VPN speed slower after turning it on? How to check
Compare download, upload, ping, and jitter with your VPN on and off to estimate overhead and spot whether the VPN or your connection is slowing you down.
Your internet feels slower as soon as you connect to a VPN. Downloads take longer, video calls lag, or pages pause before they load. A speed test with the VPN on and off can show how much the connection changes, but the result depends on more than encryption alone.
Use the Speed Test for both measurements. It reports download and upload speed, ping, and jitter. The test exchanges data with our server, so when the VPN is connected, that test traffic travels through the VPN too.
Compare speed with the VPN on and off
- Open the Speed Test on the device and connection you want to check. Close downloads, cloud backups, and video streams first.
- Disconnect the VPN, if it is safe and allowed on this network. Run the test and note the download speed, upload speed, ping, and jitter.
- Connect the VPN to the location you normally use. Wait for it to finish connecting, then run the same test again.
- Repeat both measurements three times, alternating between VPN off and VPN on. Record each result. Avoid changing rooms, Wi-Fi networks, or other network settings during the comparison.
- Compare the middle result from each set, rather than relying on one unusually fast or slow run. Compare download and upload separately, and note changes in ping and jitter.
Do not disconnect a required work VPN or test without protection on a public network if your organization or situation requires the VPN. If you cannot safely take an off-VPN measurement, compare two VPN locations or compare the results at different times while staying connected.
What the results mean
Download and upload are lower with the VPN
The VPN route is reducing throughput, which is the amount of data that can move each second. Encryption takes some processing, and traffic may travel farther to reach the VPN server and then its destination. The VPN server can also be busy. A small change may not matter in everyday use, but a large, repeatable drop can slow downloads or uploads.
To estimate the download reduction as a percentage, use: (VPN-off speed minus VPN-on speed) divided by VPN-off speed, then multiply by 100. For example, a change from 300 Mbps to 240 Mbps is a 20 percent reduction. Calculate upload reduction the same way. This is a practical comparison, not a precise measurement of encryption cost alone.
Ping rises with the VPN
Ping is the time it takes for a small request to travel to the test server and back. A higher result often means the VPN route adds distance or delay. That can affect gaming, remote desktop control, and calls more than ordinary browsing. Compare ping while idle, since other traffic can also raise it.
Jitter or ping changes a lot between runs
Jitter is variation in delay. Irregular results can come from a busy VPN server, Wi-Fi interference, other devices using the connection, or a changing route. Repeat the comparison when the network is quiet. A single test cannot tell you which part caused the variation.
VPN-on results are close to VPN-off results
The overhead is small for this route and this moment. That does not guarantee the same result from another VPN location, at another time, or for a different website. Keep the VPN connected and use your usual service to check whether the slowdown you noticed is still present.
How to reduce the slowdown
- Choose a nearer VPN location. A distant server can add unnecessary travel time. Try a location closer to you, or closer to the service you are using, then repeat the same comparison.
- Try another VPN server. One server may be overloaded while another nearby server is not. Compare more than one location before concluding that your whole internet connection is slow.
- Check for other network activity. Pause large downloads, backups, software updates, and video streams on your device and, if practical, other devices sharing the connection. Run the tests again under similar conditions.
- Check the local connection. If you use Wi-Fi, move closer to the router and test again. On Windows 11, open Settings › Network & internet › Wi-Fi. On macOS, open System Settings › Wi-Fi. If possible, compare with Ethernet. If both VPN-on and VPN-off speeds are low, the issue may be the local network or internet service rather than VPN overhead.
- Review the VPN app's connection options. If the app offers different protocols, try another supported option and compare results. Protocol names and settings differ between VPN apps, so use the app's own help rather than changing unfamiliar system network settings.
- Restart the connection only if needed. Disconnect and reconnect the VPN, then restart the router if the non-VPN result is also consistently poor. Retest afterward. Avoid repeatedly changing several settings at once, because that makes the results hard to interpret.
What this comparison cannot isolate
A speed test measures the full path between your device and the test server. With a VPN on, that path includes your device, your internet connection, the VPN server, and the route from that server to our test server. The difference includes server load and routing as well as encryption. It does not prove that your VPN provider is always fast or slow, and it is not a measure of the maximum speed of every website.
For a useful comparison, focus on repeated results and the task that feels slow. A modest speed reduction may be unnoticeable if your connection still has enough capacity, while a ping increase or unstable jitter can be noticeable during interactive tasks.
The Speed Test sends test data to our server to measure the connection. Do not include private files or personal information in the test.
