Most people look for the fastest VPNs to ensure excellent performance and get the best speeds. Understandably. No one likes slow VPN services. They’re a slog to use, and above all, induce the feeling of desperation and annoyance. Don’t fret – we’ll steer clear of these today.
This guide will answer your burning question. What is THE fastest VPN in 2024? Or, to rephrase it, which VPN providers offer the best speed at the moment? We tested dozens of them and must report that the majority wasn’t so great. That’s a sad reality.
However, we also found extraordinarily fast VPNs that won’t significantly alter your internet speeds. Don’t believe us? Dive into this guide and see the results for yourself.
The Fastest VPN Services Speed Comparison
Here’s a brief overview of the speeds of our selected providers. The table below displays the average speed loss based on our testing. Lower values indicate better performance.
| Download Speed Loss | Upload Speed Loss | |
| NordVPN | 18% | 7% |
| ExpressVPN | 24% | 9% |
| PIA VPN | 26% | 24% |
| Surfshark | 27% | 32% |
| CyberGhost | 42% | 16% |
| Proton VPN | 44% | 22% |
Our VPN Speed Test Process: How Did We Test Them?
Before we present the fast VPN services we peeked at above, let’s quickly dive deeper into our testing procedure. It’s irrational to think that testing only a single server location is enough. This meant we used several locations in our tests – they include:
- The United Kingdom
- The United States
- Japan
However, to ensure our tests were accurate, we tried to mimic real-world use. For this reason, we tested each of the fastest VPNs for a month, three times a day: in the morning, at midday, and in the evening when networks are usually the busiest.
As for the speed test software, we stuck with the basics – Ookla (speedtest.net). All tests were performed on our Windows 11 desktop computer, using a wired (Ethernet) connection. WireGuard (and its derivatives) was also used in all tested VPNs.
Another thing to point out is that we used the best results from our tests.
Finally, we’ll mention our location. At the time of working with the fastest VPNs for 2024, we were in Belgrade (Europe). Without using a VPN, our native internet speeds looked like this:
Now that our testing procedure is fully explained, let’s get to the subject we want to cover.
The Fastest VPNs of 2024: Our Top 6 Picks Reviewed
If you haven’t decided on which provider to pick yet, let us ease things up. The providers we selected aren’t here only because they’re fast. Instead, they offer ample features for streaming, torrenting, privacy, security, and overall compatibility.
Why don’t you read our reviews of each? It’ll surely help you lock on to the VPN you truly want and need.
6300 servers
111 covered countries
30 days money-back guarantee
10 simultaneous connections
9.4 /10
3000 servers
105 covered countries
30 days money-back guarantee
8 simultaneous connections
9.1 /10
27000 servers
91 covered countries
30 days money-back guarantee
Unlimited connections
9 /10
3000 servers
100 covered countries
30 days money-back guarantee
Unlimited connections
8.7 /10
12000 servers
100 covered countries
45 days money-back guarantee
7 simultaneous connections
8.4 /10
1. NordVPN
NordVPN takes the crown as the VPN with the best performance. It’s easily the top performer in download and upload speeds. Not to mention its overall low latency, which makes NordVPN handy for on-the-fly gaming or streaming on Netflix.
In our speed tests, NordVPN displayed respectable results. As you see in the table below, the UK server offered speeds of more than 300 Mbps, with the US server being pretty close to that number. This allows NordVPN to perform well in all aspects.
Its real-world use is buttery-smooth and even its P2P servers are amazingly fast for torrenting. NordVPN offers much more than speed. For example, its 6,400+ servers worldwide are based on the 10 Gbps infrastructure – another point for its performance.
The VPN also takes full advantage of NordLynx. This is a proprietary WireGuard-based solution with blazing-quick connections, further improved by unlimited traffic. Apart from speed, the VPN takes pride in exceptional security thanks to Double VPN and 256-bit encryption.
Considering its no-logging policy and RAM-exclusive servers, it’s easy to see why NordVPN tops our ranking of the fastest VPNs you can get in 2024. Not to mention its amazing device compatibility and consistently stable and reliable performance on iOS and Android.
NordVPN’s 10 simultaneous connections are welcome, and so is its 24/7 live chat support if things go south. Simultaneously, NordVPN is a wallet-friendly VPN that also happens to be fast, so you can get it for just above $3/mo, making it, yet again, a clear-cut winner.
Speed Test Results:
| Country | Download | Upload | Latency |
| UK | 324.25 Mbps | 18.68 Mbps | 41 ms |
| US | 292.75 Mbps | 18.31 Mbps | 136 ms |
| Japan | 223.54 Mbps | 17.85 Mbps | 280 ms |
2. ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN was the fastest VPN for many years until NordVPN caught up to it a few years ago. As you see below, its performance is very close to our #1-rated fast VPN, so we can’t complain. That’s because of ExpressVPN’s state-of-the-art Lightway protocol.
The exact “recipe” is unknown but ExpressVPN’s UDP and TCP variants of this protocol provide stable performance for all purposes. Like NordVPN, it offers 10 Gbps servers in 105 countries, using its renowned TrustedServer technology or more accurately, RAM servers.
ExpressVPN doesn’t cap your bandwidth so that you can soar the internet limitlessly. Our tests discovered its impeccable performance for streaming and torrenting. Watching Formula 1 live was a breeze; we could also enable 4K on Netflix without buffering.
More impressively, ExpressVPN’s upload performance is stable throughout. It’s amazing for content creators who churn out tons of content in short periods. ExpressVPN’s latency is reasonably low, making millions of worldwide gamers satisfied.
Of course, ExpressVPN’s other qualities will also be pointed out. It’s a no-log service with powerful AES encryption, a kill switch, and Parental Control. This VPN received multiple audits and acclaim from many cybersecurity experts, putting it high on the pedestal.
Now, the only downside is its price, which is a lot higher than NordVPN. As one of the fastest VPNs, it costs under $6.8 a month with a 49% discount thanks to 3 free months for the annual plan. Despite the price, we must say it’s worth it, as we’ve been using it for years.
Speed Test Results:
| Country | Download | Upload | Latency |
| UK | 298.82 Mbps | 18.50 Mbps | 45 ms |
| US | 274.61 Mbps | 18.35 Mbps | 122 ms |
| Japan | 206.33 Mbps | 16.73 Mbps | 281 ms |
3. Private Internet Access
Private Internet Access is a VPN provider with great performance that deserved its third spot easily. Granted, it’s not as impressive as the other two but it’s excellent in real-world use. Its speed reduction is bigger on more distant servers, as can be seen below.
However, PIA performs like a champ and still allows for quality P2P and streaming sessions. We also tested it for gaming and playing Warzone 2, Fortnite, and many mobile games was smooth enough. Private Internet Access has one notable advantage – the server fleet.
It packs 30,000+ servers in nearly 100 countries. This eliminates overcrowding and lets you discover a fast VPN server for you in seconds. Its servers also display the latency information, so you can decide on the server you want based on this parameter.
Private Internet Access comes with port forwarding, known to speed up P2P performance. Thanks to its fast VPN speeds, you can use it in combination with Tor to explore the dark web, overcoming Tor’s usual sluggishness.
PIA is mostly used for security and privacy, however, and it shines in this regard perhaps more. Apart from a no-log policy, it includes advanced features like Shadowsocks, SOCKS5, obfuscation, MultiHop, PIA MACE (ad blocker), and dedicated IP addresses.
Private Internet Access works on all devices like other fastest VPN services. However, it includes UNLIMITED simultaneous connections, making it superior to NordVPN and ExpressVPN. All of this comes at a silly price of a speck over $2/mo – wonderful.
Speed Test Results:
| Country | Download | Upload | Latency |
| UK | 298.69 Mbps | 17.42 Mbps | 42 ms |
| US | 261.93 Mbps | 12.84 Mbps | 129 ms |
| Japan | 197.89 Mbps | 14.31 Mbps | 292 ms |
4. Surfshark
Fast internet surfing is impossible with VPNs that have high speed loss. Thankfully, Surfshark improved upon its previous slow performance to deliver a staggering 250+ Mbps speed for an amazing experience. This improvement can be attributed to the implementation of WireGuard.
It’s the fastest VPN protocol with a focus on stability and performance. We also must mention its 10 Gbps servers based on RAM and located in 100+ countries. Surfshark uses AES-256 encryption, which, while strong, isn’t too bandwidth-intensive.
All of this makes Surfshark a VPN with great speeds usable for all purposes. We discovered it can also be used to watch Netflix; 30+ catalogs at that! Surfshark allows for NoBorders, which, when enabled, bypasses censorship in China and other similar countries.
Better yet, during this process, the performance remains rock-solid! Surfshark’s unlimited bandwidth is more than welcome if you’re using it for torrenting or playing games. We also found its unlimited simultaneous connections useful for all-around device protection.
This VPN includes many other exciting features that its users love. One is an antivirus that works round-the-clock and removes dangerous threats. Surfshark includes a private browser called Search for completely anonymous searching or… well, watching adult content.
Other features include split tunneling, a kill switch, IP rotation, and static IP addresses. Surfshark can be yours for cheap if you grab a discount below. We recommend its 2-year plan with an ironclad 30-day money-back guarantee for a risk-free purchase.
Speed Test Results:
| Country | Download | Upload | Latency |
| UK | 306.48 Mbps | 16.97 Mbps | 42 ms |
| US | 253.79 Mbps | 12.47 Mbps | 118 ms |
| Japan | 191.07 Mbps | 10.90 Mbps | 288 ms |
5. CyberGhost
CyberGhost takes the fifth spot but saying its performance is bad would be foolish. Despite being so affordable, CyberGhost is still one of the fastest VPN providers in 2024, with speeds reaching 200+ Mbps easily. Its latency is also quite low, which is ideal.
Bear in mind we tested all VPNs with WireGuard but when switching to OpenVPN on a few occasions outside our testing, CyberGhost wasn’t very fast. That’s the reason behind its placing. Regardless, the VPN is unlimited in traffic and offers RAM servers.
It also has 12,000 of them worldwide, in more than 100 countries. CyberGhost is famous for its solid streaming and torrenting optimization, where the VPN suffers no issues. Everything is as smooth as it can be. CyberGhost’s dedicated IPs in 20+ locations are impressive.
Another point is Smart DNS, which was also fast in our tests, allowing us to unblock a myriad of streaming platforms. CyberGhost’s security never took a beating, and as a Romanian provider, it enjoys all the privileges of residing in a privacy-friendly jurisdiction.
This translates to a no-log policy and extreme privacy practices. CyberGhost comes with mighty AES-256-bit encryption coupled with IPv6 leak protection for added safety. This VPN’s apps span all platforms but there are sadly, only 7 simultaneous connections.
Users can enjoy CyberGhost’s 45-day refund policy, which is the highest of all the fastest VPNs on this list. Yet, its price remains modest at just over $2/mo like Private Internet Access. If you don’t mind its painful lack of obfuscation and a few tiny issues, it’s a great option.
Speed Test Results:
| Country | Download | Upload | Latency |
| UK | 243.07 Mbps | 18.55 Mbps | 46 ms |
| US | 190.96 Mbps | 18.25 Mbps | 116 ms |
| Japan | 161.22 Mbps | 12.87 Mbps | 288 ms |
6. Proton VPN
Let’s discuss Proton VPN, a service known for its stellar performance. Our speed test results showed excellent overall speeds, except for the UK server, which, surprisingly, performed the worst despite being the closest to us. Fortunately, Proton VPN remains stable enough.
Having tested Proton VPN, we found it’s great enough for Full HD streaming and occasional fast-paced gaming. Thanks to special torrenting servers, P2P file sharing won’t be an issue either. Proton VPN has ample servers in nearly 100 countries, ensuring great performance.
With so many servers on offer and up to 10 Gbps capacity, Proton VPN surely delivers on connection reliability. One thing to note is that its Secure Core servers are excellent for privacy, but our evaluation showed a significant speed drop due to the strong encryption.
On the other hand, Proton VPN is great for overall privacy and security thanks to its Swiss roots. Such a fast VPN includes bonus features like a NetShield ad blocker and port forwarding, none of which will be found in, let’s say, free and underwhelming VPNs.
Speaking of that, Proton VPN has a free version with a few server locations and unlimited traffic. However, this version’s VPN speeds are poor and won’t satisfy your needs. We left Proton VPN for last because of its hefty price, even for longer plans.
The 2-year plan is presented as the best deal here. Yet, it costs around $5/mo, which is 100% more than CyberGhost, Private Internet Access, and Surfshark’s equivalents. Having in mind it’s not the #1 fastest VPN in 2024, this price is a bit silly compared to its faster rivals.
Speed Test Results:
| Country | Download | Upload | Latency |
| UK | 195.66 Mbps | 18.47 Mbps | 47 ms |
| US | 260.69 Mbps | 11.56 Mbps | 129 ms |
| Japan | 119.74 Mbps | 16.21 Mbps | 316 ms |
Are Free VPNs Fast Enough?
There are many differences between free and paid VPNs. The most glaring one is bandwidth restriction. Yes, many free providers offer unlimited bandwidth and that’s commendable. But that comes at a cost of slow speeds that usually cap at 1 Gbps.
To remind you, premium VPNs offer 10 Gbps servers, which is 10 times more. After testing a heap of free services, we found their speeds can be more than 70% slower. This is immediately reflected in the core experience that suffers as a result.
We’ll take Proton VPN’s free version as an example. You’ll immediately notice an increase in latency, as pages load slower and games become glitchy. Enabling 4K on YouTube also stresses the entire system, as it tries to push itself enough to load the video properly.
That’s not only Proton VPN’s fault, we don’t want to slander this service. It’s the same situation with Hola VPN, Hide.me, Windscribe, Turbo VPN, Hotspot Shield, and many others. We’re sure these names ring many bells but sadly, they’re not as good as advertised.
We found that only a handful of free VPNs are fast enough and PrivadoVPN was one of them. With speeds over 200 Mbps, it’s very respectable but comes with a cardinal downside of limited monthly bandwidth of just 10 GB. That’s FAR from sufficient for most of you.
To put things into perspective, don’t expect the fastest VPNs to be free. Having a fast VPN means investing a lot in servers, modern protocols, software optimization, and so forth. Only the top-tier VPNs can achieve this and to make their investments meaningful, they must charge you for their services.
Why Is the VPN Performance Important?
We can answer this question with another question:
Why is a fast internet connection so important to you?
Got your answer? If not, let us explain why we think using the fastest possible VPN is important. VPNs, theoretically, can slow down your connection. This happens because of added encryption, server distance, and a few other less important factors.
This is why people want VPNs with great performance. To minimize the speed loss and ensure a smooth experience. We noticed that people value security and privacy but NOT at the severe cost of speed and performance. That’s unforgivable.
After all, having a fast VPN lets you watch movies on Netflix or stream BBC iPlayer with no buffering and loading screens. Torrenting is also important because you don’t want to wait hours for the download to finish.
What about gaming? That’s where speed comes into play.
You want low latency and reliable speeds to avoid glitches and lagging that many despise. Even general browsing is irritating if the VPN isn’t fast enough – or a non-VPN connection for that matter. Some people also value upload performance.
Content creators, YouTubers, and people who often use cloud services will greatly benefit from a VPN that performs well. As you can see, fast providers are important in many fields of work and entertainment, explaining why many prioritize this factor over others.
The Final Verdict
We hope this article has answered your questions and doubts about which provider to choose. With the 6 fastest VPN options we presented, you have a clear overview to make the decision. Our choice would undoubtedly be NordVPN and it’s clear why.
This VPN performs exceptionally well but above all, costs very little. We also haven’t mentioned all of its features and there are PLENTY of them, making it even worthier than its rivals. If you don’t mind paying more, perhaps ExpressVPN will make the cut.
It’s pretty close performance-wise while still offering respectable security. Affordable picks like PIA, Surfshark, and CyberGhost are no slouches either. The first two are especially impressive due to their unlimited simultaneous connections.
Proton VPN is sort of a “bonus” pick on the list. Its stellar performance is plagued by a higher price but further improved by world-leading privacy, Swiss-grade security, and overall trustworthiness. That should be enough for today – go ahead and pick your preferred service.