How we test VPNs
All figures shown on this site come from measurements we performed ourselves, following the protocol described below. No data is reused from third-party comparisons or vendor spec sheets.
Measurement protocol
- 1
Anonymous subscription
We subscribe to the VPN offer like a normal customer, from an unidentified account. No press access, no free license. Everything paid via personal card.
- 2
Lab setup
Tests run from a 1 Gbps symmetric Orange fiber (Paris) and Free Mobile 5G (mobile fallback). No special routing negotiated.
- 3
Throughput measurements
fast.com, Cloudflare speedtest, and iperf3 to public servers — 3 successive runs at different times (9am, 2pm, 9pm). We keep the median.
- 4
Leak tests
ipleak.net, dnsleaktest.com, browserleaks.com/webrtc concurrently. Any provider with a single leak is excluded from recommendation.
- 5
Streaming tests
Netflix US/JP/UK, Disney+ US, BBC iPlayer, DAZN IT, Crunchyroll JP — verified on web (Chrome, Safari) and iOS native app for 7 consecutive days.
- 6
Policy audit
Full read of available no-logs audits (PwC, Deloitte, Cure53) and the vendor's latest transparency report.
Our editorial principles
No score below 3/5 accepted as "recommended"
If a VPN scores below 3/5 on our grid, we don't recommend it, regardless of commission offered.
Drawbacks listed in black and white
Every review contains a "what we're less keen on" section — no disguised marketing.
Quarterly minimum update
VPNs evolve: prices, Netflix blocks, audits. We re-test every recommended provider at least every 3 months.
Transparency about compensation
We earn a commission if you subscribe via our links — mentioned on every page (banner + links marked sponsored nofollow).
Sources & references
To dig deeper, here are the technical and institutional references we routinely consult.