VPNInfobaseWho owns your VPN, and what has actually been verified
We compile what can be checked about 22 VPN providers: parent company, jurisdiction, independent audits, incidents and what each plan really costs per month. Every fact links to its source.
- 22providers on the register
- 95audits recorded, 12 providers with a linked report
- 11incidents on record, each sourced
- 0speed scores. We do not run speed tests
Start from what you need
Each guide names its criteria and links to the register for the facts behind them.
Streaming
Most searchedWhat a VPN can and cannot do for region-locked libraries, and what providers actually promise.
Open guidePrivacy
Start with the registerAudited no-logs claims, jurisdictions and ownership, with the source for each.
Open guideBeginners
Start herePlain-English setup, clear pricing and refund windows so you can try one safely.
Open guideBudget
ValueCheaper long-term plans and what you give up: read the billed term, not the headline.
Open guideGaming
PerformanceLatency, protocols and when a VPN helps or hurts a match.
Open guideTravel and public Wi-Fi
SafetyKill switches, obfuscation and what to expect on hotel and airport networks.
Open guideThe register at a glance
The eight providers with the most audits on record, alphabetical within ties. This is what has been recorded, not a ranking of quality.
| Provider | Jurisdiction | Audits | Incidents | Lowest per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ExpressVPN | British Virgin Islands | 28 (9 linked) | 1 | $2.99 / 28 months |
| Mullvad VPN | Sweden | 16 (8 linked) | 1 | €5.00 / 1 month |
| TunnelBear | Canada | 8 (7 linked) | 0 | none verified |
| Proton VPN | Switzerland | 7 (0 linked) | 0 | none verified |
| Surfshark | Netherlands | 7 (5 linked) | 0 | $2.49 / 27 months |
| NordVPN | Panama | 6 (2 linked) | 1 | $14.99 / 1 month |
| IVPN | Gibraltar | 5 (5 linked) | 1 | $5.00 / 12 months |
| Windscribe | Canada | 4 (3 linked) | 3 | $5.75 / 12 months |
What the register checks
Four questions, answered from the vendor's own pages, the auditors' reports and named news outlets, each with the date we looked.
Who owns it
Parent company and ultimate owner as separate fields, each with a source link. Where only a secondary source exists, we say so.
Where it is based
The jurisdiction the vendor states, with the page it comes from, because a legal home shapes what a court can demand.
What has been audited
Auditor, date, scope and a link to the report when one is public. A vendor page that mentions an audit is not the same as a report.
What it really costs
Price per month for the billed term, plus what is charged up front, in the vendor's own currency. No fake was-prices.
What a VPN does, and does not do
Encrypts your traffic
A VPN wraps your traffic in an encrypted tunnel to the provider's server, so the network you are on (a cafe, a hotel, your ISP) cannot read it.
Changes the address sites see
Websites see the VPN server's IP address instead of yours. The VPN company can see the real one, which is why who runs it matters.
Can change your apparent region
Connecting through a server in another country can change what a service offers you. Services also block VPN addresses, so results vary.
Helps on untrusted Wi-Fi
On open networks a VPN protects the link between you and the server. It does not make a malicious site safe.
Common questions
Who owns the VPN I am thinking of buying?
The register lists each provider's parent company and its ultimate owner as separate fields with a source link. The ultimate owner is marked as not established when only a secondary source such as Wikipedia was available, rather than guessed.
Does an audit prove a no-logs policy?
No. An audit tests a defined scope at a point in time. That is why the register records the auditor, the date, the scope and a link to the report where one is public, and why a logging claim is always labelled as the vendor's claim.
Do you run VPN speed tests?
No. We do not run speed tests or publish speed scores. If an independent tester publishes measured results, we will cite them by name with a link. None are on the register yet.
Why is there no best VPN ranking?
A single ranking needs a scoring rubric we cannot back with our own measurements, so we publish the checkable facts and a guide for each need instead. Pick the facts that matter to your threat model and budget.
How does this site make money?
Only the NordVPN links are affiliate links; they go through /go/nordvpn/ and are marked sponsored. Every other provider link is a plain link. Affiliate status does not change what the register records.