Knowing your India Internet Service Provider (ISP) can look up and store the history of your online activities and pinpoint your location and identity is a terrible feeling. Additionally, because of The Indian Telegraph Act of 1883, the government can not only spy on citizens without an issue but also access certain websites. Yes, some of those are blocked for a good reason but most people aren’t aware of how restricted they are until they start using a VPN. This goes both ways – you can’t access some Indian websites while outside the country, and can’t access certain outside websites from India. Luckily, there’s no need to suffer if you stick with one of the best VPN for India below.
1. ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is a high-end VPN provider with headquarters in the British Virgin Islands, away from government censorship and spying, and data retention. They offer 3000+ VPN servers in 94+ countries, and 3 servers in Chennai and Mumbai. Also, for many, this VPN service is a go-to resource for bypassing Netflix VPN block, as well as streaming services such as Disney Plus, Hulu, or HBO Max, and Indian ones such as JioTV, Hooq, and Voot. ExpressVPN encrypts your Internet traffic with an AES 256-bit encryption algorithm, stores no logs of your activity, and offers support for P2P transfer on all servers.
2. NordVPN
The runner-up in our tests was NordVPN, a VPN provider with 5400+ servers in 60+ countries, of which 30+ are in India alone. It’s cheaper than ExpressVPN while offering the same level of encryption, zero-log policy, and device compatibility. NordVPN can also unblock all of the streaming services mentioned above, with the addition of Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, Star Sports, SonyLIV, Hotstar, and others. Besides 24/7 Customer Service, a 30-day money-back guarantee, and 6 simultaneous VPN connections, they also offer a built-in ad and pop-up blocker named CyberSec. You can also utilize an in-house VPN protocol named NordLynx.
3. Surfshark
Not only is Surfshark among the most affordable VPN providers but since late 2020, offers 3200+ servers in 65 countries, among which 3 are in India. All of the servers are configured to run on RAM in place of storage, support P2P transfer, and capable of unblocking the streaming services we listed above. On top of that, Surfshark works in China (just like ExpressVPN and NordVPN), offers 256-bit AES encryption and a no-logging policy. And like NordVPN, it comes with CleanWeb, it’s own ad, tracker, and malware blocker. We’re also taken aback by Surfshark’s offer of unlimited VPN connections at the same time on one account.
4. CyberGhost VPN
Internet freedom can cost a few between 100 and 200 Indian rupees monthly, as evident from our CyberGhost VPN review. It’s the cheapest high-end VPN provider, only challenged by Surfshark. There are tiny compromises, mainly with speed on some servers. Luckily, they fade in comparison to 22 servers in India among 6450+ servers in 90+ countries in total. CyberGhost VPN comes with the latest security protocols, offers 256-bit AES encryption, has a zero-logging policy, and works on all popular operating systems. Besides the ability to unblock Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, and Disney Plus, we had no problems circumventing Voot, Zee5, SonyLIV, or Hotstar.
5. Hotspot Shield
The price of Hotspot Shield is on the higher end, as seen in our Hotspot Shield review. However, it’s undeniable that speed more than makes up for it. This is especially important for streaming high-bitrate videos to or from India, or in 4K resolution. You have Catapult Hydra, their proprietary security protocol, to thank for that. Hotspot Shield supports an industry-standard set of features – AES-256 encryption, support for torrenting, a kill switch and a smart VPN, and a 24/7 Customer Care service. Even better, you can take advantage of its 7-day free trial. If you dislike it, which you won’t, you have up to 45 days to get your money back.
6. IPVanish
In our review of IPVanish, we explained that having headquarters in the United States isn’t ideal. Luckily, thanks to 256-bit encryption, a strict no-log policy, support for VPN otocols such as OpenVPN, IKEv2, and SSTP, and even VPN proxy servers, you’re in no danger. You can also unblock Netflix, HBO Max, SlingTV, 10Play, Hotstar, Hooq, and JioTV. IPVanish offers 1600+ servers in 75+ locations, one of which is New Delhi that contains multiple VPN servers. The VPN provider is also aware of India’s Information Technology Act 2008, the primary government censorship tool, and actively helps you dodge it.
7. Private Internet Access
Private Internet Access offers 29100+ servers in 77 countries, of which 50+ are located in India. They also excel in circumventing restrictions imposed by Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+, Hotstar, Star Sports, Hooq, and Voot. There are no worries about security either. The provider stores no logs while offering IP and DNS leak protection, and a kill switch should your Internet connection drop. Besides 256-bit AES encryption and support for the open-source WireGuard VPN protocol, Private Internet Access also has MACE, a built-in ad/malware blocker.
8. VyprVPN
VyprVPN is just a tad cheaper than Private Internet Access but “only” has only 700+ VPN servers in 70+ countries. However, they offer 300,000 IP addresses and a dynamic switching feature that controls server load. Even better, they own every chain in the VPN infrastructure, including DNS servers. That means there’s no risk of third-party intrusion or IPv4, IPv6, or DNS leaks. Additionally, they offer a rock-solid no-log policy, which was audited and confirmed by a third-party security firm. And, besides WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2/IPsec, and L2TP/IPSec, they offer Chameleon, a proprietary VPN protocol.
9. Windscribe
Now’s the time for a free VPN service you won’t regret. Windscribe is not like others who sell your data to third parties to recoup the cost. They store no logs of your activity or connection history. Without a Pro version, you can’t connect all of the servers in 110+ locations and 63+ cities, and 3 VPN data centers in Chennai, Mumbai, and Pune. However, you can connect to servers in 10 countries and bypass the country’s censorship. Additionally, India VPN users can still unblock services with less powerful anti-VPN tools. On top of that, Windscribe offers between 10 GB and 15 GB of free data monthly.
10. TorGuard
This VPN provider isn’t as popular, likely due to the outdated user interface of its apps. However, it’s the perfect choice for VPN users in India with less than optimal Internet speed. TorGuard is the only VPN provider on the list that supports P2P traffic while allowing you to choose encryption level. That way, your speed won’t be as impacted while retaining a decent degree of security. You can connect to 3000+ servers in 50+ countries, connect up to 8 devices to VPN, and hide your VPN through a Stealth Proxy feature. Also, you can choose between WireGuard, OpenVPN, SSTP, or IPSec with IKEv2/L2TP protocols.
