Your streaming experience should not depend on where you happen to be sitting. Whether you are abroad and locked out of your home Netflix library, trying to access a sports broadcast that is geo-blocked in your country, or simply frustrated by ISP throttling that tanks your video quality during peak hours, a good VPN is the most reliable technical fix. The problem is that most VPN reviews are written by people who ran a single speed test and checked the marketing copy. We did not do that.
Over 30 days, across six streaming platforms — Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Disney Plus, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, and HBO Max — we ran more than 200 individual speed tests across eight VPN services. We tested servers in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Australia, and Canada. We tracked not just raw speed but consistency: does the VPN hold its speed over a two-hour film, or does it slow down mid-stream? Here is what the data showed.
How We Tested
Our testing protocol covered three core dimensions: streaming unblocking success, speed retention, and consistency. For streaming unblocking, we attempted to access each of the six platforms from servers in each of our six target countries, recording whether access was granted and whether the content library matched the target country. We ran these tests multiple times per week to catch VPNs that work initially but get blocked after streaming platforms update their detection systems.
Speed testing used a baseline connection of 1 Gbps fibre to eliminate local bottlenecks. We measured download speed, upload speed, and latency with each VPN active, comparing against our unprotected connection. We calculated the speed retention percentage — how much of our base speed the VPN preserved — and tracked this across different times of day to catch services that perform well in off-peak tests but degrade during peak evening hours. For streaming, we looked for consistent 25 Mbps or better to comfortably support 4K HDR streaming.
We also verified each service's privacy claims, looking at their audit history, jurisdiction, logging policies, and encryption standards. All eight services we tested use AES-256 encryption. The meaningful differences are in their protocols, server infrastructure, and corporate ownership structures.
Quick Comparison
- 1. NordVPN — Best overall. Fastest average speeds, unblocked all six streaming platforms, 6,400+ servers across 111 countries. From $3.09/month (2-year plan).
- 2. ExpressVPN — Best for beginners. Easiest setup, excellent speeds, strong streaming unblocking but pricier. From $6.67/month (annual plan).
- 3. Surfshark — Best value. Unlimited simultaneous connections, solid speeds, strong streaming support. From $1.99/month (2-year plan).
- 4. Private Internet Access (PIA) — Best for privacy. Open-source apps, court-verified no-logs policy, 35,000+ servers. From $2.03/month (2-year plan).
- 5. ProtonVPN — Best free option. Genuinely usable free tier, Swiss-based, strong privacy pedigree. Free tier available; paid from $3.59/month.
- 6. CyberGhost — Good streaming support, dedicated streaming servers, but slower speeds than top tier.
- 7. Mullvad — Best pure privacy tool but poor streaming support by design.
- 8. Windscribe — Generous free tier but inconsistent streaming performance.
NordVPN — Our Number 1 Pick
NordVPN topped our test results across every major metric. It retained an average of 87% of our base connection speed across all server locations — significantly ahead of the category average of 71%. On US servers, which are the highest demand and often the most congested, NordVPN averaged 340 Mbps on our 1 Gbps connection. That is comfortable headroom for 4K streaming, video calls, and general browsing simultaneously.
Streaming unblocking was near-perfect. NordVPN successfully accessed Netflix US, UK, JP, DE, AU, and CA on every attempt over 30 days. It accessed BBC iPlayer reliably from outside the UK — a service that has become significantly harder to unblock in 2025 as the BBC has upgraded its VPN detection. Disney Plus, HBO Max, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video all worked without exception. Only a small handful of specialised regional streaming services defeated it.
The NordLynx protocol, which is built on WireGuard with additional privacy enhancements, is what makes those speeds possible. Traditional OpenVPN connections offered lower speeds but are available for users who prioritise protocol standardisation. The NordVPN app is available across all major platforms — Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Linux, and browser extensions — and supports up to 10 simultaneous connections on one subscription.
Pros: Fastest speeds in our test, consistent streaming unblocking, strong privacy audit history, 30-day money-back guarantee, Threat Protection feature blocks ads and malware.
Cons: No unlimited simultaneous connections (capped at 10), slightly more expensive than Surfshark at equivalent features. Pricing: $12.99/month (monthly), $4.49/month (annual), $3.09/month (2-year plan, paid upfront).
ExpressVPN — Best for Beginners
ExpressVPN's defining advantage is the quality of its applications. The interface is genuinely the most polished in the category — clean, intuitive, and available on more device types than any competitor, including smart TVs, routers, games consoles, and set-top boxes. If you are setting up a VPN for a less technically confident family member, or you want something that works on your television without any configuration, ExpressVPN's Lightway protocol and one-click connection make it the easiest to deploy.
Speed performance was excellent — second only to NordVPN in our tests, with an average speed retention of 82%. It successfully unblocked all six streaming platforms across all test countries. The MediaStreamer feature, a smart DNS service included with every subscription, allows streaming on devices that cannot install VPN apps — smart TVs being the main use case. This is a genuinely useful feature that NordVPN's SmartDNS service also covers but ExpressVPN has long perfected.
The main drawback is price. ExpressVPN is the most expensive service we tested at $12.95/month monthly and $6.67/month on an annual plan. It also limits you to eight simultaneous connections. For users who want simplicity and are comfortable with a higher price point, it earns the premium. For value-conscious users, Surfshark or NordVPN offer similar performance at a lower cost. Pricing: $12.95/month (monthly), $6.67/month (annual plan).
Surfshark — Best Value
Surfshark's headline feature is unlimited simultaneous connections on one subscription — every device in your household, no matter how many, covered by a single account. For families or small businesses, this alone justifies the relatively low price. At $1.99/month on a two-year plan, Surfshark is less than a third of ExpressVPN's annual cost.
Speed performance has improved substantially in the past 18 months. In our tests, Surfshark averaged 79% speed retention — close enough to the top tier that most users will not notice a difference in practice. Streaming unblocking was reliable: Netflix in all six test countries worked consistently, as did Disney Plus, HBO Max, and Amazon Prime. BBC iPlayer unblocking from non-UK servers was less reliable than NordVPN or ExpressVPN, working about 80% of the time in our tests.
The CleanWeb feature blocks ads, trackers, and malware at the VPN level — useful, though less sophisticated than NordVPN's Threat Protection. The Nexus network, which routes your traffic through multiple VPN servers, provides additional anonymity for users who want it. Surfshark One, the premium bundle at $2.69/month (2-year plan), adds antivirus, a data breach alert system, and a personal data removal service — reasonable value if you want those additional security tools. Pricing: $15.45/month (monthly), $2.99/month (annual), $1.99/month (2-year plan).
Private Internet Access — Best for Privacy
PIA's privacy credentials are the strongest in the field. The company has been subpoenaed multiple times by law enforcement agencies and each time produced no usable user data — not because they refused, but because their no-logs policy means there is nothing to hand over. This has been verified in multiple court cases, which provides a level of reassurance that competitor privacy claims backed only by audits cannot match.
The apps are open source, meaning their code can be independently verified by anyone. PIA operates over 35,000 servers across 91 countries — the largest server network of any VPN we tested, which is particularly valuable for finding low-congestion servers. Speed performance averaged 74% retention in our tests, acceptable but behind the top three. The MACE feature blocks DNS-level ads and malware tracking.
Streaming unblocking is reliable for Netflix and Amazon Prime but less consistent for BBC iPlayer. If streaming is your primary use case, NordVPN is better. If privacy and transparency are your primary concerns and streaming is secondary, PIA is the most defensible choice in the market. Pricing: $11.99/month (monthly), $3.33/month (annual), $2.03/month (2-year plan).
ProtonVPN — Best Free Option
ProtonVPN, from the team behind ProtonMail, offers the only free VPN tier we would actually recommend. Most free VPNs involve unacceptable compromises: selling your browsing data, injecting ads, or providing speeds too slow for streaming. ProtonVPN's free tier has no data cap, no ads, and a legitimate privacy policy from a company with a genuine track record.
The free tier is limited to three countries (US, Netherlands, Japan) and one simultaneous connection, and speeds are lower priority than paid servers. For casual use and occasional streaming access, it is adequate. For heavy or daily use, the paid tiers — which include Stealth protocol for getting through restrictive networks, Secure Core routing through privacy-respecting countries, and much faster speeds — are worth the upgrade. Proton VPN Plus successfully unblocked Netflix in all test countries and handled most streaming platforms reliably. Pricing: Free tier available, VPN Plus at $9.99/month or $3.59/month (annual plan), Proton Unlimited at $9.99/month (annual, includes all Proton services).
Other VPNs We Tested
CyberGhost has the largest dedicated streaming server list of any VPN we tested — servers specifically optimised for particular streaming services, which in theory reduces the configuration guesswork. In practice, the dedicated servers worked well for Netflix and Disney Plus but failed on BBC iPlayer more often than competitors. Speed performance averaged 68% retention, acceptable for HD streaming but below the top tier for 4K. Pricing from $2.03/month (2-year plan).
Mullvad is the privacy purist's choice: no accounts (you get a random number), no personal data required, accepts cash and cryptocurrency, and publishes detailed transparency reports. It is exceptional at privacy and average at streaming — their design philosophy explicitly does not prioritise streaming unblocking. If you need a VPN exclusively for privacy rather than streaming, Mullvad is worth investigating. At a flat $5/month regardless of commitment length, the pricing model is also unusually transparent. Not recommended for streaming-first use cases.
Windscribe offers the most generous free tier for data (10 GB/month with an email address, 2 GB without), making it a reasonable option for occasional use. Paid plans are competitively priced and the service successfully unblocked most major streaming platforms in our tests. Speed consistency was the main weakness — performance varied more day-to-day than the top tier services. Pricing: Free tier available, Pro at $9/month or $5.75/month (annual).
Which VPN Is Right For You?
- You want the best overall performance: NordVPN. Fastest speeds, most reliable streaming, strong privacy, reasonable price.
- You want the easiest setup: ExpressVPN. The best apps, the most device support, one-click connection. Worth the premium if simplicity matters.
- You have multiple devices or a family: Surfshark. Unlimited simultaneous connections at a fraction of the cost of competitors.
- Privacy is your top priority: Private Internet Access or ProtonVPN. Both have demonstrated no-logs policies and strong transparency practices.
- You want free with no compromises: ProtonVPN free tier. The only free VPN we can recommend without caveats.
- You need a privacy tool, not a streaming tool: Mullvad. No-account design, flat pricing, exceptional privacy focus.
Final Verdict
NordVPN wins our test on performance data. If you want one recommendation you can act on without further research, NordVPN at $3.09/month on a two-year plan is the answer for the vast majority of streaming use cases. The speed advantage over competitors is measurable, the streaming unblocking success rate is the highest we recorded, and the privacy infrastructure is serious.
That said, the right VPN depends on your specific priorities. If you are price-sensitive, Surfshark delivers 90% of NordVPN's performance at 60% of the price. If privacy is paramount, PIA's court-verified logs policy provides a level of assurance that performance leaders cannot match. And if you just need something free that actually works, ProtonVPN's free tier is a genuine option rather than a compromise.
All of the paid services we recommend offer 30-day money-back guarantees. There is no reason not to test your top choice on your actual connection before committing to a long-term plan.
For broader recommendations on optimising your remote or home office setup, see our guide to the best work-from-home tech setup. For more on VPN security and how to evaluate privacy claims, visit our VPN and security hub.
