Fastest VPN: Where to find the best speed?

VPNs are useful on a daily basis for millions of Internet users who want to be anonymous and protected on the Internet. However, some VPNs sometimes offer very disappointing connection speeds. They disrupt the quality of your router's connection, dividing the speed by 3.4, 5 or even 10. The result is catastrophic connection speed and compromised use. When choosing a VPN, speed is key.

To help you, we took an interest in the quality of the serversfrom several big names in the VPN worldby testing their service. Only 3 players were selected to establish the ranking of the fastest VPNs in 2024. They thus allow you to maintain a speed close to that which you have directly, via your Wi-Fi router or from your cellular data.

Test the fastest VPN

Below, we have made a list for you with the fastest VPN of the moment, and its two runners-up. If you want to download, watch streaming videos or browse the internet without hindrance with a VPN, you should really favor them. With some of them, you won't even notice your cybersecurity software running in the background. No visible slowdown is expected.

Why do VPNs slow down the internet connection?

VPNs offer many advantages on a daily basis, apart from their impact on internet connection speed – more or less significant depending on the provider. That said, in some cases, this discomfort is not even noticeable. With free VPNs, you are guaranteed to have speed issues. It is a real strength to be able to maintain fast flows, and it is linked to the architecture of the VPN itself.

Data encryption

VPNs are computer software that manages to secure your traffic by passing it through a private server before establishing a connection to the internet network. Often located in the four corners of the world, these remote machines perform end-to-end encryption, that is to say on traffic entering and leaving the connected device.

This intermediate step is the cause of slowdowns since your internet connection is no longer completely direct: there is a server between the two, which is often remote (in another country), and which therefore slows down your connection. However, other elements can also cause speed losses.

The protocol used

The security protocol is another element that can influence the connection speed of a VPN. As a reminder, data encryption is ensured using a security protocol. There are several: OpenVPN, IKEv2/IPSec, WireGuard or even L2TP. Each protocol has its own characteristics. Some are more or less secure and more or less fast. For example, WireGuard is known for providing very good speeds, but it is not as reliable as OpenVPN. It is therefore interesting to have the choice between several protocols to be able to change them depending on the situation.

Furthermore, note that some VPN providers have developed their own in-house protocol combining security and speed. This is the case of ExpressVPN with Lightway and NordVPN with NordLynx.

The size of the infrastructure

The number of servers a VPN has is crucial in the connection speeds it will provide to its users. Indeed, this seems rather logical: the fewer servers there are, the more quickly they will be overloaded by users, and conversely the more servers there are available, the less they will be exposed to the risk of overload. It's the same principle as shared connections on a mobile.

When a large number of users connect to the same server, latency times can increase by a factor of two, or even more. It is therefore very important to take into account the network size of a VPN before subscribing. Moreover, be aware that some providers display the load level of each server to help you choose the most suitable one.

This is also the reason why many VPN software highlight their quantity of servers when their network contains a fairly large number of them. For information purposes, it is estimated that a minimum quantity of 1,500 servers is largely acceptable. That said, quantity is not everything.

Network quality

In addition to the quantity of servers made available, the overall quality of the VPN servers is of paramount importance. A high number of servers does not necessarily mean that they will all be powerful. On the contrary, they may even be slow and of poor quality.

Therefore, not only the quantity but also the quality of the network must be taken into account. For this, VPN tests can help you. It is also important to find out about the expertise of the supplier in question. Below, in the list of the fastest VPNs we offer, we have tested all the speeds.

A “relative” drop in speed

Using a VPN shouldn't come at the expense of your speed. Fortunately, speed losses caused by VPNs are not inevitable. Many VPNs are able to provide perfectly good speeds and more than enough bandwidth to browse the internet smoothly, provided you choose a quality VPN.

Additionally, some VPNs agree that they can sometimes even turn things around. Since your ISP has access to your browsing data, it can intentionally slow down your speed depending on your activities such as streaming. Thus, by hiding your online activities, VPN encryption would prevent your operator from restricting your connection.

Top 3 fastest VPNs in 2024

More and more VPN providers are present on the market in 2024. Sorting is therefore more complicated, especially when it comes to testing them on the speed of their connection. However, it is an essential element to avoid any frustration while browsing the internet, especially when you want to watch streaming videos, download files and even chat with your friends.

We have therefore established a ranking among the fastest VPNs on the market. Only three were selected because they offer the best speeds and a reliable connection. ExpressVPN is the fastest VPN, and we'll introduce it to you right away below.

1. ExpressVPN

In first place in this ranking, we findExpressVPN. It's already been voted the fastest VPN by many experts – and we've just confirmed that. You will see further down on this page the tests on which we based ourselves to determine the number 1 position of this publisher.

This VPN provider, created in 2009, is one of the pioneers in the field and from the start it has clearly stated its objective: to provide a high-end service to all its users, with optimal security. To do this, it brings together several elements that make it strong today: a connection that is stable, reliable and fast and a unique protocol, Lightway. The latter was created by the ExpressVPN teams with the aim of providing even better speeds without compromising user privacy.

ExpressVPN has over 3,000 servers spread across 105 countries around the world. The ExpressVPN network brings together the two criteria mentioned above, namely quantity and quality. Thus, your daily browsing will not be impacted by ExpressVPN. You will even be able to watch streaming content and download large files without problem since its servers have no bandwidth limitations.

What we like about ExpressVPN is the uninterrupted connection it offers. We use it daily, without ever experiencing a disconnection. This is rare enough to be noted.

Discover ExpressVPN

2. CyberGhost VPN

With more than 9,000 servers in 90 countries, CyberGhost VPN is impressive. In addition to the quantity of servers it has, the quality is also there. If CyberGhost is very well ranked in our top 3 fastest VPNs, it's because we had the opportunity to check it during our tests. It is also a VPN that we use on a daily basis, and it has proven itself in recent years.

Faced with this multitude of servers, the CyberGhost VPN application has been designed to help you get even better speeds. Indeed, for each server, you have access to their geographical distance from your physical location, and also to their load. This can help you select the most suitable one. As you can imagine, a server closer to you and less overloaded will be more likely to be fast.

With its “Best Server” feature, CyberGhost can also automate the process for you. Of course, this is applicable if you don't have a country preference. It's a good way to have the fastest VPN from your location, while being protected and anonymous on the internet. Otherwise, you can rely on the load percentage that is indicated on each server.

To learn more about VPN,check out our full CyberGhost reviewor go to its official website:

Discover CyberGhost VPN

3. NordVPN

To finish this ranking of the fastest VPNs, it is impossible not to mention NordVPN. Even if it is a little below its two competitors higher up, it is also worth a detour.

NordVPN's infrastructure extends to 60 countries around the world through more than 5,800 servers. By selecting any server, you should be able to browse the internet as you normally do, that is, without any major changes in speed.

Activation via the “Quick Connect” button (or Quick Connect on iOS) allows you to connect intelligently since it is the VPN algorithm that finds the server most suited to you. In other words, it's a great way to enjoy the best speed and the fastest VPN, regardless of country. And since its tool is also suitable for other activities such as streaming and P2P, it's all beneficial.

Thanks to its good performance and slight slowdowns, NordVPN is one of the VPNs offering the best speeds in 2024. The NordLynx protocol is a real plus for fast browsing in all circumstances. If you want to know more about its offer and its speed, here is the link to its site:

Discover NordVPN

Methodology of our speed tests

Now that you know the ranking of the fastest VPNs in 2024, you might want to know how we did it, which is totally legitimate. First of all, it is important to distinguish the throughput in downloading and uploading, two values ​​that we measured in turn.

• download speed(uploading or downloading) is the flow of traffic that arrives from the internet to your device. For example, when you watch HD movies or download files or just browse the internet.
• upload speed(in sending or upstream flow) is what you send from your device to the internet network. This is the case for photos or emails that you can send on the web.

Obviously, the higher these speeds are, the better the internet connection will be. Let's now see what the tested VPNs had in store for us and which ones stood out from the rest. Note that the values ​​obtained are indicative and may vary depending on your basic connection. In other words, the fastest VPN is not the same for everyone, although there is still a certain homogeneity.

The fastest VPN in France

We first carried out download and transfer bandwidth tests from France, without a VPN connection. To obtain more precise data, we took averages over 3 days, at different times. We then activated several VPNs by selecting a French server and we did the same recording the results over two days and at several times of the day.

ExpressVPN, CyberGhost VPN and NordVPN have proven to be the most effective by offering speeds closest to ours, whether for upload or download. Below we have a graph that shows the dropout and speed of each VPN for a given throughput. As you can see below, the fastest VPN is none other than ExpressVPN, followed by CyberGhost and NordVPN.

As you can see in the graph above, ExpressVPN stands out a little more from its competitors with a speed of 159.8 Mb/s for download and 139.2 Mb/s for upload. With such a connection, downloading files can be done in seconds and you can watch videos in ultra HD.

CyberGhost VPN performs well in terms of download speed. It is closely followed by NordVPN. Although dominated by ExpressVPN, the speeds offered by the French servers of these three VPNs are quite adequate. The difference is very little noticeable overall and that's all you'd expect from a good quality VPN.

The 3 fastest VPNs in the USA

The United States is often used as an example when it comes to testing VPNs. Indeed, this territory has highly sought-after content only accessible to locals. This is the case for certain TV programs and streaming platforms like Hulu and the American Netflix catalog, which is much more complete in terms of films and series than in France, for example.

Internet users therefore often use a VPN to obtain an American IP address and access a lot of American content. So, we absolutely had to test the speeds of the American servers.

We carried out the same operations as in France, except for recording our own speeds without a VPN. Logically, among the most powerful servers in the USA, it is still ExpressVPN, CyberGhost VPN and NordVPN which manage to be the best ranked. These are the fastest VPNs right now, unanimously.

We can see very clearly that our upstream and downstream speeds are very good when we are connected to ExpressVPN, despite the geographical distance. In other words, this VPN is particularly suitable for streaming on platforms and television channels across the Atlantic.

CyberGhost and NordVPN offer roughly similar results with a better speed for the CyberGhost VPN. It must be said that it has more than 1,100 servers in the United States alone, which is extremely positive for avoiding server overload.

Conclusion: ExpressVPN, the fastest VPN in 2024

By surpassing the speeds of its rivals, ExpressVPN therefore manages to climb to the top of the podium without too much difficulty. The stability of its flow rates should also be highlighted. These elements guarantee optimal navigation, whatever the activity. Please note that CyberGhost VPN and NordVPN perform well, but it is not enough to be in the lead. They are obviouslyahead of all free VPNs, which are very limited at this level.

We can say without hesitation that ExpressVPN is the fastest VPN of 2024. If you don't believe it, don't hesitate to test it and carry out speed tests yourself. ExpressVPN offers an unconditional 30-day guarantee.

Test the fastest VPN