#1
Private Internet Access
The best-evidenced no-logs claim in the business - twice tested in US courts (2016, 2018) and twice found to have nothing - plus the cheapest long-term renewal
court-proven no-logs audit open source
intro $2.03 /month
Streaming
Honest answer first: you often do not need a paid VPN for streaming - Smart DNS is cheaper and faster.
Short answer: Private Internet Access is our top pick as of 2026-09-28 (7.7/10) - read why, and who we ranked below it and why.
#2
OVPN
One of the strongest no-logs receipts in the industry - a Swedish court could not prove logs exist, the servers are diskless RAM-only, and monthly transparency
court-proven no-logs
intro $4.99 /month
#3
Proton VPN
The most honest mainstream deal in 2026: open-source apps, real audits, a genuinely usable free tier with no data cap, and a transparent renewal model - and in
audited open source crypto accepted
intro $3.59 /month renews $9.99
#4
VyprVPN
A genuinely interesting infrastructure story wrapped in a jurisdiction problem: Golden Frog built one of the few fully self-owned server networks and invented C
audited
intro $3 /month
#5
Windscribe
The freemium that actually respects you: a 10 GB free tier, transparent $9/$69 pricing with no renewal rug-pull, open-source Linux CLI, and a CEO who publicly f
intro $5.75 /month
#6
CyberGhost
A marketing machine with a real 45-day refund and honest-ish renewal math ($56.94 stays $56.94) - but it has the weakest trust story of the Kape brands: Romania
audited
intro $2.19 /month renews $4.75
#7
hide.me
The quiet overachiever: hide.me ships dynamic port forwarding, multihop, split tunneling, a real free tier and the widest crypto-payment list of the ten (BTC th
audited crypto accepted
intro $2.95 /month renews $12
#8
Astrill VPN
The most expensive mainstream VPN ($300 per 2 years, $30/mo monthly) with the most hostile refund stance: 'All sales are final and refunds are not possible once
crypto accepted
intro $12.50 /month
#9
PrivateVPN
A small, quiet Swedish outfit with an honest-ish pitch: no audit, no circus, 10 simultaneous devices, port forwarding, AnyConnect-style obfuscation and a 30-day
crypto accepted
intro $12 /month
#10
StrongVPN
The oldest brand in this batch (2005) and the most forgotten: now a footnote inside Ziff Davis's VPN portfolio alongside IPVanish - the sibling that was court-p
intro $3.97 /month
#11
Surfshark
Unlimited devices and a genuinely documented 2025 Deloitte ISAE 3000 no-logs audit - the strongest paper trail in the Kape/Nord orbit. But it is half of the Nor
audited
intro $2.19 /month renews $15.45
#12
Ivacy
Effectively a discontinued brand: 'Ivacy Powered by PureVPN' no longer sells new Ivacy subscriptions and funnels everything into PureVPN's Gaditek checkout. Leg
crypto accepted
intro $1.69 /month
#13
Turbo VPN
A 500M-install free VPN from the Qihoo 360-linked developer cluster (Innovative Connecting / Autumn Breeze / Lemon Clove, per TTP 2025 and OTF 2025), undisclose
yes - ad-supported free tier + premium upsell
#14
ExpressVPN
The most expensive VPN in the room wearing the most auditing laurels: $8.33/mo forever after a $2.99 teaser, owned by Kape Technologies (ex-Crossrider adware, a
audited
intro $2.99 /month renews $8.33
#15
UrbanVPN
The rare VPN where no investigation is needed - the privacy policy is the evidence. Urban VPN's parent self-declares as a data broker and sells behavior segment
the entire product is free, funded by data brokerage and advertising
#16
ZenMate
A brand in palliative care that still markets like it's 2018: ZenMate's own announcement closed new signups on March 16, 2023, killed its apps on May 1, 2023, a
unverified unverified
1.0
#17
Hotspot Shield
The most polished sales machine with the most compromised track record: a 2017 CDT complaint to the FTC - built on Carnegie Mellon research - documented undiscl
audit
intro $7.99 /month renews $95.99
#18
TorGuard
A privacy veteran with real strengths - 8 devices, serious obfuscation stack (Stealth/Stunnel/Shadowsocks/OpenConnect), crypto payments, dedicated IPs and port
crypto accepted
intro $9.99 /month renews $59.99
#19
Betternet
Mostly a ghost with a live storefront: the operator lives at betternet.co, while betternet.io redirects straight to GoDaddy's 'domain for sale' lander and bette
audit
intro $6 /month renews $95.99
#20
NordVPN
The most successful VPN marketer on earth: polished apps, huge network (7,664 servers / 150 countries verified from their own API on 2026-09-27), strong streami
audited
intro $3.09 /month renews $12.99
#21
HideMyAss! (HMA)
The most famous logging receipt in VPN history: in 2011 HMA itself blogged that it had handed the FBI the connection logs that convicted a LulzSec member. Fourt
price on request
#22
IPVanish
The cautionary tale of the entire industry: the service that literally proved a VPN's 'no logs' can be a lie - real logs to DHS in 2016, then sold three times (
no-logs contradicted audit
intro $2.39 /month renews $8.33
#23
PureVPN
Cheap intro pricing wraps a genuinely compromised privacy history: a documented 2017 FBI case where its 'no logs' records identified a user, plus a 2025 IPv6-le
logs handed over audit crypto accepted
intro $2.15 /month renews $47.95
// FAQ
Should I use a VPN or Smart DNS for streaming?
Smart DNS: cheaper, faster, no encryption - enough for geo-unblocking. VPN: encrypts everything, slower, but covers every app. If geo-unblocking is your only goal, start with Smart DNS.