Our Principles
Every VPN on this site is purchased at our own expense and tested on real Windows hardware — never via a free review account. Affiliate relationships do not influence our scores or rankings. We follow the IKEv2 protocol specification as published in RFC 7296 when evaluating security implementation correctness.
Testing Steps
Windows App Installation
We install each VPN on a clean Windows 11 VM and a physical Windows 10 machine. We note setup time, any error prompts, and whether the app correctly auto-connects after reboot.
Speed Testing
Speed tests are run using Ookla Speedtest CLI at six server locations: US East, US West, UK, Germany, Singapore, and Australia. We test at three times of day over two weeks and record peak, average, and off-peak figures.
Leak Testing
We connect to each VPN and run simultaneous checks at ipleak.net and browserleaks.com. Any DNS, WebRTC, or IPv6 leak is an automatic flag. Kill switch is tested by forcibly disconnecting the network adapter mid-session.
Streaming Unblocking
We test Netflix US, BBC iPlayer, Disney+, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video from servers in the provider's library. Tests are run weekly to account for blocklist updates.
Privacy Policy Review
We read the full privacy policy and terms of service, checking for vague logging language, jurisdiction risk, and whether independent audits cover the policy claims.
Value Assessment
Monthly price on the longest available plan divided by the number of simultaneous connections gives us a per-device cost, weighted against the feature set.
Scoring
| Category | Weight |
|---|---|
| Speed | 25% |
| Security | 25% |
| Privacy | 20% |
| Ease of Use | 15% |
| Value | 15% |
Update Frequency
Scores are recalculated quarterly. Major events — audits published, ownership changes — trigger an immediate re-review.