How many providers qualify for this list?

3 of the 4 providers we cover. FastestVPN does not, and the specific requirement it misses is stated rather than quietly dropped.

What does this ranking deliberately ignore?

This shortlist ignores speed, streaming access and price. Everything it does weigh is stated in the rule above the table, so you can tell whether the filter matches your own requirement.

How is the order on this page decided?

Only providers audited more than once. Ranked by the transparency criterion, then jurisdiction. The overall score shown alongside is the weighted total from our published rubric, which is a separate calculation covering all seven criteria.

3 of 4 qualify · Updated August 13, 2026

Best VPNs for privacy

Which VPN gives away the least about me?

Proton VPN. It combines open-source clients on every platform, five consecutive annual Securitum audits with every full report published, and Swiss incorporation outside the Fourteen Eyes agreement. NordVPN is second on six Deloitte assurance engagements, held back only by closed-source clients.

This page optimises for one thing: how little the provider can reveal, either because it never collected the data or because it operates where collection is hardest to compel. Speed, streaming and price are ignored entirely. The entry requirement is a repeated audit rather than a single one, because a provider that submitted to scrutiny once and never again has demonstrated something much weaker than one that does it every year.

The rule for this page. Only providers audited more than once. Ranked by the transparency criterion, then jurisdiction.

Providers that qualify, ordered by the rule above
#	Provider	Deciding fact	Transparency	Overall
1	Proton VPN	9/10 transparency, open-source clients, Switzerland	9/10	90.0
2	NordVPN	6/10 transparency, closed-source clients, Panama	6/10	84.0
3	PureVPN	4/10 transparency, closed-source clients, British Virgin Islands	4/10	70.0

Top of this list

Proton VPN

9/10 transparency, open-source clients, Switzerland. The best-documented security stack of the four, and the only one you can test properly without paying.

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We earn a commission if you subscribe through this link. It does not change Proton VPN’s score.

Why these, in this order

1. Proton VPN

90.0

9/10 transparency, open-source clients, Switzerland. The best-documented security stack of the four, and the only one you can test properly without paying.

Against it: Refunds are prorated against usage, not returned in full.

Visit Proton VPN

2. NordVPN

84.0

6/10 transparency, closed-source clients, Panama. The most complete all-round package here, provided you accept closed-source clients and a renewal price above the introductory rate.

Against it: Client applications are closed source and cannot be independently inspected.

Visit NordVPN

3. PureVPN

70.0

4/10 transparency, closed-source clients, British Virgin Islands. Cheap, broadly capable, and carrying a 2017 logging incident that no later audit erases.

Against it: Supplied user connection logs to the FBI in a 2017 case while advertising a no-logs policy.

Visit PureVPN

What did not qualify, and why

Excluded providers are named rather than omitted. If one of them is the VPN you already pay for, this tells you exactly which requirement it misses.

Provider	Why it is not on this list
FastestVPN	Audited once, in 2023, and never again. A single report is a snapshot, not a track record.

Questions

Which VPN gives away the least about me?: Proton VPN. It combines open-source clients on every platform, five consecutive annual Securitum audits with every full report published, and Swiss incorporation outside the Fourteen Eyes agreement. NordVPN is second on six Deloitte assurance engagements, held back only by closed-source clients.
How many providers qualify for this list?: 3 of the 4 providers we cover. FastestVPN does not, and the specific requirement it misses is stated rather than quietly dropped.
What does this ranking deliberately ignore?: This shortlist ignores speed, streaming access and price. Everything it does weigh is stated in the rule above the table, so you can tell whether the filter matches your own requirement.
How is the order on this page decided?: Only providers audited more than once. Ranked by the transparency criterion, then jurisdiction. The overall score shown alongside is the weighted total from our published rubric, which is a separate calculation covering all seven criteria.

Before you pick from this list

A shortlist answers one requirement. These cover the decisions that come before it, and the things a VPN will not do for you whichever one you choose.