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NordVPN is the fastest VPN for Chrome. It delivers blazing-fast speeds for high-bandwidth activities such as streaming or gaming, and its Chrome extension is one of the easiest ways to get connected. Aside from its Chrome plugin, NordVPN offers Microsoft Edge and Mozilla Firefox plugins.

While Express remains slightly ahead in privacy and transparency and other VPNs offer cheaper long-term prices, NordVPN still provides an impressive all-around service that continues to improve.

Why we like it

NordVPN is the fastest VPN we tested by a long shot, with a best-in-class 3% average speed loss. Its closest competitor was Proton VPN at a 16% speed loss. In our testing, we found NordVPN an excellent choice for streaming, with effortless unblocking of foreign Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus and HBO Max libraries. Additionally, we had no issues watching BBC iPlayer, CBC Gem, Hulu, Crunchyroll and several other regional streaming services. Coupled with fast speeds, its excellent streaming performance makes Nord one of the best VPNs for streaming. 

Its 10-device simultaneous allowance should be enough for most people, including power users with loads of devices.

We like that NordVPN’s strong privacy chops go beyond the basics. Alongside the industry-standard NordLynx (WireGuard-based) and OpenVPN VPN protocols, Nord offers its proprietary obfuscation-oriented NordWhisper, which masquerades as traditional web traffic to try slipping through firewalls.

You’ll also get double VPN (which uses a second VPN connection) and Onion over VPN servers (which use Tor), both of which make it even more difficult to trace your traffic back to its source compared to a standard VPN connection.

Initially, NordVPN is a great value at $13 per month, $60 for the first year or $81 total for the first two years. However, the one- and two-year plans renew at an astronomical $140 per year.

Although you can avoid a pricey renewal price hike by stacking subscriptions, we’d like to see Nord’s pricing model be more consumer-friendly. Despite its extreme renewal price, NordVPN is a superb VPN for everyone, from streaming fanatics to those with critical privacy needs.

• Also featured in: Best VPN for Android, Best VPN for Amazon Fire TV

Surfshark's another solid VPN for Chrome, working splendidly for anyone looking for a premium VPN experience with a cheaper introductory price than ExpressVPN or NordVPN.

It can’t quite match NordVPN’s speed or ExpressVPN’s overall privacy position but it comes remarkably close at a slightly cheaper price. All in all, Surfshark is a top-notch VPN that demonstrates consistent improvement year after year.

Why we like it

Surfshark’s Chrome extension is functionally and visually very similar to its apps across other platforms, so you'll feel right at home using the extension.

Choosing a server location is simple, and the extension establishes the connection immediately. Although Surfshark’s Chrome extension is not as fully featured as its app, you’ll still have the ability to choose from servers in 100 countries.

Streaming enthusiasts will appreciate that Surfshark does a good job of unblocking content on most platforms and streaming services and that it offers apps for smart TVs as well as streaming devices. It also offers unlimited simultaneous connections while many other VPNs limit you to 10 or fewer.

We’re impressed with Surfshark’s consistently fast speeds in the past few years, with an average speed loss hovering in the high teens. We measured an average speed loss of 21% in our 2025 speed tests.

Surfshark’s network of more than 4,500 servers across 100 countries is large enough to help ensure fast speeds and stable connections by minimizing congestion and offering more options for more users to connect to servers nearby their physical location.

In addition to standard privacy protections like its kill switch, no-logs policy and DNS leak protection, Surfshark includes a few unique features that help it stand out from the pack. Dynamic Multihop lets you tunnel through any two server locations of your choosing for an added layer of privacy, and Rotating IP switches your IP address every few minutes, making it harder to track you online.

Surfshark’s Alternative ID lets you create an alter-ego complete with full name, physical address and email address that you can use online without divulging your true identity. Following the lead of other VPN providers including ExpressVPN, Mullvad and NordVPN, Surfshark rolled out post-quantum protections to guard against potential future threats from quantum computers.

While Surfshark’s $15.45 per month rate makes it one of the most expensive monthly subscription prices in the industry, pricing for its longer-term plans is more reasonable. The yearly plan costs $46 for the first year and the two-year plan costs $51 total for the first two years combined. But be aware that the price of yearly and two-year plans more than doubles to $99 per year upon renewal -- something Surfshark doesn't make adequately clear at checkout.

Like many other VPNs, Surfshark offers a 30-day money-back guarantee in case you’re not satisfied with the service. 

• Also featured in: Best VPN for Netflix, Best VPN for iPhone

PIA is a wallet-friendly VPN for Chrome that’s cheaper than most competitors at $12 per month, $40 for the first year (renewing at $50 annually) or $79 every three years. While its features don't always stack up to competitors such as ExpressVPN and NordVPN, it does offer a level of customization -- including for its Chrome extension -- that we appreciate. PIA also offers unlimited simultaneous connections, a benefit that pricier VPNs such as Proton, ExpressVPN and NordVPN don’t have.

Why we like it

PIA’s Chrome extension offers a lot of neat settings that you can play around with to precisely dial in your desired level of privacy. It also gives you access to its entire network of server locations in 91 countries. You have the option to enable WebRTC blocking, as well as to block camera, microphone and location access. You can also disable credit card and address autofill in Chrome from PIA’s extension in addition to disabling cookies and other tracking technology. PIA uses TLS v1.3 to encrypt Chrome browser traffic.

We like that its apps are open source, meaning anyone can inspect the source code for bugs or vulnerabilities. Only a few other providers, including Proton VPN and Mullvad, have open-source apps. While PIA largely sticks to covering the basics, it offers some nice privacy amenities, including split tunneling on MacOS (which lets you use a VPN for certain apps and services but not others) -- still a relative rarity among VPN providers. Notably, Surfshark also offers split tunneling on Mac. 

Unfortunately, PIA was rough around the edges in our latest round of testing. We clocked its internet speed loss at an underwhelming 48% average in our 2025 speed testing, meaningfully higher than the 25% average we like to see. Additionally, we encountered many CAPTCHAs while trying to perform basic tasks such as running a Google search. Although streaming was largely decent, we had to change servers more often than with other providers, including NordVPN, Proton VPN, ExpressVPN or Surfshark.

Still, PIA can be good on a budget for users who need comprehensive US server coverage. Otherwise, your money is probably better spent on Proton VPN, which offers faster server performance and robust privacy while charging only slightly more than PIA.

• Also featured in: Best VPN for Mac, Best VPN for Multiple Devices

Proton VPN is the best free VPN for Chrome -- and the only zero-dollar VPN on the market that we wholeheartedly recommend. And its paid plan is still impressive, competing directly with VPNs like Surfshark, ExpressVPN and NordVPN for overall performance.

On either subscription, Proton is a solid overall VPN with customization that should appeal to VPN power users.

Why we like it

Proton’s browser extension (available for Chrome, Firefox, Brave, Microsoft Edge, Opera, Vivaldi, Chromium and other browsers) works for free users as well as on its paid plan. The browser extension offers a Quick Connect option that routes you through an ideal server, split tunneling and WebRTC protection.

Unlike other free VPNs, Proton doesn’t sell your data, plaster your screen with ads or limit your monthly usage. But you’re restricted to using one device at a time, can only connect to servers in 10 countries and can’t manually pick a server.

In comparison, PrivadoVPN’s free tier lets you choose a server while capping your monthly usage at 10GB. But Privado, unlike Proton, hasn’t been audited, making it a poor choice for anyone remotely concerned about privacy.

If you need more servers and greater manual control, Proton’s paid plans provide 18,100-plus servers in 129 countries, which is helpful for international travel or streaming.

Proton is fast, extremely private and exceptional for streaming. Proton VPN's 16% average internet download speed loss was second only to NordVPN in our testing. You can expect to keep most of your baseline internet speeds, which should help you stay clear of buffering or low-res video.

You’ll find a slew of unique privacy features including discreet app icons on Android that let you disguise the Proton app on your phone as a calculator, notes or weather app, which could be helpful when traveling to countries where VPNs are frowned upon.

Proton VPN's paid subscription plans cost $10 per month, $48 for the first year or $72 for the first two years, with the annual and two-year plans renewing at $84 per year.

• Also featured in: Best VPN for Amazon Prime Video, Best VPN for Travel