Comparison of VPN Services 2026: Protocols, Speed, Prices, and Bypassing Restrictions

Choosing a VPN in 2026 is more difficult than three years ago. Providers have learned to block standard OpenVPN in seconds, DPI systems have learned to recognize Wireguard by characteristic traffic patterns, and new laws restricting VPNs are appearing in dozens of countries every quarter. Meanwhile, the market is saturated: there are over 400 apps labeled "VPN" in the App Store alone. Most of them are either useless or outright data collection tools.

In this material — a specific comparison of current services based on criteria that are truly important: speed on Russian and foreign servers, support for modern protocols, logging policy, and actual ability to bypass restrictions in Russia.

What criteria to compare VPNs in 2026

Marketing promises like "military encryption" and "100% anonymity" are not criteria. Below are the real parameters to consider when choosing.

Works where VPNs are blocked

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Support for next-generation protocols

In 2024-2025, the standard became not Wireguard itself, but its modifications with obfuscation: VLESS + XTLS-Reality, Hysteria 2 and Shadowsocks 2022. They mask traffic as legitimate HTTPS and are extremely difficult to analyze by machines.

• VLESS + XTLS-Reality — the traffic is indistinguishable from a request to a real site (for example, microsoft.com). Used in xray-core and sing-box.
• Hysteria 2 — works over QUIC/UDP, providing low latency. Especially effective with high packet loss.
• OpenVPN with obfs4 — the good old OpenVPN with a transport obfuscator, still works in most regions.
• Wireguard — by itself, it is easily detected and blocked. Only as part of tunneling solutions (for example, AmneziaWG) does it remain viable.

A VPN service without support for at least one of the first two protocols in 2026 is a service with a limited lifespan in the market in Russia.

Logging policy: what can actually be verified

The phrase "we do not store logs" means nothing without an audit. Pay attention to:

• Independent audits from well-known companies (Cure53, PwC, Deloitte) — and the date of the last audit. An audit from 2021 in 2026 guarantees nothing.
• Jurisdiction: companies from the EU, USA, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand are potentially subject to requests from the Five Eyes alliance.
• Real-case checks: have there been precedents where the service provided (or did not provide) data to authorities upon court request.

Speed: how to test fairly

The speed of a VPN depends on the protocol, server load, and physical distance. An adequate test is speedtest.net or fast.com through the VPN at different times of the day. One test at 3 AM shows nothing.

Comparative table of VPN services 2026

Detailed analysis of services

NvoVPN — optimized for the Russian market

NvoVPN was initially built with Roskomnadzor's blocks in mind. Support for VLESS + XTLS-Reality was added at the end of 2024 and allows operation even under active deep packet inspection. Hysteria 2 provides a stable connection in mobile networks with high jitter.

Practical test: connecting to a server in the Netherlands via Hysteria 2 yields 85–110 Mbps with a base provider speed of 200 Mbps. Losses are around 40–45%, which is typical for obfuscation protocols. Sufficient for 4K streaming, also good for torrents. Latency to Amsterdam is 42–48 ms.

Tariffs: current prices are on the website. Supports payment by cryptocurrency.

Mullvad — maximum focus on privacy

Mullvad operates without accounts: a random number is issued upon registration, no email is needed. Cash payment through the mail is legally possible and documented in the service policy. Servers are owned by the company (not rented), which eliminates the risk of traffic leakage through third-party data center providers.

A problem for users in Russia: Wireguard is blocked at the UDP packet level in several regions, and support for Shadowsocks or VLESS is absent. The "Multihop" protocol (server chain) slightly complicates blocking but does not fundamentally change the situation. Mullvad is good for users in countries without strict censorship.

ExpressVPN — wide network, weak protocol positions

ExpressVPN uses its own Lightway protocol based on wolfSSL. It is fast and efficient but lacks the obfuscation needed to operate under DPI conditions. In practice, in 2025, users from Russia reported widespread connection issues without additional settings.

Additionally: in 2021, it was revealed that ExpressVPN is owned by Kape Technologies, which was previously linked to the distribution of unwanted software. This does not imply active data collection now, but the reputational footprint remains. The 2022 audit confirmed the absence of logs, but it is outdated.

ProtonVPN — open source and Swiss jurisdiction

Proton AG is registered in Switzerland, which is not part of the Five Eyes, Nine Eyes, and Fourteen Eyes alliances. The source code of all clients is published on GitHub and verified by auditors. The Stealth protocol is essentially OpenVPN wrapped in TLS 1.3, providing basic obfuscation.

The problem: Stealth performs worse against Russian DPI compared to VLESS/Reality. A test in March 2026 showed 60–70% successful connections without switching between servers. ProtonVPN is suitable for users who value code transparency and jurisdiction and are willing to tolerate occasional failures.

Outline (Google Jigsaw) is a standalone server as an alternative

Outline is not a VPN service in the traditional sense, but a tool for deploying your own proxy based on Shadowsocks 2022. The server can be set up on a VPS in 5–10 minutes using a Docker image. The cost of VPS in Germany or Finland is €3–6 per month on Hetzner or DigitalOcean.

Advantage: your own IP is not exposed in VPN address block lists. Shadowsocks 2022 with proper padding is extremely difficult to detect. Disadvantage: requires technical knowledge, no customer support. If the server goes down, you need to troubleshoot on your own.

What really works in Russia in 2026

Protocols that bypass blocks

According to independent tests and reports from OONI (Open Observatory of Network Interference) for the first quarter of 2026:

• VLESS + XTLS-Reality — the most resilient. It masquerades as TLS to a legitimate domain, and DPI finds no differences from regular HTTPS.
• Hysteria 2 — works on 80–90% of providers. Problems arise with some operators that block non-standard UDP traffic using pattern matching.
• Shadowsocks 2022 with obfs — works, but requires regular IP changes, as addresses periodically end up in blocklists.
• OpenVPN TCP port 443 — works with some providers that do not analyze the content of TLS traffic on port 443.

Protocols that are blocked or unstable

• OpenVPN UDP — blocked by most major providers since late 2023.
• Wireguard (standard) — identified by its characteristic handshake at the UDP level. Blocked by Rostelecom, MTS, Beeline.
• L2TP/IPSec — an outdated protocol, trivially blocked by ports 1701/500/4500.
• PPTP — do not use. It is insecure and blocked everywhere.

How much does a good VPN cost

Free VPNs monetize through user data. This is not an assumption — it is a documented business model. In 2023, a study by Top10VPN found that 77% of free VPN apps in the Google Play top request permissions incompatible with the declared function of "privacy protection." Some directly resell user traffic (HolaVPN has been selling bandwidth since 2015, which is documented).

A reasonable budget for a paid VPN is from 100 to 500 per month with annual payment. Below this range are either new players without a history or products with compromises in security.

How to test a VPN before purchasing

DNS leak test

Connect to the VPN and go to dnsleaktest.com. If your provider's DNS servers are visible in the results, the VPN does not hide DNS queries. This means that the provider can see which sites you visit, even when the VPN is on.

WebRTC leak test

Browsers can expose your real IP through WebRTC requests regardless of the VPN. Check: browserleaks.com/webrtc. If the real IP is visible, disable WebRTC in your browser settings or use an extension.

Speed test

Run speedtest.net three times at different times of the day. Stable results are more important than peak ones: a VPN that gives 200 Mbps at 3 AM and 15 Mbps at 7 PM is unacceptable for daily use.

VPN for different tasks: what to choose

For bypassing blocks in Russia

Priority is support for VLESS/Reality or Hysteria 2. NvoVPN, your own Outline server, or manual configuration of xray-core on a VPS. Mullvad and ExpressVPN are not optimal choices.

For working with foreign services (streaming, payments)

Stable IPs without blocks for Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer are important. ExpressVPN and NordVPN have historically been more active in unblocking streaming platforms. Check for updates: the lists of servers supporting specific platforms change.

For maximum anonymity

Mullvad + Tor Browser + cash payment. This is not paranoia — it’s a real toolkit for journalists and activists. For the average user, any service with a verified no-log audit is sufficient.

For corporate use

Standard consumer VPNs are not suitable. Solutions of the Zero Trust class are needed: Cloudflare Access, Tailscale, or WireGuard-based self-hosted (Netbird, Headscale). They provide granular access control and connection auditing.

Final recommendations

One VPN does not cover all tasks. A reasonable strategy for users in Russia in 2026:

1. Main tool — NvoVPN or a similar service that supports VLESS/Reality. Covers 90% of everyday tasks.
2. Backup option — a personal Outline server on VPS. Set up in an evening, costs €3–5/month. Works when the main service experiences issues.
3. Browser protection — disable WebRTC, use DNS-over-HTTPS (Cloudflare 1.1.1.1 or Quad9).

The VPN market is changing rapidly. A protocol that worked six months ago may be blocked today. Keep an eye on updates to client applications — reputable providers adapt protocols in response to new blocks within a few weeks.