Best VPN for Windows
Updated 21 September 2026 · How we research
Windows gives VPN clients the most to work with: a proper firewall API for kill switches, per-process routing for split tunneling, and support for every mainstream protocol. It also has one specific quirk that causes more DNS leaks than any other platform.
Protocol choice on this platform
Protocol selection for Windows.
| Situation | Protocol | Why |
|---|---|---|
| General use | WireGuard | Lowest overhead; typically the quickest to reconnect |
| Corporate or campus network | OpenVPN TCP on 443 | Passes filters that block UDP |
| Laptop that sleeps often | WireGuard or IKEv2 | Both re-establish quickly after wake |
| Network that blocks VPNs | An obfuscated transport | See obfuscation |
Platform-specific behaviour
- Smart multi-homed name resolution. Windows may send DNS queries out of every interface at once and use whichever replies first. That is the single most common cause of DNS leaks on this platform — a good client blocks it explicitly. See DNS leak protection.
- Split tunneling is widely available on Windows because the OS exposes per-process hooks. Review your exclusion list before joining an untrusted network.
- IPv6. If the tunnel is IPv4-only, Windows may prefer IPv6 and route that traffic outside it.
Kill switch on this platform
First-run setup
The order matters. Most people install a client, connect once, and never check whether the parts that protect them when something goes wrong are actually switched on.
- Install the client and sign in, then before connecting open the settings and find the kill switch. Turn it on.
- Select WireGuard as the protocol. If the client offers an automatic mode, prefer the explicit choice so you know what you are running.
- Connect to the nearest server and confirm your public IP address changed.
- Run a DNS leak test and check that every resolver listed belongs to the VPN rather than your ISP. Windows is the platform most prone to this.
- Check for an IPv6 address. Either none should appear, or it should belong to the VPN.
- Open Task Manager, end the VPN client process, and confirm that traffic stops immediately rather than falling back to your normal connection.
- If you use split tunneling, review the exclusion list before taking the machine onto any untrusted network.
Troubleshooting
Most VPN problems are protocol or routing problems rather than encryption problems.
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to try |
|---|---|---|
| Connects, but pages do not load | MTU or DNS misconfiguration | Switch protocol to OpenVPN TCP; if that fixes it, the original path was dropping fragmented UDP |
| DNS leak test shows your ISP | Windows resolving names on every interface at once | Enable the client's DNS leak protection; if absent, the client is not blocking other resolvers |
| Internet dead after quitting the VPN | Firewall kill-switch rules left in place after an unclean exit | Reopen the client and disconnect cleanly, which normally clears the rules |
| Tunnel drops after sleep | Adapter re-initialised before the client wakes | Confirm the kill switch held during the gap; prefer WireGuard for faster re-establishment |
| Blocked on a corporate or campus network | UDP filtered at the edge | Switch to OpenVPN TCP on port 443 |
How we assess providers for this page
The ordering on every comparison page on this site follows the same four criteria, and none of them is a speed measurement. We have not run a controlled throughput programme, so publishing figures or scores derived from one would be inventing evidence.
- Protocol breadth — how many genuinely different network conditions the provider can handle, not how many names appear on a page.
- Documented security features — kill switch and leak protection as published by the vendor, labelled as vendor statements.
- Platform coverage — which devices get native support, and which protocols are actually available on each.
- Commercial terms — price, device limit and refund window exactly as published on VPN Sherlock.
The reasoning behind each is set out in our methodology.
Providers compared
Commercial terms exactly as published on VPN Sherlock.
| # | VPN | Best for | Key features | Protocols | Devices | Price | Learn more |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Best overall | Six published protocols — the widest range among the five compared here | 6 (incl. Shadow, ZoogTLS) | Unlimited | $2.49/month | Get dealRead review |
| 2 |  Proton VPN | Clearest obfuscation | The only provider here that publishes how its obfuscation protocol is built | 3 (incl. Stealth) | 10 | $4.99/month | Get dealRead review |
| 3 |  PureVPN | Most devices covered | Native Apple TV and Fire Stick apps, which removes the usual reason to configure a router | 3 (WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2) | 10 | $3.24/month | Get dealRead review |
| 4 |  | Most obfuscation options | Two proprietary transports, one of them available at router level. No IKEv2 | 4 (incl. OpenWeb, StealthVPN) | 5 | $5.00/month | Get dealRead review |
| 5 |  Windscribe | Most flexible | Manual config generation for all three protocols, plus a free tier you can evaluate first | 3 (OpenVPN, IKEv2, WireGuard) | Unlimited | $3.00/month | Get dealRead review |
Notes for this platform
- ZoogVPN lists the widest protocol range of the five compared here, including a TCP fallback on every platform.
- Proton VPN is the only one publishing the architecture of its obfuscation protocol.
- PureVPN has the broadest native app list but no obfuscated transport.
- Astrill VPN carries two proprietary obfuscation protocols but no IKEv2.
- Windscribe generates manual configuration files, so it works beyond its own apps.
- All five list a native Windows app, so Windows is the platform with the fewest compromises across this comparison.
Save 82%ZoogVPN is our primary recommendation across platforms because of its six-protocol line-up — the widest published range among the five providers compared here.
2-year plans
Affiliate link — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. See our affiliate disclosure. Pricing shown as published on VPN Sherlock; confirm current terms at checkout.
Verify it is working
Whatever you choose, confirm it behaves correctly rather than assuming. Leaks are far more common than broken encryption, and they cluster around reconnects, sleep and network changes rather than steady-state browsing. The full routine is in how to test a VPN; the short version is to confirm your public address changed, that every DNS resolver shown belongs to the VPN, that no IPv6 address from your ISP is visible, and that ending the client process stops traffic immediately.