Best Safest VPNs 2026
Ranked by Nerq Trust Score. Last updated 2026-03-30.
Top 50 Safest VPNs by Trust Score
| # | Name | Trust | Grade | Stars | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ProtonVPN | 95 | A+ | 3000.0k | ProtonVPN VPN — Switzerland jurisdiction. 3000 servers in 71 countries. Audited no-log. |
| 2 | IVPN | 93 | A+ | 80.0k | IVPN VPN — Gibraltar jurisdiction. 80 servers in 32 countries. Audited no-log. |
| 3 | NordVPN | 90 | A+ | 5800.0k | NordVPN VPN — Panama jurisdiction. 5800 servers in 60 countries. Audited no-log. |
| 4 | Mullvad | 88 | A | 700.0k | Mullvad VPN — Sweden jurisdiction. 700 servers in 40 countries. Audited no-log. |
| 5 | WireGuard | 88 | A | - | Modern VPN protocol. Open-source. Built into Linux kernel since 5.6. |
| 6 | ExpressVPN | 85 | A | 3000.0k | ExpressVPN VPN — BVI jurisdiction. 3000 servers in 94 countries. Audited no-log. |
| 7 | Cloudflare WARP | 85 | A | - | Free VPN by Cloudflare. US-based. Built on WireGuard. 1.1.1.1 DNS. |
| 8 | OpenVPN | 85 | A | - | Open-source VPN protocol and server. US-based. Industry standard since 2001. |
| 9 | OVPN | 82 | A- | - | Sweden-based VPN. RAM-only servers. Court-tested no-logs. |
| 10 | Tailscale | 82 | A- | - | Mesh VPN built on WireGuard. US-based. Zero-config networking for teams. |
| 11 | iVPN | 80 | A- | - | Gibraltar-based VPN. Open-source apps. Independent audit. |
| 12 | Surfshark | 80 | A- | 3200.0k | Surfshark VPN — Netherlands jurisdiction. 3200 servers in 100 countries. Audited no-log. |
| 13 | Twingate | 80 | A- | - | Zero-trust network access. US-based. Enterprise-focused. |
| 14 | Google One VPN | 80 | A- | - | VPN included with Google One subscription. US-based. Open-source client. |
| 15 | AirVPN | 78 | B+ | 300.0k | AirVPN VPN — Italy jurisdiction. 300 servers in 24 countries. Claimed no-log. |
| 16 | ZeroTier | 78 | B+ | - | Software-defined networking. US-based. Open-source core. |
| 17 | Outline VPN | 78 | B+ | - | Open-source VPN by Jigsaw (Google). Designed for journalists and activists. |
| 18 | hide.me | 75 | B+ | 2100.0k | hide.me VPN — Malaysia jurisdiction. 2100 servers in 79 countries. Audited no-log. |
| 19 | VyprVPN | 75 | B+ | 700.0k | VyprVPN VPN — Switzerland jurisdiction. 700 servers in 70 countries. Audited no-log. |
| 20 | PIA | 75 | B+ | 35000.0k | PIA VPN — US jurisdiction. 35000 servers in 84 countries. Audited no-log. |
| 21 | CyberGhost | 75 | B+ | 9700.0k | CyberGhost VPN — Romania jurisdiction. 9700 servers in 91 countries. Audited no-log. |
| 22 | AzireVPN | 75 | B+ | - | Sweden-based VPN. WireGuard-native. Privacy-focused. |
| 23 | Perimeter 81 | 75 | B+ | - | Enterprise VPN and ZTNA. Israel-based. Acquired by Check Point (2023). |
| 24 | Mozilla VPN | 73 | B | 500.0k | Mozilla VPN VPN — US jurisdiction. 500 servers in 30 countries. Audited no-log. |
| 25 | F-Secure VPN | 72 | B | - | Freedome VPN by F-Secure. Finland-based. Good jurisdiction. |
| 26 | Norton VPN | 72 | B | - | VPN bundled with Norton 360. US-based (Gen Digital). No-log policy. |
| 27 | VPN.ac | 70 | B | - | Romania-based VPN. Security-focused. Self-hosted infrastructure. |
| 28 | PureVPN | 70 | B | 6500.0k | PureVPN VPN — BVI jurisdiction. 6500 servers in 71 countries. Audited no-log. |
| 29 | Bitdefender VPN | 70 | B | - | VPN bundled with Bitdefender. Romania-based. Hotspot Shield infrastructure. |
| 30 | Speedify | 68 | B- | - | Channel bonding VPN. US-based. Combines multiple connections. |
| 31 | Windscribe | 65 | B- | 600.0k | Windscribe VPN — Canada jurisdiction. 600 servers in 63 countries. Claimed no-log. |
| 32 | Psiphon | 65 | B- | - | Anti-censorship tool. Canada-based. Open-source. Used in 200+ countries. |
| 33 | TorGuard | 65 | B- | - | VPN focused on torrenting. US-based. Stealth protocol. |
| 34 | McAfee VPN | 65 | B- | - | VPN bundled with McAfee Total Protection. US-based. |
| 35 | PrivateVPN | 62 | C+ | - | Sweden-based VPN. Small server network. No independent audit. |
| 36 | Lantern | 60 | C+ | - | Anti-censorship tool. US-based. Open-source. Designed for censored regions. |
| 37 | Astrill | 60 | C+ | 300.0k | Astrill VPN — Seychelles jurisdiction. 300 servers in 56 countries. Claimed no-log. |
| 38 | Encrypt.me | 60 | C+ | - | VPN for Wi-Fi security. US-based. J2 Global subsidiary. |
| 39 | Trust.Zone | 58 | C | - | VPN based in Seychelles. No-log policy. Budget-friendly. |
| 40 | ZenMate | 55 | C | - | VPN by Kape Technologies. Germany-based originally. Now part of Kape. |
| 41 | TunnelBear | 53 | C- | 5000.0k | TunnelBear VPN — Canada jurisdiction. 5000 servers in 47 countries. Audited no-log. |
| 42 | SuperVPN | 50 | C- | - | Free VPN app. China-based. Multiple security vulnerabilities discovered. |
| 43 | X-VPN | 50 | C- | - | Free VPN. Hong Kong-based. Vague privacy policy. |
| 44 | Thunder VPN | 50 | C- | - | Free VPN app. China-based. Limited transparency. |
| 45 | Hola VPN | 50 | C- | - | Free peer-to-peer VPN. Israel-based. Routes traffic through user devices. Major privacy concerns. |
| 46 | UFO VPN | 50 | C- | - | Free VPN. Hong Kong-based. User data leak incident (2020). |
| 47 | IPVanish | 50 | C- | 2200.0k | IPVanish VPN — US jurisdiction. 2200 servers in 75 countries. Claimed no-log. |
| 48 | Yoga VPN | 50 | C- | - | Free VPN app. China-linked. No privacy policy. |
| 49 | VPN Master | 50 | C- | - | Free VPN app. Multiple security concerns. China-linked. |
| 50 | Hotspot Shield | 50 | C- | 1800.0k | Hotspot Shield VPN — US jurisdiction. 1800 servers in 80 countries. Claimed no-log. |
How We Rank Safest VPNs
These safest vpns are ranked by Nerq Trust Score, which evaluates security, maintenance, community adoption, and transparency across multiple data points. Only entities with a trust score of 30 or above are included. Scores are updated continuously as new data becomes available.
FAQ
What are the best safest vpns in 2026?
Based on Nerq Trust Scores, the top-ranked safest vpns are listed above, scored on security, activity, documentation, and community metrics.
How are safest vpns ranked?
Nerq ranks tools using Trust Score v2, which combines security analysis, maintenance activity, documentation quality, and community adoption signals.
Are these safest vpns safe to use?
Each tool has an individual safety report. Click any tool name to see its detailed trust analysis.
What does a Nerq Trust Score of A mean?
An A grade (80-89) means the entity has strong signals across security, maintenance, documentation, and community adoption. A+ (90-100) is the highest possible rating.
How does Nerq evaluate safest vpns?
Nerq analyzes safest vpns across multiple dimensions including security vulnerabilities, license compliance, maintenance activity, documentation quality, and community adoption. Each dimension is scored independently and combined into an overall Trust Score (0-100).