How to compare VPNs in 2026: a ten-point checklist
Ten questions for comparing VPN services for Russia: protocol, in-country entry, devices, Russian sites direct, payment, support and a five-minute test before buying.
Searching "VPN comparison" usually lands on tables comparing services by country count and Netflix support. For Russia in 2026 that is secondary. Here are ten questions that actually decide whether a service works.
1. Which protocol
Classic OpenVPN, IKEv2 and WireGuard are detected and cut by carriers. You need a transport disguised as ordinary HTTPS: VLESS with Reality or similar. If a service does not name its protocol, that is a bad sign.
2. Where the first node is
An entry inside Russia, for example in Moscow, makes the connection look like ordinary traffic to a Russian site. A direct connection to a foreign address is easier to block.
3. Does it work on mobile internet
A home ISP and a mobile carrier behave differently. Test on 4G, not just Wi-Fi.
4. Do Russian sites go direct
Without this, banks, government services and marketplaces will ask for confirmations or block sign-in. The rule should be in the subscription by default, not "configure it yourself".
5. How many devices
One plan for phone, laptop and TV, or three separate ones. Count the price per device.
6. How you pay and whether you can cancel
SBP, Russian card, crypto, Stars, foreign card. And separately: auto-renewal or one-off payment. One-off is more honest: did not renew, nothing charged.
7. Is there a free trial
Days without payment, or an extension without sign-up. A service confident in itself lets you try.
8. Who answers support
A bot with templates or a person in a messenger. Ask something before buying and see what comes back.
9. What about ads and trackers
Server-side blocking saves traffic and battery, and on a TV it is the only way to remove ads at all.
10. What the service knows about you
Sign-up by email or Telegram without documents, no logs kept, payment without a saved card. Read the privacy policy; honest services keep it short.
A five-minute test
Take the free days, turn the VPN on over mobile internet, open three sites: a blocked one, your bank, and surokvpn.com/ip. The first should open, the second should not complain, the third should show a foreign address. If all three check out, the service works.
Surok against this checklist: VLESS with Reality, entry in Moscow, Russian sites direct, one-off payments with no auto-renewal, support in Telegram, ads cut on the server. You can check it for free.