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November 12, 2025 | Commissioned tests, VPN tests
Kaspersky VPN Comparative Test 2025
A comparative assessment of Virtual Private Network (VPN) solutions was carried out in February 2025 by AV-TEST, commissioned by Kaspersky. This evaluation aimed to measure the performance of selected VPN services against unencrypted reference connections, as well as to review their included features, implemented security, IP protection capabilities, and the public transparency of the vendor behind the product.
A test commissioned by Kaspersky
and performed by AV-TEST
The key performance indicators included download and upload speeds, torrent download performance, and measured latency across a range of local and overseas geographical test locations. All tests were conducted over a full week, with multiple runs each day for every product, providing a current overview of their capabilities. The test was done in close alignment with the newly developed AMTSO VPN Guideline , in which development AV-TEST contributed.
The VPN products evaluated for 2025 were: Avast SecureLine VPN, CyberGhost VPN, ExpressVPN, Kaspersky VPN, Kaspersky Premium, NordVPN, Norton Secure VPN, Proton VPN, Surfshark, and Turbo VPN. The report is prepared with no exclusion of any result reached by any of the products initially requested into the test.
The 2025 tests revealed varied performance across the different VPN services.
For local connections, Kaspersky VPN and Kaspersky Premium demonstrated strong download speeds, with Surfshark also performing well. For local upload, Kaspersky VPN, NordVPN and Kaspersky Premium were among the top performers. In terms of local latency, Avast SecureLine VPN, CyberGhost VPN, Norton Secure VPN, NordVPN, Surfshark, Kaspersky VPN and Kaspersky Premium recorded the lowest values. For local torrent downloading, Kaspersky Premium and Kaspersky VPN significantly outperformed the tested products, with Surfshark coming in third with over 10% less performance. Avast SecureLine VPN and Norton Secure VPN were excluded from torrent performance results, as the tested servers do not support torrenting.
For overseas connections, Kaspersky Premium, Kaspersky VPN and Surfshark led in download performance. ExpressVPN and NordVPN exhibited strong upload speeds, followed by Kaspersky VPN and Kaspersky Premium. Kaspersky VPN and Kaspersky Premium also recorded the lowest latency for overseas connections. For overseas torrent downloading, Kaspersky VPN and Kaspersky Premium once again significantly outperformed the other tested products, only switching positions while outperforming the third-placed product, Proton VPN, by over 10%. Avast SecureLine VPN and Norton Secure VPN were excluded from torrent performance results, as the tested servers do not support torrenting.
The findings indicate that while using a VPN generally leads to some performance reduction compared to an unencrypted connection — due to the overhead of encryption and routing traffic through remote servers — the extent of this impact varies noticeably between different products and connection types.
The graph below reflects the overall efficiency of each solution in user-based scenarios — the higher the score, the more efficient the product. The Combined Score Ranking is calculated using absolute results across key scenarios (Download, Upload, Latency, and Torrent) for each of the product in both Local and Overseas routes. The calculation method is detailed in Chapter 3.5, which also provides individual rankings for each scenario.