Most VPN reviews are ads. This is the checklist we would use ourselves — five things that actually matter and three that don't.
1. What the service can log
A VPN provider technically sits between you and the internet, so the only meaningful question is: what does it store? Look for services that don't require an email or phone number to sign up. If an account is just an anonymous ID, there is simply nothing to leak.
2. Protocol and speed
In 2026 the practical choice is WireGuard-family protocols: they reconnect instantly when you switch networks and don't drain the battery. If a service still defaults to OpenVPN over TCP, expect slowdowns on mobile.
3. Honest pricing
Watch for two traps:
- Annual lock-in. A "$2/month" price that is actually a $60 upfront payment.
- Auto-renewal at full price. The classic first-year discount trick.
Fair services let you pay per day or per month and stop whenever you want. A trial that doesn't ask for a card is a good sign.
4. What happens when the connection drops
A kill switch is table stakes. Better services also let you choose per-app or per-site routing, so your bank app can bypass the tunnel while the rest of your traffic stays protected.
5. Where the company lives
Jurisdiction matters less than marketing claims suggest, but transparency does: a service that publishes what it can and cannot see is ahead of 90% of the market.
What doesn't matter
- "Military-grade encryption" — every VPN uses the same ciphers.
- Thousands of servers — you will use two or three locations.
- "No logs — trust us" without any technical detail.
The short version
Pick a VPN that: needs no personal data, runs a modern protocol, charges per day without lock-in, and gives you a free trial to verify the speed yourself.