Best VPN for Small Business 2026: 8 Tools Tested & Ranked
Here's a claim that might surprise you: most small businesses are shopping for VPNs completely wrong. They're comparing server counts and reading marketing pages when they should be asking whether the thing actually works when an employee's hotel WiFi drops at 11pm during a client deadline. Finding the best VPN for small business in 2026 isn't just about hiding your IP address anymore. It's about protecting client data, securing remote workers across multiple locations, managing team access without an IT department, and keeping your monthly costs from spiraling out of control. Whether you're a five-person agency or a 50-seat e-commerce operation, the stakes are real — data breaches cost SMBs an average of $3.31 million in 2024, and that number hasn't gone down since.
I spent the last several weeks putting eight VPN services through their paces: testing speeds across multiple server locations, digging into team management features, poking at kill switches and leak protection, and comparing every pricing tier. Here's what actually matters for small business use, and which tools deliver it.
What to Look for in a Business VPN
Before we get into the list, let's establish what separates a solid business VPN from the generic "unlock Netflix" tools crowding the market.
Simultaneous connections — Small teams need coverage for laptops, phones, tablets, and sometimes servers. Five connections don't cut it anymore.
Centralized team management — Can your admin provision accounts, monitor usage, and revoke access without contacting support every time someone quits?
Dedicated IP options — If your team accesses whitelisted client portals or internal systems, a shared IP is a liability. You need a static, dedicated IP address that's yours alone.
No-logs policy — Independently audited, not just promised in a PDF nobody reads. Your business communications are confidential.
Kill switch reliability — If the VPN drops, does your traffic immediately halt or does it leak for a few seconds? That gap matters.
Performance at scale — Home users can tolerate a 20% speed drop. Remote workers on video calls, cloud apps, and VoIP cannot.
How We Evaluated These VPNs
Every tool on this list was evaluated across five dimensions:
- Security architecture — Encryption standards (AES-256, ChaCha20), protocol support (WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2), audit history, and leak protection
- Business features — Team accounts, centralized dashboards, dedicated IPs, and policy controls
- Performance — Speed tests on US, EU, and APAC servers using a 1Gbps fiber connection as baseline
- Pricing & value — Per-seat cost, connection limits, and whether business tiers actually add meaningful features
- Ease of use — Onboarding for non-technical users, client apps across platforms, and support quality
Ratings are out of 5. Let's get into it.
Quick Comparison Table
| Tool | Best For | Starting Price (Business) | Simultaneous Connections | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surfshark | Budget teams | ~$3.99/mo per user | Unlimited | ⭐ 4.7/5 |
| ProtonVPN | Security-first orgs | ~$7.99/mo per user | 10 | ⭐ 4.6/5 |
| Mullvad | Privacy purists | €5/mo flat per account | 5 | ⭐ 4.5/5 |
| Private Internet Access | Large team value | ~$3.33/mo per user | Unlimited | ⭐ 4.4/5 |
| CyberGhost | Ease of use | ~$4.29/mo per user | 7 | ⭐ 4.2/5 |
| IPVanish | US-focused teams | ~$4.99/mo per user | Unlimited | ⭐ 4.1/5 |
| StrongVPN | Dedicated IP needs | ~$5.99/mo per user | 12 | ⭐ 3.9/5 |
| Windscribe | Freelancers/solo | ~$3.00/mo (Teams) | Unlimited | ⭐ 3.8/5 |
Prices reflect approximate 2026 annual plan rates. Always verify on vendor sites.
Detailed Reviews
#1. Surfshark — Best for Budget-Conscious Teams
Surfshark has quietly become one of the strongest value propositions in the business VPN space, and honestly, it's not even close. The unlimited simultaneous connections policy is genuinely disruptive — most competitors cap you at 5-10 devices per account, while Surfshark lets you onboard an entire team under a single subscription. That's a real cost advantage when you're managing 20+ endpoints.
Under the hood, Surfshark runs WireGuard as its default protocol, which consistently delivered speeds between 450-520 Mbps in my tests on a 1Gbps line — roughly 85-90% retention, which is better than most competitors managed. The NoBorders mode helps employees working in restrictive network environments, and MultiHop lets you chain two VPN servers for extra obfuscation if your team travels to high-scrutiny regions. (Fun fact: I tested NoBorders from a hotel network in Singapore that was blocking several VPN protocols, and it still connected first try.)
The business-tier dashboard is functional but not flashy. You can manage user accounts, generate reports, and set up dedicated IPs (available as an add-on). It's not the most enterprise-grade control panel you'll ever use, but for small teams it's genuinely enough.
Key Features:
- Unlimited device connections per account
- WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2 protocol support
- CleanWeb ad/malware blocker built-in
- MultiHop double-VPN routing
- No-logs policy (independently audited by Deloitte in 2023)
- Dedicated IP add-on available
- Apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, browser extensions
Pricing:
- Starter: ~$3.99/user/month (annual)
- Business: ~$6.49/user/month with team dashboard
- Dedicated IP: ~$3.75/month add-on
Pros:
- Unlimited connections is a massive cost saver
- Genuinely fast WireGuard implementation
- Strong audit history
Cons:
- Dedicated IPs are an add-on cost, not included
- Business dashboard is functional but basic compared to enterprise solutions
- 24/7 live chat can have wait times during peak hours
#2. ProtonVPN — Best for Security-First Organizations
If your small business handles sensitive client data, medical records, legal documents, or financial information, ProtonVPN is the one to beat. Built by the team behind ProtonMail, Proton has a genuine security-first philosophy baked into everything — not just marketing copy. And look, I know "security-first" gets thrown around a lot, but with Proton it actually means something specific and verifiable.
ProtonVPN is one of the only VPNs that's fully open-source across all its clients. Every line of code is publicly auditable. They've completed multiple independent security audits (SEC Consult, Securitium), and their Swiss jurisdiction means they're outside US and EU surveillance mandates. For businesses in regulated industries, that last point alone can justify the price premium.
Secure Core is the standout feature here — it routes your traffic through privacy-hardened servers in Switzerland, Iceland, or Sweden before exiting to the regular VPN server. It's a proper defense against network-level attacks and compromised exit nodes. There is a noticeable speed hit (I saw drops to about 60% of baseline on Secure Core routes), but for high-sensitivity workloads, that's an acceptable tradeoff. NetShield, their DNS-based malware blocker, also worked impressively well in testing. Honestly, I think Proton Business is underrated as a bundle — you're getting encrypted email and a top-tier VPN for $12.99/user, which is competitive when you price those out separately.
Key Features:
- Full open-source codebase, all platforms
- Secure Core multi-hop architecture
- NetShield malware and tracker blocking
- WireGuard and OpenVPN support
- Stealth protocol for restrictive networks
- No-logs (independently audited)
- Up to 10 simultaneous connections on Proton Business
Pricing:
- Proton VPN Plus: ~$7.99/user/month
- Proton Business (includes Mail + VPN): ~$12.99/user/month
- Free tier available (limited, not suitable for business use)
Pros:
- Swiss jurisdiction, genuinely strong legal privacy
- Open-source and independently audited
- Secure Core is a legitimate differentiator for high-risk use cases
- Proton Business bundles email + VPN, which is excellent value
Cons:
- More expensive than budget competitors
- 10-connection limit may require multiple accounts for larger teams
- Secure Core routes do have meaningful speed reductions
#3. Mullvad — Best for Privacy Purists
Mullvad is the weird one on this list, and I mean that as a compliment. They don't take email addresses for account creation — you get a random 16-digit account number. They accept cash and Monero payments. They delete all payment records after transaction completion. For businesses where operational security is a genuine concern — investigative journalism, legal defense, activist orgs — this level of anonymity infrastructure is unmatched.
Technically, Mullvad is excellent. They were one of the first major VPNs to implement WireGuard at scale, they support DAITA (Defense Against AI-based Traffic Analysis), and they've already shipped post-quantum cryptography into their Linux and desktop clients. That last point deserves emphasis: most competitors are still writing blog posts about quantum threats while Mullvad has actually deployed the fix. The gap between marketing and engineering is real in this industry, and Mullvad sits firmly on the right side of it.
The flat €5/account/month pricing is refreshingly honest. No confusing tiers, no annual commitment required. For freelancers or small teams with unusual privacy requirements, this model makes budgeting trivially easy. The limitation is team management — there's no centralized business dashboard, so it's less suited to orgs that need policy control or visibility into who's connected to what.
Key Features:
- Anonymous account creation (no email required)
- WireGuard and OpenVPN with DAITA support
- Post-quantum cryptography (desktop and Linux)
- Multihop and SOCKS5 proxy support
- No-logs policy (audited by Cure53)
- Accepts cash and crypto payments
- 5 simultaneous connections
Pricing:
- €5/month flat per account (no annual discount, no tiers)
Pros:
- Best-in-class anonymity infrastructure
- Post-quantum cryptography already deployed
- Transparent, audit-backed no-logs policy
- Simple, predictable pricing
Cons:
- No centralized team dashboard
- 5-connection limit per account
- No 24/7 live support (email only)
- Less suited to non-technical users
#4. Private Internet Access — Best for Large Teams on a Budget
PIA has been around since 2010 and has one of the largest server networks of any VPN — 35,000+ servers across 91 countries. For small businesses with distributed teams across multiple regions, that geographic coverage matters for latency. Your employee in Seoul and your contractor in São Paulo should both get decent speeds, and PIA generally delivers.
The unlimited simultaneous connections policy (matched only by Surfshark and IPVanish on this list) makes it cost-efficient for larger teams. PIA's MACE feature — a DNS-level blocker for ads, trackers, and malware — is built in at no extra cost. And here's the deal: they've proven their no-logs policy under real-world conditions, not just audit reports. They were subpoenaed by US courts twice and came back with no data to produce either time. That's a more meaningful stress test than any third-party audit.
One hot take: PIA's interface is the most customizable of any VPN here — possibly too customizable. There are encryption settings, handshake options, and protocol toggles that'll make a network engineer genuinely happy but might completely overwhelm an office manager who just wants to click "connect." For technically confident teams, this flexibility is a genuine strength. For everyone else, budget some time for onboarding.
Key Features:
- 35,000+ servers across 91 countries
- Unlimited simultaneous connections
- WireGuard and OpenVPN, highly configurable
- MACE ad/malware blocker
- Dedicated IP available (~$5/month add-on)
- No-logs (court-proven, plus Deloitte audit)
- Split tunneling with per-app control
Pricing:
- Monthly: ~$11.99/month per account
- Annual: ~$3.33/month per account
- 3-year plan: ~$2.03/month per account
Pros:
- Massive server network
- Court-proven no-logs policy
- Unlimited connections
- Highly configurable for technical users
Cons:
- US-based (Five Eyes jurisdiction)
- Interface complexity can overwhelm non-technical staff
- Business dashboard less developed than Surfshark or ProtonVPN
#5. CyberGhost — Best for Ease of Use
CyberGhost wins on user experience, full stop. If you're deploying a VPN to non-technical staff and you can't spend weeks hand-holding everyone through configurations, CyberGhost's app design earns its reputation. The interface is clean, the server selection is organized around use-case categories ("Streaming," "Torrenting," "NoSpy Servers"), and the onboarding flow for new users is genuinely smooth. I've seen people who struggle to find the WiFi settings on their laptop get through CyberGhost setup without a single support ticket.
The NoSpy servers are an interesting differentiator — these are RAM-only servers in CyberGhost's own Romanian data center, inaccessible to third parties. Romania's outside the 14 Eyes surveillance alliance, which is a meaningful legal advantage over US/UK-based competitors. CyberGhost has been independently audited by Deloitte, and their quarterly transparency reports are among the most detailed in the industry. Most VPNs publish an annual report and call it a day — CyberGhost does it four times a year.
Performance is solid but not exceptional. WireGuard speeds averaged around 420 Mbps in my tests — perfectly adequate for business use. The 7-device limit is the main friction point for teams (compared to Surfshark's unlimited). Dedicated IP options are available but slightly more expensive than PIA's offering.
Key Features:
- Optimized server categories for different use cases
- NoSpy RAM-only servers in proprietary Romanian data center
- 7 simultaneous connections
- WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2 support
- Automatic HTTPS redirection and DNS leak protection
- Dedicated IP add-on available
- 45-day money-back guarantee (longest on this list)
Pricing:
- Monthly: ~$12.99/month
- Annual: ~$4.29/month
- Dedicated IP: ~$5/month add-on
Pros:
- Best user experience for non-technical teams
- Strong transparency and quarterly audit reports
- 45-day refund window is generous
- NoSpy servers are a genuine differentiator
Cons:
- 7-connection limit is low for growing teams
- Owned by Kape Technologies (some privacy community skepticism, though audits are clean)
- Price increases significantly on monthly billing
#6. IPVanish — Best for US-Focused Teams
IPVanish is interesting in the small business context specifically because of its unlimited connections and the fact that they own and operate their own server hardware rather than leasing from third parties. That's a meaningful distinction for businesses concerned about supply chain security in their VPN infrastructure. Most VPN providers are essentially renting rack space and hoping the data center doesn't snoop — IPVanish actually controls the physical boxes.
The app is polished and the Windows client has one of the better split-tunneling implementations I've tested — per-app and per-IP exclusions work reliably, which matters when you need certain internal tools to bypass the VPN while protecting everything else. SOCKS5 proxy support is included at no extra cost, which freelancers doing scraping or monitoring work will appreciate.
Look, the main reason to pick IPVanish over Surfshark (which is faster and slightly cheaper) comes down to server ownership and US-centric server density. If your whole team is US-based and that infrastructure ownership matters to your security posture, IPVanish makes sense. Otherwise, there are better value options higher up this list.
Key Features:
- Unlimited simultaneous connections
- Owns and operates all server hardware
- WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2, L2TP support
- Strong split tunneling with per-app controls
- SOCKS5 proxy included
- No-logs policy (though historical controversy exists — see cons)
- Apps for all major platforms
Pricing:
- Monthly: ~$12.99/month
- Annual: ~$4.99/month
- 2-year: ~$3.33/month
Pros:
- Owns its own server infrastructure
- Unlimited connections
- Solid split tunneling
- Good US server performance
Cons:
- Historical no-logs controversy (2016 incident, policy updated since but worth knowing)
- Less competitive on international server coverage
- Fewer advanced privacy features than Mullvad or Proton
#7. StrongVPN — Best for Dedicated IP Requirements
StrongVPN doesn't have the flashiest feature set, and honestly I think that's fine — it solves one specific problem very well: dedicated IP addresses with straightforward pricing. If your business needs multiple static IPs — for client portal whitelisting, accessing SaaS tools with IP-based authentication, or running remote desktop services — StrongVPN's dedicated IP options are competitively priced and genuinely stable.
The 12-device limit is reasonable, and the WireGuard implementation is reliable if not exceptional (I saw about 380-400 Mbps in testing, which is noticeably behind Surfshark's 450-520 Mbps). What you won't get here is a sophisticated team dashboard or advanced privacy features. StrongVPN is a workhorse, not a showpiece. For a small accounting firm that just needs consistent, stable dedicated IPs for two or three employees accessing client-specific portals, it does the job without any drama.
Key Features:
- Dedicated IP addresses across multiple locations
- WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2, SSTP, L2TP support
- 12 simultaneous connections
- StrongDNS leak protection
- 24/7 live chat support
- Apps for major platforms including routers
Pricing:
- Monthly: ~$10.99/month
- Annual: ~$5.99/month
- Dedicated IP: included in some plans, add-on in others
Pros:
- Straightforward dedicated IP options
- 24/7 live chat is responsive
- SSTP support useful in corporate network environments
- Good router app support
Cons:
- No advanced team management dashboard
- Slower speeds than WireGuard-first competitors
- Smaller server network (950+ servers vs 35,000+ for PIA)
- Interface feels dated compared to CyberGhost or Surfshark
#8. Windscribe — Best for Freelancers and Solo Operators
Windscribe occupies a unique niche: it's genuinely the best option for solo freelancers or very small teams of 1-3 people who want solid privacy tools without paying enterprise prices. The Teams plan is surprisingly generous, and the free tier (10GB/month with 10 server locations) is actually useful for evaluation — most "free tiers" in this industry are so crippled they're basically just ads for the paid version.
The build-a-plan feature is legitimately innovative. Instead of buying access to a massive global network you'll mostly never use, you pick exactly which server locations you want and pay per location. For a freelancer who only needs US and EU servers, this can cut your monthly cost significantly. R.O.B.E.R.T. — their customizable DNS-based blocker — lets you configure your own blocking rules beyond standard ad and tracker lists, which is a nice touch.
That said, the business features are thin. No team dashboard, no centralized management, no dedicated IP in most plans. It's simply not designed for teams of 10 or more, and it shows. Think of Windscribe as the best "first VPN for a small operation" rather than something you'll scale with.
Key Features:
- Build-a-plan custom server selection
- R.O.B.E.R.T. customizable DNS blocking
- Unlimited simultaneous connections
- WireGuard and OpenVPN support
- Generous free tier (10GB/month)
- Teams plan with shared billing
- Port forwarding included
Pricing:
- Free: 10GB/month, limited servers
- Pro: ~$3/month (annual, build-a-plan)
- Teams: ~$3/user/month
Pros:
- Best free tier of any VPN on this list
- Build-a-plan is genuinely cost-efficient for minimal use cases
- Port forwarding included (rare at this price point)
- R.O.B.E.R.T. is highly customizable
Cons:
- No business-grade team management
- Server speeds vary more than premium competitors
- No dedicated IP options
- Customer support slower than paid-tier competitors
Detailed Feature Comparison Matrix
| Feature | Surfshark | ProtonVPN | Mullvad | PIA | CyberGhost | IPVanish | StrongVPN | Windscribe |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simultaneous Connections | Unlimited | 10 | 5 | Unlimited | 7 | Unlimited | 12 | Unlimited |
| WireGuard | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Team Dashboard | ✅ (basic) | ✅ (good) | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ (basic) | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Dedicated IP | Add-on | ❌ | ❌ | Add-on | Add-on | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ |
| No-Logs Audit | ✅ Deloitte | ✅ Multiple | ✅ Cure53 | ✅ Deloitte | ✅ Deloitte | Partial | ❌ | Partial |
| Kill Switch | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Split Tunneling | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Post-Quantum Crypto | ❌ | Partial | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Open Source | Partial | ✅ | ✅ | Partial | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | Partial |
| Free Tier | ❌ | ✅ (limited) | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ (10GB) |
| Jurisdiction | Netherlands | Switzerland | Sweden | USA | Romania | USA | USA | Canada |
| Avg Speed (% of baseline) | ~88% | ~75% | ~82% | ~81% | ~79% | ~83% | ~74% | ~76% |
How to Choose the Right Business VPN
Here's a decision framework that cuts through the noise.
You're a 1-3 person team or freelancer: Don't overpay. Windscribe's Teams plan or Surfshark's base tier will cover you. If privacy is paramount — you're in legal, journalism, or security research — go Mullvad and don't look back.
You're 4-20 people with mixed technical skill levels: Surfshark is your best all-round pick. Unlimited connections, reasonable price, audited no-logs, and the dashboard won't make your office manager cry. CyberGhost is worth considering if your team really struggles with tech — the UX difference is real and I don't think it gets enough credit in these comparisons.
You handle sensitive or regulated data: ProtonVPN Business. The Swiss jurisdiction, open-source codebase, and Secure Core architecture represent a genuinely different security model. The bundled ProtonMail for encrypted internal communications is a bonus that saves you paying for a separate tool.
You have multiple locations or need IP whitelisting: PIA or StrongVPN, depending on scale. PIA's server coverage and unlimited connections make it cost-efficient for distributed teams. Go StrongVPN if dedicated static IPs are your primary requirement.
Your team is US-only and you care about infrastructure ownership: IPVanish. The owned-hardware model is a real differentiator if that matters to your security policy.
Budget is the primary constraint: PIA on a 3-year plan at ~$2.03/month is genuinely hard to beat. Windscribe Pro for solo operators is even cheaper. Just understand you're trading some business features for that price — that's a fair trade for many small operations, less so as you grow.
Verdict: Top Picks for Every Use Case
Best Overall for Small Business: Surfshark — Unlimited connections, competitive pricing, solid audited security, and a usable team dashboard. It hits the right balance for most small businesses without requiring a technical co-pilot.
Best for Security-Conscious Organizations: ProtonVPN — Open-source, Swiss-jurisdicted, Secure Core architecture. If your threat model goes beyond "random public WiFi," this is the right call.
Best Budget Pick: Private Internet Access — 35,000 servers, unlimited connections, court-proven no-logs, and under $3/month on longer plans. Hard to argue with that math.
Best for Privacy Purists: Mullvad — No email required, post-quantum crypto already deployed, flat €5 pricing. The gold standard for operational anonymity.
Best for Non-Technical Teams: CyberGhost — The UX gap is real. If your team isn't comfortable with networking concepts, CyberGhost's guided interface reduces friction significantly.
Best for Freelancers: Windscribe — Flexible, affordable, and the free tier is actually useful for testing before you commit to anything.
FAQ
Q: Do small businesses really need a VPN in 2026, or is it overkill?
Definitely not overkill — especially with remote work now being standard rather than the exception. Any employee connecting to cloud services, email, or internal tools over a public or home network is a potential attack vector. A VPN encrypts that traffic at the transport layer, which isn't the only security control you need, but it's a foundational one. The cost of a VPN subscription is trivial compared to the average $3.31 million SMB breach.
Q: What's the difference between a personal VPN and a business VPN?
It's mostly about team management and accountability. Business VPNs offer centralized dashboards for provisioning accounts, managing access policies, and generating usage reports. Personal VPNs give you one or a few connections with no org-level controls. You can use a personal VPN for business purposes — plenty of people do — but you lose visibility and control as your team grows.
Q: How many connections do I actually need?
Plan for 2-3 devices per employee minimum — laptop, phone, and often a tablet or secondary workstation. Multiply your headcount by 2.5 and that's your realistic floor. That's exactly why unlimited-connection services like Surfshark, PIA, and IPVanish have such a strong value argument for teams of 10 or more.
Q: Is a VPN enough to protect my business data, or do I need more?
A VPN protects data in transit. Full stop. It doesn't protect against phishing, malware on endpoints, weak passwords, misconfigured cloud storage, or social engineering — which, by the way, account for the majority of actual SMB breaches. Think of it as one layer in a defense-in-depth stack that should also include endpoint protection, MFA on everything, and regular employee security training.
Q: What does "no-logs policy" actually mean, and should I trust audit reports?
A no-logs policy means the VPN provider doesn't store records of your browsing activity, connection timestamps, or IP assignments. Audit reports from independent firms like Deloitte, Cure53, or SEC Consult are meaningful because an outside party has actually verified that the technical infrastructure matches the policy claims. They're not a 100% guarantee, but they're significantly more credible than a pinky promise buried in a terms-of-service document. Look for providers who audit regularly, not just once when they launched.
Q: Can I run a VPN on my business router to cover all devices automatically?
Yes, and honestly it's worth doing if you have the technical chops to set it up. Most tools on this list support OpenVPN and WireGuard on DD-WRT, Tomato, or ASUS Merlin firmware routers. StrongVPN and PIA have the best dedicated router apps. One important caveat: routing all traffic through a VPN at the router level can impact speeds for latency-sensitive applications like VoIP or video calls, so configure split tunneling carefully to exclude those where needed.