{"description":"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.","language":"en","latest_measurement":"2026-10-17","method":"latency-v3","method_page":"https://crackthe.net/method/","source":"https://crackthe.net/","text":"Key points\n5 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\u0026rsquo;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.\nBrowseropens the home page Provider website Other companiesadvertising, analytics, fonts, video A service counts once per company and purpose, even if it loads from several domains. What the archive found 12 Provider home pages with and without advertising or analytics services advertising, analytics, tag manager, session recording: 5 (42 %) no advertising or analytics: 7 (58 %) Advertising or analytics services loaded on a first visit, by provider CyberGhost7 Surfshark6 ExpressVPN5 Private Internet Access4 NordVPN2 OVPN1 AzireVPN0 hide.me0 IVPN0 Mullvad0 Proton VPN0 Windscribe0 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.\nWhich services count as tracking PurposeCounts as advertising or analytics?Example of what it does Advertisingyesmeasures ad clicks and builds profiles Analyticsyescounts visitors and their actions Tag manageryesloads further scripts Session recordingyesrecords mouse movements and clicks Consent banner, payment, video, fontsnoneeded 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\u0026rsquo;s priorities. It does not prove anything about the app, which this site does not test.\nFilter for it: the VPN finder has the option \u0026ldquo;no advertising or analytics services on its own website\u0026rdquo;.\nNext step The provider websites analysis lists every service by provider. Next guide: How to read a VPN review on this site.","title":"What VPN websites track before you buy","url":"https://crackthe.net/learn/vpn-website-trackers/"}