- The Top 5 Best VPNs for India: What to Consider
- 1. ExpressVPN
- 2. NordVPN
- 3. CyberGhost
- 4. Private Internet Access
- 5. Surfshark
- Other VPNs to Consider (or Not)
- We Also Recommend These VPNs for India
- We Don’t Recommend These VPNs for India
Best VPN for India 2020: Access Bollywood, Streaming, TikTok & WeChat
Visiting India will open your eyes to its diverse culture, delicious food and spiritual connections. However, if the connection you’re thinking about is the online variety, you should first install one of our best VPN for India picks.
Doing so will protect you from India’s online surveillance programs, as well as give you extra internet freedom by helping you bypass censorship and geoblocks. We’ll talk more about all of that later, and we’ll also recommend five of our best VPN providers that’ll do the job nicely. If you’re not in the mood to read, though, we recommend that you go right ahead and install ExpressVPN.
Quick Look: The Best VPN for India
- ExpressVPN — Top security and fast speeds, accesses all streaming platforms
- NordVPN — Excellent security with double-hop servers and inexpensive long-term plans
- CyberGhost — Great security and privacy, seven connections, inexpensive
- PIA — Secure, fast and cheap, trouble with some streaming platforms
- Surfshark — Secure, affordable, accesses Netflix, fair speeds
The Top 5 Best VPNs for India: What to Consider
There are lots of VPN providers on the market nowadays, but you need to make sure the one you choose for India ticks the boxes for certain criteria. As we’ll mention later, India has ongoing surveillance and high cybercrime levels, so it’s absolutely necessary to make sure you pick a VPN with top security and privacy.
On a lighter note, you might want to access streaming services, such as Netflix (read our best VPN for Netflix roundup). If that’s the case, you need to make sure the VPN can access your chosen streaming platform.
Additionally, the VPN should have a good number of server locations, and you’ll need it to include Indian servers if you want to access anything restricted to the country.
- Security and privacy
- Able to access streaming services
- Fast speeds
- A decent number of server locations, including Indian servers
1. ExpressVPN
Pros:
- Excellent privacy & security
- Accesses all streaming platforms
- Very fast
Cons:
- Expensive
ExpressVPN is our top VPN for almost anything. We especially recommend it for places where you need top security, such as China (read our piece on the Great Firewall), so it’s a perfect fit when you consider India’s surveillance practices. It comes with a kill switch, as well as a no-logs policy.
If you’re planning on streaming, you’re in good hands. ExpressVPN is our best VPN for streaming, not only because it can get into pretty much any streaming platform (including Hotstar), but also because it’s the fastest VPN around and comes with unlimited data.
Its server spread is huge, covering a total of 94 countries. That includes servers in Chennai and Mumbai, meaning you’ll have no problem connecting to an Indian IP address if you need it to access Indian content.
ExpressVPN is very easy to use, even for beginners, as you can read in our ExpressVPN review. Plus, if you want the VPN to work with a mobile device, then you’ll be pleased to know that ExpressVPN is also our best VPN for Android and best VPN for iPhone. You can also make sure ExpressVPN is a good fit with its 30-day money-back guarantee.
 | |
| |
2. NordVPN
Pros:
- Top-notch security
- Able to access streaming services
- Inexpensive
Cons:
Some servers are slow
NordVPN is another highly ranked VPN provider and, like ExpressVPN, it comes with strong security. That includes the use of double-hop servers and a kill switch, and it also has a solid no-logs policy.
It’s capable of accessing streaming services and comes with unlimited bandwidth. NordVPN’s only real downfall is its inconsistent speeds, but most of its servers are fast and switching between different servers helps.
Talking of servers, NordVPN has thousands dotted around the globe, including 29 located in India. You can read our NordVPN review for more information or try it out with its 30-day refund window.
 | |
NordVPN
| |
3. CyberGhost
Pros:
- Dedicated servers
- Inexpensive
- Secure
Cons:
Can be slow
We can also recommend CyberGhost for India. It has great security with a kill switch and a strict no-logs policy. It also has a good mix of servers to choose from, including its NoSpy servers, which sit outside of the 14 Eyes (you can read more about those in our CyberGhost review), and its dedicated streaming servers.
Its total server count is upward of 6,000, including 22 in Mumbai, in case you need them. CyberGhost’s speeds are mostly fast, but some servers are slow, so you might have to play around a bit. You do get unlimited data, though, and you can connect up to seven devices at one time.
CyberGhost offers a money-back guarantee, which is 14 days for the monthly plan and 45 days for longer ones. There’s also a free seven-day trial available for mobile devices (24 hours for desktop).
| |
| |
4. Private Internet Access
Pros:
- Cheap
- Fast
- Full-featured
Cons:
- Can’t access all streaming services
- Inconsistent speeds
You could also use Private Internet Access for a VPN in India. Although it’s not quite at the same level as our top recommendations, it’s still a decent VPN provider. It has good security, but it’s set at AES 128-bit encryption by default, so you’ll need to tweak it a bit to be more secure. Still, you get a kill switch, and it doesn’t keep logs.
One of PIA’s issues is its streaming capabilities; it can’t access some platforms at all. It does work with Netflix, though, which is good. You get unlimited data and its speeds are generally fast. PIA’s server network is decent and is spread over 47 countries, including India.
You can read our PIA review for more information, but PIA is a great choice if you want a decent yet cheap VPN. You’re also covered by a 30-day money-back guarantee.
| |
Standard
| |
5. Surfshark
Pros:
- Unlimited simultaneous connections
- Accesses streaming services
- Secure
Cons:
- Mediocre speeds
Although Surfshark isn’t mentioned much in our VPN roundups, it’s still a decent contender. Its security is good and comes with a kill switch. It also has a no-logs policy and is based in the privacy-oriented British Virgin Islands, just like our top choice, ExpressVPN.
It can easily access all major streaming services, but its speeds aren’t the best, as you can read in our Surfshark review. You do get unlimited bandwidth and unlimited simultaneous connections, though. Its server network is good, and it includes VPN servers in India.
Surfshark is a good choice if you’re looking for the cheapest VPN and you’re not too bothered about speed. There’s a 30-day money-back guarantee, too.
 | |
1 Month
| |
1 Year
| 1-year plan $ 5.99/ month $71.88 billed every year |
2 Year
| 2-year plan $ 1.99/ month $47.76 billed every 2 years |
Other VPNs to Consider (or Not)
There are, of course, other VPN services that will work in India. You just need to weigh whether they’re fit for the job or not. The five options we recommended above are the best VPNs for India, but we’ll also go over a couple of other providers that could be on your “maybe” list.
We Also Recommend These VPNs for India
- IPVanish: This VPN has good security and decent features. It also has fast speeds and is capable of unblocking Netflix. However, its well-known privacy issues mean it doesn’t make our list.
- SaferVPN: This is a standard VPN service that offers basic features with good security. It can get into Netflix and is cheap, but its speeds are slow and privacy is questionable.
We Don’t Recommend These VPNs for India
- Hotspot Shield: Although Hotspot Shield has a lot of features and is easy to use, it is lacking in the privacy area and raises some red flags when it comes to security.
- TigerVPN: This VPN is cheap, but it’s a mediocre service at best. It lacks features, has streaming issues and has a poor privacy policy.
Online Censorship and Surveillance in India
Although India’s government is not as bad as some countries when it comes to censorship, it does impose some restrictions. Gambling, pornography and dating websites (among other things) can all be blocked.
The government has also banned more than 50 Chinese apps, including WeChat, Helo and TikTok (read our best VPN for TikTok guide), saying they “threaten the country’s sovereignty and security.”
A VPN can help you bypass any censorship, but one of the main reasons you should use one is because of India’s online surveillance practices. It has a real-time surveillance tool called Network Traffic Analysis, or NETRA. The tool monitors internet traffic for keywords, such as “terrorist,” and it can also monitor messages and social media. Even encrypted messages are at risk.
India imposes some online speech restrictions, with punishment sometimes including a prison sentence, so you should be careful about what you post online. Spreading fake news and rumors on social media can land you in hot water, too.
Lastly, if you like to torrent, simply accessing a torrent site can result in punishment (our second pick, NordVPN, is our best VPN for torrenting). You should use a virtual private network to keep you protected from all of the above.
As a bonus, the VPN will help to protect you from growing cybercrime in India. That’s especially important if you plan on using public WiFi, but you should also invest in a decent antivirus, too.
Which Free VPN Is Best for India?
If you’re looking for a free VPN for India, you should know that many of the free VPNs available do more harm than good. Although your app store may return a ton of tempting results, it’s probably best to steer clear of them unless you know it’s a reputable company.
Installing one of these questionable VPNs could lead to your device getting infected, your data being sold to a third party or your payment details being stolen. What’s worse is that the VPN might not protect you as promised, or it could log your online activities. You can read more about that in our roundup of the worst free VPN providers.
If you’re strapped for cash, though, there are a couple of exceptions for a free VPN. Windscribe is our best free VPN service, but the free version doesn’t have the best streaming capabilities, as you can read in our Windscribe review.
After that, there’s also TunnelBear, Hide.Me and ProtonVPN. However, both TunnelBear and Hide.Me have a data cap (read our TunnelBear review and Hide.Me review). ProtonVPN gives you unlimited data, but it is a bit slow (read our ProtonVPN review).
Using a free VPN isn’t bad so long as you check up on the provider. Just remember that there are usually limitations to the free services.
Final Thoughts
Whether you’re trying to watch your favorite show or shield yourself from ongoing surveillance, using a VPN will help you. You shouldn’t just download the first VPN service you see, though. You need to make sure it has good security and privacy to keep you hidden.
ExpressVPN is the top VPN for India. That’s mostly due to its great security and privacy, but also because it is fast, it can get into any streaming platform and it has a large number of server locations. Why not give it a try with its 30-day money-back guarantee? There’s nothing to lose.
Have you used a VPN for India? Let us know about your experience in the comments section below. Check out our VPN archive, too. As always, thank you for reading.
Sandra Pattison is from the rolling hills of the United Kingdom where, when she’s not enjoying that one day of summer, she researches and writes on online security and censorship around the world. Writer by day, mother morning, noon and night, during her little free time she enjoys photography and likes to be spontaneous, but mostly ends up sipping tea with her pinky out.