VPN features compared

Every VPN here encrypts your connection. Where they differ is everything around it: what happens when the connection drops, which apps can skip the VPN, whether ads get blocked, and what the dearer plans throw in.

Each entry is what the provider says on its own website, not something we've tested. Checked 8 Oct 2026. Each VPN's page links to the source for every one.

Yes
Partly
No
Not confirmed

Features of each VPN, from the provider's own website
Feature	CyberGhost	ExpressVPN	Mullvad	NordVPN	Private Internet Access	Proton VPN	Surfshark
Security
Kill switch	Not confirmed	All apps	All apps	All apps	All apps	All apps	All apps
Split tunnelling	Some apps	All apps	Some apps	Some apps	Some apps	Some apps	Some apps
Ad and malware blocking	All plans	Some plans	All plans	Some plans	All plans	All plans	All plans
Post-quantum encryption	Not confirmed	On by default	On by default	Optional	No	No	On by default
Its own protocol	None	Lightway	None	NordWhisper	None	Stealth	Dausos
Privacy and getting past blocks
Multi-hop	No	No	Any route	Set routes	Any route	Set routes	Any route
Tor over VPN	No	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	No
Obfuscation	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
IP addresses and ports
Australian dedicated IP	Paid add-on	Paid add-on	No	Paid add-on	Paid add-on	No	Paid add-on
Port forwarding	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	No
Torrenting (P2P)	Not confirmed	Not confirmed	Not confirmed	All servers	All servers	Some servers	Not confirmed
Devices
Devices at once	7	10–14	5	10	Unlimited	10	Unlimited
TV apps	Android, Fire	Apple, Fire, Android	Android	Apple, Fire, Android	Apple, Fire, Android	Apple, Fire, Android	Apple, Fire, Android
Smart DNS	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Not confirmed	No
Linux app	Command line	Desktop app	Desktop app	Desktop app	Desktop app	Desktop app	Desktop app
Routers	Setup guides	Router app	Setup guides	Setup guides	Setup guides	Setup guides	Setup guides
Extras
Bundled extras	Data breach alerts	Password manager +1	None	Antivirus +3	Data breach alerts	Password manager +3	Antivirus +2

Feature guides

VPN kill switches

What a kill switch does when your VPN drops, which apps have one, and the settings to turn on.

Split tunnelling

Keep your banking app, printer or games off the VPN while everything else stays on it.

VPN ad and malware blockers

What CleanWeb, Threat Protection, NetShield and the rest actually block, and what they can't.

Multi-hop and Tor over VPN

Routing through two VPN servers, or into Tor: who offers it, how much choice you get, and the cost in speed.

Australian dedicated IPs

An IP address only you use: fewer CAPTCHAs and bank checks. Which VPNs sell an Australian one.

VPN protocols and post-quantum encryption

WireGuard, OpenVPN, Lightway and the rest in plain English, and which VPNs protect against future quantum attacks.

Port forwarding and torrenting

Which VPNs still offer port forwarding, which allow P2P, and why it matters for torrents, games and servers.

VPN bundles and extras

Antivirus, password managers and data removal in the dearer plans: what Australians get, and what it costs.

How to read this table

"Partly" means there's a catch

A half dot means the feature is missing from some of the VPN's apps (often iOS), only comes with dearer plans, or only works on some servers. The feature's guide says which.

"Not confirmed" isn't "no"

It means we couldn't confirm it on the provider's own site, so we haven't guessed. A fact we're overdue to re-check reads "May be out of date" until we do.

Extras Australians can get

Bundled extras count only what's included in a plan at no extra cost and open to Australian residents. Several providers' data-removal and identity-theft cover is for other countries only.

Features aren't a score

More dots doesn't make a better VPN. Most people need a kill switch and not much else. Price still matters: compare prices, renewals included.