Why Is My VPN So Slow? (And How to Actually Fix It)

Your VPN is supposed to protect you, not make everything frustratingly slow. If your connection has dropped to a crawl since switching the VPN on, there’s a fixable reason — and in most cases you can get it back to near-normal speeds without switching providers.

Why does a VPN slow down your connection at all?

A VPN adds two things to every data request: encryption overhead and an extra network hop. When you send a request, your device encrypts it, sends it to the VPN server, the server decrypts it, forwards it to the destination, gets the response, encrypts it again, and sends it back to you. That round trip takes time. On a nearby server with a modern protocol, the delay is barely noticeable. On a distant server with an old protocol, it adds up fast.

A 5–15% speed reduction on a nearby server using WireGuard is normal and unnoticeable. A 60–80% reduction usually means something is wrong and fixable.

Fix 1 — Switch to a closer server

This is the most common cause of severe slowdowns. If you’re in London and connected to a server in New York, your data is travelling across the Atlantic twice for every request. The physical distance adds latency that no protocol can eliminate.

Connect to the nearest server in your country first. If you’re using a VPN for privacy or security (not geo-unblocking), you don’t need to be in a specific country — pick the fastest nearby server. Most VPN apps have a “Quick Connect” or “Auto” option that picks the best server for you automatically. Use it.

Fix 2 — Switch to WireGuard protocol

Protocol choice has a massive impact on speed. Here’s the honest breakdown:

• WireGuard — fastest, most modern, best battery efficiency. Use this unless you have a specific reason not to.
• IKEv2 — fast, good for mobile because it reconnects quickly after network changes. Decent fallback.
• OpenVPN (UDP) — slower but more stable on unreliable connections. Some networks block it.
• OpenVPN (TCP) — slowest, but gets through most firewalls. Only use this if nothing else works.

In most VPN apps, protocol is under Settings → Protocol or Advanced Settings. Switch to WireGuard and reconnect. The speed difference compared to OpenVPN TCP can be enormous — 3–5x faster in some cases.

Fix 3 — Try a different server in the same location

VPN servers get congested, especially popular ones in major cities during peak hours. If the New York #1 server is overloaded with users, switch to New York #2 or New York #3. NordVPN shows server load percentages — pick one below 30% if possible. Surfshark’s auto-select handles this automatically by connecting to the least busy server in your chosen region.

Fix 4 — Disable split tunneling (or enable it smartly)

Split tunneling lets you choose which apps use the VPN and which don’t. If you have it enabled incorrectly — routing heavy traffic like video through the VPN when it doesn’t need to be — you’re adding unnecessary load. Conversely, if your VPN app isn’t set up for split tunneling and you’re routing everything through it including large downloads, enabling split tunneling to exclude those can free up bandwidth.

If you don’t know what split tunneling is or haven’t changed those settings, skip this one — it’s not your issue.

Fix 5 — Check if your ISP is throttling VPN traffic

Some internet providers throttle or deprioritise VPN traffic. You can test this by running a speed test with the VPN on vs off. If your speeds drop significantly only with the VPN, and switching to obfuscated servers (which disguise VPN traffic as regular HTTPS) fixes it, your ISP is throttling. NordVPN’s obfuscated servers and ExpressVPN’s Lightway protocol are both effective at bypassing this.

Fix 6 — Restart the VPN app and your router

Sounds obvious, but it works. VPN tunnels occasionally degrade without fully disconnecting — the connection stays up but throughput drops. Fully close the VPN app, wait 10 seconds, reopen and reconnect. If speeds are still poor, restarting your router clears any state that might be interfering. This fixes around 20% of sudden VPN slowdowns.

Fix 7 — Update the VPN app

Outdated VPN apps sometimes have performance bugs that newer versions fix. Check for updates in your app store or in the app’s Settings → About section. VPN providers push optimisation updates regularly — running a 6-month-old version means missing those improvements.

When your base internet speed is the real problem

A VPN can’t give you more bandwidth than your internet plan provides. If your broadband speed is 20 Mbps, a VPN on a nearby server might give you 17–18 Mbps — that’s normal and fine. If your plan is only 10 Mbps, streaming 4K through a VPN will buffer regardless of which VPN you use. Run a speed test without the VPN to establish your real baseline before blaming the VPN for slow streaming.

Specific slow VPN scenarios and fixes

VPN slow on hotel WiFi

Hotel networks often have firewalls that block certain VPN protocols. Switch to OpenVPN TCP or your VPN’s “stealth” or obfuscated mode — these are designed to get through restrictive networks. ExpressVPN’s Lightway and NordVPN’s obfuscated servers both work well here.

VPN slow on mobile data

Mobile networks have more variable latency than broadband. WireGuard handles this better than OpenVPN because it reconnects faster. Also check your mobile signal strength — a VPN can’t compensate for a weak 4G signal.

VPN slow only for streaming

The streaming server you’re connected to might be overloaded or getting blocked and rerouting traffic. Try switching to a different server in the same country, or look for dedicated streaming servers in your VPN app. NordVPN labels SmartPlay servers specifically for this.

VPN slow on one device but fast on another

The slow device may have a background process eating bandwidth, or an older network card that can’t handle encryption as fast. Check for active downloads or cloud syncing. On older devices, switching from WireGuard to IKEv2 can sometimes help — it uses less processing power.

When to consider switching VPNs

If you’ve tried all the fixes above and speeds are still poor, the VPN itself may be the problem. Budget VPNs often have fewer servers, older infrastructure, and less investment in performance. If you’re paying under $2/month for a VPN and struggling with speeds, that’s a sign of an under-resourced provider.

The NordVPN vs Surfshark comparison covers how the two fastest mainstream VPNs perform head-to-head. Both start from around $2–3/month on long plans and are significantly faster than budget alternatives.

Frequently asked questions

How much speed loss is normal with a VPN?

On a nearby server using WireGuard, 5–15% speed reduction is typical and unnoticeable in daily use. Anything over 30–40% reduction suggests something is wrong — wrong protocol, distant server, or congested server. Run a speed test with and without the VPN to measure the actual impact on your connection.

Does VPN speed depend on which provider you use?

Yes, significantly. Providers with more servers in more locations have less congestion. Those using WireGuard are faster than those defaulting to OpenVPN. NordVPN, Surfshark, and ExpressVPN are consistently the fastest in independent testing. Cheap or free VPNs are usually much slower. Not sure which VPN is right for you? The Techtippr VPN Picker gives you a personalised recommendation based on your needs.

Why is my VPN fast on laptop but slow on phone?

Different devices handle encryption at different speeds. Older or budget phones have slower processors, which makes encryption overhead more noticeable. Try WireGuard on mobile — it’s lighter on processing than OpenVPN. Also check your mobile data signal — poor signal is often the real culprit.

Can a VPN be slower than my normal internet?

Yes, by design — it always adds some overhead. But “slower” should mean 5–15% slower, not 70% slower. If you’re losing most of your speed, you’re on a distant server, a congested server, or a slow VPN provider. Following the fixes above should get you back to near-normal speeds.

Does turning off the VPN kill switch help with speed?

The kill switch itself has no impact on connection speed — it only blocks traffic if the VPN disconnects. Disabling it won’t make your VPN faster. Don’t turn off the kill switch to fix speed issues — it won’t help and removes an important safety feature.

Try NordVPN — fastest mainstream VPN ↗
Try Surfshark — great speeds, low price ↗

The bottom line

A slow VPN is almost always fixable without switching providers. Start with the closest server and WireGuard protocol — those two changes fix the majority of speed issues. If you’re still struggling after working through the checklist above, it may be time to switch to a faster provider.

New to VPNs or not sure which one to get? Start with our guide to what a VPN actually does, or use the Techtippr VPN Picker to get a recommendation matched to your exact situation.