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The Best VPNs for Canada
Simon Migliano
Simon Migliano is a recognized world expert in VPNs. He's tested hundreds of VPN services and his research has featured on the BBC, The New York Times and more. Read full bio
NordVPN is hands-down the best VPN for Canada, based on our latest tests connecting in and out of the country. Thanks to hundreds of servers located in Canada, the VPN kept our real IP address hidden at all times and unblocked every Canadian streaming service we tested. If you need a completely free VPN, we recommend using Windscribe Free, although it’s limited by a 10GB monthly data cap.
You’ll need a VPN to unblock geo-restricted Canadian web content from abroad, to hide your web activity, or to bypass NHL blackouts on Sportsnet+.
Simple, right? Not quite. There are hundreds of VPNs to choose from and to pick the right one can be challenging. When it comes to Canada specifically, it’s even trickier.
Weirdly, many services we’ve reviewed don’t prioritize Canada. So many didn’t have many servers in the country, proved slow in our speed tests, or struggled to get around Canadian geo-blocks.
Thankfully, after putting 61 VPNs through our Canada-specific testing process, we found four providers that will almost certainly satisfy your needs.
Summary: Top VPNs for Canada
Out of all the VPNs we tested, these four passed our tests with excellent results:
We’re fully independent and have been reviewing VPNs since 2016. Our ratings are based on our own testing results and are unaffected by financial incentives. Learn who we are and how we test VPNs.
Canada VPN Comparison Table
You can compare our top-rated free and paid VPNs for Canada – including its performance in each testing category – using the table below.
NordVPN is easily the top VPN for Canada based on our most recent use.
When testing it with every Canadian streaming service, it was able to unblock all of them with ease, including Netflix, DAZN, and CBC Gem. We didn’t even need to select specific Canadian servers – all of them worked and loaded in high resolution.
Hundreds of Canadian Servers Across 3 Cities
NordVPN has 259 servers within Canada. It’s one of the largest Canadian server networks on offer, with IP addresses spread across Montreal (Québec), Toronto (Ontario), and Vancouver (British Columbia).
This is particularly useful if you live in Québec and encounter blocked websites often.
We never felt we needed any more servers than this. However, if you want the absolute highest number, PIA has the largest Canadian network of any VPN.
Fast Speeds for Streaming Canadian Content
We tested NordVPN with the most popular Canadian streaming services. Here are our results:
Canadian Streaming Service
NordVPN Unblocks
CBC Gem
Yes
Citytv
Yes
CTV
Yes
DAZN Canada
Yes
Fubo Canada
Yes
Global TV
Yes
Netflix Canada
Yes
TVA+
Yes
Télé-Québec
Yes
As you can see, NordVPN delivers flawless results for Canadian streaming. It unblocks every streaming site we tested, allowing us to stream a show like ‘Law and Order: Toronto’ on Citytv.
Using NordVPN, we had no issue unblocking CBC Gem or any other Canadian streaming site.
Videos loaded quickly and streamed without buffering as a result of NordVPN’s excellent speeds connecting into Canada . For example, from New York to Vancouver, our speeds dropped just 3% compared to our normal internet connection.
Private VPN with Secure Encryption
If you’re worried about online privacy and security in Canada, NordVPN is a good solution.
With its non-intrusive logging policy, NordVPN protects your online privacy from government overreach and corporate data collection, ensuring your online activity is hidden from third parties.
It retains a small amount of data about the time you connect to a VPN, but it’s not enough to compromise your anonymity.
It also uses ChaCha20 cipher to encrypt your data and commissions regular security audits.
User-Friendly Apps
Even if you’re a beginner, NordVPN’s apps are a pleasure to use. They’re available on mobile devices, so you can protect your data on-the-go, as well as on Mac and Windows.
If you want to stream Canadian or international content on large screen devices, you can also install NordVPN on Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, and Android TV — easily and without any manual installation involved.
We were happy about the consistent interface across platforms, making accessing Canadian content simple on whichever device you have. NordVPN even lets you connect to a VPN server on 10 different devices simultaneously.
The one downside is NordVPN’s Smart DNS feature, which cannot be used to unblock Canadian websites. This meant we weren’t able to bypass sports blackouts on devices that don’t support VPN apps, like our TCL Smart TV.
For only $2.03 per month, you get the largest Canada VPN server network and a proven no-logs service. However, the downside is that PIA is unable to access the majority of Canadian streaming services.
Largest Server Network in Canada
PIA has an industry-leading Canadian server network, counting 3,000 servers across 3 cities, including Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver.
There is a separate server for the Ontario region broadly, but Montreal and Vancouver covers Quebec and British Columbia provinces. This is more than every other VPN we tested.
With a server network this large, it’s unlikely you’ll ever run into server congestion and, with so many IP addresses available, you can narrow down your region to access provincial content.
Disappointing Streaming Performance
We tested PIA with a number of Canadian streaming sites. These are the results:
Canadian Streaming Service
PIA Unblocks
CBC Gem
Yes
Citytv
No
CTV
Yes
DAZN Canada
No
Fubo Canada
No
Global TV
No
Netflix Canada
No
TVA+
No
Télé-Québec
Yes
Unfortunately, despite having a server optimized for Canadian streaming, PIA fails to unblock the majority of Canadians streaming sites. We only had success accessing CBC Gem, CTV, and Télé-Québec outside of Canada. All other attempts were detected and blocked.
PIA is a lot better for accessing streaming sites outside of Canada, including BBC iPlayer, Max, and US Netflix.
It also delivers excellent speeds connecting into Canada. Our tests found that you can expect an average download speed loss of 6% when connecting to Canada from the US.
Most Private Option for Canada
PIA is the best choice for protecting your online privacy due to its proven no-logs policy, which has been verified in multiple court cases.
Its secure ChaCha20 encryption will also make your data undecipherable and protect you when using public WiFi networks across Canada.
Since many Canadian companies store user data in the US, where privacy laws are less protective, PIA keeps your data secure by encrypting it and preventing unauthorized access.
The VPN also includes PIA MACE, a reliable ad blocker that effectively prevents websites and social media companies from tracking your online activity.
Budget VPN for Canada
PIA is one of the best value VPNs available, despite its huge server offering and proven no-logs privacy policy. It only costs $2.03 on its best price deal, which is a lot cheaper than NordVPN’s $2.99.
However, this comes at the cost of limited streaming capabilities. If accessing Canadian streaming sites is your main priority, we suggest using NordVPN instead.
You can also get PIA for free for 7 days if you sign up via the App Store or Play Store. After that, you can take advantage of its 1-month refund policy for even more free use.
Disappointingly, out of the 10 free VPNs with a server in Canada, only PrivadoVPN, TunnelBear, and Windscribe are safe to use.
The other options will not protect your privacy or security. For instance, our tests revealed that SkyVPN did not encrypt web traffic, and VPNBook was found to leak DNS requests.
While TunnelBear is secure, we haven’t recommended it due to its limited data allowance of 2GB per month, which is just a fifth of what Windscribe and PrivadoVPN provide.
Windscribe Free is the best free VPN for Canada. It’s safe to install and use, has a choice of 5 server locations in 3 Canadian cities, and works to unblock the majority of Canadian streaming services.
This isn’t a huge surprise as the VPN is based in Canada, and it’s clearly made efforts to provide above average performance in the country.
The major downside is its 10GB per month data cap that restricts your VPN connection time.
Servers in 3 Canadian Cities
Windscribe Free has the largest Canadian server network of any free VPN. You can use it to get a free IP address in Montreal (Quebec), Toronto (Ontario), and Vancouver (British Columbia).
Rarely for a free service, Windscribe has servers in Canada.
There are far fewer individual Canadian servers compared to NordVPN and PIA, so the chance of overloading the servers are high, but Windscribe covers just as many cities and provinces.
Access CBC, CTV, Fubo & More
We tested Windscribe Free with five Canadian streaming sites. Here are our results:
Canadian Streaming Service
Windscribe Free Unblocks
CBC Gem
Yes
Citytv
Yes
CTV
Yes
DAZN Canada
Yes
Fubo Canada
Yes
Global TV
Yes
Netflix Canada
No
TVA+
Yes
Télé-Québec
Yes
Windscribe Free unblocks the majority of Canadian streaming services. Based on our experience, it’s by far the best free VPN for accessing DAZN Canada and Fubo.
The only negative result was its inability to access Canada’s Netflix region, which is disappointing when it’s one of the most comprehensive libraries available.
Windscribe Free unblocks all local Canadian streaming sites except for Netflix
We’ve calculated that when streaming in HD, Windscribe Free’s 10GB data cap will provide only 4 hours of streaming time.
Windscribe Free’s speed performance connecting into Canada is impressive, especially for a free VPN. Connecting into Vancouver from New York and testing our speed, we calculated a minimal speed loss of 6%.
More broadly, we calculated Windscribe Free’s average international speed as 87Mbps. Our results show that using Windscribe Free to connect into Canada will provide fast and stable connections for any online activity, including watching Canadian TV.
Safe & Private Free VPN
Windscribe Free is the best way to secure your connection and protect your privacy in Canada without paying the price of a VPN subscription.
It logs more than NordVPN and PIA, including your bandwidth usage, but we’re still comfortable recommending it because none of this data is personally identifiable. It’s also never been able to share data with requesting authorities because it doesn’t retain them.
From a security standpoint, Windscribe uses best-in-class encryption. But it did suffer the consequences of not encrypting its Ukraine servers, which were subsequently seized. We’ve since tested its Canada servers using WireGuard and can confirm they’re encrypted.
Quality Apps Across Platforms
Windscribe Free offers all the same apps as the paid version. It can be installed on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Fire TV Stick, and Linux. There are browser extensions, too, which allow you to get a Canadian IP address even faster than with the VPN app.
All of these apps are easy to install and work to unblock Canadian websites, so you can stream content on your favorite home devices.
One feature not available to free users is Windscribe’s Control D Smart DNS. It works to unblock Canadian streaming services like DAZN, but it costs an additional sum on top of a Windscribe subscription.
PrivadoVPN doesn’t perform as well as Windscribe Free for Canada, but it’s a useful backup if you run out of data and need an alternative free VPN with Canadian servers.
The one advantage PrivadoVPN has over Windscribe is its speed. In our tests, we recorded an average download speed of 15% when connected to the VPN’s servers in 11 countries, compared to 13% with Windscribe.
It’s also easy to sign up, and like Windscribe Free, offers 10GB of free data. It will encrypt your connection and unblock a few Canadian streaming sites, such as CBC Gem and Citytv.
Free Montreal Server
PrivadoVPN is free to download and comes with servers in Montreal, allowing you to get a Canadian IP address from anywhere without any cost attached.
PrivadoVPN Free has servers based in Montreal.
The inability to select multiple city locations is disappointing, especially as users in Quebec won’t be able to bypass any website blocks caused by Bill 101.
However, the biggest issue is PrivadoVPN’s 10GB data cap, which won’t last for very long – especially if you’re streaming content in Full HD.
Mixed Streaming Results
By connecting to PrivadoVPN’s Canadian IP address you can unblock content on these services:
Canadian Streaming Service
PrivadoVPN Free Unblocks
CBC Gem
Yes
Citytv
Yes
CTV
No
DAZN Canada
No
Fubo Canada
No
Global TV
Yes
Netflix Canada
No
TVA+
Yes
Télé-Québec
Yes
This creates a mixed picture. PrivadoVPN performs well when accessing Canadian content on free-to-air services like CBC Gem, Citytv, and TVA+, but struggles with subscription services such as Netflix, DAZN, and Fubo. This is likely due to more sophisticated geo-blocking technology.
The content we could access streamed in full high-definition, thanks to PrivadoVPN Free’s exceptional speeds. When connecting to Canada from the US, we experienced only a 6% speed loss.
Safe to Use
We checked and can confirm that PrivadoVPN Free encrypts your traffic securely. It also doesn’t log any identifiable data about you. This makes it useful for those looking for a free privacy solution in Canada.
However, we’d like to see further investment in security features. Notably, it still lacks a kill switch on iOS, which is a concern.
To get a Canadian IP address, you have no choice but to use a VPN service that has servers located in Canada.
We identified a total of 48 VPN services offering servers in the country.
Full List of VPNs with Servers in Canada
AirVPN
Avast SecureLine
AVG Secure VPN
Avira Phantom VPN
Astrill VPN
Bitdefender VPN
CyberGhost
ExpressVPN
FastestVPN
Hide.me
HideMyAss
Hotspot Shield
IPVanish
IVPN
Kaspersky VPN
McAfee Safe Connect
Mozilla VPN
Mullvad
NordVPN
Norton Secure VPN
Perfect Privacy
PrivadoVPN (Paid & Free)
Private Internet Access
PrivateVPN
Proton VPN
Psiphon
PureVPN
SkyVPN
Snap VPN
StrongVPN
SuperVPN Free VPN Client
Surfshark
Thunder VPN
TorGuard
Touch VPN
TunnelBear (Paid & Free)
VPN.AC
VPN Proxy Master (Paid & Free)
VPN Unlimited
VPNBook
VyprVPN
Windscribe (Paid & Free)
X-VPN
ZoogVPN
However, having servers in Canada doesn’t automatically qualify a VPN as a top option.
For instance, even though VPNs like Proton VPN, PrivateVPN, and IPVanish have servers in Canada, they were unable to access various geo-restricted streaming platforms, such as DAZN.
Additionally, services like McAfee Safe Connect and Norton Secure VPN store personally identifiable data, including your IP address and browsing history, which makes them useless for protecting your online activity.
How to Get a Canadian IP Address
Connecting to a VPN is the easiest way to get a Canadian IP address. You can see how to do it in the video below:
It only took us a few seconds to get a Canadian IP address using NordVPN.
Alternatively, you can read the step-by-step instructions below.
How to get a Canadian IP address using a VPN:
Subscribe to and install a VPN with servers in Canada. We suggest one from our suggested Canada VPNs.
Connect to a Canadian server location. Open your VPN’s server list, search for a Canadian server, and connect. This will give you a Canadian IP address.
Confirm your Canadian IP address. Once you’ve connected to the server, you can check you’ve been assigned a Canadian IP address using our What Is My IP Address tool.
Popular VPNs That Didn't Make the Cut
We tested 61 VPNs to see which are the best for Canada. Many performed poorly, but there were a number of VPNs that performed well but still weren’t good enough to make our list of suggestions.
We tested a number of paid and free VPN services for Canada.
You can see some of the VPNs that didn’t make the cut – and the reason – below.
ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is a good VPN for Canada and we used to recommend it on this guide. It’s still excellent at bypassing geo-restrictions in Canada, especially DAZN’s, but lately its speeds connecting into Canada have slightly slowed down, meaning it’s not as fast as NordVPN.
ExpressVPN works well with Canadian Netflix and DAZN – but it’s slower than the competition.
Although it’s an exceptional VPN, ExpressVPN doesn’t offer anything unique as a Canada VPN when compared to NordVPN and PIA. It’s also considerably more expensive than both. Overall, NordVPN and PIA VPN are just as good, faster, and cheaper.
IPVanish
IPVanish doesn’t have as many Canadian servers as NordVPN or PIA. It’s also not as effective at unblocking Canadian streaming platforms as those we recommend.
IPVanish has 66 Canada servers – nowhere near as many as NordVPN or PIA.
Surfshark
Surfshark isn’t a bad choice for Canada, but it doesn’t have as many servers as NordVPN or PIA and it’s more expensive on a one-month subscription. Also, connecting to the Canada servers, especially on mobile took much longer than our recommended VPNs.
Surfshark has fewer Canada servers and is slower to connect.
Why You Need a VPN for Canada
Below is a list of some of the benefits of using a VPN for Canada:
1. Access Canadian Streaming Services & Websites
If you’re outside of Canada but want to access Canadian streaming services and websites, you’ll need a VPN.
For example, CBC Gem offers excellent TV shows and movies for free, but it’s only available with a Canadian IP address.
The same applies to subscription services like Netflix, DAZN, and Fubo. While these services are available in other regions, such as the US, the Canadian content is unique.
A VPN like NordVPN can access Canadian streaming sites like CBC Gem, Citytv, CTV, TVA+ & more.
2. Bypass Canadian Geo-Restrictions
If you’re in Canada, a VPN is handy for getting around local restrictions. For example, foreign gambling sites are often blocked and inaccessible in certain provinces. In Quebec, under Bill 74, the state-sanctioned gambling monopoly can request ISPs to block foreign gambling sites.
Additionally, if you’re in Quebec, you may have come across blocked websites and services. This is because some companies opt to block access from Quebec rather than invest in creating a French-language version of their site, as required by law. A VPN allows you to access these sites regardless.
Gambling sites like Bet365, 888 Casino & more can be blocked in Canada.
3. Protect Your Online Privacy
Canada’s Communications Security Establishment (CSE) monitors and stores citizens’ data, sharing it with its Five Eyes allies, including the US. Bill C-51 significantly expanded the government’s ability to monitor and collect data on its citizens, threatening civil liberties across Canada.
Additionally, many websites and apps use and sell data for marketing purposes. Many Canadian companies even store user data in the US, where privacy laws are weaker.
By hiding your IP address and encrypting your internet traffic, a VPN reduces the ability of these agencies and companies to monitor and collect your data.
4. Protect Yourself from Security Threats
A VPN encrypts your data, which makes it much harder to cybercriminals to intercept your data.
Hackers exploit unsecure networks like on public WiFi, but a VPN ensures that your connection remains secure even when connecting to free WiFi.
5. Get Discounts & Avoid Price Discrimination
Products and services can cost more depending on your location. Regional pricing, or price discrimination, can affect Canadians harshly. For example, premium Netflix in Canada costs $20.99 per month, but we paid half the price by subscribing to Netflix with a VPN.
It’s also the case that people outside of Canada can get a Canadian IP address and access improved deals, like subscribing to DAZN from the US to watch out-of-market NFL games for much cheaper than on YouTube TV.
How We Tested & Chose VPNs for Canada
To identify the best VPNs for Canada, we tested 61 VPNs across 4 key categories, assigning each a rating that contributes to its overall rating for use in Canada.
Below is a detailed breakdown of the attributes we evaluate for and the percentage they contribute to the overall rating.
1. Canada Servers (30%)
To access Canadian websites and services, you need a Canadian IP address. The more servers a VPN offers, the better its performance is likely to be.
We assess the number of Canadian servers in each VPN’s network, including the number of city locations and provinces available. We also use an IP address checker to confirm an authentic connection to Canada.
We expect to see hundreds of individual servers distributed across multiple Canadian cities.
2. Canada Streaming (30%)
VPNs enable access to Canadian streaming sites from outside the country — but many VPNs are detected and blocked.
We manually test each VPN with a selection of popular Canadian streaming services, including CBC Gem, Citytv, CTV, DAZN, Fubo, Global TV, Netflix, Télé-Québec, and TVA+. The more streaming sites a VPN can unblock, the higher its rating.
3. Speed (20%)
Fast speeds ensure smooth browsing and buffer-free streaming of Canadian content from anywhere in the world. That’s why we conduct in-house speed tests to determine each VPN’s download speed when connecting to Canada from various global locations.
With this data, we can calculate the average speed you can expect and recommend the fastest options. We expect no more than a 10% speed loss when connecting to the VPN’s Canadian servers.
4. Privacy (20%)
Many Canadians use VPNs to protect themselves from intrusive government surveillance and corporate data collection. To address this, we reviewed each VPN’s logging policy according to our in-house standards, distinguishing between those that provide robust privacy protection and those that do not.
We analyzed the types of data each VPN logs, evaluated the company’s track record to assess its trustworthiness, and examined any independent audits or court cases that prove their privacy claims.
Data Cap Penalty
Most free VPNs have data caps that restrict your VPN’s performance. To account for this limitation, we apply a penalty to a free VPN’s overall rating. This is based on how severe its data cap is:
10GB per month: -20% to the overall rating
500MB per day: -25% to the overall rating
5GB per month: -30% to the overall rating
1GB or 2GB per month: -35% to the overall rating
200MB per day: -40% to the overall rating
500MB per month: -50% to the overall rating
From our list of Canada VPNs, both ratings for Windscribe Free and PrivadoVPN was reduced by 20% to account for its restrictive offering of 10GB of data per month.