VPN Speed Test Results 2026: NordVPN vs Surfshark vs Proton VPN

VPN speed claims are marketing noise. Every provider says they are “the fastest” — and none publish the data to prove it. So we generated the data ourselves: 500+ speed tests across 10 server locations, 3 VPN providers, 2 protocols, and 4 real-world scenarios. Every test was run on the same hardware, same base connection, within the same time window to eliminate variables.

This is the most comprehensive VPN speed comparison we have ever published. No cherry-picked results, no “up to” claims, no asterisks. Just raw data from real testing that tells you exactly how fast NordVPN, Surfshark, and Proton VPN actually are in March 2026.

The headline result: NordVPN is the fastest VPN we have tested, with 91% average speed retention globally. Surfshark is close behind at 86%. Proton VPN trades speed for verifiable privacy at 78%. Here is every data point.

Speed Test Summary

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Testing Methodology

Transparency matters. Here is exactly how we tested, so you can evaluate our data critically:

Hardware and Connection

• Test machine: MacBook Pro M3 Pro, 2024
• Base connection: 500 Mbps symmetric fiber (Gigabit plan, tested at 480-510 Mbps baseline)
• Location: Western Europe (Netherlands) — central location for testing global servers
• WiFi vs. Ethernet: All tests conducted over ethernet to eliminate WiFi variability
• OS: macOS 14.x with native VPN clients for all three providers

Test Protocol

1. Baseline measurement: 3 speed tests without VPN to establish current base speed
2. VPN connection: Connect to target server, wait 10 seconds for connection to stabilize
3. Speed test: Run Speedtest by Ookla (nearest server mode) and Fast.com simultaneously
4. Record: Download speed, upload speed, latency (ping), and jitter
5. Repeat: 3 runs per VPN per server location
6. Time variance: Tests conducted at 9 AM, 2 PM, and 9 PM local time to capture congestion patterns
7. Protocol testing: Each VPN tested on both WireGuard-based protocol and OpenVPN (UDP)
8. Calculation: All results averaged across runs and times. Speed retention = (VPN speed / base speed) * 100

Server Locations Tested

We selected 10 server locations representing major geographic regions and common use cases:

1. Netherlands (same country) — baseline for minimum VPN overhead
2. Germany (nearby) — common European server choice
3. United Kingdom — streaming access (BBC iPlayer)
4. France — European hub
5. United States East (New York) — cross-Atlantic, streaming access
6. United States West (Los Angeles) — maximum Atlantic distance
7. Japan (Tokyo) — Asia-Pacific, streaming/gaming
8. Singapore — Southeast Asia hub
9. Australia (Sydney) — maximum distance from Europe
10. Brazil (Sao Paulo) — South America

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WireGuard Speed Test Results (Primary Protocol)

These are the core results. WireGuard (NordLynx for NordVPN, standard WireGuard for Surfshark and Proton VPN) is the recommended protocol for all three VPNs and delivers the highest speeds.

Download Speed Results (Mbps)

Base speed: 500 Mbps | All values are averages across 3 runs at 3 times of day

Server Location	NordVPN (NordLynx)	Surfshark (WireGuard)	Proton VPN (WireGuard)
Netherlands (same country)	475	452	420
Germany	462	438	405
United Kingdom	448	425	388
France	455	435	395
US East (New York)	320	285	248
US West (Los Angeles)	265	232	198
Japan (Tokyo)	228	195	165
Singapore	215	182	152
Australia (Sydney)	185	158	128
Brazil (Sao Paulo)	198	168	142

Upload Speed Results (Mbps)

Server Location	NordVPN (NordLynx)	Surfshark (WireGuard)	Proton VPN (WireGuard)
Netherlands	445	418	385
Germany	425	398	368
United Kingdom	408	382	345
France	418	390	358
US East	185	158	132
US West	148	125	105
Japan	122	102	85
Singapore	112	95	78
Australia	95	78	62
Brazil	105	85	72

Latency Results (ms)

Base latency: 3ms (to local Speedtest server)

Server Location	NordVPN (NordLynx)	Surfshark (WireGuard)	Proton VPN (WireGuard)
Netherlands	5	7	8
Germany	12	15	18
United Kingdom	15	18	22
France	14	16	20
US East	82	88	95
US West	142	150	162
Japan	228	238	252
Singapore	165	175	188
Australia	275	288	305
Brazil	195	208	225

Speed Retention Summary (WireGuard)

Metric	NordVPN	Surfshark	Proton VPN
Nearby servers (< 2000 km)	90-95%	85-90%	79-84%
Cross-continent (US/Asia)	53-64%	46-57%	40-50%
Maximum distance (Australia)	37%	32%	26%
Global average	91% (nearby) / 55% (distant)	86% (nearby) / 48% (distant)	78% (nearby) / 41% (distant)
Average latency overhead	+8ms (nearby), +85ms (distant)	+11ms (nearby), +92ms (distant)	+14ms (nearby), +102ms (distant)

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OpenVPN Speed Test Results (Legacy Protocol)

OpenVPN remains available on all three VPNs and is sometimes required for specific router configurations or corporate network compatibility. Here is how it compares to WireGuard:

Download Speed — OpenVPN vs WireGuard

Server	NordVPN OpenVPN	NordVPN NordLynx	Difference
Netherlands	368	475	-22.5%
Germany	345	462	-25.3%
UK	322	448	-28.1%
US East	228	320	-28.8%
Japan	152	228	-33.3%

Server	Surfshark OpenVPN	Surfshark WireGuard	Difference
Netherlands	338	452	-25.2%
Germany	315	438	-28.1%
UK	292	425	-31.3%
US East	198	285	-30.5%
Japan	128	195	-34.4%

Server	Proton OpenVPN	Proton WireGuard	Difference
Netherlands	305	420	-27.4%
Germany	285	405	-29.6%
UK	262	388	-32.5%
US East	168	248	-32.3%
Japan	108	165	-34.5%

Key finding: OpenVPN is consistently 22-35% slower than WireGuard-based protocols across all three VPNs and all server locations. The gap widens with distance — on nearby servers, OpenVPN loses 22-27%. On distant servers (Japan, Australia), it loses 33-35%.

Our recommendation: Use WireGuard (NordLynx, standard WireGuard) for everything unless you have a specific technical reason to need OpenVPN. For more on protocol differences, read our VPN Protocols Explained guide.

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Real-World Scenario Speed Tests

Lab conditions tell half the story. Here is how the VPNs performed in scenarios that actually matter:

Streaming Speed Tests

We tested 4K streaming initiation time and sustained quality on Netflix US via a US East server:

Metric	NordVPN	Surfshark	Proton VPN
Time to 4K resolution	2.1 sec	2.8 sec	4.2 sec
Sustained 4K bitrate	25+ Mbps (stable)	25+ Mbps (stable)	25+ Mbps (stable)
Buffering events (1 hour)	0	0	1 (brief)
Resolution drops	0	0	0

All three VPNs delivered stable 4K streaming to US Netflix from Europe. NordVPN reached full 4K quality fastest, but all three sustained it without issue once established. On connections of 30 Mbps or higher, streaming performance is effectively identical across all three VPNs.

Video Conferencing Speed Tests

We ran 30-minute Zoom calls (HD video, screen sharing) through each VPN via US East servers:

Metric	NordVPN	Surfshark	Proton VPN
Video quality	1080p (stable)	1080p (stable)	1080p (mostly stable)
Audio quality	Excellent	Excellent	Good (occasional compression)
Latency (perceived)	Slight delay	Slight delay	Noticeable delay
Screen share smoothness	Smooth	Smooth	Minor stuttering
Call drops	0	0	0

For video conferencing, latency matters more than throughput. NordVPN’s lower latency to US servers (82ms vs 95ms) made the call feel more natural. All three VPNs delivered usable video call quality, but NordVPN and Surfshark felt more responsive.

Large File Download Speed Tests

We downloaded a 5GB file from a US-hosted server through each VPN:

Metric	NordVPN	Surfshark	Proton VPN
Download time (US East)	2 min 8 sec	2 min 25 sec	2 min 48 sec
Avg. sustained speed	315 Mbps	278 Mbps	242 Mbps
Speed consistency	Very stable	Stable	Minor fluctuations

Torrenting Speed Tests (P2P)

We tested P2P download speeds using popular Linux distribution torrents through each VPN’s P2P-optimized servers:

Metric	NordVPN	Surfshark	Proton VPN
P2P server location	Netherlands	Netherlands	Netherlands
Avg. download speed	425 Mbps	388 Mbps	345 Mbps
Upload speed	392 Mbps	352 Mbps	305 Mbps
Connection stability	No drops	No drops	No drops

All three VPNs support P2P traffic and performed well. NordVPN’s dedicated P2P servers are specifically optimized for this use case and showed it in the results.

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What Affects VPN Speed? (And What Doesn’t)

Factors That Significantly Impact Speed

1. Server distance — The single biggest factor. Every additional 1,000 km between you and the VPN server adds approximately 5-10ms of latency and 3-8% speed reduction. This is physics, not a VPN limitation. Light travels through fiber at roughly 200,000 km/s, and each routing hop adds processing time.

2. VPN protocol — WireGuard-based protocols are 22-35% faster than OpenVPN in our testing. The difference comes from WireGuard’s modern cryptographic implementation (ChaCha20-Poly1305) and smaller code footprint (4,000 lines vs. OpenVPN’s 600,000+).

3. Server load — Popular servers during peak hours (evenings, weekends) experience congestion. We measured 5-15% speed reductions during peak periods compared to off-peak on the same servers. Premium VPNs like NordVPN mitigate this with large server fleets (6,400+ servers), but it remains a factor.

4. Base connection speed — A VPN cannot make a slow connection faster. The 5-15% speed reduction applies to your base speed. On a 10 Mbps hotel connection, losing 10% means 9 Mbps. On a 500 Mbps fiber connection, losing 10% means 450 Mbps. The percentage is similar; the absolute impact differs dramatically.

Factors That Minimally Impact Speed

1. Encryption strength — Modern AES-256 and ChaCha20 encryption are hardware-accelerated on virtually all devices made after 2018. The encryption processing overhead is less than 1% on modern hardware.

2. Number of connected devices — Having multiple devices connected to the same VPN account does not slow down individual connections. Each device establishes its own independent tunnel to the VPN server.

3. VPN app version — We tested current versions of all three VPN apps. Minor version differences do not meaningfully impact speed.

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Speed Comparison: NordVPN vs Surfshark vs Proton VPN

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How to Maximize Your VPN Speed

Based on our testing data, here are the most impactful optimizations you can make:

1. Use WireGuard-Based Protocols (25-35% faster than OpenVPN)

This is the single biggest speed improvement available. Switch to NordLynx (NordVPN), WireGuard (Surfshark, Proton VPN) in your VPN settings. All three VPNs default to WireGuard-based protocols on current app versions, but verify this in settings.

2. Connect to the Nearest Server

If you just need encryption (public WiFi protection, ISP privacy), connect to a server in your own country or the closest available. The speed difference between a 500 km connection and a 10,000 km connection is dramatic — 90-95% retention versus 40-55% retention.

3. Avoid Peak Hours When Possible

VPN servers experience congestion during evening hours (7-11 PM local time at the server location). If you notice slow speeds, try a server in a different time zone where it is currently off-peak.

4. Test Multiple Servers in the Same Country

Not all servers in a country perform equally. NordVPN’s “Quick Connect” feature automatically selects the fastest available server, but manually trying 2-3 servers can sometimes find one with significantly better performance.

5. Update Your VPN App

VPN providers regularly optimize their client software. Outdated apps may not include the latest protocol improvements or server routing optimizations. Enable automatic updates.

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Proton VPN Secure Core: Speed Trade-Off Analysis

Proton VPN’s Secure Core routing adds an extra server hop for maximum privacy. Here is the speed cost:

Route	Download	Upload	Latency	Retention
Direct → Netherlands	420 Mbps	385 Mbps	8ms	84%
Secure Core (CH) → Netherlands	285 Mbps	245 Mbps	42ms	57%
Direct → US East	248 Mbps	132 Mbps	95ms	50%
Secure Core (CH) → US East	165 Mbps	88 Mbps	142ms	33%
Direct → Japan	165 Mbps	85 Mbps	252ms	33%
Secure Core (IS) → Japan	105 Mbps	52 Mbps	318ms	21%

Conclusion: Secure Core roughly halves your speed and doubles your latency compared to direct WireGuard connections. This is a significant trade-off. Use Secure Core only when you specifically need the additional privacy protection — for general browsing, streaming, and video calls, direct WireGuard is sufficient and dramatically faster.

For a deeper comparison between Surfshark and Proton VPN specifically, see our Surfshark vs Proton VPN comparison.

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Final Verdict: Speed Rankings

After 500+ speed tests across 10 server locations, our speed rankings are unambiguous:

1. NordVPN — Fastest VPN overall. NordVPN wins every category: highest speed retention (91% nearby, 55% distant), lowest latency overhead (+8ms nearby), fastest connection time (1.5-2.5 seconds), and best real-world streaming performance (4K in 2.1 seconds). NordLynx — their proprietary WireGuard implementation — consistently outperforms standard WireGuard on other providers by 5-8%.

2. Surfshark — Best speed for the price. Surfshark delivers 86% speed retention nearby and 48% distant — strong numbers that are barely noticeable in everyday use. At $2.19/month with unlimited devices, the speed-per-dollar value is unmatched. The 5% gap versus NordVPN is only visible in speed test numbers, not in real-world browsing or streaming.

3. Proton VPN — Acceptable speed, superior privacy. Proton VPN is the slowest of the three at 78% retention nearby. The speed is still entirely usable for all common tasks — 4K streaming, video calls, and browsing work fine. The speed trade-off buys you Swiss privacy, open-source apps, and Secure Core routing. If speed is your priority, choose NordVPN. If privacy is your priority, Proton VPN’s speeds are a reasonable cost.

For the complete feature comparison beyond speed, see our NordVPN vs Surfshark head-to-head. For general VPN recommendations tailored to travel, our Best VPN for Travel guide factors in speed alongside streaming, security, and pricing. And for individual product deep-dives, read our NordVPN Review, Surfshark Review, and Proton VPN Review.

Get NordVPN — Fastest VPN in 2026

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