I have been using
Witopia's personal VPN for a couple of years to increase online security (particularly when using public hot-spots...)
In the beginning the VPN server (usually located near Washington, D.C.) was often 1/4 of the speed of my 3mbps Charter server. I accepted the slower speeds but I didn't like it very much...! As Witopia added more and apparently faster severs I noticed a definite speed increase in the past six months or so.
Last night a friend sent me the SpeakEasy speed test link so for the heck of it I compared Charter to personalVPN. Here are the results:
SpeakEasy San Francisco Server via Charter: 4845 download/485 upload (I have a 5mbps Charter account.; Charter no longer offers a 3mbps option...)
SpeakEasy S.F. via personalVPN: 3273 download/1601 upload
SpeakEasy Washington D.C. Server via personalVPN: 4429 download/1683 upload
The Bottom Line: The personalVPN upload speed was over three times a fast as Charter. Download speed was compromised but at times it can be comparable to Charter. Throw-in strong encryption, an anonymous IP address and the fact that Charter cannot monitor my Internet connections and e-mail and the $40 per year for personalVPN appears to be a very good deal indeed...