When I tested the first iteration of FastestVPN, I wasn’t impressed with its quasi-system application and lack of security features. So does its latest overhaul change my mind?
Yes. FastestVPN has undoubtedly been improved, including better unlocking features, security features, and added protocol support.
However, there are still some issues with the VPN that need attention. It’s a great service, but there are better, more reliable VPNs for a similar price.
Is FastestVPN really the fastest VPN? You’ll find everything you need to know in my full review.
Hotspot Shield
For readers of our VPN reviews, this top pick will come as no surprise. The fastest VPN we’ve tested is HotSpot Shield, and it doesn’t even come close. HSS stands alone, maintaining a base speed of 67%. That’s simply an outstanding score. HSS has its issues, as we’re not fans of the company’s privacy policy, although it’s slowly getting better. Of course, it may just be that the speed of HSS is needed to deliver the analytics it collects. We can’t really say. In any case, if you’re interested in pure download speeds and nothing else matters, then HSS is what you want.
NordVPN
While NordVPN doesn’t have the highest overall download score, it comes very close, lowering its download results by only 3.4%. It does have the highest upload score, reducing upload results by 4.4% and increasing latency by only 1.7% – a very good score. It may not be the winner in every category, but it’s an unbeatable overall performer.
NordVPN has all the features you want in a top-notch VPN, plus an excellent Speedtest score. It’s a long-time favorite, with a clever combination of powerful tools and simple design on all platforms. The one downside is that it’s one of the most expensive VPNs we’ve reviewed. For anyone who can afford it, it’s a great overall choice.
IPVanish
IPVanish has recently dropped slightly in the rankings – not through any fault of its own, but simply because the competition has improved so dramatically. However, the U.S.-based provider shows promise somewhere, and that’s in its connection speeds – and they’re impressive.
In our tests, IPVanish reached an incredible 890 Mbps. While that’s slightly faster than NordVPN, it’s not as fast compared to Hide.me – and Nord offers a better all-around service.
Unfortunately, IPVanish has had some trouble unlocking streaming services recently, and while it is able to access Netflix, Disney+ and BBC iPlayer outside the UK (a real feat in itself), Amazon Prime Video is not available. It’s variable and fluctuates from day to day, but in our last test, IPVanish hit a snag.
However, outside of streaming, it’s a very fast and secure service with a ton of features that we highly recommend.
CyberGhost
CyberGhost’s latest update brings a huge speed boost. We recorded average download speeds of 548 Mbps at all test locations and times. Much of this improvement can be attributed to the adoption of Wireguard, a faster and more efficient VPN protocol that doesn’t sacrifice security.
CyberGhost is ideally suited for streaming region-locked content from abroad. It works with Netflix, Amazon Prime, BBC iPlayer, and more. At this speed, you can enjoy watching all your content in 4K UHD resolution.
CyberGhost adheres to a no-logging policy and uses strong encryption to keep your online activity private.
You can connect up to seven devices at once in one plan with apps for Windows, MacOS, iOS, Fire TV, and Linux.
PrivateVPN
PrivateVPN is another fast VPN. its speed will not disappoint anyone, from gamers to regular Internet users.
To achieve good speeds, the VPN service uses OpenVPN UDP, which is both fast and secure. we tested it and were satisfied with the results: our download speeds were not affected when using the VPN. Depending on the distance from the server, the speed drop can be as low as 3%.
It is worth noting that PrivateVPN is an excellent choice for streaming media. It manages to unblock Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Youtube and DAZN. You may also appreciate the fact that VPN supports downloading seeds at quite high speeds – in our tests it reached 15MB/s.
Premium users, meanwhile, will use the port forwarding feature, as well as HTTP and SOCKS5 proxies.
If you want to try PrivateVPN for free, you can get a 7-day trial or use the 30-day money-back guarantee.