5 Best WireGuard VPNs in 2024 (Fastest Speeds Compared)

WireGuard has changed the game with its modern cryptography and easy setup, similar to SSH. It’s no longer an experimental VPN protocol. It has passed many audits and works well now.

Most top VPNs have added WireGuard to their apps. This means you can enjoy its benefits. But, finding a VPN that keeps your privacy safe can be hard.

We’ve looked at many VPN providers to find the best WireGuard VPN for you. We’ll also cover the top services and answer your FAQs about WireGuard VPNs.

Best Wireguard VPN Providers in 2024

1. NordVPN – has high-end security and very fast speeds.
2. Surfshark – offers parallel connections.
3. AtlasVPN – a great all-around budget choice.
4. Private Internet Access – offers a huge server network.
5. CyberGhost – has dedicated streaming servers.

What Is WireGuard?

WireGuard is a modern VPN communication protocol that uses UDP to transfer data to and from the VPN network. It’s open-source software, has been audited many times, uses state-of-the-art cryptography and offers fast connection speeds.

Initially, WireGuard was only available on Linux. But it now works on all major operating systems. Most VPN providers have also added WireGuard to their apps.

WireGuard is a great VPN protocol for everyday use. It balances speed and security well. Users don’t have to choose between the two with this protocol.

How Does WireGuard Work?

Like any VPN protocol, WireGuard creates a secure connection between a VPN app and a VPN server. It works over UDP and creates a secure environment. It uses the WireGuard interface, private encryption keys, and public encryption keys.

It then encrypts data and sends it through that secure channel.

5 Best WireGuard VPN Providers – detailed list:

We researched 20+ VPNs to find the top VPNs that support WireGuard. We checked if they protect user privacy well. We also ran speed tests to see which WireGuard VPNs offer fast connections.

1. NordVPN

NordVPN is the top choice for a WireGuard VPN service, based on our tests. NordVPN has NordLynx, its own protocol built on WireGuard technology. It also uses a double NAT system to protect privacy, with servers that don’t store user data.

NordVPN ensures consistent WireGuard speeds. We enjoyed fast streaming of 4K and HD videos on Netflix from all server locations. Downloading large files was also quick, taking around 10-15 minutes. Here are the NordVPN WireGuard speeds test results:

Location	Ping	Download Speeds
Romania	17 ms	419 Mbps
The US	105 ms	401 Mbps
Japan	258 ms	349 Mbps

NordVPN is also known for its fast speeds with other VPN protocols. Its apps are user-friendly, and it has 5,600+ servers in 59 countries. It’s great for streaming, unblocking sites like Netflix and Hulu. It supports P2P traffic on most servers and offers split tunneling for better speeds.

NordVPN also excels in security. It uses top-notch encryption, a customizable kill switch, and full leak protection. You get extra features like obfuscation and double VPN connections.

NordVPN has RAM-only servers, which erase all data with each reset. Its no-logs policy has been audited twice. It also offers Threat Protection, an ad blocker that keeps you safe from ads and malicious sites.
NordVPN has cheap long-term plans, 24/7 live chat support, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

2. Surfshark

Surfshark uses a double NAT system to implement WireGuard securely. It doesn’t assign static IPs, but dynamic ones. Surfshark’s WireGuard speeds are excellent. We enjoyed fast streaming, gaming, and torrenting with this VPN. Here are Surfshark’s WireGuard speeds test results:

Location	Ping	Download Speeds
Romania	34 ms	457 Mbps
The US	105 ms	408 Mbps
Japan	264 ms	270 Mbps

Most VPNs offer around five to seven parallel connections. But Surfshark offers unlimited connections with one account. So you can use this VPN service on as many devices as you want.

Surfshark’s apps are very intuitive, and it has a large network of 3,200+ servers. Surfshark unblocks popular streaming sites without any problems. Also, it allows P2P traffic on all servers and has split tunneling.

Surfshark offers powerful encryption, RAM-only servers, and a no-logs policy. It also has a kill switch, obfuscation, and double VPN connections. Plus, it has a reliable ad blocker called CleanWeb.

This provider has good leak protection. But, you need to manually disable IPv6 on your device to be 100% safe. Surfshark has some of the cheapest plans on the market, 24/7 live chat, and a 30-day refund.

3. AtlasVPN

AtlasVPN uses a unique user authentication method for WireGuard to protect your privacy. WireGuard is available on its Android, Windows, and iOS apps. AtlasVPN’s WireGuard speeds are really well:

Location	Ping	Download Speeds
Romania	25 ms	401 Mbps
The US	110 ms	386 Mbps
Japan	270 ms	320 Mbps

We think this VPN has one of the best free plans out there. It comes with unlimited data, P2P support, a strict no-logs policy, and lets you use the WireGuard protocol. Its plans are very cheap, making it perfect for those on a budget.

AtlasVPN also supports unlimited connections. You can enjoy WireGuard connections on as many devices as you want. It also has strong encryption, a kill switch, and good leak protection.

There’s also the SafeBrowse tracker blocker that protects your privacy from creepy advertisers. Atlas VPN also supports a split tunneling feature. While it doesn’t have 24/7 live chat, it makes up for that with great email support. It also comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

4. Private Internet Access

Private Internet Access outfitted WireGuard with no-logging features. It uses HTTPS encryption when it sends a request to the VPN server for an IP address. PIA’s WireGuard speeds are fast, but there were some slowdowns with distant server locations like Japan. Here are the PIA WireGuard speeds test results:

Location	Ping	Download Speeds
Romania	33 ms	377 Mbps
The US	105 ms	152 Mbps
Japan	260 ms	69 Mbps

PIA has the largest server network on the market. It’s easy to find a nearby server for good speeds. The large network also lets PIA unblock almost any streaming site. And PIA supports torrenting on each server, has user-friendly apps, and offers split tunneling.

Security-wise, PIA uses military-grade encryption, a good kill switch, and great leak protection. Its servers are RAM-only, its no-logs policy has been proven true in court, and its apps are open-source.
What’s more, PIA has a reliable ad blocker called PIA MACE and traffic obfuscation. PIA offers good prices, 24/7 live chat support, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

5. CyberGhost

CyberGhost VPN uses WireGuard to keep your data safe. It doesn’t log your activities. The speeds are great on most servers, but far servers might slow you down a bit.

Our tester in Romania saw this when using servers in Japan. Here are the speeds:

Location	Ping	Download Speeds
Romania	14 ms	340 Mbps
The US	128 ms	201 Mbps
Japan	264 ms	94 Mbps

CyberGhost VPN is easy to use and has a big network of 9,300+ servers in 91 countries. It works well with streaming sites thanks to its special servers.

It also changes its IP addresses often to avoid being blocked. Plus, CyberGhost VPN has split tunneling and lots of P2P servers.

It offers top security with powerful encryption, RAM-only servers, and an always-on kill switch. CyberGhost VPN doesn’t keep logs and has an ad blocker.
It’s also very affordable and has 24/7 live chat. Plus, it has a 45-day money-back guarantee with long-term plans.

Other Providers With WireGuard

The five best WireGuard VPN services we’ve talked about are top choices for anyone looking for a VPN with WireGuard. But, there are many more services that support this great protocol.

Several VPN services offer WireGuard as part of their options. Here are a few more providers that support WireGuard:

• VyprVPN
• PureVPN
• Proton VPN
• Hide.me
• StrongVPN

WireGuard VPN Pros & Cons

Let’s keep it simple. Talking about WireGuard preventing relay attacks with a 64-bit counter is not exciting. So, we’ll focus on the basic pros and cons. We’ll show them in a table that’s easy to read:

WireGuard vs. OpenVPN: Which is Faster?

Many people think WireGuard VPNs are faster than OpenVPN. But is that really true? We did some tests to find out. We looked at the speeds of NordVPN, Surfshark, CyberGhost, PIA, and TorGuard.

Then, we tested OpenVPN UDP on the same servers. We compared the results. Our tester is from Romania and usually gets speeds of 800 to 900 Mbps. Here’s how WireGuard compares to OpenVPN in different places:

Local (Romania):

Protocol	Average download speed	Average ping
Wireguard	398 Mbps	22 ms
OpenVPN	124 Mbps	20 ms

The USA:

Protocol	Average download speed	Average ping
Wireguard	264 Mbps	110 ms
OpenVPN	74 Mbps	138 ms

Japan:

Protocol	Average download speed	Average ping
Wireguard	162 Mbps	248 ms
OpenVPN	85 Mbps	314 ms

On average, our WireGuard connections were 65% faster than OpenVPN. The difference was huge. We always had better browsing, torrenting, streaming, and gaming with WireGuard.

Connecting to VPN servers was also much faster with WireGuard. It took us up to two seconds. OpenVPN took five to ten seconds.

So, while OpenVPN is good, WireGuard is faster. You can get good speeds with OpenVPN if you’re close to the server.

Wireguard VPN FAQs

Is WireGuard Safe?

Yes, WireGuard is safe to use. It has been thoroughly checked and audited to ensure its security. Being open-source, anyone can review its code for vulnerabilities. With only 4,000 lines of code, it’s easy for experts to audit.

WireGuard also offers other security features:

• Modern cryptography: ChaCha20, BLAKE2s, Curve25519, SipHash24, and HKDF.
• It uses rotating encryption keys every few minutes. This ensures perfect forward secrecy. Even if a hacker gets an encryption key, they can’t access the whole encryption.
• It doesn’t respond to unauthorized clients, preventing DoS attacks.

WireGuard’s main issue is dynamic IP allocation. It can’t assign VPN users dynamic IP addresses. Instead, it needs static IPs. Static IPs aren’t a big security risk. But, WireGuard logs your real IP and connection timestamps, making it hard to run a no-logs VPN.

Top VPNs like NordVPN and Surfshark have found workarounds. They use double NAT systems to protect privacy. Other services erase IP logs, ensuring no data is stored.

Does WireGuard Work on All Platforms?

Yes, WireGuard works on most platforms. It started on Linux but now supports Windows, macOS, BSD, iOS, and Android. Some VPNs only offer WireGuard on a few platforms. But the VPNs we discussed support it on all their apps.

Can WireGuard Be Blocked?

Yes, ISPs, network admins, and governments can block WireGuard VPNs. They can use DPI to detect and block WireGuard traffic. WireGuard can use almost any UDP port, making it easy to bypass VPN port blocks.

WireGuard doesn’t focus on obfuscation. But, you can add it with WireGuard over WSS. Yet, we haven’t seen any VPN providers use obfuscation for WireGuard yet.

ISPs and governments can block WireGuard by IP address. If that happens, you’ll need to connect to a different VPN server. But this is a problem with any VPN protocol, not just WireGuard.

Why Is WireGuard Better Than OpenVPN?

WireGuard is faster and slightly more secure than OpenVPN. Both offer great security and are audited and open-source. But WireGuard has some advantages:

• It’s simpler to audit because it has fewer lines of code. This makes it easier to find and fix vulnerabilities.
• WireGuard is significantly faster than OpenVPN. In our tests, WireGuard was 65% faster.
• OpenVPN runs many ciphers and protocols, making it more susceptible to downgrade attacks. Hackers can exploit a larger attack surface.

But, OpenVPN is better for privacy. Unlike WireGuard, OpenVPN doesn’t require VPN servers to store user data. Many VPN providers have found ways to work around this. So, can WireGuard replace OpenVPN entirely?

To be honest, WireGuard won’t replace OpenVPN entirely. It has some advantages over OpenVPN, but there are practical reasons why OpenVPN will remain. OpenVPN works on more routers and supports TCP.

Can You Do a Manual WireGuard Setup?

Yes, you can set up WireGuard on your own for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android. There are apps for each platform to manage your WireGuard tunnels.

But, it’s not easy if you’re new to VPNs. Setting up WireGuard manually is quite complex. You’ll need to rent a server and configure it, which is hard.

It’s simpler to use a VPN service that supports WireGuard. NordVPN, for example, has easy-to-use apps for all platforms. They also support WireGuard connections.

Is WireGuard the Fastest Protocol?

WireGuard is a fast VPN protocol. In our tests, it was faster than other protocols. We saw faster browsing, streaming, gaming, and torrenting with WireGuard.

We also tested it against PPTP. Sometimes, PPTP was faster, but we don’t recommend it. PPTP’s encryption is weak, and the NSA can crack it.

Does WireGuard Work in China?

WireGuard works in China, but the government can block it with DPI. If your VPN provider doesn’t add obfuscation to WireGuard, DPI can block it. We suggest using OpenVPN with obfuscation in China.

But, if China blocks VPNs by IP, WireGuard is safe. If your VPN updates its IPs quickly, you won’t get blocked.

Does WireGuard Work with Netflix?

Yes, WireGuard works with Netflix. But, any VPN protocol should work with Netflix. Netflix blocks VPNs by IP, so your VPN needs to update its servers often.

Some users think Netflix uses DPI to block WireGuard. But DPI can’t detect WireGuard because you’re using your ISP’s network, not Netflix’s. Netflix likely uses IP blocklists to block VPNs.

Is WireGuard Free?

Yes, WireGuard is free to use. But, you need to set up a WireGuard connection manually. And, you’ll need to rent a server, which isn’t free.

While there are free VPNs with WireGuard, we don’t recommend them. It’s better to use a paid VPN service. They are faster, have unlimited bandwidth, and don’t log or sell your data.

Is WireGuard TCP or UDP?

WireGuard uses UDP. It can use almost any UDP port, but it defaults to port 51820. WireGuard avoids TCP to prevent poor network performance.

Should I use a VPN without WireGuard?

You can use a VPN without WireGuard and get good performance. But, why miss out on WireGuard when it’s available at most top VPN services? So, choose a VPN that supports WireGuard.