How We Review VPNs at VPNforWhat
Our team comprises VPN experts with decades of experience using and testing VPNs. Every product review on this website is based on our mission, vision, and editorial guidelines: to provide accurate and unbiased information to our readers so they can make an informed purchase decision.
We test hundreds of VPNs and other cybersecurity products and present them in a way that is easy to understand for everyone. Our teams test all products reviewed on VPNforWhat, and we pay for every product.
Our team is never compensated for writing fake positive reviews. We test a VPN from multiple locations for speed and do our server testing. We also rate VPNs based on their user-friendliness and features.
Every review and VPN use case on this website is tested by humans and is based on real scenarios and examples. We never take payments for writing a positive or negative review for any product on this website.
We have affiliate links on this website, which help us run operations and maintain expenses, including staff salaries and product purchases. If you decide to purchase through our link, we may earn a small commission. You can find more information on how we make money here.
Every VPN review on VPNforWhat is divided into four categories and rated on a scale of 1-10. The combined score projects a clear picture of the VPN. Here are our evaluation parameters.
- Speed
- Security
- Servers
- User-friendliness
Speed
Speed is considered the most important factor when using a VPN. Slow internet speed can cause frustration and ruin the experience of streaming, gaming, etc. We test VPNs from multiple countries and cities to get a true picture of their servers.
We used speedtest.net and fast.com to test the internet speed before and after a VPN. For streaming, we test VPNs to access Netflix, Hulu, and BBC iPlayer. We also test VPNs for gaming and torrenting before grading them.
Our team of experts considers these factors before grading a VPN.
Download Speed: The Mbps (rate at which information is downloaded)
Upload Speed: The speed in Mbps (rate at which information is uploaded)
Ping: A tool to check the connection between our PC and VPN servers.
Only the best emerged on the points table after testing VPNs with these tools and OTT services. These are VPNs that have fast servers, offer security protocols like 256-bit encryption, Kill Switch, Split Tunneling, etc., and work perfectly with OTT platforms and streaming services.
Our VPN experts perform these tests weekly and adjust rankings based on performance.
Usability
User-friendliness and app availability are also important factors in our rating process. Most VPNs in today’s landscape have applications for all devices like PC, mobiles, Smart TVs, etc. However, some VPNs still offer APKs and are unavailable on the App Store or Play Store.
Our team evaluates a VPN’s complete process—purchase, download, installation, and connection—on multiple platforms before rating it. The platforms for testing VPNs include Android, iOS, smart TVs, and devices like routers, Roku, and Amazon Firestick. We also include screenshots from our testing rounds in our reviews so you can better understand every step.
Our team will analyze the structure and interface of the VPN apps and discuss it with the team to decide on grading it. Poorly designed apps receive a low rating from our experts and are difficult to use.
Customer support and live chat are also covered in this section. The live chat of a VPN is the point of interaction of a user if they run into problems and need assistance. Our team at VPNforWhat contacts the customer support of VPN providers as regular customers and asks technical questions before grading it. Their support sections, which usually have FAQs and use cases, are also considered in this section. The best VPNs on our list usually offer these support channels and receive a higher rating.
Servers
The number of servers a VPN offers is one of the most significant factors to consider before purchasing a VPN. However, our rating is not limited to the quantity of servers; the element of quality also triumphs in our reviews.
The best method to test the effectiveness of servers is with Netflix. We use different servers to access multiple Netflix libraries, Hulu from outside the USA, BBC from outside the UK, and many more. The experts at VPNforWhat have a subscription to all the OTT platforms, which helps us review and update the VPN with screenshots. If a VPN successfully unblocks major OTT and streaming platforms, it gets a higher rating in our reviews.
We also test whether a VPN has dedicated servers for torrenting, streaming, or gaming. We include whether these servers add real value and don’t reduce speed and security. We also test Split tunneling, dedicated IP addresses, and port forwarding for torrenting, browsing, and streaming.
Security
Online security and privacy are the basic features of a VPN. Almost all VPNs claim they are the best VPN for online security, but not all VPNs are safe. Our team at VPNforWhat analyzes VPNs on their security features and rates them based on results. Here are the top security features we look for in a VPN.
- VPN protocols
- Kill switch
- Spilt tunneling
- DNS/IP leak protection
- Privacy policy and logging
- Encryptions offered
- Others
AES-256 is the leading encryption offered by top VPN providers. VPNs offering AES-256 encryption get a head start in our rating system, but we consider other security features for this segment.
Apart from encryption, we also gauge VPNs on the security protocols they offer. IKEv2, Wireguard, and OpenVPN (UDP/TCP) are among the safest VPN protocols offered by the best VPNs. VPNs using old and obsolete protocols like IPsec/L2TP or SSTP get downgraded over VPNs with modern security protocols.
The location and logging policy of a VPN is the first thing we check in the security segment. It ensures that our recommended VPNs do not keep users’ data on their servers and that they have complete anonymity. The best VPNs don’t keep customer logs in their databases and are certified by third parties.
Other safety features and tools, such as password managers, cloud storage, kill switch, and split tunneling, are also tested if they are included in the package. In this segment, we use third-party tools like dnsleaktest.com and ipleak.net to determine whether a VPN masks your IP address completely. Our VPN experts will rate a VPN higher if all security features work perfectly.