Looking for a VPN? Top review sites to help you choose

Naturally, to find out which services may offer the best internet protection, users usually turn to various internet sources. There’s a Reddit megathread on VPN recommendations, over 5 thousand VPN-related questions on Quora, and plenty of comparison sites with in-depth reviews. But which of the VPN comparison sites are the most reliable and provide the most objective opinions?

So, for a change, we’ve prepared a review of the sites that normally review us. Nothing personal, guys!

If you type “VPN comparison” or “best VPN services” in the Google search field, you will get hundreds of thousands, even millions, of results. You could just click on the few first ones, but can they be trusted? There are a few things you should pay attention to.

Regularly updated information

The VPN market is extremely dynamic – information from 2015 is hopelessly outdated by now. Therefore, the most reputable comparison sites update their reviews at least once a year to reflect the latest features, server locations and general performance. If a site has no dates on its articles, try searching for the relevant article on Google – it sometimes shows the publishing date next to the Link.

Clear reasoning behind the ratings

If someone’s job is reviewing VPN services, they’d better know what makes some providers more secure than others, or why one VPN may work better for a specific purpose than another. They should also be able to explain it in a clear, concise way without relying on the specialist jargon too much. Look for well-written articles with specific points: no rambling, no factual mistakes, no generic reviews that seem to be describing pretty much any service on the market.

Well defined methodology

Another important factor is how exactly VPN comparison tests are conducted. One thing is to compare different services on paper (that is, check their pricing, ToS, privacy policies, features etc.). It is easy and anyone with a bit of free time can do that. However, running actual tests and checking how a service works in real-life scenarios is another thing entirely.

To get objective results, the tests have to be conducted in exactly the same conditions and environment. That not only includes testing different services by using VPN servers located in the same city, using the same VPN protocol, encryption or device, but also the same time of the day, ISP and so on.

Transparency

Although the vast majority of review sites accept payments from sponsors, the sites that care about their reputation strive to maintain objectivity, sometimes even relying on independent reviewers. Pay attention to the Disclaimer section of the site – if it doesn’t mention compensation from VPN developers, its owners are either really passionate about privacy or simply dishonest. The About section is also telling: major sites are less evasive about their owners and employees, adding to their credibility.

The behemoth of tech reviews and best picks for anything from antivirus software to drones, visited by roughly 40 million readers a month. Like all other categories, its VPN section is nicely structured and features a convenient comparison table for a quick look at all key parameters.

Providing a simple and data-driven analysis of the best VPNs on the market, Vpnetic is a great place to get an overview of what's available. The company offers concise comparisons, with information on speed, costs, and user ratings.

VPN Guide is a free resource to help you find a suitable VPN for all your privacy needs. They take pride in being a gateway to securing internet users all around the world. You can find their top VPN picks here.

Another all-rounder with millions of followers, TechAdvisor is more focused on the UK market but popular in other countries too. The VPN comparison section is well researched, regularly updated and easy to follow.

A relatively new yet quickly growing comparison site with a great layout. While other small sites often get cluttered with banners, badges, pop-up windows and whatnot, VPN Special is easy on the eye and well organized.

While Codeless specializes in web hosting platforms, they also provide excellent VPN comparisons. Ranking the top VPN options along a number of useful parameters, the site is accessible, informative, and might prove useful in picking the right VPN service for you.

An excellent VPN review platform, this Dutch-language site offers a deep-dive breakdown of security features, product comparisons, and pricing plans. You can check out VPN.nl's NordVPN review here. The site uses eye-catching visuals and screenshots to create engaging, accessible content.

This website helps Chinese users find the best VPNs for bypassing internet censorship and filtering. Its team regularly tests and monitors different VPN services to recommend only reliable ones that currently work well in China. Proud to share that NordVPN is among their top picks. Check out the full review here.

AlwaysVPN is a US-based VPN comparison site that provides in-depth software reviews. You’ll be able to compare VPNs in multiple categories, including speed, performance, privacy, security, and more. Better yet, readers can find detailed user guides and the latest industry news to help them take control of their online privacy. Check out their NordVPN review.

Cybernews is another website really worth visiting. Here you can find some insightful tech features, news analysis as well as VPN reviews. It’s a very rich source contentwise, which is convenient to navigate and reader-friendly. Check its NordVPN review here.

Besides regularly refreshed VPN reviews and a host of top 5 VPN lists for any possible occasion, BestVPN posts various articles on cybersecurity and digital rights daily, making it one of the go-to sites for anyone interested in internet privacy.

Yet another relatively new site focused on comparing VPN services – but with video reviews. These are nice if you want a quick digest of all the key features of each service presented visually.

Unlike sites that focus on testing, reviewing and comparing VPN products only, Comparitech has a wider range of security-related topics, including antivirus, backup, password managing, and more.

Rather than looking at the wide range of VPN providers, this site makes your life much easier by offering you unbiased feedback on some of the leading VPN services. Each review provides some background information, cons and pros, and in-depth look at the service, so you can easily compare and decide which one works best for you.

A VPN comparison site that focuses on the Norwegian market. VPNportalen publishes VPN guides and reviews, provides the latest cybersecurity news, and shares tips and tricks of how to use VPN in Norway. The site has Swedish and Danish equivalents, and together they are the leading VPN review sites in Scandinavia.

VPNAlist is a new VPN review site that provides its readers with educational content, VPN reviews and extensive lists of proxy and mirroring sites. It has a sidebar powered by Find-IP, which picks up your location and IP address. It’s a nice touch and a great reminder to use a VPN.

TheBestVPN is an in-depth VPN review site maintained by three enthusiasts. Their 13-step review process guarantees a multi-angled approach to VPN services they evaluate. They base their reviews on first-hand experiences by always trying to use the service themselves. TheBestVPN texts are easy-to-digest, so even a non-techie can understand the main points easily. Moreover, readers can also submit their articles for publication. Check out their NordVPN review here.

Top10VPN is a neatly designed London-based VPN review website offering in-depth reviews in a reader-friendly format. It is one of the first websites to compile the best VPN lists. They also employ a thorough review process, which guarantees an objective approach to the software reviewed as well as super-detailed speed tests. Moreover, the website contains a continuously updated news section, user reviews, and set-up instructions. Have a look at its NordVPN review here.

Vpndiensten.nl is another excellent Dutch VPN site. Their deep and exhaustive reviews catalogue each VPN provider's features and benefits so readers can compare them based on any aspect that's important to them. They also have informative articles about how Dutch users might want to use VPNs in their daily lives. Check out their review of NordVPN here.

Cooltechzone.com is an up-and-coming review site that has performed quite thorough evaluations of both leading and smaller VPN providers. They also have reviews for free VPNs – while we don't recommend them, this lets users make a more informed decision about their security. Check out their NordVPN review.

VPNTESTER is more than just an expert VPN reviewer for German-speaking audiences – they offer what is practically a library of insightful tips and explanations about what VPNs are, how they work, and how you can use them in different ways. We definitely recommend that German-speakers check out their extensive in-depth articles on different VPN uses. It's also worth checking out their exhaustive NordVPN review, which is quite fair – it even highlights some places that could use an improvement!

This site prides itself on unbiased reviews and honesty. vpnAlert likes their reviews to cover everything that someone looking for a VPN may want to know. Are you looking for a VPN that has the least amount of impact on your streaming apps? Or perhaps you’re just looking for the fastest or most private? vpnAlert will let you know exactly how the reviewed VPN performs in their rigorous testing processes. Have a look at what they think of NordVPN here.

Opportunités Digitales is a comprehensive French review site that reviews a broad range of online services. Their detailed analyses cover things like hosting providers and blog platforms. Their team of tech experts has performed an exhaustive VPN comparison as well. Read more here.

TheVPNShop.com lists VPNs for different services and users can filter them depending on price, speed, and popularity. The website works with VPN providers on a non-committal basis, therefore their team only reviews VPNs that they trust and recommend. You can also find a thorough NordVPN review on TheVPNShop.com that covers everything you need to know about the main features and credibility.

VPNGids.nl is the leading VPN review website in The Netherlands and Belgium. People in The Netherlands are generally early adopters and tech-savvy, which also means they have high standards when it comes to choosing a VPN provider. That's why VPNGids.nl has developed a rigorous testing protocol to determine the quality of each VPN provider on the market. Have a look at the VPNGids team's thorough review of NordVPN.

VPNOverview.com is an international multilanguage review site that focuses on cybersecurity software reviews. The team covers VPNs, antivirus, password managers, and secure email providers, among other things. Additionally, the VPNOverview.com team provides general guidance on how people can keep their digital life private and secure. The level of detail in their NordVPN review makes it one of the exhaustive and in-depth analyses of NordVPN that we've ever seen.

ITavisen is the second largest tech-related news portal in Norway, which contains a list of the best VPN services for Norwegian users. ITavisen.no has tested a variety of virtual private networks and composed a shortlist of recommended services. Their VPN guides also contain practical information about pricing, server locations, and technical specifications.

We hope this article was useful! Remember that one way to make comparison sites more helpful is to submit your own honest reviews wherever possible. The internet is great at bringing opinions together, and the more users share their authentic experiences, the more relevant information reaches those still looking for the most suitable VPN service.