VPN services for 2026

I'd go with Mullvad as my number one choice for a regular VPN service, simply because they've proven how reliable they are over the years. Their zero-logs policy has been verified as legitimate, and following the Malwarebytes findings, they now undergo independent audits from time to time.

There’s been a lot of discussion about Proton over the past decade. They’ve certainly become more commercial-minded, but the VPN service remains their flagship offering for protection — without it, their promise of full protection falls flat. They’re also actively pursuing high-tier audits to back up their claims.

I'd rank Obscura as my third pick because they take the most similar approach to Mullvad. They're more commercially minded than Mullvad, but their infrastructure is reliable enough to earn them a high ranking.

Like Mullvad, AzireVPN is also funded by Malwarebytes, but it remains independent in its corporate decision-making back in Sweden. They’re the only provider that fully owns its servers, and they’re highly communicative and transparent with their customers. They also undergo infrastructure audits, making them a stable and reliable service.

I prefer I2P over Tor because Tor has faced increasing scrutiny and public backlash in recent years. I2P’s decentralized, peer-to-peer infrastructure makes it more resilient for internal communications, and its lack of exit nodes makes it significantly harder for external parties to tap into or monitor the traffic.

Tor remains the legacy of decentralized internet infrastructure for online anonymity. It has its pros and cons, but it’s still highly reliable.

Freenet is an established decentralized network that prioritizes user control and censorship resistance. Its architecture makes it difficult for malicious actors to disrupt the network, and it is designed specifically to protect the communications and data it hosts.