How we rate and review

The formula

What the Sherpa Score blends

The curated research score out of 10 blends four catalog-field groups. It is not a hands-on security, privacy or legal assessment, and it is not an evidence record:

• Curated no-logs research field (40%). Whether the research record indicates a named audit for the no-logs claim. The score field is separate from the evidence record; read the report itself because scope, entities, dates and exclusions determine what it supports.
• Supplied jurisdiction field (25%). The jurisdiction carried in the catalog record and its alliance label. Jurisdiction is context, not a guarantee of privacy or legal outcome.
• Supplied price and buyer terms (20%). Introductory and renewal-price, device-count and money-back-window fields. Confirm current prices, renewal timing and refund exclusions before subscribing.
• Supplied history and platform fields (15%). Audit-history, claim-history and platform-coverage values carried in the catalog. Each needs current source verification.

What we check

Every provider, against the same checklist

• Separate evidence record. Any named and dated report must be opened independently of the score record. A report supports only the systems, entities and period in its stated scope. Catalogue liveness prose is not an audit citation.
• Jurisdiction field. The operating-country and alliance labels carried in the catalog. Confirm the contracting entity in current provider terms.
• Introductory and renewal price. The price fields available in the record. Confirm the renewal amount, billing period, tax and cancellation terms before subscribing.
• Devices & money-back. The supplied device-count and refund-window fields. Read the current exclusions and eligibility rules.
• No false anonymity. We flag any provider that markets "100% anonymous" or "untraceable" — it is a mark against them, not a feature.

Accuracy

How we fact-check & how often we update

Our guides separate provider claims from independent evidence and show the sources and access date used for the page. A source can become stale, and the page date is not a guarantee that every commercial term is still live. Recheck prices, eligibility, app support and policies with the provider before relying on them.

The calculation weights a curated field that may name a dated audit. That score input, any catalog liveness prose and the underlying evidence record are separate: the liveness note is not an audit citation. A report from a firm such as Cure53, KPMG or Deloitte still needs to be opened and read for scope, entities, dates and exceptions. A jurisdiction field likewise needs checking against the current contracting entity. For the full method, see how we verify.

Who reviews

The VpnSherpa editorial desk

Comparisons and guides are produced and maintained by the VpnSherpa editorial desk. We model it as an honest collective editorial voice rather than a fabricated named “expert,” which we think is the right call.

AI & human review

How we use AI

We may use AI tools to assist research organization, drafting and structure. The collective desk byline does not claim that a named person or independent specialist reviewed every page. Where a real reviewer is assigned, the page names that person; otherwise it identifies the work as desk research and provides the sources checked.

Corrections

Spotted a mistake? Tell us

If a price, jurisdiction or audit detail is out of date or wrong, email [email protected]. We review corrections promptly, fix the page, and bump the update date so the change is visible.