Looking for a VPN to use while traveling or living in Asia? Many VPN users have found that not every VPN is up to the task of getting around tight internet restrictions. In this article, we reveal the best VPNs for Asia, why you might need a VPN and how internet restrictions across Asia may affect you.

In many Asian countries, you will face difficulty getting to your favorite websites without the help of a VPN for Asia. In a lot of places, you may find that video streaming sites, news outlets, and social networks are either blocked or contain very heavily edited content.

We’ll cover the best VPNs for Asia in detail below, but if you just need a quick summary of our top choices, here they are:

  • NordVPN Our top pick for speed and reliability. A veteran provider that consistently hits good streaming speeds. Impressive security and privacy features. 30-day money-back guarantee.
  • Surfshark Best budget VPN. A security-first service that prides itself on the ability to unblock a huge range of content. Offers decent speeds, unlimited bandwidth, and a no-logs policy.
  • ExpressVPN Operates a vast network of servers that can unblock most of the popular online streaming sites. Goes to great lengths to protect users’ privacy and security.
  • CyberGhost Surprisingly impressive speeds in our tests for a budget provider. Easy to use with good privacy.
  • IPVanish Reliable for streaming. Option for anonymous signup and payment. Look elsewhere for Netflix.
  • PrivateVPN Fast and secure. Needs manual configuration to work in China.

You can get around government restrictions on web access by making it appear that you are connecting to some other website that isn’t on their blacklist. You can also get into blocked websites and apps from abroad even if local ISPs don’t allow overseas access.

There are no hidden terms—just contact support within 30 days if you decide NordVPN isn’t right for you and you’ll get a full refund. Start your NordVPN trial here.

In order to perform this online relocation, you need to subscribe to a VPN service. A VPN will make it appear that you are in a different place and will hide all of the traffic between your computer and its server location.

The best VPNs for Asia – at a glance

We’ve compared the most important features of the top VPNs here. Prefer to read the in-depth reviews? Start with NordVPN – our #1 choice VPN for Asia.

The Best VPNs for Asia

In order to find the best VPNs for Asia, we looked for excellence in the following areas:

  • Good speeds for streaming video to anywhere in Asia
  • A large server network with a presence in major Asian countries
  • A privacy policy that protects the identity of customers
  • Strong encryption
  • Work with a wide range of popular device

1. NordVPN

                    Jan 2023

Apps Available:

  • PC
  • Mac
  • IOS
  • Android
  • Linux
  • Background
  • FireTV

Website: www.NordVPN.com

Money-back guarantee: 30 DAYS

NordVPN is our first choice for an Asia VPN. It has more than 5,000 servers in 59 countries, boast incredible speeds, and is capable of evading detection. If you’re prepared to sign up for the three-year plan, you will get a particularly low price. Although such a long-term commitment seems daunting, the company offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can really test out the VPN before you are completely locked in.

With NordVPN, you are allowed to connect six devices to the service at once. NordVPN works in China and it can also help you access Netflix US, Canada, France, and India.

The server locations of NordVPN include Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore, Japan, and South Korea. You can easily get an Asian IP address from abroad using this VPN. This is also an excellent service for getting into regionally restricted services in India when you are out of the country in another part of the world.

NordVPN is fine with its customers using P2P networks for downloading and it has specialized servers for that activity. You can choose to add on extra security measures when you select a server for your connection. These options include a double-hop connection, which passes through two VPN servers and includes double encryption.

This service has apps for Windows, MacOS, Android, and iOS. The VPN can be set up on routers and there is also a NordVPN browser extension for Chrome and Firefox.

BEST VPN FOR ASIA:NordVPN is our top choice. A solid well-rounded VPN provider that works well in Asia. Unblocks most popular streaming sites. Strong security features and allows up to 6 devices to be used simultaneously from one account. Includes a 30-day money-back guarantee making it risk-free.

Pros:

  • Very fast speeds for HD streaming
  • Operates close to 500 servers throughout Asia
  • Unblocks the majority of streaming services with ease
  • Works in China
  • Top-notch security and privacy protection
  • Offers 24/7 live chat

Cons:

  • Desktop app can be a bit slow to connect

Our score:

Read our full review of NordVPN.

2. Surfshark

  • PC
  • Mac
  • IOS
  • Android
  • Linux

Website: www.Surfshark.com

Surfshark is a budget-friendly VPN based in the British Virgin Islands, so it isn’t legally required to keep any identifying logs, and accordingly, it doesn’t. For added privacy, you can pay in Bitcoin, Ripple, or Ethereum. This service keeps your internet traffic safe using 256-bit encryption, a kill switch, and protection against DNS, IPv6, and WebRTC leaks. There’s also a NoBorders function that lets you browse freely in countries with strict censorship.

Surfshark offers Windows, Android, iOS, Linux, and MacOS apps. You can also manually configure it for use with supported network routers.

Read our full review of Surfshark here.

  • Streaming speeds are great for HD in Asia

  • No connection limit

  • Strong privacy and security protections

  • Unblocks sites from across the globe

  • 24/7 live chat available

  • Some slow speeds

BEST BUDGET OPTION:Surfshark lets you protect every device you own simultaneously. With cutting-edge security features, a no-logs policy, and a 30-day money-back guarantee, this service is well worthy of your consideration.

3. ExpressVPN

Website: www.ExpressVPN.com

ExpressVPN is another good choice for use in Asia. The server locations of this VPN are spread across 94 countries and include major Asian nations such as Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Turkey, Hong Kong, and Macau. Those last two locations offer excellent service for customers in China. ExpressVPN is one of the few VPNs that works well in the People’s Republic. The service’s ability to evade detection is great for those in China who want to watch foreign movies or connect to Facebook.

The ease with which ExpressVPN dodges the Great Firewall of China shows how adept this service is at fooling even the strictest proxy detection systems. In the world of video streaming, one of the hardest sites to crack is Netflix. ExpressVPN can unblock Netflix US, Canada, and Germany, and other libraries from anywhere in Asia.

Ironically, the ExpressVPN website is blocked in China. However, the company gives its customers a second web address to access the site that works in China. The support team can be reached around the clock on the website via a live chat facility. However, if you’re heading for China, it is simpler to sign up for the service before you go.

COMPREHENSIVE SECURITY:ExpressVPN has a vast server network that is optimized for high-speed connections and user-friendly apps for all operating systems. It’s hard to beat on privacy and security. There is a 30-day money-back guarantee on all plans.

  • Fast servers are great for streaming in HD quality

  • Many servers are in major Asian cities

  • Strong no-logs privacy policy and high-grade security built into apps

  • User-friendly apps for all major mobile and desktop platforms

  • Unblocks all major streaming services

  • Slightly more pricey than other services

Read our full review of ExpressVPN.

4. CyberGhost

Website: www.Cyberghost.com

Money-back guarantee: 45 DAYS

CyberGhost has more than 5,700 servers around the world spread across 90 countries. There are VPN servers in ten Asia countries including Hong Kong, India, Japan, South Korea, and Malaysia. This is one of the few VPN services in the world that has servers in Pakistan, so if you are living and working in some other part of Asia and you want to be able to get into Pakistani sites, apps, and video services, CyberGhost would be your best bet.

The app for CyberGhost is really well designed, with a friendly ghost theme running through all of its screens. When you open the app you first get to define what activity you will be pursuing and then the app reconfigures itself accordingly. One of those options is to download with torrents, so the company is fine with you using its services to connect to P2P networks anonymously.

The company also offers its customers extra security measures for free, such as an immunizer against ransomware attack. You can connect to the service seven times simultaneously.

You can pay for the service with Bitcoin. CyberGhost offers total account anonymity because your payments are processed by a separate company and you are only identified on the CyberGhost system by an account number.

CyberGhost provides apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS. The VPN website contains instructions for setting up the VPN on select routers.

VALUE AND PERFORMANCE:CyberGhost has a simple set up. Works well in Asia. Good option if you are looking for a fast, reliable connection and an easy-to-use interface. 45-day money-back guarantee.

  • Fast enough to stream HD video seamlessly in most regions

  • Operates dozens of fast and reliable servers in Asia

  • No issues unblocking US Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and more

  • Strong encryption and solid privacy policy

  • Kill switch on all apps and keeps no logs

  • Doesn’t work in China or the UAE

Read our full CyberGhost review.

5. IPVanish

Website: www.IPVanish.com

IPVanish is based in the United States. For some people that would be a problem because the NSA and copyright lawyers are notoriously adept at leaning on businesses in the USA, which could force them to hand over records of customer activities. However, IPVanish is prepared for that eventuality — they don’t keep any connection or activity logs. So, there is no information that could be forced out of them.

The company has servers in 60 countries and is particularly strong in the United States. If you want to access US games and video services, then you will benefit from great speeds with IPVanish. The company operates VPN servers in 10 Asian nations. These include three different locations in Turkey and they also have a presence in India, South Korea, Japan, and Malaysia. There are a total of 16 servers in Hong Kong to help customers in China.

IPVanish allows each customer to connect five devices to the network simultaneously. You get a seven-day refund period when you sign up. The service is offered on one-month, three-month, or one-year plans, with longer subscriptions working out cheaper per month.

LARGE NETWORK:IPVanish is great for families. Solid choice for Asia. Good at unblocking most geo-restricted content. Recommend for their high standard of privacy. Could do with a live support option. 7-day money-back guarantee.

  • Operates over 50 reliable servers in the Asian region

  • Good unblocking capabilities and streams in HD speeds

  • Impressive security and privacy features

  • Preferred by Kodi and Firestick TV for its remote-friendly apps

  • Apps don’t work in China, you must use a third-party OpenVPN app and manually configure for each server you wish to connect to

  • Doesn’t accept Bitcoin

Read our full review of IPVanish.

6. PrivateVPN

Website: www.PrivateVPN.com

PrivateVPN is based in Sweden and the company is particularly enthusiastic about serving customers who want to download with torrents. The service has locations in 56 countries, including 12 nations in Asia. Those Asian locations include Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan, India, Indonesia, and Turkey. This is another VPN that can get you into Netflix USA from abroad.

Being very interested in torrenting, the company is scrupulous about not keeping any activity or traffic logs. You get an allowance of six simultaneous connections with PrivateVPN, so you can have several gadgets protected in your home and outdoors.

Although the company is located in Sweden, all of its staff speak excellent English and the support team is available on the website through a live chat facility during Swedish business hours. The technicians are able to take control of your device remotely and fix any problems that you have, if you find it difficult to follow technical instructions.

PrivateVPN offers new customers a 30-day refund period so you can try the service risk-free.

GREAT FOR SPEED:PrivateVPN is consistently reliable. Good for general purpose use and Torrenting. Speeds were surprisingly good at this end of the market. Could do with having more servers and lacks 24/7 support. 30-day money-back guarantee.

  • Streaming speeds are good enough for HD for Asia

  • Gaining a solid reputation for unblocking geo-restricted content, including from the UK

  • Our tests revealed impressive speeds

  • Doesn’t have 24/7 live chat

  • Small number of servers to choose from

  • Needs manual tweaking to work in China

Read our full review of PrivateVPN.

Methodology: How we found the best VPNs for Asia

When it comes to VPNs, there’s plenty of competition on the market. However, some VPNs are found to be lacking when it comes to server speed or even their level of security. The best VPNs for Asia are strong in all areas. As part of our methodology, we looked for each of them to meet the following criteria:

  • Servers worldwide: There may be times when you wish to connect to a server in your home country in Asia or even to a server in another part of the world. Whatever the case, a VPN should offer a global network of servers. All of the best VPNs for Asia have servers in dozens of countries. In some cases, thousands of servers are available.
  • Speed: Our speed tests have identified only the fastest VPNs so you can continue to browse, stream, and torrent as normal. All of these VPNs offer unlimited bandwidth. As such, you may even enjoy improved connection speeds in some cases. This is particularly the case if you’re currently suffering from ISP throttling.
  • Unblocking: The unblocking ability of VPNs varies greatly which is why we test each VPN against a wide range of websites and services. In particular, we try them with a lot of popular streaming services, many of which actively block VPN use. The VPNs listed in this post all offer the most consistency when it comes to bypassing restrictions.
  • Security: A VPN should keep you safe at all times, even if you’re connecting to less than safe public wifi networks. Essential security features that we look for in a VPN include encryption, DNS leak protection, and a kill switch. Need more than this? Look for a VPN with Double VPN servers which encrypt your internet traffic twice.
  • Privacy: Aside from strong security, a VPN is supposed to protect your privacy. This comes first and foremost with encryption and then the operating of a strict no-logs policy. Unfortunately, some VPNs keep identifying logs and may even sell this information to third parties. We’ve studied 140 VPN logging policies to find those you can trust.
  • Ease of use: One of the benefits of testing so many VPNs is that we are able to find out just how user-friendly their apps actually are. We only choose VPNs that allow you to connect to a server in a matter of seconds. Another key feature is that each VPN provides 24/7 support, available via live chat and email.
  • Value for money: Just because a VPN offers the above, doesn’t mean it has to be unaffordable. Indeed, you’ll have the option of a month-to-month subscription (higher monthly fee but no long-term commitment) or an annual or multi-year plan (pay more upfront but save long-term). All of the best VPNs for Asia include risk-free money-back guarantees while you can save even more with our VPN discount coupons.

In testing VPNs, we follow our VPN testing methodology. This involves plenty of hands-on time with each VPN, carrying out tests related to speed, security, and even unblocking of content.

Free VPNs for Asia

Don’t be tempted by free VPNs. Some of them are great for quick access to restricted sites however, most free VPN have very limited capabilities and will struggle to get around internet censorship. When you are looking for a VPN for Asia, you need to be sure of top-level encryption to keep your connections private — free VPNs don’t offer that.

The free versions of reputable VPNs are often good as a trial. However, they usually come with data throughput limits. Activities such as online gaming, torrenting, and streaming video chew through those data allowances very quickly. Plus their encryption standards can leave you open to malware so we recommend using a reputable VPN for Asia.

Internet restrictions in Asia

Asia encompasses a lot of repressive governments. The Freedom House Freedom on the Net 2017 report lists 20 Asian nations among the 30 most repressive regimes for internet access. The only Asian nations that make it onto the list of the top 20 countries with the freest internet access are Japan and Armenia.

The controls on internet access vary from country to country, but Asia includes the countries that operate the tightest web restrictions. Freedom House gives China the top spot for internet repression, but Iran, Syria, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, and Pakistan are not far behind.

North Korea may possibly be worse than China. However, conditions are so bad there that Freedom House isn’t able to fairly monitor internet restrictions in that country and so leaves it out of its Freedom on the Net report. Even relatively liberal countries in Asia, such as Bahrain and the UAE make it into the Freedom House list of restrictive states — taking position 9 and 11 respectively.

All search engines in China are severely restricted. Although you can access Google in China, you won’t be able to get to the North American or European versions of the service. Instead, you will be redirected to the Hong Kong service.

Most Google brands, including YouTube, Google Drive, and Gmail are banned in China. Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are all banned in China, as are overseas video streaming services, such as Netflix.

Muslim countries are particularly hard on pornography and dating sites. Also, as a lot of countries in the Middle East are autocratic, any political dissent gets a website banned in those places. Surprisingly, gambling sites are banned in a lot of South Asian countries, including India and Bangladesh. In South Korea, online gambling can get you a jail sentence of three years.

Websites covering issues of homosexuality are completely banned throughout the Middle East and also in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Indonesia. A long list of Asian locations ban dating sites. Again, all of the Middle East is on that list, plus India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Myanmar, and China.

Religious controversy is strongly punished in large areas of Asia and many countries have very severe penalties for people who even joke about the state’s main religion.

In Pakistan, the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Bill gives the government the right to prosecute Pakistani passport holders for accessing banned sites even if they are outside of the country when they committed the transgression and even if they were born abroad and have never actually visited Pakistan. The advent of internet access on flights means that you can be prosecuted by the Pakistani government for accessing a banned website while flying over the country — even if your plane doesn’t touch down there.

The situation of internet freedom in Asia is not universally gloomy. Japan has one of the freest web systems in the world and is ranked as the seventh freest country in the world for internet access by Freedom House. Armenia comes in 17th place in Freedom House’s openness rankings. Despite being ruled over by China, Hong Kong manages to keep general freedoms for its citizens making it much freer than Mainland China.

The legal landscape over internet and web access in many Asian countries has become messy. The definition of what is and isn’t illegal is left intentionally blurred and that means that many governments can arrest people on a whim whether or not the sites that they visited where on a blacklist.

*Disclaimer: While we have researched this topic thoroughly, nothing in our article should be taken as legal advice. Our goal is to provide you with the best information and solutions. That said, we are not legal experts on the nuances of Asia’s laws.

In terms of sheer countries covered, ExpressVPN is one of the best. It has servers in fairly uncommon locations like Bhutan, Brunei, and Laos, as well as the more common Japan, India, and South Korea. If you’re looking for reliability, NordVPN might be the better option, though: it covers fewer countries but has almost twice as many servers, which could help reduce lag at peak times. 

  • China
  • Iran
  • Iraq
  • North Korea
  • Oman
  • Turkey
  • Turkmenistan
  • United Arab Emirates

There can be serious consequences for breaking the law in these countries. We strongly recommend you make yourself aware of the local laws and regulations before attempting to use a VPN when traveling. 

Speed is the biggest factor when it comes to smooth, lag-free gaming. Of course, your ping and speeds are impacted by all sorts of things including how far you are from your chosen server and how many other people are connected to it. As such, gamers should choose a service like NordVPN; one with consistently speedy connections, a large server network, and the ability to bypass all kinds of country-wide blocking. 

Each of these locations has its own unique benefits and drawbacks, so it’s important to do your own research before deciding on a VPN location in Asia.