What Is VPN Port Forwarding & Which VPNs Offer It?

Port forwarding is often misunderstood and only available on a very few of the top VPN services.

It requires a static or dedicated IP address and can come with some security risks, which means some of the most popular VPNs don’t allow port forwarding at all.

Contrary to information online, even top VPNs, like ExpressVPN, do not support port forwarding. Though it claims to work on its router app, we found this only allows you to remotely access files on your local network, and won’t enhance your torrenting or gaming activity in any way.

Additionally, very few VPN providers offer good customization options and the option to forward multiple ports.

In this guide, we’ve created an up-to-date list of all the reputable VPNs that allow port forwarding, tested them, and shared our top recommendations.

Every LAN router has a NAT (Network Address Translation) firewall that controls traffic and protects your home devices from security threats.

This firewall allows all devices on your local network to share the same external IP address.

NAT firewalls come in three types: Open, Moderate, and Strict, which determine how accessible your local network is to external connections.

An example of an Open NAT type on Xbox.

While a strict NAT type offers security benefits, it can make it harder for external devices to communicate with specific devices on your network, particularly for peer-to-peer connections.

This can impact activities like seeding torrents and participating in multiplayer games.

You can solve this problem by opening router ports. These ports route external traffic to individual devices on your local network, and vice versa.

Port forwarding involves manually opening and assigning a port to certain types of network traffic, allowing external computers to access specific devices within your LAN.

Port forwarding allows you to bypass limits imposed by the NAT firewall, improving the speed of some applications and enabling other services, such as remote desktop access.

While there are other methods to bypass or change your NAT type, such as using UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) or a Windows 10 Hotspot, port forwarding remains the most popular approach.

Think of ports as the routes in and out of your local network via your router. Most routers can have up to 65,000 ports, but only around 1,000 are regularly used.

Generally, ports are assigned to specific types of activity. For instance, websites use ports 80 and 443, and email uses port 25.

Only the ports your router uses are kept open, meaning traffic directed to the wrong port will be automatically blocked by the router’s firewall. By default, all of your router’s ports should be closed.

Port forwarding allows devices on the internet to access specific devices within your local area network.

Port numbers for commonly used services are assigned by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA). Here’s a list of some common NAT ports and their uses:

Different Types of Port Forwarding

Computer networking employs several types of port forwarding. Your choice depends on your access to the external device and your specific goals.

VPN port forwarding usually involves either remote port forwarding or dynamic port forwarding.

Port forwarding is safe if implemented correctly. However, it’s important to remember that ports are a direct route to your device, and forwarding them makes it easier to access to your machine from outside your network.

The feature selectively disables your NAT Firewall, which normally functions to keep your device safe from the wider internet.

Port forwarding — whether used with or without a VPN — therefore comes with some serious security considerations.

Unless they are managed carefully, open ports can be exploited by hackers and malicious third parties to steal your data or even hijack your device.

Port forwarding can also cause IP leaks when torrenting. It’s essential that you check for data leaks before connecting to any publicly visible torrents, as this is both a privacy and security risk.

In this section, we’ll explain exactly how to set up port forwarding on your home router or VPN software. Once this is set up, you’ll need to take extra steps to ensure you minimize the inherent risks of port forwarding.

How to Set Up Port Forwarding on a Home Router

How you set up a port forward will vary slightly by router model. The following instructions apply to most modern routers.

Watch this short video to see how to set up a port forward on a Virgin Media router:

How to Set Up Port Forwarding on a VPN

The port forwarding process varies far more between VPN services than it does between routers.

Some VPN services allow you to enable port forwarding directly in the VPN software itself, while for others you must log into your account on the provider website and set your configuration there.

If you’re not sure, check with your provider’s customer support to see which method your chosen service uses.

Configuring Port Forwarding in the VPN App

Watch the video below for a demonstration of how to set up port forwarding with Private Internet Access, which is done entirely via the app settings menu. Other VPNs with in-app port forwarding will have a similar process.

Configuring Port Forwarding on the VPN’s Website

Other VPNs, such as AirVPN, require you to open ports via your account area on their website.

Watch the video below for to see of how to set up port forwarding with AirVPN. Other VPNs with web-based port forwarding will have a similar setup.

If you are careful not to open more ports than necessary and you follow the safety tips below, it is very unlikely that you will be subject to an attack.

Because of the security vulnerabilities associated with port forwarding, most VPNs do not allow it on their network. In fact, out of the 61 VPNs we have reviewed, only 12 VPNs offer port forwarding.

All of these VPNs only offer port forwarding on premium subscriptions, and in some cases they even require an additional fee. This means there are no free VPNs that support port forwarding.

Many popular paid services – including NordVPN and ExpressVPN – block access to all ports except those that are absolutely necessary for the VPN to function.

For a VPN to support the secure forwarding of multiple ports, it needs to have both static IP addresses and the capacity for constant technical attention. As a result, only smaller and more technically-oriented VPNs tend to have it as an option. Even then, it is often limited in functionality.

The best VPNs for port forwarding allow users to set multiple port forward rules simultaneously. You should have a degree of choice over which port numbers to use, and on which servers.

As always, VPNs for port forwarding also need to be secure services with strong encryption, no-logs privacy policies, and fast speeds.

Here’s a table comparing the best port forwarding VPNs in 2024 based on our testing criteria: