Most private VPN services (2025)
Every VPN says it keeps no logs. This ranking leans on what can be checked: independent audits and how recent they are, open-source apps, where the company is legally based, and its breach record.
Our pick for privacy
Proton VPN8.9/10- Independently audited
- Based in Switzerland
- Open-source apps
- Multi-hop servers
How this list is scored
Weights for privacy
Same data as the overall ranking, re-weighted for this job.
- Privacy & trust
- 55%
- Security features
- 30%
- Value
- 10%
- Speed
- 5%
- Streaming
- 0%
- Apps & support
- 0%
5 providers qualify
The ranking for privacy
- 01
Proton VPN
High-security VPN with a focus on privacy.
- Independently audited
- Based in Switzerland
- Open-source apps
- Multi-hop servers
Score8.9/10- Privacy & trust
- 8.5
- Speed
- 7.6
- Value
- 8.1
- Security features
- 10.0
- Streaming
- 10.0
- Apps & support
- 6.9
- Best price
- $3.59/mo
- Billed
- $43.08 / 12 mo
- Renews at
- unverified
- Devices
- 10
- 02
NordVPN
Security giant with a vast server network.
- No-logs policy audited by Deloitte (2024)
- Based in Panama
- Multi-hop servers
Score8.5/10- Privacy & trust
- 8.5
- Speed
- 8.0
- Value
- 8.0
- Security features
- 8.9
- Streaming
- 10.0
- Apps & support
- 10.0
- Best price
- $3.39/mo
- Billed
- $81.36 / 24 mo
- Renews at
- unverified
- Devices
- 10
- 03
Private Internet Access (PIA)
Highly customizable and privacy-focused.
- Independently audited
- Based in United States
- Open-source apps
Score7.5/10- Privacy & trust
- 7.0
- Speed
- 1.6
- Value
- 9.5
- Security features
- 8.9
- Streaming
- 8.5
- Apps & support
- 9.3
- Best price
- $2.19/mo
- Billed
- $52.56 / 24 mo
- Renews at
- unverified
- Devices
- Unlimited
- 04
CyberGhost
User-friendly VPN with optimized servers.
- Independently audited
- Based in Romania
Score7.0/10- Privacy & trust
- 7.0
- Speed
- 5.0
- Value
- 9.0
- Security features
- 6.7
- Streaming
- 10.0
- Apps & support
- 10.0
- Best price
- $2.19/mo
- Billed
- $52.56 / 24 mo
- Renews at
- unverified
- Devices
- 7
- 05
Surfshark
Unlimited devices and great value.
- Independently audited
- Based in Netherlands
- Multi-hop servers
Score7.0/10- Privacy & trust
- 5.5
- Speed
- 7.0
- Value
- 9.8
- Security features
- 8.9
- Streaming
- 10.0
- Apps & support
- 10.0
- Best price
- $2.19/mo
- Billed
- $52.56 / 24 mo
- Renews at
- unverified
- Devices
- Unlimited
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Before you buy
What matters for this job
Longer read: What “no-logs” really means
- Audit recency
- Infrastructure changes. An audit from this year says more than one from four years ago.
- Jurisdiction
- A company in a 14 Eyes country can be compelled under intelligence-sharing arrangements. It matters less if there are genuinely no logs to hand over.
- Open source
- Published app code lets anyone check what the app sends and to whom.
Questions
Common questions
Can a VPN make me anonymous?
No. A VPN hides your traffic from your ISP and your IP from sites, but logins, cookies and browser fingerprints still identify you.
Are free VPNs private?
Rarely. Running servers costs money. Free services usually pay for it with ads, data collection or tight limits. Proton VPN’s free tier is a notable exception.
Data last checked November 5, 2025. Methodology