Speed on NymVPN depends mostly on which mode you are using. Fast mode is built for everyday speed and should feel close to your normal connection; if it is consistently slow, something is usually fixable. Anonymous (mixnet) mode is intentionally slower because it routes your traffic through 5 hops with added privacy protections. The steps below resolve most slow-speed cases.
First, check which mode you are in
Anonymous mode trades speed for maximum privacy: your traffic passes through five nodes in the Nym mixnet with cover traffic and timing protections. Some slowdown there is normal and expected. If you need speed for streaming, downloads, or everyday browsing, switch to Fast mode, which uses WireGuard, one of the fastest VPN protocols available. See What's the difference between NymVPN Fast & Anonymous mode?
Troubleshooting slow speeds in Fast mode
- Measure your baseline. Run a speed test with the VPN disconnected, then connected. If your base connection is slow, the VPN cannot make it faster. See How do I test the VPN speed and performance?
- Try a different exit country. Speed depends on the nodes you are routed through. A nearby, less busy exit location is usually faster. See Best NymVPN server location: how to choose entry and exit countries.
- Reconnect. Disconnecting and reconnecting selects new nodes, which often resolves a slow route.
- Turn off QUIC if you do not need it. QUIC is an anti-censorship feature that adds overhead. If you are not in a censored region, go to Settings > Anti-censorship > QUIC and make sure it is disabled for the best Fast mode speeds.
- Check your network. Wi-Fi congestion, weak signal, or a busy cellular network slow everything down. Try another network if you can.
- Restart the app. A fresh start clears stuck connections.
- Using Linux in a VM or over mobile tethering? Slower speeds have been observed on Linux running inside a virtual machine and on devices connected through mobile tethering. Current findings suggest these are related to the system or connection type, not the VPN itself. Try a direct (non-tethered) connection or running Linux on hardware if you can.
Slow to connect, rather than slow once connected?
If the VPN takes a long time to establish a connection but runs fine afterwards, Stealth Connect is the usual cause. It makes connecting more resistant to blocking, at the cost of slower connection times. If you do not need it on your network, disable Stealth Connect in Settings and connections will start faster.
Still slow?
If Fast mode remains slow after the steps above, it could indicate a technical issue. Contact Nym Support with your platform, app version, the exit country you used, and your speed test results with and without the VPN. That information lets us investigate quickly.
Related questions
Why is Anonymous mode slower by design?
It routes traffic through 5 hops and adds mixnet protections that defeat traffic analysis. That extra work costs time. The team continuously optimizes its performance without compromising privacy.
Could the packet size (MTU) be the problem?
Rarely. NymVPN sets conservative MTU values per platform automatically. See How is the MTU (Maximum Transmission Unit) set for NymVPN?
A specific website or service is slow while everything else is fine. Why?
That is usually the service reacting to the exit location rather than a speed problem. See Why are certain online services not working with NymVPN?