The Truth About VPN Speeds and How to Improve Them
A VPN can make your internet faster, though most VPN apps do the reverse. Two things account for the gain: getting around an internet provider that deliberately slows certain traffic such as video streaming, and using several internet connections at once rather than one.
Speedify delivers the second one. Speedify is an app that encrypts your traffic like a VPN and spreads that traffic across Wi-Fi, 4G/5G cellular, Ethernet, Starlink and satellite internet connections at the same time, so their speeds add up. That gain needs two or more internet connections, for example Wi-Fi plus your phone’s 4G/5G cellular. On a single connection, Speedify works as an encrypted VPN and can be a little slower, like any VPN.
Speedify is a VPN that adds failover and faster uploads and downloads
Coming up: why most VPN apps cost you speed, ways to make a slow VPN quicker, and the difference Speedify makes to browsing, uploads and video calls.
Why VPNs Usually Slow Down Your Internet
1. Encryption Overhead
The primary reason VPNs reduce internet speed is the computational cost of encryption and decryption. Every piece of data must be encrypted before leaving your device and decrypted at the VPN server, creating additional processing time. How much speed this costs depends on the protocol and on your device: older phones and laptops lose the most.
2. Server Distance and Routing
When you connect to a VPN server, your internet traffic takes a longer route to reach its destination. Instead of connecting directly to websites, your data travels to the VPN server first, then to the target site. This extended path increases latency, which you notice most in real-time applications like gaming or video calls.
3. Server Congestion
Popular VPN servers often become overcrowded, particularly during peak usage hours. When hundreds or thousands of users share the same server resources, bandwidth gets divided among all connected users. This congestion creates bottlenecks that dramatically reduce connection speeds for everyone on that server.
4. ISP Network Limitations and Throttling
A VPN cannot perform miracles if your underlying internet connection is weak or unstable. Plus, some internet service providers actively throttle or deprioritize VPN traffic. They can detect encrypted traffic patterns and intentionally slow down these connections.
5. Suboptimal VPN Protocol Selection
Using outdated or inappropriate VPN protocols can cost speed. Legacy protocols like PPTP or poorly configured OpenVPN connections create unnecessary overhead, while modern protocols like WireGuard offer better speed-to-security ratios.
How to Speed Up Your VPN
First, make sure your VPN costs your internet connection as little speed as possible. These five steps help:
1. Choose Servers Strategically
Select VPN servers that are geographically closer to your location and have lower user loads. Many VPN providers display server load percentages in their apps. Aim for servers with less than 50% capacity and minimal distance from your physical location to optimize performance.
2. Experiment with Different Protocols
Switch between available VPN protocols to find the fastest option for your setup. For conventional VPNs, WireGuard typically offers the best performance, followed by IKEv2 and modern OpenVPN implementations. Test each protocol during different times of day to account for varying network conditions.
3. Optimize Your Device Settings
Close unnecessary applications that consume bandwidth and processing power. Disable features like automatic updates, cloud syncing, and background app refresh while using your VPN. These optimizations free up resources for VPN processing and improve overall performance.
4. Split Tunneling Configuration
Use split tunneling to route only specific traffic through the VPN while allowing other applications to use your direct internet connection. This reduces the load on your VPN connection and can improve speeds for applications that don’t require VPN protection.
5. Upgrade Your Internet Plan
If your base internet speed is already slow, a VPN will only amplify the issue. Test your connection speed without the VPN active, and consider upgrading your internet plan if speeds are consistently below your needs.
BONUS: Get a VPN that combines multiple internet connections at the same time, like Speedify.
When a VPN Can Speed Up Internet: Throttling, Routing and Multiple Connections
A VPN can speed up your internet in four specific situations:
- Bypasses ISP Throttling: If your ISP is limiting your speed on specific services (like Netflix, YouTube, or gaming), a VPN can hide that traffic and prevent throttling.
- Improves Routing Efficiency: Some VPNs offer better routing than your ISP, so your data takes a more direct path and arrives faster.
- Reduces Packet Loss: High-quality VPNs can stabilize your connection by reducing packet loss and jitter, especially useful for video calls and gaming.
- Uses all available connections at once: on a phone, Wi-Fi and 4G/5G cellular; on a computer or router, also Ethernet, Starlink, DSL and satellite. A VPN that combines internet connections adds their bandwidth together, which is the one way a VPN makes uploads and downloads faster than your own connection.
Most VPN apps help only in the first three cases, and only some of the time. To get more upload and download speed than one internet connection gives, you need a VPN built to combine internet connections, like Speedify.
A VPN Does Not Make Wi-Fi Itself Faster
A VPN cannot make a weak Wi-Fi signal stronger or a slow Wi-Fi plan faster. On its own, a VPN adds encryption and a longer route, so Wi-Fi through a VPN is usually a little slower. What Speedify adds is a second internet connection: Speedify can use your phone’s 4G/5G cellular alongside the Wi-Fi, so downloads and uploads draw on both, and the cellular connection carries on when the Wi-Fi drops.
Speedify: A VPN That Speeds Up Internet by Combining Wi-Fi and 4G/5G Cellular
Traditional VPNs send all your traffic over one internet connection to one server. Speedify instead splits your traffic packet by packet across every internet connection you have and encrypts it on the way. This method, combining internet connections, adds the bandwidth of each connection together.
Here’s how Speedify improves internet speed and reliability:
- Combines all available connections at once: Wi-Fi, 4G/5G cellular, Ethernet, Starlink, DSL and satellite internet connections into one faster connection
- Detects and bypasses slow or congested paths in real time
- Moves traffic off a connection that drops or loses packets, so calls and streams keep going
- Encrypts your traffic like any VPN, while the extra connections supply the speed
- Protects against ISP throttling by masking your traffic.
Whether you’re working remotely, streaming video or gaming online, Speedify gives you more upload and download speed, plus failover when one connection drops, as long as you have two or more internet connections to combine. Your traffic leaves from the same Speedify server either way, so your public IP address stays the same when a connection drops and video calls and logged-in sessions carry on.
Traditional VPNs usually slow down internet connections because of encryption overhead and longer routes, and careful server and protocol choices keep that loss small. To get faster than your own connection, you need a second internet connection and a VPN that combines both, like Speedify. Speedify has a free tier with 5 GB per month when you create a free account (Linux needs a paid plan).
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Speedify combines Wi-Fi, 4G/5G cellular, Ethernet, Starlink and satellite into one faster, more reliable internet connection. Free to try: 5 GB a month with a free account. No credit card required.
🚀 Speed
Faster uploads and downloads, because Speedify uses all your internet connections at once.
📶 Stability
If one internet connection drops, Speedify moves your traffic to the others in milliseconds.
🔒 Security
AES-256 encryption on every internet connection, on any network you join.
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