The fastest VPN services of 2025

Your VPN needs to offer fast connections to ensure that data-heavy activities like streaming, video gaming, torrenting, and even WFH video conferencing aren’t impacted. No matter how fast your internet is, using a slow VPN will cause laggy streams, high ping during gaming, unstable video calls, and slow downloads.

Every VPN will have a small impact on your speed, since your data needs to be routed through the VPN server that encrypts and protects it, before it reaches its destination. This increased routing distance slows your connection, but the fastest VPN services have a very minimal impact you won’t notice.

So, using our tried-and-tested methodology, I’ve tested and collated some of the fastest VPNs so that you can get the most out of your internet speed while enjoying total encryption and protection for your online activities.

🏷️ LIMITED OFFER: Get 76% OFF + up to 10GB eSIM data 🏷️

The 5 fastest VPNs of 2025

• 🥇NordVPN – best VPN for speed when streaming or gaming
• 🥈Surfshark – high speed-VPN for torrenting and streaming
• 🥉Proton VPN – fast VPN with minimal impact on speeds
• 4. TotalVPN – high-speed connections on Mac and Windows
• 5. IPVanish – speedy VPN that works well on iPhone and Android

Finding the fastest VPN requires regular and repeated testing; our VPN speed test results are updated throughout the year due to constantly evolving factors like new VPN protocols and service improvements. As a result, my colleagues and I have refined a speed-test methodology that comprehensively assesses each VPN provider’s speeds while taking into account all of the factors that can influence them. In 2025, our updated VPN speed test results crown NordVPN, Surfshark, and Proton VPN as the fastest options, with NordVPN leading overall.

Note: Your results could differ from the ones we’ve collated, as your location, operating system, and internet connection can influence outcomes.

🥇1. NordVPN - fastest VPN for gaming and streaming

NordVPN is the overall fastest VPN service of 2025 and consistently ranks in first place for VPN connection speeds; my in-house tests peaked at 465 Mbps on a 500 Mbps baseline connection, giving me around 94% download speed retention.

These high speeds are largely thanks to the proprietary NordLynx protocol, a powerful protocol built on top of WireGuard, which is commonly chosen for being the fastest available. What’s more, unlike some providers that can struggle to maintain fast connections over distance, NordVPN’s results were consistent across nearby and faraway servers. Gamers, streamers, and people looking to routinely share large files would do well to pick this provider for its consistent performance. That said, gamers should stick to nearby servers – while speeds didn't drop on any server, I saw a ping of up to 300 on servers in Australia, Canada, and Japan from my location in the UK.

NordVPN’s server fleet is expansive, with 7400+ servers across 118+ countries. Since it’s such a popular service, this broad fleet helps optimize performance by ensuring that speeds don’t dip due to congestion during busier periods. What’s more, NordVPN’s Threat Protection Pro includes an ad-blocking feature that can speed up page load times by blocking adverts.

Besides high speeds, NordVPN also includes robust security features to keep you safe online. I proved the kill switch as fully functional during testing, which stops your IP from leaking if your connection drops. I also connected to obfuscated servers, which further strengthen your anonymity in case you need to avoid ISP speed throttling or unblock websites with strong geo-restrictions.

NordVPN is the fastest VPN for Mac, PC, and all other devices, with compatibility that extends to iOS, Android, and even routers. When you sign up with a NordVPN coupon, you can get 76% off and start from $3.39/month. You also have the option of using a 7-day free trial on Android devices and a 30-day money-back guarantee for any platform.

🥈2. Surfshark - fast and secure VPN for torrenting

Surfshark is among the fastest VPN services thanks to its excellent VPN speed across the board, with 466 Mbps average during my in-house tests. This represents 93% download speed retention against my baseline connection speeds. I saw peaks of 490 Mbps, making this an extremely fast VPN.

Users looking to access the fastest connection speeds should connect to Surfshark with the WireGuard protocol active. However, Surfshark also supports OpenVPN and IKEv2, two secure protocols that still delivered comparable results during my tests. Similar to NordVPN, Surfshark also maintained solid, consistent speeds on both nearby and far-flung servers. However, Surfshark loses some upload speed consistency on far-flung servers, which can slow down torrent seeding. Similarly, gamers should choose nearby servers to avoid potential lag or delays in uploading video captures on PS5, for example.

Surfshark’s 3200+ servers in 100+ countries provide a good defence against overcongestion that can slow your speeds. What’s more, while Surfshark charges extra for certain features, one of these is dedicated IP addresses that can help your speed. When you use a dedicated IP server, nobody else shares it with you. This eliminates the risk of overcrowding causing a slowdown, while offering other perks like enhanced unblocking power and anonymity.

Other features include CleanWeb 2.0, a powerful ad blocker that speeds up browsing by eliminating frustrating ads. I even had success blocking YouTube ads with CleanWeb, speeding up my overall enjoyment of travel vlogs and how-to gaming content. Camouflage Mode and the NoBorders feature offer further boosts to anonymity and privacy, especially for those living in restrictive countries.

Surfshark is broadly compatible across platforms, including Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and routers. Subscriptions are among the cheapest around, with prices starting at $1.99/month and a 7-day free trial available on mobile devices. You’ll also get a 30-day money-back guarantee to test the service risk free.

🥉3. Proton VPN - high-speed VPN with minimal impact on internet speed

Proton VPN’s speedy Secure Core servers win it a place among the fastest VPN services; my tests saw peaks of up to 468 Mbps on the closest server. However, my upload speed took a hit, as did my ping, when connecting to the furthest-away servers. Such servers also resulted in slightly slower speeds on some occasions. However, I was impressed by the premium-tier connection speeds, considering it’s a freemium VPN.

Secure Core servers are a multi-hop connection type, which routes your data through an additional, secure server for anonymity – these can cause additional drops in your speed. However, Proton VPN’s VPN Accelerator software optimizes such connections, improving speeds in situations where slowdowns are caused by congestion or network inefficiencies. This is backed up by a choice of powerful and responsive protocols that include WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2/IPsec, and Stealth. WireGuard performed best in my tests with the fastest speeds, but Stealth is a speedy protocol that can help people in restrictive regions bypass blocks while maintaining a powerful connection for gaming, streaming, or torrenting.

Proton VPN joins NordVPN and Surfshark in providing a broad server fleet; choose from a massive 9900+ servers in 117+ countries, giving you a means to avoid server congestion that leads to lag. Just bear in mind that Proton VPN has very limited server options, and as of 2025, you can no longer choose a preferred country to connect to if you’re a free customer. I recommend trying Proton VPN’s full version, as that’s the service that ranks as one of the fastest VPNs of 2025.

You can get Proton VPN for Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and Linux. Beyond the free version, you’ll pay $2.99/month with a 30-day money-back guarantee that’ll let you test out Proton VPN’s full functionality without an ironclad commitment.

4. TotalVPN - fastest VPN for Mac and Windows

TotalVPN is the fastest VPN service of 2025 that’ll cost you the least amount of money. During my in-house test circuit, I saw a peak of 455 Mbps on a Swedish server and an average 417 Mbps connection across 10 international servers. These results came while using the fastest WireGuard VPN protocol. Some servers produced lower speed though, particularly when far away.

WireGuard is the default connection type for Android, but Mac and Windows can additionally choose from OpenVPN and IKEv2 for strong connection speeds. During tests, I was able to maintain HD streaming without lag on Netflix and Hulu. Speeds were more than capable of supporting torrenting with uTorrent and didn’t lag when I used TotalVPN to access different lobbies in Modern Warfare 3.

That said, TotalVPN isn’t the absolute best choice for responsive gaming or streaming in the highest-possible 4K resolution. On Australian and Japanese servers for example, I saw ping spikes of 235 to 320 and reduced upload speeds. Still, I averaged 83% speed retention overall throughout my tests, so these blips aren’t enough to knock TotalVPN out of the running as one of the fastest 2025 VPNs.

Where TotalVPN loses some points is for its server network of just 50 servers in 35 countries. This limited range of connections has more potential to cause overcongestion problems that slow your connection. Usually, I’d recommend getting a dedicated IP address to combat this risk, but TotalVPN doesn’t yet offer them. Ideally, I’d like to see these added in future as a way to bolster a VPN that excels in affordability, speed, and beginner-friendliness.

You can get TotalVPN for Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android, and pricing starts from $1.59/month – the cheapest fast VPN available. TotalVPN doesn’t have a free trial, but you’ll still get a 30-day money-back guarantee to try the service out without risk.

Read more about this fast VPN in our TotalVPN review.

5. IPVanish - fastest VPN for Android and iPhone

IPVanish is one of the fastest VPN services when selecting nearby servers with low ping. During testing, I saw an average download speed of 459 Mbps and upload speed of 293 Mbps. My average upload speed took a hit due to near-zero results while connected to a Singaporean server. I had big drops in upload speed on Australian and Japanese servers, too. While expected, due to the server distance from my location in the UK, these results ranked IPVanish below other services like NordVPN and Surfshark.

As a result, IPVanish remains a solid option for people who mostly need a VPN within their region or a neighboring country. With those connections, for example in France and Germany, I saw speeds fast enough for streaming, gaming, and torrenting. What’s more, IPVanish’s SOCKS5 proxy offers an extra speed boost for torrenting, making it one of the best choices for secure P2P file sharing.

IPVanish offers a solid server fleet of 2400+ servers in 109+ countries, making it simple to dodge server overcrowding and avoid slowdowns caused by congestion. You can also access dedicated servers for the aforementioned P2P activities, which produced even faster, optimised speeds for torrenting during my test circuit.

IPVanish can run on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and even Fire TV. The latter option is great if you want to enjoy extended international streaming libraries without limits. Pricing starts at $2.19/month. Start with a 7-day free trial for Android or iOS, and get a 30-day money-back guarantee on new subscriptions.

VPN speed test results: comparison table

If you just want to see the fastest VPN services at a glance, you’ll find a quick comparison of key metrics below, including average download and upload speeds from my comprehensive testing:

As you can see, NordVPN with its NordLynx protocol offers the best performance, achieving the lowest speed loss (6.36%) and impressive download speeds (468.2 Mbps). Surfshark, also using WireGuard, offers a slightly higher speed loss (7.46%) but still delivers fast speeds at 462.7 Mbps.

How we test the fastest VPN services

VPN speed testing is important as every VPN has an impact on your connection speed. Routing your data through a secure server increases the distance that your internet traffic has to travel, resulting in a small speed reduction. With premium VPNs, the reduction is negligible, but lesser VPNs have a larger impact, and speeds can vary due to chosen VPN protocols, encryption methods, and the location of the server that you connect to.

While speed is one of the most important aspects of choosing a VPN, the kinds of speeds you see advertised rarely match up to results. That’s why my team and I have refined a testing methodology to test VPN speeds across multiple geographical locations, different devices and operating systems, and different VPN protocols. This allows us to determine the fastest VPN services without bias when testing on Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS.

My VPN speed tests compare WireGuard, OpenVPN, and proprietary protocols like NordLynxx, Lightway, Stealth, and Hydra. WireGuard is faster than OpenVPN and other protocols due to a lightweight code architecture, but proprietary protocols like NordLynx can be even faster due to optimization of inefficiencies in WireGuard. My test process also ensures good coverage of both near and faraway servers, including those located in the US, Canada, Australia, Japan, and United Kingdom.

When measuring speed, I use a tool from Ookla (speedtest.net) to benchmark each server’s performance in terms of upload speed, download speed, and ping while connected to 10 different international VPN servers. I then compare the VPN speed results against our baseline 500 Mbps connection; dividing the actual speeds by 500 and multiplying that number by 100 gives me an average download and upload speed retention rate, expressed as a percentage.

Download speed is crucial for streaming, gaming, and torrenting, while upload speed is important for torrenting and videoconferencing applications. Latency (ping) impacts gaming and real-time communication, so each of these numbers is important to assess so that I can accurately assess and recommend each VPN to specific users.

How to speed up a VPN connection

If you want to know how to speed up your VPN connection, there are few steps you can take, including changing your server, protocol, and connection method. Here’s how you can potentially speed up your connection:

1. Choose a different VPN protocol: Your choice of VPN protocol has an impact on your speed. WireGuard is the fastest, while OpenVPN is typically the runner up among the most common protocols. Proprietary protocols like NordVPN’s NordLynx are often even faster than WireGuard.
2. Choose a closer server: Choosing a nearby server means that your data doesn’t have to travel as far to the destination server. This can help reduce ping and ensure higher speeds.
3. Activate split tunneling: Split tunneling lets you choose which apps do or do not use your VPN connection. Having this level of control means that you can reduce the amount of load placed on your VPN, improving all-round performance.
4. Use a LAN cable: Wi-Fi connections can lead to inconsistent speeds when compared to an ethernet cable. Connecting your device directly to your router with an ethernet (LAN) cable can help boost your speed.
5. Close unnecessary background apps: If you have apps running in the background, it can take up bandwidth and slow down your VPN. Close any applications you aren’t using, especially if they’re internet-enabled apps like torrenting platforms or streaming services.
6. Restart your device and router: In some cases, simply restarting your devices can help resolve network congestion that slows down your VPN.
7. Upgrade to a better VPN Provider: As my testing has uncovered, some VPNs simply aren’t as fast as others. Opting for one of the fastest VPN services of 2025, as determined by our robust test process, can give you a more powerful connection free from lag.

NordVPN: fastest VPN for streaming, gaming, torrenting

Are free VPNs fast?

No, free VPNs are not typically fast when compared to premium VPNs and have a much bigger impact on your connection speed. ProtonVPN is a bit of an outlier in that I still saw speeds of up to 250 Mbps on the free version. However, this is still almost half of the speed I saw with Proton VPN premium, and there are generally very few free VPNs that are safe to use and fast enough to compete with premium VPNs without limitations that hamstring you.

If you need to access a fast and free VPN, I recommend opting for a premium VPN’s 30-day money-back guarantee instead. Throughout my testing, I accessed each service by subscribing to a premium tier and then getting a full refund when I’d finished my testing. The 5 fastest VPNs I’ve recommended above all have simple refund policies that are completely hassle free.

NordVPN offers a 7-day free trial for Android devices, with a 30-day money-back guarantee across all platforms. NordVPN excelled in my tests, with download speed retention of 94% that easily handled streaming, gaming, and P2P file sharing. Thanks to a fuss-free refund process, you can effectively use the 30-day guarantee as a free trial and get full access to the fastest VPN in 2025 with all of its security and optimization features.

Final thoughts: is fastest always the best VPN choice?

Choosing a fast VPN shouldn’t sacrifice everything else at the expense of speed; it’s important to balance speeds with robust online privacy and security. Personally, I suggest that security is the most important aspect, followed closely by high speeds that can support any activity. That’s why my team and I conduct tests to help you find the best options without the need for in-depth research.

---

---

Fastest VPNs FAQ

Does a VPN affect internet speed?

Yes, all VPNs have an impact on your internet speed – the added time to route your data through a secure VPN server results in a small reduction in speeds. However, the extent of that slowdown depends on your chosen VPN. Premium VPNs like NordVPN and Surfshark cause a very small 3-5% reduction in speed, which is not usually noticeable assuming that you have a reasonably strong baseline connection.

Why does my VPN slow down my internet speed?

Connecting to a VPN encrypts and protects your data, but it means your data is routed through a VPN server before reaching its destination, which slows your connection slightly. This is more noticeable on faraway servers due to the increased distance, though the fastest VPN services have more consistent speeds across servers. Choosing nearby servers with low congestion can help improve your speeds, too.

Can a VPN improve my internet speed?

Typically, a VPN won’t improve your internet speed; actually, VPNs usually reduce your speed a small amount as your data is routed through a secure server before reaching its destination. However, if your ISP is throttling your speed due to overuse, using a VPN stops them from being able to do so.

Which VPN increases internet speed?

Based on our latest speed tests, NordVPN has the smallest impact on your internet speed and produces the most consistently fast speeds across various worldwide servers. However, no VPN can increase your speed – routing your data through a secure server increases the distance that data travels, so every secure VPN will have some degree of impact on your connection.

Which VPN protocol is fastest?

WireGuard and PPTP are the fastest-performing protocols, but you can still see speedy connections with L2TP, IKEv2, and OpenVPN. WireGuard has been optimized for speed, but you can see even faster speeds with proprietary protocols that build on WireGuard and tweak inefficiencies – NordVPN’s NordLynx protocol is even faster.