Best VPN Providers in Germany [2024] - Live In Germany
Virtual Private Networks or VPNs are commonly described as software tools that allow you to browse the web without leaving footprints of your online activities. The VPNs are essentially software tools that shield your data from hyenas or hackers as they are so conveniently called, present in the ever-connected jungle of the internet. VPN in simple terms guards the privacy of the user and protects it from hackers or snoopers lurking on the public internet. If someone does not use a VPN then the Internet Service Provider (ISP) and the web-content provider can exchange the metadata information for the user. They may also try to sell this information for targeted marketing strategies. The Best VPN in Germany hides your IP and conforms to anonymity so that your activity is secure and free of unnecessary and unwarranted advertisements.
Why do we need a Virtual Private Networks (VPN) in Germany?
In a country like Germany, which is part of the 14 eyes alliance, the government is always trying to pry on the information and the meta data you possess. 14 eyes are an alliance amongst the government of different countries which log the user data and information, share it amongst themselves and utilize it for behavioral analysis and censorship.
One example of censorship can be such that the cultural environment and the organizational tendencies can still be somewhat anti-Semitic in Germany. The government can mask the information from getting public by applying censorship or certain firewalls for the public not being able to access it. In such scenarios, the best VPN in Germany can help the user bypass these filters and access the relevant information so that they don’t remain in the dark for what is happening around them.
Another example which shows the benefit of using the best VPN in Germany is that it generally allows user to access online streaming content of different regions rather than the ones which are only available for Germany. Services like Netflix and Disney+ have content which is viewable in only specific countries can also be viewed by using best VPN in Germany.
How does a VPN work?
The features and usage of the best VPN in Germany defined above might seem too good to be true. Well, they are. How? that’s the question you must really be asking. The best VPN in Germany work on the principle that they build a tunnel between you and the website you are trying to access. The tunnel is created in a way that the VPN connects you with its server present in a location near you. It hides the user details and connects the session with its server present in the location of the hosted website. In this way, the ISP and the website do not get your meta data information. Your anonymity is ensured, and your data is secured.
The Best VPN in Germany
So, what is the best VPN in Germany? How can one gain access to them? What are the benefits which set them apart? What are payment plans? Are there any discounts? …….
Don’t worry!! Sit back and relax!! We have got you covered!!
We have done some extensive research and testing to prepare a list of the Best VPNs in Germany currently. To prepare this list, we have defined ourselves a very comprehensive set of rules to which the best VPN in Germany should comply.
Why the use of VPN is legal in Germany?
It is not illegal to use the VPN for surfing and streaming. In fact, there is as such no law which inhibits the use of VPN in Germany. Having said that, using a VPN will not change the morality of your action. Any activity which is termed illegal without using a VPN will still be considered illegal with a VPN. For example, the consumption of pirated content is still illegal with a VPN.
Some content streaming websites need to abide by the guidelines set by regulatory authorities of different countries for streaming content that might be considered sensitive otherwise they might be subjected to censorship laws of the country.
For that reason, services like Amazon Prime and Disney plus condemn the use of VPN while consuming their services since the VPN hides the location of the user and renders the virtual boundaries set by the service providers useless.
Rules for selecting Best VPN in Germany
These rules for selecting best VPN service are described below:
- No Logging Policy: To protect your secrecy, you must consider that VPN service does not store any history of your online activities.
- Ability to Unblock Geo-blocked data: Choose a VPN that could unlock geo-blocked. The meaning of Geographically blocked content is to restrict some users to access any website or download certain apps or view any selected video content in the selected region. If you want to access some of the restricted content on Amazon Prime Video or Netflix, then VPN with the Geo-Unlocking feature might be worth an investment. If you are Netflix user then you might have experienced it that you can watch some content in some countries but when you travel and try to watch the same thing in the other country then it might be blocked or may be available in a different language.
Moreover sometime, some service provider charge more if you access their website from the rich or let’s say developed country but if you access it from some other country then you might see cheaper prices for the same service. Like Netflix is cheaper in some countries so you can always buy a Cheaper Netflix and use it in the country where it is expensive. - Number of Servers and their locations: If your VPN providers give you option to connect to the servers of different countries then it is really beneficial for unlocking Geo-Blocked content. Let’s you want to watch a series which is only available in the USA then you can simply connect to the USA server watch that series.
- Stable Connection and Speed: When you surfing, streaming your favorite movie, downloading a game or playing an online game then you want a stable internet connection so you will not get stuck in the buffering or your latency rate is so high that you can’ t even play the online game.
- Customer Support Availability: The good customer support is a much in all the services and if the customer services is 24/7 then you know that whenever you have a problem then there is a team which will listen to a query and solves your problem in time.
- Army Grade Encryption: When you are accessing your personal data on the public server then you always look for a secured connection. Similarly if you are connecting to any foreign server then you wan to have a secure connection. That’s why any VPN who claims that they have strong AES-256 bit encryption to secure your data, so your online activity will be in a form of encrypted data and nobody can see what you are doing on a public Wi-Fi.
- Payment plan and Number of Devices allowed per Plan: If you have multiple devices where you stream your favorite movies like mobile, table or TV then having a plan which offers multiple devices would be beneficial. Not only that you can also share some of the devices with your family and friends.
- Device and OS support: As mentioned before as if you want to use the VPN on multiple devices then you should also take in account if they provide multi OS Support. For example that if your VPN online works on Windows and iOS but not on the android devices. That’s why always check if your desired OS is supported by the VPN provider or Not
- Torrenting: Not all VPNs support peer-to-peer activities, if you are interested in using Torrent like application then check for this feature as well.
- Kill Switch:Let’s say that you were browsing some content where you don’t wanted to share any personal information like your personal IP or something similar and suddenly your VPN stops working then that website or service can access your real location. If your VPNs come with the Kill switch option then if your VPNs disconnects then it will also disconnect your internet connection so your personal information remains hidden.
- Auto-connect: Nobody likes to press the “Connect” button every time they get disconnected so having an auto-connect feature saves you a lot of time. This feature will also help, if you want to have an auto-connect feature when you boot your computer.
- Split tunneling: If you are looking for a VPN which allows you use VPN only for specific apps then you should look for a feature with Split tunneling. This allows, you can set the VPN connection for certain apps.
Top VPNs in Germany
Now here is the list of best VPNs in Germany according to us since they comply with the above-mentioned rules and provide the safest, most convenient, and fast service.
ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN, based in the British Virgin Islands. ExpressVPN has a very strict no logging policy and does not record any destination or content information related to your traffic.
With over 3000+ servers distributed in 160 locations across 105 countries, ExpressVPN has the best connection to error ratio all the while ensuring 80 percent speed of the available bandwidth. 24-hour live chat support, split tunneling and 256-bit AES encryption (military grade encryption-governance for handling sensitive data) are the main highlighting features of ExpressVPN.
Subscription is available at 8.32*$ per month* with 30-day refund policy. ExpressVPN is available for Windows, MAC OS, Android, and iOS devices.
Pros
✅ Zero log, solid encryption
✅ Fast speed \& Unlimited Bandwidth
✅ Kill switch, geospoofing
✅ Great customer support (4.7⭐ on iOS & 4.4⭐ on Android)
✅ Netflix support
✅ 30 days money-back guarantee
Cons
⛔️ Logs non-identifiable
⛔️ Expensive
NordVPN
NordVPN, based in Panama. NordVPN offers a kill switch in order to give off-network protection and when you are connected. Most secure in this category as it has also passed the DNS leak test. Netflix support is available and unblock the geo-blocked content of Netflix and many other streaming services. With over 6000+ servers distributed in 830 + locations across 61 countries**, NordVPN is amongst the best in VPN market. Such a high number of servers in a very well thought of network,
NordVPN has the best connection and grant you fast speed of available bandwidth but if your connections use double encryption (the double VPN feature adds an extra layer of encryption so you can surf even more securely), then speed may drop. 24 hours live chat is available for NordVPN users. NordVPN offers split tunneling for Android, Android TV, and Windows devices. For detailed instructions (including a guide for Windows 7 and 8). 256-bit AES encryption and 2P2 torrenting are the prominent features. 2.89*$ per month, the bi-annual subscription charges are *52.68$ and 69.36$ for yearly subscription, besides this it has 30-day refund policy. 6 devices** are allowed to connect via one account. NordVPN is available for Microsoft Windows, MAC OS, Android, Linux and iOS devices.
Pros
✅ Supports up to 6 devices on one account
✅ Zero log, solid encryption
✅ Kill switch, geospoofing
✅ Great customer support
✅ Unlimited bandwidth
✅ 30 days money-back guarantee
Cons
No ad blocking
⛔️ Speed may drop if you use double encryption
SurfSharkVPN
Surfshark is based in the British Virgin Islands. SurfSharkVPN has privacy-enhancing abilities such as CleanWeb and MultiHop for data protection. It is considered a secure VPN as it succeeded in passing the DNS leak test. It has the ability to work within geo-restrictions thus supporting Netflix and other streaming content.
With over 3200 servers across 65 countries, SurfSharkVPN has the best connection and grants you not only a fast speed of available bandwidth but also has the feature of double encryption. It can support 5 devices with one connection. You can approach the 24/7 customer service agents through emails or live chat.
Split tunneling is available. 256-bit AES encryption and 2P2 torrenting are allowed and accessible. 2.49$ per month with the 30-day refund policy. Unlimited devices are allowed to connect through one account. Budget-friendly VPN for families in Germany. SurfSharkVPN is available for Microsoft Windows, MAC OS, Android, Linux, and iOS devices.
Pros
✅ Internet kill Switch
✅ Supports 5 devices on one connection
✅ Budget friendly
✅ Netflix support
✅ Unlimited connections
✅ 30 days money-back guarantee
Cons
⛔️ Limited P2P servers
⛔️ Just 2 locations of sever in Germany
⛔️ Speed may drop if you use double encryption
CyberGhostVPN
Cyberghost, based in Romania. CyberGhostVPN is an excellent choice regarding data logging. Modified modes of streaming services and Netflix support are available but in certain countries.
With over 7700+ servers distributed across 90 countries, CyberGhostVPN is reliable in VPN market. A drop of 10-25% than a fast VPN is measured, hence has average speed. 24/7 live chat is available for CyberGhostVPN users. Split tunneling is available. 256-bit AES military grade encryption (governance for handling sensitive data) and 2P2 torrenting is allowed and accessible. Considered as top rank VPN for torrenting.
1.99€ per month with 45-day refund policy. 7 devices are allowed to connect via one account. CyberGhostVPN is available for Windows, MAC OS, Android, Linux, Routers, Browser extensions and iOS devices.
Pros
✅ Supports up to 7 devices on one account
✅ Best VPN for torrenting
✅ Low price
✅ 45 days money-back guarantee
Cons
⛔️ Netflix is available in some countries
⛔️ Slow performance on Windows
PureVPN
PureVPN is based in Hong Kong. PueVPN has no traffic logging policy but it is not DNS leak protected. Netflix support is available and updated frequently. Work within geo-restriction and many other streaming services with limitless bandwidth.
With over 750+ servers distributed across 141 countries; speed is unpredictable in peak hours. 24 hours live chat is available for PureVPN users. Split tunneling is available. 256-bit AES encryption 2P2 torrenting is allowed and accessible.
3.99$ per month with the 31-day refund policy considered best for a weekly contract. 5 devices are allowed to connect via one account. PureVPN is available for Windows, MAC OS, Android, Linux and iOS devices.
Pros
✅ Zero log
✅ Affordable
✅ Great customer service
✅ Compatible with 50+ platforms
✅ Servers optimized specifically for 2P2 torrenting
✅ 31 days money-back guarantee
Cons
⛔️ Compromised security
⛔️ DNS leaks
⛔️ Low speed during peak hours
Conclusion
The list of VPNs prepared above is a very comprehensive one, with attention to detail given to every aspect of the VPN from the user’s point of view. But at the end of the day, it is you who should benefit from our research on the Best VPN in Germany. It all comes down to the question that what use will you put this VPN too? Our 10 rules try to cover every angle of that question and we are sure that you will find the best VPN in Germany for your use in our list.
If you are not worried about paying a premium price but are concerned about speed and stability, then ExpressVPN should be your weapon of choice. However, if you do count your pennies before spending then SurfShark’s budget-friendly plan might be just for you with its support for unlimited devices. If you are looking for value for money, then NordVPN will do the trick.
While in Germany, you should really consider the fact that paying a price for a secure connection is not only saving you from unwanted advertisements but also unblocking your way in freedom for information. Be sure not to opt for free VPNs available in the market since they do not guarantee anonymity and are often found as a culprit for selling your metadata to the highest bidder. These are also very susceptible to the enquires raised by BND.
The VPNs mentioned in our list have a 30-day trial policy as well. Take a trial of the best VPN in Germany and feel the difference by walking into the path of unbridled freedom and choice.
Jibran Shahid
Hi, I am Jibran, your fellow expat living in Germany since 2014. With over 10 years of personal and professional experience navigating life as a foreigner, I am dedicated to providing well-researched and practical guides to help you settle and thrive in Germany. Whether you are looking for advice on bureaucracy, accommodation, jobs, or cultural integration, I have got you covered with tips and insights tailored specifically for expats. Join me on my journey as I share valuable information to make your life in Germany easier and more enjoyable.