Answers
VPN questions, answered.
Twelve questions we get asked the most, with the short answer up top and the working underneath.
Legality
Can the FBI see through VPNs?
Not directly — properly-encrypted VPN traffic looks like noise on the wire, and the FBI cannot break the encryption. What they can do is compel a VPN provider to hand over connection logs (if it keeps any) and subpoena your ISP to confirm that VPN traffic existed. The defence is a no-logs provider in a jurisdiction outside the FBI's reach.
Can police track VPN users?
In most cases, no — provided the VPN doesn't keep logs and is incorporated outside the requesting country's reach. Police can subpoena the VPN provider, but if there are no logs, there's nothing to hand over. Mullvad's office was raided by Swedish police in 2023; they had nothing.
Are free VPNs illegal?
Free VPNs are legal in most countries — but several major free providers have been caught logging, selling user data, or shipping malware. The legal question is the wrong one; the trustworthiness question is what matters. If you can't pay, ProtonVPN's free tier is the only one we recommend.
Can I get in legal trouble for using a VPN?
In most countries, no — using a VPN is legal and unremarkable. You can get in legal trouble for what you do over a VPN if it's already illegal (piracy, fraud, hacking), but the VPN itself isn't the offence. China, Russia, Iran, the UAE, North Korea, and Belarus restrict or ban VPNs.
Is NordVPN legal?
Yes — NordVPN is legal everywhere VPNs are legal. The company is registered in Panama, ships clients in 100+ countries, and is used legitimately by millions of consumers and businesses. NordVPN itself is restricted only in countries that restrict all VPNs (China, Russia, Iran, UAE, North Korea, Belarus).
Trust
Which VPN is most trusted?
Mullvad and ProtonVPN consistently rank highest on trust by independent reviewers, including ours. Mullvad accepts cash and assigns numeric account IDs (no email required), ships open-source clients, and was raided by Swedish police in 2023 with nothing to hand over. ProtonVPN is independently audited and based in Switzerland.
Are VPN no-logs claims trustworthy?
Some are, most aren't. There are three tiers: claimed (the provider says so), audited (an independent firm verified it at a point in time), and court-tested (police or courts tried to get user data and the provider had nothing). Court-tested is the only kind that actually proves it. PIA, ExpressVPN, and Mullvad have been court-tested.
Which VPN has been court-tested?
Three major VPNs have been court-tested with their no-logs claims surviving. Private Internet Access (PIA) had no data to hand over to US courts in 2016 and 2018. ExpressVPN had no data when Turkish authorities seized servers in 2017. Mullvad had no data when Swedish police raided their office in 2023.
Practical
Is a VPN worth it?
For most people: yes, modestly. A VPN is worth €3–5/month if you torrent, travel often, use public WiFi, watch streaming services from abroad, or live in a country with weak data-protection law. If you only browse from a private connection at home and don't pirate, the case is weaker.
Does a VPN make me anonymous?
No. A VPN hides your IP from the websites you visit and from your ISP, but it doesn't hide you from the VPN provider, doesn't stop browser fingerprinting, doesn't hide accounts you log into, and doesn't break the link between your payment method and your VPN account. Anonymity is a higher bar — Tor, separate identities, and operational discipline.
Can my ISP see I'm using a VPN?
Yes — your ISP can see that you have an active connection to a VPN server's IP and that you're sending encrypted traffic, but they can't see the content of that traffic, the websites you visit, or the data you send. To them you look like 'someone using a VPN'; to anyone past the VPN, your ISP doesn't exist.
Does a VPN slow down my internet?
Yes, slightly — usually 5–20% on a good VPN with WireGuard. The speed cost comes from encryption overhead and routing through an extra server. Bad providers, faraway servers, or congested servers can drop you 30–70%. Mullvad, ProtonVPN, and NordVPN consistently test fastest in independent benchmarks.