AV-TEST Comparative Study Finds Kaspersky VPN and Premium Lead in Speed Tests

IT security research institute AV-TEST has released a comprehensive comparison of ten VPN services tested in February 2025. The test, commissioned by Kaspersky, evaluated the services' speeds, security, IP protection, and vendor transparency against unencrypted connections.

The assessment focused on key performance indicators including download and upload speeds, torrent download performance, and latency across both local and overseas network connections. Tests were conducted over a full week with multiple daily runs for each product, adhering to AMTSO's new VPN testing guidelines, to which AV-TEST contributed.

Results indicated that Kaspersky VPN and Kaspersky Premium demonstrated strong download speeds for local connections, with Surfshark also performing well. For local uploads, Kaspersky VPN, NordVPN, and Kaspersky Premium were among the top performers. Lowest local latency was recorded by Avast SecureLine VPN, CyberGhost VPN, Norton Secure VPN, NordVPN, Surfshark, Kaspersky VPN, and Kaspersky Premium.

For overseas connections, Kaspersky Premium, Kaspersky VPN, and Surfshark led in download performance. ExpressVPN and NordVPN showed strong upload speeds, while Kaspersky VPN and Kaspersky Premium achieved the lowest latency for overseas connections. In torrent downloads, Kaspersky VPN and Premium significantly outperformed other tested products both locally and overseas, with the latter exceeding third-placed Proton VPN by over 10%.

The study revealed that while VPN usage generally results in some performance reduction due to encryption and routing overhead, the extent of this impact varies notably between different products and connection types. The AV-TEST report details the specific results and combined scores for all tested services.