Editorial Guidelines & Standards
Our Benchmark Methodology, Ethics Code, and Rating Architecture
Our Editorial Pledge: Vendor partnerships and affiliate arrangements never influence which products are tested, which products earn an award badge, or how products are scored on our benchmark metrics.
1. The Four-Pillar Scoring Metric (10-Point Scale)
Every software package evaluated by CyberGuard Labs is rated across four core weighted dimensions:
- Throughput & Protocol Reliability (35%): We run WireGuard, OpenVPN, and proprietary protocols through automated speed test suites across North American, European, and Asian servers.
- Privacy Architecture & Audit Verification (30%): We verify third-party security audits (Deloitte, PwC, KPMG, Cure53), evaluate server infrastructure (RAM-only vs disk-based), and inspect jurisdiction laws.
- Usability & Feature Utility (20%): We rate client software stability across macOS, Windows, Android, and iOS, alongside bonus tools like CleanWeb ad-blocking, split tunneling, and multi-hop routing.
- Value & Commercial Fairness (15%): We weigh monthly and multi-year pricing against simultaneous device allowances and refund policy clarity.
2. Conflict of Interest Policy
Our editorial and technical testing team does not accept free subscription tiers, hardware gifts, or sponsored editorial placement fees from any VPN vendor. All testing subscriptions are procured anonymously using standard retail consumer channels.
3. Corrections & Verification Policy
Software features and pricing change rapidly. When a vendor updates their protocol, undergoes a new independent security audit, or updates pricing tiers, our lab re-evaluates the software and updates all benchmark charts promptly.