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Best Overall
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More expensive than NordVPN, Surfshark, and CyberGhost
Best for affordability
Best for privacy
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More expensive than NordVPN, Surfshark, and CyberGhost
A virtual private network (VPN) is a powerful tool for privacy, and this holds true regardless of the country you’re in — or the country you want to look like you’re in. If you need a VPN service to encrypt your traffic in Australia, the best choices are ExpressVPN, NordVPN, and Proton VPN.
ExpressVPN provides a great (albeit pricey) all-around package, NordVPN offers a more affordable alternative, and Proton VPN is best for privacy-minded users. Any of these three will serve you well, whether you want to access geo-restricted Aussie streaming content or just browse privately.
The best VPN provider for Australia should have at least one dedicated Australian server (so that you can get an Australia IP address and unblock geo-restrictions), unlimited bandwidth for streaming or file sharing, and unlimited connections for large households. Additional premium features like split tunneling, specialty servers, and robust encryption can't hurt, either. And if your internet service provider (ISP) is notorious for ISP throttling, or limiting your bandwidth, a secure VPN can help you bypass data caps, so you can access streaming content from anywhere.
Our top picks are all outside intelligence-sharing alliances, which means if you need a VPN to bypass censorship, you don't have to worry about the Five Eyes, Nine Eyes, or Fourteen Eyes alliance spying on you.
| VPN |  |
 |
 |
| Starting price | Starts at $6.67/mo (billed annually) | Starts at $3.99/mo | Starts at $4.49/mo |
| Free version | |||
| Streaming support | Yes — Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, and more | Yes — Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, and more | Yes — Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+ |
| Learn more | Get ExpressVPN | Get NordVPN | Get Proton VPN |
Hides intrusive display ads when browsing the web, improving page speed and easing data usage on mobile
Privacy and safety benefits of a VPN with best-in-class encryption and innovative server technology in 105 countries
Enjoy no activity logs, malicious sites and trackers protection, and more on up to 8 devices
ExpressVPN is our pick for the best VPN for Australia. It’s a fantastic VPN with great performance, compatibility with a large number of devices and operating systems, and a robust feature set. Plus, ExpressVPN has the most advertised Australian servers, so you have a larger in-country network to choose from.
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ExpressVPN offers compatibility with a tremendous number of devices, including Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android, as well as Linux, router software, and smart devices. It also comes with the MediaStreamer smart DNS feature, which enables you to connect to the service on devices that aren’t otherwise compatible with VPNs, like smart TVs. This makes ExpressVPN ideal for users who need cross-platform capabilities.
ExpressVPN did well on our performance tests. We run each VPN we review through a series of speed tests and compare the results to our plain internet connection (without a VPN) to see how the service impacts speeds and latency. ExpressVPN saw relatively little change compared to other VPNs.
ExpressVPN’s privacy and no-logs policies are solid as well. It supports streaming from a wide variety of platforms, including Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+. Overall, it’s just a solid VPN with few major faults.
Finally, ExpressVPN offers very good customer support — something that’s a top priority for many customers. In our testing, we received a quick and helpful response to our questions, and the agent seemed to go out of their way to help us out. Additionally, the support site is thorough and easy to use.
Our biggest complaint with ExpressVPN is the price. It’s one of the more expensive options on the market. Now, while the price is high, the upshot is that you only need to agree to a one-year plan, whereas most other VPN providers with lower prices require two (or even three) year commitments to get that price. In fact, if you compare the monthly or even one-year options from other VPN providers, the price difference is a lot less pronounced.
Our other main complaint with ExpressVPN is that it doesn’t publish an official server count — only that it has VPN servers in 105 countries. While this isn’t a huge problem in practice, we would appreciate the additional transparency.
| Price range | $6.67–$12.95/mo |
| Free version | No |
| Number of servers | Servers in 105 countries |
| Server locations in Australia | Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney, Woolloomooloo |
| Number of connected devices | 8 |
| VPN protocol | Lightway, OpenVPN, LT2P/IPsec, IKEv2 |
| No-logs policy | No logs |
| Unblocks Netflix AU? | Yes |
| Torrenting support | Yes |
| Learn more | Get ExpressVPN |
Ultra-secure, high-speed VPN complete with malware protection and automatic blocking of intrusive ads and third-party trackers
Other benefits include a premium password manager, dark web monitoring, and access to IP-restricted content
3 plans to choose from for custom protection on up to 10 devices
NordVPN is a great option for users who want a strong VPN but don’t want to pay a lot for it. It’s very affordable, but it still packs enough features and performance that you don’t feel like you’re sacrificing for the price.
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There’s a lot to like about NordVPN, starting with the price — you can get plans as low as $3.99/mo. In addition to robust security features, such as AES-256 encryption and VPN protocols, NordVPN offers comprehensive streaming support, specialty servers, and advanced Threat Protection.
NordVPN is also user-friendly, which is an easy feature to overlook. It’s not something that’ll necessarily top a feature list, but it makes a huge difference when you use a VPN daily.
Finally, NordVPN has a solid number of Australian servers, which gives users a variety of location choices for the VPN, including Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne. NordVPN can also unblock Australian Netflix, making it ideal for streaming.
While NordVPN is very affordable, it’s not the lowest price you’ll find for a VPN provider. Surfshark, for example, is about a dollar per month cheaper. NordVPN also has a more limited count for simultaneous connections compared to providers like Surfshark or Private Internet Access, which offer unlimited simultaneous connections. You can only connect 10 devices at a time, which can be limiting for large households. Finally, while there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee, there’s no free plan with NordVPN, which would obviously be nice to see.
| Price range | $3.99–$15.99/mo |
| Free version | No |
| Number of servers | 6,200+ servers in 111 countries |
| Server locations in Australia | Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide |
| Number of connected devices | 10 |
| VPN protocol | OpenVPN, NordLynx, IKEv2/IPsec |
| No-logs policy | No logs |
| Unblocks Netflix AU? | Yes |
| Torrenting support | Yes |
| Learn more | Get NordVPN |
Easy to use
A strict no-logs policy that’s been tested in court
Proton VPN is ideal for users who prioritize privacy over other features. It's based in Switzerland, a country that is not part of any global information-sharing alliances. The company is also known for its focus on privacy — it’s the maker of the highly secure Proton Mail. Although VPNs are legal, their goal is to hide your activity, so maximum privacy and a neutral headquarters location are ideal.
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We appreciate the heavy privacy focus of Proton VPN. From the neutral home base in Switzerland to the strict no-logs policy, Proton is designed from the ground up to keep your browsing secure.
In fact, Proton’s no-logs policy has actually been tested in court. It’s also subject to regular audits, which it passes with flying colors. The headquarters in Switzerland doesn’t hurt — Swiss privacy laws are among the best in the world from a user’s perspective.
Proton VPN also offers a custom VPN protocol aptly named Stealth, which is geared specifically towards privacy. The protocol is designed to overcome internet censorship and VPN blocks so that you can surf privately no matter where you’re located.
Finally, on the security feature front, Proton offers a built-in kill switch, Always-on VPN (automatically reconnects if the VPN connection drops), and Tor over VPN, which enables you to connect to the Tor network without installing additional browsers or other software.
Proton VPN isn’t a one-trick pony, though. It’s got excellent streaming support, several Australian servers, and even a free plan with no data limit. None of the other options offer free plans — just free trials. The Proton VPN free plan lets you use the VPN on a single device with servers in the Netherlands, the U.S., and Japan. Best of all, the free plan has no data limit, so you can use it as much as you like.
The biggest downside of Proton VPN is its cost — it’s definitely on the pricier side, especially compared to NordVPN.
Plus, it has fewer servers than NordVPN. Proton VPN's smaller server network (compared to most VPN providers) isn’t a huge deal in day-to-day usage, but it does mean that during congested times you may see reduced performance.
| Price range | $4.99–$9.99/mo |
| Free version | Yes |
| Number of servers | 4,400+ servers in 91 countries |
| Server locations in Australia | Perth, Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane |
| Number of connected devices | 10 |
| VPN protocol | OpenVPN, IKEv2, WireGuard, Stealth |
| No-logs policy | No logs |
| Unblocks Netflix AU? | Yes |
| Torrenting support | Yes |
| Learn more | Get Proton VPN |
The VPN market is packed with excellent options. Based on our testing and research, here are three more VPNs for Australia that we can recommend.
Surfshark: Surfshark VPN is another extremely affordable option. It offers fast speeds, unlimited simultaneous connections, and 3,200+ servers in 100 countries. Plus, all Surfshark plans come with CleanWeb (a premium ad blocker), a 7-day free trial for Android, iOS, and macOS devices, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Get Surfshark | Read Our Surfshark Review
When choosing the best VPN services, we considered several factors, including price, performance, privacy, and features. We then selected an overall winner that we felt offered the best balance of these, plus a budget pick and a privacy pick (VPNs are all about privacy, after all).
Using a VPN in Australia is as simple as using one in most countries.
It really doesn’t get much simpler than that!
ExpressVPN is the best VPN for Australian Netflix. It offers excellent streaming support, performance, and privacy features, along with a good selection of Australian servers. You can also consider NordVPN if you want an affordable VPN with robust encryption and fast connection speeds.
Proton VPN is one of the best free VPNs for Australia, primarily because it has no data limits. Typically, free VPN services are rather limited (in an effort to get you to upgrade). However, Proton offers an extremely robust free plan with no data limits, which we really appreciate. You can still upgrade if you want access to more advanced features.
ExpressVPN has servers in more Australian cities than the other VPN services we reviewed. These locations include Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney, and Woolloomooloo. This gives users more options to spread out their traffic to different locations.
You may not technically need a VPN, but if you want to ensure maximum online privacy, using one is a good idea. VPNs help prevent tracking of your activities and help ensure that prying eyes can’t see your history online. While it’s not as necessary as it might be in some countries with tougher surveillance laws, using a VPN is still smart from a security perspective.
Our picks for the best VPNs for Australia are ExpressVPN, NordVPN, and Proton VPN. ExpressVPN offers a fantastic all-around experience, NordVPN is better for the budget-conscious, and Proton VPN is for those who value privacy above all else. Any of these three will make for an excellent day-to-day VPN experience in Australia (and anywhere else too).
If none of these options work for you, you can also consider our runners-up: CyberGhost, Surfshark, and Private Internet Access. Although they didn’t make the top three, they still have a lot to offer.
| Starting price | Best for | Learn more | |
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Starts at $6.67/mo (billed annually) | Best overall | Get ExpressVPN |
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Starts at $3.99/mo | Best for affordability | Get NordVPN |
|
Starts at $4.49/mo | Best for privacy | Get Proton VPN |
Hides intrusive display ads when browsing the web, improving page speed and easing data usage on mobile
Privacy and safety benefits of a VPN with best-in-class encryption and innovative server technology in 105 countries
Enjoy no activity logs, malicious sites and trackers protection, and more on up to 8 devices
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