VPN Speed Test Tool: Compare Speeds of 40+ VPNs for Free!

The VPNs We Test

We test over 40 VPN providers and publish the data so you can compare them easily using the tool above. Here are some of the VPNs you'll be able to compare:

Speed Test Server Locations

Our speed test servers are located in these cities around the world:

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a good VPN speed?

Good VPNs will be around 10-20% slower than your regular connection. This sounds like a lot, but in reality, it's such a small change that you won't notice the difference. If your internet is normally a bit slow, you might need to double-check to make sure it meets the minimum requirements for streaming, browsing, gaming, and torrenting once your switch your VPN on.

• Streaming — You need at least 5 Mbps for streaming in HD (although 10 Mbps is recommended), and streaming in Full HD, Ultra HD, or 4K requires speeds of at least 25 Mbps.
• Gaming — Most games require at least 3 Mbps.
• Torrenting — Technically, you can torrent with any internet speed — slower speeds just mean your files take longer to download or upload. However, I recommend download speeds of at least 10 Mbps and upload speeds of at least 3 Mbps for torrenting so that you don't have to wait a long time for your file to download.
• Browsing — If you just want a VPN for private browsing, checking your emails, and scrolling social media, you only need speeds of 3 Mbps.

Will a VPN slow down my internet speeds?

Most VPNs’ adverts will tell you otherwise — but all VPNs will slow your internet down. This loss is barely noticeable with good VPNs though.

It's normal for VPNs to slow down your speeds because they add an extra stop to your internet traffic's journey (this extra step is important because it secures your data). Rather than going from A (your device) to B (your chosen website), VPN traffic goes from A (your device) to B (a VPN server) to C (your chosen website). It takes a little longer for your traffic to reach its destination, so your connection is a little slower.

For these reasons, we talk about speed loss in percentages. Instead of giving you lots of numbers that don’t tell you anything about your connection, we give you a percentage that you can apply to your normal speed to see how fast your VPN will be.

There are a few things you can do to help improve your speeds, including choosing a VPN that is known to be fast, connecting to servers located close to you, and switching protocols.

How do I increase my VPN speeds?

There are a few ways to boost your VPN speeds. You can connect to a nearby server, make sure you're using the right security protocol, use split tunneling, choose a faster VPN, or try a VPN router.

• Connect to a local server — Connecting to a nearby server speeds up your connection because your data has less distance to travel. Your traffic has to physically travel to the VPN server you choose, so the further it has to go, the slower your connection will be.
• Choose the fastest VPN protocol — Security protocols vary in speed because of the different ways they encrypt and decrypt your traffic so changing protocols can sometimes help to improve speed.IKEv2 is relatively fast, but it's available on fewer platforms than OpenVPN and it's easier for network administrators and firewalls to block so I don't recommend it if you use your device at school or work. OpenVPN is slightly slower, but it's harder to block and available for most devices. WireGuard is currently the fastest protocol (and the one I recommend you use), but only a few VPNs support it, and CyberGhost is one of them.
• Use split tunneling — This clever VPN feature lets you encrypt one app at a time instead, and sends the rest of your traffic through your normal (and usually faster) connection. This means that you can protect the information you need to without slowing all of your traffic down.
• Try a VPN router — VPN routers can increase your VPN speeds because they protect all of your devices automatically. This way, your computer doesn’t have to use extra power to encrypt your traffic and run your VPN app in the background (all of which can slow you down, especially if you’re using an older device).

VPN routers are also great for protecting as many devices as you like at the same time — even with devices that aren't usually VPN-compatible (they just have to be able to connect to WiFi). However, they can be rather costly compared to VPN apps. They're also not portable so you can only use it where the physical router is.

Do VPN speeds change for different devices?

No, your VPN speed will be roughly the same on all of your devices.

Your CPU might slightly affect your VPN speed, but you shouldn't notice much difference between your devices.

If you have a very old device with limited memory, it might struggle to run your VPN’s app but modern devices shouldn’t have any issues. Good VPNs have dedicated apps tailored to Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and Linux or lightweight extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and other browsers — so you get the best performance whether you're using your VPN on a PC or an iPhone.

Why is my VPN speed so slow?

1. You could be connected to a congested server. VPNs with small server networks can quickly become overcrowded. Switching to another server in the same location should fix this problem.
2. Your VPN speeds can also suffer if you connect to a server that's very far away. That's because your traffic has to travel further between you and the server, which takes longer and causes your speeds to drop. You can try disconnecting and reconnecting to a different server that's close by to see if that improves your speed.
3. You're not using the optimal protocol. It is often a good idea to switch to a faster security protocol — try a VPN that supports the superfast protocol WireGuard or look out for OpenVPN support, which gives you a good combination of speed and security. CyberGhost offers both WireGuard and OpenVPN so you can switch to the protocol that works best for you.
4. Some VPNs (like free VPNs) limit your bandwidth, which usually results in slower speeds. If this is the case, switching to a faster VPN with unlimited bandwidth solves the problem.