What Is Double VPN?
Double VPN (also called multi-hop or double encryption) routes your traffic through two VPN servers in sequence rather than one. Your traffic is encrypted twice: once when it enters the first server, and again as it passes through the second. The result is that the first server knows your real IP address but not your destination; the second server knows the destination but not your real IP. Neither server has the full picture.
How It Differs from Standard VPN
Standard VPN: your device encrypts traffic, sends it to one VPN server, which decrypts it and forwards it to the destination. The VPN provider's server knows both your real IP and where you're going. Double VPN: your traffic passes through Server A, then Server B. Server A knows your IP but not your destination. Server B knows your destination but only sees Server A's IP, not yours. This separation of knowledge is the core privacy benefit.
When Double VPN Is Worth It
For most users, a standard VPN provides sufficient privacy. Double VPN is worth considering when: you have a specific adversary who might be able to subpoena one VPN server but is unlikely to subpoena both (especially when the servers are in different jurisdictions); you are a journalist or activist in a high-risk environment where compromise of a single server would be catastrophic; you want an additional technical barrier even if the practical benefit is marginal. For general privacy from your ISP or network observers, standard VPN is sufficient.
The Speed Cost
Double VPN is slower. Traffic makes two hops instead of one, adding latency proportional to the geographic distance between the two servers. Expect 30-60% slower speeds compared to the same provider's single-server connection. For web browsing and messaging, this is usually acceptable. For streaming 4K content or gaming, the speed reduction is often too significant.
Providers That Offer Double VPN
NordVPN (calls it 'Double VPN'), ProtonVPN (calls it 'Secure Core'), Mullvad, and Surfshark (calls it 'MultiHop') all offer multi-hop configurations. NordVPN and ProtonVPN have the widest selection of server pair combinations and the most transparent documentation about how their multi-hop implementation works.