Your Need for Speed

Why VPN Speed Matters: Evaluating Performance and Avoiding Pitfalls

Speed is a crucial metric for a significant number of internet users when selecting a VPN provider, and it is particularly important for those who are already experienced with one or more VPN services.

Why speed matters

For many users, particularly those who engage in activities such as streaming, gaming, or large file transfers, fast and reliable connection speeds are a top priority.

Experienced VPN users are well aware of how speed, or, more precisely, the lack of sufficient speed among many VPNs, can significantly impact their online experience and evaluation of a VPN provider.

Consumers are likely to place a high value on providers that offer optimal performance, and as a result, speed often becomes a key factor in their decision-making process, influencing their choice of VPN based on how well it meets their performance even if this sacrifices their privacy and security expectations.

Consumers often prioritize VPN providers that offer optimal performance, with speed being a key factor in their decision-making. As a result, many users may opt for faster VPNs, even if it means sacrificing privacy and security, a scenario that may resonate with parents whose children overlook privacy concerns in favor of uninterrupted cartoons or gaming sessions.

In the debate between centralized and decentralized networks, speed is a major factor, which is why none of the top 100 most popular VPN providers are a dVPN network, as decentralized networks generally suffer significantly in terms of speed compared to commercially run data-center networks.

Comparing apples with apples

Speed is therefore a crucial factor that requires an 'apples-to-apples' comparison when evaluating VPNs, and in fairness to dVPN providers, such comparisons are only relevant to commercial providers.

Achieving this type of comparison can be challenging for consumers due to significant differences in speed among commercial VPNs and the lack of tools for directly comparing them against each other.

While media comparisons can provide valuable insights, it is important for consumers to be aware that not every media outlet is completely impartial. Corporate VPN providers often influence written media to present their services in a favorable light.

However, despite these potential biases, any comparison is better than no comparison at all, as it helps consumers make more informed and conscious decisions when assessing their needs and priorities.

Too good to be true

DEVPN strongly advises consumers to be cautious when encountering VPN providers that offer speed versus price promises that seem too good to be true. The VPN market is saturated with numerous providers, and operating a high-speed network requires substantial capital. This is why large corporate VPN providers, despite their higher consumer prices, dominate the top market positions.

We urge consumers to use common sense and recognize that it is highly improbable for an operator to deliver ultra-high speeds at a fraction of the price charged by market leaders. If a VPN provider’s offer appears unusually low, it is likely an indication of potential issues with service quality or hidden costs.

Additionally, any underpriced or free VPN solutions should be approached with extreme caution!

These providers are often the most likely to intentionally compromise user privacy by selling data to commercial data brokers. We cannot warn consumers strongly enough to be cautious of such offerings and to prioritize providers that ensure robust performance and transparent privacy practices.

Locations versus speed

It is important to note that the geographical location of the user, the location of the VPN provider's servers and the quality of the line significantly impact the overall VPN speed and user experience.

The closer a VPN server is to the user and the higher the quality of the internet service provider on the VPN provider’s side, the faster and more stable the connection will be, as data travels a shorter distance and benefits from superior infrastructure.

VPN providers with servers spread across multiple locations can offer better speeds by reducing latency and managing traffic more effectively. When choosing a VPN provider based on speed, we recommend that consumers check the distribution of server locations to assess optimal performance.

Speed conclusions

Speed is a crucial factor for many consumers when considering a VPN connection, particularly those who are experienced and prioritize fast, reliable connections for activities like streaming or gaming.

Important consideration needs to go to the geographical distribution of servers and the quality of the provider's infrastructure, as these factors significantly impact VPN speed and performance.

Although we strongly emphasizes that choosing a VPN provider based solely on speed significantly compromises privacy, we still advise consumers to consult media reviews for speed comparisons.

And finally, we issue a very firm warning to consumers to avoid VPN providers that claim high speeds at very low prices. VPNs making such claims will undoubtedly compromise service quality and privacy.

DEVPN's solution

For a detailed overview on how DEVPN provides a solution for the above challenges, see this chapter.