Best VPN for Chromebooks for 2025: Keep your Browsing Habits and Streaming Activity Private

NordVPN is the best VPN for users who need blazing-fast speeds for 4K video streaming, competitive online gaming or lag-free Zoom calls. It also offers a handful of privacy-boosting options and some innovative features like Meshnet. 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 internet download speed loss -- its closest competitor was Proton at 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 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 region-restricted content unblocking makes Nord one of the best VPNs for streaming. 

With a sizable roster of 7,800-plus servers peppering 126 countries, NordVPN is excellent for international travel and streaming -- its global reach is slightly more than Proton VPN, Surfshark and ExpressVPN. Its 10-device simultaneous device allowance is excellent for power users with many devices. While some providers, like Surfshark and PIA, offer unlimited simultaneous device policies, Nord’s longtime rival ExpressVPN limits you to eight. 

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. NordWhisper could be helpful in situations like on school Wi-Fi, when the network you’re on doesn’t play nicely with VPNs. You’ll get double VPN (which uses a second VPN connection) and Onion over VPN servers (which use Tor) to make it even more difficult to trace your traffic back to its source compared to a standard VPN connection. Meshnet lets you create a virtual local network of PCs, mobile devices and streaming devices for secure file sharing, hosting LAN parties or accessing services like Netflix without pesky multi-factor authentication.

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, which is considerably more than the $79 to $80 that Surfshark and Proton VPN renew for, but in the same ballpark as ExpressVPN's $100 to $117 annual renewal prices (depending on the plan). Although you can avoid a pricey renewal price hike by stacking subscriptions, we’d like to see Nord’s pricing model be more transparent. Despite its extortionate renewal price, NordVPN is a superb VPN for everyone from streaming fanatics to folks with critical privacy needs.

• Also featured in: Best VPN Service, Best VPN for Streaming

Surfshark is a solid option for anyone looking for a premium VPN experience for a cheaper price than ExpressVPN or NordVPN. Surfshark boasts an impressive roster of useful premium features that deliver a lot of value despite a recent renewal price hike. It can’t quite match NordVPN’s speed or ExpressVPN’s overall privacy position, but it comes remarkably close at a cheaper price. All in all, Surfshark is a top-notch VPN that demonstrates consistent improvement year after year.

Why we like it

Surfshark’s apps are slick, simple to use and deliver a consistent user experience across platforms, including Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Apple TV, Fire TV and Android TV. 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. Other than a few minor hiccups, Surfshark’s streaming experience was solid, which we would expect from a top-tier VPN service, and it offers unlimited simultaneous connections while most VPNs limit you to 10 or fewer.

We’re impressed with Surfshark’s consistently fast speeds over 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 -- which is technically slower than previous years, but shouldn’t result in a noticeable difference in practice. Surfshark’s network of over 3,200 servers across 100 different countries is large, but somewhat smaller than those provided by ExpressVPN (105 countries), Proton VPN (122 countries) and NordVPN (126 countries). A large network of servers like what Surfshark offers can 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 plans to roll out post-quantum protections this year to protect against potential future threats from quantum computers. Even though Surfshark is still playing catchup in terms of transparency, we’re encouraged by company representatives telling us that a no-logs audit has been commissioned for this year (its first since 2022) and that the company is committing to annual third-party audits.

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 reasonable. The yearly plan costs $48 for the first year, while the two-year plan costs $60 total for the first two years combined (the one- and two-year plans renew at $79 annually). Surfshark’s renewal prices increased this year, but its overall pricing is still significantly cheaper than ExpressVPN’s $100 for the first year (renewing at $100 a year) or $140 total for the first two years (renewing at $117 a year), as well as NordVPN’s $60 for the first year or $81 total for the first two years (the one- and two-year plans renew at $140 annually). And 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 Amazon Fire TV, Best VPN for Amazon Prime Video

Proton VPN is the best free VPN -- 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 and Mullvad for overall performance. While its apps aren’t quite as streamlined as Surfshark’s and it can’t quite meet the same (impressive) privacy protections as Mullvad, Proton comes close and offers customization that should appeal to VPN power users.

Why we like it

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 five 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 14,400-plus servers in 122 countries, which is helpful for international travel or streaming.

Proton is fast, extremely private and exceptional for streaming. You’ll find a slew of unique privacy features, like 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. But it’s not all work and no play with Proton VPN. Its 16% average internet download speed loss, which was second only to NordVPN in our testing, is great for streaming. You can expect to keep most of your baseline internet speeds, which should help you stay clear of buffering or low-res video. Moreover, Proton unblocked virtually every streaming service we threw at it, including Netflix Egypt, which only a few VPNs, including ExpressVPN, could also unlock. 

The Proton VPN app is pretty easy to use on most platforms, regardless of whether you’re a privacy pro or this is your first time using a VPN. It supports nearly every device you can think of, from Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android to streaming devices like the Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV. There’s even a Linux GUI app, which is simpler to navigate for beginners than a command-line-only app. Its apps aren’t quite as intuitive as ExpressVPN’s minimalist app, but Proton remains uncomplicated. Unfortunately, considering the privacy implications, we were disappointed in a design flaw with Proton’s MacOS kill switch that failed to properly warn users that their public IP address may be unmasked when switching servers. The company has promised a forthcoming update. Additionally, Proton VPN lacks 24/7 live chat (but plans to offer it by the end of the year), so if you expect to regularly need help outside of regular business hours, you may want to consider another VPN until then. Ultimately, Proton VPN is hands-down the best free VPN on the market, with a compelling premium plan that’s private and great for streaming.

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