It's prompted a shakeup successful our rankings and revealed each sorts of absorbing insights that we’re eager to stock pinch you. From server description s to customer support hiccups, present are nan apical 5 findings from our VPN re-reviews.

1. Proton VPN’s server web is going world

We're ever happy to spot a supplier amended connected a comparatively anemic constituent – and obscurity has location been a much evident betterment than Proton VPN's server network.

Proton VPN now has servers successful 112 countries, making it nan undisputed leader erstwhile it comes to per-country coverage, beating NordVPN astatine 111 and ExpressVPN astatine 106. Much of this maturation comes from important sum successful Africa and nan Middle East, too, which different top-tier providers thin to screen much sparsely.

Proton VPN is now 1 of nan astir versatile options connected nan marketplace for folks looking to do immoderate server hopping and entree geo-restricted contented – but it's a awesome prime if you request to spoof your relationship from a circumstantial location aliases request a section server to subordinate erstwhile prioritizing performance.

Proton VPN already does truthful overmuch to make its work appealing to whistleblowers and users successful countries pinch dense net surveillance, from nan Secure Core feature which lets you way your VPN relationship done different server for added security, to a Stealth protocol that obfuscates your VPN usage. Once you adhd a genuinely world beingness into nan mix, I deliberation it’s clear that Proton VPN is simply a stellar action for users pinch hardcore privateness needs.

2. VPNs are getting superior astir audits

Transparency is astatine nan bosom of nan VPN manufacture – your net information is simply excessively important for it not to be.

Thankfully, we've seen that today's apical VPNs are taking audits much seriously. ExpressVPN, for instance, precocious completed its 18th audit, focusing connected its browser extension, while Proton VPN besides published nan results of a no-logs audit. The results of some these audits are afloat disposable connected their respective websites.

The value of these audits cannot beryllium overstated. Without them, there's nary measurement to efficaciously verify nan claims made by no log VPN providers.

We'd emotion to return these promises astatine look worth – but not astatine nan costs of immoderate superior privateness pitfalls if they don't move retired to beryllium true. We've seen acold excessively galore instances of less-than-trustworthy VPN providers harvesting their users' information and trading it connected to 3rd parties (and free VPNs thin to beryllium nan main culprits). Auditing is nan only measurement forward, and it seems for illustration nan apical VPNs work together pinch us.

It isn't conscionable astir information hygiene, either. Regular information audits guarantee that VPNs are built correctly without vulnerabilities. If vulnerabilities do exist, however, they're identified during nan auditing process and subsequently addressed earlier hackers tin return advantage of them.

In an perfect world, we'd build everything correct nan first time, but nan reality is that information flaws are practically unavoidable. Finding and fixing them should beryllium a apical priority, truthful don't beryllium turned disconnected if you find a package audit for nan VPN you're considering has discovered a few. The replacement is that, without audits, these vulnerabilities will still beryllium and won't beryllium fixed until it’s excessively late.

3. Our apical VPNs tin unblock beautiful overmuch everything

Just for illustration auditing, we've recovered that unblocking is simply a apical privilege for today's VPN titans. We put each supplier done immoderate beautiful rigorous tests to make judge they execute arsenic they should – and we're happy to study that each 1 came backmost pinch afloat marks.

No matter which streaming VPN you spell for, you'll person entree to Netflix libraries from astir nan world, arsenic good arsenic sites for illustration BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime, Disney+, ITV, Channel 4, 9Now, and 10Play.

Admittedly, we did tally into a fewer hiccups pinch ExpressVPN. Access to Netflix Australia and Japan was spotty during our first testing. This was a surprise, but aft retrying (and connecting to different servers) we were capable to unblock nan libraries.

ExpressVPN accessed Netflix US, Canada, and UK flawlessly nan first time, too. We spot blips for illustration this hap from clip to time, sloppy of provider, truthful we don't deliberation it's adjacent to dock points from ExpressVPN this clip around.

While each of our top-rated VPNs performed perfectly, unblocking streaming platforms tends to beryllium a awesome obstacle for astir VPNs – for 1 logic aliases another.

Usually, it's because they usage IP addresses that person already been blacklisted by nan likes of Netflix and BBC iPlayer. After all, they're not a instrumentality of a VPN's expertise to bypass location restrictions.

Only today's starring services tin spend to enactment up of nan curve by buying caller IP addresses and updating their services erstwhile their existent IPs are blacklisted.

4. PIA's customer support fails to impressment

While we were happy pinch Private Internet Access' existent capacity arsenic a VPN – nan customer work near america cold.

Our reappraisal squad encountered a full relationship nonaccomplishment erstwhile evaluating PIA's servers and, arsenic you'd expect, sewage successful touch pinch PIA support to find nan guidelines cause.

A support supplier responded quickly and walked america done a reinstall process – but it felt for illustration they were reference from a book alternatively of listening to what we were saying astir nan peculiar issue. Eventually, we were told to usage an older type of nan VPN, and nan support supplier successful complaint of nan lawsuit simply stopped responding altogether.

We fishy that nan rumor has been escalated to elder developers for investigation, but nan deficiency of due connection near a sour sensation successful our mouths aft what was different an fantabulous acquisition pinch PIA's service.

Customer work is often nan other facet that propels a VPN into greatness and, arsenic acold arsenic we can, show PIA conscionable doesn't stack up against nan competition.

However, it's important to return this successful context. PIA is 1 of nan best inexpensive VPNs connected nan marketplace and, let's beryllium real, value support unit are expensive

This is nan logic why you'll salary other for a supplier for illustration ExpressVPN. A non-insignificant portion of nan subscription interest goes towards ensuring that you ever person entree to 24/7 support.

5. Surfshark's virtual location rumor has been solved

One of nan much absorbing findings from our tests (and immoderate detective work) uncovered that Surfshark's virtual server locations seemed to beryllium branded inconsistently.

The online server database indicated that astir 50 locations utilized virtual location hosting alternatively of beingness servers – but only 27 of these were accurately marked arsenic virtual successful nan app location browser.

We were funny to spot if Surfshark was really hosting beingness servers successful comparatively mini and underserved locations for illustration Monaco, nan Isle of Man, and Jersey. So, we contacted nan VPN pinch our concerns to spot really they'd respond.

In each fairness, Surfshark instantly identified that this was a lawsuit of nan customer apps incorrectly displaying immoderate virtual locations and beingness servers and, arsenic a result, updated its labeling wrong 2 days.

While it's unfortunate that this inconsistency wasn't picked up sooner by Surfshark itself, nan speedy solution showed to america that nan supplier is consenting to respond to feedback and improve, which is ever a affirmative sign.