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Best VPN for Australia
You’ll need a good VPN to ensure that you stay safe, secure, and unmonitored while connecting to the internet in Australia.
Australia is a part of the Five Eyes, an international government data-sharing scheme, and a privacy nightmare.
Recent changes to privacy laws also compel technology companies in Australia to give the authorities access to encrypted messages and the police are allowed to spy on public WiFi users.
If that’s not enough to convince you to get a VPN for Australia, the country also blocks torrenting sites and its Netflix library is far smaller than that of the US. If you want to unlock the world’s online content, using a VPN is the way to do it.
You’re probably wondering, what’s the best VPN for Australia?
We’ve tested 98 VPN services, and the following five VPNs are the best for speed, privacy, torrenting and P2P, and unlocking streaming services like Netflix and BBC iPlayer.
Here’s a sneak peek at the top three VPNs for Australia before we go into more detail:
The Most Important Factors When We Review a VPN for Australia
- Has city-level choice of servers in Australia
- Works with US & Australian Netflix
- Reliable and fast speeds in Australia
- Support for P2P & torrenting + good security features
- Transparent, fair and privacy-focused logging policies
- Well-designed and easy to use apps
Wondering why you should trust our reviews? Take a look at How We Test VPNs
Read More Information on the Top 5 Best VPN Services for Australia
Works with
Netflix, BBC iPlayer, HBO, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Sky, SlingTV, Torrenting, Kodi
Available on
The Bottom Line
ExpressVPN is the best VPN for Australia and it’s our top-rated VPN overall.
ExpressVPN is extremely fast, super safe, and reliable. It also offers city-level servers in Australia to maximize speed potential.
Within Australia, ExpressVPN has VPN servers in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth, providing coast-to-coast coverage. There are a further 26 countries to choose from in Asia-Pacific, more than 3,000 VPN servers worldwide.
Being able to drill down to city-level in Australia is not only great for speeds and performance, but it means you can access geo-specific content too.
Whether you connect to a VPN server in Australia or one further afield, ExpressVPN’s download speeds are fast and, above all, reliable. ExpressVPN is more than fast enough for HD streaming, and it works reliably with both US and Australian Netflix, as well as BBC iPlayer.
ExpressVPN is just as strong on privacy with a sensible minimal-logs policy and some great extra security features including a VPN kill switch and DNS/IPv6/WebRTC leak protection. It’s one of the safest VPNs around.
You can install ExpressVPN in a matter of minutes onto pretty much any device you can think of. If you need a little extra help, ExpressVPN’s live chat team are on hand to help you out 24/7.
Works with
Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, Sky, HBO, Torrenting, Kodi
Available on
The Bottom Line
NordVPN is a smart pick for Australia if your budget doesn’t stretch to ExpressVPN.
NordVPN has servers in five Australian cities (Sydney, Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Melbourne), allowing you to experience the best possible speeds.
NordVPN has even more city-level server choice in Australia than ExpressVPN, so why is it second in our list of recommendations? Well, NordVPN doesn’t quite beat ExpressVPN’s rock-solid reliability.
NordVPN’s download and upload speeds within Australia don’t match up to those delivered by our top VPN pick, and it’s less reliable over long-distance VPN connections. There are fewer VPN locations available in Asia-Pacific, too, with 11 in total.
Nevertheless, if you connect to a nearby VPN server, NordVPN will be more than fast enough for HD streaming and torrenting.
With NordVPN, you can watch US Netflix hassle-free (but not the Australian library), and torrent on many of its 200+ Australian VPN servers.
Is NordVPN safe enough for torrenting though? Yes, it is! A strict no-logs policy and strong security make NordVPN great (and safe) for P2P.
It’s possible to download custom VPN apps for a range of platforms, and NordVPN provides 24/7 live chat support to help you out as and when you need it.
Works with
Netflix, HBO, Torrenting, Kodi
Available on
The Bottom Line
IPVanish is the best VPN for torrenting and P2P in Australia thanks to its raw upload and download speeds on nearby VPN servers, as well as its strong privacy features and no-logs policy.
Unlike our top two VPN picks, you can only connect to two different cities in Australia: Melbourne and Sydney. There are also fewer VPN servers in Australia with 67 in total.
However, IPVanish is very fast on these Australia VPN servers, even if it falls down on long-distance VPN connections (there are eight other countries available in Asia-Pacific).
The desktop VPN apps could be more user-friendly but IPVanish makes up for it with powerful privacy features like IP, DNS, and WebRTC leak protection and a strict zero-logs policy.
You can watch US Netflix on a few servers but unfortunately, IPVanish doesn’t support Australian Netflix or BBC iPlayer.
Live chat support is also available 24/7 but IPVanish’s money-back guarantee is much shorter than our #1 and #2 VPN services, with just seven days to change your mind instead of 30.
Works with
Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, Sky, HBO, Torrenting, Kodi
Available on
The Bottom Line
Cyberghost is a great budget VPN for Australia, particularly for US Netflix streaming fans as there are VPN servers optimized for that purpose. You can’t watch Australian Netflix, though.
With CyberGhost you can expect very fast speeds on VPN servers within Australia, and it’s pretty quick over long-distance connections, too.
CyberGhost has 76 VPN servers located in three Australian cities: Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney. There are a total of 13 countries available in Asia-Pacific.
A strict zero logs policy and a set of robust security tools also make CyberGhost a top privacy pick, so why isn’t it further up our list of VPN recommendations for Australia?
Unfortunately, CyberGhost isn’t a great choice for P2P users and torrenters located in Australia.
CyberGhost only allows torrenting on its VPN servers labeled ‘for torrenting’. These P2P-friendly VPN servers are mostly located in Europe, with just two outside of the continent: one in Canada and another in Japan.
CyberGhost doesn’t permit P2P activity on any of its Australian or US VPN servers, so you’ll have to connect over a long distance in order to torrent, which will slow down VPN speeds.
Works with
Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, Sky, HBO, Torrenting, Kodi
Available on
The Bottom Line
Even if it comes in fifth place in our list of our best VPNs, PrivateVPN remains a great VPN choice for Australia. It’s ideal if you’re on a budget and need strong privacy protection.
PrivateVPN’s download speeds are very quick in Australia and VPN connections into east coast USA are also pretty fast too.
However, a small VPN server network lets PrivateVPN down somewhat.
There are just 150 VPN servers available across PrivateVPN’s worldwide network and only three of those are in Australia (located in Melbourne and Sydney).
The small number of VPN servers in Australia could lead to server congestion and decreased speeds, but we haven’t experienced that in our tests so far. There are 13 countries available in Asia-Pacific, so you can always test a few out to find the best speeds.
Regardless of its small VPN server network, PrivateVPN is still a very good choice for privacy.
A strict zero logs policy and first-party DNS servers means PrivateVPN has no data to identify you even despite its base in privacy-unfriendly Sweden.
Unlike our other top VPN picks, PrivateVPN doesn’t have 24/7 live chat support (it’s available intermittently), which can be frustrating. However, responses to email support are general quick.
What’s the Best VPN for Australia?
The best VPN service for Australia is ExpressVPN – in fact it’s the best VPN, period.
ExpressVPN is a safe VPN with reliable speeds, top-notch security, and it has servers in Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney.
What’s the Best Free VPN for Australia?
If you’re not ready to purchase a VPN subscription yet there are a couple of completely free VPNs that we do recommend for Australia.
Both TunnelBear Free and Avira Phantom Free have VPN servers in Australia. While they are both reliable and secure VPNs for beginners who want to try before they buy, these two free VPNs aren’t the fastest or most feature-packed complementary services around.
Bear in mind that free VPNs often come with restrictions such as VPN data caps, speed throttling, and reduced server networks. Many free VPNs don’t come with VPN servers in Australia.
If you want to protect your privacy and stay safe online while in Australia the best solution is to buy a premium VPN subscription.
Are Free VPNs Safe?
No – not all free VPNs are safe to use.
When you use any VPN you entrust the company with your personal data and some free VPNs abuse that responsibility by selling your information to third parties like targeted advertising companies.
If you really need a free VPN – even the best ones come with quite a few limitations – be sure to choose one of our recommended free VPNs, which are very safe to use.
Do I Really Need a VPN in Australia?
Yes, using a VPN in Australia is absolutely necessary for maintaining your online privacy and security.
Data privacy laws in Australia force your ISP to record and store metadata about all your internet activity and electronic communication for two years.
If using public WiFi without a VPN wasn’t scary enough – hackers can steal your personal details – a new Australian encryption law also allows police to access public WiFi networks in order to obtain information on connected users.
Using a VPN will allow you to keep your online activity private from your ISP, the authorities, and hackers by creating an encrypted tunnel to the internet via a VPN server.
Australian ISPs also aggressively block certain websites, including torrenting sites. By using a VPN, you will be able to beat that government censorship and browse the web freely.
Ideally, you should use a VPN on each internet-connected device you own. Luckily, our top VPN picks above come with custom VPN apps for Windows, MacOS, iOS, and Android. Some even have native VPN apps for Amazon Fire TV Stick and other streaming devices.
Is Using a VPN Legal in Australia?
Yes: using a VPN in Australia in order to protect your personal data and mask your true IP address is completely legal.
That means using ExpressVPN – and all our other top VPN recommendations – is perfectly legal in Australia.
It’s not illegal to change your IP address to that of another country either.
However, you need to remember that using a VPN doesn’t mean you can ignore state or national laws, including those regarding copyright.
In other words, we wouldn’t recommend doing anything whilst using a VPN that you wouldn’t do without one.
What’s the Best VPN for Torrenting in Australia?
IPVanish is the best VPN for torrenting in Australia, with fantastic local upload speeds, a strict zero-logs policy, and no restrictions on P2P activity.
If you use a VPN for torrenting, be sure to enable the kill switch feature, which will prevent your IP address from being leaked in the case of a connection drop.
Here’s a screenshot to show you where to find IPVanish’s kill switch feature:
How Do I Get an Australian IP Address?
In order to get an Australian IP address, you need to get a VPN service that has servers in Australia, like the VPNs listed above.
Once you’ve downloaded and installed the VPN software to your device simply click on the Australian server and connect.
You now have an Australia IP address, so you can access all your favorite Australian content.
If you want to check that you definitely have an Australian IP address you can run a leak test on browserleaks.com. Look at the screenshot below, which shows the leak test results for ExpressVPN connected to a Sydney VPN server.
ExpressVPN leak test results connecting to an Australian VPN server. We test from the UK.
You can clearly see the Australian IP address at the top – there are no leaks. ExpressVPN provides first-party DNS servers in Australia, too.
If you’re interested in carrying out leak tests and reading the results check out our DNS/IP/WebRTC leak guide.
Can I Watch Australian TV Overseas?
You can watch Australian TV, such as Australian Netflix or Stan, overseas by using a VPN with servers located in the country. Using VPN servers located in Australia will give you an Australian IP address so that you can access geo-specific content.
It’s best to contact your VPN provider’s customer support to ask if it works with your preferred Australian streaming services before you purchase.
How to Set up, Install, and Use a VPN in Australia
As the Australian government doesn’t block VPNs – like China does, for instance – it’s very easy to get a VPN in the country.
If your VPN service provides custom VPN apps for your device, simply download the software from the VPN’s website, follow the installation prompts, and log in with your subscription credentials.
Before you connect, make sure to enable any security extras such as the VPN kill switch or IP leak blocking. Then select the VPN server of your choice – the closer it is to your physical location the faster the speeds will be. Click ‘Connect’ and you’re ready to browse privately.
If your VPN doesn’t come with a custom app for your device, you will need to manually install it using OpenVPN configuration files.
We have written a set of simple how-to guides to help you install a VPN loads of popular devices, including Amazon Fire TV Stick and routers.
VPNs to Avoid for Australia
There are loads of VPNs that aren’t suitable for use in Australia due to a lack of VPN servers in and around the country. The further away the VPN server is from your physical location the slower the speeds will be.
Here are some VPNs to avoid if you’re in Australia:
Remember that many free VPNs have tiny server networks too, and often they don’t include Australia in the list of locations available.
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