Mara Halloway

Mara has spent the last decade pulling apart the things VPN companies don't want you to read. Privacy policies, audit reports, and the actual code shipping in their apps. Before joining the team she ran network security at a mid-sized financial firm and wrote independently about jurisdictional risk for several privacy-focused newsletters. Her testing methodology leans hard on reproducibility: every speed result is averaged across three regions over a two-week window, every "no-logs" claim is cross-checked against the most recent third-party audit. When she's not benchmarking servers she's reverse-engineering router firmware in a barely-ventilated office.

Areas of expertise

WireGuard & OpenVPN protocol analysis No-logs audit verification Jurisdiction & data-retention law

Reviews by Mara

power-user

self-hosted vpn

Review

Vaultway

Most configurable VPN we tested - custom routing, ShadowSocks support, and a free dedicated IP. The trade-off is a steep learning curve.

May 18, 2026

smart-tv

streaming vpn

Review

StratusGuard

Unblocks every major streaming service we tested, with Smart DNS that works on smart TVs and game consoles.

May 18, 2026

open-source

privacy vpn

Review

AegisShield

Privacy-first VPN with open-source clients, audited every year, and crypto payment support. Strong WireGuard.

May 18, 2026

privacy

streaming vpn

Review

NimbusVPN

Fastest VPN we tested, with audited no-logs and slick apps on every platform. The pick for most people.

May 18, 2026