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Port forwarding lets the outside world start a connection to a device behind your VPN. For browsing and streaming it never matters. For anyone seeding torrents, hosting a game server or reaching a home server from outside, however, it decides whether things work at all.
The list of providers that offer it has been shrinking. Mullvad removed it in July 2023 and IVPN in September the same year, and the biggest brands never had it. Published lists also disagree, sometimes sharply. One 2026 guide says Private Internet Access dropped the feature, while three others and our own review say it still has it. This page sets out who offers it now, on what terms, and where the sources clash.
VPN Port Forwarding: The Short Answer
Providers we cover that offer it: Private Internet Access, Proton VPN, Windscribe, PrivateVPN and TorGuard include it, and PureVPN sells it as an add-on. Outside our reviews, AirVPN and AzireVPN offer it too, and Astrill lists it among its features.
Providers that do not: NordVPN, Surfshark, ExpressVPN and CyberGhost. Mullvad and IVPN removed it in 2023.
Ownership does not predict it. Kape Technologies owns PIA, which offers it, and also ExpressVPN and CyberGhost, which do not. Nord Security owns NordVPN and Surfshark, and neither offers it.
No free plan includes it. Proton VPN, like the others, keeps it for paying customers. Our torrenting guide explains whether you need it before you pay for it.
Who Offers Port Forwarding in 2026
| Provider | Port forwarding | Terms |
|---|---|---|
| Private Internet Access | Included | Every plan, per our review |
| Proton VPN | Included on paid plans | P2P servers; Windows and Linux apps |
| Windscribe | Included on paid plans | Ports are temporary |
| PrivateVPN | Included | Random ports, not fixed |
| TorGuard | Included | Also sells dedicated IPs |
| PureVPN | Paid add-on, $0.99 a month | Ports change each session without a dedicated IP |
| NordVPN, Surfshark | No | Not on standard plans |
| ExpressVPN, CyberGhost | No | Not on VPN servers |
| Mullvad, IVPN | Removed in 2023 | Older guides still recommend them |
The terms matter as much as the yes or no. A port that changes every session has to be re-entered in your torrent client each time, while a fixed one does not. Our PIA review, our Proton VPN review and our Windscribe review cover each provider’s version.
Where Published Lists Disagree
Private Internet Access. A March 2026 guide from Flowster lists PIA among providers that removed port forwarding between 2023 and 2025. All About Cookies, PrivateProxyGuide and SecureGuides, writing later in 2026, all list it as available, as does our review. The weight of evidence says PIA still offers it.
Proton VPN’s platforms. Cybernews and VPNpro say port forwarding works in Proton’s Windows, macOS and Linux apps. SecureGuides says Windows only. Proton’s own blog names the Windows and Linux apps, with some manual steps on Linux, and its support pages explain a manual method for other clients.
ExpressVPN. Cybernews lists ExpressVPN among port-forwarding VPNs. Other sources, however, including encapsulated.network, say its VPN servers do not support it. Its Aircove router, retired from sale in September 2026, has a separate forwarding feature for the home network, which is a different thing.
⚠️ NordVPN has one exception. According to encapsulated.network, its standard plans and dedicated IP add-on do not include port forwarding, but its separate dedicated server add-on does. Our NordVPN review covers the standard product.
Why Providers Removed It
Mullvad gave abuse as the reason. NATchecker summarises Mullvad’s announcement and FAQ. Mullvad stopped issuing new forwarded ports on 29 May 2023 and removed every existing one on 1 July 2023. Mullvad’s FAQ still says no, and our Mullvad review records the change.
The risk is real on both sides. An open port is a way in, so whatever listens on it must be kept up to date. A fixed port on a shared VPN address can also act as a persistent identifier, which is why some providers rotate ports on purpose.
How Proton VPN’s Port Forwarding Works
Proton’s support pages give the clearest public description of how the feature works in practice, so it serves as a useful example.
You must be on a P2P server. In the app, choose a server from the P2P tab, then switch on port forwarding in the settings. The app assigns a port, which you enter in your torrent client.
The port can change. Proton recommends turning on notifications so you know when your active port number changes. It also notes that port forwarding does not work with moderate NAT, the type 2 setting in its app.
Manual setups work too. For OpenVPN, Proton says to add the suffix +pmp to your OpenVPN username, and the forwarded port is then requested using the NAT-PMP protocol. That is how people use it on routers, NAS boxes and a Raspberry Pi.
Do You Actually Need It?
Torrenting: downloads work without it, but seeding is weaker, because peers cannot connect to you first. Private trackers that require connectable status are the case where it matters most.
Remote access: reaching your own NAS or Pi from outside can be done without a VPN provider at all. Our Synology guide covers the built-in server route, and a mesh service such as Tailscale avoids open ports entirely.
Everything else: browsing, streaming, banking and ordinary gaming do not need it. A fixed exit address is a separate product, and our dedicated IP guide explains the difference, since a dedicated IP opens no ports by itself.
Checking That a Forwarded Port Works
Look at your torrent client first. Most clients show whether they are connectable, and the indicator should change once the forwarded port is entered in the connection settings. Turn off the client’s own UPnP and NAT-PMP options, as Proton advises, so it uses the port the VPN assigned.
Then test from outside. An online open-port checker, run while the VPN is connected, shows whether the port answers on the VPN’s address. If it does not, confirm you are on a server that supports forwarding and that the port has not changed since you copied it.
If Your VPN Does Not Offer It
You can keep your VPN and still seed. Downloads continue without incoming connections, just with fewer peers. For most public torrents, the difference is small.
Alternatively, switch provider for that one job. PIA and Proton VPN both offer it without an add-on fee. Our PureVPN review, our PrivateVPN review and our TorGuard review cover the smaller options.
How We Research
We compiled the provider list from our own reviews and checked it against eight published sources dated 2025 and 2026, each named where it disagrees. Proton VPN’s behaviour comes from its own support pages and blog, and Mullvad’s removal dates from NATchecker’s summary of Mullvad’s FAQ. The add-on price for PureVPN comes from our PureVPN pages. We did not test port forwarding ourselves, which is why we name the source for every claim that is disputed. Our full approach lives on the About Us page.
VPN Port Forwarding FAQ
Among providers we cover, Private Internet Access, Proton VPN, Windscribe, PrivateVPN and TorGuard include it, and PureVPN sells it as an add-on. NordVPN, Surfshark, ExpressVPN and CyberGhost do not on their standard plans.
Not on its standard plans or with its dedicated IP add-on. According to encapsulated.network, its separate dedicated server add-on does include it.
No. Mullvad stopped issuing new forwarded ports on 29 May 2023 and removed all existing ones on 1 July 2023, citing abuse. IVPN removed the feature in September 2023.
Not among reputable providers. Proton VPN keeps it for paid plans, and so do Windscribe and the others. A mesh service such as Tailscale can cover remote access for free, though it is not a privacy VPN.
Only if you want to seed well or use private trackers that require connectable status. Downloads work without it, just with fewer peers able to reach you.
The Verdict
Port forwarding is now a niche feature, and the big brands have left it to smaller providers. Among the services we cover, PIA and Proton VPN offer it without extra charge, and the list of those that do not includes NordVPN and Surfshark.
Check the terms as well as the yes or no: whether the port is fixed, which servers support it, and which apps. And treat any list that still recommends Mullvad for it as out of date.