How to choose a VPN: 6 key criteria

A VPN (Virtual Private Network) encrypts your connection and hides your real IP address behind that of a remote server. Chosen well, it protects your privacy, secures your connections on public Wi-Fi and unblocks streaming catalogs. Chosen badly, it can do the opposite: log your activity and sell it on. So the question of how to choose a VPN is not settled by a promise of “total anonymity”, but by verifiable facts. Let us walk through the 6 criteria that really count.

1. Is the no-logs policy genuinely serious?

This is criterion number one. A “no-logs” VPN commits to keeping neither your source IP address, nor your browsing history, nor your DNS queries. That is what guarantees that, if served with a legal request, the provider simply has nothing to hand over. But a marketing claim is not enough: it must be spelled out in a clear privacy policy, then proven by an independent audit (see criterion 3).

Draw a clear line between the promise and the proven result: any service can write “no-logs” on its homepage. What counts is a recent, public audit report and a technical architecture that makes logging materially impossible. The next two criteria examine exactly those guarantees.

2. Where is the VPN based?

Jurisdiction determines which laws apply to the provider, and therefore whether it can be compelled to retain or hand over data. Favor a country outside the “5/9/14 Eyes” surveillance alliances with no mandatory data-retention law. The standouts: Switzerland (Proton VPN), Panama (NordVPN), the British Virgin Islands (ExpressVPN) and Romania (CyberGhost).

3. Has the no-logs policy been audited?

A trustworthy VPN has its servers and its code checked by an external firm. That is what turns a promise into a verifiable commitment. The reference names: Deloitte, KPMG, Securitum. Better still: open-source code that any expert can inspect, today the preserve of Proton VPN, where most competitors keep their code closed.

“Trust, but verify.” A recent, public audit is worth a thousand marketing promises.

Concretely, NordVPN has had its no-logs policy audited multiple times by Deloitte, ExpressVPN by KPMG, and Proton VPN by Securitum on top of its open-source code. Always check the date of the latest audit: a report several years old does not carry the same weight as a recent verification.

4. Are the servers RAM-only?

Modern VPNs run their servers entirely in memory (RAM-only): on every reboot, all data is wiped and nothing is written to a hard drive. It therefore becomes materially impossible to seize a server full of history. ExpressVPN (TrustedServer) and NordVPN have rolled this architecture out across their entire fleet.

It is the technical extension of no-logs: the contractual promise (criterion 1) is reinforced by a physical inability to keep anything at all. A VPN that combines a favorable jurisdiction, a recent audit and RAM-only servers offers the strongest guarantees on the market.

5. What is the real price (not the teaser)?

This is the criterion where buyers get caught out most. Beware of “from” prices: they almost always mean a 2-year plan paid upfront, and the renewal is often far more expensive than the first term. Count the total cost over the real length of use, not the teaser monthly rate printed in big type.

Promotional prices recorded in July 2026, 24-month term, USD. Volatile and different from the renewal rate, re-check before subscribing.

6. Free or paid: which fits you?

For occasional, budget-conscious use, Proton VPN’s free plan (unlimited data, no ads) is the only one on the market we can genuinely recommend. Other free VPNs throttle speeds, cap data or resell browsing data: avoid them.

For streaming, raw performance, the number of connected devices or unblocking foreign catalogs, a paid subscription is a must. The rule: start with Proton’s free plan if your need is occasional, then switch to a paid subscription as soon as a specific limit (speed, streaming, devices) blocks you.

Is using a VPN legal?

In the United States, the United Kingdom and most Western countries, using a VPN is entirely legal: it is a security and privacy tool used every day by businesses and individuals alike. What remains illegal are the acts carried out online, with or without a VPN: downloading copyrighted works, for example, stays forbidden even behind an encrypted tunnel.

For torrenting (P2P), the protocol itself is legal and is used to distribute plenty of lawful files; only sharing copyrighted works is punishable. Finally, in a few highly restrictive countries (China, Russia, some Gulf states), VPN use is regulated or blocked: check the local rules before you travel, and make sure your VPN offers “stealth” or obfuscated servers and protocols suited to those regions.