Unblock Discord with these VPNs:
VPNs offer excellent privacy and security online, but did you know that you can use them to unblock Discord? In countries such as China and the United Arab Emirates, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technologies are often banned or censored. Even in some work and school networks, access to programs such as Discord is restricted.
In this article, we compare the best VPNs for unblocking Discord, and explain how you can bypass restrictions using the right VPN.
What to look for in a Discord VPN
When comparing VPNs for Discord, we were looking for:
- Compatibility with UDP
- Consistently good speeds
- No ISP throttling
- Geo-spoofing capabilities
- Strong encryption and privacy practices
- No-logs policies
- Availability across multiple platforms
- A kill switch
Based on the above criteria, we narrowed down over 150 VPNs to the 5 best to use.
What are the best VPNs for Discord?
Check out our recommendations for the best five VPNs for Discord below.
ExpressVPN is our favorite fast and secure VPN for Discord. ExpressVPN regularly tops our lists for its outstanding service and security. With no usage logs and minimal connection logs that contain no personally identifiable information, your usage is not at risk of detection if authorities knock on their door. ExpressVPN offers an exceptionally powerful OpenVPN connection, with obfuscation (stealth), and kill-switch features perfect for getting around mass censorship, such as the Great Firewall of China. While it is not the cheapest VPN available, ExpressVPN offers a generous 30-day money-back guarantee and increased savings with longer plans. Its easy-to-use app is backed up by a five-star, 24/7 customer support team that continues to set trends in the field. A second-to-none VPN that continues to impress us, we think ExpressVPN is the best VPN for Discord. CyberGhost offers strong encryption and great value for money as a VPN for Discord. CyberGhost is a low-cost VPN that is both secure and super fast – perfect for streaming on Discord. Its no-logs policy means that it stores no details about what its users do online – leaving you free to use Discord without fear of being monitored by local network administrators, ISPs, or the government. Plus, CyberGhost VPN offers outstanding unblocking capabilities to help you get around restrictive networks and government censorship. Thanks to its easy-to-use apps for all platforms, you can use Discord privately both at home and on the move. And, while it doesn't have a dedicated obfuscation feature, you can select TCP over port 443 to conceal OpenVPN traffic as regular HTTPS. Plus, this service has a kill-switch, DNS leak protection, and split tunneling. Overall, CyberGhost offers fantastic bang for your buck, and it works with Discord, Netflix US, iPlayer, and many other services – including restricted VoIP apps! Well worth testing using its 45-day money-back guarantee. Private Internet Access is a robust and highly-respected VPN provider that unlocks Discord brilliantly. Private Internet Access (PIA) has long held the respect of the privacy community. Its obfuscation (stealth) and kill-switch features offer additional protection to its rock-solid AES-256 encryption. Combine all of this with a zero-logs policy, and PIA offers outstanding protection online for users in countries with strict censorship and network restrictions. This makes it a good option for accessing Discord with privacy. However, it isn't quite as fast as the VPNs recommended above, which makes it slightly less desirable for streaming. With a generous simultaneous connection limit of 10 devices, PIA provides an industry-leading service for remarkably competitive prices – with greater savings to be made with longer plans. Its simple platform is easy to use, and their customer care team is constantly improving. Overall, PIA is an excellent choice for users who are concerned about shielding their use of Discord from authorities. IPVanish is a consistenty fast and reliable VPN that works seamlessly with Discord. IPVanish is one of the few VPNs that provide a reliable SOCKS5 web proxy when you sign up. With a generous simultaneous connection limit of 10 devices, IPVanish offers excellent obfuscation and geo-spoofing capabilities to work around strict network restrictions and government censorship. Its zero-logs policy and split tunneling feature allows customers to stay protected and still access local services. IPVanish boasts consistently fast speeds across a global network of servers. Considering the high quality of IPVanish, its prices are extremely reasonable, and increased savings are made with larger plans. Its wealth of security features and their rock-solid privacy policy make it a fantastic choice as a VPN for Discord. Hide.me is a feature-rich VPN with rock-solid encryption and great availability – perfect for Discord. Hide.me is a provider that likes to focus on the user experience, offering apps for all devices. Its simple app design allows for ease-of-use by even the most novice privacy enthusiasts. Its iron-clad AES-256 encryption, no-logs policy, and advanced IP leak protection ensure that users in countries with mass censorship are protected from detection, and allow for a free and open internet. One of the many features on offer is the static IP option, which allows you to have a fixed (albeit fake) IP address to work from. With split tunneling technology, you can access local services, as well as ones abroad, and still stay protected! Overall, Hide.me is a VPN that is constantly looking to increase the options available, and despite the (comparatively high) price, we think it is a good VPN for Discord. 1. ExpressVPN
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Why do I need a VPN for Discord?
Without a VPN, Discord is blocked on many work and school networks, and is banned altogether in some countries. Using a VPN with Discord is a great way to circumvent network restrictions. If Discord and other VoIP technologies are banned where you are, then using the right VPN can help you get access, without the risk of detection. With proper obfuscation (stealth) technologies and strong encryption, a VPN can hide your usage from detection by making it look like regular, legitimate traffic.
On top of this, using a VPN you can unblock Netflix, Hulu, watch iPlayer outside the UK and access much more geo-restricted content. VPN services can even help you buy products cheaper by ordering them from abroad. VPNs will also stop internet service providers (ISPs) from monitoring your usage. This is ideal if you want to prevent bandwidth throttling or you don't want your usage data being sold on to third parties. If you want to get the most out of your internet usage without sacrificing your privacy, then using a VPN is the best way to do so.
Note: A VPN may slow down your overall speed (as it is adding an extra layer in the process) but this will often be a very small amount, unless your VPN imposes a speed limit.
For more information and what they can do, check out our What is a VPN guide.
UDP and TCP
Most VPN providers will run OpenVPN protocol (encryption) over Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) or User Datagram Protocol (UDP).
TCP is more commonly used for downloading files as it offers error correction. When a computer sends network packets using TCP, it waits for confirmation that the packet has been received, and resends it if it has not. This ensures that all packets are received and in the correct order.
UDP, however, does not offer error correction, and instead continues sending packets without confirmation. Because of this, UDP is preferred for streaming, gaming, and live broadcasts, as packet loss is less damaging in these instances.
To summarise, TCP is more reliable, but UDP is faster. Discord utilizes UDP to send communications, so it is important to choose a VPN provider that supports UDP.
Our TCP vs UDP guide covers this in more depth if you would like to know more.
How to unblock Discord with a VPN
If Discord is blocked at your school, work or where you live, follow these three easy steps to unblock discord with your VPN:
- After subscribing to the provider of your choice, download their VPN app.
- Log in to the app and connect to a server. Ideally one that is nearby (or one in a country that permits Discord if yours does not).
- Start using Discord!
If you find that Discord is running slowly, try using a different server. We also recommend using a VPN with a kill switch option for extra security if you wish to access Discord in a country where it is restricted. This will protect you from detection by disconnecting you from the internet if your VPN disconnects.
Can I get a free VPN?
A free VPN may be a good way of saving money, but if you're trying to bypass censorship and legislative restrictions, then it may do more harm than good. Here is a quick list of reasons why free VPNs are not recommended for unblocking access to Discord:
- Not all free VPNs are compatible with UDP (so Discord won't work at all with them).
- Most free VPNs have data and speed restrictions which can slow down or even stop Discord from working. This will cause streams and chats to become pixelated, sound distorted, and even fail.
- Free services use a small number of servers which are often known and restricted by censored networks/authorities. They are also regularly congested due to high traffic.
- Many free VPN services lack strong encryption and obfuscation (stealth) options for users, meaning that they are more vulnerable to government interception, and less capable of geo-spoofing. No free VPN (that we are aware of) is capable of breaking through the Great Firewall of China, so this in and of itself is a big issue for Chinese users looking to access Discord or foreign webpages.
- Many free VPN services monitor and sell on user data and information (this information may be passed on to authorities, which is a considerable issue if your government has banned Discord altogether).
- Some free VPN services have been known to infect devices with malware.
Avoid Discord Scams
We can all agree that discord is an awesome platform, however, as it's gained in popularity in recent times it has become a target for cybercriminals. Check out Hannah's GamerGirl blog for information about Discord Scams.
VPN not working with Discord?
If you're still not able to connect to Discord with your VPN, there are two likely causes.
IP bans
First and foremost, it is possible that that particular IP address has been banned by Discord. This is far more common with free VPNs, as trolls will use them to target servers, get banned, switch to a new IP address, and carry on. In this instance, try changing your server and see if anything changes. If not, there may be another reason.
No UDP support
It is also possible that your VPN provider might not support UDP. While most providers allow users the option to choose with OpenVPN, some do not. First try checking whether you can switch from TCP to UDP, and if this does not work, it is likely that your provider does not support UDP. In this case, you may have to change providers.
If you're still having difficulty, it is best to contact your provider's customer support and see if they have a workaround.