VPN Reviews – How do we evaluate VPNs
Whenever we search for something, we would like to get a product or service that solves our problems in the best and most affordable way.
Therefore, as software developers and testers with 25+ years of experience, we perform extensive tests and provide results, whether good or bad. We have a 100% transparent process, and you can also ask for more clarification on how we test and review software. What is more, you can also suggest additional tests.
You can see the results of our evaluations by checking the ranking of the best VPNs and choosing one to test for 30 days best VPN
We start by installing the native applications on various devices and systems. This gives us the first look at the features, ease of use, speed, and more.
Next, we connect with servers in different countries and continents, if available, to run speed tests and gather this data to determine the quality of the VPN network. We also run tests of leaking IP addresses, DNS or sharing data with third parties. Part of that test is to ensure that the kill switch, if available, works.
Moreover, we use 5 different factors to score the software. So please, let us know if you have other priorities or would like to see various aspects of the software in our reviews.
| Factor | % | Description | |
| 1 | Privacy | 35% | No-logs policy – jurisdiction and audit process to provide proper privacy level. |
| 2 | Security | 25% | we focus on types of protocols and potential leak protections. |
| 3 | Number of locations and servers | 10% | number of servers worldwide that you can use while traveling for the fastest network response. |
| 4 | Device compatibility | 20% | We evaluate this factor considering a number of available device-dedicated apps, operating systems, and browser add-ons. |
| 5 | Additional features | 10% | distinguishing features that are not fully comparable one-to-one with other offers on the market but are essential for users. |
We also consider user reviews, but we know that users do not always use the software correctly or use it with incorrect configurations. Therefore, sometimes those reviews might be confusing, and we decided to provide the review score to you to let you make the final assessment if that’s relevant.
We try to use the same source of information for all reviews to have a correct reference point to compare and provide a precise recommendation. Therefore, we always try to use TrustPilot, but we might use Google Play and our user reviews if there is insufficient data.
Regarding the additional features and device compatibility, we try to use information from the internet on what most customers look for and use that data for our assessment.
As for price, we understand that everybody has different needs and finances, so we let you assess that element. What is more, we know that sometimes more might not mean better. Therefore some expensive offers might have one specific functionality, for example, dedicated IP, which might be of a high value for you. Moreover, some users prefer to pay monthly instead of choosing yearly plans not to get stuck with a service that degraded with time and doesn’t fulfill their expectations anymore.
It is essential to mention that we focus on the flexibility and usability of the VPN services. We give higher scores to the services supporting VPN routers that are useful while traveling. Users can set up their hotspot connected to the public network and ensure that all their devices will always use their secure connection.