VPN Speed Test Results
The benchmark data behind every speed figure on vpnrank.io. ExpressVPN leads our Q3 2026 reference benchmark at 478 Mbps on a 1 Gbps line, with IPVanish and NordVPN within 4% of it. Tested per our methodology, refreshed quarterly. Last tested: 2026-08-25.
Does a VPN slow down your internet?
Yes, and by how much depends on your line. On our 1 Gbps reference connection the 8 VPNs we track kept 42–48% of the speed (415–478 Mbps): that is the ceiling of the encryption itself, not something a faster server fixes. On the 200–300 Mbps lines typical of a home connection, the best result kept 65–93%, because the VPN's ceiling sits well above the line. For streaming the loss rarely matters — 4K needs 25 Mbps — and it shows up mainly on very fast connections and long-distance servers. Last tested 2026-08-25.
| Line speed | Speed kept (best VPN) | Measured from |
|---|---|---|
| 1000 Mbps (reference) | 42–48% (all 8 VPNs) | US East (wired fiber) |
| 1000 Mbps | 44–46% | Tokyo, London |
| 500 Mbps | 59–83% | Madrid, Milan, Dubai, Riyadh, Bangkok |
| 300 Mbps | 84–88% | Mexico City, São Paulo |
| 200 Mbps | 65–93% | Jakarta, Istanbul, Cairo, Buenos Aires, Shanghai |
| 50 Mbps | 64% | Tehran |
"Speed kept" is the fastest VPN's download divided by the line's speed without a VPN. The range on each row is the spread across the regions listed, with the full per-provider figures in the tables below.
Reference Benchmark — US East, 1 Gbps
Wired fiber connection, nearby server, each provider's recommended protocol. Average of multiple runs at different times of day.
| # | VPN | Protocol | Download (Mbps) | Speed retention |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ExpressVPN | Lightway-UDP | 478 | 48% |
| 2 | IPVanish | WireGuard | 468 | 47% |
| 3 | NordVPN | NordLynx | 462 | 46% |
| 4 | Proton VPN | WireGuard | 445 | 45% |
| 5 | CyberGhost | WireGuard | 438 | 44% |
| 6 | Private Internet Access | WireGuard | 430 | 43% |
| 7 | Surfshark | WireGuard | 421 | 42% |
| 8 | TotalVPN | OpenVPN-UDP | 415 | 42% |
Regional Measurements
In-region and long-haul results for the three providers we track worldwide. Baselines reflect local line speeds; restrictive markets (China, Iran, UAE, Saudi Arabia) are measured through obfuscated protocols.
| Location | Baseline (Mbps) | Results (Mbps) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tokyo, Japan | 1000 | ExpressVPN 455 · NordVPN 447 · Surfshark 396 | Local fiber (Nuro Hikari), Tokyo servers |
| London, UK | 1000 | ExpressVPN 441 · NordVPN 433 · Surfshark 405 | London servers from a UK fiber line |
| Madrid, Spain | 500 | NordVPN 415 · ExpressVPN 395 · Surfshark 372 | Madrid servers from Spanish fiber |
| Milan, Italy | 500 | NordVPN 410 · ExpressVPN 405 · Surfshark 380 | Milan servers from Italian fiber |
| Dubai, UAE | 500 | ExpressVPN 312 · NordVPN 305 · Surfshark 280 | UK/EU exits through Etisalat DPI (obfuscated) |
| Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | 500 | ExpressVPN 305 · NordVPN 298 · Surfshark 275 | UK/EU exits through STC DPI (obfuscated) |
| Mexico City, Mexico | 300 | NordVPN 265 · ExpressVPN 252 | Mexico City servers from local fiber |
| São Paulo, Brazil | 300 | NordVPN 252 · ExpressVPN 240 | São Paulo servers from local fiber |
| Bangkok, Thailand | 500 | NordVPN 295 · ExpressVPN 280 | Long-haul to London / New York exits |
| Jakarta, Indonesia | 200 | NordVPN 185 · ExpressVPN 175 | Jakarta servers from local fiber |
| Istanbul, Turkey | 200 | NordVPN 175 · ExpressVPN 168 | Istanbul servers from Turkish fiber |
| Cairo, Egypt | 200 | ExpressVPN 165 · NordVPN 158 | London exits through Egyptian ISP routing |
| Buenos Aires, Argentina | 200 | NordVPN 165 · ExpressVPN 162 | Buenos Aires servers from local fiber |
| Shanghai, China | 200 | ExpressVPN 130 · NordVPN 125 | Hong Kong / Tokyo exits through the Great Firewall (obfuscated) |
| Tehran, Iran | 50 | ExpressVPN 32 · NordVPN 28 | Istanbul / EU exits through national filtering (obfuscated) |
Figures are point-in-time averages, not guarantees — your speeds depend on your line, distance to the server, and local network conditions. See How We Test for equipment, runs, and limitations.
Benchmark Changelog
- 2026-08-25Full Q3 2026 refresh of the US East reference benchmark and 15 regional measurements.
- 2026-06-11First public release of the benchmark dataset. Q2 2026 cycle: US East reference figures for all 8 ranked VPNs, plus 15 regional measurements for ExpressVPN, NordVPN, and Surfshark.