How Our Antivirus & VPN Rankings Are Built
Our readers should be able to understand why a product sits at a particular spot in our comparison. Below you'll find the full list of editorial criteria, our sources, and the limits of what we do. Our "Best Choice" badge and "Editor's #1" label are awarded to the top-ranked editorial pick in any given comparison — the provider that scores highest across the criteria below, never based on commission rates or paid placement.
Market Presence & Company History
How long the provider has been active, how stable the company is, and whether the product is being actively developed.
Feature Set
- Real-time scanner, firewall, ransomware protection
- Bundled extras (VPN, password manager, parental controls, system optimization)
- Published results from independent test labs (AV-TEST, AV-Comparatives)
Neutral External Sources
We cross-check our assessment with other independent review sites and consumer publications to broaden the perspective.
Hands-On Experience
- Usability of the app and dashboard
- Perceived system impact during install and the first scan
- Behavior with standard test files (e.g. EICAR)
- VPN app structure, install flow, and platform compatibility
User Feedback & Reviews
- Ratings on independent review platforms
- Reader feedback sent to VPNunited
- Response times of provider support channels
Affiliate Program Behavior
- Reliability of affiliate payouts
- Transparency of the affiliate program
- Communication with publishers
Note: commissions do not influence our editorial opinion. This criterion measures only the provider's operational behavior toward publishers.
Legal Jurisdiction
Where the company is legally headquartered and how strict the privacy and security regulations are in that jurisdiction.
Reader Interest
Anonymized engagement data from our own pages (clicks, conversions) as a signal of perceived relevance. Used only as a soft tiebreaker — it cannot override the other criteria.
Pricing Structure & Terms
- Number of devices included in each plan
- Transparent pricing structure and cancellation terms
- Money-back conditions
Customer Support
- Available channels (chat, email, phone, knowledge base)
- Response speed
- Quality of issue resolution
Update Frequency
- Regularity of product updates
- Responsiveness to new threats
- Pace of new feature development
Privacy & Company Policies
- How the provider handles user data
- Transparency of the privacy policy
- Past privacy incidents
Compatibility & Device Support
- Compatibility with Windows, macOS, iOS and Android
- Browser extensions where relevant
- Number of devices covered per license
What we don't do
- We do not run our own lab benchmarks (detection-rate A/B tests, performance measurements, network throughput analyses). For those, we point you to AV-TEST, AV-Comparatives or SE Labs.
- We do not accept payment to push a product up in the ranking. Affiliate relationships exist, but editorial decisions are made independently of commission rates. See our Terms of Use.
- We do not guarantee that the features, server counts, or money-back terms advertised by providers are always current. Always verify the details on the provider's website before purchase.