VPN Speed Test (2025): How to Measure & Improve Your VPN Performance

Quick Answer

What Is a VPN Speed Test?

A VPN speed test is a set of measurements that shows how your internet connection behaves when routed through a VPN tunnel. It reveals how much bandwidth and latency overhead the VPN adds and whether the service is fast enough for your use cases: 4K streaming, cloud gaming, large downloads, or remote work.

Unlike casual “one-click” tests, a proper VPN speed test compares multiple scenarios and looks at more than raw download speed. For example, two VPNs with similar Mbps can feel completely different if one has unstable latency or heavy jitter during peak hours. If you want a deeper technical overview before testing, check our introduction to how VPNs work and what actually happens to your traffic inside the tunnel.

Core metrics you should care about

• Download speed: determines how quickly you can stream video, load websites, and download files.
• Upload speed: important for video calls, cloud backups, and sending large files.
• Latency (ping): the time it takes for a packet to travel to the server and back. Critical for gaming and VoIP.
• Jitter: variation in latency; high jitter causes robotic audio and inconsistent gameplay.

Best Tools for VPN Speed Testing

You do not need enterprise lab equipment to test VPN speed. A browser and a few carefully chosen tools are enough. Here are the ones we use most often when reviewing VPN services for SmartAdvisorOnline:

Pick one tool and stick to it for the whole session. Mixing different testers in the same comparison can introduce more noise than insight because each platform uses its own servers and methodology. For protocol-level insights during testing, it also helps to have our VPN protocols comparison open in another tab.

How to Test VPN Speed (Step-by-Step)

The process below is the exact sequence we use when benchmarking VPN providers. It takes around 10–15 minutes and dramatically increases the reliability of your results. If your connection behaves strangely even before you start, quickly run through the basic checks in our VPN troubleshooting guide and then come back to this test.

1. Measure your baseline (no VPN)

Disconnect your VPN and make sure no heavy downloads are running in the background. Open your chosen speed-test tool and run at least two or three tests. Note the average download, upload, and ping. This is your reference point for all further comparisons.

2. Connect to the closest VPN server

Open your VPN app and choose a server in your country or a nearby region. Many premium services mark these as “fastest” or “recommended.” Once connected, run the same speed-test again several times and calculate the average values.

3. Test a long-distance server

Next, connect to a server in a distant region — for example, if you are in Europe, choose the US or Asia. This scenario is relevant for unlocking foreign streaming libraries or accessing region-locked content. Again, run at least two or three tests.

4. Compare your results side by side

To make the differences easier to see, put the numbers into a small comparison table, like this:

These are sample numbers, but they reflect what we typically see with fast VPNs: a small drop on nearby servers and a stronger impact on long-distance routes.

How to Read Your VPN Speed Test Results

Once you have a table of results, it is time to interpret what they actually mean for real-world usage and whether you should keep your current provider or switch to one of the options from our best VPNs in 2025 list.

Latency and responsiveness

If your ping jumps from 10–20 ms without a VPN to 25–40 ms with a nearby VPN server, that is usually fine. However, if the number shoots above 80–100 ms on local servers, online gaming and real-time calls will start to feel sluggish.

Download speed for streaming

For HD streaming you normally need at least 5 Mbps; for 4K, most platforms recommend 20–25 Mbps. If your VPN connection stays far above these thresholds, you will not notice much difference. Problems start when your speeds fall below 10–15 Mbps — that is when buffering and resolution drops appear.

Upload speed for calls and cloud work

Remote workers who live in video-conferencing tools should pay attention to upload, not just download. VPNs that cut your upload in half can make calls unstable and screen-sharing painful, even when download still looks acceptable.

Why VPNs Can Slow Down Your Internet

Any VPN adds some overhead: your traffic is encrypted, wrapped in an extra packet, and routed through a remote server. The key question is how much overhead is acceptable. With modern protocols and powerful infrastructure the impact can be surprisingly small, but there are several common bottlenecks.

1. Physical distance to the server

The farther your data has to travel, the higher the latency. A user in Germany connecting to a server in the US will always experience higher ping than connecting to a server in Frankfurt, even with the best VPN on the market.

2. Server load and congestion

Shared VPN servers have a finite amount of bandwidth. When hundreds of users pile onto the same node during peak hours, everyone’s speeds drop. Premium services mitigate this with high-capacity servers and smart load balancing, but overcrowded nodes still happen.

3. Encryption and protocol overhead

Strong encryption is non-negotiable for privacy, yet some implementations are heavier than others. Legacy protocols and inefficient cipher suites require more CPU cycles and can limit throughput on older hardware or routers.

4. Local network and Wi-Fi issues

Sometimes the VPN is blamed for problems caused by your own network: weak Wi-Fi signal, outdated router firmware, or too many devices fighting for bandwidth. For a better picture of the basics that sit underneath all of this, take a look at our beginner-friendly overview of VPN security basics.

How to Improve VPN Speed

If your VPN feels slow, do not panic—most issues come from fixable settings. Below are the most effective improvements we use when optimizing VPN performance during reviews.

1. Switch to a closer server

Distance is the #1 factor affecting speed. Choose a server in your country or a nearby region. Many VPN apps highlight the fastest nodes automatically.

2. Change your VPN protocol

Modern protocols drastically improve speed and stability:

• NordLynx — fastest option for NordVPN.
• WireGuard — fastest for Surfshark and most competitors.
• IKEv2 — stable for mobile use.

3. Avoid overloaded servers

Choose servers marked as “Low Load.” Congested servers can cut throughput in half.

4. Reboot your router

Refreshing routing tables and clearing memory often boosts performance by 5–15%.

5. Disable heavy features

• Double VPN
• Onion-over-VPN
• Obfuscation (use only when needed)

Do VPN Protocols Affect Speed?

Yes. The VPN protocol determines how data packets are encrypted, routed, and authenticated. Newer protocols are dramatically faster thanks to lightweight cryptography and smaller codebases.

If your VPN still uses OpenVPN by default, switching to a modern protocol can instantly boost speeds by 20–40% depending on device performance.

Video Guide: VPN Speed Explained

If the player does not load, you can watch the video directly on YouTube.

FAQ

Does a VPN always reduce speed?

No. With fast VPNs and modern protocols, you usually lose only 5–15% on nearby servers.

Which VPN is fastest in 2025?

Our testing ranks NordVPN and Surfshark as the fastest services overall thanks to NordLynx and WireGuard.

Can a VPN improve my ping?

It can in some cases—especially if your ISP routes traffic inefficiently or applies throttling to certain services.

How often should I test my VPN speed?

At least once per month or after switching VPN protocols, servers, or providers so you always know what performance to expect.