Are you looking for a VPN to protect your privacy against invasive Australian laws? Or maybe you want to unblock content from another country? In this guide, we show you the best VPNs to use in Australia in 2024.
The best VPNs for Australians today, in brief
Here's a quick rundown of the very best VPNs for Australia. For a more detailed analysis of each service, keep scrolling!
- NordVPN - The best VPN for Australia. Offers apps for all your devices, top-notch privacy features, superb speeds, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- ExpressVPN - The VPN with best geo-spoofing capabilities for Australia. It's blazing fast, secure, feature-rich, and offers apps for all popular OS.
- Surfshark - The best value-for-money VPN for Australia. You get chart-topping speeds, superb features, and unlimited simultaneous connections.
- CyberGhost VPN - A beginner-friendly Australia VPN. Its works great on Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, and Linux; a 45-day money-back guarantee.
- Private Internet Access - The most secure VPN for Australia – amazing privacy features with a no-logs policy, and tens of thousands servers worldwide.
Get ExptressVPN our #1 VPN pick for Australia
The Australian government has passed highly invasive laws that force ISPs to collect and store internet users' web history and metadata for 24 months. With a VPN for Australia, you can encrypt your traffic to gain privacy and stop such invasive government surveillance in its tracks.
Using a VPN in Australia also allows you to pretend to be in the US, the UK, or virtually anywhere else in the world to bypass geo-restrictions and watch iPlayer, Netflix US, and tons of other streaming options from all across the globe. Plus, by connecting to an Australia VPN server you will gain an Australian IP address – so you can keep watching Aussie TV, or access your internet banking from abroad.
We'd recommend any of the VPNs featured in the article, as they can provide the following key features:
- Good levels of privacy and security
- Servers in and around the Asia-Pacific region
- Speeds fast enough for gaming, streaming, and torrenting
- The ability to reliably unblock most major geo-restricted services
Now that you know what we are looking for, let's take an in-depth look at our recommendations below.
The best VPNs for Australia in 2024
If you are searching for the most reliable and versatile VPN for Australia in 2024, this article has all the information you need to make the right choice. Our team of experts has carefully selected the ten best VPN providers for use down under.
These VPNs are perfect for using both at home and on public WiFi, they will prevent ISP and government snooping, and they can give you access to tons of sought-after streaming and torrenting services that have been blocked. For more in-depth information about any of the VPNs in this guide, head on over to our detailed VPN review pages.
NordVPN is the best VPN for Australia on all devices. It is highly secure, private, and consistently one of the fastest VPNs we test. You can try it risk-free with its 30-day money-back guarantee. Nord Demo NordVPN is a well-known VPN service based in Panama. It is a no-logs service with a lot of advanced privacy features. NordVPN is ideal for any Australian looking to conceal their online habits from their ISP and the government. The robust OpenVPN encryption will ensure that your ISP can never track your online habits on behalf of the government. NordVPN has superb apps for all platforms, and you can install and use the VPN on up to 6 devices simultaneously. This makes it great for families or people with a lot of devices. With servers in over 111 countries
worldwide, you can easily bypass blocks to access streaming websites that are restricted in your country. This VPN has advanced features like a kill-switch, DNS leak protection, obfuscation, OpenVPN encryption, double-hop routing, VPN into Tor, and split tunneling. It's a superb all-rounder that provides incredibly fast speeds and can unblock Netflix US, BBC iPlayer, or pretty much anything else you fancy! You can test it using its 30-day money-back guarantee. ExpressVPN is a great all-round VPN to use in Australia, with loads of server choice, unblocking capabilities and blazing fast speeds. A 30-day money-back guarantee is included too. ExpressVPN Demo ExpressVPN is a huge and well-respected name in the VPN market, and has built a stellar reputation off of the back of its reliability and watertight privacy policy. Strongly implemented OpenVPN encryption keeps your data secure, too. What's more, ExpressVPN is jam-packed with every feature you could want from a VPN; including a stealth mode, kill-switch, auto-connect, DNS leak protection, and shared and static IPs. Dedicated IPs are also available. For those that want to run the VPN directly on a router (to protect all the devices in their home automatically), ExpressVPN sells a pre-flashed router. The VPN software looks great and is easy to use, available for all platforms, and can be used on five devices simultaneously. Customer care is provided by superb 24/7 live chat, and the service can even unblock streaming content from Netflix and BBC iPlayer reliably. Finally, it provides a 30-day money-back guarantee to test the service risk-free. Surfshark is a cheap but reliable VPN for Australia. For a low price you get super-fast speeds, exceptional unblocking power, watertight privacy, and a 30-day money-back guarantee. Surfshark Demo Surfshark is a VPN based in the British Virgin Islands, a perfect location for gaining privacy from ISP and government snooping in Australia. The VPN has a zero-logs policy and strong OpenVPN encryption, to ensure that your data can never be accessed even with a warrant. Plus, Surfshark has industry-leading features such as OpenVPN encryption, DNS leak protection, a kill-switch, and obfuscation. Surfshark grants its customers access to servers in 100 countries
around the world. These servers are ideal for unblocking sought-after international streaming services, including Hulu, BBC iPlayer, and, of course, Netflix US. To top things off, a customer care team is on hand 24/7 to field any questions via live chat. It should be noted that Surfshark is a particularly great pick for large families – with just one subscription you'll be able to install the VPN on an unlimited number of devices, and rest assured that everyone's PCs, laptops, and mobiles are secured. We'd definitely recommend putting Surfshark to the test yourself with its 30-day money-back guarantee! CyberGhost is an easy-to-use VPN for Australia. It works with all platforms so you can surf the web securely without breaking the bank, and with a generous 45-day money-back guarantee. CyberGhost Demo CyberGhost is another excellent pick for anyone in Australia. With one subscription, "Ghosties" can enjoy OpenVPN encryption, 7 simultaneous connections, and an automatically enabled kill-switch. We're particularly impressed with CyberGhost's zero-logs policy, and the VPN is based in Romania, which places it well out of the reach of invasive governments like the UK and US. CyberGhost is compatible with just about every device out there, and whether you're using a phone, laptop, or PC, server speeds are consistent and quick! You'll be able to stream in HD and torrent files in a blink – and take your pick of more than 11,625
servers across 100 countries
worldwide. To top it all off, you can try CyberGhost for yourself with a generous 45-day money-back guarantee. Private Internet Access is the most secure VPN for Australia. It has a no-logs policy which has been proven in court, loads of privacy features, and offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. PIA Demo Private Internet Access (or PIA) is another great choice for Australia, and uses strong encryption protocols to keep its users safe – and a ton of customizable options, too. For this reason, PIA has become a favorite of the online security community. PIA's client is easy to navigate, use, and comes with a kill-switch, DNS leak protection, auto-connect feature, and P2P support. When it comes to servers, PIA's network is rapidly expanding, with coverage in 84 countries
worldwide. What's more, these servers are blazing-fast and unlimited bandwidth. However, whilst PIA is a no-logs provider, it is based in the USA - and this might be enough to turn some prospective customers away. PIA could be served a warrant if it comes down to it, after all. On the plus side, a warrant really wouldn't be all that effective seeing as PIA doesn't collect logs or personal data - there'd be nothing to hand over! PIA has proven its zero-logs claim on multiple occasions in court, in fact. PrivateVPN is a great VPN for Australian streamers. It has fully-featured apps and unblocks the toughest streaming sites. Use its 30-day money-back guarantee to compare it to other VPNs. PrivateVPN Demo PrivateVPN is a provider based in Sweden that is perfectly suited to gaining digital privacy in Australia. It is a no-logs service that never stores records of what its users do online. And because it provides strong OpenVPN encryption, and a wide range of security features – you can be assured that your ISP and the government will be unable to track your online habits. This will allow you to access restricted streaming sites and to engage in torrenting without risking your online security. And, with PrivateVPN, you get a kill-switch and port forwarding, which makes it great for anybody who wants to download content P2P. We love that PrivateVPN has apps for all platforms and that it has live chat support to help you whenever you need it. PrivateVPN has servers in over 63 countries
across the globe, to let you access Netflix US, iPlayer, Hulu, YouTube TV, HBO Max, or virtually anything else you desire. And this VPN has obfuscation for getting around firewalls and bypassing ISP throttling. PrivateVPN is surprisingly fast considering the low price of a subscription. We enjoy using PrivateVPN on all platforms and love that you can use it on up to 6 devices at once. You can test it using its 30-day money-back guarantee. VyprVPN ticks all the right boxes when it comes to privacy, speed, and unblocking performance. You get heaps of privacy features, great speeds, and a 30-day money-back guarantee. VYPR Demo VyprVPN is a VPN provider based in Switzerland, perfect for protecting your data from the surveillance-hungry Aussie government. Being based in Switzerland means that it is unlikely to receive any data requests from the authorities, and because this VPN keeps zero logs, it would have nothing to hand over, anyway. VyprVPN has strong apps for all platforms that provide market-leading OpenVPN encryption, ensuring that your ISP can never retain your web browsing habits on behalf of the Australian authorities. And, because this VPN has excellent security features like a kill-switch, DNS leak protection, and cloaking, you can be sure that the VPN is always concealing your real location and data effectively. In addition to privacy, VyprVPN has servers in 64 countries
worldwide, which means it is perfect for unblocking content. And because the VPN runs on a proprietary network, it is lightning fast and ideal for streaming or downloading via P2P (Torrenting). This VPN can be used on up to 5 simultaneous devices at once, which makes it great for families or people who have a lot of devices. And it also means that you can easily use it on mobile devices to ensure you are secure while using public WiFi. VyprVPN actually paid for its own third-party audit, which means you can trust its service to provide the privacy it promises, and because it has a 30-day money-back guarantee you can test it without risking your hard-earned cash. IPVanish is a reliable VPN for Australians. You get proprietary servers with fast connection speeds, ideal for torrenting, gaming or streaming – all with a 30-day money-back guarantee. IPVanish Demo IPVanish is a reliable US-based VPN that provides super-fast servers in over 75
locations worldwide. It has plenty of servers in Australia, Japan, and around the Pacific Rim – so you can always get great speeds whenever you need to. If you are concerned about government snooping, IPVanish has your privacy covered thanks to its no-logs policy, kill-switch, DNS leak protection, OpenVPN encryption, and obfuscation. IPVanish is also great for unblocking YouTube or games like Fortnite or Minecraft at work or in school. And IPVanish allows users to connect an unlimited number of devices simultaneously – which makes it great for anybody who owns a lot of devices. It's an excellent all-rounder great for gaining privacy down under. Why not give it a try using its 30-day money-back guarantee? Ivacy is the cheapest VPN for Australia on our list. From just $1.19 per month, you get chart-topping speeds, privacy, a choice of 100+ server locations, and a 30-day money-back guarantee. Ivacy Demo Ivacy is a VPN service based in Singapore that is great for gaining digital privacy in Australia. It is a zero-logs VPN with apps for all platforms that provide important features such as a kill-switch, OpenVPN encryption, DNS leak protection, and obfuscation (through TCP over port 443). We love that this VPN has apps in over 69 countries
worldwide, which makes it great for unblocking geo-restricted content from around the world. And because Ivacy has servers in Australia, you can unblock content from back home if you go on vacation. We enjoy using this VPN for torrenting and for unblocking streaming sites. And the VPN will let you unblock content at home, at work, or on public WiFi in complete privacy. Plus, this VPN can unblock Netflix US, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, YouTube TV, and many other streaming services. Its servers are also consistently some of the fastest in the industry, so you'll have no issues streaming content smoothly in full HD without any buffering. Click through to its website to give it a try using its 30-day money-back guarantee. ProtonVPN is a trusted VPN for Australia. Developed by the creators of ProtonMail, it provides the same great levels of privacy. Plus, it offers a 30-day money-back guarantee with premium. Proton Demo ProtonVPN is a service that is great for both privacy and gaining added freedom online. It is a superb service for any Australian resident who wants to prevent their ISP from collecting data about them on behalf of the government. ProtonVPN is based in Switzerland; an excellent location in terms of data privacy. And it is a no-logs service that will always ensure your online habits are private – whether at home, at work, or on public WiFi. This VPN has apps for all platforms that come fully featured with a kill-switch and OpenVPN encryption – this makes it great for accessing streams or torrents. ProtonVPN has servers in 91 countries
worldwide, perfect for accessing geo-restricted content from around the globe. Plus ProtonVPN works with Netflix US, Hulu, iPlayer, and other popular streaming services without any issues. You can test it risk-free using its 30-day money-back guarantee. 1. NordVPN
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Which is the Fastest VPN for Australians?
If you intend to use your VPN to play online games, watch HD streams, or download torrents, you'll need a VPN that offers lightning-fast speeds. Most VPNs are sluggish and will slow down the connection speeds you pay your ISP for, which is why you should stick to using one of our recommended services that are known to offer high-speed servers around the world.
To make sure you get the fastest VPN available to you, we perform speed tests on a regular basis. We display the results of those VPN speed tests in the table below, allowing you to pick the fastest VPN for Australia right now.
| NordVPN | ExpressVPN | CyberGhost VPN | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speed | 568.0 | 100 | 556.2 |
| ProPrivacy.com SpeedTest (average) | 85.9 | 100 | 63.92 |
| Performance | 9 | 10 | 7 |
| Reliability | 8 | 9 | 7 |
For more information about how we test VPN speeds, check out our VPN speed testing methodology.
A note on VPN speeds
Our speed test data is relevant because it is always up-to-date. We test the world's leading VPN providers regularly to ensure that you can see which services are performing best at any point in time. However, please remember the speed of your internet is dictated by your ISP, and a VPN will not speed up your internet any further.
In addition, we test VPNs using a gigabit line, so while our results clearly demonstrate which VPN is faster, they should not be taken to mean that they will speed up your internet further. (More on this below.)
Will a VPN improve my connection speeds?
Many websites claim that a VPN can help to speed up your internet connection, but this is a common misconception about VPNs. To provide encryption and privacy, a VPN must route your traffic through a secure remote server, which will usually slow down your internet slightly. The fastest VPNs are simply services that make that slowdown in speeds almost imperceptible because they have such fast servers that they don't introduce any additional latency. Despite this, you should expect that using a VPN will result in a slight drop in your internet connection speeds.
That said, some ISPs do engage in bandwidth throttling. They do this to prevent network congestion for their users at peak times of the day. If your ISP is throttling your bandwidth, a VPN could actually help to speed up your internet since your ISP will not be able to detect your activity when you connect through the VPN tunnel. If you believe this specific situation applies to you, it is definitely worth testing a VPN to see if it improves your internet speeds.
The VPNs that our experts recommend in this article offer Tier-1 servers, which means that they are the fastest VPNs available on the market. When you choose a VPN from this guide, you simply can't get a faster VPN experience. If you have purchased a VPN and it is drastically affecting your speeds, check out our how to speed up a VPN guide for some tips.
Why you should consider using a VPN in Australia
With a VPN, you can protect your digital privacy and gain online freedom by:
- Concealing what you do online from government snooping.
- Bypassing website blocks, censorship, and geo-restrictions.
- Pretending to be in a different country to access US Netflix and other geo-restricted services from around the world.
- Downloading via BitTorrent safely and with privacy.
- Connecting to public WiFi hotspots without fear of being hacked.
A VPN uses strong encryption to prevent your ISP, the government, or WiFi hackers, from snooping on your data. Connecting to a VPN server also conceals your IP address to stop websites and businesses from tracking you.
To ensure that we have catered to everybody, in this article we have included some cheap VPNs that provide every VPN feature you'd need in a quality VPN product – at an affordable rate. These inexpensive VPNs are incredible when you consider the features on offer – and they won't sacrifice your privacy or security, either, as they're simply cheaper options. Admittedly, paying a bit more may get you some useful extra features, or slightly better speeds. However, you can test the VPNs out to see if they suit you thanks to the money-back guarantees and free trials these VPNs provide.
If you're not entirely sure what a VPN is, how they work, or why you'd even need one in the first place, we've put together some guides for you. Take a few minutes to check them out; they're designed to walk you through all you need to know about VPNs!
What makes a VPN good to use in Australia?
When considering which services to include in our list of the best VPNs for Australia, we looked for the following features and key aspects:
- Where the VPN servers are located. We make sure all our recommendations have servers in and around the Asia-Pacific region, as well as other key locations around the globe.
- How fast the VPN is. If you're a gamer, streamer, or like to torrent, speed is going to be important. We make sure all our recommendations are fast enough to handle data-intensive tasks.
- What can it unblock? To get the most out of your VPN, you'll likely want to unblock popular streaming sites around the world. So, we make sure all the VPNs on our list are up to the task when it comes to unblocking geo-restricted content.
- How secure the service is. To make it onto our list, VPNs need to demonstrate a good standard of encryption that is implemented well and with no leaks.
- What features are offered? The best VPNs come chock full of useful features to help with unblocking and to further protect your privacy online.
- Is torrenting allowed? Not all VPNs allow torrenting, but we make sure the ones we recommend in this guide do.
- Are the providers serious about privacy? Finally, we scrutinize the provider. We look at things like their policies when it comes to keeping logs and what jurisdiction they operate from.
Is it safe to use a free VPN in Australia?
We wouldn't recommend using a free VPN. If you're adamant to do so, however, it's best to proceed with caution. There are tons of dodgy dealers and unreliable free providers on the market. These services are everything a VPN shouldn't be – instead of protecting and providing privacy, they'll harvest your data to sell on to third-party advertisers.
It's not all doom and gloom, however. Some free services are secure and safe. They do come with their own limitation, so head on over to our free VPN guide for the lowdown.
Alternatively, if you want to get a premium VPN service without risking your cash, you should take advantage of VPN providers' money-back guarantees.
Top-tip: Get ExpressVPN for Free!
Did you know you can experience ExpressVPN's fully featured service without restrictions… for free!
If you're finding free plans too restrictive, why not test ExpressVPN premium service? Simply purchase a subscription using the button below and take advantage of the absolutely risk-free money-back-guarantee. Enjoy the service for up to 30-days, and when you cancel, you will receive a complete refund!
Are VPNs legal in Australia?
VPNs are completely legal to use in Australia, and we strongly recommend that you use one. The Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Amendment (Data Retention) Bill has been enforceable since 2015. This law forces Australian ISPs to collect and store metadata about you for two full years. This information includes large amounts of personal data – every phone call made, every email and text message sent, and the online browsing activities of every Australian citizen. That's certainly a lot of information, and a long time to hold on to it.
What's more, the information collected by ISPs is fully accessible without a warrant to a broad cross-section of government agencies. And the entities that have the authority to access that data can be expanded by the Attorney-General on a whim. As if that wasn't alarming enough, concerns about privacy in Australia are growing. The Assistance and Access Bill 2018 – gives the government the power to force tech firms to put backdoors in encryption; meaning that the situation is only growing worse.
The government is elected by the people and is supposed to protect the people – not spy on them for no good reason. Since the time of the Magna Carta, privacy has been fought over and fought for, and citizens need to continue to fight to maintain it. The laws that have passed in Australia are so invasive that a VPN's encryption is really the only way to gain any level of privacy. So, if you want to join the growing number of Aussies who use a VPN to stop Australian ISPs from tracking you on behalf of the government – be sure to subscribe to one of the providers listed in this guide!
How to set up and use a VPN for Australia
Whether you're a VPN newbie or a tech veteran, it only takes five minutes to install and set up a VPN. Follow along with these super simple steps to get started:
- Pick a recommended VPN from the list above, such as our top pick ExpressVPN.
- Click the link provided and subscribe to the service.
- Download the software provided by your VPN service and install it using the installation wizard.
- Open the app and connect to a server of your choosing.
That's it, you're done! You can now go online and enjoy browsing with total privacy.
Using a VPN router in Australia
The VPN providers our experts hand-picked for this guide are all incredibly versatile; you'll be able to set up the client software on your computer or mobile device (as is more traditional), but you'll also have the option of configuring it on a router, too. Doing so can offer you several advantages and truly unlock the full potential of your VPN.
First and foremost, by connecting your VPN through a compatible router, you'll be able to protect and all devices that connect to that router – at the same time. Since your VPN provider will count your router connection as only one connection, this means that you can effectively bypass any connection limit imposed by your provider and connect an unlimited number of devices to the VPN. You won't need to tediously install the VPN on each individual device, either. All devices that you connect through the router will automatically be protected – handy, right?
You'll also be able to connect devices like gaming consoles and smart TVs to your VPN when using a router – as well as other devices that don't have native VPN support built into them. Essentially, you can use your VPN router setup to unblock Netflix and other streaming sites directly on your TV, and secure your gaming console, connecting to servers dotted across the globe.
And the best part is, you can even purchase a pre-configured router from FlashRouters with the VPN all set up and ready to go and fully compatible with many of the most popular VPN services. So there's no need to be of the mindset that a router setup is too technically involved to accomplish.
For more detailed information on some of our experts' recommended VPN routers and how to get them set up, check out our Best VPN Routers page.
Protect your files with a cloud backup for Australia
If you're looking to protect your precious files, then you should consider using a cloud backup service. Check out our best cloud backup for Australia page for a list of the best services and some general information about backups.
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Conclusion
Now we've covered everything you need to know about regaining your privacy in Australia, let's review our top VPN picks:
- NordVPN - The best VPN for Australia. Offers apps for all your devices, top-notch privacy features, superb speeds, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- ExpressVPN - The VPN with best geo-spoofing capabilities for Australia. It's blazing fast, secure, feature-rich, and offers apps for all popular OS.
- Surfshark - The best value-for-money VPN for Australia. You get chart-topping speeds, superb features, and unlimited simultaneous connections.
- CyberGhost VPN - A beginner-friendly Australia VPN. Its works great on Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, and Linux; a 45-day money-back guarantee.
- Private Internet Access - The most secure VPN for Australia – amazing privacy features with a no-logs policy, and tens of thousands servers worldwide.