5 Best VPNs for Germany in 2020

Using a VPN for Germany is the best way to unblock more content and protect your privacy online. VPNs spoof your location. If you connect to a German VPN server you seem to be in Germany. This is great for unblocking German content. Alternatively, you can unblock content from around the globe by connecting to VPN servers elsewhere. A VPN also encrypts your web traffic, which gives you online privacy and prevents tracking.

In this article, we list the five best VPNs for Germany and offer some tips for staying secure online in Germany.

What are the best VPNs for Germany?

We have listed a preview of the best VPNs for Germany below. If you want more information about any of the VPNs listed here, scroll down for a more in-depth analysis of each provider.

1. 
   ExpressVPN
   
   – The best VPN for Germany. It’s super-fast and can unblock content from almost anywhere. Has German VPN servers.
2. 
   CyberGhost VPN
   
   – An easy to use German VPN. It great value for money, unblocks almost everything, and has 600+ German VPN servers.
3. 
   Private Internet Access
   
   – The most secure Germany VPN service. It’s has strong encryption, advanced privacy settings, and 79 German VPN servers.
4. 
   Surfshark
   
   – The cheapest Germany VPN. It’s packed with features, has fast servers, and has German VPN servers.
5. 
   PrivateVPN
   
   – A great all-round VPN service with fantastic security features, excellent customer service, and 2 German VPN servers.

So you’ll be able to get the most out of your VPN for Germany, we have chosen services with the following features:

• German VPN servers
• Fast servers
• Strong encryption
• Ability to unblock content from around the world

Best Germany VPNs – In-depth Analysis

We take a closer look at the best VPNs for Germany below. If you want more information about any of these services, check our detailed VPN reviews.

ExpressVPN is the best VPN for Germany. It’s super-fast, it unblocks everything, and has servers in 94+ countries including German VPN servers in 4 different cities.

• Pricing

  From 
  
  ^$6.67 –
  ^$12.95

• Available on

  • Windows
  • macOS
  • iOS
  • Android
  • Linux

• Unblocks

  • Netflix
  • iPlayer
  • Amazon Prime
  • Hulu

ExpressVPN is a strong all-around contender and an excellent VPN option for Germany. With your ExpressVPN subscription, you’ll benefit from OpenVPN encryption implemented to the highest standard, as well as DNS leak protection and a kill-switch. ExpressVPN employs a no-logs policy to keep your data safe from snooping third-parties.

Servers are located in 94 countries, and all of them provide ideal speeds for streaming in HD. And with ExpressVPN, you’ll be able to access all the most in-demand streaming services from around the world in just a few clicks.

The ExpressVPN software is fantastic, and even VPN newbies can use it without issues. In addition, it is available for all platforms and can be used on up to five devices simultaneously. The VPN will keep your data private from the German government and will keep you secure from hackers on public WiFi. Try it using its 30-day money-back guarantee now!

CyberGhost VPN an easy to use German VPN service. It has great apps for Android, iOS, Windows, and Mac, it’s secure, and has 600+ German VPN servers in 3 different cities.

• Pricing

  From 
  
  ^$2.25 –
  ^$13.47

• Available on

  • Windows
  • macOS
  • iOS
  • Android
  • Linux

• Unblocks

  • Netflix
  • iPlayer
  • Amazon Prime
  • Hulu

CyberGhost is a stellar choice for German residents or tourists looking to shore up their online security. AES-256 encryption and OpenVPN protocols ensure the provider is secure, and CyberGhost also has a staunch no-logs policy. You’ll also have your pick of thousands of servers in over 90 countries. These servers all pack unlimited bandwidth, can beat out ISP throttling, and ensure your HD streams run smoothly with no buffering hiccups.

With easy-to-use software available for all popular platforms, CyberGhost is truly beginner-friendly and a 24/7 customer service team is on hand to field any questions if they arise. It also has all the pro features you would expect to see from a top-end VPN service. What’s more, it can be used on up to seven devices at the same time. Why not give it a go using the 30-day money-back guarantee?

Private Internet Access is the most secure Germany VPN. It has outstanding privacy features, 79 German VPN servers in 2 German cities, and has proved in court that it doesn’t keep logs.

• Pricing

  From 
  
  ^$2.59 –
  ^$10.51

• Available on

  • Windows
  • macOS
  • iOS
  • Android
  • Linux

• Unblocks

  • Netflix
  • iPlayer
  • Amazon Prime
  • Hulu

Private Internet Access (PIA) is a VPN service based in the USA that is highly praised by customers looking for an advanced VPN. It is a service that has fully-featured apps for all platforms that come with advanced features like a kill-switch, DNS leak protection, OpenVPN encryption, obfuscation, port forwarding, split tunneling, and a SOCKS5 proxy. This makes it superb for torrenting without being tracked, and for accessing any content that has been restricted on a local network without giving the game away.

PIA has servers in 74 countries – including in Germany – which makes it ideal for getting a German IP address from outside the country.  Plus, this VPN has super-fast servers that can unblock popular services such as Netflix US and BBC iPlayer. And, PIA can be used on up to 10 simultaneous devices, which makes it an excellent option for people who own a lot of devices. And for people who want to be able to use the VPN both at home and on public WiFi. Finally, you can try this VPN yourself by using its 30-day money-back guarantee. An excellent VPN that represents outstanding value for money. 

Surfshark the cheapest Germany VPN service. It has a superb reputation with its subscribers and has fast servers based worldwide including Germany so you can get a German IP.

• Pricing

  From 
  
  ^$2.49 –
  ^$12.95

• Available on

  • Windows
  • macOS
  • iOS
  • Android
  • Linux

• Unblocks

  • Netflix
  • iPlayer
  • Amazon Prime
  • Hulu

Surfshark is a VPN based in the British Virgin Islands – a location generally accepted to be excellent for privacy purposes. The VPN keeps zero logs, which means that even if it is served a warrant (highly unlikely) it will have nothing to hand over to the German authorities.

In addition to its secure zero-logs policy, this VPN implements strong military-grade OpenVPN encryption. This will ensure that your ISP, the German government, and local network administrators are completely unable to track your online web habits. This makes Surfshark an excellent VPN for torrenting and other sensitive online tasks.

Plus, this VPN has a kill-switch to ensure you never accidentally leak unencrypted data to your ISP or a local network administrator – in work or at school, for example.  We love this VPN because it has easy-to-use apps for all platforms that come fully featured. And it allows its subscribers to use the VPN on an unlimited number of devices at the same time, which makes it a mind-blowingly good value for money.

If you want a VPN for streaming; this service has you covered because it can unblock Hulu, Netflix US, BBC iPlayer, and many other popular streaming services from all over the world. Overall, we find it to be well worth testing with its 30-day money-back guarantee. A solid all-rounder.

PrivateVPN is a great all-round VPN for Germany. It’s cheap, secure, and has great customer service. It lives up to it’s name as being private and has 2 German VPN Servers.

• Pricing

  From 
  
  ^$1.89 –
  ^$7.12

• Available on

  • Windows
  • macOS
  • iOS
  • Android
  • Linux

• Unblocks

  • Netflix
  • iPlayer
  • Amazon Prime
  • Hulu

PrivateVPN is a zero-logs Swedish provider with 100+ servers in 60 countries around the world. It features both a firewall-based system kill switch and a per-app kill-switch, which is pretty neat. Full IPv4 and IPv6 DNS leak protection are also built into its client, which comes with a full toolset of privacy options and features.

If you want to binge a box set or catch a live game, PrivateVPN has you covered, being able to access Netflix and BBC iPlayer and several sports streaming services.

We have been particularly impressed by PrivateVPN’s high level of customer service, which even features remote installation for technophobes! Up to a generous 6 simultaneous devices are permitted, and port forwarding plus HTTPS and SOCKS5 proxies are a nice bonus too! Try it for yourself with its 30-day money-back guarantee.

Why are these the best German VPNs?

Not all VPN services are created equal, which is why you must choose carefully to get the right one for you. In order for a VPN to supply you with the privacy and security you need, it must have certain important features. Unfortunately, there are hundreds of VPNs on the market, many of which are simply not up to snuff – which can really make picking the right one a headache.

To help you out, our experts have scoured the market to find the very best VPNs for people living in Germany. Our recommended VPNs offer everything you need in terms of security, speed, and usability. However, to explain exactly how we picked these VPNs, we have included the most important features we looked for below:

Can I use a free VPN for Germany?

There are many free VPNs advertised on the market, but while they won’t cost you money – they will cost you in other ways. Free VPNs are known to have invasive privacy policies that let them harvest your data to sell it to third parties. They also often have weak encryption, critical data leaks, and apps that have been found to contain adware. As you can imagine, using this kind of VPN gives you a false sense of security, which makes them a massive liability. 

Luckily there are VPNs out there that offer users strong privacy and security features, without charging a thing. Check out our best free VPN page for a list of outstanding free services. It is important to keep in mind, however, that these free plans are used to advertise a paid version of the provider’s product. As a result, they usually have the following limitations:

• Data caps – Some free services cap the amount of data that you can download via the VPN, so you aren’t able to use them for data-intensive tasks like streaming.
• A limited number of servers – As the providers of the free service also offer a free plan, they do not give you access to their whole server network. Most won’t include German IP addresses in their free plans, which may be a problem if you’re looking for a VPN for Germany.
• Bandwidth restrictions – This will slow your internet connection down and often makes these services unsuitable for online activities like streaming, downloading, gaming, or video calling.

Although these VPNs have various restrictions, they will still provide encryption and improve your online privacy. Nevertheless, if you plan on using a VPN to unblock streaming sites, for torrenting, or other data-intensive tasks, then they may not be suitable for you. In this case, we recommend that you take advantage of VPN free trials and money-back guarantees. All the services listed in this article have them.

Alternatively, there are many low-cost VPN services out there. For more information about these and for a list of recommendations, check out our cheap VPN page.

Try ExpressVPN for Free

A free VPN is extremely limited and will never give you the level of experience you gain with a paid VPN. A premium VPN gives unlimited access to super fast servers in up to 90 countries. You can try ExpressVPN
for free by taking advantage of their 30-day money-back guarantee!

Why use a VPN in Germany?

Anybody who cares about privacy and online freedom should consider getting a VPN. However, if you are new to VPNs, you may be wondering exactly why you need one. Below we have detailed exactly why it is essential to get a VPN in Germany.

Prevent unnecessary surveillance

Germany is part of the 14 Eyes surveillance agreement, which means it shares intelligence data with invasive governments such as the UK, the USA, Australia, France, the Netherlands, and Norway. 

It is also worth noting that Germany has been investing heavily in its intelligence community for many years now. This makes it likely to have similar capabilities to invasive countries like the USA and the UK. As a result, it seems likely that it is engaging in high levels of covert espionage on its citizens.

All of this is compounded by the fact that in 2016 Germany passed data retention legislation that forces ISPs to store metadata including IP addresses, port numbers, and the date and time that customers access the internet – for a total of ten weeks.

For citizens who have done nothing wrong, this kind of intrusion is massively overreaching, which is why it is a good idea to regain your online privacy in Germany by preventing such ISP snooping with a VPN. 

Bypass censorship and ISP blocks

Germany is not a country that enforces high levels of censorship. However, ISPs are required to block access to some online content that may be of value to researchers, journalists, and writers. A VPN can easily allow you to gain access to that content by letting you pretend to be overseas. 

Bypass blocks in schools or workplaces

All over the world, schools, colleges, universities, and workplaces block access to all kinds of internet content. Local network administrators block access to services like Netflix, YouTube, Instagram, and games like Fortnite and Minecraft. This is done to keep students or employees productive and to stop them from getting distracted. A VPN will give you the power to completely bypass such blocks.

Prevent surveillance capitalism

These days, businesses spend a lot of time harvesting consumer data in order to create analysis, statistics, and even revenue by selling that data. Every time you connect to a public WiFi hotspot, the owner of the hotspot can detect the websites you visit and can store that data about you and your online activity.

If you connect to a WiFi hotspot in a hotel, the WiFi provider also has your name and payment information, allowing it to put a list of the websites you visit, the purchases you make, and the services you use in a database.

Even when you use the internet at home, the websites and services you visit track the IP address given to you by your ISP. This can be used to monitor you when you return to the site and to figure out where you are. With a VPN, you prevent this IP tracking and ensure that you are gaining added privacy as you visit those websites.

Bypass geo-restrictions

Besides concealing your IP address from online services for privacy purposes, a VPN will also let you trick the websites you are visiting into thinking you are in a different physical location. Many websites and services restrict their content so that it can only be accessed in certain geographic regions. These are called geo-restrictions. Most of the time, online services do this to comply with licensing agreements they have in place.

A VPN allows you to bypass these international restrictions completely, opening up access to any website content or service from around the globe.

Conclusion

Though Germany is an affluent country without soaring levels of censorship, a VPN is still a vital privacy tool. If you want to keep your traffic history private, access geo-restricted sites, or spoof your location, then a VPN is the perfect tool for the job. Be sure to check out our list of top 5 picks and enjoy a free and open internet!

1. 
   ExpressVPN
   
   – The best VPN for Germany. It’s super-fast and can unblock content from almost anywhere. Has German VPN servers.
2. 
   CyberGhost VPN
   
   – An easy to use German VPN. It great value for money, unblocks almost everything, and has 600+ German VPN servers.
3. 
   Private Internet Access
   
   – The most secure Germany VPN service. It’s has strong encryption, advanced privacy settings, and 79 German VPN servers.
4. 
   Surfshark
   
   – The cheapest Germany VPN. It’s packed with features, has fast servers, and has German VPN servers.
5. 
   PrivateVPN
   
   – A great all-round VPN service with fantastic security features, excellent customer service, and 2 German VPN servers.