Stop Verizon Throttling: How to Speed Up Your Data Connection
Verizon is infamous for throttling network speeds for its users, but you can stop Verizon throttling with a VPN. We’ll explain why this practice is becoming more commonplace, plus how VPN technology works to counteract unfair throttling by Verizon and other internet providers. Check out our recommended VPN providers to unleash the full speed of your Internet connection in just a few minutes.
In a clear violation of net neutrality, even before the voting took place in late 2017, the U.S.-based wireless service provider Verizon was caught artificially slowing down user speeds when accessing certain services. This practice of throttling largely affected Netflix and YouTube content, two sites that directly compete with video streaming services Verizon itself owns and operates. Verizon apologized and promised to remedy the error, yet many users report nothing happened to undo the throttling.
Here are the best VPNs for beating Verizon throttling:
- NordVPN – Best vs. Verizon Throttling – NordVPN’s privacy provisions laugh at your ISP’s attempts to track and throttle your Internet connection. Try it with a 30-day guarantee.
- Surfshark – Surfshark allows you to take back your privacy online and avoid tracing with powerful encryption and obfuscation.
- ExpressVPN – A well-trusted VPN for privacy, ExpressVPN’s blazing-fast network preserves your natural connection speed against throttling.
- CyberGhost – Enable the “surf anonymously” mode to block out any attempts by your ISP to limit your bandwidth or view your activity.
- PureVPN – Another blazing-fast VPN with ample provisions to block ISP spying, adware, malware, and more.
Throttling doesn’t have to relate to a single website. Many wireless carriers and ISPs throttle data once you reach a certain amount of downloads. Others will slow down your connection if you use services like Kodi or a VPN. There’s no reason behind these speed bumps, only that the ISP wants to control your connection to the internet. The good news is you don’t have to put up with Verizon or any other company throttling your internet, and if you’re dealing with another carrier, a Vodafone speed VPN can help in much the same way. Read below for a complete guide on how to stop Verizon throttling for good.
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VPNs – The Best Tool to Stop Verizon Throttling Your Internet
By far the best way to put a stop to throttling is to run a good VPN. Virtual private networks are powerful and easy to use, and you can run them on every device, including PCs, smartphones, tablets, even Fire TV.
How VPNs Stop Verizon Throttling and Other Providers
Virtual private networks provide a ton of privacy and anonymity features thanks to data encryption, a process that wraps each packet of information in a layer of unbreakable code before it leaves your device. No one can see what’s inside these packets, not even Verizon. But whether a VPN actually helps you depends on what kind of slowdown you’re experiencing. There are three distinct categories to understand:
1. Service- or app-specific throttling. This is where a VPN is most effective. When Verizon slows down specific apps or sites — such as Netflix, YouTube, or Skype — it does so by inspecting the type of traffic you’re sending. Because a VPN encrypts your data before it leaves your device, Verizon can no longer identify what service you’re using, which means it can no longer apply targeted speed limits to that traffic. Encryption hides the content type, and that is exactly the problem Verizon needs to see in order to throttle it.
2. Data-plan throttling after hitting a usage threshold. Many Verizon plans include a “premium data” allowance. Once you exceed that limit, your speeds are reduced for the rest of the billing cycle. A VPN will not help here. Verizon measures the total amount of data passing through its network, not just what type it is. Encrypting your traffic does not reduce how much data you are using, so the threshold trigger remains the same regardless of whether a VPN is active.
3. Congestion and deprioritization. During busy periods or at crowded towers, Verizon can deprioritize lower-tier customers to manage network load. This is not based on what you are doing online — it is based on demand at the network level. A VPN will generally not restore speeds in this situation, because the bottleneck is infrastructure, not traffic inspection.
Understanding which category applies to you is the most important step before deciding whether a VPN will fix your problem.
Evaluating VPNs For Their Ability To Stop Verizon Throttling
Getting the right VPN requires more than just picking a service based on how cool their logo looks. Privacy and censorship are very real issues, and if you don’t choose your VPN wisely, you could put your data at risk instead of protecting it.
Below are the main criteria you should use when selecting a good VPN to stop Verizon throttling. We used the same features to make our recommendations below, allowing you to find the fastest, safest, and most reliable VPN around to avoid or undo Verizon throttling.
- Reputation – A trustworthy VPN can keep you safe, but an unreliable one can destroy your privacy. Make sure your VPN is well-established and receives good reviews from current and past users.
- Speed – VPNs can be a little slower than an unsecured connection, even when you take throttling into account. Using a fast service is necessary to keep your speed scores high.
- Security features – Things like encryption strength, DNS leak protection, and kill switch features are crucial to keeping your connection safe.
- Logging policy – To ensure true privacy, always choose a VPN service that has a strict zero-logging policy.
A Warning about Free VPNs
Free VPNs are all over the place, and many of them promise to help defeat throttling efforts, too. It may be tempting to install one of these on your device, but the reality is they often put your privacy at risk. Because free VPNs don’t make money billing their users, they have to recover costs in other areas. Most do this by selling your data to third parties. Some have even been shown to co-opt user devices into a botnet.
In addition to privacy concerns, free VPNs are also notoriously slow. Even if they did help you stop Verizon throttling, you still won’t have a lightning fast connection to the internet.
Comparison of the Best VPNs to Stop Verizon Throttling
Best VPNs to Stop Verizon Throttling Your Unlimited Data Speed
Once you’ve done your homework, it’s time to sign up for a VPN and put a stop to throttling once and for all! Below are our recommended services you can use on any device around the world. Pick your favorite, stop the throttling, and and enjoy your faster connection!
1. NordVPN
NordVPN is a stable, trustworthy, and extremely reliable VPN provider that has been in business for years. The company offers a huge network of 5,300+ servers in 59 different countries for fast connections around the world. The core of NordVPN’s privacy is built around a strict zero-logging policy that covers bandwidth, traffic, time stamps, and DNS access, including an automatic kill switch, DNS leak protection, and 256-bit AES encryption on all data.
You can also take advantage of unique privacy features such as double encryption, onion over VPN routing, and DDoS protection. This VPN is a solid and reliable option to stop Verizon throttling or avoid being throttled by any ISP.
Read our full NordVPN review.
2. Surfshark
Surfshark is a rising star in the VPN industry, and it will work extremely well to defeat your ISP’s unfair throttling. Featuring unbreakable 256-AES-GCM encryption on all 800+ servers, there’s simply no way for anyone to brute-force their way into your business.
For any other method Verizon might use to track your activity online, Surfshark has an answer. You can cloak your VPN traffic with their special Camouflage obfuscation, making it all but impossible for your ISP to tamp down on whatever it is you’re doing on their network. This makes Surfshark a strong choice to stop Verizon throttling effectively.
Surfshark even protects you when your connection drops out, cutting the Internet via the automatic kill switch. Coupled with protections against IP, DNS, and WebRTC leaks, plus an independently audited no-logging policy, ISP tracking and throttling are effectively things of the past.
3. ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN has fast speeds, strong security, and a great reputation in the VPN community. It’s also incredibly easy to use, offering custom software and apps for a wide variety of devices, all of which come with one-click connections and other useful privacy features. ExpressVPN uses 256-bit AES encryption on all data combined with a zero-logging policy on traffic, DNS requests, and IP addresses.
You also get DNS leak protection and automatic kill switch features on every device, along with a fast network with locations in 94 different countries – a great option to stop Verizon throttling or avoid slowdowns from any other internet provider!
Read our full ExpressVPN review.
4. CyberGhost
CyberGhost delivers a superb mixture of speed and privacy, making it a great VPN to stay safe online while unblocking websites and defeating throttling efforts from Verizon and other ISPs. It starts with 256-bit AES encryption on all data and includes a thorough zero-logging policy on traffic, time stamps, and IP address. DNS leak protection and an automatic kill switch ensure your identity stays hidden no matter what.
You also get access to over 5,700 servers in 90 countries for fast worldwide connections. Good news for Verizon customers looking to stop Verizon throttling once and for all.
Read our full CyberGhost review.
5. PureVPN
PureVPN is an incredibly useful VPN service that offers a wide variety of features that go above and beyond. Have you ever wanted virus protection on your device? How about malware shields, app blocking, and DNS-level website filters? With PureVPN you get access to all of these and more, including 256-bit encryption, a zero-logging policy on all traffic, DNS leak protection, and an automatic kill switch.
PureVPN provides great speeds with a large network of 2,000+ servers across 140 countries, ensuring you can connect and stop Verizon throttling anywhere in the world.
Read our full PureVPN review.
How to Stop Verizon Throttling with a VPN
Once you’ve chosen a VPN, putting it to work against Verizon throttling takes just a few minutes. Follow these steps to get the best result:
- Choose a reputable VPN. Pick one of the services recommended above. A well-reviewed paid VPN gives you the speed and privacy features needed to actually make a difference.
- Install the app on the affected device. Download the official VPN app for your PC, smartphone, tablet, or streaming device and sign in to your account.
- Connect to a nearby server first. Choosing a server close to your physical location typically gives you the best speeds while still encrypting your traffic from Verizon.
- Test the previously slow service. Open the app, website, or video stream that was being throttled and check whether speeds have improved.
- If speeds are still poor, adjust your settings. Try switching protocols (for example, from OpenVPN to WireGuard), enabling obfuscation or stealth mode if your VPN offers it, or connecting to a different nearby server.
- Compare results with VPN off and on. Toggle the VPN connection and re-run a speed test or stream test each time to confirm whether the VPN is making a measurable difference for your specific situation.
- Keep the kill switch enabled. This ensures your real IP address and traffic are never exposed if the VPN connection drops unexpectedly.
It is worth testing on both Wi-Fi and mobile data separately, since Verizon home internet and Verizon wireless slowdowns can have entirely different causes and may respond differently to a VPN.
Stop Verizon Throttling – Other Methods
VPNs are great all-purpose tools that can usually defeat throttling efforts from Verizon in an instant. For more stubborn ISPs, though, you’ll want to deploy stronger measures to keep your connection fast and secure. Below are some of the most common alternatives to stop Verizon throttling.
VPN Configuration
By default, most VPNs will immediately put a stop to throttling efforts by Verizon or any other company. Encryption is often all that’s needed to give you free access to the internet. If that’s not enough, you can usually change some of your VPN’s configuration to try a more aggressive method.
Open your VPN’s configurations page and look for an option to change security protocol settings. Inside, check for ways to alter the default port, toggle extra encryption protocols, or switch encryption types altogether.
Below are a few common changes you might be able to make that often help stop data throttling:
- Use UDP or TCP port 1194, the official OpenVPN port
- Enable SSH connections on any port
- Activate SSL encryption on any port
- Switch to UDP or TCP port 80
- Try a high port, like 41185
SSL/TLS Tunnel
SSL (Secure Socket Layer) tunnels are an extremely reliable method for defeating ISP throttling efforts. If you’ve ever seen a site with a green padlock icon in your browser’s URL bar, that means it was secured with HTTPS, or HTTP secure. This protocol uses SSL for basic encryption, and you can do the same for all of your internet traffic, making it anonymous and difficult for Verizon to track.
Stunnel is the most popular piece of software for setting up and using SSL tunnels. It takes a little research to do properly, but once it’s complete you’ll be able to bypass throttling in an instant. You can also choose a VPN service that offers SSL tunnels by default, such as NordVPN.
Shadowsocks (SOCKS5 Proxy)
Shadowsocks uses the SOCKS5 protocol (Socket Secure 5) which transfers data packets between clients and servers using a proxy server. It’s simple but effective, designed to break through censorship barriers by keeping traffic completely obscured. This also helps stop Verizon throttling, since knowing the destination of a packet of data is often how ISPs decide when to apply speed caps. The website above will walk you through the process of renting and setting up a shadowsocks server to use on your home network.
Stop Verizon Throttling on a Smartphone
Verizon doesn’t stop its throttling efforts on data connections. The company applies caps and bandwidth limits on many of its cell phone services, too. Whether a VPN can help on mobile data depends entirely on what type of slowdown you are experiencing.
If Verizon is slowing down specific types of traffic on your mobile connection — for example, throttling video streaming apps like YouTube or Netflix regardless of how much data you have used — a VPN can often help by encrypting your traffic so Verizon cannot identify and selectively slow it down. However, if the slowdown is caused by hitting a plan threshold, a hotspot cap, or a congested tower, a VPN will not restore your speed because those limits are applied at the network level regardless of what your traffic looks like.
Here is a quick reference for the most common mobile slowdown types:
- Video or app-specific throttling (e.g., YouTube, Netflix slow regardless of data used): A VPN can often help.
- Exceeded premium data threshold (speeds reduced for rest of billing cycle): A VPN will not help.
- Hotspot data cap reached: A VPN will not help.
- Congested cell tower or network deprioritization during busy hours: A VPN will not help.
If possible and the cause is plan-based or congestion-related, try switching to a Wi-Fi connection and downloading content for offline access as an alternative workaround.
How to Tell if Your Wireless Internet Connection Is Being Throttled
If you’re a Verizon customer, there’s a good chance your connection to the internet is already being throttled. Netflix might feel slow, YouTube a little sluggish, and your Kodi streams are never quite HD. There are dozens of potential causes for internet slowdown, however. Before you reach for a VPN, work through this checklist to identify what is actually happening:
- Review your Verizon plan for premium-data or hotspot limits. Log in to your Verizon account and check how much premium data your plan includes and whether you have exceeded it this billing cycle. Also check whether your mobile hotspot allowance is exhausted.
- Note whether only streaming or video is slow, or whether all traffic is affected. If only certain apps feel sluggish but general browsing and downloads are fast, that points to app-specific throttling. If everything is slow, the cause is more likely a plan threshold or congestion.
- Test at different times of day. If speeds are noticeably worse during evening hours or at busy locations, congestion or deprioritization is probably the culprit rather than targeted throttling.
- Compare the same app or site with VPN off and on. Connect to a nearby VPN server and retest the affected service. A meaningful speed improvement with the VPN active strongly suggests app-specific or traffic-type throttling.
- Compare mobile data versus Wi-Fi. Test the same service on both your Verizon wireless connection and a Wi-Fi network. If the service works fine on Wi-Fi but is slow on mobile data, the issue is with your cellular plan or Verizon’s mobile network.
- Document your results. Note download speed, upload speed, latency, and which specific services are affected. This helps you spot patterns and gives you concrete data if you need to contact Verizon support.
BattleForTheNet is a great resource that promotes internet freedoms around the world. The site has a number of tools that help you test your internet connection for censorship and throttling concerns. No complicated setups are required — just visit the throttling test site, click the button, and wait for the results.
Another less reliable method is to try any online speed test service. Watch your download speeds when accessing a site you think may be throttled by Verizon. Then visit SpeedTest.net and run a quick test. If the download speeds there are vastly different than the other results, chances are you’re being throttled.
Once you have gathered your results, use this simple decision guide: if only certain apps or streaming services are slow and speeds improve with a VPN active, you are likely dealing with app-specific throttling and a VPN is the right tool. If all traffic slows down after a certain point in your billing cycle, or if speeds drop consistently during busy evening hours, a VPN is unlikely to fix it — the cause is a plan limit or tower congestion, and you may need to review your Verizon plan or upgrade your data allowance instead. Knowing for certain that you’re affected is the first step toward taking action to stop Verizon throttling.
More Benefits of Using a VPN
VPNs do more than just put a stop to Verizon throttling. They can help you access censored content, bypass government firewalls, even let you stream movies from other countries. Below are just a few of the best reasons to use a VPN.
Unblock Netflix
If you can’t access Netflix in your area, or if you want to try streaming videos from other regions, VPNs can help. The services let you change your IP address to a non-local one, fooling streaming sites like Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and YouTube into thinking you’re located in another area. The same approach also works if you need VPNs for CNBC access when you’re away from home. Reload the page and suddenly tons of new TV shows and movies are ready to stream!
Hide Your Kodi Streams
Kodi is a wonderful piece of media center software that allows you to stream content from around the world, all for free. Some add-ons for Kodi are known to access illegal content, however, which means governments and ISPs are more likely to monitor your streams if you use Kodi, even for legitimate reasons.
Using a VPN while streaming with Kodi helps keep you safe. Encryption prevents ISPs from checking your data, stopping throttling attempts before they even start. You can also access all of Kodi’s add-ons with complete privacy. If you want to use Kodi even just once, make sure you’re running a VPN in the background.
Wireless Mobile Security
Connecting your smartphone on a public Wi-Fi network is just asking for trouble. Open hotspots are dangerous territory, featuring everything from hackers to shady ISPs that record and sell private data. Smartphones carry an incredible amount of information about our identity, making them a prime target for data thieves. By running a VPN on your cell phone, you can keep communications secure and download speeds nice and fast, even at coffee shops and restaurants.
Secure Your Fire TV
Running a VPN on Fire TV is a great way to secure data leaving your streaming device. You might think you’re safe from throttling or privacy concerns when using a Fire Stick, but ISPs monitor TV streaming devices just like smartphones and PCs. VPNs put a stop to these problems right away, allowing you to watch movies in complete privacy.
Our Final Thoughts on How to Stop Verizon Throttling
Ready to put a stop to Verizon’s inconvenient throttling practices? The company constantly changes its methods to keep artificial slowdown in place without alerting users, but with the right tools you can bypass these bottlenecks without any effort. Stay safe and stay speedy with a good VPN on your side.
Have you been a victim of unfair ISP throttling by Verizon? What were you doing at the time? Did a VPN help you stop Verizon throttling? Let us know your throttling story below.
If you need a VPN for a short while when traveling for example, you can get our top ranked VPN free of charge. NordVPN includes a 30-day money-back guarantee. You will need to pay for the subscription, that’s a fact, but it allows full access for 30 days and then you cancel for a full refund. Their no-questions-asked cancellation policy lives up to its name.
