Hands-on tests of VPNs, password managers and everyday apps: what each one installs, who it talks to and what it leaves behind.
Latest test · VPN · A light, quiet VPN that protects you well once connected. Turn the Kill Switch on, and know that it still let traffic out for about 8 seconds while Windows started. The optional antivirus works, but it is a second product with eight drivers and its own root certificate.
A normal subscription on our own card, the same plan you would buy.
On Windows, macOS and Android, at home and on public Wi-Fi.
What it installs, who it talks to while idle, what it leaves behind, whether it leaks.
If a service promises money back, we test whether it actually pays.
NordVPN: leak-proof, but the heaviest app we've testedNo leaks in any test and the strongest kill switch we have tested. But it runs three always-on services, uses about 1 GB of memory and keeps calling its analytics server after you click Reject.
Proton VPN: clean and quiet, but its kill switch leakedClean install, quiet at idle and no leaks in normal use. But the kill switch is off by default, and the Standard mode let our real IP out for about 9 seconds when the VPN service crashed.
ZeroTier: light and safe, with a messy uninstallLight, well-behaved and safe by default while installed. But uninstalling leaves the device's private key, network settings, a driver and two allow-all firewall rules behind.