Updated November 13, 2026 · 15 VPNs on file
Every site you visit can see this.
We read the privacy policies, audit reports and court records so you can choose a VPN on evidence. Every claim links to its source, and every review says what we did not test.
Best VPNs, by evidence
Ranked on who owns them, what independent auditors found, how they handled incidents, and what they charge. Full reasons on the list page.
Proton VPN
Securitum has checked its no-logs claim every year from 2022 to 2026, every app is open source and a non-profit foundation can block a sale. It also has the best free plan we've reviewed if you want to try it first.
Mullvad VPN
Swedish police arrived with a search warrant in 2023 and left with nothing, and more than ten named audits cover its apps and servers. The flat €5 a month never jumps at renewal.
NordVPN
Six no-logs assurance reports from PwC and Deloitte since 2018, plus app and server audits, on a mainstream service with apps for most devices. Its 2018 server breach was disclosed late but contained.
ExpressVPN
The longest list of named auditors in our files and a 2017 server seizure that reportedly turned up no useful logs. Kape ownership and the 2021 Gericke case are the points to weigh.
Find what you came for
How we work
No lab, no stars. A paper trail.
Most VPN review sites print speed scores nobody can reproduce, and many are owned by VPN companies. We don't run a test lab, so we don't pretend to. We check what can be checked: 13 of the 15 services we cover have published independent audits, and the 15 brands belong to 13 different owners.
- SourceEvery fact is linkedPrices, audits, owners and incidents each carry a source and the date we read it.
- OwnerWe name the parent companyMany brands share an owner. We show who it is on every review.
- PaidPaid links are labelledIf a link earns us money it says "Sponsored link". Verdicts never change for it.
- LegalNo piracy listingsOur torrent guides cover safety, the law and legal sources only.
Start here
Who owns your VPN?
Many VPN brands belong to a few groups: Kape, Nord Security, Ziff Davis and others. Who owns what, which review sites they own, and how to check.
VPN audits: who checked what
Which VPNs have had independent audits, by whom and when, plus what a no-logs audit does and doesn't prove and how to read the report yourself.
Pirate Bay alternatives: legal torrent sites that work
What happened to The Pirate Bay, why mirror and proxy lists are risky, and legal torrent and free download sources that are online in November 2026.
Are free VPNs safe?
Studies and leaks show many free VPN apps track users, leak traffic or hide their owners. The evidence, warning signs and free plans with a better record.
Private search engines compared
DuckDuckGo, Startpage, Brave Search, Mojeek, Qwant, Ecosia, Kagi and SearXNG: what each logs per its policy, whose index it uses, and how it makes money.
Is torrenting illegal?
BitTorrent is legal. Sharing copyrighted works without permission isn't. What the law says in the US, UK, EU, Germany and Japan, with official sources.