VPNs With Port Forwarding
A feature that quietly disappeared from half the market. Here is who still offers it, what you actually get, and why the provider everyone used to recommend no longer counts.
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What port forwarding is for
A VPN normally blocks incoming connections. That is the point. Port forwarding opens one anyway, which matters in two situations: seeding torrents, where without it you can only connect to peers who can accept incoming connections, and reaching a device at home — a NAS, a game server, a camera — while you are elsewhere. If neither applies to you, none of this matters and you can ignore the feature entirely.
Who has it
Read on the providers' own pages and a dedicated comparison, on 25 July 2026. Each row links to its source.
ProtonVPN
Yes, includedUp to five ports, chosen by you rather than assigned at random. Included in the paid plans at no extra cost.
Works on the P2P-optimised servers, via the Windows and Linux apps. Not available in the macOS app.
All About Cookies — best VPNs with port forwardingPrivate Internet Access
Yes, includedOne port, assigned at random rather than chosen. Included in the standard subscription and available on every platform.
Works on most locations, but not on the US servers.
All About Cookies — best VPNs with port forwardingPureVPN
Yes, paid add-onUp to fifteen ports, manually configured — the most flexible of the three. It is an add-on, so it costs extra on top of the subscription.
Requires the dedicated servers, and works on Windows, macOS and Android.
All About Cookies — best VPNs with port forwardingMullvad VPN
Removed in 2023Mullvad offered port forwarding for years and removed it on 1 July 2023, announced on 29 May. The reason was abuse: forwarded ports were used to host malicious services, which led to law enforcement contact, blacklisted IPs and hosting providers dropping them.
Lists that still recommend Mullvad for port forwarding are at least two years out of date, whatever year is in the title.
Mullvad — Removing the support for forwarded portsNordVPN
NoNot offered on any server. NordVPN presents this as a deliberate security choice — an open port is an attack surface — which is defensible, but it does not help if you need one.
Engadget — NordVPN reviewCyberGhost
NoNot offered, despite the dedicated P2P servers. Worth knowing if you picked CyberGhost specifically for torrenting.
All About Cookies — best VPNs with port forwardingWhy most lists get this wrong
Mullvad was the standard recommendation for years. It removed forwarded ports on 1 July 2023, announced five weeks earlier, because people were using them to host malicious services — which got Mullvad's IPs blacklisted and hosting providers cancelling on them. Any list that still names Mullvad here has not been checked since at least 2023, whatever year is in the title.
The short version
ProtonVPN
Yes, includedThe best of the three if you want control: up to five ports that you choose. Included in the plan. The catch is the macOS app, which does not support it — you need Windows or Linux.
Private Internet Access
Yes, includedThe simplest: one port, assigned automatically, on every platform and included in the price. You cannot pick the number, and it does not work on US servers.
PureVPN
Yes, paid add-onThe most flexible on paper — up to fifteen ports — but it is a paid add-on, so factor that into the price you are comparing.
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Sources
Every row links to where it came from. Read on 25 July 2026.