Split Tunneling: What Is It and What Are Its Benefits?

VPNs offer so many advantages that it can be tempting to want to use them all the time. While secure VPN connections provide anonymity on the Internet and help bypass region restrictions, they aren't without drawbacks. For example, they can negatively impact speeds or the availability of local network devices.

Here's the good news: you can offset some of the disadvantages of a VPN with split tunneling, a feature that allows you to simultaneously use a VPN and your regular Internet connection. In this article, we'll explain how split tunneling works, when to use it, and which VPN providers offer it.

Split Tunneling is an advanced VPN feature that's increasingly offered by VPN services. In essence, it divides your Internet traffic between an encrypted VPN server (the tunnel) and your regular Internet connection.

Split tunneling is a great solution if you're looking to benefit from the security of a VPN tunnel without sacrificing the advantages provided by a direct Internet connection without a VPN detour.

As such, the feature comes in handy for:

Split tunneling can vary slightly depending on the VPN service you're using. Essentially, there are two types:

It's also important to consider how your VPN configures split tunneling. For this, two distinct possibilities exist:

Generally speaking, split tunneling is secure. However, it's not as safe as a VPN connection lacking exceptions. After all, with the former, some services, apps, or URLs don't receive the protection afforded by your VPN tunnel. This negates the VPN's benefits, such as anonymizing your IP address.

That being said, you won't be taking on any additional risks compared to surfing without a VPN. You're always safer using split tunneling than you would be without a VPN altogether. Therefore, split tunneling is a good compromise that can help with the situations mentioned above, as long as you remain aware of what activity isn't shielded by your VPN.

Split tunneling is a bit different with each VPN provider. Typically, you'll find it in your VPN app''s settings, however, it might be referred to as something else.

Here's an example of how it works in VyprVPN's Android app:

1. Open the VyprVPN app. Tap Customize, at the bottom of the menu.

2. Tap Connection Per App and toggle the switch from Off to On to activate split tunneling. Now, whenever you connect to VyprVPN, all apps will use its VPN tunnel by default. To add exceptions, simply select an app from the list.

3. To exempt an app from the VPN tunnel, tap Bypass VPN.

4. When you tap Connect in the main menu, all of your apps, with the exception of those which you excluded, will use the VPN connection.

Split tunneling is a popular feature that's now offered by many VPN services. However, it's often limited to specific apps or operating systems. As such, you should always consult the provider's website to ensure that they make split tunneling available for the devices you'll be using.

Our comprehensive review of 22 VPN providers can help you make an informed decision. Here's what we consider to be the Top 3 VPN services with split tunneling:

NordVPN was the overall winner of our review thanks to its high score in our speed test, provision of a wide range of features, and user-friendly apps—all at a rather affordable price.

They offer app-based split tunneling on Windows, Android, and Android TV.

ExpressVPN is a relatively pricey service, but in return, you'll get excellent apps and top speeds, along with a large server network and solid customer support.

Split tunneling is available for Mac, Windows, and Android in ExpressVPN's apps. As is the case with NordVPN, it's also app-based.

With a fine price-performance ratio, Surfshark offers an excellent overall package that combines top performance, plenty of features, a solid server network, and great apps. Their most affordable plan is a real bargain too, only costing around $3 per month.

Of course, Surfshark comes with split tunneling, at both the app level and for select URLs. Dubbed "Bypasser", only Windows and Android users can take advantage of this feature to date, however, other operating systems are slated for integration.

Split tunneling is a useful VPN feature that makes it possible to select which apps or websites use your secure VPN tunnel. For instance, you could download through your VPN while browsing faster over your regular Internet connection.

Not every VPN supports split tunneling (and those that do, don't offer it for every device/operating system). The best VPN services with split tunneling include EXPERTE.com's top performers: NordVPN, ExpressVPN, and Surfshark. The first two serve up app-based split tunneling which allows you to exclude specific apps from the VPN tunnel, while Surfshark also lets you add exceptions for select URLs.

We evaluated split tunneling in detail during our review of 22 VPN services. You can find the results in our EXPERTE.com comprehensive VPN comparison.