When a VPN supplier claims to have a “no-logs coverage,” it implies that they received’t retailer or “log” customers’ on-line exercise and knowledge. This contains delicate info equivalent to shopping historical past, IP addresses, recordsdata downloaded and different knowledge that would probably be tied again to you.
VPNs are primarily used to safe on-line visitors and assist customers stay nameless to keep away from focused adverts, disguise their location or make sure the safety and privateness of their private knowledge.
Although many VPN suppliers might promote having a no-logs coverage, not all follow-through with their guarantees. Some suppliers don’t have impartial safety audits that verify their coverage, leaving all of it to belief. A lot worse, some VPN suppliers have been caught logging knowledge regardless of claiming not to take action.
On this article, we’ll discover VPNs that really provide help to browse anonymously and conduct third-party audits to show they don’t log consumer knowledge.
Featured Companions: Cybersecurity Software program
Nameless (No-Log) VPNs in contrast
Beneath are a number of the key options to search for in an nameless, no-log VPN. The variations between these will spotlight how every VPN can fit your wants finest on prime of offering top quality safety.
| Servers and International locations | Most Current Safety Audit | Safety Protocols | System Connections | Annual Pricing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NordVPN | 6,033 servers in 61 international locations | February 2023 by Cure53 | OpenVPN, IKEv2/IPsec, NordLyx (based mostly on WireGuard) | 6 | $5.49 monthly |
| Mullvad VPN | 641 servers from 40 international locations | August 2023 by Radically Open Safety | OpenVPN and WireGuard | 5 | $5.48 monthly |
| ExpressVPN | 3,000 servers (reported) in 105 international locations | November 2022 by Cure53 | OpenVPN and Lightway | 8 | $6.67 monthly |
| ProtonVPN | 3,097 servers in 71 international locations | April 2023 by Securitum | OpenVPN, WireGuard, Stealth (Mac) | 10 | $5.99 monthly |
| Surfshark | 3,200+ servers in 100 international locations | December 2023 Cellular App Safety Evaluation (MASA) | OpenVPN, WireGuard, IKEv2 | Limitless | $4.09 monthly |
| CyberGhost VPN | 11,529 servers in 100 international locations | September 2022 by Deloitte | OpenVPN, WireGuard, IKEv2 | 7 | $6.99 monthly (6-month plan) |
NordVPN: Greatest for all-around safety
NordVPN supplies an intensive suite of privateness and security-focused options that make it one of many prime VPNs immediately. It boasts double VPN capabilities, obfuscated servers, robust AES-256 encryption and built-in safety in opposition to malware and adverts. That is on prime of getting an intuitive utility and quick web efficiency.
For safety audits, NordVPN’s no-logs coverage was final confirmed by Deloitte in January 2023. Its structure and cellular app safety have been additionally audited and backed by Cure53 in February 2023.
Pricing
NordVPN has three tiers: Commonplace, Plus and Full. Of the three, NordVPN Plus gives the perfect stability of options and value. It contains the VPN, malware safety, knowledge breach scanning and advert blocking.
- NordVPN Plus 1-month: $13.99 monthly.
- NordVPN Plus 1-year: $5.49 monthly.
- NordVPN Plus 2-years: $4.79 monthly.
Options
- 6,033 servers in 61 international locations.
- Menace safety in opposition to malware, adverts and trackers.
- Helps as much as six simultaneous connections.
- Darkish Internet Monitor.
- Encrypted file-sharing characteristic.
Execs
- Specialised servers for safety and privateness.
- Quick and dependable VPN pace.
- Independently audited no-logs coverage.
- Intuitive desktop utility.
Cons
- No free model.
- Priced comparatively excessive.
For extra info, learn the full NordVPN overview.
Mullvad VPN: Greatest for general privateness
Privateness lovers have long-recognized Mullvad VPN for its large concentrate on anonymity and privateness—and it lives as much as the hype. Mullvad makes use of a novel and nameless account quantity system that eliminates the necessity for customers to share their private e mail to create an account.
Moreover, the VPN additionally lets customers pay for the service by way of money or bodily vouchers. This permits customers to forego the same old bank card or PayPal funds, eradicating any want handy over delicate fee info.
Its no-logs coverage has additionally been confirmed by Assured AB in June 2022, with their most up-to-date infrastructure audit by Radically Open Safety being revealed simply final August 2023.
Pricing
- Flat fee of €5 or $5.49 monthly, no matter subscription size.
Options
- Nameless consumer account numbers.
- 651 servers throughout 40 international locations.
- Break up tunneling.
- Constructed-in kill swap.
Execs
- Independently audited no-logs coverage.
- Inexpensive month-to-month subscription.
- Respectable pace and efficiency.
- Simple to make use of desktop app.
- Lets customers pay in money or vouchers.
Cons
- Small server community.
- Longer subscriptions could be costly.
- No free trial.
For extra info, learn the full Mullvad VPN overview.
ExpressVPN: Greatest for safety audits
When you’re in search of a VPN supplier that’s proven a robust dedication to third-party testing, try ExpressVPN. ExpressVPN has a complete of 16 third-party audits for his or her entire suite of merchandise, which embody their VPN desktop apps, browser extensions and cellular counterparts. This reveals us that ExpressVPN will not be afraid to check their safety claims throughout their companies. Fortuitously, these audits complement a really strong VPN service that gives a big server community, a well-designed consumer interface and quick general speeds.
ExpressVPN’s most up-to-date audit was in November 2022 by Cure53 of their Lightway protocol.
Pricing
- 1 month: $12.95 monthly.
- 6 months: $9.99 monthly.
- 1 12 months: $6.67 monthly.
Options
- RAM-only server know-how.
- Browser extension that acts as distant.
- As much as eight simultaneous gadget connections.
- Servers unfold throughout 105 international locations.
Execs
- Intuitive and well-designed app interface.
- Quick and dependable speeds.
Cons
- Not as inexpensive as different VPNs.
- No two- or three-year subscription choice.
For extra info, learn the full ExpressVPN overview.
ProtonVPN: Greatest in opposition to authorities surveillance
Customers frightened about authorities intervention or knowledge requests ought to attempt ProtonVPN. It has the distinctive benefit of being based mostly in Switzerland, a rustic with a number of the strongest privateness legal guidelines on this planet. This helps alleviate any considerations that authorities might seize consumer knowledge from the VPN for surveillance functions.
ProtonVPN can also be open-source, which implies that its code is publicly obtainable to be inspected for vulnerabilities or dangers.
When it comes to its no logs claims, Proton VPN’s no logs coverage additionally handed a safety audit in April 2023 by Securitum.
Pricing
Outdoors of getting a free model, ProtonVPN has two tiers: Plus and Limitless. Plus contains the VPN itself whereas Limitless contains Proton’s different companies equivalent to Proton Mail, Go and Drive.
- Free.
- Proton VPN Plus 1-month: $9.99 monthly.
- Proton VPN Plus 1 12 months: $5.99 monthly.
- Proton VPN Plus 2 years: $4.99 monthly.
Options
- 3,097 servers in 71 international locations.
- Has a free model.
- 10 GBps succesful servers.
- Helps as much as 10 simultaneous connections.
Execs
- Free model has no knowledge restrict.
- Independently audited no logs coverage.
- Open supply.
- Based mostly in privacy-friendly Switzerland.
Cons
- Dwell chat is simply obtainable for paid customers.
For extra info, learn the full ProtonVPN overview.
Surfshark: Greatest for these on a funds
Surfshark supplies a safe VPN answer at a really low price. Surfshark’s one-year and two-year plans are a number of the most affordably priced available in the market. You additionally get limitless gadget connections with all Surfshark plans, letting you defend a number of units at no extra price.
On the no-logs entrance, Surfshark’s no-logs coverage was confirmed by Deloitte in January 2023. Its most up-to-date audit was in December 2023, when Surfshark’s Android cellular app handed an impartial Cellular App Safety Evaluation (MASA).
Pricing
Surfshark has three tiers: Starter, One and One+. I like to recommend going for Surfshark One because it nonetheless gives decrease charges with out dropping out on options equivalent to antivirus safety, breach alerts and knowledge safety experiences that aren’t present in Starter.
- Surfshark One 1 month: $14.99 monthly.
- Surfshark One 1 12 months: $4.09 monthly.
- Surfshark One 2 years: $2.69 monthly.
Options
- 3,200+ servers in 100 international locations.
- 24/7 dwell assist and guides.
- Limitless gadget connections.
- RAM-only servers.
- Antivirus and knowledge breach monitoring.
- Multihop.
Execs
- Inexpensive pricing.
- Intuitive consumer interface.
- Quick speeds and efficiency.
- Can defend a number of units with one account.
Cons
- No free model.
- No Home windows free trial.
- Month-to-month subscription is costly.
- Some options could also be buggy firstly.
For extra info, learn the full Surfshark overview.
CyberGhost VPN: Greatest for big server and placement community
These in search of a big server community unfold throughout tons of places ought to think about CyberGhost VPN. Proper now it has 11,529 servers in 100 international locations and 126 places—permitting customers the pliability to masks their location from quite a lot of areas. CyberGhost additionally enables you to safely and anonymously entry torrenting websites by way of their optimized torrenting servers.
CyberGhost VPN has a robust no-logs coverage that was confirmed by Deloitte in September 2022. CyberGhost VPN additionally commonly publishes yearly Transparency Studies that comprise info on the variety of knowledge requests they obtain from authorized authorities and firm holders. It is a observe they’ve been doing since 2011 and is a laudable present of transparency from the VPN supplier.
Pricing
- 1 month: $12.99 monthly.
- 6 months: $6.99 monthly.
- 2 years: $2.03 monthly.
Options
- 11,529 servers in 100 international locations and 126 places.
- Specialised servers for nameless torrenting.
- Frequently revealed annual Transparency Studies.
- RAM-only servers.
- Customizable Good Guidelines panel.
- Helps as much as 7 simultaneous connections.
Execs
- 24-hour free trial with no bank card required.
- Inexpensive two-year plan.
- 45-day money-back assure.
- Independently audited no-logs coverage.
- Specialised servers for gaming and streaming.
- In depth server and placement community.
Cons
- No annual plan.
- Month-to-month plan solely has a 14-day money-back assure.
For extra info, learn the full CyberGhost VPN overview.
VPNs which have logged consumer knowledge
There are a number of VPN suppliers that publicize a no-logs coverage however have been discovered to have been logging knowledge or had privateness insurance policies that contradicted their claims. Whereas a few of these VPNs have since modified possession or applied related modifications, try to be conscious of those logging incidents.
- IPVanish VPN: In 2016, IPVanish reportedly gave consumer logs to the US Division of Homeland Safety to trace a baby pornography suspect. Whereas it initially claimed to don’t have any logs, it was finally reported that the VPN did in truth hand off knowledge to authorities.
- Hotspot Defend VPN: Again in 2017, the Middle for Democracy and Expertise accused Hotspot Defend of promoting delicate consumer knowledge collected through its free model.
- Norton Safe VPN: Whereas it has a no-logs coverage, Norton’s International Privateness Assertion reveals that it collects extra knowledge than customers would like. Some examples of such are customers’ gadget names, IP addresses, periods inside cookies and URLs, simply to call a number of.
- Speedify VPN: Speedify’s privateness coverage explicitly states that they retailer customers’ IP addresses, browser varieties and pages accessed when visiting the Speedify web site, regardless of having a no-logs coverage.
Whereas we don’t know what intentions sure VPNs have in presumably logging consumer knowledge, potentialities might embody: promoting consumer knowledge to advertising corporations and third-party advertisers or aiding authorities companies which can be members of surveillance agreements, such because the 5 Eyes or 14 Eyes alliances.
It’s important to decide on a VPN service that has an iron-clad no-logs coverage backed by robust safety features and impartial safety audits.
Methodology
Selecting the perfect nameless (no-log) VPNs for this record concerned a holistic evaluation of how every VPN protected consumer knowledge. We took a take a look at every VPN’s no-logs coverage and confirmed whether or not or not they collected any delicate consumer knowledge. We additionally took into consideration an organization’s willingness to be independently audited and the way not too long ago they have been audited. Lastly, we checked out different related VPN options, equivalent to included VPN protocols and security-focused options like RAM-only servers and pricing.
