Editorial Policy
How we research, write, fact-check, and stay independent.
Top5 VPN publishes independent reviews and guides to help readers make informed decisions about VPNs. These standards govern everything we publish.
Our Standards
- We score every VPN against the same five criteria — no exceptions.
- Rankings are editorial and cannot be purchased; providers cannot pay for placement.
- We prioritize VPNs with independently audited no-logs policies.
- We run our own real-world speed and streaming tests before ranking.
- We disclose affiliate relationships clearly and revisit rankings as the market changes.
- We update rankings as providers change pricing, policies, and performance.
How We Make Money
Top5 VPN is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. These commissions fund our testing but never influence our rankings — our five scoring criteria are applied identically to every VPN, and no provider can pay to rank higher or be included.
Corrections
We keep our content current and fix errors promptly. If you spot something inaccurate or out of date, email us at hello@top5vpn.net and we'll review it.
Alex Carter
Lead VPN Analyst & Editor
Alex leads VPN testing and editorial at Top5 VPN. He and the team benchmark every provider on the same criteria — real-world speed, audited privacy, streaming, and value — so the rankings stay consistent and independent.