Speed isn’t just a luxury, it’s a necessity. A fast VPN ensures:

• Smooth streaming with zero buffering
• Lag-free gaming
• Quick file uploads and downloads
• Seamless video conferencing

Whether you’re at home or on public Wi-Fi, a fast VPN ensures your privacy doesn’t come at the expense of performance.

Before jumping into the rankings, it’s important to understand what impacts VPN performance:

• Server distance: The closer the VPN server, the faster the connection.
• Server load:Overcrowded servers can cause slow speeds.
• VPN protocol: WireGuard and OpenVPN are known for balancing speed and security.
• Encryption level: Strong encryption may slightly reduce speed, but the trade-off is worth it.
• Your device and ISP speed: Your base internet speed sets the limit.

To compile this list, we evaluated VPNs using the following criteria:

• Download/upload speed performance
• Global server availability
• Pricing and affordability
• Streaming and gaming support
• Encryption and security standards
• User interface and customer support

Each VPN here has been tested under real-world conditions to give you accurate and current insights.

While download speeds stay almost unchanged, upload speeds decline as the server distance increases.

Hotspot Shield consistently ranks as the fastest VPN in the world, according to extensive speed tests. Even during peak hours, it had virtually no effect on download speeds, maintaining results above 97 Mbps across all global server locations, including Spain and Italy.

Thanks to its proprietary Hydra protocol, Hotspot Shield delivers exceptionally fast and stable performance, outperforming competitors in nearly every test. The VPN also provides unlimited bandwidth and no throttling, making it ideal for 4K streaming, torrenting, and high-speed browsing.

Hide.me continues to prove itself as one of the fastest VPNs in 2025, delivering near-lossless performance across both local and international servers. Our latest tests show only a 3–4% reduction in download speeds on nearby connections, with consistently high upload rates even on long-distance routes like Germany . Thanks to the WireGuard protocol and Hide.me’s Bolt technology, the VPN minimizes latency and maximizes throughput, allowing for smooth HD streaming, lag-free gaming, and fast torrenting.

Based on our speed-test table, here’s why Hide.me is being cited as one of the fastest VPNs available today:

Minimal Performance Loss on Nearby Servers

Our New York baseline (100 Mbps/100 Mbps/1 ms) shows that the New York server via VPN lost only a few Mbps and added minimal ping (7 ms). This matches third-party results, where Hide.me maintained 94–95% of unprotected download speed on nearby servers.

This means for everyday use (streaming, browsing, gaming in your region) the VPN impact is almost negligible.

Strong Upload Performance & Low Latency for Most Locations

In our data the upload speeds stayed high (for example, 94 Mbps even when routing to the UK) and latency remained acceptable. Across independent tests, Hide.me delivered upload speeds close to un-protected connections and latency increases within manageable limits for many users.
This is particularly important for gaming, video-calling, or P2P file sharing , not just download speed.

Consistent Quality Across Regions

When you look at the data for more distant servers (UK, Germany, China in our table), download speeds are still strong (82-96 Mbps), showing that Hide.me keeps up far better than average under long-haul conditions. Many VPNs degrade much more severely at long distances.

The results show that IPVanish maintains excellent speeds across both local and long-distance connections. From a New York base, the VPN delivers almost no speed loss on nearby servers and continues to perform strongly in regions like the UK, Germany, Australia, and Japan. Even at long distances, download speeds stay above 83 Mbps, proving that IPVanish offers reliable global performance.

In earlier years, IPVanish was slower due to its reliance on the OpenVPN protocol, but with the integration of WireGuard, speeds have significantly improved. Upload rates now average around 94 Mbps, ensuring smooth gaming, video calls, and torrenting. This upgrade makes IPVanish one of the fastest VPNs in 2025, combining speed, stability, and security across its entire network.

ExpressVPN’s proprietary Lightway protocol makes a real difference here. It connects almost instantly, keeps latency low, and maintains fast speeds, even on distant servers where many VPNs struggle. Lightway is also very stable, quickly re-establishing the connection if your network drops or switches between Wi-Fi and mobile data.

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We put NordVPN through an extensive series of tests to confirm that it lives up to our expectations for speed, security, and overall performance. After subscribing, we installed the app on a wide range of devices, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Apple TV, and Firestick, to see how it performs across different platforms. Our review focused on core factors such as connection speed, reliability, streaming quality, and global server availability.

During testing, NordVPN delivered exceptional speeds, with virtually no noticeable reduction in performance. In some cases, it even improved our baseline connection. Thanks to its massive worldwide server network, NordVPN is also a top choice for frequent travelers and anyone trying to access streaming content from different regions.

Our key findings:

• Average speed reduction: Just 3%
• Total servers: 8,100
• Countries available: 127
• Performance ranking: Among the fastest VPNs we’ve tested

NordVPN is also a standout option for torrenting. It includes dedicated P2P servers designed for high-speed and secure file sharing. These servers ensure smooth downloads, and the optional SOCKS5 proxy can provide an extra speed boost when needed. With its strong encryption and privacy-focused architecture, NordVPN keeps your identity safe throughout your torrenting sessions. For the best results, simply select a P2P server from the Specialty Servers section. Read more

PIA is considered one of the fastest VPNs in 2025 because it consistently delivers excellent nearby connection speeds, losing only 4% of speed on local servers (98 Mbps from a 100 Mbps baseline). Its WireGuard protocol boosts performance, helping it outperform most VPNs during testing. While not the fastest for long-distance connections, PIA remains faster than the majority of VPNs available and currently ranks as the 6th-fastest VPN out of the 10 fastest VPNs in 2025.

StrongVPN provides reliable core protection and useful features like Smart DNS and support for up to 12 devices, but its offerings are outdated and haven’t evolved in years. Its no-logs claim lacks independent verification, and its pricing is relatively high. Despite its long history, it remains largely under the radar.

Surfshark is considered one of the fastest VPNs in 2025 thanks to its high-speed performance across global servers. In our tests, a local connection in New York reached 93 Mbps download and 93 Mbps upload, just a 7% drop from an unprotected 100 Mbps baseline. Even on long-distance servers, like Japan and Australia, Surfshark maintained strong speeds of 83–81 Mbps download and 87–88 Mbps upload, with acceptable latency for gaming and streaming. Its use of the WireGuard protocol, combined with a 3,200+ RAM-only server network in 100 countries, ensures minimal speed loss, reliable connections, and smooth streaming or torrenting experiences, making it one of the fastest VPNs available today.

CyberGhost earns a spot among the fastest VPNs in 2025 because it delivers consistently high speeds across its global network, especially on nearby servers. In our tests, CyberGhost’s local New York connection reached 92 Mbps, representing only 8% speed loss, which places it firmly in the “high-performance” category. Its WireGuard implementation, network upgrades, and well-optimized servers contribute to stable and reliable performance for streaming, browsing, gaming, and torrenting.

1. Strong local speeds, but weaker long-distance performance

CyberGhost excels when you connect to servers close to your physical location (like New York or Toronto).
But on long-distance servers such as Tokyo, Sydney, or Paris, speeds drop more noticeably compared to competitors like Hotspot Shield, Hide.me, ExpressVPN, or NordVPN.
This higher latency results in:

• Slower loading times
• Lower average global download speeds
• Higher ping when gaming internationally

Since our rankings evaluate global performance, not just local speeds, CyberGhost loses points here.

2. Consistent, but not the fastest WireGuard implementation

CyberGhost does support WireGuard, but competitors like Hotspot Shield, IPVanish, ExpressVPN, and NordVPN have more optimized protocols or custom engines (e.g., NordLynx, Lightway).
These competitors squeeze out slightly more bandwidth across international locations, putting CyberGhost behind.

3. Excellent stability — but peak speeds are lower than the top 5

CyberGhost prioritizes:

• Stability
• Reliability
• Server load balancing

Over peak speed spikes.
This gives you a smooth experience, but it doesn’t compete with the “speed monsters” like Hotspot Shield or IPVanish that maintain higher top-end throughput.

4. Larger server network = more variability

With thousands of servers, performance naturally varies more than VPNs with tighter, highly optimized networks.
While CyberGhost offers huge location choice, the speed consistency is not as tight as the top-ranking competitors.

VPN speed is measured using three core metrics: download speed, upload speed, and latency (ping). These factors are essential for activities such as:

Downloading large files efficiently

Streaming 4K content without buffering

Online gaming with minimal lag

Our tests show that ProtonVPN provides consistently high performance in download speed, upload speed, and latency, particularly on nearby servers. The local New York server achieved 100 Mbps download and upload speeds with a 1 ms ping, indicating virtually no loss in performance when connected to a nearby server. Even on international servers, such as Tokyo and Sydney, ProtonVPN maintains reliable speeds (80–78 Mbps download) and acceptable latency (175–185 ms), which is impressive for a global VPN network.

Its ranking in the top 10 reflects a combination of high download/upload speeds, low latency, and reliable global performance, making it suitable for bandwidth-intensive tasks like streaming, gaming, and large file transfers. Additionally, ProtonVPN’s commitment to strong encryption protocols and privacy-first design ensures that users do not have to compromise security for speed , a balance that not all VPNs achieve.