The Best VPNs for Australia
VPNs, or Virtual Private Networks, are excellent tools for the digital age to help users preserve their privacy and secure their data online. Using a VPN can also be an invaluable asset in your quest to access content from other countries in a safe and secure manner.
While the growth and popularity of VPNs continues to steadily rise each year, users in Australia continue to have one vital question: What is the best VPN service Australia has to choose from?
We will examine this and a whole lot more as we conduct a deep dive to find the best VPN Australia 2020 and other contenders.
Why Use a VPN in Australia?
Using a VPN isn’t just a great habit to help maintain your security online, but it has a wide range of applications across various platforms and services as well. We discuss some of these lesser-known uses of using a VPN Australia in the section below:
Stream Online Without Slowing Down Your ISP
Let’s face it! Here in Australia, we don’t have the fastest connection in the world, ranking 64th in the list of countries with the best broadband speeds. Considering this valuable fact, users in Australia could do with any tool that helps retain their ISP speeds and ensure even browsing around the clock.
VPNs are masters of this trade, allowing you to access your favourite streaming sites such as YouTube, Netflix, Amazon, or Disney Plus without letting the ISP take a hit. It’s no secret that streaming sites are the top consumers of bandwidth over the last few years, and this takes a direct toll on the connection speed afforded to the rest of your activities.
You can easily bypass this throttling of speeds by streaming services with the help of a VPN.
Stream Content From Other Countries
You’re most likely aware of the fact that most streaming services offer vastly different libraries based on your country of origin. There’s no standard offering when it comes to any of the big players, and content is often curated based on what the service believes will appeal to users of any given country.
While it makes sense then not to offer the entire collection of, say, Turkish shows to Australian users, it is definitely handy to have the option of checking out some Turkish shows if you’re ever in the mood for it.
Enter VPNs.
Thanks to this ingenious tool, you can now mask the country of your origin to technically trick Netflix into thinking that you’re accessing their services from another country. This can be Turkey, Tanzania, or even Turkmenistan.
By picking out a different location altogether, you can now access a widely different library and greatly expand on your avenues for entertainment.
It’s also worth noting that Netflix, for example, looks to stay relevant in different countries by acquiring local programming as well. This means that a lot of American, British, Japanese, etc., shows have been used by the service to allow for free streaming in the regions.
By switching your VPN location from Australia to the United States of America, you can access a wide range of shows from other networks such as ABC, HBO, or Discovery.
This means that VPNs don’t just give you access to a wide range of original content from Amazon, Netflix, or Disney Plus, but you gain access to local programming from various regions as well.
The possibilities are endless, thanks to this one considerable feature!
Online Shopping When You’re on the Move
Shopping online can be quite a tricky affair as you often need to divulge your credit card information, and sometimes you may not even be sure about the authenticity of the seller or the network you’re using. This becomes doubly true when you’re travelling out of Australia.
In this situation, you may want to purchase something for your home when you’re out of the country from an Australian seller, but the website may not allow you to do so because your location is clearly indicating that you’re out of Australia.
You may also want to shop online in a different country altogether, but you may not be sure about your IP address being protected. In these situations, it’s always great to have one of the best VPN Australia on your side to make your shopping experience a whole lot smoother and safer for all parties involved.
Online vendors may have additional safety procedures in place just to retain their own protection from unknown buyers. During such situations, it may take a lot longer for you to verify your card information. This could end up not only wasting your time during the transaction, but even the sale window you’re eyeing could be lost.
Having a VPN prevents all of these situations from unfolding, and allows you to safely and securely conduct your shopping online — regardless of whether you’re in Australia or any other part of the planet.
Secure WiFi Access
It’s hard to turn down free WiFi access isn’t it? Whether it’s from a hotel or an airport lounge, the offer is simply hard to resist! We feel you here, which is why we’d recommend using a VPN to ensure that all WiFi connections accessed by your devices are entirely secure.
Unfortunately, hacking on a public WiFi network has become extremely easy these days. Nearly anyone with a smartphone can break into all the users on an open network.
When hacking becomes a free-wielding public profession, it isn’t entirely safe to use public WiFi spots, even if you’re in a government building or any other seemingly secure location.
Using one of the best VPN Australia services, however, lets you gain access to the internet by using public WiFi hotspots, all the while eliminating the fear of being hacked by a “Mr Robot” wannabe.
Play Games Without Interrupting Speeds
Online gaming is yet another facet of internet usage that requires a great deal of ISP bandwidth. Any gamer who’s tried to play Call of Duty with their friends can recognize this agonizing fact because they’ve probably gotten fragged by the enemy at precisely the wrong time, all thanks to internet speeds dropping suddenly.
Unless you’re on an unlimited data plan, you’re bound to face this issue at some point or another when you’re a gamer in Australia. You can aim to bypass all these issues and allow the core of your gaming experience to be preserved by using a VPN the next time you want to meet your friends in the online arena.
Safety From Non-Encrypted Connections
Third-party internet users can be a real threat when you’re using public internet connections of any kind. You risk exposing the entire data from your laptop or smartphone every time you log into a non-encrypted connection.
This becomes a major problem when you want to quickly whip out your phone at a mall, for example, and you utilize the public WiFi to reply to your work emails. Now your entire collection of valuable data has been exposed to any individual or organization who seeks to steal your information right from under your nose.
If you find this hard to believe, just look up some of the many legitimate applications available online that allow you to spy on your employees, spouse, or children. The options are truly mind-boggling!
Now consider the type of applications a hacker must possess if ordinary individuals themselves are given free rein to such dangerous spyware.
Access to Australian Content From Anywhere
You may believe that the internet is one big happy family when it comes to distributing information, but this is definitely not the case. Consider geo-restricted content, for example — content that’s only made available to certain countries or regions.
A classic example of this is sporting events, such as football matches, that only receive syndication from specific networks. With the help of a VPN, you can access all the Australian sports matches you want from around the world without having to worry about availability.
In other cases, you may want to keep updated on your favourite soap or other TV that’s only shown in Australia when you’re abroad. Watching live or on-demand would be near-impossible when you’re in another country. But using a VPN, you can set yourself to Australia and watch whatever you want, wherever you want.
Enhancing Privacy
Maintaining anonymity seems to be the internet’s greatest strength as well as its biggest weakness.
Sure, you can go online and post comments using a fake id, and you can nearly get away with it too. But if someone wants to find you online and they have the necessary tools at their disposal, nothing can prevent them from getting to you and even gaining access to all your past conversations and transactions.
Apart from this massive loophole in the system, you should also remember that your online activity leaves a little breadcrumb trail by creating logs of all the sites you’ve visited. By following these breadcrumbs, it becomes extremely easy for companies to gather information about your patterns and create a file to detail your interests.
Your complex inner world can easily be broken down into ones and zeros, and companies can start targeting advertisements based on your individual preferences. This may seem like a pleasant side-effect to some, but it’s actually a gross invasion of your privacy.
By using a VPN, you’re metaphorically scattering the breadcrumbs all over the world, thereby making it far harder for companies to keep a tab on your history and habits.
Stay Off the List
Did you know that many giant corporations such as NSA, GCHQ, and even MPAA (the Motion Picture Association of America) have created their own lists to keep a tab on those carrying out illegal sharing of content and even downloading illegal information?
That’s right! For all you know, you could already be on these lists, and there’s no real way to verify if you are a part of it or not. These companies have a vested interest in keeping tabs on individuals sharing or receiving files illegally, and they could take legal action if they build up a strong enough case against your IP address.
The only real way of throwing them off the trail here is by using a VPN to avoid detection. If you think that you’re already on their radar and need to get out of it as soon as possible, get a VPN now!
Save Cash
Is VPN legal in Australia? Of course it is! Not only is it legal, but it’s a creative way of saving some cash when making long-distance calls.
Making long-distance calls used to be extremely expensive a couple of decades ago, but thanks to VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) calls and apps such as Skype, this service has become remarkably cheaper.
In some cases, however, rates can still be pretty steep, and you may feel like you’re back in the 90’s again when you’re being asked to pay such exorbitant rates for a phone call. Thankfully, there’s a simple way to avoid this, and that’s by getting a VPN of course!
The next time you want to call Estonia, for example, simply switch your VPN to this country, and now you’re technically just making a local call for all intents and purposes.
Stay at Home or Stay Hidden at Home
If you’re ever on holiday but you want you to pretend like you’re still in the same location (to trick your boss for example), you can always use a VPN to pretend like you’re home.
Alternatively, you can keep your source location or home address permanently hidden from all nosy hackers by using a VPN and always picking a different location before browsing.
Access to Social Media
Social media feels like an international phenomenon that’s nearly impossible to escape, but there are plenty of countries out there (such as North Korea and China) that don’t allow their citizens to access social media altogether.
Even in Australia, you may belong to an organization that has banned the use of social media in the workspace to boost productivity.
For both of these reasons, it’s always invaluable to have one of the best VPN Australia connections because you can easily access your social media accounts without having a communist dictator or your boss be wise to your plans.
Book Flight Tickets and Car Rentals
One of the most dastardly applications of the cookies from your phone or computer is when it’s used to turn your interest in travel against your best interest.
Companies around the world constantly rely on your cookies and other factors such as your geo-location to boost the price of airline tickets or car rentals when they figure out that you’re interested in their service.
They utilize this information to lure you into paying more than you need to, and there’s no real method of reversing the pricing that’s turning up on your screen.
One way, however, still remains, and it involves — you guessed it — using a VPN.
Torrenting
The world has been at war with torrenting sites for nearly a decade now, but VPNs have played a major role in helping to tilt the balance in favour of P2P sites. We can now access a wide range of torrent sites thanks to the speciality of VPNs that allow us to visit such sites without having to disclose our IP address.
This unique feature allows us to access various torrent sites from around the world in Australia without allowing internet sleuths to detect our location. Torrenting is a great way to access software, music, television shows, films, documentaries, and games without having to pay for them.
You can simply download these files off users from around the world whenever they are online at the same time as you. You can save tons on these downloads and also save your hide by successfully masking your IP address, and torrenting is still technically legal in Australia.
What Is a VPN?
Now that we’ve broken down the many applications of using a VPN service, we should look into the precise nature of this magical tool and discuss what exactly a VPN is.
Well, VPNs or Virtual Private Networks are connections that can help add privacy and security to a given network. This includes your WiFi connections, your hotspots, and any other line that allows you to access the internet.
Large corporations heavily rely on the use of VPNs to protect their important servers and data, but VPNs are quickly becoming popular among individual users as well.
The VPN works by replacing your original IP address with one of the many available with the VPN provider. These providers have various gateway cities all across the planet, and you can opt to change your IP address to one that hails from one of these many gateway cities.
So while you may be operating your smartphone in Adelaide, your IP address could reflect that your connection hails from Budapest. Data is scrambled in encryptions, which creates a private network when you’re using a public network — hiding your personal details and your search history. This is the magic of using a VPN and why they are so powerful in preserving your privacy and data.
What Makes a Good VPN for Australia?
What’s good for the goose isn’t always what’s good for the gander is what they say! And this is true in the case of VPNs as well. A VPN that works well for Australian users may not be ideal for users from other parts of the world, which is why we look at what makes a good VPN for Australia in the section below.
Known Brand
Although there are tons of options when it comes to selecting a VPN service in Australia, we would always recommend that you opt for a known brand for a couple of reasons. First of all, a well-established brand is more likely to continue their service for the foreseeable future, which means you can opt for long-term connections.
Opting for a one-year, two-year, or five-year plan with a known brand makes far more sense because these brands are likely to continue growing their services over time.
Another vital reason for opting for a known brand is the sheer number of servers that a company such as NordVPN, for example, has in service when compared to upcoming brands. A wider number of servers means that you have a wider list of locations to choose from when you are looking to change the location of your IP address.
Privacy-Friendly Jurisdiction
A major factor that you must remember while picking out your VPN provider is the privacy policy that they have enacted for the sake of their users. It would be completely pointless to try and get a VPN connection from a brand that’s willing to log and store your personal information to hand it over to a private corporation.
It’s completely normal for service providers to track the number of connections being run off their servers, and to log the usage to understand how to balance their loads and conduct maintenance. Beyond this, however, they should not keep a log of who is using their service and which device they are connected to.
Make sure to check out the policy of your preferred Australia VPN provider in this regard before making your final selection.
Third-Party Audits
Is your VPN provider referring to a third party to conduct audits on their behalf or even verify their information? This is something to be wary about when picking out a VPN network.
If they are referring to a third party for their audits, you should look into the authenticity of the party in question and ensure that they have policies in place to secure your information.
Your data can just as easily fall into the wrong hands during this third party evaluation, and although it isn’t uncommon for VPN providers to rely on this service, it comes down to you to ensure that you’re happy with the organization that will look into your data.
Browser Extensions
Most quality VPN providers will have a browser extension available that allows you to log into the VPN network before accessing browsers such as Firefox or Chrome.
This allows you to securely browse through the internet without your search history or records falling into the wrong hands. Make sure that the service you’re considering has access to a quality VPN browser extension before you land with them.
Servers Network
The quality of the server network is one of the major factors worth considering when picking out a VPN for yourself. You should find out important pieces of information in this segment, such as:
- What is the speed of the servers being utilized?
- Does the server speed affect my browsing speed?
- Does the server have a history of facing breaches?
When you can verify the strengths and capabilities of the servers in use by your VPN provider, you can rest easy while opting for their services.
Reliable Servers for Streaming
Are you a big fan of Netflix and all the other streaming services out there? If the answer is yes, then it pays to opt for a provider with a history of offering reliable streaming services through their servers.
Make sure to check out customer feedback on this front to truly understand how capable your VPN provider is when it comes to offering reliable servers for streaming.
Reliable Servers for Torrenting
Torrenting allows you to gain access to a wide range of mediums and services that you would typically have to pay for if you use regular channels.
If you’re a big torrent user yourself, you should definitely aim to check if the servers of the VPN service you’re considering are reliable when it comes to torrenting. The best VPN Australia service will allow you to unblock restricted torrent sites and offer plenty of high-speed servers.
Simultaneous Connections for One Account
Most of the top VPN Australia providers offer multiple connections that can be used under a single account. This allows you and your family (or other loved ones) to share a VPN connection and even switch between various platforms.
While some providers can only offer a single or dual connection per account, other established brands such as ExpressVPN will allow you to use up to five connections per account.
This criteria purely comes down to your needs as a consumer. If you’re perfectly fine with using only a single connection because you don’t intend to share or you have only one platform that needs protection, then you can opt for any of the service providers out there.
If, however, you want to save some cash and share your VPN with friends or family and have access to using it on various platforms, you should go for one of the big guns.
Free Trial or Money-Back Guarantee
Are you still not sure if you want to use a VPN? If so, then you should seek out providers who can offer you a free trial or even give you a money-back guarantee if you’re unhappy with the service.
With this option in-hand, you will be able to check out the various strengths and weaknesses of using a VPN in a neutral manner. You can always back out of the service if you don’t believe it works for you.
Price
The price of VPN services are being closely contested by the top brands in the market. This has played a major role in helping reduce the overall price a consumer must pay for this service in comparison to several years ago.
Still, there are some notable differences in pricing between various brands, and this comes down to the level of security they offer along with their list of ancillary services. Make sure to go through the pricing of a handful of top brands and check out the differentiating features before you land on a single provider.
Native Apps for Multiple Platforms
Native apps are the most common types of apps and are coded in a specific language such as Swift for iOS or Java for Android. A classic example of this is the popular messenger application, WhatsApp, which has different interfaces for different platforms. Accessing native apps across multiple platforms can become relatively easy with the help of VPNs.
The security offered by native apps tends to be on the weaker end when compared to hybrid apps. This is why it’s a good idea to use a VPN in Australia whenever you utilize a native app to preserve your privacy from various third parties.
What Makes a Good VPN to Use Outside Australia?
Suppose you’re planning on travelling outside the country regularly, and you need a VPN connection to match your lifestyle. In that case, you need to consider one other major factor while picking out your VPN provider.
Apart from all the major factors listed in the section above, the most important element you must consider while picking a VPN to be used outside Australia is the access to local content.
If your service provider has plenty of servers in Australia and is able to deliver content from home to you no matter where you are in the world, then this is the perfect recipe for a VPN provider for your needs.
Ten Best VPN for Australia
We now dig into the ten best VPN Australia providers from around the world that work exceptionally well for users. Each of these selections is top of the line, and they are presented in no particular order, except for the first selection, which is our top pick in this category.
NordVPN
Out of all the brands making ripples in the world of VPNs, NordVPN is the one name that’s been making a splash for quite some time. Widely considered to be the best VPN Australia service and around the world, it is most likely the first name you will encounter when you dive into picking out a VPN for individual usage.
Headquartered in the lap of privacy herself — Panama — NordVPN is the one service that’s been considered to be a truly reliable name when it comes to VPNs.
Does the brand truly live up to the hype, though? The short answer is yes! The long answer involves breaking down all our major criteria and cross-verifying if NordVPN does match your requirements. So let’s dig right in.
Streaming
When it comes to streaming services such as Netflix or Amazon, getting through the geo-blocks is one of the most crucial hurdles a VPN provider needs to pass to get our approval. Fortunately, NordVPN does work with all major streaming sites, and there are no known issues such as buffering or lagging of any kind.
Thanks to the SmartPlay feature of NordVPN, it’s capable of bypassing geo-blocks with ease, all the while combining DNS and VPN tech to achieve the result seamlessly. We’ve tested out over 100 servers to access Netflix USA, and we were able to do so with each and every server available in NordVPN.
Similar tests were conducted to access the Netflix library in various other countries such as Canada, Brazil, Spain, and even Australia, and all the tests yielded positive results for NordVPN.
Even the quality of the streaming was top of the line, never dropping below the ultra HD mark in any of the countries. Netflix is quite strict when it comes to its detection measures, but NordVPN is clearly head and shoulders above the media provider in this department.
After getting through the Netflix test, we tried other major streaming services such as HBO Go, Disney Hotstar, Amazon Prime Video, and Hulu. This VPN did not have any issues with any of the major players, and this held true across multiple locations.
All of the above factors make this the best VPN for Netflix Australia.
Torrenting and Social Media Sites
The next major category involves social media and torrenting. NordVPN can easily bypass social media blocks, so this should never be a problem if you opt for this service.
With regards to torrenting, NordVPN has announced that they have over 5,000 servers dedicated for this purpose. Thanks to this enormous resource, we were able to conduct various P2P activities with immense ease, as each server was able to offer unlimited data and bandwidth.
NordVPN even has a strict policy against maintaining logs of their customer’s activity, which means that you won’t have any trouble when it comes to facing repercussions for using torrent sites.
It was seen that the VPNs’ compatibility extended to various popular platforms, such as BitTorrent, Utorrent, and Vuze. What’s even better is that the speeds afforded by NordVPN managed to exceed the one from our standard connection, and this is a significant bonus worth considering.
The ability of the brand to recommend servers with their specific tool designed to find the ideal server makes the entire experience a lot more fruitful as well. You simply need to select a location and this unique tool will pretty much do the rest for you. Thanks to this simplicity, NordVPN is the best VPN for torrenting Australia.
Connection Speeds
One of the biggest worries when it comes to using a VPN is whether it’ll take a toll on the speeds of your connection. Thanks to NordVPN’s Quick Connect feature, however, you can easily connect online and match up with the server that best suits your chosen location.
The UK and US servers, in particular, offer blazing speeds to the user, whether it concerns gaming, streaming, or torrenting. The only downside is that the Quick Connect feature doesn’t allow you to select the location, as the app does that for you to match you with the server offering the best speeds.
So, if you want the best speeds, let the app decide for you. If you want to select a particular location, though, you will have to compromise on the speed, but only marginally.
The Quick Connect feature, however, can sometimes boost your speeds by up to 10% based on your location, and that’s a considerable difference for any user.
Gaming
Buffering streaming sites isn’t nearly as demanding as playing the latest instalment of “The Witcher” on your system, and this makes gaming a completely different beast altogether.
Fortunately, though, the NordVPN systems are up for the task as they often connect to a US, Australian, or UK server in order to give you the best speeds while gaming. This service is more than capable of delivering on a buffer-free experience, which is what every gamer truly craves.
Security Measures
One of the major reasons driving the popularity of NordVPN is the security features in place by this service, and it’s arguably the best in the world at the moment. The use of AES 256-bit encryption system allows them to safely hide your data from nosy corporations, as this is considered to be the most secure level of encryption online.
Couple this with a SHA2-384 authentication and a 2048-bit DH key, and your data is pretty much as safe as it can be in the hands of a VPN provider.
Even the PFS feature or Perfect Forward Secrecy helps maintain the firewalls by assigning you a new key every single time you log into NordVPN. Thanks to this feature, all your data is wiped out and restarted every time you log in.
The security protocols in place by the organization is IKEv2/IPSec and OpenVPN UDP/TCP, both of which are considered to be one of the most secure protocols available. The type of protocol enforced depends on the platform you’re using, but regardless of this factor, you will be protected by the best protocols.
You even have access to a kill switch feature that allows you to block any traffic exiting your device in case you feel that your connection has been compromised.
Overall Performance
All in all, NordVPN is one of the services that’s becoming synonymous with VPNs around the world. With more than 5,530 servers spread across 59 countries, including Australia, the US, Canada, Turkey, Hong Kong, and the UK, this is one of the most far-reaching and reliable VPNs in the market currently.
It even gives you access to six simultaneous connections for each account, and that’s well above par when compared to the competitors. NordVPN is without a doubt the best VPN Australia selection.
Surfshark
Surfshark is one of the cheapest VPN Australia services available, especially after the brand began offering a sleuth of discounts to users and new sign-ups. The provider itself claims to be the best all-round VPN on the market, but does this budget favourite live up to the mark?
We believe it comes pretty darn close! It may not be the very best, but you can avail some impressive features with this affordable VPN Australia brand. Here’s a look at what makes this one of the best VPN Australia Reddit favourites in the sections below.
Streaming
Yes, Surfshark is more than capable of unlocking your favourite content from streaming services all over the world, including the likes of Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and BBC iPlayer.
The brand has numerous high-speed servers that allow you to access all the above-mentioned content in high definition, despite being connected to a server that’s located internationally.
What’s even better is the CleanWeb feature that works as a tremendous adblocker when you’re streaming content on sites like Youtube. Thanks to this feature, you don’t have to sit through those annoying midroll adverts that break the flow of your viewing experience.
Speed
Surfshark loses some points when it comes to the speeds offered by this service. While NordVPN is able to increase overall speeds by auto-connecting to the fastest servers around, Surfshark doesn’t offer any such features.
You may experience a slight drop in speeds when you’re using their servers, although you’re still unlikely to notice too much of a difference when you’re streaming or torrenting.
Torrenting and Social Media
When it comes to both these fronts, you can consider Surfshark to be a reliable source for downloads and to access your favourite social media sites.
P2P sharing, in particular, has been optimized by the brand, and your anonymity is also preserved thanks to their no-logs agenda and the use of 256-bit encryption. The service even managed to pass all our various DNS and IP leak tests.
Security
Regarding the security services offered by Surfshark, it’s safe to say that this is one of the safest service providers around. The use of a 256-bit encryption and an automatic kill switch allows you to preserve your data at all costs.
It even has a “HackLock” feature that helps monitor all your email ids and passwords for any signs of breaches. “Camouflage mode”, on the other hand, is a useful security measure to help bypass firewalls and overcome any geo-specific VPN restrictions.
Overall Performance
Surfshark definitely has enough depth to stake a claim at being one of the best VPN Australia services around. With 1700 servers in 63 countries and an unlimited number of device accessibility per account, it becomes hard to argue with the quality of the infrastructure in place by the brand.
Their only downside is with regards to the drop in speeds, but this is a small dip, especially when measured against the price point offered by Surfshark.
ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is widely considered to be the fastest VPN Australia service, but does it have the security measures in place to match the speeds? We consider these factors in our review of this best VPN Australia provider.
Streaming
You can certainly access all your favourite streaming sites when you’re logged into ExpressVPN’s servers, and this is true even for Netflix VPN Australia. The only issue here is that once in a while, you’re likely to run into a country that requires you to switch locations to get the right content.
An example of this is when we tried to VPN Netflix Australia content in Germany via their Frankfurt server, but were only able to connect after switching to their Nuremberg server.
Torrenting and Social Media
Social media sites are a cinch to access with the ExpressVPN account. Even torrenting becomes extremely easy thanks to the unlimited bandwidth offered by the brand.
The fact that ExpressVPN doesn’t keep any logs of your data and that they’re headquartered in a location that is entirely privacy-friendly (the British Virgin Islands) also helps them earn some major points in this department.
Speed
Much like NordVPN, it’s extremely easy to find the fastest servers around, thanks to ExpressVPN’s Smart Location feature. This feature works extremely well and is one of the primary reasons behind the brand’s performance in terms of delivering high speeds.
The speeds do drop when compared to your regular internet connection, but the drop isn’t substantial, especially when you opt for an international server against a local one.
Gaming
The gaming department really puts the speed and efficiency of a VPN to the test, and this is also the department where ExpressVPN really shines through when compared to the competition.
We were able to connect to servers in various countries without noticing a dip in the performance of our games, all the while maintaining HD clarity. It really didn’t even feel like we were using a VPN while gaming — that’s how good ExpressVPN was in delivering on its performance.
Security
Now comes the big question: Is ExpressVPN as safe as it is fast? The answer is a resounding yes!
The brand uses the highest level of encryption available, relying on a 256-bit AES encryption that’s competently combined with a SHA-512 HMAC authentication, and an AES 256-bit cypher with an RSA 4096-bit key. All of this means that it becomes almost impossible to break into the servers of this service and access your data.
A kill switch feature is also available on this service.
Overall Performance
ExpressVPN brings in the best of two worlds to help you attain an excellent experience while using a VPN — speed and security.
They have over 3000 servers in over 160 locations, all working towards offering you the best speed and connectivity, regardless of your current location. You can access five simultaneous connections with one of their accounts, and that’s a pretty fair number.
Best of all, you can try ExpressVPN for a month without making any payment, and you also have the option of availing a 30-day money-back guarantee if you’re unhappy with their service. This is one of the reasons why it’s considered one of the best VPN Australia providers.
In our opinion, it’s also one of the best value VPN Australia services as well.
Mullvad
Mullvad isn’t the most popular service provider in the world, but it’s definitely on the rise, both in terms of number of servers and number of locations. It also offers its services with budget pricing, but is it worth risking it with a newbie?
How do they stack up in a VPN comparison Australia? We find out in our review below.
Streaming
Unfortunately for all fans of streaming out there, Mullvad is only capable of allowing you to stream content from HBO Go. All the other big wigs such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Hulu are out of reach when it comes to using this VPN.
Speed
What the service lacks in terms of offering streaming content, it more than makes up for in the speed department. We observed that Mullvad was capable of allowing you to access various servers around the world without taking any real dip in the speed on offer.
This makes it a premier choice if you’re looking for a VPN service that doesn’t focus on streaming as much as it focuses on browsing data on the internet in a secure manner.
Torrenting and Social Media
The brand manages to check both boxes in this department, and you can indeed access social media sites and torrent sites from anywhere in the world when you’re on Mullvad.
It doesn’t keep a log of any of your usage, so it’s entirely safe to torrent with this service without worrying about being charged with piracy.
Unfortunately, the provider doesn’t have any ad blockers on offer, so you’re likely to see all the usual number of ads when you’re using this service.
Security
Despite being a relatively new entrant in the market, Mullvad is able to offer military-grade encryption to the tune of 256-bit AES. This means that all your content and data will be well preserved when you use this service.
Overall Performance
If you’re unsure about Mullvad, you can always opt for their three-hour trial to check out the speed and performance. It even offers a 30-day money-back guarantee if you don’t end up purchasing their service and are unhappy with their features for whatever reason.
Mullvad has over 160 servers in 24 countries so far and offers users access to five devices per account. Those are impressive details, especially considering that Mullvad is still on the rise.
The fact that they don’t have streaming access to various major brands is a massive turn-off for a large section of the population, but it works extremely well for those who only use VPN to protect their browsing data.
ProtonVPN
ProtonVPN is an off-shoot of the successful, secure email provider ProtonMail. Its high price point, however, makes it lose out in numbers when compared to other major players, but is it still worth checking out? We answer this in our review below.
Streaming
ProtonVPN is more than capable of allowing you to access your favourite streaming services from around the world, and this includes the likes of Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and BBC iPlayer.
The drawback here, however, is the speeds offered while streaming. It isn’t the best, to be quite honest, and you can expect to see a bit of buffering when you’re playing videos.
Speed
Speaking of speeds, ProtonVPN relies on its 1000+ servers from all over the world to help offer consistent browsing to its users. The speeds themselves, however, aren’t very impressive, as we noted that local and international servers both led to a significant drop in our download speeds.
Torrenting and Social Media
ProtonVPN does bring its A-game in this department, as it allows you to access your favourite social media and torrent sites without any glitches. Their no-log policy also helps preserve your privacy as you attempt to torrent from your peers.
Security
What ProtonVPN lacks in speed, it more than makes up for in terms of the security offered by the brand. The use of a 4096-bit RSA key exchange and an AES-256 encryption system means that your data is as secure as it can possibly be at the hands of a VPN provider.
The “Perfect Forward Secrecy” feature also allows you to generate a fresh encryption key every time you log into the VPN, thereby furthering your agenda for a safe browsing experience.
Overall Performance
The price of ProtonVPN may be the biggest hurdle you have to overlook if you want to use this service. At this price point, you would expect far greater speeds than the levels delivered. However, they do make up for this inequality by offering excellent security features in their network.
You also have the choice of using one of their free plans, although they’re relatively basic and are only meant to give you a sense of the services offered by the brand. You will also get a seven-day trial of the ProtonVPN Plus when you sign up for their free plan.
The fact that they also offer a 30-day money-back guarantee is a big bonus as you can safely test the waters without investing any money that you can lose.
ProtonVPN is definitely growing quickly, with over 1000 connections in 54 countries around the world. This is a brand that’s on the rise, and they even offer 10 device connections for a single license, which is another bonus to consider. It may not be the very best VPN Australia provider, but it’s definitely right up there for your consideration.
CyberGhost
CyberGhost is a brand that’s been in the game for a long time, and it really shows when you consider their overall features and services. We take an in-depth look at the brand in the section below and highlight why they are one of the best VPN Australia choices.
Streaming
CyberGhost allows you access to most of your streaming giants that include Netflix, Hulu, Disney Plus, Showtime, ESPN, and BBC iPlayer. The only services you can’t access with this network are Amazon Prime Video and Sky TV, and that’s a real shame considering they had all other bases covered.
Speed
Cyberghost has a large number of servers, possibly one of the biggest collections of all the VPN providers Australia has. Most of these servers are extremely quick and are well distributed around the world.
The only issue with their speed pops up when you start picking servers that are extremely far from you. The further the server, the higher the likelihood that you’ll experience a drop in speed.
Local speeds, on the other hand, are absolutely fantastic!
Torrenting and Social Media
CyberGhost services have been fully-optimized to help you attain the best IP address when you’re looking to torrent your favourite content. This makes it a great choice for users who rely on using torrents on a regular basis.
The brand also excels in performance when it comes to gaming and accessing social media sites. You don’t experience any real trouble in terms of speeds in the former category, while the latter category will only give you issues if you intend to access content from China.
Security
Security protocol options are plentiful when using the CyberGhost VPN. You can utilize the best protocols for your needs, including OpenVPN TCP/UDP, WireGuard, and IKEv2.
Overall Performance
CyberGhost is one of the best in the business. With over 6600 servers located in 90 countries and offering seven devices per license, this is one of the most comprehensive VPN services around.
They even offer a 45-day money-back guarantee if you’re unhappy with their services. The only reason you may opt out of this brand is that it doesn’t work in China, and it doesn’t allow access to Amazon Prime Video.
Other than this, though, it’s a quality choice for all types of users.
Hotspot Shield
Hotspot Shield is one of the fastest-growing VPN services in the world, with over 600 million users and counting. It’s considered by many to also be the best productivity app in the US app store and comes packed with various features. We review this service below.
Streaming
Hotspot Shield would probably not be as popular as it is today if it wasn’t able to stream all the major sites such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Hulu. You can utilize this service to access all your favourite entertainment channels without facing any issues in terms of quality or speed.
Speed
Hotspot Shield is undoubtedly one of the fastest VPNs on the market currently, and it owes this largely to the Catapult Hydra protocol that was specifically designed to maximize its efficiency. Its speed alone allows this brand to be considered one of the best VPN Australia services.
We tested out their various local and international servers and noted that the speeds of this service are indeed extremely fast and there is little to no loss in speed regardless of the location of their servers.
Torrenting and Social Media
You’ll be able to easily access any social media sites when using Hotspot Shield, no matter where you’re located in the world. You can also use torrent sites without any worries as this VPN can hide your IP address and your P2P on various sites.
Security
This service is also great at preventing any IP or DNS leaks and your data is well protected by their ample security services. The automatic kill switch option also allows you to immediately protect your data from exiting your device in case you feel like you’re under any technical threats.
The AES 256-bit encryption also ensures that the best security measures are in place on behalf of the brand to constantly protect your data.
Overall Performance
With over 3200 servers in 80 countries, this is one of the best VPN Australia providers out there. You’ll have access to five devices operating out of a single license, and you also have a 45-day window to get your money back if you’re unhappy with their services.
Windscribe
Windscribe is yet another high-quality name that deserves a mention on our list, thanks to its superb free and paid connections. We take a closer look at this provider in the section below and discuss the reasons why it’s considered one of the best VPN Australia services.
Streaming
When it comes to streaming, Windscribe has quite a few shortfalls, as only the US Netflix library can be accessed. Even UK Netflix is not up for access, not to mention other giants such as Amazon Prime Video and Hulu.
If you’re looking to get a VPN to primarily stream content, this service is unfortunately not for you.
Speed
There have been some inconsistencies noted when it comes to the speeds offered by this brand. The speeds seem to be perfectly fine when utilizing servers in the US and UK, but there is definitely a drop off when using servers in Asian countries.
Fortunately, though, the drop off isn’t too steep and isn’t something you should be worried about.
Security
Like all major providers, Windscribe also uses a state-of-the-art AES-256 cipher with SHA512 auth and a 4096-bit RSA key, thereby delivering on a high-quality encryption model for the sake of your data’s safety.
Torrenting and Social Media
Yes, Windscribe is definitely capable of allowing you access to your favourite social media sites and torrent sites. P2P file sharing is extremely secure, thanks to the lack of any DNS or IP leaks.
Overall Performance
Windscribe is on the move, having currently set up 179 servers in 63 countries. You can always try out the service and opt for a three-day money-back guarantee in case you’re unhappy with the provisions.
One major bonus to consider here is that Windscribe allows you to connect one account with unlimited devices, and that is an absolute rarity. It may not be the best VPN Australia provider, but their military-grade security makes it a worthy contender.
VyprVPN
VyprVPN has been staking a claim for the top spot with a steady infrastructure and quality list of services. We look into the best and worst of this brand below.
Streaming
If you’re looking to purchase a VPN network for the purpose of live streaming, VyprVPN has a lot to offer you in this department. It’s able to allow you to bypass the geo-restrictions for various streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, ITV, and BBC iPlayer.
While most of these services were able to competently avoid bans in a majority of countries, VyperVPN did face difficulties in some countries, such as France.
Speeds, however, were completely unaffected during streaming, so if you’re willing to forgo the database in a few countries, you should be able to access a wide range of quality selections from around the world.
Speed
For the vast majority of our experience on VyperVPN, we were able to access extremely good speeds, especially when using popular server locations such as the US, UK, and EU locations.
There were, however, a few inconsistencies in the speeds when it came to Asian locations.
Security
You can expect VyprVPN to offer top of the line AES 256-bit encryption, thereby ensuring that your data will be well and truly protected. It also offers a host of safety protocols that you can hand-select for your needs, including its proprietary Chameleon protocol.
Torrenting and Social Media
Rest assured, VyprVPN allows you to access all your social media accounts from any location from around the world. You can also rely on a steady network of peers when you’re using this VPN to torrent choice content.
Overall Performance
VyprVPN is racking up some impressive stats with over 700 servers in 65 countries. They are quickly becoming a trusted name in the industry and even offer five devices per license to their users. Their efforts to improve their service and security definitely demands that you consider their brand while making your final decision.
Private Internet Access
Private Internet Access or PIA is one of the top-scoring VPN networks out there, thanks to their commitment to maintaining the security of their users at all costs. We look at the best and worst of this brand in the section below:
Streaming
With regards to streaming content using this VPN, we unfortunately had mixed results. The brand was able to help us unblock Netflix content in certain regions such as the US, UK, and Japan, but it failed to do so in other regions such as Mexico and Germany.
This was also the case when it comes to other streaming services such as Amazon Prime Video and Hulu. So if you’re the kind of individual who occasionally uses VPNs for streaming, this could still work well for you.
Speed
Thanks to the massive network available to PIA, the speeds offered by this brand are substantial. We noticed very few drop offs in speed while using servers in various locations around the world, and this is certainly one of their biggest strengths.
Security
PIA relies on various tools such as data encryption, IPv6 leak protection, IP masking, firewalls, and DNS leak protection to keep your data safe. Needless to say, they manage to do a fine job in retaining your safety.
Encryption includes the use of AES 128-bit, which is good but not great. It gets the job done, though!
Torrenting and Social Media
You can certainly use PIA to access your favourite social media and torrent sites without worrying about being traced back to your home network.
Overall Performance
With a massive network of 16000+ servers in 74 countries, PIA has definitely got the infrastructure to back their claims of being one of the best networks around. You can use one account to connect up to 10 devices, and that is well above par when compared to the competition.
The sheer number of servers made available by this brand alone makes it one of the best VPN Australia services.
Free VPN Options for NZ
ProtonVPN
The ProtonVPN service has already been thoroughly examined in our VPN reviews Australia section above. The free plan offered by the brand, however, is also one of the best options to avail if you’re looking to pick up a VPN in New Zealand. It is also the best free VPN Australia service, in case you’re wondering.
This free plan includes servers in three countries and allows you to access their services with a single device. The best part is that your privacy is fully protected under this plan because the brand does not maintain any logs of your data, according to their official policy.
This is why ProtonVPN ranks right up there as our top pick for best free VPNs plan in New Zealand and also as a free VPN Australia service.
Opera VPN
Opera is one of the most famous browsers in the world and has been around for quite a while. Their browser also gives you access to their free, built-in VPN service that allows you to safely and securely surf through the web.
This service automatically blocks many of the cookies that come with long browsing sessions, thereby reducing the amount of data that’s moving through your system. You are limited to one device per account, though.
Hotspot Shield
As previously mentioned in our earlier review, Hotspot Shield is one of the best and fastest-growing VPN providers at the moment, and fortunately for you, they also have a free service you can avail.
Although you won’t have access to much with this free account, you will have the ability to utilize their military-grade encryption to successfully protect your data from any threats. You can only connect one device to this service, but rest assured, that device will be well protected.
Windscribe
Windscribe is probably the one VPN service on our list that offers a large number of features despite being an absolutely free plan. You can use this service to secure your data and remain fairly anonymous with your activities online.
You can also use this service to unblock a lot of geo-restricted content to access streaming services in over 50 countries. The desktop and browser combo also ensures that all your connections are fully secured moving forward.
TunnelBear
TunnelBear is yet another quality VPN Australia free service that works in NZ, and allows users access to 500 MB of free data on a monthly basis to utilize their service and get the hang of things. Although this may not seem like a lot, it’s more than enough for users who are unsure about using a VPN.
You can use this service to make up your mind about VPNs and possibly resort to a paid subscription if you’re convinced.
Summary
We have done a thorough breakdown of all the various activities and services you can use a VPN connection for, and the list is truly impressive. Apart from having access to a host of entertainment services, the most important factor remains that your data will be well protected when you use a VPN service while browsing the internet.
With this in mind, any one of our top brands mentioned in our VPN review Australia can help you stay secure while surfing the web, not to mention fully immerse yourself in various streams of entertainment. NordVPN remains our top pick because of its sheer reliability and speed, but you cannot be faulted for picking any of our other options as well.
Stay safe in the cloud, and happy browsing to all!