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What VPN websites track before you buy
Which advertising and analytics services VPN provider home pages load on a first visit, why it matters for a privacy product, and how this archive checks it.
Key points
- 5 of 12 provider home pages load advertising or analytics services from other companies on a first visit, before you click anything.
- Each of these services learns your IP address and which page you opened.
- This is a fact about the website, not the VPN app. But it shows how a company treats visitors before they are customers.
How the check works
A browser opens each provider’s home page as a first-time visitor: no clicks, no consent, no login. Every other company the page contacts while loading is recorded and grouped by purpose. This runs regularly. Some pages were also checked from a second country, because a page may load different services depending on where you are.
- Browseropens the home page
- Provider website
- Other companiesadvertising, analytics, fonts, video
What the archive found
- advertising, analytics, tag manager, session recording: 5 (42 %)
- no advertising or analytics: 7 (58 %)
 CyberGhost | 7 | |
|---|---|---|
 Surfshark | 6 | |
 ExpressVPN | 5 | |
 Private Internet Access | 4 | |
 NordVPN | 2 | |
 OVPN | 1 | |
 AzireVPN | 0 | |
 hide.me | 0 | |
 IVPN | 0 | |
 Mullvad | 0 | |
 Proton VPN | 0 | |
 Windscribe | 0 |
Requested from the country named on each provider page. Zero means none of these services; the page may still load others, such as payment or fonts.
Which services count as tracking
| Purpose | Counts as advertising or analytics? | Example of what it does |
|---|---|---|
| Advertising | yes | measures ad clicks and builds profiles |
| Analytics | yes | counts visitors and their actions |
| Tag manager | yes | loads further scripts |
| Session recording | yes | records mouse movements and clicks |
| Consent banner, payment, video, fonts | no | needed or neutral functions |
Why it matters for a VPN
A VPN sells privacy. A home page that sends your visit to advertising networks before you have agreed to anything tells you something about the company’s priorities. It does not prove anything about the app, which this site does not test.
Filter for it: the VPN finder has the option “no advertising or analytics services on its own website”.
Next step
The provider websites analysis lists every service by provider. Next guide: How to read a VPN review on this site.
The figures in this guide come from the archive and change with every data update. As of October 17, 2026.