Evidence levels
Every fact in our VPN catalogue carries an evidence code:
| Code | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| T | Tested by us, hands-on, with date and method recorded | “Kill switch blocked traffic when we killed the tunnel on Windows 11” |
| A | Independent audit or assurance report | “Deloitte no-logs assurance, December 2025” |
| P | Independent press or researcher reporting | “Reported by TechRadar, June 2025” |
| V | Vendor statement only | “Vendor says no activity logs” |
Missing information is shown as Unknown. We never fill gaps with guesses.
Current status (8 November 2026): no provider in our catalogue has been hands-on tested by us yet. All entries are V, A or P. Reviews say so prominently.
What hands-on testing will cover
When we test a provider, we record the date, app version, operating system, location and server:
- Leak tests: IPv4, IPv6, DNS and WebRTC, using our own tools, with the kill switch on and off, including during network changes.
- Kill switch behaviour: forced tunnel drop, sleep/wake, app crash.
- Protocols: WireGuard/OpenVPN availability and obfuscation modes.
- Speed: a repeatable method (same baseline connection, several servers, several times of day). We publish the raw numbers, not just a score.
- App permissions and trackers (Android/iOS).
- Privacy policy and terms: what is collected, retention, jurisdiction and law-enforcement history.
- Refund process: actually requesting a refund within the stated window.
How rankings are decided
Where we rank, the order follows published criteria, weighted in this order: audited privacy practices, security features verified by testing, transparency (open-source apps, ownership), reliability, then price. Affiliate commissions are never an input. A provider without an affiliate program can rank first.
Regional availability
For Turkey and Iran we don’t assume a service can be bought or works reliably. Availability is marked unverified until checked. For Iran, sanctions and payment restrictions mean we don’t send visitors to sales pages at all.
Data sources
- Vendor websites, policies and transparency reports (cited per fact)
- Independent audit reports
- Reputable technology press
- Our tools’ underlying data: DB-IP Lite (CC BY 4.0) for IP geolocation; RouteViews + DB-IP via ip-location-db for ASN
- SEO research for planning content: Ahrefs. It never influences factual claims.
Re-verification
Facts in the catalogue show a “last checked” date. We aim to re-check pricing and policies at least quarterly, and immediately when a provider announces a change.