Our principles
- Accuracy first. Every factual claim is checked against a primary source, such as the provider's own pricing page, a published audit report or our own test results.
- Independence. Scores and rankings are set by the editorial team. Advertisers and affiliate partners have no say in them.
- Usefulness. We write for a specific reader and a specific task, and we say clearly when a VPN is not worth the money.
- Transparency. We show the last updated date on every article and explain how we make money.
How we test VPNs
Every provider we review is installed and used on real devices. Our standard test plan looks at the areas that matter most to everyday users:
| Area | What we check |
|---|---|
| Privacy | Logging policy, jurisdiction, ownership, independent audits and past incidents. |
| Security | Protocols, encryption, kill switch behaviour and DNS, IPv6 and WebRTC leak tests. |
| Speed | Download, upload and latency on nearby and long distance servers compared with our base connection. |
| Streaming | Access to major streaming libraries from several regions. |
| Apps and usability | Setup, features and stability across desktop, mobile and other supported platforms. |
| Value | Real price after renewal, refund terms, device limits and what the free plan includes. |
Our leak testing follows the same steps we teach readers in how to check whether your VPN is working.
How we score and rank
Each review ends with an overall score built from the areas above. In comparisons we score both providers round by round and always declare a winner, along with the readers who would still be better served by the runner up. Rankings in our best VPN guides are based on how well each provider fits that guide's use case, not on a fixed league table.
Sources we rely on
Beyond our own tests, we cite official provider documentation, published audit reports and trusted independent bodies. For security fundamentals we refer to sources such as the NIST guide to IPsec VPNs and the EFF Surveillance Self Defense guides. We do not cite anonymous forum posts or provider press releases as proof of a claim.
Commissions and editorial decisions
Some links on VPN Target are affiliate links. The team writing and scoring an article does not see commission rates, and a provider cannot pay for a higher position, a better score or the removal of criticism. Full details are in our affiliate disclosure.
Updates and corrections
VPN prices, server networks and features change often, so we review published articles regularly and whenever a provider makes a significant change. When we find an error we fix it promptly, and if the error affected a verdict or score we say so in the article. The last updated date at the top of each page shows when it was last checked.
Who applies this policy
This policy is applied by the VPN Target editorial team, who research, test, write and edit every article together.