Even though there are many VPN providers on the market, choosing a VPN that won’t slow you down is hard, especially if you are on ultra fast Fiber Internet connection. Since VPN encrypts all incoming and outgoing traffic, generally with 256-bit key length, and reroutes everything through their VPN servers, some performance hit is always expected. The key here is some. Providers that offer the fastest VPN speeds have 1Gbps VPN servers with load-balancing tools that aim to avoid server overload and ensure optimal server use. So if you choose the server in close proximity to your actual location or use the provider’s software to determine the best performing server, the difference in speed should be negligible, even on ultra fast gigabit connection.
Best Gigabit VPN
Now let’s consider a few myths.
Myth 1: It’s all about bandwidth.
It’s not. In simple terms, bandwidth is the amount of data that you can download in a specific time frame while latency is how fast this data travels back and forth. When it comes to a website load time, and especially gaming, latency (ping) plays a much more important role than bandwidth. So if you connect to a gigabit VPN server 10,000 miles away, all the data that you send and receive will have to travel 10,000 miles (through many ISPs) every time you send and receive it. For this reason VPN providers that have poorly optimized networks cannot provide the fastest routes to your destination and miserably fail, even if they offered gigabit VPN servers.
Myth 2: OpenVPN is the only viable protocol.
OpenVPN was indeed the only truly secure open-source protocol, but it’s not the best performing one and it’s based on OpenSSL that suffers from vulnerabilities.
Based on tests, IPsec/IKEv2 and WireGuard perform considerably better comparing to OpenVPN so they are, generally, better choices for users on the ultra fast gigabit connection.
IPsec/IKEv2 server connection time is almost instantaneous and overhead is minimal. The downside is that IPsec/IKEv2 is a proprietary protocol. Technology wise it’s a secure solution, but may not be the best protocol for those who fear government interference. IPsec/IKEv2 is also the only protocol that is natively integrated into iOS (OpenVPN is not). Even though we are not particularly excited about proprietary tech, to be perfectly honest, based on our own testing IPsec/IKEv2 performs considerably better in terms of speed, connection time and battery life.
WireGuard, on the other hand, is the newest open-source VPN protocol that uses state-of-the-art encryption methods to deliver top notch security while offering even better performance than IPsec. Hence, assuming all else is equal, WireGuard will likely deliver the fastest VPN speed out of all encryption protocols.
The fastest VPN services that offer WireGuard are listed in our Best VPN for WireGuard article.
The fastest VPN services that offers IPsec/IKEv2 is Hide.Me (all Hide.me servers support gigabit VPN speed).
OpenVPN uses port 1194 by default, IPsec/IKEv2 uses port 500. If your ISP throttles specific ports, it’s possible that your encrypted VPN traffic may be limited in speed. In this case port forwarding VPN through port 443 should solve the problem, a feature that is offered only by a handful of VPN providers listed in this article.
Myth 3: You should always choose 256-bit encryption because 128-bit is just not secure.
This one was cleverly devised by marketing departments of certain providers to distinguish themselves as “more secure” because, supposedly, a higher key length equals a more secure VPN connection, right? Wrong! It does, indeed, sound better, but in reality at the moment it would take 2,158,000,000,000 years to brute force through the 128-bit key. That’s 2,158 billion years! Thus, we can safely deduce that, for our daily use, 128-bit key is as secure as 256-bit key. When it comes to performance, though, 256-bit is considerably slower, while 128-bit is considerably faster. Choosing 128-bit encryption has no practical disadvantages whatsoever, while choosing 256-bit encryption will further slow you down. Thus, if you would like to maintain that gigabit VPN speed, you may want to consider the 128-bit encryption.
Myth 4: Your hardware is irrelevant.
Some think that if your CPU can deliver gigabit speed for unencrypted connection then it surely should be the same with the VPN running, provided that a provider has ultra fast servers. Test results show that AES-NI capable devices show a dramatic performance gain per core comparing to processors not supporting AES-NI. Performance is mostly limited by the encryption and decryption routines found in the OpenSSL libraries (AES-NI enables high-speed hardware encryption and decryption for OpenSSL).
Again, OpenVPN is based on OpenSSL which, as we explained above, results in more processor overhead. Both WireGuard and IPsec/IKEv2 are not based on OpenSSL so they don’t have the same weakness, offering faster connection times on ultra fast gigabit networks.
Myth 5: All servers are equal, even across continents.
Nope. The further the location of a particular server, the longer the distance a connection must travel (refer to Myth 1). When connecting to a VPN server across continents, ping time cannot be 2 ms because, well, it takes some time to get from Germany to New York. Even with the ultra fast gigabit Internet, wait time can kill the performance. For this reason do not expect the same results with all gigabit VPN servers. If you are looking for the fastest and most impressive performance, choose the VPN servers that are closest to your location.
Having said the above, we have compiled a list of reputable ultra fast VPN providers that have servers with gigabit VPN speed, don’t cap downloads and are constantly optimizing their network to deliver the fastest VPN speeds.
ANNUAL PRICE: 3.49 USD/mo
MONTHLY PRICE: 11.95 USD
Panama based NordVPN is one of the best security oriented VPN companies with amazingly fast infrastructure. NordVPN is a no logs VPN service that was independently audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers AG based in Zurich, Switzerland (one of the Big 4 auditing firms) to back the claims that they don’t log identifiable user information under any circumstances.
With 10Gbps servers in USA, UK, Japan, NordVPN is a lot faster than competitors. From Amsterdam to Singapore, some of NordVPN users are already getting the benefits of 10Gbps servers. Multiple cities in the US support ultra fast VPN connection, including New York, Seattle, and Miami.
NordVPN custom apps have DNS and IP leaks protection and a kill switch that actively monitors your network and shuts down Internet access when your VPN in not running.
NordVPN offers a Double VPN – a privacy feature that sends your Internet traffic through two VPN servers, encrypting it twice.
Onion Over VPN servers is a powerful NordVPN feature that takes your privacy and security to the next level. Using this tech, you first connect to a VPN server and then to the Tor network. Your ISP does not know you are connected to Tor because your entry point in a secure VPN server, while your destination sees an anonymous Tor exit point.
NordVPN obfuscated VPN servers are a perfect choice to use on restrictive networks and to hide the fact that you are using a VPN. These VPN servers are generally recommended for countries that block VPN altogether because the technology can bypass even the most advanced network filtering. Obfsproxy hides OpenVPN and makes your VPN use completely undetectable. Neither your ISP nor the government will know that you are on VPN.
A strict no logs privacy policy, double data encryption, obfuscation tools and a number of advanced security features, makes NordVPN one of the best VPN providers for security and privacy for users with high expectations.
Besides, NordVPN has a Smart Play technology offering an encrypted connection to access geo-restricted content on Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, Spotify and similar services. If you are a torrenting user, NordVPN has torrenting VPN servers as well.
NordVPN offers over 5,000 high-speed servers in 62 countries, dedicated & shared IP types, 6 simultaneous logins; the infrastructure is built to provide maximum online security, bypass Internet restrictions, online censorship and network firewalls.
To read a full NordVPN review click HERE.
ANNUAL PRICE: 2.59 USD/mo
MONTHLY PRICE: 9.95 USD
Based in Malaysia, Hide.me is one the most secure and fastest VPN providers offering ultra fast 10 gigabit per second VPN servers that deliver the fastest VPN speeds for users on gigabit Internet connection.
Hide.me is extremely reliable and a very fast, no logs VPN service, which makes it a perfect choice for security oriented users who would like to enjoy uninterrupted streaming and browsing experience.
Hide.Me custom VPN apps have a number of advanced features for maximum protection. Hide.Me VPN has a built-in protection against IP and DNS leaks. Kill switch is an excellent tool to shut down Internet access when the connection to a VPN server is dropped. Stealth Guard takes this even further by blocking access to predetermined apps even when the VPN is OFF.
For instance, once you add Chrome app to your Stealth Guard settings, Hide.Me app will block Internet access for Chrome browser unless the VPN connection has been established.
Hide.Me supports perfect forward secrecy, an advanced security feature that tells OpenVPN to regularly renegotiate encryption keys.
Hide.Me is one of the best VPN services to use when VPN is blocked since it has advanced VPN masking tools to bypass strict firewalls and censorship. Hide.Me masks (obfuscates) OpenVPN traffic with TLS-Crypt so, if your WiFi network blocks VPN by analyzing traffic patterns, this methods can bypass the most advanced firewalls. The technology also encrypts every OpenVPN packet twice, sort of like Double VPN encryption.
Additionally, the provider offers a dynamic TCP/UDP port-forwarding (UPnP) with up to 10 TCP/UDP ports, a useful feature on WiFi networks that block VPN ports, to speed up torrenting or streaming.
More so, you can selectively tunnel only specific traffic via secure servers. Split tunneling feature allows this or, alternatively, SOCKS5 proxy can be setup on your browser/torrenting client and re-route only that traffic.
To read a full Hide.me review click HERE.
ANNUAL PRICE: 3.33 USD/mo
MONTHLY PRICE: 10.95 USD
PureVPN, based in the British Virgin Islands offshore zone, is a no logs certified VPN service that was independently audited by KPMG – a big 4 auditor. Always-On Audit feature allows KPMG to conduct a thorough surprise audit of PureVPN’s processes and servers at any time without prior notice.
PureVPN offers hypersonic VPN speeds with 20 Gbps servers in the US and the UK, adding more locations in the future. All PureVPN the locations in the US, Europe, and Australia, were already offering 10 Gbps servers.
Secure high-speed PureVPN infrastructure offers advanced security features for anonymous Internet use. PureVPN custom apps have a built-in WebRTC, IP and DNS leak protection. Kill switch is feature that guards the users from unencrypted data leaks when the internet connection drops. PureVPN even has a DDoS protection add-on.
Additionally, the provider considered the importance of uninterrupted streaming by introducing Dedicated Streaming add-on that will boost streaming speed and enhance performance. PureVPN optimized streaming servers are best to get a buffer-free streaming experience.
PureVPN is also one of the few VPN providers that can effectively unblock Netflix. For this purpose PureVPN setup dedicated Netflix servers. At the moment the provider can unblock Netflix USA, UK, Australia, Canada, Germany, France, Japan.
In case you want to limit your VPN use to specific websites/services only, Split Tunneling feature lets you decide which applications to send through unencrypted channel and which one to secure with an encrypted VPN service.
Split tunneling is commonly used in case you need a VPN for torrenting only. More so, PureVPN offers 2,000 high-speed VPN servers in 140 countries with over 60 dedicated torrenting servers and a port forwarding feature to maximize your upload and download speeds.
Overall, PureVPN is a great no logs VPN service for privacy and security, to access geo-restricted streaming content, unblock websites and bypass censorship.
To read a full PureVPN review click HERE.
ANNUAL PRICE: 4.49 USD/mo [promocode]
MONTHLY PRICE: 8.99 USD
Offering over 3,000 servers in 55 countries, all mainstream protocols and top-notch security, TorGuard rightfully earned its place as a top gigabit VPN provider.
Unlike most gigabit VPN services, TorGuard offers 10 Gbps premium network at additional cost. 10 Gbps VPN servers are located in USA, UK and Canada. This infrastructure allows the fastest VPN speeds with a reliable streaming and browsing experience.
Unlike most VPN providers, TorGuard VPN can bypass Netflix proxy error with their Netflix streaming IPs. TorGuard can unblock a number of Netflix regions (USA, UK, Canada, Italy, Germany, Finland, France, Italy, Spain, Japan and Singapore), Hulu, BBC iPlayer, Spotify and virtually any streaming, social media or messaging service.
No logs TorGuard is a reliable, fast and secure VPN service. TorGuard desktop apps have a kill switch feature that actively monitors your Internet connection to protect you from accidental IP leaks when your WiFi is unstable.
Stealth VPN is a technology that TorGuard uses to bypass Deep Packet Inspection firewalls, such as those typically used by repressive governments to censor and restrict online content. Consequently, TorGuard is a highly recommended VPN service for users who live in the regions with particularly strict legislation, and would like to unblock censored websites or services.
Besides a great number of security features and ability to unblock VPN on restrictive WiFi, TorGuard also offers OpenPGP encrypted email service with 2 factor authentication and up to 10Mb free storage.
To read a full TorGuard review click HERE.
ANNUAL PRICE: 9.99 EUR/mo
MONTHLY PRICE: 12.99 EUR
Perfect Privacy is an ultra fast (gigabit servers) VPN provider with a heavy focus on advanced online security. As the name suggests, Perfect Privacy VPN has some of the most secure VPN features for maximum anonymity, but also offers one of the fastest VPN networks.
Perfect Privacy has one of the best and most advanced kill switch implementations. Their integrated firewall enforces all traffic to be sent through secure tunnels thereby protecting their users from all known IP leaks not only when the app is running, but also after OS reboot. Essentially, it prevents unsecured online access when you restart your device until the VPN is up and running.
In addition, Perfect Privacy offers a unique Multi-Hop VPN feature that allows cascading over up to 4 OpenVPN servers at the same time along with SOCKS5 and Squid proxies. So you can create a chain of 6 VPN locations at the same time which basically eliminates any possibility of tracking you down. While this setup surely provides more anonymity, it will dramatically slow you down, which may be an issue for some VPN users on fiber Internet connection.
Perfect Privacy can bypass strict firewalls by obfuscating OpenVPN to look like normal HTTPS traffic with Stealth VPN or OpenVPN over SSH feature. For additional firewall penetration Perfect Privacy allows 5 custom port forwardings or 3 default random ports.
Basically, if your WiFi network completely blocks VPN, Perfect Privacy can bypass firewall and unblock VPN on virtually any network.
NeuroRouting is an AI based routing that determines the most secure and fastest route through the Internet. It also automatically changes your external VPN IP address depending on the destination. Another fantastic anonymity feature is the provider’s ability to resolve .onion (TOR) addresses without the need for the Tor Browser.
Overall, Perfect Privacy VPN is a perfect tool to avoid mass surveillance, bypass internet restrictions, access censored websites, and securely stream multimedia content.
To read a full Perfect Privacy review click HERE.
ANNUAL PRICE: 4.50 EUR/mo
MONTHLY PRICE: 7 EUR
AirVPN is an Italian VPN provider created by privacy activists whose main goal is data protection. AirVPN has over 200 ultra fast servers (gigabit VPN servers) in 23 countries that have Perfect Forward Secrecy through Diffie-Hellman key exchange DHE. Essentially key negotiation is performed every 60 minutes to avoid data breach if the key is compromised. Additionally, AirVPN offers OpenVPN over SSH and OpenVPN over SSL that mask OpenVPN and make the use of encryption tools invisible to some of the most advanced firewalls. To read a full AirVPN review click HERE.
I have Comcast Gig service with gig service and consistently get 600mbps downloads with not using a VPN. I Had VyprVPN combined with another product but lost it when I cancelled the companion product subscription. With VyprVPN, my downloads decreased to about 550mbps but wanted to look for more security. Searching and reading reviews, I settled on ExpressVPN last week. In spite of boasting gig speeds in the reviews, my download speeds dropped to 160mbps. I spent most of the week working with their support and occasionally, but not consistently, got things up to 165mbps. They even told me that 160mbps was a great result! I’m looking for a service that won’t cost me 60% in performance!
Which security features are you looking for that VyprVPN doesn’t have? VyprVPN was clearly working for your gigabit connection, 600mbps to 550mbps speed drop is negligible and expected. You may want to go back to Vypr using our -81% discount.
VyprVPN is also now offering WireGuard that generally offers a better performance than OpenVPN so you may want to try the new protocol.
terrible list.. most VPN on this list can’t do more than 100Mbps
Dave, which VPNs have you tried that couldn’t deliver the speed? You have to consider that there are a lot of factors that may affect your speed, which we discuss in the article.
Cryptmode,
I have tried ExpressVPN, NordVPN, IPVanish, VyprVPN, and none of those could deliver gigabit speeds. All of them caused by connection to go from 940/940 to 100/100 more than a 80-90% drop in my speed. I have not found a major VPN service that can actually give me 800-900mbps with VPN enabled.
Nord and IPVanish do not support gigabit speeds. In case your ISP throttles VPN traffic, you may want to try using a different protocol like IPsec/IKEv2 (offered by Hide.Me and ZenMate) and/or port forwarding your VPN to port 443.
Another common problem is the router. If your router cannot handle VPN encryption at high speeds, no VPN provider can solve it. You will have to buy new hardware.
I’ve been a long time VPN user. My internet speed was average so PIA seemed good enough because I didn’t notice much difference with VPN running or not. But recently I switched to Google fiber, I also bought phsense router that is capable of handing my new internet speed. Now my internet connection is unbelievably fast without PIA and much slower with VPN. I then tried CyberGhost and a few others, still the speed was quite average. Thankfully I found this article. I bought the recommended ExpressVPN and most of the time it gives me 300 Mb/s. I know it’s not a full gigabit but I think it’s close enough so I am glad I paid the premium.
I guess as the saying goes, you get what you paid for. After many attempts at getting decent VPN speeds with cheap VPNs I realized that if I wanted to go above 100 Mbps I had to pay a higher price. I am a huge privacy geek, I wanted a true no logs VPN and a fast one too because I have gigabit internet. I haven’t heard about Hide.Me until I read this article. I really wanted to try, it seemed so unreasonably expensive, but also so perfect. And I decided to buy their monthly plan to test. All I can say is that really it is the best VPN provider. It’s very fast, I easily get at least 400 Mbps on European servers (I’m in EU). Sometimes I can get even 800 Mbps. I like their mobile app because it doesn’t drain the battery (most other apps I tried before were hard on battery life).
I am also on gigabit internet but I couldn’t find a popular VPN provider that would satisfy my needs. I didn’t want to give up security over speed that’s why I knew I needed to find a lesser known provider. Hide Me was recommended here as the most secure VPN and the one that supports gigabit internet so I followed the advice here. I am amazed at how well it works and how trustworthy it looks. Hide Me is very fast and the servers have a strict no logs policy. They have a bunch of privacy features that I don’t use. But I can recommend Hide Me for a high speed connection.
Very informative article! I didn’t know about IKEv2, tried hide.me vpn for my gigabit connection and it worked! I can tell that it connects much faster than OpenVPN and my speeds improved comparing to previous vpns I used before hide.me. Thank you!
Based on my experience the speed is notably slower with the VPNs. I have gigabit internet so I bought VyprVPN subscription just a few months ago because VyprVPN claimed to provide 1000 Mbps speed. And they don’t rent VPN servers, they own them. So I thought that maybe they can deliver the results. I am really happy about this decision cause I now can fully use my fiber connection without having to turn off the VPN.
I was unable to achieve those speeds with VyprVPN. Their support told me to change ISPs which I cannot.
If your ISP doesn’t support gigabit speed, you will indeed have to change your ISP.