I’ve Used VPNs All Over the World. Here’s What Still Works

I’ve used VPNs across Europe, Russia, Cambodia, Morocco, Colombia and several Middle Eastern countries. That doesn’t make me an international cyberwarfare commander. It does mean I’ve seen the same VPN behave completely differently depending on the country, internet provider and protocol.

In one place, you press Connect and forget the VPN is running. Somewhere else, the same app spins for thirty seconds, fails and begins recommending that you restart your router as if the router recently introduced nationwide internet censorship.

That is why most “best VPN” articles are only partly useful.

They compare server counts, monthly prices and how quickly Netflix opened from one comfortable office. Then NordVPN wins, Surfshark receives the best-value medal, ExpressVPN is called easiest to use and everybody goes home through an affiliate link.

Those conclusions aren’t necessarily wrong. NordVPN, ExpressVPN and Surfshark are all legitimate mainstream choices. Proton VPN has excellent privacy credentials. They can protect your connection on public Wi-Fi, change your visible IP address and give ordinary users a much simpler experience than renting and configuring a server.

But if you travel through countries where VPN traffic is actively detected or blocked, the famous name matters less. The protocol, obfuscation method, server IP and local provider suddenly decide whether anything works.

My basic verdict is simple:

• NordVPN is my first mainstream choice.
• ExpressVPN is the classical, straightforward alternative.
• Surfshark is affordable and useful, but more hit-and-miss in my experience.
• Proton VPN is the privacy-focused option, although recent performance complaints deserve attention.
• Amnezia with your own VPS is my preferred route when ordinary commercial VPNs stop being reliable.

A private server gives you more control and may be harder to block. It does not magically make you anonymous.

That distinction will matter throughout this article.

How we evaluated these VPNs: This guide combines my experience using VPNs across Europe, Asia, Africa, South America and the Middle East with earlier TGK team research, current product documentation, independent security assessments and recent customer reports. I personally used Surfshark and self-hosted Amnezia, but did not retest every VPN under identical conditions. Performance changes by country, network, server and protocol, so anyone promising one universal result is talking nonsense. Product details and sources were checked on August 6, 2026; the most important sources are linked where the claims appear and collected at the end.

Why trust TGK? Our team has reviewed and researched more than 100 software tools. We look beyond feature lists and introductory prices to examine what products cost after the promotion, what evidence supports their privacy claims and where they stop working.

Why trust TGK? Our team has reviewed and researched more than 100 software tools. We look beyond feature lists and introductory prices to examine what products cost after the promotion, what evidence supports their privacy claims and where they stop working.

The Quick Verdict

The finding most VPN rankings miss: The best mainstream VPN and the best option against serious blocking are not necessarily the same product. A large commercial VPN gives you convenient apps and shared infrastructure. A private Amnezia server gives you a less obvious IP address and more control over the protocol. That can improve censorship resistance, but because the server may be tied directly to your hosting account, it does not automatically improve anonymity.

If I wanted one familiar app that I could install on several devices today, I would choose NordVPN.

If the app needed to work somewhere commercial VPNs are regularly blocked, I would build a private server through Amnezia and use an obfuscated protocol.

Those are different problems. Pretending that one subscription solves both equally well is how VPN comparisons become useless.

What a VPN In Fact Does

A VPN creates an encrypted connection between your device and a VPN server.

Your internet provider can see that you are connecting to something, but it should not be able to inspect the contents of properly encrypted traffic inside the tunnel. Websites see the VPN server’s IP address instead of the IP address assigned to your home, hotel or mobile connection.

That is useful for:

• Protecting traffic on public and shared networks
• Hiding your home IP address from websites
• Accessing services while travelling
• Reducing what your internet provider can observe
• Connecting remotely to devices or private networks
• Getting around some local network restrictions

A VPN does not make you invisible.

You can still be identified through account logins, cookies, browser fingerprinting, payment information, malware and the personal information you voluntarily hand to websites. If you log in to Google, Google still knows it is you. You have simply changed the route used to reach Google.

You are also moving trust.

Without a VPN, your internet provider handles the connection. With a commercial VPN, the VPN company becomes the intermediary. With a self-hosted VPN, that role moves to the company renting you the server.

Privacy tools are full of people moving their trust from one company to another and declaring the concept of trust defeated.

Why the Same VPN Works in One Country and Fails in Another

A VPN working perfectly in Colombia tells you very little about whether it will connect through a restricted network somewhere else.

Countries and internet providers can interfere with VPNs in several ways:

• Blocking known VPN server IP addresses
• Blocking the provider’s website or app download
• Detecting recognisable VPN traffic
• Restricting particular ports or UDP traffic
• Using Deep Packet Inspection to analyse traffic patterns
• Allowing a connection but making it painfully slow or unstable

Large VPN companies have an obvious disadvantage: everybody knows their servers.

That enormous server network is useful when you want to choose from many locations. It also creates an enormous collection of IP addresses for governments, streaming services and websites to identify.

A private VPS usually has one ordinary-looking server IP that is not shared with thousands of VPN customers. Combined with traffic obfuscation, this can make the connection harder to recognise and block.

It still isn’t guaranteed. A hosting provider’s entire IP range can be blocked, and restrictions can change overnight. Welcome to the entertaining world of paying for a server that worked perfectly yesterday.

1. NordVPN: The Best Mainstream VPN for Most People

Based on TGK’s earlier research and the service’s current technical and audit record, NordVPN is my first mainstream recommendation. I did not personally retest it for this update, so this verdict should not be mistaken for a fresh speed benchmark.

It is quick to install, available across the major platforms and generally performs well without making the user understand every setting. NordLynx, its WireGuard-based protocol, is the normal choice for speed. NordVPN also offers NordWhisper for restrictive networks where ordinary VPN connections may be detected or blocked. NordVPN explains the current protocol choices here.

What I Like About NordVPN

NordVPN’s strength is the lack of one glaring mainstream weakness. Its apps cover the major platforms, NordLynx handles ordinary high-speed connections, and NordWhisper gives users another route when standard VPN traffic is filtered.

Connections are usually fast, the applications are polished and features such as Threat Protection can block some malicious domains, trackers and intrusive advertising. Meshnet is more specialised but genuinely interesting: it can connect your own devices through an encrypted private network for remote access, file sharing or traffic routing.

The service also accepts numerous payment methods, including cryptocurrency, and has undergone repeated external examination of its no-logs claims.

NordVPN had a legitimate server incident involving a Finnish data centre in 2018 and deserved criticism for how slowly the incident became public. NordVPN says it learned of the breach in April 2019; the company disclosed it publicly in October 2019 after auditing its infrastructure. No user credentials or activity logs were found to have been exposed. NordVPN’s incident report explains the timeline here.

A lot of people see NordVPN’s aggressive marketing and immediately decide that the service must be unsafe.

Come on.

Annoying YouTube sponsorships are not evidence of a security problem. NordVPN had a legitimate server incident involving a Finnish data centre in 2018 and deserved criticism for how slowly it disclosed the event. That history should be mentioned. It does not justify repeating “NordVPN is a scam” eight years later without newer evidence.

Where NordVPN Is Weaker

NordVPN’s city selection can be limited in smaller countries. You may be able to choose the country but not the precise city or region.

The interface also keeps accumulating security features. Some are valuable; others make a simple VPN app feel as if it would like to become your antivirus, network manager and protective uncle.

Pricing deserves attention too. The long introductory plans are usually much more attractive than monthly access, and renewal prices can be significantly higher. Always check what the subscription renews at instead of admiring the large crossed-out number.

NordVPN Pros and Cons

NordVPN Verdict

NordVPN is the easiest recommendation in this article.

It isn’t automatically the fastest VPN on every network in the world, because no service is. It is the mainstream option I would trust first when somebody wants good performance, credible privacy practices and an application that doesn’t require renting a server.

2. ExpressVPN: The Classical Choice

ExpressVPN is the VPN people often choose when they don’t want to think about VPNs.

The applications are simple, the branding is familiar and its Lightway protocol is designed to establish connections quickly and remain stable when a device changes networks. ExpressVPN has also made Lightway open source and continues developing its newer Rust implementation. See the official Lightway documentation.

That simplicity is the attraction.

My own account-creation experience felt strangely awkward, although I can’t confidently say whether the problem came from ExpressVPN, the payment route or the network I was using. I wouldn’t turn one confusing registration into a universal accusation.

Once installed, ExpressVPN normally feels less cluttered than NordVPN. Pick a country, connect and continue with your life.

What ExpressVPN Does Well

Lightway is fast and suited to phones or laptops moving between Wi-Fi and mobile networks. ExpressVPN also supports WireGuard on its major apps and provides OpenVPN where broader compatibility matters.

Its interface is one of the most accessible for people who don’t care what those words mean. That matters more than enthusiasts admit. The most technically impressive VPN is useless if a normal person disables it because the app is irritating.

ExpressVPN also has a long record in the industry and has commissioned external security and privacy assessments.

What I Don’t Like

ExpressVPN has traditionally been one of the more expensive mainstream choices. Its newer plan structure offers more flexibility, but I would still compare the final renewal cost with NordVPN and Surfshark before paying.

The service also deserves a warning about promotions. ExpressVPN normally advertises a 30-day refund period for eligible first-time purchases, but its current pricing page says subscriptions bought during the July 11–August 11, 2026 promotional period are excluded from that guarantee. That is exactly why “30-day money-back guarantee” should never be pasted into a review and forgotten. Check the terms shown at checkout. ExpressVPN’s current pricing page explains the promotional exclusion.

I also don’t think ExpressVPN gives advanced users a dramatic reason to choose it above every alternative. The product is good because it removes friction, not because it gives you the most controls.

ExpressVPN Pros and Cons

ExpressVPN Verdict

ExpressVPN remains the classical choice for somebody who wants a clean interface and minimal configuration.

I would rank it slightly behind NordVPN because Nord currently gives me more reasons to choose it. ExpressVPN can still be the better option for someone who values simplicity above feature count.

3. Surfshark: Good Value, More Hit-and-Miss

Surfshark is easy to recommend on paper.

It supports unlimited device connections, includes plenty of features and normally offers aggressive long-term pricing. That makes it attractive for families or people with several phones, laptops, televisions and tablets.

My real experience was less convincing.

I paid for Surfshark while in Russia and couldn’t get it working properly. Perhaps another protocol or configuration would have solved the problem, so I won’t claim Surfshark universally fails there. I can say it failed when I needed it, which is rather important for a VPN.

The positive part was the refund. I requested my money back and received it quickly without a ridiculous argument.

What Surfshark Does Well

Surfshark offers WireGuard, OpenVPN and obfuscation options, along with features including split tunnelling, rotating IP addresses, ad and tracker blocking and MultiHop connections.

It also allows unlimited simultaneous device connections under one account. NordVPN and ExpressVPN support plenty of devices for a normal household, but unlimited still removes the need to count every forgotten tablet.

Surfshark therefore makes sense when budget and device quantity are the main concerns.

Why I’m More Careful Recommending It

My failed connection is only one experience, but recent customer discussions add reasons to test Surfshark before committing.

One customer reported that a dedicated IP connection reset every day and required a new WireGuard private key. The user wrote that support “respond like bots” and ignored information already provided. That is a detailed individual complaint, not proof that every Surfshark customer receives terrible support. It is still more useful than a review saying support was “friendly and helpful” after asking one easy question. Read the full Surfshark customer report.

Surfshark advertises a 30-day refund period for qualifying first purchases made through eligible channels. Renewals and certain add-ons, including some dedicated-IP purchases, are excluded, so read the conditions before treating it as a free trial. Surfshark’s refund policy lists the current exceptions.

Surfshark Pros and Cons

Surfshark Verdict

Surfshark is not a bad VPN. I would simply test it properly during the eligible refund period before building my entire travel setup around it.

For a large household in a normal network environment, it can offer excellent value. For a country aggressively blocking VPN traffic, I would want a backup ready.

4. Proton VPN: Excellent Privacy, Mixed Recent Performance Reports

Proton VPN has a very different reputation from the heavily marketed VPN crowd.

It is operated by the company behind Proton Mail, publishes open-source applications and offers a free plan without the suspicious data limits and advertising found in many random free VPN apps. Proton also completed its fifth consecutive annual external assessment of its no-logs policy. Proton explains the latest audit here.

If privacy philosophy and company transparency are your main priorities, Proton deserves to be near the top of the shortlist.

So why is it fourth here?

Performance.

The Recent Complaints

A recent discussion among Proton VPN users included reports of websites loading slowly, unstable connections and gaming latency increasing from below 150ms to 250–300ms. The original complaint focused mainly on Australian and New Zealand servers.

Several people reported similar deterioration. Others in the same discussion said Proton continued working normally or delivered hundreds of megabits per second.

That mixed response matters. It suggests a regional, server-specific or configuration problem—not proof that the entire service has suddenly collapsed worldwide. The full Proton VPN user discussion is available here.

I wouldn’t write “Proton VPN has gone awful” based on one thread. I also wouldn’t hide a cluster of current complaints because Proton has a respectable privacy reputation.

Good principles do not make a 300ms connection feel faster.

Proton VPN Pros and Cons

Proton VPN Verdict

Proton VPN is the fifth option I would include because it offers something meaningfully different: a privacy-first company and a legitimate free entry point.

I would happily test it, particularly for ordinary browsing and privacy. For competitive gaming or latency-sensitive work, I would verify performance on the exact regional servers I intended to use before buying a long plan.

5. Amnezia and a Private VPS: The Best Option When Normal VPNs Stop Working

Amnezia is not simply another company selling access to a giant shared server network.

Its self-hosted version installs VPN software on a virtual private server that you rent. The Amnezia application handles much of the configuration, so you don’t need to build the entire thing manually through a terminal.

You choose a VPS provider and location, enter the server credentials into Amnezia and let the app install the VPN protocols. Amnezia provides a step-by-step self-hosted installation guide.

For me, this is the more serious option when normal commercial VPNs become unreliable.

Why a Private Server Can Work Better

Commercial VPN IP addresses are shared by many users and widely recognised. Your private server has an IP address used only by you and the people you trust.

That makes basic IP blocking more difficult. The server resembles an ordinary hosted machine rather than an obvious endpoint used by thousands of VPN customers.

Amnezia also supports AmneziaWG, a modified WireGuard-style protocol designed to make VPN traffic harder for Deep Packet Inspection systems to identify. AmneziaWG 2.0 can disguise traffic as common protocols such as QUIC or DNS. Amnezia documents how the current protocol handles traffic masking.

The software additionally supports WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2/IPsec, XRay VLESS Reality and OpenVPN combined with Cloak or Shadowsocks. You do not need all of them. The value is having alternatives when one protocol stops connecting.

Why Self-Hosted Does Not Mean Anonymous

A self-hosted VPN gives you control. It does not automatically give you greater anonymity.

With NordVPN, your traffic may exit through an address shared with many other customers. The provider knows you have an account, but the shared infrastructure can make individual traffic harder to separate.

With a private VPS, the dedicated server IP may be directly associated with your hosting account, email and payment method. If you are its only user, traffic leaving that server has a fairly short list of possible owners.

You are also trusting the hosting company instead of the commercial VPN provider.

For avoiding blocks and protecting a connection, that may be a perfectly acceptable trade. For hiding your identity from a powerful adversary, renting one server with your personal card and using it alone is not an invisibility cloak.

Amnezia Pros and Cons

Amnezia Verdict

Amnezia Self-hosted is the option I would choose for serious restrictions, provided I was comfortable maintaining a server.

It gives you flexibility that a normal subscription cannot. When one protocol is blocked, you can change it. When one server IP dies, you can rent another. When something breaks, however, there is no enormous consumer VPN company quietly fixing everything behind the Connect button.

You become your own tiny VPN provider. Congratulations on the promotion.

VPN Protocols Explained Without the Engineering Lecture

The protocol determines how your device creates and maintains the encrypted connection.

WireGuard

WireGuard is modern, fast and efficient. It is normally the first protocol to try for ordinary speed, streaming and gaming.

NordLynx is based on WireGuard. Surfshark and Proton VPN also support it.

Its recognisable traffic can be detected on networks specifically trying to block VPNs, which is why modified or obfuscated versions exist.

OpenVPN

OpenVPN is older, widely supported and highly configurable.

It can use UDP for better speed or TCP for situations where reliability matters more. Running OpenVPN through TCP port 443 may make the traffic resemble normal HTTPS more closely, although sophisticated filtering can still identify it.

OpenVPN remains useful as a fallback. It is rarely my first choice when WireGuard works.

IKEv2/IPsec

IKEv2 is particularly good at reconnecting when a phone switches between mobile data and Wi-Fi.

It is fast and stable, but may be easier to block because it commonly uses predictable ports.

Proprietary and Obfuscated Protocols

NordWhisper, Lightway and AmneziaWG exist because standard protocols do not solve every network problem.

Lightway focuses on fast, reliable everyday connections. NordWhisper is intended for restrictive networks. AmneziaWG modifies traffic characteristics to make WireGuard-style connections harder to recognise.

The names sound like abilities from a slightly disappointing superhero franchise, but the differences become important when the Connect button stops working.

Why Are Some VPNs More Expensive?

A higher price can pay for more servers, faster infrastructure, independent audits, application development, support staff and specialised features.

It can also pay for football sponsorships, podcast advertisements and a concerning number of YouTubers reading the same sentence about hackers.

Price alone tells you very little.

Look at:

• The renewal price, not only the introductory offer
• Number of supported devices
• Available server locations
• Independent security and no-logs assessments
• Protocols and obfuscation
• Refund exclusions
• Support quality when the problem is genuinely technical
• Whether you need the additional antivirus and identity products

A cheap three-year plan is poor value if the VPN doesn’t connect from the country where you need it. An expensive monthly plan is equally wasteful when a simple WireGuard server would solve the problem for a few euros.

How to Test a VPN Properly

Do not test a VPN by connecting once from home and opening Google.

Test it on the device, provider and network where you will actually use it.

First, measure your normal download speed, upload speed and latency without the VPN. Then connect to the nearest appropriate server and repeat the test several times.

After that, try the things you genuinely do:

• Open frequently used websites
• Stream video for longer than one minute
• Join a video call
• Play a latency-sensitive game
• Put the phone to sleep and reconnect
• Switch between Wi-Fi and mobile data
• Confirm the kill switch works
• Check for DNS and IP leaks
• Try a second protocol
• Contact support with one real technical question

Record which server and protocol you used. “Surfshark was slow” is not useful testing. “The WireGuard connection to a nearby server doubled latency on this provider, while OpenVPN connected but lost 70% of download speed” tells you something.

I did not run every VPN through identical laboratory speed tests across every country, and I’m not pretending otherwise. My recommendations are based on real use, current technical information and customer evidence. Exact speeds will change far faster than the verdict.

Can You Trust VPN Reviews With Affiliate Links?

Affiliate links do not automatically make a review dishonest.

Running an editorial site costs money, and recommending a product can reasonably earn a commission. The problem begins when the commission secretly chooses the verdict.

If every VPN receives 9.4 out of 10 and the only criticism is “the monthly plan could be cheaper,” you are reading advertisements arranged into a comparison table.

A useful VPN review should explain:

• Where and how the service was tested
• Which problems actually occurred
• What evidence supports privacy claims
• Whether customer complaints repeat a credible pattern
• Who should not buy the product
• How the affiliate relationship works

TGK’s affiliate disclosure already explains that the site may earn money from qualifying links. Keep an article-specific disclosure near the first recommendation too.

Suggested disclosure:

Affiliate disclosure: Some links in this article may be affiliate links, meaning These Guys Know can earn a commission if you subscribe. This does not change the price you pay or the verdict. The recommendations are based on personal experience, current technical documentation, independent assessments and customer reports.

A VPN Is Only One Part of Privacy

A VPN cannot repair terrible privacy decisions elsewhere.

It doesn’t stop a questionable application from collecting everything you upload. It doesn’t make an unsafe password strong. It doesn’t remove tracking cookies after you log into the same accounts. It doesn’t protect a device already infected with malware.

The same principle applies to any company handling sensitive information: inspect what it stores, how deletion works and who receives the data. We covered that problem more deeply in Are Adult AI Apps Safe? Privacy, Pricing and Red Flags.

A VPN protects the route. It cannot guarantee that the destination deserves your trust.

Which VPN Should You Choose?

Choose NordVPN if you want the strongest mainstream all-rounder and don’t want to configure anything.

Choose ExpressVPN if you prioritise a simple interface and reliable everyday travel use.

Choose Surfshark if you want unlimited devices and aggressive long-term pricing, but test it on the network where you need it.

Choose Proton VPN if privacy transparency and a trustworthy free plan matter most, while keeping an eye on regional performance.

Choose Amnezia with a private VPS if you regularly deal with serious VPN blocking and are comfortable taking responsibility for the server.

I would also keep two options available while travelling somewhere restrictive. One commercial VPN plus one private server is safer than assuming a single app will remain functional after the local network changes its filtering rules.

Download the applications and configuration files before arriving. Discovering that the VPN website itself is blocked after landing is an exceptionally avoidable type of comedy.

The TGK Verdict

Mainstream VPNs are not useless merely because every YouTuber has advertised one.

NordVPN, ExpressVPN, Surfshark and Proton VPN can all provide a quick, encrypted connection without requiring you to know anything about servers. For ordinary travelling, public Wi-Fi and changing your visible location, that convenience is valuable.

My ranking starts with NordVPN. ExpressVPN comes second as the classical simple choice. Surfshark offers strong value but was more hit-and-miss for me. Proton VPN has the most convincing privacy-first identity, although recent performance complaints prevent me from pretending it is flawless.

When restrictions become serious, I would stop arguing over which famous VPN has the prettiest map.

Rent a server, install Amnezia, choose an appropriate obfuscated protocol and keep a backup.

The best VPN is not whichever company bought the most podcast advertisements. It is the one that connects from the network where you are actually standing.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best VPN in 2026?

NordVPN is my best mainstream choice for most people. It combines strong performance, polished applications, useful features and repeatedly assessed no-logs practices.

For restricted networks, a self-hosted Amnezia server may work better than any mass-market subscription.

Is NordVPN safe?

NordVPN has a strong current security record and has completed six independent no-logs assessments. It experienced a server-security incident in 2018 and was criticised for slow disclosure, but there is no serious basis for calling the current service unsafe merely because it advertises aggressively.

Is Surfshark worth buying?

Surfshark can be excellent value, particularly for households using many devices. It failed to work properly during my own use in Russia, although the refund process was fast. Test it before committing to a long subscription.

Is Proton VPN good?

Yes. Proton VPN has open-source applications, external no-logs assessments and one of the most credible free plans available. Recent customer reports describe slow or unstable performance on some servers, so latency-sensitive users should test their region.

Is a self-hosted VPN more private?

Not automatically. A self-hosted VPN gives you more control and can be harder to block, but its dedicated IP may be directly connected to your hosting account.

It is often better for censorship resistance. That is not the same as being better for anonymity.

Is using a VPN legal?

VPNs are legal in many countries, but rules and enforcement differ. Some governments restrict particular providers, require registration or prohibit using a VPN for specific activities.

Check the current local rules before travelling. A VPN does not make an otherwise illegal activity legal.

Will a VPN make my internet faster?

Usually not. Encryption and routing traffic through another server add overhead.

A VPN can occasionally improve performance if an internet provider is throttling particular traffic or routing it badly, but that is the exception rather than the promise.

Should I use a free VPN?

Avoid random free VPN apps with unclear owners, intrusive advertising or vague data practices.

Proton VPN’s free plan is the strongest familiar option here because it comes from an established provider, has no general data cap and uses the same privacy foundation as its paid service. Free users receive fewer locations and features.