An Important Update to How I Rank VPNs
After years of testing and reviewing VPNs, I've made some significant changes to my ranking methodology that have dramatically shifted the tier list. These aren't changes I've made lightly – they come from extensive experience in the industry and a growing concern about the integrity of VPN reviews across the internet.
Let me walk you through the two major changes and why they matter for anyone trying to find honest, unbiased VPN recommendations.
Why Am I Making a Big Deal About This Now?
You might wonder why I'm suddenly so concerned about review integrity. Well, several YouTube channels have exploded in popularity recently, significantly overshadowing my own work while making claims I don't believe are true.
These channels claim to offer "honest reviews" and some have even copied my tier list concept. But here's what concerns me:
- Voice actors and replaceable hosts - Many use hired talent rather than actual reviewers who test the products
- Shadowy ownership - Several major channels have unclear ownership that I suspect ties back to VPN companies
- Suspicious metrics - View counts and engagement that seem artificially boosted
- Identical recommendations - They all seem to promote the same VPNs in the same order
When channels with millions of views are potentially being funded by the very companies they're reviewing, it drowns out genuinely independent voices. This is why I'm taking a stand now.
The Financial Conflict of Interest Problem
The most significant change I've implemented is adding a new penalty for VPNs that have financial ties to VPN review platforms. This might seem harsh, but here's why it's absolutely necessary:
VPN review platforms should never have investments from VPN company founders or anyone financially involved with VPN services. This fundamentally jeopardizes the objectivity of the entire review process.
When a review platform has financial backing from the very companies they're supposed to be independently evaluating, it creates an inherent bias that most consumers never know about. The average person looking for VPN recommendations doesn't read the fine print or dig into ownership structures – they just want honest advice.
My Independence Guarantee: VPN Tier Lists (my platform) is 100% independently owned with zero investments from any VPN company. This allows me to maintain complete objectivity in my rankings.
How These Conflicts Work Across the Industry
This practice is widespread in the VPN industry. Here are some major examples:
Kape Technologies
Owns both VPN services (ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, Private Internet Access, ZenMate) AND review platforms (VPNMentor, Wizcase). When their review sites evaluate their own products, the conflict is obvious.
J2 Global / Ziff Davis
Owns VPN services (IPVanish, StrongVPN) AND major media properties like IGN, PCMag, and Mashable that frequently promote VPNs. When IGN recommends IPVanish, they're promoting their sister company.
Nord Security / Tesonet
Important clarification: The founders of NordVPN hold majority shares in Mediatech/Tesonet (source: Forbes), which owns review platforms like VPNPro and Cybernews. These platforms primarily promote Nord Security brands including NordVPN, Surfshark (after their 2022 merger), and Incogni. This creates a circular ecosystem where the review platforms have strong incentives to favor their parent company's products.
VPNs that participate in these financial arrangements create an unfair advantage in the market. They essentially buy favorable coverage, which:
- Misleads consumers who believe they're reading independent reviews
- Hurts smaller VPN providers who can't afford to invest in review platforms
- Damages the credibility of the entire VPN review industry
- Makes it nearly impossible for consumers to find truly unbiased information
Removing Extraneous Features from Scoring
The second major change involves simplifying what I actually score VPNs on. I've removed numerous categories that, after extensive testing, I've found to be largely extraneous to the core VPN experience:
- Antivirus inclusion - Most bundled antivirus features are subpar compared to dedicated solutions
- Password managers - Again, dedicated password managers are superior to VPN add-ons
- Cloud storage support - This has nothing to do with VPN performance or privacy
- Various other "bonus" features - These often serve as marketing fluff rather than meaningful benefits
After testing most of these bundled services extensively, I've concluded they're primarily used to justify higher prices rather than provide real value to users. There's one exception worth noting: data broker removal tools are genuinely useful. However, only Surfshark currently offers this through their Incogni bundle, and while it's one of the best deals in the industry, it's too unique to incorporate into a standardized rating system.
How These Changes Affected the Rankings
These methodology updates have caused significant shifts in the tier list:
Several major VPNs have moved down in the rankings due to their ownership structures and review platform connections. This includes services from all three major groups mentioned above. However, this doesn't mean they're bad VPNs – many still offer excellent technical performance:
- ExpressVPN (Kape) still provides fast speeds and strong security
- NordVPN (Nord Security) consistently tops speed test benchmarks
- Surfshark (Nord Security) offers great value with unlimited devices
- CyberGhost (Kape) has one of the largest server networks
I continue to acknowledge their technical merits where appropriate. The ranking penalties simply reflect the importance of transparency and independence in the review process.
ProtonVPN and hide.me have risen to the top. Both of these VPNs:
- Have zero financial ties to review platforms
- Maintain cleaner privacy practices (fewer trackers on their websites)
- Focus on core VPN functionality rather than bloated feature sets
Additionally, hide.me has a significant advantage in pricing transparency. While ProtonVPN, NordVPN, and Surfshark all have price increases after the first term, hide.me maintains consistent pricing. This makes it the best overall value when you consider long-term costs.
What This Means for You
These changes reflect my commitment to providing the most honest, unbiased VPN recommendations possible. The tier list now better represents which VPNs:
- Maintain true independence from review platforms
- Focus on core VPN functionality rather than marketing gimmicks
- Offer transparent, consistent pricing
- Respect user privacy from the moment you visit their website
I understand these changes might be controversial, especially for fans of VPNs that have dropped in the rankings. But I believe it's crucial to call out practices that compromise the integrity of our industry. Consumers deserve to know when their "independent" reviews might not be so independent after all.
Moving Forward
I'll continue to refine this methodology based on new developments in the industry. My goal remains the same: to provide you with the most accurate, unbiased VPN recommendations possible.
If you value truly independent reviews, I encourage you to:
- Question the ownership and funding of review sites you visit
- Look for reviewers who disclose their methodology clearly
- Be skeptical of sites that seem to recommend the same VPNs in the same order
- Support independent reviewers who maintain objectivity
The VPN industry needs more transparency, not less. These ranking changes are my contribution to that goal.
- Tom Spark