Fastest VPN Services

Fastest VPNs in 2024: Our Top Recommendations

In the rapidly evolving digital world, speed is a critical factor. As such, VPN speeds have become a crucial aspect to consider when choosing a VPN provider. Our findings project that the leading VPN services in terms of speed in 2024 will be:

• ExpressVPN

• NordVPN

• Surfshark

• Hotspot Shield

These providers shine in categories such as speed test performance, upload speeds, downloads, range of server locations, device compatibility, and comprehensive security.

However, speed isn’t the only factor to consider when choosing a VPN service. Security, affordability, and a day money back guarantee also play important roles.

Some recommended VPNs for speed in 2024 include:

• NordVPN

• Proton VPN

• HMA VPN

• IPVanish VPN

• Mozilla VPN

• ExpressVPN

• Mullvad VPN

These VPN providers offer high-speed connections, robust security features, and competitive pricing.

Despite the remarkable speeds offered by our top recommendations, bear in mind that a variety of factors can influence the pace of a VPN connection. These include the distance to the VPN server, server load, and the VPN protocol used. So, even with the fastest VPN service, your mileage may vary depending on these factors.

What sets these VPNs apart? Let’s scrutinize each one to understand better.

ExpressVPN: The Speed King

When it comes to speed, ExpressVPN reigns supreme. This VPN provider is considered the fastest in 2024, thanks to its optimized servers and proprietary Lightway protocol. ExpressVPN not only provides blazing fast speeds, but it also enhances your gaming experience. It can potentially reduce latency, enhance privacy protection, and bypass ISP throttling to optimize bandwidth.

Let’s examine more closely the primary features that crown ExpressVPN as the Speed King.

Security Features

ExpressVPN has built its reputation on superior security features. The Lightway protocol is a prime example of this commitment. This proprietary protocol ensures security through standard safety features, including:

• 256-bit encryption

• a kill switch

• leak protection

• a strict no-logs policy

Lightway has been built from the ground up by security experts at ExpressVPN, with wolfSSL providing additional security.

Another standout feature of ExpressVPN is its use of RAM-only servers. These servers are instrumental in heightening security, privacy, and overall performance. They ensure compliance with no-log policies by utilizing volatile memory, which erases all data on the servers with each reboot, preventing persistent storage of user information.

Lastly, ExpressVPN’s strict no-logs policy is instrumental in safeguarding user privacy. This policy states that ExpressVPN does not collect logs of your online activity while you are using their services. This builds trust among users, assuring them of the security of their online activities and personal information.

Streaming & Gaming Capabilities

ExpressVPN excels in streaming and gaming, thanks to its impressive features:

• Impressive speeds

• Support for various platforms

• Reduces ping and minimizes lag

• Improves connectivity

• Provides a simple VPN setup for game consoles

• Allows for unlimited simultaneous connections

With ExpressVPN, you can enjoy smoother and more secure streaming and gaming experiences.

For streaming, ExpressVPN offers:

• Faster download speeds, eliminating buffering, and maintaining a stable connection

• Support for various streaming platforms, including Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, ESPN, and more

• Compatibility across various devices, making it a versatile choice for different streaming needs.

For gamers, ExpressVPN provides fast and user-friendly VPN services designed specifically for gaming consoles such as PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo. The broad server network and impressive speeds enhance the overall gaming experience. Games like Fortnite, Call of Duty: Warzone, Dead by Daylight, FIFA, Minecraft, Apex Legends, GTA Online, and PUBG showcase ExpressVPN’s ability to support diverse gaming experiences.

Surfshark: Affordable High-Speed Solution

If you’re looking for an affordable high-speed VPN, Surfshark is a great option. This VPN provider ensures high-speed connections suitable for streaming and gaming by utilizing servers equipped with no less than a 1Gbps port connection, sometimes reaching up to 10Gbps.

It offers a range of distinctive features, including Bypasser, strict no-logs policy, kill switch, private DNS & leak protection, camouflage mode, and private internet access with the ability to change your IP.

CleanWeb Feature

CleanWeb emerges as one of Surfshark’s notable features. This feature functions as an adblocker that blocks ads on apps, providing an ad-free streaming experience, particularly when viewing content on smart TVs. By eliminating resource-heavy ads and pop-ups, CleanWeb improves browsing speed, enabling pages to load more efficiently.

CleanWeb offers the following benefits:

• Enhances browsing speed

• Improves privacy by blocking ads, trackers, and malicious websites

• Prevents collection of personal information and tracking of online activities

Apart from ad-free browsing, CleanWeb offers improved privacy and security for all apps. It protects against malicious ads, websites, trackers, and pop-ups, making your online experience safer.

MultiHop & Whitelister

The performance of Surfshark is further bolstered by its MultiHop and Whitelister features. MultiHop is a double VPN service that routes internet traffic through two encrypted tunnels, adding an extra layer of encryption and IP address obfuscation. This makes it harder for anyone to trace your online activities back to your original IP address, thereby enhancing your VPN’s security.

On the other hand, Surfshark’s Whitelister feature, also known as Bypasser, allows users to:

• Create whitelists of apps or websites that can bypass the VPN tunnel

• This way, certain data remains encrypted while the rest of your internet traffic is routed normally

• These features provide you with selective privacy and security

• You can manage which apps or websites bypass the VPN, allowing for a more tailored VPN usage.

To leverage this feature, just launch the Surfshark app, go to settings, and visit the Bypasser section to add exceptions.

NordVPN: Balancing Speed & Security

NordVPN is a stellar choice for users seeking a balance of speed and security. This VPN provider offers a range of advanced cybersecurity features such as:

• NordLynx protocol for fast connections without compromising on protection

• Meshnet

• Dark Web Monitor

• DoubleVPN

• Automatic Kill Switch

• DNS leak protection

• Onion Over VPN

• Streaming support

• SmartPlay

• Lightning speed

All of these features enhance its speed and ensure a secure browsing experience.

Presets Feature

The Presets feature of NordVPN is a game-changer for its users. This feature combines customized VPN connection settings with shortcuts to apps or websites, facilitating secure access protected by VPN. Presets offer users the ability to tailor their VPN settings specifically for streaming and gaming. This improves server load distribution for streaming and reduces ping, latency, and protection against DDoS attacks for gaming.

The process for setting up and using the Presets feature is straightforward. Users can utilize the automatically installed presets for common tasks or create custom presets to choose specific servers, protocols, and settings for tailored VPN usage.

In essence, Presets offer tailored VPN settings for specific online activities. It automatically selects the best settings and servers for tasks such as streaming or gaming, thereby enhancing the user experience.

Streaming & Torrenting Support

NordVPN caters to streaming and torrenting needs with its rapid speeds and capacity to circumvent geo-restrictions. It utilizes advanced technology to effectively bypass geo-restrictions on various streaming platforms, making it an ideal VPN for accessing a broad array of streaming services. Services like Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu are among the many platforms that NordVPN can unblock.

Moreover, NordVPN is a strong choice for torrenting. It offers the following features:

• Operates on Tier-1 servers

• Uses the custom NordLynx protocol for high performance and user privacy

• P2P-friendly

• Offers dedicated servers optimized for torrenting activities

While some users on Reddit have expressed concerns about NordVPN’s slow torrenting speeds, there have been various vpn speed tests conducted to evaluate its torrenting speed and privacy features. Users are advised to refer to these test results for an unbiased assessment.

ProtonVPN: Fast Speeds with a Focus on Privacy

ProtonVPN provides swift speeds while prioritizing privacy. This VPN provider boasts advanced security features such as:

• NetShield, which acts as an ad-blocker

• VPN Accelerator for faster speeds

• Secure Core

• Stealth functionality

• Robust encryption for increased privacy

However, some users reported encountering issues with the Android application, which could potentially impact the mobile user experience.

Free Plan & Paid Plans

ProtonVPN offers the following plans:

1. Free plan: unlimited bandwidth, no data limit, no ads, and no logging of user activity.

2. ProtonVPN Plus: additional features and better performance.

3. Proton Unlimited: another paid plan with enhanced features.

The paid plans grant users increased speeds, global server access, and superior features, including Secure Core VPN and Tor over VPN. While the free plan offers decent speed without artificial speed restrictions, the paid plans may offer even faster speeds due to additional resources.

In essence, whether you choose the free plan or a paid plan, ProtonVPN ensures you get a fast and secure VPN experience. However, the paid plans offer additional features and better performance, making them a worthy investment.

Privacy & Security

ProtonVPN is deeply committed to user privacy. It offers the following features to ensure user privacy:

• No-logs policy: ProtonVPN does not gather, retain, or monitor any online activity or connection data.

• Encryption: ProtonVPN uses AES-256 encryption, 4096-bit RSA key exchange, and HMAC with SHA384 for message authentication to secure user data.

• DNS leak prevention: ProtonVPN prevents DNS leaks to ensure that user data remains private.

ProtonVPN also operates under the jurisdiction of Switzerland, which has strong privacy laws. Its headquarters is in Geneva, Switzerland. This ensures that ProtonVPN operates under strict privacy laws, providing users with added confidence in their privacy protection.

In addition to these privacy measures, ProtonVPN’s paid plans include advanced security features such as:

• AES-256 and ChaCha20 encryption

• Various tunneling protocols including WireGuard and OpenVPN

• The NetShield ad-blocker

• VPN Accelerator for increased speeds

• Secure Core for added privacy protection

• Stealth mode to obfuscate users’ VPN traffic.

Factors Affecting VPN Speed

Multiple factors can influence the speed of a VPN connection. One of the most significant factors is the distance to the VPN server. The closer you are to the server, the quicker and more responsive your internet connection will be. Another key factor is server load. High server loads can lead to decreased performance and slower speeds due to increased latency.

The VPN protocol used can also have a significant impact on connection speed. Here are some factors to consider:

• Protocols like WireGuard are designed for speed and efficiency

• Others like OpenVPN may prioritize security, potentially affecting speed

• Encryption quality can impact VPN speed. Stronger encryption typically requires more processing power, affecting the VPN’s ability to encrypt and decrypt data. However, high-quality VPN providers implement advanced encryption algorithms designed for efficiency to minimize any decrease in connection speed.

Enhancing VPN Speed: Tips & Tricks

Selecting a rapid VPN provider is vital for boosting VPN speed. A VPN provider with servers closer to your physical location can lead to quicker and more responsive internet connections. Another tip is to connect to a nearby server. Proximity reduces latency, and servers close to your location generally provide better internet speed, thus increasing VPN speed.

The use of the speediest available protocol can enhance VPN speed and performance by cutting down latency, leading to smoother internet usage with lessened delay and buffering. Finally, optimizing your internet connection can also improve VPN speed. This can be done by:

• Connecting to a VPN server near you

• Switching to a faster protocol

• Using a wired connection

• Upgrading your internet plan

• Minimizing background processes and applications.

Fastest VPN Protocols Compared

Among the swiftest VPN protocols are:

• ExpressVPN’s Lightway: designed to make the VPN experience speedier, more secure, and more reliable

• WireGuard: known for its speed due to its faster ping time compared to traditional protocols and its support for only UDP, which eliminates the need for certain checks

• IKEv2/IPSec

IKEv2/IPSec ensures fast VPN connections by being extremely fast and stable, especially in re-establishing connections quickly when switching networks. However, while these protocols offer quick connections, OpenVPN, although slower, offers strong security. Its slower performance can be attributed to heavier encryption and its more complex protocol structure. But it compensates for this with robust security features such as SSL/TLS session authentication, IPSec ESP protocol transport, and support for strong encryption methods.

Free vs. Paid VPNs: Speed Considerations

Free VPNs typically suffer from:

• Reduced speeds as a result of restricted server locations and limited features

• Restricted server locations can impact connection speed by offering fewer server locations compared to paid VPNs

• Users may have to connect to distant servers, leading to slower speeds

Furthermore, free VPNs typically have more users sharing limited resources, which can lead to a significant decrease in speeds, often by 50% or more. The restricted features in free VPNs, such as:

• data caps

• slow connection speeds

• limited server options

• speed throttling

can also lead to slower internet speeds.

In contrast, paid VPNs usually provide superior speeds owing to their expansive and less congested networks. So, while free VPNs may be a viable option for basic browsing, users seeking the fastest connections for streaming and gaming may want to consider investing in a paid VPN.

Summary

In conclusion, VPN speed is a crucial factor that affects your streaming and gaming experience. The fastest VPNs in 2024 include ExpressVPN, NordVPN, Surfshark, and ProtonVPN, each offering unique features and benefits. Free VPNs may offer decent speeds, but for the fastest connections, paid VPNs typically perform better. Remember, several factors can affect VPN speed, including the distance to the server, server load, the VPN protocol used, and the encryption quality. With this knowledge, you can make an informed decision and choose a VPN that best suits your needs.