What is the best vpn for small businesses?

The best overall VPN option for most small businesses is **NordLayer** (NordVPN’s business product), with **Proton VPN for Business** and **Perimeter 81 / other business-focused VPNs** as strong alternatives depending on your priorities.[3][4][5][6]

To make a good choice, it helps to separate **consumer VPNs** (NordVPN, Surfshark, ExpressVPN, etc.) from **business VPNs** (NordLayer, Proton VPN for Business, Perimeter 81, GoodAccess, etc.):

### 1. Top business‑grade VPN options for small businesses

These are purpose‑built for companies (user management, SSO, team controls, etc.), which you generally *need* once you have more than a couple of employees.

- **NordLayer (from NordVPN) – best all‑round for small businesses**

- Rated a top **business VPN** by multiple reviewers; TechRadar lists NordLayer as the best business VPN, citing its global server coverage, easy setup, and extra security integrations.[3][4]

- Designed for **small to enterprise** teams, with centralized admin, user provisioning, secure remote access to company resources, and integration with identity providers (SSO, IAM).[3]

- Good fit if you want a recognizable brand plus business features (not just “personal NordVPN accounts” for staff).

- **Proton VPN for Business – best for privacy‑focused teams**

- Proton offers a **business VPN** with strong encryption (AES‑256 or ChaCha20) and security‑first design.[6]

- Suitable for small, medium, and enterprise companies, with centralized management and secure remote access.[6]

- Good match if your business handles sensitive data and you value Proton’s transparency and privacy stance.

- **Perimeter 81 / other business‑VPN vendors**

- Check Point lists **Perimeter 81**, **ExpressVPN**, **NordVPN**, **Proton VPN**, **CyberGhost**, **IPVanish**, etc., among common business VPN choices.[5]

- Perimeter 81 and similar SASE/SSE‑style services are attractive if you’re moving toward a **zero‑trust network** with more advanced access policies.

- **GoodAccess – business VPN for small teams**

- TechRadar includes **GoodAccess** in its list of best business VPNs and highlights it as suited to small businesses and distributed teams.[4]

- Often chosen when you want a cloud VPN with team management but don’t need a large enterprise solution.

### 2. Consumer VPNs that are often recommended to small businesses

If you’re a **very small** operation (solo, co‑founders, or just a few people) and don’t need centralized user management or access to internal company networks, high‑quality consumer VPNs can be enough:

- **NordVPN (consumer)** – widely rated “best overall”

- AllAboutCookies calls **NordVPN** the **best overall VPN for small businesses**, emphasizing its advanced security features.[1]

- Zensurance notes it’s one of the easiest VPNs to use and that it goes beyond traffic encryption by scanning downloads for malware and blocking malicious sites.[2]

- Ideal if your main need is **secure browsing and protection on public Wi‑Fi** for a few devices, not full corporate network access.

- **Surfshark – most affordable for tiny teams**

- AllAboutCookies highlights **Surfshark** as the **most affordable** small‑business VPN option.[1]

- Attractive if budget is tight and you want many devices protected under one subscription.

- **Other consumer options often cited for small business use**

- Zensurance lists **Mullvad VPN**, **ProtonVPN (consumer)**, and **IPVanish** as good options for small businesses that mostly need secure, private connections and are cost‑sensitive.[2]

- Mullvad is noted for open‑source protocols and strong encryption, while ProtonVPN offers an easy‑to‑use interface plus a free tier and added protections in the paid version.[2]

- IPVanish allows unlimited simultaneous connections, which can be handy for small teams on multiple devices.[2]

### 3. How to pick the “best” VPN for *your* small business

Use these criteria to decide between the options:

- **Team size and management needs**

- Solo / 1–3 people, no internal servers: high‑quality **consumer VPN** like NordVPN, Surfshark, or ProtonVPN can be enough.[1][2]

- 5+ staff, shared internal resources, need central control: go for a **business VPN** like **NordLayer**, **Proton VPN for Business**, **Perimeter 81**, or **GoodAccess**.[3][4][5][6]

- **Security & compliance level**

- All the above encrypt traffic, but if you have compliance or sensitive data (health, finance, legal), lean toward **business solutions** with logging controls, dedicated IPs, and better access policies.[3][4][6]

- **Ease of deployment & admin**

- NordLayer and Proton’s business offering emphasize **easy setup** and central management dashboards.[3][6]

- Consumer VPNs are simpler per device but do not give you a central view of who is connected and where.

- **Budget**

- **Surfshark**, **Mullvad**, and **ProtonVPN (consumer)** are budget‑friendly for very small teams.[1][2]

- Business VPNs cost more per user but usually save time and reduce security risk at scale.

If you describe your team size, devices, and whether you need secure access to internal company systems (file servers, on‑prem apps, internal web tools), I can recommend a very specific setup (e.g., “NordLayer with X features” vs “NordVPN + Surfshark mix”) tailored to your situation.