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Private VPN Alternatives in 2026: Compared by Owner, Audit and Price

Written by Tradennys S. A. Updated 9 min read Official sources linked
private vpn alternatives

Affiliate disclosure: VPN Vetted is reader-supported. Some links below are affiliate links (marked “sponsored”): if you buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. We rank by published facts (named audits, ownership, renewal price and device limits), never by commission. Surfshark and NordVPN belong to the same group, Nord Security (Surfshark announced the merger on February 1, 2022, and says both companies operate independently). Mullvad and Windscribe appear below without affiliate links: we earn nothing from them.

Prices, ownership and audit details checked October 31, 2026, between 09:13 and 09:14 BRT, on official pages, in USD, before sales tax or VAT. NordVPN’s site blocked our check today, so its prices are the ones we last verified for our NordVPN coverage. Surfshark’s pricing page shows a “Black Friday deal” label today.

Last updated: October 31, 2026

Quick answer

“Private” is not a feature you can toggle. It’s the sum of who owns the VPN, which country’s law it operates under, and whether an outside firm has checked its no-logs claims and put its name and a date on it. On those facts:

  • Proton VPN is our first pick for most people who want a more private VPN. It’s run by Swiss company Proton, has a free plan, and its no-logs audit page (by Securitum) was updated June 16, 2026, the most recent date of any provider here.
  • NordVPN suits people who want a large feature set and a recent Big Four assurance (Deloitte Lithuania, report issued December 12, 2025). It’s part of Nord Security and renews at $139.08 a year.
  • Surfshark is the budget pick with unlimited devices and the lowest renewal of our three affiliate picks ($79 a year). It is not independent: it’s in the same group as NordVPN.
  • Mullvad and Windscribe are smaller, independently owned options. We have no affiliate deal with either; facts below come from their own sites.

What “private” should mean in a VPN

A VPN moves trust from your internet provider to the VPN company. So before you compare apps, compare the company:

  1. Owner. Who ultimately runs the service, and does that owner run other VPN brands? Groups aren’t automatically bad, but you should know when two “competitors” share a parent.
  2. Jurisdiction. Where the operating company is registered and which law governs your contract.
  3. Named audits. “No logs” is a claim. An audit or assurance report by a named firm, with a date, is evidence about that claim at that point in time. It’s not a lifetime guarantee.
  4. Open apps and clear policies. Open-source apps and a plain-language privacy policy make claims easier to check.
  5. Price after the first term. Privacy you can’t afford to renew isn’t much use. Intro prices on long plans are often far lower than renewals.

No VPN makes you anonymous, and none of the companies below promises that you can’t be identified in every situation. We don’t either.

Who owns Proton VPN, NordVPN, Surfshark, Mullvad and Windscribe, from official pages checked October 31, 2026

Proton VPN: best overall private VPN alternative

  • Owner and jurisdiction: Proton, the Swiss company behind Proton Mail.
  • Audit: Proton’s no-logs audit page (updated June 16, 2026) says Securitum completed a fifth consecutive annual audit of its no-logs policy.
  • Price: VPN Plus is $3.49 a month on the 2-year plan, $83.76 for the first 24 months, then $83.88 every 12 months. Proton Unlimited is $191.76 for 24 months, then $119.88 a year.
  • Devices: 10 at a time on paid plans. The free plan covers 1 device.
  • Free plan: yes, and Proton says it has no data limits.
  • Kill switch: Proton says it’s available on all free and paid plans in its Windows, macOS, iOS/iPadOS, Android and Linux apps.

Proton is the easiest “more private” recommendation because it combines a recent named audit, open-source apps and the second-lowest renewal of our three affiliate picks, after Surfshark. The catch: the 10-device cap, and Proton Unlimited only makes sense if you’ll use Mail, Drive or Pass too. Full details in our Proton VPN review.

Buy if: you want a recent named audit, a usable free plan and a renewal under $84 a year.
Skip if: you need more than 10 devices on one plan or want the lowest possible renewal with unlimited devices.

Check Proton price

NordVPN: biggest feature set, part of a large group

  • Owner and jurisdiction: NordVPN’s support center says the service is based in and operates under the jurisdiction of Panama; its parent, Nord Security, also owns Surfshark.
  • Audit: Deloitte Lithuania issued NordVPN’s sixth no-logs assurance report on December 12, 2025.
  • Price: Basic is $3.49 a month, $94.23 for the first 27 months, then $139.08 a year.
  • Devices: 10.
  • Free plan: no (30-day money-back guarantee).

NordVPN makes sense if you want a lot of tools in one subscription and a Big Four assurance report. It doesn’t fit the “small and independent” idea of a private VPN, and it has the highest renewal here. If you’re weighing it against Proton, see NordVPN vs Proton VPN and is NordVPN worth it.

Buy if: you want a broad feature set and a Deloitte report from December 2025.
Skip if: you want to avoid large VPN groups or a $139.08 renewal.

Check NordVPN price

Surfshark: cheapest renewal, unlimited devices, same group as Nord

  • Owner and jurisdiction: Surfshark B.V., Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Its terms say customer contracts are governed by the laws of the British Virgin Islands. Surfshark says it merged with Nord Security in 2022 and operates independently.
  • Audit: On June 16, 2025, Surfshark published that Deloitte had verified its no-logs policy again.
  • Price: Starter is $2.49 a month, $67.23 for the first 27 months, then $79 a year. Today the pricing page also puts a “Black Friday deal” label on Surfshark One, listed at the same $2.49 a month and $67.23 for the first 27 months (seen October 31, 2026, 09:13 BRT; it may change).
  • Devices: unlimited.
  • Free plan: no (30-day money-back guarantee).

Surfshark is the value pick: unlimited devices and a $79 renewal. But if your reason for wanting a “private VPN alternative” is to leave the big groups, Surfshark doesn’t help: it shares a parent with NordVPN. Our Surfshark review and Surfshark vs Proton VPN go deeper.

Buy if: you protect many devices and care most about price after year one.
Skip if: you want an independently owned provider.

Check Surfshark price

We don’t earn anything from these two. We include them because they answer the “VPN not owned by a big company” question directly.

Mullvad. Mullvad says Mullvad VPN AB is owned by parent company Amagicom AB and lists its address in Gothenburg, Sweden. Pricing is one flat rate: €5 a month (Mullvad shows this as about $5.60), the same whether you pay for 1 month or longer, including VAT. There’s no discounted long plan, so there’s also no renewal jump. Official site: mullvad.net. We didn’t verify Mullvad’s audit history today, so we don’t cite one here.

Windscribe. Windscribe Limited is registered in Ontario, Canada. It has a free plan (10GB a month after you sign up and confirm your email), Pro at $9 a month or $69 a year, and says one account works on unlimited devices. Its audit page says Packetlabs audited its server stack (“FreshScribe”) in June 2024; Leviathan Security Group audited its desktop app (September 2021) and mobile apps (March 2022). Full breakdown in our Windscribe review. Official site: windscribe.com.

Note the different kind of audit: Windscribe’s Packetlabs report is a penetration test and code review of its server infrastructure, while Proton, NordVPN and Surfshark cite no-logs audits or assurance reports. Both are useful, but they don’t check exactly the same thing.

Private Internet Access alternatives

If you searched for “private VPN” meaning Private Internet Access (PIA), the three paid picks above are the main alternatives we cover. PIA’s own pricing, ownership and audit facts are in our PIA VPN review.

Comparison table

Proton VPN Plus NordVPN Basic Surfshark Starter Mullvad Windscribe Pro
Owner / group Proton AG Nord Security Nord Security Amagicom AB Windscribe Limited
Base / jurisdiction Switzerland Panama (service) Netherlands (contract: BVI law) Sweden Ontario, Canada
Latest named check Securitum, page updated Jun 16, 2026 Deloitte Lithuania, Dec 12, 2025 Deloitte, published Jun 16, 2025 Not verified today Packetlabs (servers), Jun 2024
Intro price $83.76 / 24 months $94.23 / 27 months $67.23 / 27 months €5/month flat $69 / year
Renews at $83.88 / year $139.08 / year $79 / year €5/month $69 / year
Intro + 1 renewal year $167.64 $233.31 $146.23 n/a $138
Devices 10 10 Unlimited Not verified today Unlimited
Free plan Yes (1 device) No No No Yes (10GB/month)
Affiliate link Yes Yes Yes No No

Official pages, USD unless noted, before tax, checked October 31, 2026 (09:13–09:14 BRT). NordVPN prices last verified for our earlier NordVPN coverage because nordvpn.com blocked our check today. “Intro + 1 renewal year” is our own arithmetic.

Proton VPN vs NordVPN vs Surfshark: owner, latest audit, price and devices, checked October 31, 2026

Big groups vs independents

Two groups matter in this market:

  • Nord Security owns NordVPN and, since the 2022 merger, Surfshark. Both brands say they run independently, and each publishes its own Deloitte assurance. Still, if you pick Surfshark “instead of NordVPN” to spread your trust, you’re staying in the same group.
  • Kape Group is the group behind ExpressVPN and Private Internet Access (covered in our ExpressVPN review and PIA review).

Independent providers like Mullvad and Windscribe avoid group ownership, but they’re smaller, and you have to judge them on their own published audits and policies, just like the big brands. Being independent doesn’t make a provider more private by default; it’s one factor alongside jurisdiction and evidence.

Buy if and skip if for Proton VPN, NordVPN and Surfshark, checked October 31, 2026

How to choose

  • You want the strongest mix of evidence and price: Proton VPN.
  • You want to leave big groups entirely: Mullvad or Windscribe (no affiliate links), or Proton VPN.
  • You have a big household of devices: Surfshark, accepting that it’s part of Nord Security. See best VPN for multiple devices.
  • You want the most tools and don’t mind paying more at renewal: NordVPN.
  • You don’t want to pay at all: Proton Free or Windscribe Free. See our best free VPN guide.
  • You only need privacy in your browser: see best VPN for Chrome.

How we evaluated

On October 31, 2026 (09:13–09:14 BRT) we read each provider’s official pricing page, company or about page, terms and audit page, in USD where shown. We ordered our affiliate picks by named audit recency, ownership and renewal price, not by commission. We did not run speed tests or our own technical tests, and we don’t give made-up scores. NordVPN’s website returned an access error to our checker today, so NordVPN prices and audit date are the ones we verified for earlier articles. Prices change often; check the checkout page before you pay.

FAQ

What is the most private VPN?
There isn’t one answer. Look for a provider whose no-logs claims were checked by a named firm on a stated date, whose owner and jurisdiction you’re comfortable with, and whose apps are open source. Of our picks, Proton VPN has the most recently updated audit page (June 16, 2026).

Are independent VPNs safer than big brands?
Not automatically. Independence removes one concern (group ownership) but doesn’t replace evidence. Judge every provider on its audits, policy and jurisdiction.

Who owns NordVPN and Surfshark?
Both are part of Nord Security. Surfshark announced the merger on February 1, 2022, and says the companies operate independently.

Is a free private VPN OK?
A free plan from a provider with published audits, like Proton Free (1 device) or Windscribe Free (10GB a month), is a reasonable start. Be wary of unknown free VPNs that don’t say who runs them. More in our best free VPN guide.

Which audits matter?
Recent ones, by a named firm, with a published date and a clear scope (no-logs policy, server infrastructure or apps). A three-year-old audit tells you less than a recent one.

How much do these VPNs cost after renewal?
As of October 31, 2026: Proton VPN Plus $83.88 a year, NordVPN Basic $139.08 a year, Surfshark Starter $79 a year, Windscribe Pro $69 a year, Mullvad €5 a month.

Verdict

If you want a more private VPN without giving up good apps, start with Proton VPN: a Swiss owner, a free plan, and the most recent named audit here. Choose NordVPN for the biggest feature set if you accept a higher renewal, or Surfshark for unlimited devices at the lowest renewal, remembering they’re in the same group. If independence is your top priority, look at Mullvad or Windscribe directly.

Check Proton price · Check NordVPN price · Check Surfshark price

Sources (official pages, checked on October 31, 2026)

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