6 Best VPN Services (2026), Tested and Reviewed

WIRED's 2026 VPN comparison ranks Proton VPN, NordVPN, Windscribe, Bitdefender, Mullvad, and ExpressVPN on privacy, speed, and features.

WIRED tested and reviewed major consumer VPN services for 2026, comparing device limits, server locations, kill switches, split tunneling, double-hop, and WireGuard support. Proton VPN takes the top spot, with NordVPN, Windscribe, Bitdefender, Mullvad, and ExpressVPN rounding out the main list. Secondary reviews cover Surfshark, EventVPN, IVPN, Private Internet Access, MysteriumVPN, and PrivadoVPN, noting trade-offs in audits, no-logs claims, and speed.