Best business VPN Service in 2023
Table of Contents
Cyber risks threaten companies of all sizes. A virtual private network (VPN) reduces your vulnerability. The best business VPNs of 2023 protect your privacy while allowing users to access the internet securely and quickly.
We evaluated and tested dozens of VPN services, including installing apps and contacting customer support. Our assessment looked at ease of use, device functionality and core features that improved our security posture.
By reviewing user feedback and comparing prices, features and more, we identified 16 business VPN solutions that stood out from the rest. Learn how our top picks stack up and find the right service for your company.
Why trust our small business experts
Our team of experts evaluates hundreds of business products and analyzes thousands of data points to help you find the best product for your situation. We use a data-driven methodology to determine each rating. Advertisers do not influence our editorial content. You can read more about our methodology below.
- 18 companies reviewed.
- 64 hours of product testing.
- 774 data points analyzed.
Featured VPN offers
Our verdict
Tunnelbear is the best business VPN due to its fast download speed, cheap monthly cost and unlimited simultaneous connections. However, businesses may prefer solutions with better Linux support or sophisticated security features.
Business VPNs provide secure tunnels for online activity. But speeds vary greatly based on individual internet connections, server locations and more. Differences exist among VPN apps, with some being easy to use (but offering fewer customizations) and others requiring a tech-savvy administrator.
Not all VPN services have an administrative dashboard or bulk license discounts. While this is of little consequence for solopreneurs, it makes a big difference for companies needing dozens or hundreds of user accounts.
Likewise, some VPNs stand out for torrenting and streaming, whereas others make it easier for IT teams to incorporate a VPN into standard workflows. Lastly, don’t discount the importance of transparency. Some VPN providers share details about the company’s history, server ownership and internal security protocols, along with independent audits confirming the companies have proper safeguards for privacy protection.
Compare VPN services based on speed, price and security.
Best business VPNs of November 2023
Compare the best business VPNs
We extensively research the key competitors within an industry to determine the best products and services for your business. Our experts identify the factors that matter most to business owners, including pricing, features and customer support, to ensure that our recommendations offer well-rounded products that will meet the needs of various small businesses.
We collect extensive data to narrow our best list to reputable, easy-to-use products with stand-out features at a reasonable price point. And we look at user reviews to ensure that business owners like you are satisfied with our top picks’ services. We use the same rubric to assess companies within a particular space so you can confidently follow our blueprint to the Best Business VPNs of 2023.
The best business VPN providers have positive user reviews on customer review sites, such as Trustpilot, G2 and Capterra. VPN providers should provide customers with fast and reliable support. Utilizing a combination of phone support, live chat and knowledge bases, customers should be able to quickly resolve issues 24/7.
VPNs should provide free trials and free versions to test out the service. Paid plans should be affordably priced when compared to competitors and backed by reasonable refund policies and money-back guarantees.
All VPNs should expand on a basic feature set that includes anonymous browsing, DNS protection measures and multi-factor authentication. They should also provide additional security and usability features such as a kill switch, dedicated IP address and split tunneling.
VPN providers should have an expansive network of VPN servers so that you can access your VPN connection around the world using both VPN apps and browser extensions. Numerous simultaneous connections should be provided to cover all of an employee’s work devices. VPN speeds should be fast enough to perform common business tasks, including sending emails and sharing files.
And most importantly, VPN providers should uphold a strict no-log policy with a demonstrated history of maintaining users’ privacy.
What is a business VPN?
A commercial VPN, or virtual private network, is an encrypted tunnel. After connecting to it, all internet activity passes through the secure service. When employees access cloud applications or their company’s network, business VPNs protect all data — including confidential client information and worker locations — from prying eyes.
Business VPN solutions offer features that personal services don’t. For instance, many provide an administrative portal, allowing centralized control over multiple VPNs. Some give discounts for bulk license purchasing.
A VPN for business use may include features suitable for small to large corporations, such as:
- Activity reports.
- Dedicated account managers.
- Transferable user licenses.
- Integration with single sign-on tools.
- Device security posture monitoring.
- Fixed IPs with dedicated servers.
- Network segmentation.
How does a business VPN work?
The internet is like a public highway for online activity. Business VPNs encrypt data and then send it through a secure tunnel. The private pathway prevents advertisers, internet providers and hackers from observing online activities, including uploads and downloads.
According to Justas Pukys, product manager at Surfshark VPN, “the core functionality of a VPN is to secure and encrypt users’ data so that third parties like hackers, cybercriminals or, in some instances, governments couldn’t track users or see what they are doing online.”
A business VPN client (software for your phone or computer) encrypts the request on your device before sending it through your internet connection to the VPN server. The VPN server decrypts the request and forwards it to the appropriate web server. Once the web server responds, the VPN encrypts its response before sending it back to you. Your VPN client decrypts the information, and your requested website or application loads.
Of course, this process happens quickly. After establishing a VPN connection, users access the internet as usual. The business VPN works in the background, encrypting and decrypting data, so your online requests, activities and information aren’t exposed.
Here’s how a business VPN works:
- The user downloads a desktop or mobile client: Apps for Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android devices require a username and password for identity verification.
- A business IT team walks the user through the setup: Depending on company policies, users may need to enable a kill switch, select the company-approved protocol and configure split tunneling.
- Employees establish a VPN connection: Most VPN apps have a single button for connecting or disconnecting. Alternatively, businesses and users can configure the account to connect automatically.
- The VPN server begins protecting data and online activity: Once connected, the VPN client encrypts or decrypts all interactions before sending online requests through the VPN tunnel.
Business VPN cost overview
Most VPN solutions offer single-tier pricing, but some providers have multi-tier plans that include additional simultaneous connections and features, such as dedicated IP addresses. Some companies, like NordVPN and Windscribe, even offer business VPN accounts that include additional tools to help manage your employees’ VPN accounts, like analytics and privacy and security controls. Business VPN accounts tend to be more expensive, like higher-tier plans.
Small business owners can save on VPN plans for their companies by choosing a VPN provider that offers bulk licensing discounts. Bulk licensing discounts usually kick in when you pay for three or more accounts. Another option to save your budget is to choose a VPN provider that offers a high or unlimited number of simultaneous connections that can cover your entire workforce.
Featured VPN offers
How to choose the right VPN for your small business
Before looking for VPN solutions, think about why you need a VPN and who will use it. Are you connecting remote workers to your main office network? Want a site-to-site solution? Or are you a solopreneur needing a VPN while using public Wi-Fi?
A consumer VPN like Surfshark or ExpressVPN may work for small teams and home-based businesses. But most won’t let you assign and revoke accounts or consolidate billing. In contrast, VPNs for small businesses like Windscribe’s ScribeForce and NordVPN’s NordLayer provide centralized billing and team management tools.
Next, consider a VPN’s privacy and security tools. According to Pukys, “a good rule of thumb is the stronger the encryption, the better.” In addition, Pukys recommends users “consider additional security features that a VPN provides for better safety, and look for VPN providers with periodic and public audits confirming that companies follow their established policies.”
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) suggests researching services by reading VPN reviews and ratings. It also recommends checking out app store pages to see “what types of data the app will access on your device.”
Compare small business VPNs by looking at:
- Download and upload speeds.
- Available protocols.
- Per user cost.
- The number of servers and locations.
- Ease of use for employees.
- VPN features, like a kill switch and split tunneling.
- Custom configuration capabilities.
- Administrative dashboards.
- VPN company history, audits and security measures.
- Time to implement and deploy.
- Single sign-on and MFA functionality.
- Scalability.
- Desktop and mobile app functionality.
- Ability to configure the VPN for compliance standards.
- Ease of adding or removing users.
- Advanced security tools and features.
- Customer support options and responsiveness.
VPN server comparison
VPN speed comparison
VPNs can slow down your internet connection. Therefore, it is pivotal that the VPN you choose for your business is fast enough to keep up with the demands of your work. According to the Federal Communications Commission, moderate household internet usage requires 12 to 25 Mbps download speeds, and high usage needs more than 25 Mbps. Therefore, remote workers should be fine with 25 Mbps or slower download speeds, while those in an office with more than four devices connected at once will need speeds greater than 25 Mbps.
All of the VPNs on our best business VPN list offer ample VPN speeds for most small businesses. However, choosing a VPN provider with fast average VPN speeds will ensure your employees can work effectively and efficiently without internet interruptions slowing them down.
Upload speeds tend to be slower than download speeds. Unless you’re a content creator that consistently uploads large files or a data scientist that uploads giant datasheets to the cloud, most businesses will want to prioritize fast download speeds.
Tip: You can also connect to a geographically closer or less utilized VPN server to help boost your VPN performance.
What we don’t recommend
In most cases, we don’t suggest businesses use free VPNs. According to the FTC, “many VPN apps are free because they sell advertising within the app, or share your information and online activity with other companies.” Instead, use the free version to assess a VPN service and see if the application is easy to use. Then switch to a paid plan for everyday business use.
Most larger teams should avoid consumer VPNs. These lack centralized billing and management tools that simplify business processes. The price per user is the same or slightly more for team-centric subscriptions but lets your company administrator oversee your VPN program.
However, solopreneurs and independent contracts don’t necessarily need business-level tools found on products like NordLayer or ScribeForce.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
While not absolutely necessary, a dedicated IP address can improve productivity and security. Since you don’t share an address with other users, websites are less likely to require CAPTCHAs or restrict site access. In addition, your business can add employees’ dedicated IPs to their network’s allowlist, improving security and access controls.
Your internet service provider (ISP) assigns different IPs for each device. When you type in a website or access an online program, it sends the requested page to your IP address. A VPN service masks your ISP-provided address and assigns you a shared, dynamic IP. While this improves privacy, websites or apps may think shared IP users are bots or spam.
A dedicated IP more closely resembles your ISP-provided address, as only you use it. But unlike an IP from your internet provider, most dedicated IPs allow multiple devices to share the address.
A business VPN encrypts online activities, preventing ISPs, cyber criminals and advertisers from seeing your actions. It is one component of an effective cybersecurity program. When used with antiviral and antimalware tools, it can help prevent data breaches.
According to Pukys, “by using a VPN, a solopreneur, contractor or small business team can ensure their data and information is safe online. Even by gaining access to the data, cybercriminals couldn’t use it against others in any way because encrypted information is impossible to decode.”
The National Institute of Standards and Technology at the U.S. Department of Commerce (NIST) said VPNs offer “several types of data protection,” including:
- Integrity: Ensures information isn’t modified or removed.
- Confidentiality: Protects against unauthorized access or disclosure.
- Replay protection: Prevents attacks that steal and retransmit credentials.
- Data origin authentication: Confirms data sources.
- Access control: Allows businesses to restrict network or application access.
You access the internet through a VPN client on your device (mobile or desktop app or browser extension). After creating an account and purchasing a subscription, you can download applications for your hardware.
Most apps let you enable various settings, such as a kill switch or split tunneling. You may choose between protocols, specialty servers and server locations. Once configured, click Connect to establish a VPN connection.
For step-by-step instructions, check out our guide on how to set up a VPN.
Although consumer and business VPNs offer similar in-app features, commercial VPNs allow centralized billing and team management. With these tools, you can assign and revoke licenses and manage hardware connections.
Additionally, business VPNs may have more security features, such as single sign-on integrations or firewalls. The increased visibility and administrative functionality streamline back-office processes while improving security.