Whether you live in Europe, travel in Europe a lot, or want to have access to European websites and streaming sites, you’ll need a decent Virtual Private Network or VPN to protect your browsing data and give you more online freedom. The best VPNs for Europe are NordVPN, ExpressVPN, PrivateVPN, CyberGhost, Surfshark, and ProtonVPN.
Since Europe is a significant continent, many VPN providers cater to this part of the world and have servers located there. VPNs have become increasingly popular in Europe since the introduction of the European Union (EU) General Data Protection Regulation in 2018. While this law aimed to provide consumers with more rights to what they shared with websites, it alerted many Europeans that their digital privacy is near nonexistent.
Finding a great VPN provider shouldn’t be a difficult task. We’ve found the best VPNs that have server locations all across the European continent.
| Max Speed: | 115000 Mbps |
|---|---|
| Type of IP offered: | Dedicated |
| Simultaneous connections / Users: | 6 |
| Number of Netflix Libraries: | 12 |
| Information sharing: | None |
| OS support: | Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, Windows |
Ultra-fast connection
No-logs policy
5400 servers in 54 countries
Limited payment options
No Split Tunneling on desktop
Only 6 simultaneous connection
NordVPN makes our list due to its impressive European-based server network, advanced security features, and the complete privacy it offers users on the internet, allowing them to surf anonymously.
Does NordVPN work in Europe? It most certainly does and is one of the best VPNs for European citizens or Europhiles. NordVPN has 5,300+ VPN servers in its large network, with almost half of these in Europe alone. The servers are located in around 35 European countries including Turkey, making NordVPN one of the best European providers.
Fans of torrenting can make the most out of NordVPN’s P2P servers, many of which are located in Europe. There is also the option to further secure your data traffic by connecting to the Tor network, which is an option that not all VPN providers offer.
When it comes to online privacy and security, NordVPN is one of the best VPNs. NordVPN has its headquarters in Panama, a jurisdiction that doesn’t have any strict data retention laws. Users don’t need to worry about their data getting logged as NordVPN has a strict no-logs policy and only stores a timestamp of your last server connection for 15 minutes.
There is also the option to connect to DNS servers that offer DNS leak protection. A kill switch feature is also available and blocks your entire internet connection or access to apps you have specified, should your VPN server connection go down. The NordVPN kill switch is available on Windows, iOS, Android, and macOS.
NordVPN is well known for being able to unblock Netflix and other popular streaming services. If you’re based outside of Europe and want to watch British TV via BBC iPlayer, or foreign Netflix and Amazon Prime Video libraries, you can do so with NordVPN.
Thanks to the obfuscated servers that NordVPN uses, streaming sites don’t detect a VPN, allowing users to bypass geo-blocks. The NordVPN Smart DNS feature allows users to watch streaming sites on their Apple TV or Amazon Fire Stick.
NordVPN is also one of the fastest VPNs, which is why it is near the top of our list. If you like gaming, streaming, or torrenting, then you’ll need a VPN that offers fast speeds, and NordVPN does. While our download speeds did dip slightly when connected to servers in the UK and Germany from the USA, they were still fast enough to provide us with seamless video quality. We also were able to connect to servers quickly, without too much of a wait.
If you don’t want to encrypt all of your internet traffic with a VPN, then you can enjoy the split tunneling option offered by NordVPN. If you want to watch Italian Netflix through a VPN server, but carry out the rest of your online tasks through your regular network, then you can choose which websites and apps will go through the encrypted VPN tunnel and which won’t.
We like the customer support that NordVPN offers, which includes a 24/7 live chat. There is a 30-day refund policy for users, which gives you the time to try out NordVPN to see whether you like the service or not.
| Max Speed: | 58000 Mbps |
|---|---|
| Type of IP offered: | Dedicated |
| Simultaneous connections / Users: | 5 |
| Number of Netflix Libraries: | 12 |
| Information sharing: | None |
| OS support: | Android, ChromeOS, iOS, Linux, macOS, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows |
Tons of payment options
24-hour live chat suppot
30-day money back guarantee
More expensive than competitors
Only 5 simultaneous connections
No servers in Russia
Top of the list is ExpressVPN, which has VPN servers in 48 countries in Europe as well as advanced security features and unblocking abilities.
ExpressVPN is known for its unlimited bandwidth on servers which results in lightning-fast speeds for its users. Connecting to one of ExpressVPN’s European servers is fast, easy to do, and you have many options since it has server locations in almost 50 countries including Italy and Norway.
Another factor contributing to the excellent speeds that ExpressVPN has to offer is that it has built its very own protocol, Lightway. This open-source protocol is super fast but also extremely secure. ExpressVPN also offers other protocols such as OpenVPN, IKEv2, and L2TP/IPsec.
If you’re worried about online privacy and security with ExpressVPN, you don’t need to. The provider has some excellent security features including AES-256 encryption on all of its servers, and each has DNS leak protection to keep your online activities private.
ExpressVPN uses advanced server technology to ensure that all user browsing data is kept extra secure, with servers running on RAM only. Since no activity is ever logged onto servers and ExpressVPN has a no-logs policy, it means whatever you get up to on one of Express’ servers will always remain private.
When browsing, you needn’t worry about your online activities ever being exposed. ExpressVPN has a kill switch called the Network Lock, which is automatically activated upon downloading the VPN and cuts off internet access if the VPN drops. Unfortunately, the Network Lock is only available on Windows, Mac, Android, and Linux operating systems. There is currently no kill switch for iOS users.
ExpressVPN offers 5 simultaneous device connections and is compatible with all popular operating systems, including Apple TV and Amazon Fire Stick. The VPN can also be configured to your router to protect multiple devices at once. An in-depth online guide explains how you can do this, protecting all devices connected to your router and bypassing the device limit.
If you’re using a VPN because you want to access European content blocked in your country, you have a lot of choices with ExpressVPN. Not only can you access foreign newspapers and websites, but it is possible to bypass geo-restrictions watch foreign TV series with ExpressVPN.
Express is one of the few VPN providers that successfully gets past Netflix’s VPN firewall. We tested out ExpressVPN with BBC iPlayer, YouTube, and Amazon Prime Video and were also able to unblock European catalogs from both of these streaming providers.
ExpressVPN has a basic client interface, which is easy to use. This provides an overall decent user experience, although we prefer the sleeker designs of other providers’ apps like NordVPN. With ExpressVPN, you have access to 24/7 customer support through both a live chat and email option and a 30-day money-back guarantee if you change your mind about the VPN service.
| Max Speed: | Unlimited |
|---|---|
| Type of IP offered: | Shared |
| Simultaneous connections / Users: | 6 |
| Number of Netflix Libraries: | 5 |
| Information sharing: | None |
| OS support: | Android, iOS, macOS, Windows |
Torrenting friendly
Excellent customer support
Cheap plans
Small server network
No split tunneling
No dedicated IPs
PrivateVPN is a Swedish-based provider that has VPN servers in 31 European countries, enabling users to access geo-restricted content from around the world.
At VPNSurfers, we really like PrivateVPN. It offers great VPN services for a low cost, and although it only has a small server network, it regularly changes its IP addresses. This makes it a great VPN to access content on European Netflix libraries, YouTube, and Amazon Prime Video libraries. These websites will often block an IP address if it is associated with a VPN. With Private, this rarely happens since it updates its IPs constantly.
If you want to use a VPN to avoid the EU’s data retention laws, you can trust PrivateVPN. First of all, Private is based in Sweden which enjoys good data privacy laws. PrivateVPN doesn’t, and more importantly, won’t ever, store user information, and its privacy policy is repeated frequently on its website.
Secondly, all Private VPN servers are equipped with industry-standard AES-256 encryption with a 2048-bit DH key to protect your online privacy. It uses OpenVPN, L2TP/IPsec, IKEv2, or PPTP protocols, and we like that users have a choice of which protocols they can use for advanced online security.
Although Private is a small and relatively newer VPN provider, it is one of the fastest. This is because it purchases internet capacity directly from IP transit providers, sidestepping hosting companies which usually have speed limits.
We put Private’s speeds to the test with some tests and were pleasantly surprised by the internet connection speed results. Our ping was low, and download speeds didn’t decrease by much. We believe Private would be great for online activities like gaming, streaming, and torrenting.
If you like torrenting, you can connect to Private’s European servers in the UK, supporting P2P networking. It offers at least one open port on its VPN service, an essential torrenting feature. There is also a kill switch feature, DNS leak protection, and IPv6 leak protection to ensure that your real IP address is never accidentally leaked.
It is possible to protect up to 6 devices with one Private subscription. PrivateVPN has lightweight apps for Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Smart TV systems, and Kodi. Although it doesn’t support as many systems as NordVPN or ExpressVPN, its client is easy to use, lets you know of your VPN connection status, and provides an overall great user experience.
There is a 30-day refund policy, access to customer support in the form of a live chat and ticketed email service, and a comprehensive FAQ page with answers to the most common inquiries.
| Max Speed: | Unlimited |
|---|---|
| Type of IP offered: | Dedicated |
| Simultaneous connections / Users: | 7 |
| Number of Netflix Libraries: | 4 |
| Information sharing: | None |
| OS support: | Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, iOS, Linux, macOS, Windows |
Servers in unusual countries
Great support options
Great blog and guide universe
Limited payment options
Poor press area for affiliates
Few Netflix libraries
CyberGhost is a premium option and one of the best VPN services, especially for customers who want access to VPN servers in Europe.
Another one of the best VPN services for Europe is CyberGhost. It has many server locations in European countries such as Spain, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, and the UK, but it has specialized servers for streaming. If you’re using a VPN service to access content abroad on the most popular streaming services like Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, Netflix, or BBC iPlayer, then you can do so with no worries, thanks to CyberGhost. The VPN can unblock streaming services globally.
There are streaming servers, but CyberGhost also offers P2P servers, many of which are located in Europe. CyberGhost is all about providing people with freedom online, which is why it offers unlimited bandwidth and traffic so that users can enjoy as much torrenting and streaming as they want.
Your privacy and security are CyberGhost’s top priority, and it offers a host of features to ensure that your online privacy is never compromised. Firstly all customers can enjoy AES-256 encryption for complete privacy online, making it extremely hard for hackers on public wi-fi to decipher the encryption keys or for your Internet Provider to see your online activity. There is also DNS and IP leak protection on every CyberGhost VPN server to protect your real location from being revealed. You’ll always be safe, even if connected to public wi-fi.
CyberGhost is located in Romania, a country that has openly rejected the EU data laws and is not a member of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, an agreement in which many countries share citizen data. There is also a strict no-logs policy offered by CyberGhost, which means that all of your browsing data and personal information is safe with this VPN provider. If you want a VPN that will protect user privacy, CyberGhost is an optimal choice.
On top of all of this, CyberGhost users have access to the NoSpy servers, which re-route your internet traffic through CyberGhost’s privately owned servers based in Romania. Since these specialty servers are monitored end-to-end by the company itself, users can feel safer than ever when surfing the net.
The company itself is very active on social media, encouraging users to get to know them. We like to see this, as it is encouraging to see the people behind the product.
So, what else does CyberGhost offer? It has an automatic kill switch available on its Windows, Android, iOS, and Mac clients. It also offers its VPN services on several other platforms, including Amazon Fire Stick, Android TV, and routers.
Speeds on CyberGhost’s VPN servers are fast, and it doesn’t take long to connect to servers on the VPN’s client. The client has a great interface, and it is straightforward to navigate through the list of European servers when you want to connect. There are also server recommendations on the sidebar that will best suit your online activities. With a 45-day money-back guarantee, it’s definitely worth trying out CyberGhost.
| Max Speed: | Unlimited |
|---|---|
| Type of IP offered: | Shared |
| Simultaneous connections / Users: | Unlimited |
| Number of Netflix Libraries: | 15 |
| Information sharing: | None |
| OS support: | Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, ChromeOS, iOS, Linux, macOS, Windows |
Full 15 Netflix Libraries
Tons of server locations
Great deal on 24 months
No Apple Pay Payment Option
Very expensive monthly
Allows P2P from all servers
Surfshark avoids EU data laws by being based in the British Virgin Islands, extending the privacy laws it enjoys to users worldwide.
On its two-year plan, users can enjoy a fantastic VPN service for a little over $2 per month. Fortunately, the low prices don’t reflect the VPN quality itself, as it has over 600 VPN servers in Europe alone. Whether you want a German, French, or Dutch IP address, you’ll be able to get one with this provider.
Secondly, this VPN has the ability to bypass geo-restrictions and unblock websites and popular streaming services like Netflix and YouTube. We were able to get through to several European Netflix libraries after changing our location with one of Surfshark’s servers, and the quality was fantastic.
Connection speed is an important aspect of any VPN, and luckily with Surfshark, there is no issue thanks to its high-speed servers. Speeds are good and consistent, even when connected to servers in the UK during our speed tests.
We like the kill switch feature that kicked in several times during testing. Our VPN connection went down, prompting the kill switch to immediately cut off our internet connection while connecting to a new VPN server nearby. It didn’t take long for us to establish a new European connection, which we really liked.
One of Surfshark’s most appealing features is its unlimited simultaneous connections. You can protect all of your devices, regardless of the subscription plan you sign up for. Surfshark works with all major operating systems, including Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Linux, and has browser extensions for Firefox and Chrome.
This VPN provider provides seamless ease of use to its customers. The desktop client and mobile apps are easy to navigate, especially for those with little to no VPN experience. By finding your European country of choice in the search bar, all you need to do is select the country, and Surfshark will connect you to the best server.
If you want to use a VPN for privacy reasons, then this provider is a great option. It doesn’t log user data or personally identifiable information and uses military-grade encryption to ensure that your digital traffic is never stored or shared, keeping your browsing data and online identity safe. You can use this provider when connected to public wi-fi and not have to worry about spies watching your every move.
Although there is technically no free trial with Surfshark, users can test out the VPN for 30 days and receive a refund if they decide they don’t like the service before the 30-day money-back guarantee runs out.
| Max Speed: | 300000 Mbps |
|---|---|
| Type of IP offered: | Dynamic |
| Simultaneous connections / Users: | 5 |
| Number of Netflix Libraries: | 12 |
| Information sharing: | None |
| OS support: | Android, ChromeOS, iOS, Linux, macOS, Windows |
No-log policy
Unlimited Bandwidth
Free version available
No dedicated IP option
Only 5 simultaneous devices
Few payment options
ProtonVPN offers a free VPN service and paid-for versions, with many servers dotted over Europe, allowing you to bypass geo-restrictions.
ProtonVPN is another great VPN since it is based in Switzerland, a country that enjoys great data laws. This security-focused VPN has unambiguous and reasonable privacy protection policies regarding customer data: users will never have their browsing data logged, but timestamps will be stored until a new login session starts.
Proton has a great VPN server network in Europe, which means you can find a server in the most popular European countries. There are four different price plans with Proton: free, basic, plus, and visionary. Speeds are great with Proton, and on its plus plan, users can access streaming services in different territories without experiencing buffering or low-quality video.
Unfortunately, the speeds are not fast enough for streaming on the free VPN service, and there is no support for torrenting like with the plus subscription. The plus plan, which costs $8 per month, is by far the best option for users as it offers Tor over VPN and access to Proton’s Secure Core Network.
The Secure Core Network provides people with extra security as it routes their data through Proton’s secure VPN servers based in Switzerland. This is a reassuring feature for users who want to make sure their connection is as safe as possible.
Regardless of what plan you purchase, all ProtonVPN customers can expect great security and privacy features such as AES-256 bit encryption and the use of the OpenVPN protocol. On the settings, users can choose whether their default protocol is OpenVPN TCP or UDP, and users can also toggle on and off features like the kill switch, split tunneling, and IPv6 leak protection.
There are some other handy features that people can activate on Proton’s VPN app settings. Users can choose to auto-connect to the fastest or a random server and also customize their quick-connect options. The client is really easy to use and features a black map with green triangles representing the servers. There is information about session traffic at the bottom of the screen for VPN aficionados who may want to know more about their download volume and internet connection speed.
Speeds are generally pretty good with ProtonVPN on the plus plan. However, we noticed that if the kill switch is activated and your VPN server goes down, the wi-fi connection will completely cut out, and it can take a long time to reconnect to another VPN server. This isn’t great for people who don’t want a long pause during their browsing session.
While free VPNs aren’t the best option, Proton’s free VPN service is a great choice if you want to save money and have access to one server location in Europe since it allows users access to servers in Japan, the USA, and the Netherlands.
Overall, ProtonVPN provides a great service for users and has many VPN servers in optimal European locations. With the plus plan, customers can connect 5 devices and use the VPN across many devices, including the most popular operating systems like Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and Linux.
Europe is one of the world’s best-connected areas for VPNs, and VPN use is entirely legal on the continent. However, individual European countries each have different laws. So it is important that when using a VPN, you don’t do anything that is considered illegal in certain countries, such as download copyrighted material.
When it comes to accessing sites whose content may be restricted in other territories, you may be breaching terms of service. This is why streaming platforms like Amazon Prime Video and Netflix have a strong VPN firewall to prevent their licensed material from being streamed outside of designated countries.
So, while you can use a VPN in Europe, we advise that you follow the rules of the country you’re in or the services you’re using.
There are several reasons why you need a Virtual Private Network for Europe:
If you want to connect to a VPN server in another country, you need to make sure you choose a Virtual Private Network provider with servers in your country of choice. You can then select a server and connect to it. This will change your IP address and trick websites you visit into thinking you are physically located in that country.
The best VPN services offer servers in the most popular countries. Assuming you choose a good provider, you’ll be able to connect to servers in your chosen locations.
It’s no surprise that some of the best countries for VPN usage are located in Europe. Switzerland has great data privacy laws, and so many internet users like to connect to Swiss servers when using a VPN, as there is a lower chance of their online activity being logged.
Romania is also a popular choice, as it has refused to follow certain EU data laws. There are VPN service providers based in this country, which is excellent news for users who are looking for providers with strict no-logging policies.
Spain is also great for VPN users since it has its own data protection rules and has more lenient laws on copyrighting. Iceland is also a haven for virtual privacy, with the Data Protection Act law protects its residents’ online freedom. If you want to make the most out of your VPN, Europe is definitely the place to connect.
When looking for the best VPNs for Europe, there are several features that your VPN should have.
Make sure that you can connect to servers in Europe. The bigger the network, the better. More servers mean you have a better chance of getting lower server loads. Also, you’ll have access to more IP addresses when there is a greater number of servers.
This is a must if you are connecting to European servers from the USA. Distance from a server can severely affect connection speeds, so you must choose a provider known for producing fast speeds. Make sure your premium VPN also offers unlimited bandwidth.
Since the EU is known to have strict data laws that you may be trying to avoid, it’s important to use a provider that won’t store or log your data but will instead protect user privacy. Look for VPNs based in jurisdictions with more relaxed data laws such as countries including Switzerland, Romania, or Panama.
You want your Europe VPN to have military-grade encryption, use various protocols, and include extra features like an automatic kill switch if your VPN connection goes down and DNS servers. This ensures you can surf anonymously in any European country and enjoy excellent privacy protection.
Trust in a VPN is another must, and good customer service is a great demonstration of whether you should purchase a VPN for use in Europe or not. Make sure you can talk to a customer support representative and that there is a money-back guarantee which provides you with a refund if you’re not satisfied.
When it comes to the best VPNs for Europe, we recommend buying a VPN subscription. Although many free VPNs have European server locations, using free VPNs often comes with a price. Most free VPNs sell your private data, have weaker protocols, and all in all, don’t provide as secure a VPN connection on public wi-fi networks as premium VPN services do.
You can get a European IP address by using a VPN server. After installing the VPN app, open it, and scroll the server list until you find a European VPN server you want to connect to. This will provide you with an IP address from that country.
The EU GDPR is a data protection law that protects the internet data of all residents in Europe. However, this doesn't stop data retention, it instead alerts residents that their data will be used for targeted advertising and more. So, there isn't total internet privacy in Europe.
ProtonVPN is a great free VPN for Europe since it offers access to free servers in the Netherlands and is based in Switzerland. It also takes user privacy seriously and doesn't log any user data.
I’m Madeleine, and I'm a writer that specializes in cybersecurity, tech products, and all things related to the internet.
I have a keen interest in VPNs and believe that everyone deserves internet freedom and security. I wr...
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