How we evaluate VPNs
Our methodology, what counts as evidence, how often we check, and how we make money. This page is how "sight" earns its meaning.
Commissions never influence a quality score or the order of a recommendation.
Minimum requirements
A provider must meet all of these before it can appear on any shortlist, whatever a visitor's priorities.
- A published no-logs policy, reviewed by our editors
- At least one independent audit in the last three years
- A modern, well-reviewed encryption protocol
- A kill switch on desktop and mobile apps
- Renewal price and refund terms disclosed before purchase
- No sale or sharing of browsing data with advertisers
The scorecard
These weights are our proposed starting point, not an industry standard. Find My VPN adjusts them to what matters most to you; the minimum requirements never move.
| Criterion | Starting weight | |
|---|---|---|
| Privacy policy, transparency, independent audits | 25% | |
| Security features | 20% | |
| Speed and reliability | 15% | |
| Ease of use and device compatibility | 15% | |
| Fit for the visitor's intended activity | 15% | |
| Price, renewal terms, and value | 10% |
How the shortlist was built
We started with the providers independent testers review most often, applied the minimum requirements as a pass or fail, then scored those that passed.
Shortlisted
Proton VPN, NordVPN, ExpressVPN, Surfshark, Mullvad VPN, Private Internet Access, CyberGhost, Windscribe
Still being evaluated
IVPN, IPVanish, PrivadoVPN, hide.me. They'll be added, or we'll explain why not, once checks are complete.
Evaluated, not shortlisted
PureVPN (checked Oct 2026): We couldn't confirm an independent no-logs audit within the last three years, one of our minimum requirements. Its most recent published KPMG report is from February 2023. We'll re-evaluate if a newer audit is published.
Every claim has a status
Important claims carry a source, a last-checked date and one of three statuses.
Verified
Checked against an acceptable source and approved by an editor.
Awaiting review
Newly collected or changed, waiting for a person to confirm what it means.
Outdated
Past its review date. We show it, but tell you not to rely on it.
How information stays current
Automation flags changes. A person confirms what they mean before we present them as fact.
- Source and provider dataFeatures, pricing, audits, destinations, restrictions and original sources
- Automated checksPermitted feeds, official documentation, affiliate offers, change detection and broken links
- Evidence and reviewConflicts, stale claims, source verification and human approval for material changes
- What you seeThe map, Find My VPN, comparisons, guides and verified deals
| Information | How often we check |
|---|---|
| Promotional pricing and offers | Daily where reliable feeds or permitted checks exist |
| Affiliate links | Automated checks, ideally daily |
| Provider features and device limits | Scheduled checks, with alerts when changes are detected |
| Review scores and testing claims | Periodic review, subject to source permissions |
| Country restrictions and censorship | Scheduled monitoring plus event-driven reviews |
| Privacy policies and independent audits | Change detection followed by verification |
| Educational guidance | Periodic review, and whenever relevant guidance changes |
Our sources, and what we use each for
We don't average other publishers' ratings or present their rankings as our own. Provider claims are labeled separately from independently verified evidence.
Independent product testing
Methodologies and published findings inform our framework.
PCMag, Security.orgCountry and censorship research
Destination evidence for restrictions, availability and reliability.
Top10VPN research, Freedom House, Freedom on the NetOfficial guidance
Privacy trade-offs, safe connectivity and what a VPN is not.
FTC consumer guidance, CISAHow we make money
When you buy a VPN through a link on VPN Sight, we may earn a commission. That revenue supports the service; it doesn't define it.
Commission rates are kept separate from the people and systems that set scores. Every affiliate link is labeled where it appears, and we'll recommend no VPN at all when that's the honest answer. Read the full affiliate disclosure.