Do VPNs Improve Internet Speed? With Real Speed Tests

Last Updated on October 14, 2025 by Editorial

First-time VPN users often struggle with the question: Do VPNs improve internet speed? The short answer is no, and it depends. VPNs are more likely to slow down your regular internet speeds, but can also help you get better speeds.

In most cases, a VPN might slow your connection because your data takes a longer route. In other situations, it might help you avoid throttling and give you faster streaming or downloads. It depends on how and when you’re using it.

In this article, we’ll look at both sides: how VPNs can speed things up, why they might slow you down, and what happens behind the scenes. We’ll also break down some real test results so you can get a better idea of what to expect before installing one.

Do VPNs Improve Internet Speed or Not?

VPNs don’t usually make your internet faster. They often slow it down a bit. That’s because your data has to travel through an extra server, which adds a bit of distance and work. This can cause a drop in speed.

That said, there are situations where a VPN can feel like it’s making things faster. Some internet providers (ISPs)  slow down specific types of traffic, like video streaming or torrenting. 

A VPN hides what you’re doing, so your provider can’t pick and choose what to slow down. If your connection was being throttled before, using a VPN might speed it up in those cases.

How VPNs Work and Their Impact on Internet Speed

To really understand how a VPN might affect your speed, it helps to first break down how it actually works behind the scenes. Once you see the moving parts, the question, Do VPNs improve internet speed, starts to make a lot more sense.

What a VPN Actually Does

In our VPNs 101 article, we go into details of how VPNs work, but it doesn’t hurt to summarise it here once more.

A VPN creates a secure tunnel between your device and the internet. Instead of sending your data straight to a website or app, the VPN reroutes it through a private server.

During this process, your internet traffic is encrypted, basically scrambled, so no one can read it while it travels. Your IP address is also replaced with the VPN server’s, which helps hide your real location.

So, let’s say you’re in Kenya (my beautiful home), and connect to a VPN server in Germany. Your request to visit a website goes to Germany first, then to the site. Then, the response comes back to Germany, then to you. 

That extra step is what keeps your data private, but it also means it takes a bit longer to travel. Now imagine this happening for every page you open, video you stream, or file you download.

Why VPNs Can Slow Things Down

Encrypting your data uses processing power. Sending your traffic through a server that’s far away adds distance, which can increase latency (the delay before data starts moving). 

The more crowded or far-off the VPN server is, the more likely you are to notice a drop in speed.

Think of it like this: without a VPN, you’re taking a direct road to your destination. With a VPN, you’re taking a longer route through a checkpoint that inspects and rewraps your package before sending it on. It’s safer, but not always faster.

That said, not all VPNs slow you down. Some use faster protocols, better infrastructure, and smarter routing to keep speeds steady, or even improve them under certain conditions.

For example, NordVPN, which is the best VPN for speed, created the NordLynx protocol, which maintains solid security while boosting speeds. ExpressVPN has the Lightway protocol.

How a VPN Might Improve Speed

Now to our main question: Do VPNs improve internet speed? There are certain situations where you can get faster speeds than what your internet service provider offers.

Some ISPs slow down video streaming, gaming, or large downloads based on your activity. Since a VPN hides what you’re doing, the ISP can’t selectively throttle your traffic. 

This means you might get better performance while using a VPN in those cases compared to other internet subscribers.

It’s not a guarantee, though. It depends on your ISP’s behavior and the quality of the VPN server you connect to. That’s why the question “Do VPNs improve internet speed?” doesn’t have a one-size-fits-all answer.

Testing different servers or protocols can help you find a sweet spot between privacy and speed.

If speed is your top concern, it’s worth experimenting with different servers and protocols. Some VPN apps let you run speed tests or sort servers by performance, which helps you make better choices without guessing.

The more you understand how the VPN works under the hood, the easier it is to use one in a way that works for you.

Factors That Affect VPN Speed Performance

So, what affects VPN speeds the most? Here’s a quick breakdown.

VPN Provider Quality

Not all VPN services are built the same. Some invest more in fast infrastructure, reliable servers, and smart traffic routing. Others cut corners and overload their servers to save money. 

A slow or overcrowded network can turn your fast internet into a crawl. If you’re using a low-tier VPN, even basic web browsing can feel laggy.

A well-maintained VPN with strong backend support usually gives better speeds and fewer interruptions. 

So if you’re asking, “Do VPNs improve internet speed?”, it depends heavily on which provider you’re using. A high-performing one might reduce latency in some cases, while a bad one could easily drag your speed down.

Server Location

Your data doesn’t travel in a straight line: it hops across networks to reach the VPN server, then moves on to the final destination. The farther the server is from you, the longer it takes. For example, connecting to a server across the ocean adds more delay than one nearby.

That extra distance often means extra lag. To keep things moving quickly, pick a server that’s close to you or to the site you’re trying to reach. That simple choice can make a noticeable difference in speed.

Server Load and Time of Day

Just like roads during rush hour, VPN servers get busier at certain times. If too many people are using the same server, things slow down. High traffic means more competition for bandwidth, and your connection suffers.

This is especially true in the evenings when more people are online streaming, gaming, or working late. The speed drop can be very noticeable. Some premium VPNs balance traffic automatically to avoid this, but many still get bogged down. 

If you’ve ever wondered why your connection is slower with a VPN at night, this is probably why.

VPN Protocol

The type of protocol your VPN uses plays a big role in speed. VPN protocols are just the rules that handle how data is sent and secured. Some are faster than others. WireGuard and IKEv2 are known for being quicker and more efficient, while older ones like OpenVPN can lag.

Speed also comes from how lightweight the protocol is. WireGuard, for instance, has less overhead, which often translates to faster performance on both mobile and desktop. 

If you’re struggling with VPN speed, switching protocols might give you a noticeable improvement.

Device Performance

VPNs encrypt your traffic, which takes processing power. Newer phones and computers handle this with ease.

But if your device is a few years old, it might slow down while trying to keep up. You might notice apps loading more slowly or video streams buffering more often.

This kind of slowdown isn’t the VPN’s fault directly: it’s your device trying to keep up with the workload.

So when someone asks, “Do VPNs improve internet speed?”, it’s worth asking what device they’re using. 

A fast VPN on a sluggish device won’t perform miracles. This is why for situations like gaming you need to combine powerful devices with the best VPNs for gaming for the best results.

Base Internet Speed

Think of a VPN like a toll booth on a highway. If you’re already driving a slow car, the toll booth won’t make much of a difference.

But if you’re flying down the highway in a sports car, you’ll notice the slowdown when you hit the booth.

The faster your starting internet speed, the better your VPN performance will feel. A strong base connection helps absorb any extra lag caused by encryption or routing. 

But if your connection is already on the slow side, a VPN could make it worse, especially if it’s a busy server or far away.

Device Capability and Internet Connection Type

Your hardware and your type of internet connection matter too. Fiber usually delivers more stable and faster speeds, even through a VPN.

DSL or mobile data can fluctuate more, which makes VPN performance unpredictable.

Also, the type of router and modem you use can affect VPN speed. Older routers might struggle with the encryption load, especially if you’re using a VPN at the router level. That’s something many people overlook, but it can throttle your performance.

Speed Test: VPN On vs. VPN Off

Here at VPN Arena, we’re all about verifying claims to ensure you, the reader, get the most accurate information. I conducted speed tests to help answer the question, Do VPNs improve internet speeds. 

For demonstration purposes, I’m using NordVPN, which is one of the fastest VPNs in the industry.

I started with my base internet speeds. I usually use a 30 Mbps package, and here’s what I got on the unprotected speed test.

Then I connected to the closest server I could find, which is Nairobi,  and switched to the NordLynx protocol. For this, I got 27 Mbps, a 10% speed drop.

For my next test, I connected to the furthest server I could find, which is Brisbane, Australia. For this, I got 9 Mbps, a whopping 70% speed drop. You can’t stream any 4K content with this.

You can see how the speed tests support the assessments about the relationship between VPNs and internet speeds. Finding a speed-optimized VPN is very important if you want to get the most out of it.

Conclusion

In the end, the answer to do VPNs improve internet speed? It isn’t black and white. It depends on a mix of factors, from the quality of your VPN provider to your device, location, and base connection speed. 

A VPN might help you bypass ISP throttling or access faster servers, but it can just as easily slow things down if the server is overloaded or too far away.

If you’re serious about finding that balance between privacy and performance, take the time to experiment with protocols, nearby servers, and different times of day.

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