What Is the Best VPN in 2026? NordVPN, Surfshark, Proton and ExpressVPN Compared for Streaming, Gaming and Privacy

"Which VPN should I get?" comes up almost as often as the antivirus question. The honest answer depends on what you want it for. Somebody who wants to watch their home streaming services from a hotel room needs something different from somebody who wants to keep their internet provider out of their browsing history.

Short version: for most people, NordVPN is the one I recommend. It is fast, it has been through repeated independent no-logs audits, the apps are easy, and it is what I run on my own workstation every day. There are a couple of situations where another brand fits better, and I will point those out below.

This article contains an affiliate link to NordVPN. If you sign up through it I may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. I only recommend it because it is what I use myself.

What a VPN actually does

A VPN (virtual private network) builds an encrypted tunnel from your device to a server run by the VPN company. Everything you do online goes through that tunnel first. Two things happen:

1. Your traffic is scrambled between your device and the VPN server. Whoever runs the Wi-Fi you are on, and your internet provider, can see that you are connected to a VPN but not what you are doing.
2. Websites see the VPN server's address instead of yours. That hides your home IP address and makes it look like you are wherever that server is.

That is it. Everything a VPN is good for comes from those two things.

What a VPN does NOT do

This part matters, because VPN ads oversell it.

• It is not antivirus. A VPN will not stop you from downloading something bad or clicking a phishing link. Some VPNs, Nord included, add a malicious-site and ad blocker, which helps, but it does not replace real protection on the computer.
• It does not make you anonymous. If you log in to Google, Facebook or Amazon, they know it is you, VPN or not.
• It does not protect a hacked computer. If something is already running on your machine, the VPN just encrypts the traffic for it.
• Some sites block VPN addresses. Banks, some shopping sites and the occasional regular website will refuse a connection, or throw a lot of CAPTCHAs, from known VPN servers. I have run into this myself. Usually switching to a different server fixes it.

If you need the antivirus side handled, read our honest antivirus comparison. A VPN and good antivirus do different jobs.

The best VPN by use case

Here is the reasoning behind each one.

Streaming

The common use here is simple. You are on vacation or a work trip, you open a streaming app you pay for, and it says it is not available where you are, or it shows a different library. A VPN connected to a US server makes it look like you are home.

Streaming services actively block VPN servers, so this is a cat-and-mouse game. A VPN that streams fine today can get blocked next month. The big providers with lots of servers handle it best because they rotate addresses faster than the streaming services can block them. NordVPN consistently does well in independent streaming tests, and in my own use it has been reliable for the major US services.

Speed matters too. 4K video needs a steady connection, and a slow VPN means buffering. Nord's NordLynx protocol (built on WireGuard) is one of the fastest options available, so it is rarely the bottleneck.

One honest note: using a VPN to watch another country's catalog generally goes against the streaming service's terms. Most people use it to watch what they already pay for while traveling, and that is what I would use it for.

Pick: NordVPN. ExpressVPN is also very good at streaming but usually costs more.

Gaming

Let me be straight with gamers: a VPN almost never makes your ping better. It adds a hop, so it usually adds a few milliseconds. Anyone promising "lower lag with a VPN" is stretching it.

So why do gamers use one?

• Hiding your home IP. If you stream on Twitch or play competitive games, other players can sometimes get your IP address and flood your connection (a DDoS attack) to knock you offline. With a VPN, they only see the VPN server's address.
• Playing on other regions' servers or getting early access to games that launch earlier in other time zones.
• Getting around network blocks at school or work (check the rules first).

For gaming you want a fast protocol and lots of servers close to you, so the added delay is as small as possible. NordVPN has a large number of US servers and NordLynx keeps the overhead low. In my experience, picking a server in or near New York or Boston from Connecticut adds very little delay.

Pick: NordVPN. Surfshark is a good, cheaper second choice.

Privacy

If your main goal is keeping your browsing private from your internet provider and from data brokers, two things matter most:

1. A no-logs policy that has been independently audited. Every VPN says it keeps no logs. The ones worth trusting pay an outside firm to check. NordVPN has had its no-logs policy audited multiple times by outside firms, most recently by Deloitte, and its servers run in RAM so nothing is stored on a disk.
2. A kill switch. If the VPN connection drops for a second, the kill switch blocks your internet until it reconnects, so nothing leaks out over your regular connection. All four providers in this article have one. Turn it on.

Nord also has extras privacy-minded users like: Double VPN (your traffic goes through two servers), Onion over VPN (Tor access without the Tor browser), and obfuscated servers for networks that try to block VPNs.

Proton VPN deserves a mention here. It comes from the same Swiss company as Proton Mail, its apps are open source, and it is audited. If you are a privacy purist, it is a strong choice. For most people who want privacy plus speed plus streaming in one app, Nord covers more ground.

Pick: NordVPN. Proton VPN if privacy is the only thing you care about.

Public Wi-Fi

This is the most practical reason for the average person to have a VPN. Coffee shops, hotels, airports and doctor's office waiting rooms all have Wi-Fi that you share with strangers, run by someone you have never met. Most websites use HTTPS now, which helps a lot, but a VPN closes the remaining gaps: fake hotspots with a familiar name, DNS tricks, and apps on your phone that do not encrypt properly.

Any of the four VPNs here will do the job. The best one is the one you will actually turn on. Nord's apps can be set to connect automatically whenever you join a network you have not marked as trusted, so you do not have to remember.

Pick: NordVPN with auto-connect turned on for untrusted networks.

Families and lots of devices

A NordVPN account covers up to 10 devices at once, which is enough for most households: a couple of phones, a couple of laptops, a tablet and a TV stick. It works on Windows, Mac, iPhone, Android, Fire TV and more.

If you have a big family with more devices than that, Surfshark allows unlimited devices on one account and is usually a bit cheaper. That is the one case where I would point people somewhere else first.

Price, and the renewal catch

All the big VPNs price the same way: the longer you sign up for, the lower the monthly cost. Nord's two-year plans usually work out to a few dollars a month, while month-to-month costs several times that. Check the current deal on their site, because prices and promotions change often.

The catch that applies to all of them: the first term is a promo price, and the renewal is higher. Put a reminder in your calendar a couple of weeks before it renews. That way it is your decision to keep it, not an automatic charge you find later. All four offer a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can try one and cancel if it does not work for you.

Skip free VPNs other than Proton's free plan. Running VPN servers costs real money, and a free VPN has to pay for that somehow. Often it is your data or ads injected into your browsing.

Quick setup tips

Once you have one, a few settings make a real difference:

• Turn on the kill switch. It is off by default in some apps.
• Turn on auto-connect for untrusted Wi-Fi, so it is on at the coffee shop without thinking about it.
• Pick a nearby server for everyday use. "Quick Connect" usually does this for you. Only pick a far-away server when you need to appear in that place.
• If a site will not load, switch servers before you assume the site is down. Some sites block specific VPN addresses.
• Turn on Threat Protection in Nord. It blocks ads, trackers and known malicious sites. It is a useful extra layer, not a replacement for antivirus.

The honest recommendation

• Most people: NordVPN. Fast, audited, easy apps, good for streaming, gaming, privacy and public Wi-Fi in one subscription.
• Big family, tight budget: Surfshark, for the unlimited devices.
• Privacy above everything, or you want free: Proton VPN.
• Business use: a consumer VPN is not the right tool for remote access to an office network. That needs a proper business setup. Talk to us and we will set it up the right way.

Not sure what you need, or having trouble getting a VPN working with your streaming device or router? Call or text (860) 398-9221. Free advice is part of the job.