The Best VPNs for Singapore

After thousands of streaming tests, ExpressVPN still outclasses every other VPN I’ve put through the same process.

Out of the 120 content platforms I tested it with, it unblocked an incredible 115, including some of the trickiest services: Disney+, HBO Max, Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, and Kayo Sports.

I watched HBO Max USA smoothly from abroad.

ExpressVPN also gets into 18 Netflix regions, including in-demand libraries in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and Japan.

Its VPN servers in India and Korea worked flawlessly for local Netflix titles too. I have to call that out, as it’s one of the few areas where NordVPN doesn’t keep pace.

If you’re outside Singapore, you can also use ExpressVPN’s servers to stream geo-restricted content on mewatch, Viu Singapore, Catchplay, and iQIYI.

Speed is the other reason ExpressVPN sits at the top of this list. Its long-distance download speeds in and out of Singapore are exceptional.

From my accommodation in Katong, I connected to dozens of locations around the world. On nearby servers my losses stayed in the low single digits, and on connections stretching over 10,000 miles I only lost around 15% of my internet speed.

What impressed me just as much was the consistency. Those speeds barely fluctuated from one test run to the next, which is rarer than it sounds.

All of which makes ExpressVPN a great VPN for gaming, particularly on PC and consoles, thanks to consistently low latency and lag-free gameplay.

Connecting from nearby locations to servers in Singapore and the other 32 Asian countries on offer was instant. Ping and packet loss stayed low, too.

The value ExpressVPN offers is hard to dispute: user-friendly apps with advanced built-in security, excellent speeds, and unblocking that works across more devices than most other VPNs.

If you’d rather see that for yourself before committing, you can sign up for ExpressVPN’s 3-day free trial via the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.

Once your free account is set up, you can use it on up to 10 other devices.

In my opinion, the hassle-free 30-day money-back guarantee is an even better way to test run ExpressVPN. And in case you’re wondering, I’ve always received my money back.

Like ExpressVPN, NordVPN is one of the most effective VPNs I’ve used for bypassing streaming geo-blocks, whether the restriction is Singaporean or foreign.

Credit for that goes to its extensive and regularly refreshed pool of IP addresses across 137 countries, combined with connections that stay fast and stable under load.

The result is smooth, reliable access to most geo-restricted streaming services worldwide.

So if you’re heading to Singapore, NordVPN will keep your usual services within reach: Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, BBC iPlayer, Kayo Sports, and plenty more.

Unblocking BBC iPlayer with NordVPN.

Where NordVPN struggles is bypassing strict national firewalls in authoritarian countries like China. It used to handle them well, but its performance has deteriorated sharply in recent years, as my China VPN tests show.

That won’t affect you in Singapore, but it’s worth knowing if you’re planning on extending your trip to China.

NordVPN has expanded its footprint enormously in recent years and now covers 137 countries, 37 of them in Asia.

That’s a good deal more than ExpressVPN’s 113, so if breadth of coverage is your priority, NordVPN is the one to pick.

Connecting across all those locations was quick and smooth for me, with no speed dips or sudden drops.

Having said that, NordVPN’s UI could be better. I found the apps “busier” than ExpressVPN’s, largely because of all the extra features it wants you to use.

I preferred ExpressVPN’s cleaner layout, with fewer distractions on the home screen and fewer tabs to wade through.

Those extras are the clearest thing separating NordVPN from ExpressVPN.

The two I’ve spent the most time with are its multi-hop (Double VPN) servers, for an extra layer of privacy and security, and Meshnet, which let me use my home IP address while I was away in Singapore.

With Meshnet you can connect remotely into your home network for free.

If you want to hold onto the same VPN IP address, NordVPN also offers more dedicated VPN IP locations than any other service I’ve reviewed. Bear in mind that these cost extra, and they aren’t anonymous like ExpressVPN’s.

Hotspot Shield’s desktop and mobile apps have clearly been built with everyday users in mind.

Finding a server took me no time at all, and connections established almost instantly.

Speed is where it really pulls away, though. No other free VPN comes close right now. Connecting from Singapore all the way to the US, my speeds fell by just 3% on average, which is better than most paid services manage.

I saw the same on its Singaporean and UK VPN servers, where speeds held up just as well.

Better still, those servers beat streaming geo-restrictions that trip up other free VPNs and a fair few paid ones.

I got into the American Netflix and HBO Max libraries, plus Netflix Singapore, mewatch, and Viu Singapore from abroad.

Hotspot Shield’s free app works with US Netflix.

It was a very different story on the UK servers, though, where the VPN failed to access BBC iPlayer, Disney+ UK, and Sky Go.

Free servers in only 3 countries is obviously a narrow selection, but that isn’t what disappointed me most.

Privacy is where I expected far better, and the policies caught me off guard instead.

Using Hotspot Shield’s free apps means logging your bandwidth usage, connection timestamps, browsing activity, account information, and your approximate real-world location.

This is limited to the duration of your VPN session and the data is aggregated, but it’s still a lot of information that’s collected.

On top of that, the advertising SDKs in the app use your real originating IP address for marketing purposes.

If you’re concerned by any of this, Windscribe is the more private free option, although it lacks a free Singaporean server.

While we’re on advertising, the mobile app makes you watch an ad every 15 minutes to keep your free connection alive. Your data is unlimited, but on mobile you pay for it in ad breaks. The desktop app is free of this.

Windscribe’s free tier lets you stream geo-blocked content across 10 countries: Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Switzerland, the UK, and the US.

It’s also one of the very few free VPNs that reliably unblocks BBC iPlayer from abroad.

Every one of Windscribe’s free UK servers worked with BBC iPlayer.

The free version handles other tough platforms too, including Sky Go, DAZN, Hulu, and HBO Max, and it unlocks 5 international Netflix regions, Canada and the UK among them.

Just keep the 10GB monthly cap in mind, because that’s roughly four hours of HD streaming and no more.

And if all you want is to get past Singapore’s website blocks, I’d connect to Windscribe’s VPN server in Hong Kong. It’s the closest free location and gave me the fastest speeds by a wide margin.

Across every app, Windscribe uses robust AES-256 and ChaCha20 encryption ciphers alongside a dependable set of protocols including WireGuard, OpenVPN, and IKEv2.

Combined with a solid privacy policy, that’s why I’m confident saying your activity won’t be logged or leaked here.

Windscribe also runs RAM-only servers that never write data to a hard drive, so even a seized server would hold nothing about your browsing.

My own testing backed this up. Windscribe suffered no IP or DNS leaks at any point, and the built-in Windscribe Firewall (kill switch) cut my connectivity instantly every time I forced the VPN connection to drop.