Does a VPN slow down your internet?

Why could a VPN slow down your internet?

Using a VPN can slow down your internet connection and increase latency (delay) because your internet traffic travels through an extra VPN server. The main factors that affect speed include the distance to the server, the server’s current load, the VPN protocol you use, encryption overhead, and your base internet speed. 

These factors affect every VPN service, which is why inconsistent connection speeds don’t automatically mean the VPN itself is unusually slow. Now let’s see how these factors shape your online experience.

1. Server distance

Distance is usually the main factor affecting VPN speed. The farther your data has to travel, the longer the connection can take.

For example, if you’re in the UK and connect to a VPN server in Australia, your traffic first travels to Australia before the VPN server forwards it to the website or online service you want to use. If that website is also hosted in the UK, your data may travel from the UK to Australia and then back to the UK instead of taking a shorter local route.

That extra distance adds latency and can significantly slow your connection down. To keep speed loss to a minimum, choose a server in your own country or a nearby one unless you need a specific virtual location. NordVPN, for example, offers high-speed servers covering 137 countries, which makes it easier to find a nearby server wherever you are.

2. Server load

Server load also affects VPN speed. When too many users connect to the same server, the speed of your VPN connection can drop and latency can increase. This problem is more common with free or low-quality VPNs that have limited server networks and overcrowded servers.

Premium VPNs are less likely to experience this kind of congestion — NordVPN, for example, spreads traffic across more than 9,200 servers, so users are more likely to get stable, consistent speeds.

OUR EXPERT SAYS

Your VPN provider’s server quality matters more than the number of servers it has. High-capacity servers with greater bandwidth can handle more users without slowdowns. A large server network helps, but only if the servers themselves are built for performance — look for providers that invest in high-speed, reliable infrastructure, not just more servers.

Marijus Briedis, chief technology officer at NordVPN

3. VPN protocol and encryption

Encryption protects your online traffic, but it’s usually not the main factor behind slower VPN speeds. Current encryption standards like AES-256 are highly efficient and add only negligible overhead in most cases.

The VPN protocol matters much more because it determines how your data moves between your device and the VPN server. It’s often the reason why two people using the same VPN can have very different speed results.

If speed is your priority, the NordLynx protocol is usually the best option. Built around WireGuard, it’s designed for speed and efficiency without compromising security. OpenVPN also provides strong protection, but it’s generally slower than NordLynx because it relies on a more complex architecture to establish and maintain connections.

4. Regular internet speed

If your internet speed without a VPN is already low, a VPN won’t be the only reason your connection feels slow. A VPN can only work within the limits of your underlying internet connection, so a slow base speed will also limit your VPN speed. Test your internet speed without the VPN first to find out where the bottleneck is.

How much does a VPN slow down the internet?

Present-day encryption, such as AES-256, is highly efficient, so the overhead from encryption alone is often relatively small in practice. Even so, it can still reduce internet speeds by around 5% to 25% in some cases. The exact slowdown also depends on your VPN provider, device, protocol, server distance, and whether you’re using Wi-Fi or Ethernet.

Third-party testing shows what overall VPN-related speed loss can look like in practice. In West Coast Labs’ VPN Testing Report 2025, NordVPN ranked as the fastest VPN overall, with an average speed of 817 Mbps across all tested routes and platforms on a 1 Gbps baseline connection.

Distance also made a difference. The report showed that across European test origins, NordVPN averaged 842 Mbps, while across Asia-Pacific test origins, the average was 790 Mbps.

Across all five tested providers, West Coast Labs found that long-haul Asia-Pacific routes showed a natural 10% to 15% speed reduction compared with regional connections. That finding reinforces a simple point — nearby routes usually deliver better speeds than longer-distance ones.

To put those numbers into context, West Coast Labs grouped VPN performance into practical speed tiers. The report placed NordVPN in the premium tier at 788-817 Mbps, a range suited to 4K and 8K streaming, large file transfers, video conferencing, and cloud gaming.

How to test your VPN speed

The best way to check whether your VPN is slowing down your connection is to run your own before-and-after speed test. A quick test helps you establish a baseline and see whether changing servers, protocols, or other settings improves performance.

1. 1.Choose a reliable speed test tool, such as Speedtest by Ookla or Cloudflare’s Speed Test.
2. 2.Disconnect from your VPN.
   
3. 3.Run a speed test to establish your baseline. For this example, we’re using Cloudflare’s tool. Open the webpage and wait until the tool finishes measuring — it’s done when the numbers stop changing. Note your download and upload speeds.
   
4. 4.If you’re using NordVPN, make sure you’re on the NordLynx protocol. To check this on Windows, go to “Settings” > “Connection and security” (“General“ on macOS) > “VPN protocol” and confirm that “NordLynx” is selected.
   
5. 5.Connect to the nearest VPN server by selecting “Secure my connection” on the app home screen.
   
6. 6.Run the same speed test again and compare the results with the speeds you recorded in step 3. To rerun it, select “Retest.”
   
7. 7.Repeat the test with servers at different distances — a nearby server, a server in another part of your country, and a server in another region or continent.

You’ll usually see the smallest speed drop when connecting to a nearby server with NordLynx. A server farther away often produces a bigger drop because your data has to travel a longer distance. 

For example, a nearby server may keep the change small enough that everyday browsing, streaming, and video calls still feel smooth, while a server in another region or continent may add more delay and reduce download speeds more noticeably.

Running these comparisons on your own connection gives you the clearest picture of whether your VPN is fast enough for your usual online activity.

Can a VPN increase your internet speed?

A VPN can increase your internet speed in one specific situation — when your internet service provider (ISP) uses bandwidth throttling to slow down certain types of traffic, such as streaming or gaming.

Because a VPN encrypts your traffic, your ISP can’t tell what you’re doing online. If your ISP throttles speeds based on traffic type, using a VPN may restore bandwidth that was being artificially limited, resulting in faster speeds for those activities.

However, in most cases, a VPN causes a slight speed reduction. A VPN won’t improve your speeds if your ISP throttles all VPN traffic or limits bandwidth based on total data usage rather than traffic type.

How to increase your speed when using a VPN

If your connection is not as snappy and smooth as you’d like, try the following tips to make your VPN faster:

1. 1.Switch to a different protocol. Protocol choice can make a huge difference to VPN speed. If you’re using NordVPN, switch to NordLynx — it’s NordVPN’s fastest protocol and often performs much better than OpenVPN.
2. 2.Connect to a nearby server. Distance is usually the biggest factor affecting VPN speed. The farther your data has to travel, the more latency you’re likely to experience. A nearby server usually gives you the best results. You can use NordVPN’s “Secure my connection” feature to automatically connect you to the fastest available server.
3. 3.Check your internet speed. If your connection is already slow, the VPN may not be the culprit. You can quickly check whether your ISP, such as Verizon, AT&T, or T-Mobile, is currently down or reporting network disruptions. If your ISP isn’t experiencing any issues, run a speed test with and without the VPN to compare the results.
4. 4.Use a wired network connection. Wired connections often deliver more consistent speeds than Wi-Fi because they avoid wireless interference and reduce slowdowns caused by multiple devices sharing the same network.
5. 5.Restart your device and router. Rebooting can clear temporary network issues and refresh your connection.
6. 6.Close background apps. Shut down apps running in the background that transfer data, such as file syncing, cloud backups, or update managers, because they consume bandwidth and processing power.
7. 7.Try split tunneling if available. Consider routing only the traffic that needs protection through the VPN while sending other data through your regular connection. Split tunneling reduces the load on your VPN and can improve performance for specific activities.

OUR EXPERT SAYS

Some VPN speed guides recommend temporarily turning off your security software to check if it’s slowing down your connection. However, I don’t recommend turning off your firewall and antivirus software, even for testing. A slightly faster internet connection isn’t worth the security risk.

Marijus Briedis, chief technology officer at NordVPN

*Information related to “Fastest VPN” is based on testing conducted by West Coast Labs in October 2025, with the full report available here. The claim is further supported by multiple sources, including editorially independent evaluations and insights, internal tests as well as statements from media articles, some of which were published through paid partnerships.