Compare VPNs and security tools side by side
VPN providers side by side by countries, measurements, networks, trackers, and prices, plus password managers, private email, antivirus, and more by what each website states.1
VPN
The 13 providers list 1,676 locations in 177 countries. 6 of their lists mark virtual locations, and 10 publish server addresses that can be measured.1 As of October 31, 2026.
NordVPN
Proton VPN
ExpressVPN
Private Internet Access
CyberGhost
Surfshark
Windscribe
hide.me
Mullvad
IVPN
AzireVPN
AirVPN
OVPN
Coverage
- countries with at least one location that is not marked as virtual
- countries where all locations are marked as virtual
- list has no marker
| Provider | Countries | Countries not listed only as virtual2 | Locations | Servers listed | Chart |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 150 | 55 | 226 | 5,385 | ||
| 149 | no information in the list | 195 | 18,744 | ||
| 113 | 49 | 226 | not stated | ||
| 113 | 51 | 215 | The list gives only one name per location or a changing sample. Neither is a number of servers. | ||
| 100 | 44 | 125 | 9,645 | ||
| 100 | 54 | 142 | The list gives only one name per location or a changing sample. Neither is a number of servers. | ||
| 72 | 71 | 200 | 357 | ||
| 57 | no information in the list | 64 | The list gives only one name per location or a changing sample. Neither is a number of servers. | ||
| 50 | no information in the list | 91 | 526 | ||
| 42 | no information in the list | 59 | 89 | ||
| 36 | no information in the list | 62 | The list gives only one name per location or a changing sample. Neither is a number of servers. | ||
| 23 | no information in the list | 39 | 250 | ||
| 20 | no information in the list | 32 | 96 |
Markers and measurements
- matches the country
- no conclusion possible
- server outside the country
| Provider | marked as virtual2 | Measured3 | matches the country | server outside the country | Chart |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 58 % | 226 | 81 | 62 | ||
| no information in the list | not measurable | not measurable | not measurable | ||
| 46 % | not measurable | not measurable | not measurable | ||
| 45 % | 215 | 104 | 42 | ||
| 45 % | not measurable | not measurable | not measurable | ||
| 33 % | 142 | 70 | 16 | ||
| 2 % | 200 | 134 | 2 | ||
| no information in the list | 64 | 58 | 2 | ||
| no information in the list | 91 | 63 | 0 | ||
| no information in the list | 59 | 47 | 0 | ||
| no information in the list | 62 | 43 | 0 | ||
| no information in the list | 39 | 28 | 0 | ||
| no information in the list | 32 | 24 | 0 |
Networks and intelligence alliances
- Locations in shared networks
- In Fourteen Eyes countries
| Provider | Networks4 | Locations in shared networks | In Fourteen Eyes countries5 | Chart |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | 73 % | 41 % | ||
| not measurable | not measurable | 27 % | ||
| not measurable | not measurable | 54 % | ||
| 20 | 94 % | 47 % | ||
| not measurable | not measurable | 31 % | ||
| 17 | 54 % | 39 % | ||
| 58 | 74 % | 53 % | ||
| 17 | 86 % | 30 % | ||
| 27 | 98 % | 58 % | ||
| 22 | 95 % | 53 % | ||
| 21 | 74 % | 63 % | ||
| 14 | 95 % | 67 % | ||
| 7 | 94 % | 75 % |
The provider's own website
- advertising, analytics, tag manager, session recording
- other third-party services
| Provider | Third-party services loaded6 | Advertising or analytics services among them | Requested from | Chart |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | |||
| 0 | 0 | |||
| 13 | 5 | |||
| 9 | 4 | |||
| 12 | 7 | |||
| 8 | 6 | |||
| 1 | 0 | |||
| 0 | 0 | |||
| 0 | 0 | |||
| 0 | 0 | |||
| 0 | 0 | |||
| The provider's website has not been checked. | ||||
| 4 | 1 |
Terms and who is behind the provider
| Provider | Money back7 | Devices at the same time | Based in8 | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 10 | Nord Security | ||
| 30 days | 10 | Proton Foundation (primary shareholder) | ||
| Kape Technologies | ||||
| 30 days | unlimited | Kape Technologies | ||
| Kape Technologies | ||||
| 30 days | unlimited | merged with Nord Security under one holding company in 2022; both operate independently | ||
| 30 days | 10 | |||
| 14 days | 5 | Amagicom AB | ||
| 30 days | 5–10 | |||
| 7 days | Malwarebytes | |||
| 10 days | 4–7 |
Features stated by providers9
| Provider | Features stated by the provider |
|---|---|
| ad and tracker blocker | |
| free plan, streaming, ad and tracker blocker, P2P / BitTorrent, Tor over VPN, 10 Gbit/s servers, multi-hop | |
| not recorded | |
| streaming, 10 Gbit/s servers | |
| not recorded | |
| free trial, ad and tracker blocker, 10 Gbit/s servers, multi-hop | |
| free plan, ad and tracker blocker | |
| free plan, streaming, port forwarding | |
| not recorded | |
| ad and tracker blocker, multi-hop | |
| port forwarding | |
| not recorded | |
| streaming, ad and tracker blocker, multi-hop, port forwarding |
Prices
| Provider | Lowest price per month7 | Per month after the initial term | Requested from |
|---|---|---|---|
| $5.49 | $11.59 | ||
| $3.49 | $6.99 | ||
| not collected | not collected | ||
| $2.03 | $2.19 | ||
| not collected | not collected | ||
| $2.49 | $8.25 | ||
| $5.75 | $5.75 | ||
| $2.50 | $2.50 | ||
| €5.00 | not stated | ||
| $5.00 | not stated | ||
| €3.75 | not stated | ||
| not collected | not collected | ||
| $4.22 | not stated |
A dash means the list does not contain this information, or that it has not yet been collected or measured. “Servers listed” also shows a dash where the list gives only one name per location or a changing sample; neither is a number of servers. The lowest price is the lowest monthly price a provider states on its pricing page for the initial term of a full plan; free plans and plans for single locations do not count. Prices are in each provider's own currency and, depending on the provider, with or without tax; the provider's page says which.
Two providers side by side
Select a provider, then choose the provider to compare it with.
NordVPN vs
Proton VPN vs
ExpressVPN vs
Private Internet Access vs
CyberGhost vs
Surfshark vs
Windscribe vs
hide.me vs
Mullvad vs
IVPN vs
AzireVPN vs
AirVPN vs
OVPN vs
Guides for this page
Level 1 · First stepsHow to choose your first VPN: 7 points to check before buying
Level 1 · First stepsVPN apps for iPhone, Android, PC, Mac, TV, and router
Level 2 · Know your providerHow to read a VPN review on this site
Level 2 · Know your providerVPN features explained: kill switch, split tunneling, multi-hop
Level 3 · How it worksThe networks behind VPN servers
Level 4 · ExpertVPN server lists as data: what providers publish
Level 4 · ExpertThe real cost of a VPN over three yearsAs of October 31, 2026.
Password managers
| Tool | Company's country | Free plan | Free trial | Money back | Open source | Platforms | For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Password | no | 14 days | no | 7 | Personal, Business | ||
| Bitwarden | yes | yes | 8 | Personal, Business | |||
| KeePassXC | yes | yes | 4 | Personal | |||
| Keeper | yes | 30 days | partly | 8 | Personal, Business | ||
| Passpack | |||||||
| Proton Pass | yes | 30 days | yes | 8 | Personal, Business |
From the companies' own websites, checked on October 23, 2026. This archive does not test software; the facts are what each company states.
Private email
| Tool | Company's country | Free plan | Free trial | Money back | Open source | Platforms | For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hushmail | no | 60 days | no | 2 | Personal, Business | ||
| mailbox.org | no | 30 days | partly | 1 | Personal, Business | ||
| Posteo | no | partly | 1 | Personal | |||
| Proton Mail | yes | 30 days | yes | 6 | Personal, Business | ||
| Tuta | yes | yes | 6 | Personal, Business |
From the companies' own websites, checked on October 23, 2026. This archive does not test software; the facts are what each company states.
Antivirus
| Tool | Company's country | Free plan | Free trial | Money back | Open source | Platforms | For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bitdefender | yes | 30 days | 30 days | no | 4 | Personal, Business | |
| CrowdStrike Falcon Go | no | 15 days | no | 5 | Business | ||
| Microsoft Defender | yes | no | 4 | Personal |
From the companies' own websites, checked on October 23, 2026. This archive does not test software; the facts are what each company states.
Privacy and backup
| Tool | Company's country | Free plan | Free trial | Money back | Open source | Platforms | For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IDrive | yes | 15 days | no | 5 | Personal, Business | ||
| Optery | yes | 30 days | no | 3 | Personal, Business | ||
| Tresorit | yes | 14 days | no | 6 | Personal, Business |
From the companies' own websites, checked on October 23, 2026. This archive does not test software; the facts are what each company states.
Website security
| Tool | Company's country | Free plan | Free trial | Money back | Open source | Platforms | For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calif | Business | ||||||
| Cloudflare | yes | no | 6 | Personal, Business | |||
| Wiz | no | no | Business |
From the companies' own websites, checked on October 23, 2026. This archive does not test software; the facts are what each company states.
A VPN in brief
VPN stands for virtual private network. A VPN routes your traffic through one of the provider’s servers and encrypts it on the way there. Websites then see the server’s address instead of yours, while your internet provider sees only that you are using a VPN. This helps on networks you do not trust, with tracking based on your IP address, and when a service is not available where you are.
A VPN does not make you anonymous. The VPN provider now sees what your internet provider saw before. Cookies, logins, and browser fingerprints continue to work as before.
The full explanation: What is a VPN? Meaning, how it works, and what it hides.
With and without a VPN
Without VPN
- Your device
- Internet providersees which sites you open
- Websitesees your IP address
With VPN
- Your device
- Internet providersees only an encrypted connection to the VPN
- VPN serversees which sites you open
- Websitesees the VPN server's address
What are the pros and cons of a VPN?
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| Websites you visit see the VPN server's address instead of yours. | You now trust the VPN provider instead of your internet provider. |
| Your internet provider and the Wi-Fi operator see only the encrypted connection to the VPN. | A country in the list does not always mean the server is actually located there. Countries listed only as virtual |
| Traffic is protected on open or untrusted networks. | Longer routes can reduce speed and increase latency. |
| Services that are not available in your country may become accessible. | Some services block known VPN addresses. |
| This applies to every app on the device, not just the browser. | With some providers, low prices during the initial term are followed by higher renewal prices. Stated prices by provider |
Text updated October 23, 2026.