TunnelClash

The VPN versus desk

Two VPNs enter. One wins your use case.

Brand-versus-brand VPN matchups, each settled on the same tale of the tape: jurisdiction, audits, protocols and price — cited, dated, and never decided by a speed test we didn't run.

See every matchupHow we judge

No invented speed tests. Jurisdiction, audits and price — cited and dated.

Main event · Heavyweights

Red corner

NordVPN

Panama

Blue corner

ExpressVPN

BVI
Read the tapeVisit NordVPN

Tonight’s full card

The hub ›

Ten head-to-heads, each settled on the same tale of the tape. We name a winner for a use case — streaming on a budget, privacy at all costs, the simplest app — never an absolute champion.

Bout 01

ExpressVPN vs IPVanish (2026): Same Renewal Price, Different Track Records

Two VPNs that renew within 4 cents of each other. What separates them is server design, device limits and one old logging case.

Bout 02

Surfshark vs IPVanish (2026): Two Unlimited-Device VPNs, One Cheaper Renewal

Both cover every device you own. The differences are in renewal price, server storage, audits and one old logging case.

Bout 03

CyberGhost vs Surfshark: Streaming vs Unlimited Devices

The streaming specialist with a 45-day guarantee against the unlimited-device value champion — two budget-friendly brands with different party tricks.

Bout 04

ExpressVPN vs CyberGhost: Premium vs Budget, Same Owner

A premium set-and-forget app against a budget streaming specialist — with a twist: both are owned by the same company, Kape Technologies.

Bout 05

ExpressVPN vs Surfshark: Premium vs Value

The category's priciest major brand against its cheapest: ExpressVPN's polish and routers versus Surfshark's unlimited-device value.

Bout 06

IPVanish vs NordVPN: Unlimited Devices vs Trust Record

Unlimited devices and a US base against a stronger audit record and a cleaner history — a matchup where a decade-old logging incident still matters.

Bout 07

Mullvad vs NordVPN: Privacy Purist vs the Market Leader

The anonymous, flat-fee privacy purist against the feature-packed market leader — a matchup where the honest winner sometimes pays nothing at all.

Bout 08

NordVPN vs CyberGhost: Power vs Beginner-Friendly

The feature-rich all-rounder against the beginner's streaming specialist with the longest money-back guarantee in the business.

Bout 09

NordVPN vs ExpressVPN: Which Wins in 2026?

The two most-searched VPN heavyweights, corner to corner: audit records, protocols, price and the use cases where each one actually wins.

Bout 10

Proton VPN vs Mullvad: The Privacy Purists' Final

Two open-source, audit-first privacy leaders — one with a free tier and streaming, one with anonymous sign-up and radical minimalism.

Bout 11

Proton VPN vs NordVPN: Transparency vs Toolbox

Switzerland's open-source privacy champion against Panama's feature-packed heavyweight — and the free tier that makes this closer than it looks.

Bout 12

Surfshark vs NordVPN (2026): Same Owners, Different Deal

Surfshark vs NordVPN with every spec dated: devices, audits, protocols and what 39 months costs once the plans renew.

TunnelClash is a VPN versus desk. Instead of one ranked list, we run brand-versus-brand matchups — NordVPN against ExpressVPN, Surfshark against NordVPN, Proton VPN against Mullvad — and settle each one on the same tale of the tape. Every bout weighs jurisdiction, the latest independent audit and its date, protocols, device limits, refund windows and price, then names a winner for a specific use case rather than crowning an absolute champion.

We keep it honest in the ways that matter for a privacy tool. We publish no speed tests we did not run, we cite every no-logs claim to the provider's own dated third-party audit, and we flag when two 'rival' brands share an owner. We also recommend Mullvad and Windscribe where they genuinely win, even though they pay us nothing — which is precisely why we can.

Start with every VPN matchup on the comparison hub, weigh the NordVPN vs Surfshark vs ExpressVPN three-way, or pick a bout from the full card below.

Cornerside questions

Is NordVPN or ExpressVPN better?
Neither wins outright — it depends on your priority. NordVPN takes the edge on price and its NordLynx (WireGuard) speed profile, while ExpressVPN's Lightway protocol and long audit history suit people who value a mature, simple app. We settle it feature by feature on the matchup page rather than crowning one champion.
How do you decide who wins a VPN matchup?
Every matchup runs the same tale of the tape: jurisdiction, the latest independent audit and its date, RAM-only servers, fastest protocol, open-source status, simultaneous devices, refund window and price model. We only mark a winner on a row where the published, dated evidence actually favours one side, and the final verdict names a winner for a specific use case.
Do you run your own speed tests?
No. We do not publish Mbps figures we did not measure. Speed comments are drawn from the protocol each provider ships (WireGuard-based tunnels are typically faster than OpenVPN) and from reputable, dated third-party testing — and we say so. A VPN's real speed depends on your line, distance and server load anyway.
Why do you recommend Mullvad when it pays you nothing?
Because on privacy it often wins, and saying so is the whole point of an independent desk. Mullvad and Windscribe run no affiliate program, so nothing we say about them is paid for. When a matchup turns on account-number anonymity or a court-tested no-logs record, they can beat brands that would happily pay us.
Are these two VPNs owned by the same company?
Sometimes — and it changes how you read a matchup. NordVPN and Surfshark share a parent (Nord Security, merged 2022); ExpressVPN, CyberGhost and Private Internet Access are all owned by Kape Technologies. We flag common ownership on every matchup because it affects how independent a head-to-head really is.