NordVPN
All-round choice: simple apps and up to 10 devices
- Up to 10 devices on one account
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- No-logs policy checked by independent auditors
VPN guide
★ Our pick
Best VPN for Coffee Shops
Work safely from your favourite café. NordVPN, Surfshark and Proton VPN compared for coffee shop Wi-Fi.
Coffee shop Wi-Fi is the classic use case for a VPN. The network is open, dozens of strangers share it, and the barista certainly didn't configure enterprise-grade security. A VPN encrypts your traffic so you can work, browse and bank in peace over your flat white.
Surfshark
Big households: unlimited devices on one account
- Unlimited devices on one account
- 30-day money-back guarantee on the first purchase
- No-logs policy independently assessed (2025 report)
Proton VPN
Try before you pay: a free plan for one device
- Free plan to start (1 device)
- Up to 10 devices on the Plus plan
- Swiss company, also behind Proton Mail
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Side by side
Best VPN for Coffee Shops
Facts from each brand's official site, checked 27 Oct 2026. Prices change often: today's price is on the official site.
| NordVPN | Surfshark | Proton VPN | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Money-back guarantee | 30 days | 30 days (first purchase) | 30 days (paid plans) |
| Devices | Up to 10 | Unlimited | 10 on Plus · 1 on the free plan |
| Free option | No free plan | 7-day free trial (conditions on the official site) | Free plan (1 device) |
| Company base | Panama (parent company in the Netherlands) | Netherlands (Surfshark B.V.) | Switzerland (Proton) |
| Best for | All-round choice: simple apps and up to 10 devices | Big households: unlimited devices on one account | Try before you pay: a free plan for one device |
| NordVPN | Surfshark | Proton VPN |
Tips
Tips
Connect before you open your laptop
The moment you join the café Wi-Fi, activate the VPN before opening any browser tabs or email clients.
Forget the network after you leave
Tell your device to forget the café's Wi-Fi after each visit. This prevents auto-connecting next time without the VPN ready.
Use your phone's VPN too
Don't just protect the laptop. Your phone is on the same café network — encrypt both.
Questions
Is Starbucks Wi-Fi safe?
No branded coffee shop Wi-Fi is inherently safe. The network is shared by everyone in the store. A VPN encrypts your share of the traffic.
Can someone hack me over café Wi-Fi?
Without encryption, attackers can intercept login credentials, session cookies and personal data on open networks. A VPN prevents this.
Does a VPN slow down already-slow café Wi-Fi?
It adds 5–10% overhead. If the café Wi-Fi is already very slow, the VPN makes it marginally slower — but unprotected slow Wi-Fi is worse than protected slow Wi-Fi.
Complete your setup