Best Safest VPNs 2026
The #1 safest vpns in 2026 is ProtonVPN with a Nerq Trust Score of 95/100 (A+), based on Nerq's independent analysis of 50 safest vpns across 5 trust dimensions. Rankings update daily — last updated: 2026-05-08.
According to Nerq's analysis, the top 5 safest vpns by trust score are: 1. ProtonVPN (95/100), 2. IVPN (93/100), 3. NordVPN (90/100), 4. Mullvad (88/100), 5. WireGuard (88/100). Nerq Trust Scores range from 48 to 95 among the top 50. Scores are based on 5 independent trust dimensions including security, maintenance, and community adoption. Updated daily.
| # | Name | Trust | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ProtonVPN | 95 | A+ |
| 2 | IVPN | 93 | A+ |
| 3 | NordVPN | 90 | A+ |
| 4 | Mullvad | 88 | A |
| 5 | WireGuard | 88 | A |
| 6 | Cloudflare WARP | 85 | A |
| 7 | OpenVPN | 85 | A |
| 8 | ExpressVPN | 85 | A |
| 9 | OVPN | 82 | A- |
| 10 | Tailscale | 82 | A- |
Top 50 Safest VPNs by Nerq 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 | Cloudflare WARP | 85 | A | - | Free VPN by Cloudflare. US-based. Built on WireGuard. 1.1.1.1 DNS. |
| 7 | OpenVPN | 85 | A | - | Open-source VPN protocol and server. US-based. Industry standard since 2001. |
| 8 | ExpressVPN | 85 | A | 3000.0k | ExpressVPN VPN — BVI jurisdiction. 3000 servers in 94 countries. Audited no-log. |
| 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 | Surfshark | 80 | A- | 3200.0k | Surfshark VPN — Netherlands jurisdiction. 3200 servers in 100 countries. Audited no-log. |
| 12 | Twingate | 80 | A- | - | Zero-trust network access. US-based. Enterprise-focused. |
| 13 | Google One VPN | 80 | A- | - | VPN included with Google One subscription. US-based. Open-source client. |
| 14 | AirVPN | 78 | B+ | 300.0k | AirVPN VPN — Italy jurisdiction. 300 servers in 24 countries. Claimed no-log. |
| 15 | ZeroTier | 78 | B+ | - | Software-defined networking. US-based. Open-source core. |
| 16 | Outline VPN | 78 | B+ | - | Open-source VPN by Jigsaw (Google). Designed for journalists and activists. |
| 17 | PIA | 75 | B+ | 35000.0k | PIA VPN — US jurisdiction. 35000 servers in 84 countries. Audited no-log. |
| 18 | CyberGhost | 75 | B+ | 9700.0k | CyberGhost VPN — Romania jurisdiction. 9700 servers in 91 countries. Audited no-log. |
| 19 | hide.me | 75 | B+ | 2100.0k | hide.me VPN — Malaysia jurisdiction. 2100 servers in 79 countries. Audited no-log. |
| 20 | VyprVPN | 75 | B+ | 700.0k | VyprVPN VPN — Switzerland jurisdiction. 700 servers in 70 countries. Audited no-log. |
| 21 | Perimeter 81 | 75 | B+ | - | Enterprise VPN and ZTNA. Israel-based. Acquired by Check Point (2023). |
| 22 | AzireVPN | 75 | B+ | - | Sweden-based VPN. WireGuard-native. Privacy-focused. |
| 23 | Mozilla VPN | 73 | B | 500.0k | Mozilla VPN VPN — US jurisdiction. 500 servers in 30 countries. Audited no-log. |
| 24 | Norton VPN | 72 | B | - | VPN bundled with Norton 360. US-based (Gen Digital). No-log policy. |
| 25 | F-Secure VPN | 72 | B | - | Freedome VPN by F-Secure. Finland-based. Good jurisdiction. |
| 26 | PureVPN | 70 | B | 6500.0k | PureVPN VPN — BVI jurisdiction. 6500 servers in 71 countries. Audited no-log. |
| 27 | VPN.ac | 70 | B | - | Romania-based VPN. Security-focused. Self-hosted infrastructure. |
| 28 | Bitdefender VPN | 70 | B | - | VPN bundled with Bitdefender. Romania-based. Hotspot Shield infrastructure. |
| 29 | Speedify | 68 | B- | - | Channel bonding VPN. US-based. Combines multiple connections. |
| 30 | Windscribe | 65 | B- | 600.0k | Windscribe VPN — Canada jurisdiction. 600 servers in 63 countries. Claimed no-log. |
| 31 | TorGuard | 65 | B- | - | VPN focused on torrenting. US-based. Stealth protocol. |
| 32 | Psiphon | 65 | B- | - | Anti-censorship tool. Canada-based. Open-source. Used in 200+ countries. |
| 33 | McAfee VPN | 65 | B- | - | VPN bundled with McAfee Total Protection. US-based. |
| 34 | IPVanish | 62 | C+ | 2200.0k | IPVanish VPN — US jurisdiction. 2200 servers in 75 countries. Claimed no-log. |
| 35 | PrivateVPN | 62 | C+ | - | Sweden-based VPN. Small server network. No independent audit. |
| 36 | Astrill | 60 | C+ | 300.0k | Astrill VPN — Seychelles jurisdiction. 300 servers in 56 countries. Claimed no-log. |
| 37 | Lantern | 60 | C+ | - | Anti-censorship tool. US-based. Open-source. Designed for censored regions. |
| 38 | Encrypt.me | 60 | C+ | - | VPN for Wi-Fi security. US-based. J2 Global subsidiary. |
| 39 | Hotspot Shield | 58 | C | 1800.0k | Hotspot Shield VPN — US jurisdiction. 1800 servers in 80 countries. Claimed no-log. |
| 40 | Trust.Zone | 58 | C | - | VPN based in Seychelles. No-log policy. Budget-friendly. |
| 41 | Atlas VPN | 55 | C | 1000.0k | Atlas VPN VPN — US jurisdiction. 1000 servers in 44 countries. Claimed no-log. |
| 42 | StrongVPN | 55 | C | 950.0k | StrongVPN VPN — US jurisdiction. 950 servers in 30 countries. Claimed no-log. |
| 43 | ZenMate | 55 | C | - | VPN by Kape Technologies. Germany-based originally. Now part of Kape. |
| 44 | TunnelBear | 53 | C- | 5000.0k | TunnelBear VPN — Canada jurisdiction. 5000 servers in 47 countries. Audited no-log. |
| 45 | FastestVPN | 52 | C- | - | Budget VPN. Cayman Islands-based. Lifetime plan available. |
| 46 | Secure VPN | 50 | C- | - | Free VPN app. Signal Lab. Limited transparency. |
| 47 | Hola VPN | 50 | C- | - | Free peer-to-peer VPN. Israel-based. Routes traffic through user devices. Major privacy concerns. |
| 48 | Snap VPN | 50 | C- | - | Free VPN app. Limited transparency. Ad-supported. |
| 49 | AVG Secure VPN | 48 | D | - | VPN by AVG/Avast. Czech Republic-based. Bundled with AVG antivirus. |
| 50 | Avast VPN | 48 | D | - | Avast SecureLine VPN. Czech Republic-based. Data collection controversy (2020). |
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).
Build Your Security Stack
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