There are hundreds of VPNs to choose from right now. These range from the best VPNs, which protect your online privacy and secure your data, to many more suspicious providers we recommend you avoid.
You'd be forgiven for thinking that each VPN is independent, but this isn't the case. Plenty of VPNs are owned by the same parent company, and while some make this clear, others are a little more opaque.
Companies owning multiple VPNs isn't necessarily a bad thing, and it can actually be a benefit when it comes to sharing resources. Reputable providers owned by the same company often operate independently, and if a verified no-logs policy is present, your data will be safe and secure.
However, in the name of transparency, it's important to highlight when and where multiple VPN providers are owned by the same company – especially when it's not always clear.
Here, we've collated some of the major VPN players, independents, and some honorable mentions we think are worth sharing. This can help you make the most informed decision when it comes to choosing a VPN provider.
Nord Security
NordVPN, NordLayer, Surfshark
Nord Security is one of the biggest names in the VPN and wider cybersecurity industry. This is mainly thanks to NordVPN, the provider we rate as number one overall and what most people think of when you say the word "VPN."
Nord Security is a Lithuanian company, registered in the Netherlands and has also been known as "Nordsec."
NordVPN is registered in Panama, with its General Terms of Service referring to "nordvpn S.A." The two appear to be separate companies, with Nord Security the overall owner.
Other products that are part of the "Nord" group, and clearly listed on Nord Security's website, include:
- NordPass – one of the best password managers
- NordLayer – one of the best business VPNs
- NordLocker – encrypted cloud storage
- NordProtect – identity theft protection
- Saily – a secure eSIM
All these products, except NordLayer, come bundled in premium NordVPN plans, but can also be purchased separately.
In February 2022, Nord Security announced a merger with fellow Lithuanian company Surfshark, which we rate as the best cheap VPN.
Surfshark and NordVPN remain separate VPN entities, operating independently with their own user-base, features, and pricing.
In a blog post at the time Nord Security said the merger "will reveal technical knowledge-sharing opportunities and enable more focused market diversification."
Nord Security doesn't list Surfshark as one of its products. Likewise, Surfshark is its own company and doesn't clearly state on its website that it is owned by Nord Security. This can be put down to the fact Surfshark was brought on board in a merger, rather than an outright acquisition.
Nord Security's co-founder, Tomas Okmanas, also co-founded the Lithuanian startup venture builder Tesonet. Tesonet helped launch Nord Security – with NordVPN as its first product – and Surfshark, alongside other non-VPN companies.
Tesonet is a founder of digital media company Mediatech, which is turn owns the website Cybernews. Cybernews reviews and recommends VPNs.
Ziff Davis
IPVanish, StrongVPN, Internet Shield VPN, and more
Ziff Davis, formerly known as j2 Global, is another big player in the VPN industry. The American company's most well-known product is IPVanish, an affordable and secure VPN – it can be considered somewhat of a veteran of the VPN industry, having been founded in 2012.
The company also owns StrongVPN and VIPRE Security Group. The latter is known for the powerful VIPRE antivirus utilised by IPVanish, and operates Internet Shield VPN.
Ziff Davis' website clearly states many of the products it directly owns, and the Ziff Davis name is listed on the websites of both IPVanish and StrongVPN.
In 2019, Ziff Davis (then j2 Global) announced it had acquired Cloak Holdings. Cloak Holdings is listed as the developer of encrypt.me VPN. This product is not listed on Ziff Davis' website, but we cannot see any evidence suggesting Ziff Davis no longer owns the company.
Ziff Davis owns several prominent websites that review and recommend VPNs, including CNET and PCMag. It also owns Ookla – famous for its Speedtest and Downdetector – and IGN.
Kape Technologies
ExpressVPN, Private Internet Access, CyberGhost
Kape Technologies is a UK-based company owned by Israeli billionaire Teddy Sagi. It owns three major VPN providers – ExpressVPN, Private Internet Access (PIA), and CyberGhost.
It made headlines in 2021 when it bought ExpressVPN for nearly $1 billion. The purchase is still the highest sum ever paid for a business in the VPN industry.
Kape's first VPN acquisition was CyberGhost back in 2017. It then bought ZenMate VPN in 2018, later merging it with CyberGhost. It then acquired PIA in 2019.
Kape lists all three VPNs clearly on its website. However, Kape Technologies is not listed on the landing pages of each VPN's own site. Kape Technologies is mentioned in the privacy policies of all three providers.
There is an element of controversy surrounding Kape Technologies, and the company has somewhat of a checkered past. It was originally known as Crossrider, and specialized in SDKs and "ad-injectors."
Crossrider was accused of facilitating the injection of malware onto devices and its actions began to be viewed negatively.
This caught the attention of Google's security research team, and the University of California, Berkeley and Santa Barbara, who named Crossrider in a study investigating "the ad-injector ecosystem."
The company's reputation suffered, and it rebranded as Kape Technologies in 2018.
Teddy Sagi himself was convicted of fraud and bribery in 1996, serving five months in prison as a result. He was also named in the Panama Papers.
ExpressVPN's former CTO, Daniel Gericke, was charged in 2022 for his alleged involvement with Project Raven – a surveillance and hacking initiative on behalf of the UAE government. It is reported that ExpressVPN knew of Gericke's involvement when appointing him to his role, one he has since left.
Kape has presided over a number of redundancies, most notably at ExpressVPN. In March, 2025, it laid off an undisclosed number of employees. In July 2023 it let go approximately 12% of the ExpressVPN workforce – roughly 180 people.
Kape Technologies also owns the VPN review site vpnMentor.
In our testing, ExpressVPN has performed well and is a good choice for VPN beginners thanks to its easy-to-use apps.
Independents
Proton VPN, Mullvad, Windscribe, and more
Not all VPN companies own multiple providers, and examples of sole VPN ownership include Proton VPN, Mullvad, and Windscribe.
Proton VPN is owned by Proton AG. It's based in Switzerland and launched in 2014 following a successful public crowdfunding campaign. Its primary shareholder is the Proton Foundation, a non-profit organization.
As well as Proton VPN, Proton has a suite of privacy focused apps. These are Proton Mail, Proton Pass, Proton Calendar, Proton Drive, and Proton Wallet.
Mullvad VPN is owned by its parent company Amagicom AB and is based in Sweden. According to Mullvad's website, it is "100% owned by founders Fredrik Strömberg and Daniel Berntsson who are actively involved in the company."
Mullvad does have partnerships with other security and privacy providers. In 2023, it partnered with Tailscale, a mesh VPN service. In 2025, it partnered with the newly-launched Obscura VPN.
It does not own either service, but these partnerships allow for the sharing of resources and benefit users.
Windscribe is owned by Windscribe Limited and is based in Canada. Its ethics and philosophies page states it is "entirely self funded" and its users are its "principal investors."
All three providers are open-source, privacy-focused, and some of the most secure VPNs out there.
The three providers are not the only "independent" VPNs but are some of the biggest independent names in the industry.
105 VPNs owned by 24 companies
Detailed research by VPNpro revealed that, at the time of their data gathering, "at least 105 VPN services are owned or operated by only 24 companies."
It referenced the companies Innovative Connecting and Lemon Clove. Previous research by the Tech Transparency Project has found that Innovative Connecting, and a number of potentially risky VPN apps, could be traced back to the company Qihoo 360 – which has apparent links to the Chinese military.
As mentioned earlier, a company owning multiple VPNs isn't a negative by default. But transparency is crucial and users should clearly be made aware of who owns what.
Through layers of holding and parent companies this isn't always simple to achieve.
There is nothing to suggest a company owning multiple VPNs compromises privacy, and in most cases the VPNs operate independently of each other. However, users more concerned about privacy may prefer signing up to a company with only one VPN service.
As the VPN industry continues to grow and change, we may see more partnerships, mergers, and acquisitions. Above everything, VPN providers must continue to protect the privacy of users and stand up to attacks against them.
We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
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