Best VPN service in 2023

TunnelBear’s business-friendly policies and comprehensive features make it the best overall VPN of 2023. It supports unlimited simultaneous connections with individual and team subscriptions, which few rivals offer.

Although TunnelBear for Teams costs more than Windscribe’s team plan, we appreciate its flexible administration tools. The company credits your account if you remove users before your subscription ends. 

Any employees or contractors with a business email address can automatically join your team after creating an account, or you can send a link via email or text. Security alerts inform users before connecting to unsafe public networks.

While its upload speed falls behind competitors, TunnelBear provides the fastest average download speed out of the companies we reviewed. It also works across most standard business hardware, including Android and iOS mobile phones. 

TunnelBear is more transparent about security than other VPN vendors. It discloses its annual audits and explains how it addresses vulnerabilities.

Small businesses will benefit from TunnelBear’s streamlined account setup and management tools. You can save time onboarding and removing remote independent contractors and feel confident that even inexperienced VPN users can navigate TunnelBear’s VPN apps.

For business users wanting top-notch security, NordVPN and its business service, NordLayer, provide tools you can depend on. Individual users receive alerts if their data is compromised and can configure a mesh network, perfect for accessing files remotely.

NordLayer for businesses provides sophisticated security options. It detects jailbroken devices, which are vulnerable to attack, and allows biometric authentication. With network segmentation, you can follow the principle of least privilege by setting user permissions for various resources.

While NordLayer costs more than team plans from Windscribe and TunnelBear, it has advanced tools for activity monitoring. Additionally, you can scale up or down with auto-provisioning by adding, removing or transferring VPN licenses.

The company has been independently audited three times, and the latest Deloitte report is available to read. With specialty servers, users can find suitable connections for extra privacy or peer-to-peer sharing.

Read our full NordVPN review.

Security-focused businesses use NordVPN and NordLayer to reduce cyber risks. It’s best for product development teams wanting secure spaces for collaboration. Likewise, NordLayer’s security settings can mirror your corporate cybersecurity policies.

Frequent travelers need a VPN that works well across the world., and Surfshark meets that demand with servers in more than 100 countries, including 25 U.S. cities and four U.K.United Kingdom locations. In comparison, TunnelBear has servers in over 40 countries and NordVPN covers 60 countries.

Surfshark provides plenty of VPN features for travelers. The NoBorders tool detects government censorship or geo-blocking and automatically establishes a VPN connection to a nearby server. You can also choose a server in camouflage mode (obfuscation), hiding the fact that you’re using a VPN.

Its CleanWeb 2.0 feature helps conserve mobile data usage by blocking banners, ads and popups. When used on browsers, you can even block ads from streaming services. Surfshark has a kill switch, multi-hop and auto-connect options, similar to popular services NordVPN and ProtonVPN.

With RAM-only servers and a no-logs policy backed by an independent audit from Deloitte, business travelers can use the internet securely almost anywhere worldwide.

Read our full Surfshark review.

If you travel for personal or business reasons, Surfshark’s global coverage and security-focused tools will keep you protected. You’ll want to download the VPN app on your portable devices to stay connected, even in regions with network restrictions.

In many cases, connecting to nearby servers increases your speed online. Unlike competitors, Private Internet Access (PIA) has servers in all 50 U.S. states, making it an excellent VPN for U.S.-based employees and companies. In contrast, CyberGhost and Torguard have 11 servers in the United States.

PIA’s three-year plans offer the best value at $2.03 per month. Alternatively, businesses selecting bulk pricing can add three or more users for $3.16 per user monthly with annual billing, making Private Internet Access among the cheapest VPNs.

Its advanced browser settings set PIA apart from competitors like CyberGhost. You can customize your connection to eliminate obtrusive ads and disable third-party cookies. VPN browser extensions from other providers are relatively basic, with limited configurations.

PIA also provides plenty of features. Users can establish allowlists, enable the kill switch and download apps for mobile and desktop devices.

Read our full Private Internet Access review.

Private Internet Access is the best VPN service for companies with multiple U.S.-based locations or remote workers. Bulk pricing and servers in all 50 U.S. states allow businesses to save money while ensuring staff can connect to nearby servers.

Finding a VPN that works with your favorite streaming services is challenging, and U.S.-based users may be blocked from torrenting on certain services like CyberGhost. However, hide.me easily handles peer-to-peer sharing and streaming.

It does not throttle speeds and supports BitTorrent. You can use hide.me to access geo-locked content on platforms like Netflix, BBC iPlayer and YouTube. The Stealth Guard feature routes specific traffic or all internet usage through your VPN.

You can also use the multi-hop functionality (also called a double VPN) to increase your privacy, protection, and, in some cases, speeds. In addition, paid versions support up to 10 devices, double the device limits of Mullvad and ExpressVPN.

While it has fewer servers than some competitors, hide.me manages its VPN network, meaning it does not rely on a third party for server maintenance. Hide.me also resides outside the five eyes, a data sharing agreement between Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK, and the U.S. that could require companies within its jurisdiction to share data upon government request. , and Also, anyone can view its independent audits.

Read our full hide.me review.

If you want to unlock streaming services or torrent files, hide.me is an excellent solution. Not only does it have the capability, but it also provides full transparency about its no-logs policy and independent audits.

Torguard is our top choice for tech-savvy individuals. Users can manually configure protocols and create custom scripts, providing more flexibility than the standard VPN app settings offer.

Like most competitors, Torguard has WireGuard, OpenVPN and IKEv2 protocols. It stands out for supporting secure socket tunneling protocol (SSTP), point-to-point tunneling protocol (PPTP), internet protocol security (IPsec) and two tunneling protocol (L2TP).

It works on most business hardware, and you can buy VPN-compatible pre-flashed routers. Torguard also has a substantial dedicated IP offering. These services come with individual and business plans, or users can purchase them separately. Torguard also has more dedicated server locations than many of the other reviewed VPN services.

Business VPN plans cost less than NordLayer but more than Windscribe’s team accounts. It includes business email and lets companies add branding, like their logo, to the VPN interface like their logo for an extra $19 monthly. However, Torguard does not mention independent audits, whereas Windscribe does, and not all Torguard apps include split-tunneling.

Read our full Torguard VPN review.

Torguard’s advanced configurations work best for companies with in-house IT teams. Since the interface is more complex than rivals’ apps, users that aren’t tech-savvy may have a few more questions or need help during installation.

VPN Unlimited’s lifetime account is unique among providers. It’s $199 upfront. On average, VPNs cost $60.37 annually, meaning you can recoup your VPN Unlimited fees in under 4 years. Long-term VPN users benefit the most, especially since you can use your account with unlimited devices.

Unlike TunnelBear, VPN Unlimited supports 11 routers, including pfSense, TP-Link, and some Asus models. It also provides four browser extensions, whereas most VPN services have two. Plus, it is compatible with 23 smart TV brands.

A DNS firewall lets you put entire domains on a blocklist or block specific content types, which is great for securing company devices and networks. Traveling salespersons can also put their home or office networks on an allowlist and only switch to the VPN when connecting to public Wi-Fi.

Team plans offer additional savings over personal subscriptions. An office management page lets you set up different teams and add a personal server or IP directly from the dashboard.

Read our full VPN Unlimited review.

Independent contractors and solopreneurs should use VPN Unlimited to automatically connect to a secure tunnel when they’re away from trusted networks. It’s an excellent value for individuals who want to safeguard their online interactions for the next three and a half years.

If you have VPN issues, getting help can be challenging. IPVanish is the only provider we reviewed that offers, offering not only one, but six customer service phone numbers. Users can call between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Central Time (Universal Time-6) to customer support in Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Spain, the U.K. and the U.S.

In addition, IPVanish typically responds to customers via email within 48 hours. Its chat feature lets you interact with a bot, providing links to articles in its knowledge base. But you can also click to get in touch with a human agent through live chat. Along with IPVanish, three out of the 16 providers on our Best Business VPNs of 2023 list respond to live chat messages.

IPVanish works on most devices, including Chromebooks and Amazon Firestick, which few competitors support. It has a kill switch for Android Mobile, macOS and Windows.

Unlike Torguard, IPVanish enforces the military-grade 256 bits advanced encryption standard. Other VPN services let users switch between AES-128 and AES 256-bit encryption.

Read our full IPVanish review.

If your business does not have on-site technical support, IPVanish could be the answer. Unlike VPN Unlimited, you can reach customer service through multiple channels and get help configuring or troubleshooting VPN connections.

ProtonVPN offers the best free virtual private network service if your budget is limited. You can access more than 100 servers in the U.S., Netherlands and Japan. The free version does not have ads or bandwidth restrictions. Plus, it comes with free features from Proton Drive, Mail and Calendar.

In contrast to other free VPN plans, hide.me provides 10 GB of secure browsing monthly, TunnelBear offers 2GB, and HotSpot Shield limits users to 500 MB daily and up to 2 Mbps connection speed. Proton VPN’s free plan also includes one email address with 1 GB of storage and calendar tools with end-to-end encryption.

Paid versions give access to more servers and features. The VPN Plus plan protects 10 devices simultaneously and offers double hop (also referred to as a double VPN), which passes your online traffic through multiple servers. Alternatively, you can request a quote for Proton VPN’s business services with administrative controls.

Switching to a paid subscription also gives you NetShield ad-blocker tools that use DNS filtering to prevent website trackers and malware.

Read our full ProtonVPN review.

Independent contractors, solopreneurs and others wanting a free VPN should consider ProtonVPN. It keeps online traffic secure on a single device and does not cap data usage.

Windscribe is the top VPN solution for businesses on a budget. Team accounts, called ScribeForce, cost $3 per user with monthly payments. You can add up to 500 seats and don’t need to prepay annually for the best price.

In comparison, you’ll pay triple for monthly team subscriptions from NordVPN. NordLayer, NordVPN’s business plan, costs $9 per user monthly or $7 with annual billing. Torguard charges more than double ($6.40 per user monthly, with a minimum of five users) and TunnelBear team plans are $5.75 per person. Alternatively, Hotspot Shield’s Premium Family plan works for five users for $19.99 (or about $4 per person) monthly.

All features from Windscribe Pro come with team accounts, including unlimited data and R.O.B.E.R.T., an IP and server-side domain-blocking tool. And you can manage all team members’ accounts from a single master panel.

Read our full Windscribe review.

Windscribe team plans are best for businesses with five or more users wanting inexpensive VPN services with a central account dashboard. ScribeForce has the lowest price, and you’re not locked into annual billing.

Not all VPN providers have an about page on their website disclosing ownership of the company and servers. And few have a compelling track record of trustworthiness. A non-profit backs Mozilla VPN, and every product follows its principles. With over 20 years of putting people and privacy first, Mozilla VPN is our top pick for socially conscious companies.

Mozilla VPN uses Mullvad’s server network, which offers the most extensive information and transparency about its hardware and infrastructure. You can find precise details before connecting to a server, including if it’s owned or rented and if its RAM or disk server.

It supports device-level encryption and does not limit bandwidth. Desktop, mobile and tablet users can install Mozilla VPN. Whereas Torguard VPN only offers split tunneling on Androids, Mozilla VPN’s split-tunneling feature works on Android, Linux and Windows devices. Mozilla VPN isn’t the cheapest service. But, if you pay annually, it costs less than seven out of the 16 VPNs on our best list.

Read our full Mozilla VPN review.

Organizations prioritizing socially conscious vendors and supply chains will appreciate Mozilla’s track record. It offers more transparency than rivals, and VPN users help support Mozilla’s principles, including open and accessible internet.

If you’re tired of complicated websites, billing options and subscription tiers, Mullvad VPN is right for you. It’s the best privacy-focused, no-frills VPN. Mullvad VPN does not have add-ons, multiple plan tiers or 20 different price points, depending on billing cadence.

Its dedication to privacy shows when signing up. Instead of entering an email address for account creation, Mullvad generates a 16-digit code. You can even send cash payments through the mail for total anonymity.

Mullvad’s remarkable transparency extends to servers and independent audits. It describes how it makes money (VPN subscriptions) and the controls used to protect user data. These answers and others are signals of trustworthy VPNs developed by the nonprofit Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) in collaboration with other VPN companies.

Along with clear pricing and privacy policies, Mullvad VPN allows torrenting on all servers and supports port forwarding. Android, Windows and Linux users can access the split-tunneling feature. Additionally, you can configure the VPN app to auto-connect on startup.

Read our full Mullvad VPN review.

Freelancers, solopreneurs and independent contractors wanting a reliable, trustworthy VPN should consider Mullvad VPN. Prices haven’t changed since 2009, and you won’t spend hours comparing plans and features to find a suitable subscription.

CyberGhost optimizes servers for torrenting, streaming and privacy. During user testing, we found it easy to switch between servers, allowing us to use ones optimized for specific business activities. Changing your IP address to mask your location helps you survey competitors without geo-location restrictions or tracking.

For businesses in highly competitive industries, you can’t go wrong with CyberGhost’s NoSpy servers located in its Romanian headquarters. The company controls the NoSpy servers, meaning they own, operate and maintain them.

CyberGhost provides several tools to customize your VPN, but functionality varies among devices. For instance, Smart Rules on Windows lets you select an application to launch immediately after establishing a VPN connection. On Mac, Windows, iOS and Android, you can choose from four rules to apply when accessing public Wi-Fi.

It provides free ID Guard monitoring with subscriptions. In addition, CyberGhost offers some of the lowest prices for dedicated IPs.

Read our full CyberGhost review.

Use CyberGhost’s NoSpy Servers to send sensitive data online and switch to servers optimized for streaming or torrenting without exposing your IP address. It’s the best solution for companies wanting a flexible VPN that works for many business activities.

Although Hotspot Shield VPN does not have a business plan, its Premium Family package covers five users. It’s only $2.40 per person when paid annually, which is the cheapest annual team pricing. Even if you only have four users, Hotspot Shield is a bargain, considering budget-friendly Windscribe requires a minimum of five users to get its $3 per person team plan.

Hotspot Shield’s low-price premium package comes with plenty of features. Windows, Mac, Android and iOS users can access a Smart VPN (split tunneling) and built-in phishing and malware protection. Hotspot Shield also works with Linux devices, routers and smart TVs, but functionality varies by device.

It has servers in over 80 countries and 35 cities. ItAnd helps your team members stay protected with auto-connect, a kill switch and start-on-launch options. Unlike competitors, Hotspot Shield limits the WireGuard protocol to Android and Mac devices. HoweverBut, it provides a proprietary protocol called Hydra.

Read our full Hotspot Shield review.

Small businesses with five or fewer employees needing a VPN can save money by prepaying annually for Hotspot Shield’s Premium Family plan.

Multilingual teams should have the same experience across mobile and desktop apps as English-speaking users. Yet, few VPN services provide details about supported languages. Fortunately, ExpressVPN prioritized language upgrades starting in 2019.

Windows, iOS, Mac and Android users can choose from 17 languages. Chrome and Firefox extensions also support multiple languages, and ExpressVPN has translated popular website content into some or all languages.

While competitors like NordVPN support up to 10 languages, capabilities differ among applications. Likewise, TunnelBear mentions language support on mobile apps but does not list translations for desktop users. Neither offers Thai or Turkish support, but ExpressVPN does. Mozilla VPN offers more language options but is only available in 17 countries, whereas ExpressVPN says it works worldwide.

ExpressVPN has servers in 94 countries. You can choose a server manually or use the Smart Location tool to find the best option. Users can unlock international streaming services and access business applications like Gmail, Skype and Facebook Messenger, regardless of location.

Read our full ExpressVPN review.

ExpressVPN works for U.S. and international staff who want apps and support content like how-to guides in their native language. This is a great VPN for companies that want to ensure multilingual teams can configure and use their VPN across all devices.

Most VPN services offer one-month or annual billing options, but few have short-term subscriptions. IVPN is ideal for businesses with temporary contractors or employees attending conferences. You can hook up your team members with a VPN for a week, which costs $2.

Like Mullvad VPN, IVPN allows anonymous registration. It generates a 16-digit account ID. IVPN also supports anonymous payment methods like Bitcoin or cash, although IVPN only accepts cash for one year or longer subscriptions.

IVPN Standard and Pro plans include AntiTracker, which blocks advertising services, malware and web trackers. Take it a step further by enabling the Hardcore mode to block domains like Facebook and Google.

It has servers in 35 countries, including 12 U.S. cities. While it has fewer U.S.-based servers than Private Internet Access, IVPN servers are located in major U.S. cities, where many business conferences are held.

Read our full IVPN review.

If you have a big project or conference coming up or frequently hire temporary workers, IVPN’s short-term subscriptions can help you save money. You get all the benefits of a virtual private network without a long-term commitment.