Comparing popular VPNs? Folks on Reddit have some thoughts.

The good and the bad about the biggest VPNs, from people with no filter.
By Leah Stodart  on 
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Overview

Your overall best bet

Surfshark

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Best for port forwarding

Mullvad

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Most likely to rectify customer complaints

IVPN

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Best for Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and other streaming

NordVPN

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Most customizable

Windscribe

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Best free VPN

ProtonVPN

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  • Surfshark VPN $2.29 Per Month + 2-Months Free (85% Off 2-Year Plan)
  • ExpressVPN $6.67 Per Month 1-Year Plan + 3-Months Free + 1-Year Free Backblaze

Slow WiFi and an exposed history are among any internet user's worst nightmares, and the rules that protect us from these dangers have been under attack since 2017. Though net neutrality's status as a buzzword has dulled over the years, the anxieties of internet usage are certainly alive and well — they're just stemming from more than threats of Verizon or Comcast leveraging speed for money.

Stolen passwords, hacked home security cameras, and the can of worms that is AI are just some of the modern cybersecurity threats that may have you VPN curious, even if you didn't even know what a VPN was a few years ago. (If it's not the paranoia about the vulnerability of your internet usage that'll get you Googling VPNs, it's the curse of living in the U.S. but preferring European sports or Love Island UK over their American counterparts.)

In turn, Google has become littered with VPN reviews and lists of the best VPNs according to experts, tech publications, and regular consumers alike. But if you wanted a more raw take on the day-to-day VPN experience from normal people (with no filter or chill), there's only one place to go: Reddit.

Are free VPNs the move?

Reddit has strong feelings about this. It's bluntly summed up here in response to an inquiry about the "best free VPN":

Screenshot from Reddit
Credit: reddit/screenshot

Reddit users will let you know that comparing free VPNs to paid VPNs just doesn't make sense. It's like comparing apples to oranges, and you'll almost definitely be skimping on some crucial features by taking the cheapest-possible route. The proof isn't always provided, but many Redditors are convinced that free VPNs don't follow a true no-log policy, or that they sell your data to third parties. "Free" is sometimes synonymous with "slow" due to fewer servers in fewer locations.

The general consensus seems to be to only use a free VPN to test the waters, then cough up the credit card info (or Paypal, or Bitcoin, or Visa gift cards from your grandma). Most times, this can be done through a trusted paid VPN that has a free tier to experiment with, or via a free trial, which many services offer.

However, free VPNs can step up to the job for more temporary endeavors — like having access to your home country's streaming services while going abroad for a semester or keeping up with a certain sport for a season. Because paid VPNs only really get affordable when a one or two-year subscription is met, it may not make sense to pay $10 or $12 per month for the few months that you need a VPN.

So, are there any Reddit-approved free VPNs? In a rare turn of events, Reddit backs Windscribe's free service hard.

What VPNs does Reddit recommend?

One thing about Reddit-based research is that it requires a keen eye for real recommendations versus paid ones. The site that's supposed to be rooted in the thoughts and discussions of actual regular people has been plagued by a lot of promoted content as of late — promoted content that's well disguised to look like it's coming from a regular-degular registered user. You've probably noticed that it happens a lot in VPN threads if you've looked on your own.

We've done the digging and differentiating for you — here are the VPNs that Reddit users recommend the most in 2023:

Our Pick
Green, blue, and gray graphic with Surfshark logo

Surfshark

Your overall best bet

The sheer absence of bandwidth and device limitations should clue you in: Surfshark is way more generous than its prices suggest. The clean, ultra-straightforward app helps to keep things organized, even with such a jumble of devices and simultaneous connections.

On top of unlimited device log-ins, this feature-rich VPN offers rarely-seen additions like Whitelister split tunneling, which lets you choose which sites should be routed outside the VPN tunnel, and Multihop, which bumps both security and speed by ricocheting traffic to a second VPN server. People seem to dig the CleanWeb ad-blocking tool that's available with all three pricing plans, though you'll have to get one of the two more expensive options to unlock advanced extras (and Surfshark covers a lot) like a private search engine, antivirus and webcam protection, and credit card breach alerts.

Buying Options

The Good

The Bad

Details

Green, blue, and gray graphic with Mullvad logo

Mullvad

Best for port forwarding

Mullvad corrects complaints that more expensive big-name companies still struggle with: Ownership of its servers contributes greatly to consistently boosted speeds. It's transparent as hell and offers its users the closest thing true anonymity by allowing sign-ups without asking for a name or email. In the midst of clickbait and vague logging policies, Mullvad makes it clear that your personal data is a top priority.

Port forwarding is one of Mullvad's strong suits. This allows remote computers to access a specific device with a private LAN, which can aid with lobby wait times, mixing and matching of consoles owned by different friends, and improve gameplay overall. (Port forwarding also opens the door to control of your computer when you're not home.)

Buying Options

The Good

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Details

Green, blue, and gray graphic with IVPN logo

IVPN

Most likely to rectify customer complaints

It's annoyingly common for a VPN company to make claims without following through. Redditors won't hesitate to call them out. Despite its sparse server count, Reddit seems to appreciate the attention IVPN pays to its biggest concerns. Some recent updates include new iOS functionality (like a kill switch, custom DNS, and solid WireGuard multihop) and its anti-tracker now pulling from the full OISD blocklist.

IVPN has made it a thing to release third-party security audits on a yearly basis, putting it on par with Mullvad transparency-wise. Users don't even need a password to register and can choose the two servers they want to use to multihop — two extra, unique layers of protection. Port forwarding and an anti-tracker are unlocked with the Pro tier.

Buying Options

The Good

The Bad

Details

Green, blue, and gray graphic with NordVPN logo

NordVPN

Best for Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and other streaming

Read our full review of NordVPN.

Meet the Casper mattress of VPNs. NordVPN, a name any avid podcast listener has heard way too many times, has grown to be the VPN that people love to hate, but for better or for worse, it's still one of the most-talked about VPNs on Reddit. The app itself takes a minimalist approach that's easy on the eyes. However, its menu of high-level features gets heavy quickly, with extras like a cross-platform password manager, malware tracker, and encrypted cloud storage added as you scale up your monthly plan.

Seasoned VPN users will appreciate the quick hop to obfuscated servers while the lack of guidance may send beginners packing. Many seem to be able to look past Nord's erratic connection drops to its mastery of the art of unblocking streaming sites — and blocking ads. An issue that's less forgivable is that of security breaches and other lingering transparency concerns. There's still trust to earn, but the no-logs policy, a slew of privacy toggles, and double independent audits are a start.

Buying Options

The Good

The Bad

Details

Few VPNs are more friendly to newbies than Windscribe. It remedies question marks that make most beginners ask Reddit in the first place: reliability to unblock streaming sites, security of your tunnel traffic, and whether it's worth the price. Windscribe lets you test it all out with a more-than-ample 10 GB per month for free, has been known to play nicely with Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, and keeps endeavors under wraps with IKEv2 and OpenVPN support with strong AES-256 encryption (even in countries that typically snoop VPNs out quickly).

The "Build a Plan" option is an interesting alternative to a traditional subscription. Need a VPN just to watch TV in *one* other country? Just $1 per month gets you unlimited data in that location.

Buying Options

The Good

The Bad

Details

Read our full review of PIA (Private Internet Access) VPN.

PIA's allowance for 10 simultaneous connections makes it easy to split the cost between a couple, roommates, or even a whole family. Its above-average server count leads to less resource hogging and less complaints about dropped connections. PIA doesn't limit torrenting to specific servers, nor does it limit premium features based on subscription tiers.

But PIA has lost some of its star power since ruling the market in 2017 and 2018. For some on Reddit, it's too shifty in two categories that are pillars of VPNs: user privacy and streaming. A murky privacy policy, a holdup on third-party audits, and iffy geo-unblocking on streaming platforms make for a somewhat volatile experience.

Buying Options

The Good

The Bad

Details

Read our full review of ProtonVPN.

"Best" and "free" together need to be taken with a grain of salt. We accept that. But if you're firm on not coughing up a monthly fee, Reddit acknowledges ProtonVPN is a viable free path. However, if you're interested in torrenting, you'll have to pay for Proton Premium.

Speeds are hit or miss with Proton's free version. It simply has fewer servers in fewer locations (only US, Netherlands, and Japan on the free tier) with a slot for one device at a time. That device does get unlimited leeway in the data department, though P2P, streaming unblocking, and torrenting are understandably MIA. Proton makes up for its leisurely load times it with an emphasis on privacy: Its strict no-log policy pairs nicely with Switzerland's security laws, which are far less nosey than those of the US.

Buying Options

The Good

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Details

Topics Cybersecurity

Frequently Asked Questions


The bottom line is simple: People don't want other people watching what they're doing online, even if they're not doing anything wrong.

A VPN (virtual private network) is an internet security subscription that basically allows you to make up your own internet rules. It acts as a bodyguard between you and your internet service provider (and hackers and other third-party weirdos) by hollowing out a personal anonymity tunnel through which you perform all of your internet activities. A VPN's job is to plug the holes that could be making your data vulnerable to nefarious eyeballs, like creeps scouring public WiFi networks for personal information that could be used to steal your identity. VPNs are as wise of a precaution as antivirus software or a password manager (yes, this applies to Macs too).

Hackers love free WiFi for the same reason you do: Connecting to the internet requires no authentication. That network is littered with unsecured devices, many times belonging to working professionals with bank accounts and business credentials that have phishers frothing at the mouth.

Often, the easiest thing for hackers to do is slide in between your device and the connection point. This Man-in-the-Middle situation is like eavesdropping, but on emails, credit card info, and work logins. Other hackers use public WiFi to unleash malware to all of the suckers using the network without protection.


The specs that Reddit users care about in a VPN are easy to tally when the same ones (or multiple people bitching about the lack of the same feature) pop up in countless subreddits throughout the year. If you're not feeling hardcore enough to build your own VPN, like some users suggest, here are the frequently-mentioned points that Reddit suggests to look for:

Streaming dependability is a given. Tons of people want a VPN solely to watch content from other countries, so a VPN's ability to fake out geoblocks and get around a streaming site's VPN blocks is crucial. (If you, in the U.S. want to watch a Netflix show that's only available in France, you'd want to pick a VPN with a plethora of servers in France.)

The speed at which that content streams matters, too (a fast VPN should be able to upscale to HD without lag). Connection speed and location spoofing are dependent on the number of servers and where they're located — more servers mean fewer people hogging a single server's capacity, and various locations mean more streaming libraries from around the world. (Free VPNs typically don't have the funds to support as robust of a menu of servers.)

For obvious reasons, most big streaming services aren't psyched about the idea of VPN usage and will probably mention it in their terms and conditions. If they happen to sniff out your VPN-ridden IP address, you're not necessarily screwed. The most likely repercussions would be the inability to access the streaming platform (even if it just worked the day before), but there have been instances of steaming services terminating subscriptions associated with spoofing.

Split tunneling can aid with traffic jams as well. VPNs that support split tunneling let you route some of your traffic through the encrypted VPN tunnel while bouncing other traffic over the internet directly. One might choose to separate less demanding but high-security activities like web browsing from high-bandwidth but low-security activities like streaming or playing video games. Advantages include reduced traffic on corporate networks, better speeds and reduced latency for the chosen tasks, and more customized privacy. If you're looking to tunnel to specific apps, look for an SSL VPN.

No DNS leaking is a good test of a VPN's trustworthiness. Think of a DNS (Domain Name Service) as the internet's phonebook: It's the service that transfers host names for humans to understand (like Mashable.com) to IP addresses for computers to understand. A leaked DNS essentially blabs your browsing history to whoever's watching on the other end — thus totally defeating the purpose of a VPN.

A kill switch cuts your connection to the internet if a secure connection to your VPN drops without notice. This is less likely on a high-quality VPN with a hefty roster of servers that can balance the traffic of millions of users, but far from impossible. By default, your device will switch back to your personal IP address or, worse, a public one. The speedy end-all action performed by a kill switch essentially ensures that you aren't unknowingly operating on a weak IP address. Some kill switches operate in the form of a firewall.

Jurisdiction — or the country in which a VPN is originally based — will dictate the privacy laws that VPN has to follow. Some places are nosier than others, mostly depending on their membership in an intelligence-sharing alliance (or not): The Five Eyes, Nine Eyes, and Fourteen Eyes are all but guaranteed to come up in any subreddit about a certain VPN's privacy policy. Countries in these groups have agreements related to third-party sharing and may be following strict data retention laws, depending on their legal jurisdiction. (Let's say a VPN is officially based in the U.S. but has an office in Switzerland. The company can decide to follow Swiss legal obligations in order to avoid loopholes that make user data vulnerable.)

App compatibility can make or break your VPN experience.Before signing up, make sure that your chosen VPN's app doesn't have major bugs on your operating system. For instance, some mobile VPN apps don't play as well on iPhone as Android, or an app might keep getting killed depending on other apps sucking your phone's battery. Alternatively, if you're using a VPN to stream on your TV, ensure that the service has a dedicated TV app.


Unblocking streaming services is probably the most universally useful feature of VPNs, even for casual internet users who don't think twice about eyes on their browsing habits. All decent VPNs offer a wide selection of servers based in multiple geographic locations. Picking one of those essentially tricks your ISP into thinking your device is based there, maneuvering around geoblocks and opening the door to another country's Netflix library or BBC iPlayer. American fans of the UEFA Champions League or Love Island UK could also use location spoofing to watch a live game or episode.


If you know to check Reddit for VPN advice, you likely already have some general knowledge about VPN protocols. But here's a breakdown if you need a refresher: A protocol is the rulebook that dictates how the VPN client talks to the VPN server and creates a tunnel, ultimately playing a role in security and vulnerabilities. Two modern protocols often come up in conversation on Reddit among users who don't want to use their VPN's native client: Wireguard and OpenVPN.

Both are open source, giving anyone in the community access to the source code to conduct their own investigation on potential security flaws — and Reddit users appreciate the ability to take things into their own hands. Wireguard's simpler code base is a little easier to crack and offers technical perks like better encryption and connection times, but it's not as polished as OpenVPN. OpenVPN, on the other hand, is the go-to for streamers and gamers.

Leah Stodart
Leah Stodart
Senior Shopping Reporter

Leah Stodart is a Philadelphia-based Senior Shopping Reporter at Mashable where she covers essential home tech like vacuums and TVs as well as sustainable swaps and travel. Her ever-growing experience in these categories comes in clutch when making recommendations on how to spend your money during shopping holidays like Black Friday, which Leah has been covering for Mashable since 2017.

Leah graduated from Penn State University in 2016 with dual degrees in Sociology and Media Studies. When she's not writing about shopping (or shopping online for herself), she's almost definitely watching a horror movie, "RuPaul's Drag Race," or "The Office." You can follow her on X at @notleah or email her at [email protected].


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