And VPN encryption is all about protocols.
Simply put,the extent to which your traffic is protected depends heavily on the VPN protocolyoure using.
Keep in mind, though, thatVPN encryption is a complex topic.
Short on Time?
VPN Protocol Comparison 2025 Guide
What sets apart one VPN protocol from the rest?
In short, its security.In this case, security has two different but equally important meanings.
Each protocol in this comparison has advantages and flaws, butthere are clear favorites for overall security.
Ill cover proprietary protocols that are unique to specific VPN services later.
This simplifies security audits and keeps it lightweight, which is great for speed and use on mobile devices.
Public keys act as the identifiers for establishing connections.
This approach enhances security by eliminating the complexities of traditional IPsec-style setups.
By incorporating both encryption and authentication, it surpasses IKEv2 and DTLS cookie methods.
Obfuscation techniques make encrypted connections undetectable by mimicking regular HTTPS traffic.
However, many VPNs today use WireGuard while keeping users' IPs confidential.
We recommend using this protocol whenever its available.
Lets start with the most important aspect security.
The OpenVPN protocol comes in many different shapes and sizes, but even its weakest configuration can be impressive.
The best part about OpenVPN is the configuration options available.
Theseallow you to customize it to balance security or speed.
Another great thing about OpenVPN is its open-source code.
Use OpenVPN whenever security is paramount, but ensure your VPN service has implemented it well.
If your VPN provider doesnt support OpenVPN, use WireGuard or a proprietary protocol instead.
IKEv2 is just a tunneling protocol.
Multiple open-source versions of IKEv2 exist, independent of Microsoft/Cisco and supported by other platforms like Linux and Android.
However, you might need to install third-party software to run IKEv2 on those platforms.
IKEv2 is a robust VPN protocol when using AES encryption, but its biggest advantage is stability.
Today, PPTP is still widely used in corporate VPNs.
A big reason for this is that it comes built-in on pretty much any platform.
This meansits straightforward to set up since it doesnt require any additional software.
PPTP was created by a consortium led by Microsoft.
It utilizes Microsoft Point-to-Point Encryption (MPPE), along with MS-CHAP v2 authentication.
There are other glaring issues with this protocol.
Speed can be considered the only advantage of PPTP, but even thats debatable.
However, its still mainly centered on Windows.
This shouldnt be a surprise, asSSTP is a proprietary encryption standard owned by Microsoft.
Is that a good or bad thing?
Well, that depends on your opinion of the tech giant.
The two share a few similarities; both arewidely available and easy to run on major platforms.
Nowadays,secure L2TP comes with AES ciphers only.
In the past, 3DES ciphers were employed, but various collision attacks have put them out of use.
Even though L2TP encapsulates data twice, its still faster than OpenVPN at least in theory.
In reality, the difference isnt worth the extra headaches.
What headaches, you ask?
Heres the thing: L2TP isnt exactly versatile.
Like PPTP, it suffers from limited ports.
This can make your situation very difficult if youre using the protocol behind a NAT firewall.
Even if you arent, a limited number of ports meansL2TP can be blocked effortlessly.
Whats more concerning is the factthat L2TP may have been compromised and even tampered with by the NSA.
While theres no concrete proof for these claims, Edward Snowden has strongly implied that L2TP has been cracked.
Lastly, L2TP often suffers from an issue thats more related to VPN providers than the protocol itself.
Usually, to run L2TP on your VPN, youll use a pre-shared key (PSK).
Most of the time, these keys can be easily grabbed from your providers website.
Lightway has also recently been future-proofed against advanced hacking threatsfrom quantum computing.
Unlike WireGuard,it was built to natively support obfuscation, too.
This is a common vulnerability with the WireGuard protocol.
Unlike Lightway, though,NordLynx is more of a modified version of WireGuardthan a truly original offering.
However,its security can sometimes mean slightly slower speedscompared to lighter protocols like WireGuard.
What is the fastest VPN protocol?
Otherwise,WireGuard is the fastest of the commonly available protocols.
However, its relative newness means that its privacy track record isn’t as established as that of OpenVPN.
Should I use WireGuard or OpenVPN?
Whats the difference between UDP and TCP protocols?
The choice between UDP and TCP often depends onwhether speed or reliability is more criticalfor your tasks.
L2TP vs SSTP: should I use either?
SSTP, predominantly used in Windows environments, is easy to use.
However,both are generally slower and might be less securethan OpenVPN and WireGuard.
Which protocol should I use to watch Netflix?
For streaming Netflix, a protocol that balances speed and security, like Lightway or WireGuard, is recommended.
Both of these offer fast connections, which is beneficial for streaming in Ultra HD from anywhere.
Its worth noting thatif one VPN protocol isnt working with Netflix, theres a good chance another will.
Your data is exposed to the websites you visit!
Visit ExpressVPN
just, comment on how to improve this article.
