Quick LinksPIA IPVanish ProtonVPN ExpressVPN NordVPN
Split tunneling is a VPN feature that lets you customize which activities are protected and choose which sit outside the tunnel for maximum speeds. But it can come at a cost of speed, which is why I've checked out the best split VPN tunneling features for you to consider.
✕ Remove Ads 1 PIA Split tunneling platform support: Windows, Android, Linux, Chrome, Opera, Firefox, and macOS (beta). Split tunneling features: Include/exclude apps, include/exclude IPs (and subnet ranges)
If you've figured out why you should use split tunneling, the next question might be: which VPN service has the best split tunneling features? The winner should give you more granular control and support on most platforms.
PIA (Private Internet Access) is my current favorite for fulfilling both of these criteria. PIA not only lets you choose between regular split tunneling or inverse split tunneling, but it also lets you apply this approach by app or IP address. That means you can whitelist gaming with Steam, specific websites, or even a whole range of IP addresses.
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PIA includes split tunneling on various platforms, from the most common operating systems to browser extensions. It's also unique in providing feature parity for Linux (including Docker container usage) and a beta version for the ever-elusive split tunneling on MacOS.
PIA also has one rare split tunneling feature you might find useful: apps you designate to run outside the VPN can still be forced to use PIA's VPN DNS servers.
Separate from split tunneling, other reasons to use PIA include its 100% open-source apps for transparency, anonymous payments, and a strict no-log policy backed by RAM-only VPN servers.
2 IPVanish ✕ Remove Ads Split tunneling platform support: Windows, Android, Amazon Fire TV, Mac, iOS, Apple Vision Pro Split tunneling features: Include/exclude apps, include/exclude domains
If I were ranking VPN split tunneling providers solely by platform support, IPVanish might be the winner. I did a double take when I saw that in addition to standard support on Windows and Android, IPVanish also offers split tunneling on Mac and iOS -- which hasn't worked on most services lately due to Apple's security designs.
It seems that the method used for Mac and iOS isn't full-fledged to include/exclude apps, but it at least works by domain. If split tunneling on Apple products (along with other platforms) matters to you, then IPVanish might be your best bet.
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Separate from its split tunneling support, IPVanish is bountiful in other ways. IPVanish advertises itself as the VPN for every device you own -- including routers, Nvidia Shield TV, and even the Apple Vision Pro. Whereas other providers set a device limit, IPVanish is one of the best VPNs for unlimited simultaneous connections. And when it comes to privacy, IPVanish has a no-log policy and boasts over 40,000 different IP addresses you can use.
3 ProtonVPN Split tunneling platform support: Windows, Android, Android TV Split tunneling features: Include/exclude apps, include/exclude IP addresses (and subnet ranges)
From the makers of the privacy-focused Proton Mail and Proton Drive comes one of the best VPNs for spit tunneling: ProtonVPN.
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Split tunneling on ProtonVPN is more advanced than most providers, allowing you to run in standard mode or inverse mode. The mode you choose works for both including or excluding specific applications, websites, or IP addresses. Its IP address range option is quite useful, for example, if you want to exclude your local network subnet (192.168.1.0/24) from the VPN tunnel for max speeds between trusted devices.
Besides its split tunneling support, there's a lot to love about ProtonVPN. It's the only provider on this list that offers a totally free VPN service -- with unlimited bandwidth -- that you can try before you buy. Unfortunately, you can't test the split tunneling feature unless you upgrade to a paid plan.
In addition, ProtonVPN has a solid track record when it comes to privacy. Its no-log policy is backed by jurisdiction in Switzerland, a nation with some of the strongest privacy laws in the world. Lastly, its app is open source (with regular audits), so you get transparency on what the client does with your data.
✕ Remove Ads 4 ExpressVPN Split tunneling platforms: Windows, Android, Android TV, VPN routers Split tunneling features: include/exclude apps, include/exclude devices (on routers only)
ExpressVPN is a solid choice for split tunneling if you want something simpler and don't need to split tunnel by IP address. It has standard and inverse split tunneling so you can include or exclude apps from your VPN tunnel. Although, at first glance, it seems to support split tunneling on Mac, the feature only works on MacOS 11 or older.
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ExpressVPN does have one special option not offered by others on this list: a VPN app with split tunneling for supported routers. This app lets you protect all devices on your network at the router level but set split tunneling by device. It's pretty handy, for example, if you want your PC protected by ExpressVPN but don't want your smartphone to get bogged down.
In addition to split tunneling, there are other unique reasons to go with ExpressVPN. The company has built its own performance-optimized protocol called Lightway and was the first major provider to implement DLTS 1.3 for faster speeds and better security.
With RAM-only servers backed by jurisdiction in the British Virgin Islands (which has no data retention laws), you can see why we consider it one of the best VPNs for torrenting.
5 NordVPN ✕ Remove Ads Split tunneling platforms: Windows, Android, Android TV Split tunneling features: Include/exclude apps
NordVPN is a popular all-rounder with over 6,000 servers, fast speeds, and an easy-to-use app interface. It also comes loaded with extras for every use case you might want, such as double VPN, dedicated IP, meshnet, and split tunneling.
Sure, NordVPN's access control only allows specifying apps (and not domains/IPs). And getting split tunneling working the first time wasn't completely seamless. To fix a bug that happens to some Windows users, I had to enable a lesser-known VPN setting called custom DNS. But split tunneling worked flawlessly once I set that up in the app.
Even though it's not perfect when it comes to split tunneling, NordVPN's ease of use and reliability count for a lot. I found the provider's responsive app and connection speeds to be consistently high-quality. For these reasons, NordVPN often tops our list of best VPN services.
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Regardless of which service you choose, when you connect to a VPN with split tunneling support, you get the best of both worlds: encryption protection along with fast-lane speeds when you need them.