Best free option: Proton VPN (Strong). Switching saves about $139 USD a year.
$139.08 USDa year
$173.88 CAD
Every pick below has a free version.
3 alternatives
Covers most of the same work, with trade-offs noted on each card.
Best for a free VPN with no data cap
Free forever with no data or speed limits and no ads, but needs a Proton account. Apps are open source. The free plan covers one device at a time. Free version: Free has no data or speed limits and no ads, on one device. Paid plans add 140+ countries and up to 10 devices.
Right for specific needs, or not yet mature enough to recommend widely.
Best for building your own VPN on a server you rent
A protocol and apps, not a service. You need your own server, and a hosted server gives one location with a fixed IP, so it does not replace a multi-country VPN.
Best for linking your own devices, not for privacy
A mesh network for reaching your own machines, not a privacy VPN. The free Personal plan covers up to 6 users. Mullvad exit nodes cost US$5 a month for every 5 devices. Free version: Personal is free for up to 6 users with unlimited devices. Standard costs US$8 per user a month.
Sponsor this page: $149 for 30 days. Sponsors appear above the ranking, labeled; the ranking itself is not for sale.
How each alternative covers what people use NordVPN for. Numbers link to editor notes.
| Feature | Proton VPN | WireGuard | Tailscale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Network | |||
| Servers in many countries | PartialNote 1Free servers cover a limited set of countries; 140+ countries need a paid plan | NoNote 2You get one location per server you run | NoNote 3Exit nodes are devices you own; Mullvad exit nodes are a paid add-on |
| Several devices at once | PartialNote 4The free plan covers one device; paid plans cover up to 10 | YesNote 5You choose how many peers to configure | YesNote 6Personal plan allows unlimited user devices |
| Obfuscated mode for restrictive networks | YesNote 7The Stealth protocol is included on the free plan | NoNote 8WireGuard traffic is recognizable and needs a wrapper to hide it | PartialNote 9Falls back to encrypted relays when direct connections fail |
| Peer-to-peer file sharing allowed | NoNote 10P2P servers need a paid plan | PartialNote 11Allowed by the software; your hosting provider's rules apply | PartialNote 12Depends on the exit node you use |
| Privacy | |||
| Kill switch | Yes | PartialNote 13The Windows and Android apps can block traffic outside the tunnel; on Linux you add firewall rules | NoNote 14No kill switch is documented for exit nodes |
| No-logs policy | YesNote 15Strict no-logs policy stated by Proton | YesNote 16You run the server and no provider holds your logs | PartialNote 17Traffic is end-to-end encrypted between your devices; the control server keeps device metadata |
| Security | |||
| Ad, tracker and malware blocking | NoNote 18NetShield blocking needs a paid plan | NoNote 19Not included; pair it with a filtering DNS server | NoNote 20Not included |
| Parity score | 57% | 43% | 36% |
Not covered by any free alternative yet: Servers in many countries, Ad, tracker and malware blocking, Peer-to-peer file sharing allowed. See all feature gaps
Switching saves about $139 USD / $174 CAD a year. Prices checked .
Based on NordVPN Basic, annual renewal price. Price source.
Last verified . Ranking: tier first, then the published score.
Something wrong or out of date? Report outdated info.
NordVPN is a product of Nord Security, named here for comparison only. Platforms listed for NordVPN: Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android.