VPN advice with no hidden agenda.
Choosing a VPN shouldn't mean wading through fake rankings and paid placements. We buy every service ourselves, test them all the same way, and rank them on what they actually do — not on who pays us the most.
Why we exist
The VPN industry has a trust problem. A huge share of the ‘best VPN’ lists online are ordered by commission, not performance — the provider paying the highest affiliate rate quietly lands at number one. We started VPN Runner in 2021 because we were tired of it, and because picking a tool that protects your privacy and your money deserves better than that.
Our model is simple: we pay for our own subscriptions, run every service through the same tests, and rank them on the results. When a VPN is genuinely the best for streaming or privacy, it earns the top spot. When it slips, it loses it. No exceptions, and no shortcuts.
How we make money — and why it doesn't bend our rankings
VPN Runner is free to read because it’s reader-supported. When you buy a VPN through a link on our site, we may earn a commission — at no extra cost to you. That’s how we fund the lab, the subscriptions and the time it takes to test properly.
Here’s the part most sites won’t put in writing: that commission never touches a score or a ranking. We test before we know what anyone pays, the rankings come straight from the rubric, and no provider can buy a review, a placement, or a kinder verdict.
- We buy and pay for every subscription we test — no free press accounts.
- Commissions never change a score, a ranking, or a verdict.
- No provider can pay for placement, a review, or a higher position.
- If our #1 stops performing, it loses the spot — commission or not.
Rankings you can actually trust
Every VPN is scored on the same 60-point rubric: real measured download speed across 12 regions, unblocking success on 9 streaming platforms, leak and audit history, app quality, and price. We buy our own subscriptions. Affiliate commissions never change a ranking.
See our full methodologyWhat we score
Every VPN runs through the same 60-point rubric. Here's what counts, and how much it matters.
Real measured download and upload across 12 regions, at peak and off-peak times.
Success rate across 9 streaming platforms, including Netflix, Disney+ and Max.
No-logs audit history, jurisdiction, encryption, and DNS/IPv6/WebRTC leak tests.
App quality on every platform, kill switch reliability, and day-to-day ease of use.
Real long-term cost versus what you actually get for it.
What we stand for
No paid placements, ever. Rankings are earned through testing, never bought.
We buy and use every VPN, then run identical real-world tests on each one.
We're open about how we test, how we're funded, and exactly who we are.
VPNs change constantly, so we re-test and update our rankings year-round.
How a review actually happens
The same five steps for every service we cover — no press kits, no shortcuts.
We buy every plan with our own money, like any other customer.
Same speed servers, the same 9 platforms, the same leak and audit checks.
60 points across speed, unblocking, privacy, apps and value.
Plain-English verdicts, with the trade-offs spelled out honestly.
We recheck throughout the year and move rankings when the results change.
Who's behind VPN Runner
Real people who buy, test and use these VPNs — not an anonymous affiliate farm. You can reach us, and we stand behind every ranking.
Niclas spent more than a decade in IT and networking before starting VPN Runner in 2021, tired of "best VPN" lists that ranked whoever paid the most. He sets our testing standards and still personally runs the speed and unblocking tests on every major release.
Alexa runs the testing lab day to day, measuring real-world speeds across regions and checking unblocking on every major streaming platform. With a background in software QA, she catches the leaks and the gap between marketing and reality.
Get in touch
Spotted something we got wrong, or want us to put a service to the test? We read everything.
hello@vpnrunner.com