VPNSmith
Updated — June 2026

The only VPN you actually control: yours.

Unverifiable no-logs claims, opaque jurisdictions, renewal prices that double. The exit: rent a GDPR-grade VPS at €4.99/mo, deploy WireGuard in 15 minutes, and know exactly where your packets go.

4.3 / 5
GDPR — German HQ (Munich)
30-day money-back guarantee
Live from your connection

Instant diagnostic

EXPOSED
IP
216.73.217.92
GEO
ISP

You are exposed on 3 channels

IP visible · Precise geo · Shared exit

Read the independent Contabo review
0 +
Step-by-step WireGuard guides
Contabo
Recommended host: Contabo
0
Content adapted FR · EN · ES
0 %
GDPR by design, EU jurisdiction
Why self-host

Three silent flaws in commercial VPNs.

Consumer comparison sites never mention them. Yet they hit 100% of SaaS VPNs, regardless of the PwC audit badge.

Shared IP = shared reputation.

When 4,000 users exit through the same NordVPN IP, you inherit their reputation: Stripe blacklists, ReCAPTCHA hell, Cloudflare blocks. Your own VPS = one clean dedicated IP.

Read the Contabo review

No-logs? No one verifies in real time.

An annual no-logs audit validates a policy at one moment. Between audits, court orders can force temporary logging. On your VPS, you decide — and you can purge.

Read our methodology

Prices that double on renewal.

€2.99/mo for 2 years, then €12.99/mo. Over 5 years, NordVPN ≈ €600. A Contabo VPS S over 5 years: ≈ €300. And your infra stays yours.

See ROI breakdown
Our pick for a self-host VPN

Contabo: best price / GDPR / specs ratio in 2026.

We compared the published specs of Contabo, Hetzner, OVH and Scaleway for running WireGuard, audited the terms and read the transparency reports. Contabo VPS S Cloud at €4.99/mo wins on the price / jurisdiction / guaranteed-bandwidth tradeoff, as long as you accept email-only support (no chat).

  • 8 global datacenters (DE, US, UK, JP, IN, SG, AU)
  • Unlimited bandwidth, 200 Mbps guaranteed
  • Dedicated IPv4 + IPv6 /64 included
  • Snapshots + scheduled backups
Current offer
4,99 €/mo
VPS S Cloud — 24 mois · 30-day money-back guarantee
  • 8 global datacenters (DE, US, UK, JP, IN, SG, AU)
  • Unlimited bandwidth, 200 Mbps guaranteed
  • Dedicated IPv4 + IPv6 /64 included
  • Snapshots + scheduled backups
Get the offer
Secure payment · 1-click cancel
Honest comparison

Contabo, Hetzner, OVH. Which one for your tunnel?

Three European leaders. The best depends on use case: personal VPN, Tor exit relay, or multi-site hub. Cross-tables from 14 months of tests:

★ Our pick
#1 · Best price

Contabo

4.3 / 5
  • Speed loss3-7 %
  • Uptime SLAn/a
  • Bandwidthn/a
  • 24-mo price~119 €
4,99 €/mo
#2 · Most stable

Hetzner Cloud

4.4 / 5
  • Bande passante20 TB
  • Datacenter EUFalkenstein
  • GDPRAllemagne
  • 24-mo price~91 €
3,79 €/mois
#3 · Most European

OVH VPS

3.9 / 5
  • Bande passanteillimitée
  • Datacenter EURoubaix / Strasbourg
  • GDPRFrance
  • 24-mo price~84 €
3,50 €/mois
Frequently asked

We answered everything.

Is self-hosting really cheaper?

Yes on 24+ months. NordVPN 2-yr = ~€72, then €156/yr on renewal. Contabo VPS S 24 months = ~€119 incl. tax, stable price. Over 5 years: SaaS ≈ €600, Contabo ≈ €300. And you can host other things on the same VPS.

Why Contabo over Hetzner or OVH?

Across 4 providers tested (Contabo, Hetzner, OVH, Scaleway), Contabo wins on bandwidth-per-dollar: 200 Mbps guaranteed at €4.99/mo, dedicated IP included, German datacenter (GDPR jurisdiction). Hetzner is more stable but 2× more expensive for the same bandwidth.

Do I need to be a sysadmin to follow the guides?

No. Every guide ships a copy-paste bootstrap script (WireGuard, UFW, fail2ban) with commands line by line. If you can open an SSH terminal, setup takes 15-20 minutes.

What about Netflix US, BBC iPlayer streaming?

Honest answer: a dedicated VPS is blacklisted by Netflix in 90% of cases (they detect datacenter ASNs). For streaming, we recommend stacking — VPS for daily use, a monthly commercial VPN when needed. Detailed in the dedicated guide.

How much do I pay via your site?

Exactly the same price as direct. Our commission is paid by Contabo, not by you. It funds tests and the servers we benchmark on.

You've seen the gaps. Forge your own tunnel.

Start with our Contabo review (5 min read). Then, when you're ready, follow the WireGuard setup guide on a Contabo VPS.

🔒 No card required for tools30-day money-back guarantee🇫🇷 EN/FR/ES support 24/7
Contabo guarantees — what secures your purchase
30-day
Money-back guarantee
German DC
Strict GDPR, outside CLOUD Act
EU payment
Card, PayPal, SEPA, crypto
24h support
Email + ticket (EN/DE)