Best VPN for Bangladesh 2020: Dangers in Dhaka

Bangladesh is a diverse country, from its luscious greenery and the largest river delta in the world to Dhaka, the crowded “City of Mosques.” There’s lots to see, but you’re still likely to visit cyberspace at some point, so we’ve put together a list of the best VPNs for Bangladesh to keep you safe online.

While it’s a good idea to use a virtual private network wherever you are, we’re going to point out why it’s important to use one in Bangladesh, in particular.

Online Censorship in Bangladesh

Online censorship is a common problem, with some countries being worse than others, such as China. Bangladesh is no exception. Though free to access at the moment, social media and communication apps can be blocked. In 2015, the government blocked several platforms for “security reasons,” including Facebook, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Viber.

Video sharing app TikTok was also banned due to it showing “inappropriate content.” You can read our best VPN for TikTok piece for more information.

The government may block access to prevent the spread of satire or other content it doesn’t want the public to see. In 2009, it blocked YouTube so people couldn’t watch a video of the prime minister talking to military leaders. If that happens again, our how to unblock YouTube piece can help.

News websites have also been banned after posting articles that criticized the government. In 2015, Bangladesh made it compulsory for online news outlets to register in order to stop fake news. Print media was already subject to registration.

In 2016, the Bangladesh Telecommunication and Regulatory Commission banned hundreds of porn websites. Since then, almost 20,000 websites have been blocked. The BTRC censors content by issuing orders to service providers, who are legally bound to cooperate.

The government has also asked companies to remove content. Facebook, Google and Microsoft agreed to respond to remove requests that involve inappropriate content and Google has reported requests to take down content involving defamation.

The Information and Communication Technology Act ensures that print media rules for censorship, blasphemy and libel extend to digital content. Anything that relates to religious issues or offending leaders is censored.

The law was used to arrest four bloggers who wrote about various topics including religious extremism. It has also been used to arrest activists and journalists covering protests online. In yet another example, a university student was arrested for comments he made about Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Facebook.

Online Threats in Bangladesh

Punishment for those found guilty of defamation is harsh, including sentences of up to two years in prison, fines or both. The ICTA, meanwhile, can lead to up to 14 years in prison. To be safe, you should avoid posting comments about politics, religion or sexuality on social media. Our best VPN for Singapore article gives more examples of punishment for online speech.

Aside from being reprimanded by law, there have been disturbing attacks on bloggers and activists with secular views. At least 39 people were killed by religious extremists between February 2013 and June 2016 and many bloggers have left the country fearing for their safety. Some were determined to continue writing and others practiced self-censorship.

Except for on horse racing, gambling is not allowed in Bangladesh and the penalty for being caught is up to one month imprisonment and a fine of 100 taka ($1.25).

Online betting has become quite popular, though, and in a recent bid to curb the habit at cricket stadiums, the Bangladesh Cricket Board announced it would have mobile courts at them. Anyone caught betting on their mobile phone in the stadium will be convicted and punished on the spot.

On top of all that, a report by Microsoft showed that Bangladesh was one of the most at-risk countries for malicious software attacks. Some people have had to pay a lot of money to cybercriminals to regain access to their devices or files.

Surveillance in Bangladesh

While Bangladesh recognizes the right to privacy, there are no laws that protect it or data, meaning internet and mobile phone users are vulnerable to privacy violations.

In 2014, Wikileaks published documents that contained information about a Bangladesh law enforcement agency purchasing FinFisher software in 2012. FinFisher is a software distributed by Gamma International that enables digital traffic monitoring.

Plus, it was reported that Bangladesh’s Rapid Action Battalion, a branch of the police with a record of abuse, was looking at purchasing mobile surveillance technology. It would allow them to gather data from thousands of mobile phones in a certain area.

Another report suggested that the Bangladeshi government has begun intrusive monitoring of social media, before election periods, to crack down on critical voices.

In 2017, reports suggested that the government was planning to install internet monitoring equipment by May 2018. It would analyze network traffic using deep packet inspection to help the government enforce bans and combat militancy.

All that surveillance technology gives good reason to use a VPN and keep yourself hidden. Our best VPN for the UK and best VPN for the U.S. pieces show two countries that engage in intrusive surveillance. Take a look at our piece on government surveillance for more examples of it.

Best VPN for Bangladesh 2020

What Makes a VPN the Best for Bangladesh

There are many factors to consider when choosing a VPN. For starters, we recommend choosing one that has great security. This will benefit you in a few ways including keeping you hidden from Bangladeshi surveillance and online policing. It will also keep you safe from cyberthreats. A good antivirus will help with that, too.

The VPN should have a kill switch among its security features. That will disconnect you from the internet if the VPN fails, keeping your data concealed. To ensure your privacy is honored, pick one that has a solid no-logs policy, too. With that, authorities won’t be able to tell what you’ve been up to as there will be no record of it.

To get around censorship, you should select a provider that has a good server network. The more servers available, the easier it will be to bypass restrictions, including geoblocks, so you’ll be able to watch the U.S. version of Netflix or Hotstar.

If streaming is going to be one of your main activities, you should also choose a provider with good speeds and no limits on bandwidth. That way, you won’t get bored looking at a loading screen or need to worry about using too much data.

Other factors to consider are ease of use, what devices are supported and how many connections you can have at one time. Plus, it’s always good to have decent customer support. Finally, you’ll want to make sure all that fits in your budget.

1. Best VPN for Bangladesh: ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN often ranks in our top five articles because of its great all-around service. It’s one of the best VPNs available and ticks all the boxes for Bangladesh.

Its security is among the best with 256-bit encryption by default and the option to increase it to 4096-bit for extra protection. It also has a built-in kill switch and a strict no-logs policy, so you don’t need to worry about what you’ve been up to online. Read our full ExpressVPN review to find out why we like it so much.

It has a great server network, with more than 3,000 scattered over 94 countries, giving you plenty to choose from for circumventing blocks. There are some in India, so you’ll be able to watch Hotstar, and some in Bangladesh, if you want content restricted to it (if you’re outside of the country and want to access Bangladeshi content, we have a guide on how to get a Bangladeshi IP address).

ExpressVPN is the only provider in this roundup with servers in Bangladesh. Others have some nearby, but not in the country itself, so if not being able to access Bangladeshi content is a deal-breaker for you, look no further.

Speed is no issue as ExpressVPN is the fastest VPN, but its server switch time could be faster. Plus, it doesn’t have bandwidth caps so you can stream and download as much as you like. That helped it win in our best VPN for streaming piece, too.

Other Reasons We Like ExpressVPN

While you are able to tinker with settings, it’s a great choice if you have no idea what you’re doing. Once installed, it does almost everything for you. All you need to do is make sure you choose the correct server location and that you’re connected to it.

Clients are available for Windows, macOS, Android and iOS, along with browser extensions for Firefox, Chrome and Safari. You can connect up to five devices simultaneously, too.

Its customer support is not the fastest, but the service is good and the staff is knowledgeable. The best way to contact the help desk is through live chat, where the staff will try to resolve your issue as quickly as possible. Email is another option and it’s best for more technical queries.

A downside to ExpressVPN is its price as it is one of the most expensive providers. That said, it’s still great value for your money and we strongly recommend it. Plus, it has a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you’ve got nothing to lose.

ExpressVPN Review

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2. NordVPN

NordVPN is another great service and is comparable to ExpressVPN, as you can read in our ExpressVPN vs NordVPN article.

It has top-notch security and double-hop encryption, adding even more protection to the connection. It also has a kill switch for safety and doesn’t keep a log of your activity. Plus, it’s more customizable than ExpressVPN, which you may prefer, just make sure you know what you’re doing.

For more information on its security, check out our NordVPN review.

It has thousands of servers to choose from, which is more than ExpressVPN, but, at 60 countries, they are in fewer locations than its rival’s. As we said before, there aren’t any in Bangladesh, but there are 21 in India if you want to watch some Indian TV.

Speeds are good, but they can get slow over long distances. Its server switch time is fast, though, and there are no limits on how much bandwidth you can use.

Other Reasons We Like NordVPN

Setup is quick and you can get connected in minutes. Clients are available for Windows, macOS, Android and iOS, and they have a simple layout that’s easy to use. NordVPN is one of the best VPNs for multiple devices and allows six simultaneous connections.

Customer support is available through live chat and email. Live chat will get you the fastest reply but either will be helpful. There’s also a handy knowledgebase if you’d like to try to fix the problem yourself.

It has an affordable monthly plan that offers great value for money, but you’d be better off signing up for a longer period as that’ll save you money. You might not be comfortable diving in, though, so you should know it has a 30-day refund in case it’s not right for you.

NordVPN Review

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3. CyberGhost

Our next choice is CyberGhost, which is a solid provider despite not being as good as our first two picks. It offers great security, including a kill switch that can’t be turned off, and it doesn’t keep usage logs. It isn’t as customizable as NordVPN, though.

CyberGhost has over 4,000 servers dotted around 60 countries, so you should have no problem finding one to suit your needs. Again, there aren’t any in Bangladesh, but there are 20 in India to access Indian shows.

It’s quick, but it can get slow when connecting to distant servers. It has unlimited bandwidth, too, so you can stream to your heart’s content. For more information on its features, read our full CyberGhost review.

Other Reasons We Like CyberGhost

You can install CyberGhost on Windows and macOS, Android and iOS. Its re-designed interface is much better than the old version, but it still may take some getting used to. CyberGhost lets you run it on up to seven devices at once, earning it a place in our best VPN for multiple devices piece, but that’s the limit of installs you can have, too.

If you have problems, you can look at the extensive knowledgebase, which should sort out most common issues. Failing that, you can contact support through live chat or email. Live chat is the fastest option and the staff is helpful and thorough in their answers.

The monthly price isn’t bad, but you can save money by signing up for a longer period. CyberGhost offers a seven-day trial for Android and iOS users, so you can try before you buy. Plus, there’s a money-back guarantee.

Cyberghost Review

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4. Private Internet Access

Up next is Private Internet Access, which is a good service despite not having as many features as other providers. It has great security but it is set at AES 128-bit encryption by default. You can change it to 256-bit manually, though, which we recommend doing. It comes with a kill switch, too, and you can rest assured that it doesn’t keep logs.

PIA has thousands of servers, though they’re only in 33 countries and mostly cover the U.S. Remember, there aren’t any in Bangladesh, but there are 10 in India, so you can sit back and watch some Indian drama.

One of PIA’s best features is its speed, but the only reason it’s so fast is the lighter encryption. Once you set the encryption to a higher level, you lose some speed, but it’s not too bad and you don’t have to worry about bandwidth.

Other Reasons We Like PIA

It’s easy to setup and you can connect quickly. Desktop clients are available for Windows and macOS. Plus, you can install the mobile app on Android and iOS. They’re straightforward to use and switching servers is a breeze.

PIA’s customer support is a let down, though. There’s no live chat, only a knowledgebase to browse and email support, 24/7. We tested it, as you can read in our PIA review, and found the help polite and helpful if much slower than the service’s competitors.

PIA used to be one of the cheapest VPNs around, but its prices recently increased. Still, you get a good service at a decent monthly rate, but you can still save money by subscribing for the long-term. There’s also a seven-day money-back guarantee if you decide you don’t like it, too.

Private Internet Access Review

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5. TorGuard

Last, but not least, is TorGuard. It is a good service but there are a couple of reasons it comes last. It has good security and is among the most customizable VPNs available, which makes it a good choice if you like to tinker. It has different protocols to choose from and a kill switch for additional safety. Plus, it honors your privacy with a no-logs policy.

There are many servers spread across 55 countries. None are in Bangladesh, but there are a couple in India, so you can get your fix of Indian TV. Speeds can vary, but aren’t too bad, and there are no bandwidth caps.

One thing to note, though, is it’s not good at getting around geoblocks for streaming, so you may want to keep that in mind.

That said, it gives you the option to get a dedicated IP address for the location you need. It’ll cost extra, but they’re guaranteed to work, which is why it’s our best VPN with dedicated IPs. You can read more about that in our TorGuard review.

Other Reasons We Like TorGuard

TorGuard’s easy-to-use clients are available for Windows, macOS, Android and iOS, but the mobile apps can be a pain to set up. It allows five devices to be connected at the same time, but you can purchase more if you need them.

Customer support is available if you need it in the form of online guides and a forum, which should help you fix small problems on your own. If you still need help, you can contact a member of the staff through live chat, but it’s worth noting it is manned by a basic customer service company, so the help may be basic. Email support is available 24/7 and is good.

TorGuard’s monthly price is quite high, but signing up for a longer plan will net some savings. It has a seven-day money-back guarantee on offer, in case you’re not keen on it.

Torguard Review

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Final Thoughts

Now that you know why you need a VPN in Bangladesh, we hope we’ve helped you choose one that suits your needs. Pick one that has great security with a built-in kill switch to keep you hidden from surveillance and other dangers. Make sure it has a good server network, too, so you can get around the blocks you encounter. Good speeds are beneficial as well.

ExpressVPN is our winner because of its top-notch security and large network of servers. Plus, it has servers in Bangladesh, in case you want to access content that’s restricted to that country.

Share your experiences with, or suggestions for, Bangladesh in the comments below. We’d love to hear them. Take a look at our other VPN articles, too. Thank you for reading.

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