About SideBySideVPN

SideBySideVPN.com is an independently operated comparison site owned by Scout Theory LLC. We exist because the VPN review industry has a transparency problem — and we think consumers deserve better.

The Problem with VPN Reviews

Most VPN review websites are owned by VPN companies. Kape Technologies — owner of ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, and Private Internet Access — also owns review sites. Nord Security runs both NordVPN and Surfshark. When a "review site" is funded by the company it's reviewing, the conflict of interest is obvious.

Beyond ownership, most review sites only show introductory pricing. They won't tell you that Surfshark's $1.99/month becomes $6.58/month at renewal — a 231% increase. They won't tell you NordVPN jumps 242%. Showing renewal prices hurts affiliate conversions, so most sites don't.

How We're Different

We show both introductory and renewal pricing on every single provider card. We disclose ownership relationships — if two "competitors" are owned by the same parent company, you'll know. We track audit freshness — a security audit from 2015 isn't the same as one from 2024. And we calculate 5-year total cost of ownership so you can see what a VPN actually costs long-term.

Our Methodology

Every VPN on our site is evaluated across these independently verifiable data points:

Pricing: Intro rate, renewal rate, percent increase, and 5-year total cost of ownership. All prices verified against official websites and trusted review sources.

Security: Latest audit date, auditing firm, audit scope, and whether findings were publicly disclosed.

Jurisdiction: Where the company is legally incorporated, and whether that falls within 5/9/14 Eyes intelligence-sharing alliances.

Infrastructure: Server count, country coverage, simultaneous connections, and protocol support.

Ownership: Parent company, acquisition history, and any notable corporate history (including the Kape/Crossrider adware background).

Affiliate Disclosure

SideBySideVPN.com participates in affiliate programs with some VPN providers listed on this site. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. This revenue supports our research and allows us to keep the site running.

Affiliate relationships never influence our rankings. We recommend providers we wouldn't use ourselves — like Mullvad, which has no affiliate program — because honest analysis builds long-term trust. We show renewal traps and ownership structures that hurt our own affiliate revenue because that's the entire point of this site.

Contact

Questions, corrections, or partnership inquiries? Reach out through our contact form.