Head-to-head comparisons

Same kind only - a free app is never ranked against a commercial VPN. Each page compares logging evidence, ownership, the renewal-price trap and the verdict, with sources.

NordVPN vs ExpressVPN

Commercial VPNs

A strong everyday VPN with a huge live-verifiable network (7,287 servers in 150 countries counted in the offic

NordVPN vs Surfshark

Commercial VPNs

A strong everyday VPN with a huge live-verifiable network (7,287 servers in 150 countries counted in the offic

Proton VPN vs Mullvad VPN

Commercial VPNs

The most honest mainstream deal in 2026: open-source apps, real audits, a genuinely usable free tier with no d

ExpressVPN vs Proton VPN

Commercial VPNs

The most expensive VPN in the room wearing the most auditing laurels: $8.33/mo forever after a $2.99 teaser, o

Mullvad VPN vs IVPN

Commercial VPNs

The most honest VPN on the internet, and in 2026 still the one this industry is measured against: numbered acc

Windscribe vs Proton VPN

Commercial VPNs

The freemium that actually respects you: a 10 GB free tier, transparent $9/$69 pricing with no renewal rug-pul

Private Internet Access vs Mullvad VPN

Commercial VPNs

The best-evidenced no-logs claim in the business - twice tested in US courts (2016, 2018) and twice found to h

CyberGhost vs NordVPN

Commercial VPNs

Cheap ($2.19/mo intro on 26 months, renews at $56.94/yr = ~2.2x), Romanian-based, and one of few Kape brands w

hide.me vs Mullvad VPN

Commercial VPNs

A rare genuinely usable free plan (no card, P2P allowed on the 10 GB free tier) plus audited no-logs claims tw

hide.me vs IVPN

Commercial VPNs

A rare genuinely usable free plan (no card, P2P allowed on the 10 GB free tier) plus audited no-logs claims tw

hide.me vs Proton VPN

Commercial VPNs

A rare genuinely usable free plan (no card, P2P allowed on the 10 GB free tier) plus audited no-logs claims tw

hide.me vs Obscura VPN

Commercial VPNs

A rare genuinely usable free plan (no card, P2P allowed on the 10 GB free tier) plus audited no-logs claims tw

Mullvad VPN vs Obscura VPN

Commercial VPNs

The most honest VPN on the internet, and in 2026 still the one this industry is measured against: numbered acc

IVPN vs Proton VPN

Commercial VPNs

The anti-affiliate champion candidate holds up: no affiliate program (stated out loud on the homepage), flat h

IVPN vs Obscura VPN

Commercial VPNs

The anti-affiliate champion candidate holds up: no affiliate program (stated out loud on the homepage), flat h

Obscura VPN vs Proton VPN

Commercial VPNs

The most interesting new VPN architecture since multi-hop: a two-party relay where Obscura (US) only ever sees

CactusVPN Smart DNS vs Unlocator

Smart DNS

CactusVPN is the bundle case in the Smart DNS vertical: a 2011 Moldovan three-friends shop that once sold Smar

CactusVPN Smart DNS vs Getflix

Smart DNS

CactusVPN is the bundle case in the Smart DNS vertical: a 2011 Moldovan three-friends shop that once sold Smar

CactusVPN Smart DNS vs StrongDNS

Smart DNS

CactusVPN is the bundle case in the Smart DNS vertical: a 2011 Moldovan three-friends shop that once sold Smar

Getflix vs Unlocator

Smart DNS

A Smart DNS, not a privacy product - and the honest scoping rule applies with full force: Smart DNS provides z

StrongDNS vs Unlocator

Smart DNS

A relic that still technically works, sold by a corporate family with the worst possible privacy pedigree - an

Getflix vs StrongDNS

Smart DNS

A Smart DNS, not a privacy product - and the honest scoping rule applies with full force: Smart DNS provides z

Amnezia VPN vs Tailscale

Self-hosted

The most credible self-hosting on-ramp in the VPN space, built by and for people inside the censorship: the ap

Amnezia VPN vs OpenVPN Access Server

Self-hosted

The most credible self-hosting on-ramp in the VPN space, built by and for people inside the censorship: the ap

Amnezia VPN vs Outline VPN

Self-hosted

The most credible self-hosting on-ramp in the VPN space, built by and for people inside the censorship: the ap

Amnezia VPN vs ZeroTier

Self-hosted

The most credible self-hosting on-ramp in the VPN space, built by and for people inside the censorship: the ap

OpenVPN Access Server vs Tailscale

Self-hosted

The incumbent of self-hosted business VPNs, and still a safe pick in 2026 - with one honest fork in the road.

Outline VPN vs Tailscale

Self-hosted

The most polished way to hand censorship-resistant access to people who cannot configure a VPN: a few clicks i

Tailscale vs ZeroTier

Self-hosted

The gold standard for connecting your OWN devices, and a poor substitute for a consumer VPN - which is exactly

OpenVPN Access Server vs Outline VPN

Self-hosted

The incumbent of self-hosted business VPNs, and still a safe pick in 2026 - with one honest fork in the road.

OpenVPN Access Server vs ZeroTier

Self-hosted

The incumbent of self-hosted business VPNs, and still a safe pick in 2026 - with one honest fork in the road.

Outline VPN vs ZeroTier

Self-hosted

The most polished way to hand censorship-resistant access to people who cannot configure a VPN: a few clicks i

Riseup VPN vs X-VPN

Free VPNs

The most trustworthy free VPN on structural grounds: an anarchist Seattle collective that has run since 1999,

VPN Gate vs X-VPN

Free VPNs

VPN Gate is a legitimate, transparently-run academic experiment that is genuinely free forever and genuinely u

Calyx VPN vs X-VPN

Free VPNs

CalyxVPN is one of the very few genuinely free, genuinely anonymous VPNs - no account, no email, open-source c

Cloudflare WARP vs X-VPN

Free VPNs

A free, fast, one-tap encryption tool that is deliberately NOT an anonymity VPN - judge it as such. Cloudflare

Riseup VPN vs VPN Gate

Free VPNs

The most trustworthy free VPN on structural grounds: an anarchist Seattle collective that has run since 1999,

Calyx VPN vs Riseup VPN

Free VPNs

CalyxVPN is one of the very few genuinely free, genuinely anonymous VPNs - no account, no email, open-source c

Cloudflare WARP vs Riseup VPN

Free VPNs

A free, fast, one-tap encryption tool that is deliberately NOT an anonymity VPN - judge it as such. Cloudflare

Calyx VPN vs VPN Gate

Free VPNs

CalyxVPN is one of the very few genuinely free, genuinely anonymous VPNs - no account, no email, open-source c