What Is Double Hop / Multi-Hop VPN
A standard VPN routes your traffic through one VPN server. Double hop (also called multi-hop or cascaded VPN) routes your traffic through two or more VPN servers in sequence. Example: your device → VPN server in Netherlands → VPN server in Germany → destination website. The destination only sees the German server's IP. Even if the German server is compromised or under surveillance, the attacker only knows you connected from the Netherlands server -- not your real IP. This adds an extra layer of separation between your real identity and your destination.
How It Works Technically
Your device encrypts traffic for server B, then encrypts that inside encryption for server A. Server A decrypts its layer, forwards the still-encrypted traffic to server B. Server B decrypts and sends to the destination. This is sometimes called an 'onion' approach (similar to Tor's principle). The exit server (server B) sees the destination but not your IP. The entry server (server A) sees your IP but not your destination. For someone to link you to your destination, they would need to compromise or monitor both servers simultaneously.
Which VPNs Offer Multi-Hop
NordVPN: 'Double VPN' servers available on all plans. ProtonVPN: 'Secure Core' routes through privacy-friendly countries first (Iceland, Switzerland). Mullvad: port multiplexing and server chaining available. Windscribe: 'Garlix' multi-hop feature. Most VPN providers do NOT offer double hop -- it requires significant infrastructure. NordVPN and ProtonVPN are the most widely available options.
Trade-Offs
Speed impact: routing through two servers adds latency and reduces throughput. Expect 30-60% speed reduction compared to single VPN. This matters for streaming and large downloads. Security benefit: meaningful for high-threat models (journalists, activists, people in countries with adversarial governments). For average privacy users, a single reputable VPN provides sufficient protection. Complexity: connection stability can be lower. If either server has issues, the connection drops.
When to Use It
Multi-hop is worth the speed trade-off if: you are connecting from a country where your VPN provider might be legally compelled to log your connections, your threat model includes someone with access to VPN server logs, or you need extra separation between your identity and your destination for specific sensitive activities. For general privacy (avoiding ISP tracking, public Wi-Fi, geo-blocking): a single VPN server is sufficient and faster.