10 best Australia VPNs to use in 2020

Are you looking for a VPN to protect your privacy against invasive Australian laws? Or maybe or want to unblock content in another country? In this guide, we show you the best VPNs to use in Australia and why.

The best VPNs for Australians today


  1. NordVPN

    – An easy to use VPN for Australia. It has great a smartphone app for Android & iOS, that provides the same protection that desktop users get.

  2. ExpressVPN

    – The Best VPN to use in Australia. It’s a fast, secure & versatile service – perfect for unblocking, streaming, torrenting and gaming.

  3. CyberGhost VPN

    – A great value VPN for Australia. It’s a slick app that works great on Windows, Mac, Android & iOS. Perfect for all your devices.

  4. Private Internet Access

    – One of the most secure VPNs for Australia. You get amazing privacy features & a no-logs policy. Ideal for secure torrenting.

  5. Surfshark

    – A cheap VPN for Australia. For $2.49 a month, you get great speeds for streaming & superb unblocking capabilities.

Get ExptressVPN our #1 VPN pick for Australia

See full list & analysis

The Australian government has passed highly invasive laws that force ISPs to collect and store internet users’ web history and metadata for 24 months. With a VPN for Australia, you can encrypt your traffic to gain privacy and stop such invasive government surveillance in its tracks.

Using a VPN in Australia also allows you to bypass website blocks – to access restricted torrent and streaming sites. And with a VPN, you can pretend to be in the US, the UK, or elsewhere to bypass geo-restrictions and watch iPlayer, Netflix US, and tons of other streaming options from all across the globe. Plus, a VPN will let you get an Australian IP address when you go on holiday – so that you can keep watching Aussie TV, or access your internet banking from abroad. 

We’d recommend any of the VPNs featured in the article, as they can provide the following key features:

Now that you know what we are looking for, let’s take an in-depth look at our recommendations below.

The best VPNs for Australia in 2020

These are the best VPNs to use in Australia this year.

NordVPN is a solid VPN for Australia on all devices. It is highly secure, private, and consistently one of the fastest VPNs for people living down under.

  • Pricing

    From 

    $3.71 –
    $11.95

  • Speeds

    • 76.63 Mbps
  • Allows torrenting?

  • Unblocks

    • Netflix
    • iPlayer
    • Amazon Prime
    • Hulu

NordVPN is a well-known VPN service based in Panama. It is a no-logs service with a lot of advanced privacy features. NordVPN is ideal for any Australian looking to conceal their online habits from their ISP and the government. The robust OpenVPN encryption will ensure that your ISP can never track your online habits on behalf of the government.

NordVPN has superb apps for all platforms, and you can install and use the VPN on up to 6 devices simultaneously. This makes it great for families or people with a lot of devices. With servers in over 60 countries, you can easily bypass blocks to access torrent repositories and streaming websites that are restricted. This VPN has advanced features like a kill-switch, DNS leak protection, obfuscation, OpenVPN encryption, double-hop routing, VPN into Tor, and split tunneling. It’s a superb all-rounder that provides incredibly fast speeds and can unblock Netflix US, BBC iPlayer, or pretty much anything else you fancy!

You can test it using its 30-day money-back guarantee.

Best VPN for Australia: ExpressVPN is our #1 pick. This really is a great all-round VPN to use in Australia, with loads of server choice, unblocking capabilities & blazing fast speeds.

  • Pricing

    From 

    $6.67 –
    $12.95

  • Speeds

    • 46.65 Mbps
  • Allows torrenting?

  • Unblocks

    • Netflix
    • iPlayer
    • Amazon Prime
    • Hulu

ExpressVPN all devices

ExpressVPN is a huge and well-respected name in the VPN market, and has built a stellar reputation off of the back of its reliability and watertight privacy policy. Strongly implemented OpenVPN encryption keeps your data secure, too. What’s more, ExpressVPN is jam-packed with every feature you could want from a VPN; including a stealth mode, kill-switch, auto-connect, DNS leak protection, and shared and static IPs. Dedicated IPs are also available. For those that want to run the VPN directly on a router (to protect all the devices in their home automatically), ExpressVPN sells a pre-flashed router.

The VPN software looks great and is easy to use, available for all platforms, and can be used on five devices simultaneously. Customer care is provided by superb 24/7 live chat, and the service can even unblock streaming content from Netflix and BBC iPlayer reliably. Finally, it provides a 30-day money-back guarantee to test the service risk-free.

CyberGhost is a great value VPN for Australia. It works like a dream on Windows, Mac, Android & iOS, so you can surf the web protected on all your devices without breaking the bank.

  • Pricing

    From 

    $2.81 –
    $13.47

  • Speeds

    • 30.80 Mbps
  • Allows torrenting?

  • Unblocks

    • Netflix
    • iPlayer
    • Amazon Prime
    • Hulu

CyberGhost VPN on all devices

CyberGhost is a great VPN for Australia. Encryption is military-grade OpenVPN, and setting up the service is really easy. CyberGhost’s user-friendly apps are available for all popular platforms. No usage logs are kept, and this VPN has an excellent privacy policy in general.

What’s more, the VPN is based in Romania, well out of reach of invasive governments like the UK and the US. The VPN is fully-featured with DNS leak protection and a kill-switch. Finally, the VPN provides super-fast speeds for streaming in HD. CyberGhost provides a 45-day money-back guarantee to test the service.

Private Internet Access is the most secure VPN for Australia on our list. It has a no-logs policy which has been proven in court, excellent encryption & loads of privacy features so you get real peace of mind.

  • Pricing

    From 

    $2.84 –
    $10.51

  • Speeds

    • 58.12 Mbps
  • Allows torrenting?

  • Unblocks

    • Netflix
    • iPlayer
    • Amazon Prime
    • Hulu

PIA on WindowsPrivate Internet Access (or PIA) is another great choice for Australia, and uses strong encryption protocols to keep its users safe – and a ton of customizable options, too. For this reason, PIA has become a favorite of the online security community. PIA’s client is easy to navigate, use, and comes with a kill-switch, DNS leak protection, auto-connect feature, and P2P support. When it comes to servers, PIA’s network is rapidly expanding, with coverage in 74 locations worldwide. What’s more, these servers are blazing-fast and unlimited bandwidth.

The downside to PIA is that, while it offers a no-logs policy, it is based in the US, meaning it could be served a warrant if it came down to it. On the other hand, with no logs or personal data to hand over, the warrant really wouldn’t do much. In fact, PIA has proven the integrity of its no-logs claim in court on multiple occasions!

Surfshark is a cheap VPN for Australia. It’s a relatively new service, but for a low price you get fast speeds, true unblocking power and watertight privacy.

  • Pricing

    From 

    $2.49 –
    $12.95

  • Speeds

    • 63.51 Mbps
  • Allows torrenting?

  • Unblocks

    • Netflix
    • iPlayer
    • Amazon Prime
    • Hulu

SurfShark VPN on all devices

Surfshark is a VPN based in the British Virgin Islands, a perfect location for gaining privacy from ISP and government snooping in Australia. The VPN has a zero-logs policy and strong OpenVPN encryption, to ensure that your data can never be accessed even with a warrant. Plus, Surfshark has industry-leading features such as OpenVPN encryption, DNS leak protection, a kill-switch, and obfuscation. This makes Surfshark ideal for torrenting securely, as well as for bypassing ISP website blocks.

Surfshark grants its customers access to servers in 60 countries around the world. These servers are ideal for unblocking sought-after international streaming services, including hulu, BBC iPlayer, and, of course, Netflix US. To top things off, a customer care team is on hand 24/7 to field any questions via live chat. It should be noted that Surfshark is a particularly great pick for large families – with just one subscription you’ll be able to install the VPN on an unlimited number of devices, and rest assured that everyone’s PCs, laptops, and mobiles are secured. We’d definitely recommend putting Surfshark to the test yourself with its 30-day money-back guarantee!

VyprVPN hits the perfect balance between privacy, price, and performance. With this service you get heaps of privacy features & great speeds on its own proprietary network of servers.

  • Pricing

    From 

    $2.50 –
    $12.95

  • Speeds

    • 30.83 Mbps
  • Allows torrenting?

  • Unblocks

    • Netflix
    • iPlayer
    • Amazon Prime
    • Hulu

VyprVPN on all devices

VyprVPN is a VPN provider based in Switzerland, perfect for protecting your data from the surveillance-hungry Aussie government. Being based in Switzerland means that it is unlikely to receive any data requests from the authorities, and because this VPN keeps zero logs, it would have nothing to hand over, anyway. 

VyprVPN has strong apps for all platforms that provide market-leading OpenVPN encryption, ensuring that your ISP can never retain your web browsing habits on behalf of the Australian authorities. And, because this VPN has excellent security features like a kill-switch, DNS leak protection, and cloaking, you can be sure that the VPN is always concealing your real location and data effectively. In addition to privacy, VyprVPN has servers in 70 countries, which means it is perfect for unblocking content. And because the VPN runs on a proprietary network, it is lightning fast and ideal for streaming or downloading via P2P (Torrenting). 

This VPN can be used on up to 5 simultaneous devices at once, which makes it great for families or people who have a lot of devices. And it also means that you can easily use it on mobile devices to ensure you are secure while using public WiFi. VyprVPN actually paid for its own third-party audit, which means you can trust its service to provide the privacy it promises, and because it has a 30-day money-back guarantee you can test it without risking your hard-earned cash.

IPVanish is a reliable VPN for Australians. When signing up for this service, expect proprietary servers with consistently fast connection speeds – ideal for torrenting, gaming or streaming.

  • Pricing

    From 

    $6.49 –
    $10.00

  • Speeds

    • 45.47 Mbps
  • Allows torrenting?

  • Unblocks

    • Netflix
    • Hulu

IPVanish is a reliable US-based VPN that provides super-fast servers in over 75 countries worldwide. It has plenty of servers in Australia, Japan, and around the Pacific Rim – so you can always get great speeds whenever you need to. 

If you are concerned about government snooping, IPVanish has your privacy covered thanks to its no-logs policy, kill-switch, DNS leak protection, OpenVPN encryption, and obfuscation. IPVanish is also great for unblocking YouTube or games like Fortnite or Minecraft at work or in school. And IPVanish allows users to connect an unlimited number of devices simultaneously – which makes it great for anybody who owns a lot of devices.

It’s an excellent all-rounder great for gaining privacy down under. Why not give it a try using its 30-day money-back guarantee?

Ivacy is the cheapest VPN for Australia on our list. From just $1.16 per month, you can have decent speeds, privacy & a choice of 100+ server locations. Perfect if you’re on a budget.

  • Pricing

    From 

    $0.99 –
    $9.95

  • Speeds

    • 101.99 Mbps
  • Allows torrenting?

  • Unblocks

    • Netflix
    • iPlayer
    • Amazon Prime
    • Hulu

Ivacy is a VPN service based in Singapore that is great for gaining digital privacy in Australia. It is a zero-logs VPN with apps for all platforms that provide important features such as a kill-switch, OpenVPN encryption, DNS leak protection, and obfuscation (through TCP over port 443). We love that this VPN has apps in over 100 countries, which makes it great for unblocking geo-restricted content from around the world. And because Ivacy has servers in Australia, you can unblock content from back home if you go on vacation.

We enjoy using this VPN for torrenting and for unblocking streaming sites. And the VPN will let you unblock content at home, at work, or on public WiFi in complete privacy. Plus, this VPN can unblock Netflix US, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, YouTube TV, and many other streaming services. Its servers are also consistently some of the fastest in the industry, so you’ll have no issues streaming content smoothly in full HD without any buffering.

Click through to its website to give it a try using its 30-day money-back guarantee.

PrivateVPN is a great VPN for Australian streaming fans. It has fully-featured apps loaded with tricks to help unblock the toughest streaming sites, and you can enjoy them all in HD.

  • Pricing

    From 

    $1.89 –
    $7.12

  • Speeds

    • 36.12 Mbps
  • Allows torrenting?

  • Unblocks

    • Netflix
    • iPlayer
    • Amazon Prime
    • Hulu

PrivateVPN is a provider based in Sweden that is perfectly suited to gaining digital privacy in Australia. It is a no-logs service that never stores records of what its users do online. And because it provides strong OpenVPN encryption, and a wide range of security features – you can be assured that your ISP and the government will be unable to track your online habits. This will allow you to access restricted streaming sites and to engage in torrenting without anybody ever finding out. And, with PrivateVPN, you get a kill-switch and port forwarding, which makes it great for anybody who wants to download content P2P.

We love that PrivateVPN has apps for all platforms and that it has live chat support to help you whenever you need it. PrivateVPN has servers in over 60 countries, to let you access Netflix US, iPlayer, Hulu, YouTube TV, HBO Max, or virtually anything else you desire. And this VPN has obfuscation for getting around firewalls and bypassing ISP throttling. PrivateVPN is surprisingly fast considering the low price of a subscription.

We enjoy using PrivateVPN on all platforms and love that you can use it on up to 6 devices at once. You can test it using its 30-day money-back guarantee.

ProtonVPN is a trusted VPN for Australia. Devised by the minds behind ProtonMail, it provides the same great levels of privacy and encryption – but doesn’t compromise on speed.

  • Free option

    Yes

    Pricing

    From 

    $3.29 –
    $5.00

  • Speeds

    • 46.71 Mbps
  • Allows torrenting?

  • Unblocks

    • Netflix
    • iPlayer
    • Amazon Prime
    • Hulu

ProtonVPN is a service that is great for both privacy and gaining added freedom online. It is a superb service for any Australian resident who wants to prevent their ISP from collecting data about them on behalf of the government. ProtonVPN is based in Switzerland; an excellent location in terms of data privacy. And it is a no-logs service that will always ensure your online habits are private – whether at home, at work, or on public WiFi.

This VPN has apps for all platforms that come fully featured with a kill-switch and OpenVPN encryption – this makes it great for accessing streams or torrents blocked by the government. ProtonVPN has servers in 50 countries, perfect for accessing geo-restricted content from around the globe. Plus ProtonVPN works with Netflix US, Hulu, iPlayer, and other popular streaming services without any issues.

You can test it using its 30-day money-back guarantee.

Which is the Fastest VPN for Australians?

If you’re a gamer, an avid streamer, or someone who plans to download files whilst connected to a VPN, then speed will be an incredibly important consideration. We’ve got your back. At ProPrivacy, we run daily speed tests on all of our top VPN picks and display the results in the graph below. Take a look, and see what sort of speeds you can expect when using a VPN.

A note on VPN speeds

The VPN speeds found in the graph above are up-to-date results from our global speed test servers. We use a scientific method to test VPNs three times a day to provide you with the most accurate VPN speed data in the world. Our results provide a clear picture of which of our 10 VPN picks for Australia is the fastest at the moment!

Will a VPN improve my connection speeds?

Unfortunately, a VPN will not improve the speeds you pay for from your ISP. This is a common misconception, and if you’re already struggling with poor connection speeds, then a VPN is unlikely to help the situation. In fact, you can typically expect a slight loss of speed when connected to a VPN. This is because your traffic must be encrypted and decrypted, and it travels a greater distance because of the VPN server. The speed loss is simply due to the nature of how VPNs work, and it’s essentially an inevitable side effect of using the technology.

That said, the VPNs our experts hand-picked for this guide offer Tier 1 servers, so the reduction in speed that you will experience when connected to one of these VPNs will be negligible.

For more information, check out our VPN speeds guide.

Why you should consider using a VPN in Australia

With a VPN, you can protect your digital privacy and gain online freedom by:

A VPN uses strong encryption to prevent your ISP, the government, or WiFi hackers, from snooping on your data. Connecting to a VPN server also conceals your IP address to stop websites and businesses from tracking you.

How a VPN works

To ensure that we have catered to everybody, in this article we have included some cheap VPNs that provide every VPN feature you’d need in a quality VPN product – at an affordable rate. These inexpensive VPNs are incredible when you consider the features on offer – and they won’t sacrifice your privacy or security, either, as they’re simply cheaper options. Admittedly, paying a bit more may get you some useful extra features, or slightly better speeds. However, you can test the VPNs out to see if they suit you thanks to the money-back guarantees they all provide.

If you’re not entirely sure what a VPN is, how they work, or why you’d even need one in the first place, we’ve put together some guides for you. Take a few minutes to check them out; they’re designed to walk you through all you need to know about VPNs!

What makes a VPN good to use in Australia?

When considering which services to include in our list of the best VPNs for Australia, we looked for the following features and key aspects:

Is it safe to use a free VPN in Australia?

We wouldn’t recommend using a free VPN. If you’re adamant, however, it’s best to proceed with caution. There are tons of dodgy dealers and unreliable free VPN providers on the market. These services are everything a VPN shouldn’t be – instead of protecting and providing privacy, they’ll harvest your data to sell on to third-party advertisers.

It’s not all doom and gloom, however. Some free services are secure and safe. They do come with their own limitation, so head on over to our free VPN guide for the lowdown.

Alternatively, if you want to get a premium VPN service without risking your cash, you should take advantage of VPN providers’ money-back guarantees.

Top-tip: Get ExpressVPN for Free!

Did you know you can experience ExpressVPN’s fully featured service without restrictions… for free!

If you’re finding free VPNs too restrictive, why not test ExpressVPN premium service? Simply purchase a subscription using the button below and take advantage of the absolutely risk-free money-back-guarantee. Enjoy the service for up to 30-days, and when you cancel, you will receive a complete refund!

Visit ExpressVPN >>

VPNs are completely legal to use in Australia, and we strongly recommend that you use one. The Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Amendment (Data Retention) Bill has been enforceable since 2015. This law forces Australian ISPs to collect and store metadata about you for two full years. This information includes large amounts of personal data – every phone call made, every email and text message sent, and the online browsing activities of every Australian citizen.

The information collected by ISPs is fully accessible without a warrant to a broad cross-section of government agencies. And the entities that have the authority to access that data can be expanded by the Attorney-General on a whim. As if that wasn’t enough, concerns about privacy in Australia are growing. The Assistance and Access Bill 2018 – gives the government the power to force tech firms to put backdoors in encryption; meaning that the situation is only growing worse.

The government is elected by the people and is supposed to protect the people – not spy on them for no good reason. Since the time of the Magna Carta, privacy has been fought over and fought for, and citizens need to continue to fight to maintain it. The laws that have passed in Australia are so invasive that a VPN’s encryption is really the only way to gain any level of privacy. So, if you want to join the growing number of Aussies who use a VPN to stop Australian ISPs from tracking you on behalf of the government – be sure to subscribe to a provider!

How to set up and use a VPN for Australia

Installing setting up a VPN typically takes only about 5 minutes and is super simple. All you need to do is:

  1. Pick a recommended VPN from the list above, such as our top pick ExpressVPN
    .
  2. Click the link provided and subscribe to the service.
  3. Download the software provided by your VPN service and install it using the installation wizard.
  4. Open the app and connect to a server of your choosing.

That’s it, you’re done! You can now go online and enjoy browsing with total privacy.

Using a VPN router in Australia

The VPN providers we’ve hand-picked for our guide are all pretty versatile; you’ll be able to set up the client software on your computer or mobile device (as is more traditional), but you’ll also have the option of configuring it on a router, too. Doing so can offer you several advantages and truly unlock the full potential of your VPN.

First and foremost, by connecting your VPN through a compatible router, you’ll be able to protect and all devices that connect to that router – at the same time. Since your VPN provider will count your router connection as only one connection, this means that you can effectively bypass any connection limit imposed by your provider and connect an unlimited number of devices to the VPN. You won’t need to tediously install the VPN on each individual device, either. All devices that you connect through the router will automatically be protected – handy, right?

Additionally, when you use a VPN router, you will be able to connect devices like gaming consoles and smart TVs that don’t have native VPN support built into them. This means that you can use your VPN router setup to unblock Netflix and other streaming sites directly on your smart TV, and you can secure your gaming console and connect to gaming servers from all over the world.

And the best part is, you can even purchase a pre-configured router from FlashRouters with the VPN all set up and ready to go and fully compatible with many of the most popular VPN services. So there’s no need to be of the mindset that a router setup is too technically involved to accomplish.

For more detailed information on some of our experts’ recommended VPN routers and how to get them set up, check out our Best VPN Routers page.

FAQs

Conclusion

Now we’ve covered everything you need to know about regaining your privacy in Australia, let’s review our top VPN picks:


  1. NordVPN

    – An easy to use VPN for Australia. It has great a smartphone app for Android & iOS, that provides the same protection that desktop users get.

  2. ExpressVPN

    – The Best VPN to use in Australia. It’s a fast, secure & versatile service – perfect for unblocking, streaming, torrenting and gaming.

  3. CyberGhost VPN

    – A great value VPN for Australia. It’s a slick app that works great on Windows, Mac, Android & iOS. Perfect for all your devices.

  4. Private Internet Access

    – One of the most secure VPNs for Australia. You get amazing privacy features & a no-logs policy. Ideal for secure torrenting.

  5. Surfshark

    – A cheap VPN for Australia. For $2.49 a month, you get great speeds for streaming & superb unblocking capabilities.