VPN throughput is bounded by the slowest of: your internet, the server's uplink, and the route between them. Most slow-VPN reports come from picking a far-away server when a closer one would work.
Quick wins
- Pick a server geographically close to you. The suggested server is usually the right answer.
- Switch from WireGuard to VLESS+XTLS-Vision if WireGuard is being throttled by your ISP (some carriers do this).
- Disable battery saver — it caps CPU and starves the tunnel.
- On Wi-Fi, move closer to the router. VPN exposes the bottleneck; bad Wi-Fi looks like a bad VPN.
If a specific server is slow
Open the server picker — the load indicator on each row shows congestion. A busy server at peak hours might run at half its usual speed. Pick a different city in the same region (e.g. swap Frankfurt for Amsterdam).
If every server is slow
Run a speed test without the VPN. If your direct connection is also slow, the VPN isn't the problem — your network is. Restart the modem and try again.