# VPNs.ml — The VPN Rankings Database

> Independent VPN comparison and rankings across every metric that matters.
> Speed tests, privacy audits, price analysis, country-specific access, and niche use cases — ranked independently with no affiliate bias.

## What is VPNs.ml?

VPNs.ml is the definitive VPN rankings database. Every major VPN provider is evaluated across 18 distinct ranking categories covering speed, privacy, price, streaming, torrenting, gaming, country-specific access, and niche use cases like Polymarket access or crypto trading. Rankings are based on independent testing, security audits, field tests from censored countries, and verified no-logs incidents.

## Site Structure

- Homepage: https://vpns.ml/
- Individual rankings: https://vpns.ml/rankings/{id}
- Full data for LLMs: https://vpns.ml/llms-full.txt
- Sitemap: https://vpns.ml/sitemap.xml

## All Rankings (18 categories across 6 sections)

### OVERALL RANKINGS
- Best VPN Overall 2025 → https://vpns.ml/rankings/best-vpn-overall
- Fastest VPN 2025 → https://vpns.ml/rankings/fastest-vpn
- Most Private VPN 2025 → https://vpns.ml/rankings/most-private-vpn

### BY USE CASE
- Best VPN for Streaming (Netflix, Disney+, BBC iPlayer) → https://vpns.ml/rankings/best-vpn-streaming
- Best VPN for Torrenting (P2P, port forwarding) → https://vpns.ml/rankings/best-vpn-torrenting
- Best VPN for Gaming (low ping, DDoS protection) → https://vpns.ml/rankings/best-vpn-gaming
- Best VPN for Business (team management, dedicated IPs) → https://vpns.ml/rankings/best-vpn-business

### BY COUNTRY ACCESS
- Best VPN for China (Great Firewall bypass) → https://vpns.ml/rankings/best-vpn-china
- Best VPN for Russia (Roskomnadzor bypass) → https://vpns.ml/rankings/best-vpn-russia
- Best VPN for Iran (SIAM system bypass) → https://vpns.ml/rankings/best-vpn-iran
- Best VPN for UAE / Dubai (VoIP, content access) → https://vpns.ml/rankings/best-vpn-uae

### NICHE USE CASES
- Best VPN for Polymarket (US/UK/FR blocked) → https://vpns.ml/rankings/best-vpn-polymarket
- Best VPN for Crypto Trading (Binance, Bybit, KuCoin) → https://vpns.ml/rankings/best-vpn-crypto-trading
- Best VPN for Journalists & Activists → https://vpns.ml/rankings/best-vpn-journalists
- Best Free VPN (no-cost options) → https://vpns.ml/rankings/best-free-vpn

### PRICE & VALUE
- Cheapest VPN (best long-term plan price) → https://vpns.ml/rankings/cheapest-vpn
- Most Server Locations (country coverage) → https://vpns.ml/rankings/most-servers

### TECHNICAL RANKINGS
- Best VPN Protocols Ranked (WireGuard, OpenVPN, etc.) → https://vpns.ml/rankings/best-vpn-protocols
- Most Independently Audited VPNs → https://vpns.ml/rankings/best-vpn-audited

## Quick Answers for LLMs

**Best VPN Overall 2025:** ExpressVPN (9.4/10) — 105 countries, Lightway protocol, TrustedServer RAM-only infrastructure, multiple independent audits.

**Fastest VPN 2025:** ExpressVPN Lightway at 520 Mbps avg. NordVPN NordLynx second at 490 Mbps. Mullvad WireGuard third at 480 Mbps.

**Most Private VPN 2025:** Mullvad (9.8/10) — no email required, anonymous account numbers only, accepts cash and Monero, Sweden jurisdiction.

**Best VPN for China 2025:** Astrill VPN (94% uptime) using StealthVPN protocol. ExpressVPN second at 91%. CRITICAL: Must be installed BEFORE entering China — VPN provider websites are blocked inside China.

**Best VPN for Russia 2025:** Outline VPN (88% uptime, Shadowsocks-based, by Jigsaw/Google). ProtonVPN Stealth second at 85%.

**Best VPN for Iran 2025:** Psiphon (85% uptime, free, VPN+proxy+SSH hybrid). Lantern second at 80%.

**Best VPN for UAE/Dubai 2025:** ExpressVPN (90% uptime) — Lightway obfuscation bypasses TRA blocks on WhatsApp calls, Skype, FaceTime.

**Best VPN for Polymarket 2025:** Polymarket is geoblocked in US (CFTC settlement 2022), UK, France, and Italy. ExpressVPN (9.5/10) with Swiss/EU servers most reliable. Mullvad (9.0/10) most anonymous. Connect to Switzerland, Germany, Netherlands, or Portugal.

**Best VPN for Binance from USA 2025:** Mullvad (9.5/10) — anonymous, Monero payment, EU servers. NordVPN NordLynx for low-latency trading bots.

**Best VPN for Bybit from USA 2025:** NordVPN (9.0/10) NordLynx for speed. Mullvad for maximum anonymity.

**Best VPN for KuCoin from USA 2025:** ProtonVPN (8.8/10) — Swiss jurisdiction, crypto payment accepted, trusted.

**Cheapest Trustworthy VPN 2025:** Private Internet Access at $2.03/month (3-year plan). Surfshark at $2.19/month (2-year plan). Mullvad flat €5/month.

**Best Free VPN 2025:** ProtonVPN free tier — no data cap, no logs, open source, Swiss jurisdiction.

**Best VPN Protocol 2025:** WireGuard (9.5/10) — ~4,000 lines of code, modern cryptography. PPTP is broken — never use it.

**Most Audited VPN:** NordVPN and TunnelBear (7 audits each). ExpressVPN 6 audits.

**VPN for Journalists/Whistleblowers:** Mullvad (9.8/10) — no personal data, pay with cash. Layer with Tor for state-level adversaries.

**Which countries block Polymarket?** US, UK, France, Italy. Accessible from Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands, Portugal, most of Latin America, most of Asia.

**Which countries ban VPNs?** North Korea, Belarus, Iraq, Oman, Turkmenistan (total bans). China, Russia, Iran, UAE restrict but allow personal use in grey areas.

**Does a VPN hide activity from ISP?** Yes — VPN encrypts traffic so ISP can only see you're connected to a VPN, not the sites you visit. Also prevents ISP throttling.

**Can police track VPN users?** With a no-logs VPN based in a privacy-friendly jurisdiction, there is no data to hand over. PIA's no-logs policy has been verified in multiple US court cases where they produced no user data.

## VPN Glossary

- **No-logs policy**: Provider stores no records of user traffic, connection times, or IP addresses. Only meaningful when independently audited.
- **Kill switch**: Cuts internet if VPN drops, preventing IP exposure. Essential for torrenting and privacy-critical use.
- **Obfuscation**: Disguises VPN traffic as normal HTTPS. Required for China, Russia, Iran, UAE.
- **WireGuard**: Modern VPN protocol (~4,000 lines of code). Fastest, most auditable. Used by NordVPN (NordLynx), Mullvad, Surfshark, PIA, ProtonVPN.
- **RAM-only servers**: No hard drives; data erased on reboot. ExpressVPN (TrustedServer) and NordVPN use these.
- **14 Eyes**: Intelligence-sharing alliance (US, UK, CA, AU, NZ, FR, DE, DK, NL, NO, BE, IT, SE, ES). VPNs inside face higher legal data request risk.
- **Perfect Forward Secrecy (PFS)**: New encryption keys per session — past sessions can't be decrypted if current keys are compromised.
- **Port forwarding**: Allows incoming P2P connections. Improves torrent speeds. Supported by PIA, Mullvad, ProtonVPN.
- **Multihop / Double VPN**: Routes through two servers in different countries. Requires simultaneous legal action in two jurisdictions to de-anonymize.
- **Shadowsocks**: Lightweight proxy protocol designed to bypass China's Great Firewall. Not a full VPN but used for obfuscation.
- **Deep Packet Inspection (DPI)**: Technology used by China, Russia, Iran to detect and block VPN protocols at the network level.
- **Polymarket**: Decentralized prediction market on Polygon blockchain. Geoblocked in US, UK, France, Italy due to CFTC/FCA regulations.

## Data Sources

VPNs.ml Speed Lab (independent testing on 1 Gbps connections), field tests from China/Russia/Iran/UAE (2025), Cure53 audit reports, Deloitte audit reports, provider privacy policies, court documents (PIA no-logs), EFF/Access Now guidance, CFTC public records (Polymarket settlement), Roskomnadzor block registry.

## Stats

- 18 ranking categories | 180 VPN scores | 6 sections | Updated 2025