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Best VPN for Canada 2020

How to choose the best VPN service for Canada?

You have to use a VPN when it comes to circumventing the Canadian government’s spying practices accordingly. However, not all VPN providers offer online freedom and anonymity to their users.

Before subscribing to a VPN service in Canada, you should consider the following factors to make a correct decision:

Availability of Canadian VPN servers

Your potential VPN service should provide a multitude of VPN servers in different cities in Canada. A high number of servers allow users to connect to their preferred servers and secure their digital footprints.

No logging Policy

A VPN service should not keep the logs of its users at any cost. You should select VPN providers that follow no-logging policy because law enforcement agencies may approach them to access your web browsing information.

Tunneling Protocols and Encryption

Your VPN service must include different tunneling protocols like OpenVPN, IKEv2, SSTP, L2TP/IPsec alongside 256-bit encryption. It is like icing on the cake if your VPN service does have other security and privacy features like internet kill switch, split tunneling, double VPN, and others.

Compatibility

A VPN service should offer a variety of apps for different operating systems and devices like Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Router, Smart TVs, Gaming Consoles, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, and so on. Apart from this, it should offer a desirable multi-login feature that helps you to connect numerous devices at a time.

Customer Support

A VPN service in Canada must provide various support options like email, FAQs, setup guides, live chat, and phone calls. All these options enable users to get the solution of their queries timely.

 6 Best VPNs for Canada in 2020

I have curated a list of best country vpns based on their performance that helps you regain your online freedom in Canada. The list consists of:

1. ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN provides 5 servers in three cities of Canada, which are Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. The British Virgin Islands (BVI) based VPN service offers 3000+ servers in 90+ countries throughout the world.

Through its impressive split tunneling feature, you can access both local and foreign websites simultaneously. Let us take an example; you can watch your favorite shows on DAZN using your local IP address. Similarly, you can select the ExpressVPN server’s IP address to watch international streaming services like Hulu, Disney Plus, and others.

The provider offers an excellent kill switch feature by the name of the network lock, which secures your online whereabouts if the app suddenly stops working for any reason. Moreover, you can use its innovative TrustedServer feature that allows you to operate ExpressVPN’s servers on RAM or volatile memory.

The RAM or volatile memory needs a constant power supply to retain users’ data. These RAM servers are rebooted regularly; hence, any user information available on these servers is deleted completely. ExpressVPN has added another efficient privacy feature perfect forward secrecy up its sleeves.

This feature provides you a new encryption key every time you use the VPN app. By doing so, you can remove your previous browsing session history from the app quite easily. The service provides 256-bit encryption alongside the OpenVPN protocol that protects your sensitive information from the prying eyes of hackers, ISPs, and other unwanted people online.

ExpressVPN does not store its users’ information in any form, be it connection or usage logs. Its user-friendly jurisdiction is a big plus for privacy-conscious users because ExpressVPN does not need to follow any data retention laws.

Apart from this, you can perform your favorite online tasks like streaming and torrenting hassle-free. The provider helps you to unblock numerous video-on-demand services like BBC iPlayer, FuboTV, Apple TV+, and others on multiple devices in Canada.

ExpressVPN is the best VPN for Canada due to its excellent connection speeds as you can watch shows, movies, documentaries, and news without facing buffering issues. You can set up its app on different operating systems and devices, including Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS, Routers, Smart TVs, and Gaming Consoles.

You will need to pay $8.32/month to get its yearly subscription at a decent 35% discount with a 30-day refund policy.

ExpressVPN’s Salient Features

• Offers 3000+ servers in 90+ countries including 5 servers in Canada
• Provides 5 simultaneous connections 
• Unblocks US Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Disney Plus
• Offers excellent customer support feature
• Compatible with a range of operating systems and devices

2. NordVPN

NordVPN offers 429 servers in three cities of Canada, which are Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. The Panama based VPN service provides 5000+ servers in 55+ countries across the globe. In terms of privacy and security, NordVPN offers various features like internet kill switch, split tunneling, and others.

The internet kill switch feature helps you to protect your web browsing activities even if the VPN app does not work. Likewise, the split tunneling feature allows you to access both local and foreign websites on different devices simultaneously.

If you want to watch foreign media content, then you can use its attractive SmartPlay DNS feature. Besides, you can use its 256-bit encryption to secure your personal information online. Similarly, the provider does have a useful Double VPN feature that routes your data through two servers after encrypting it.

As a result, ISPs, hackers, and cybercriminals cannot trace what you do over the web. Likewise, the service is based in Panama, which is not a part of any 5, 9, or 14 eyes alliance and does not keep its users’ logs. NordVPN supports its users’ P2P activities and is considered as one of the fastest VPNs in Canada due to its exceptional connection speeds.

If we talk about its compatibility, NordVPN stands out from the rest because it is compatible with an array of operating systems and devices such as Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, Router, Gaming Consoles, and Smart TVs.

On the streaming front, you can unblock US Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Disney Plus, Sling TV, FuboTV, and other services in no time. You can get its 3-year plan at the cost of $3.49/month at a humongous 70% discount with a 30-day refund policy.

NordVPN Salient Features

• Provides 5000+ servers in 55+ countries including 429 servers in Canada
• Offers 6 simultaneous connections 
• Compatible with all the leading platforms and devices
• Supports unblocking of US Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Disney Plus, and other services
• Provides diverse customer support options like live chat, email, FAQs, and setup guides

3. CyberGhost

CyberGhost provides 259 servers in three major cities of Canada which are Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. The Romania based service offers 5500+ servers in 80+ countries worldwide. CyberGhost is one of the best VPNs to use in Canada due to its outstanding customer support feature.

Besides, the service does offer 256-bit encryption that is enough to safeguard your sensitive data from the prying eyes of ISPs and intelligence sharing agencies. CyberGhost does not store its users’ information and works mainly outside 5, 9, or 14 eyes countries.

The provider offers an internet kill switch feature that does not reveal your actual IP addresses and browsing data online, even if the VPN app is disconnected. You can use its built-in ad blocker feature to secure your online privacy while residing in Canada.

In terms of torrenting and streaming, CyberGhost works like a charm. It offers dedicated P2P servers that allow you to download your preferred torrents securely. You can use CyberGhost if you want to unblock US Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and other streaming services on 7 multiple devices at a time.

The service provides above-average connection speeds that allow you to perform your desired tasks, be it online gaming, shopping, video streaming, and standard web browsing without any trouble. You can download and install CyberGhost on several devices like Windows, Linux, Android, Mac, iOS, Routers, Smart TVs, and Gaming Consoles.

You can subscribe to its 3-year plan by paying $2.75/month at a massive 79% discount with a 45-day money-back guarantee.

CyberGhost Salient Features:

• Offers 5500+ servers in 80+ countries including 259 servers in Canada
• Provides 7 simultaneous connections feature
• Unblocks US Netflix and BBC iPlayer
• Compatible with a variety of platforms and devices
• Offers impressive customer support consisting of  live chat, FAQs, email, and Setup Guides

4. Private Internet Access

Private Internet Access offers 246 servers in three different cities of Canada, including Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. Apart from this, the US-based VPN provider provides its services through 3300+ servers across 40+ countries globally.

You can secure your web surfing activities in case the VPN app does not work using its efficient internet kill switch feature. Besides, Private Internet Access provides a wide range of security and privacy features such as OpenVPN protocol, 256-bit encryption, ad blocker, SOCKS5 proxy, multiple VPN gateways, and others.

If you want to protect your online identity, then you can use its adblocker feature that helps you to keep safe and anonymous from online tracking issues. If we discuss its tunneling protocols, you can use protocols like PPTP and L2TP/IPsec as well.

The PPTP protocol does not secure its users’ online activities as it majorly supports torrenting and streaming tasks. As far as the L2TP protocol is concerned, it does not encrypt users’ information automatically. It depends on the IPsec protocol quite heavily when it comes to encrypting users’ data.

Private Internet Access offers decent connection speeds to its users. Similarly, the service may not help you unblock US Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and other services. However, you can accomplish your media streaming cravings by downloading your desired torrents in Canada securely.

As already mentioned, Private Internet Access hails from a founding 5-eyes country, USA. But, the service follows a no-logging policy; therefore, users do not need to worry about US data retention laws. On the compatibility front, PIA supports numerous platforms, including Windows, Mac, Android, Linux, iOS, and Routers.

You can use its highly effective customer support feature through live chat, FAQs, setup guides, and email to solve your VPN related installation problems timely.

You can get its 1-year pricing package at the cost of $2.85/month at a decisive 71% discount with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Private Internet Access Salient Features

• Offers 3300+ servers in 40+ countries including 246 servers
• Provides 10 simultaneous connections feature
• Supports P2P activities of its users
• Compatible with Windows, Mac, Android, Linux, and iOS
• Offers different customer support options including live chat, email, and FAQs

5. Surfshark

Surfshark provides 80+ servers in three cities of Canada that are Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. The BVI based VPN provider offers 1700+ servers in 60+ countries all around the world. Moreover, it offers a split tunneling feature by the name of whitelister that allows you to access both local and international websites on your devices at a time.

You can use its internet kill switch feature that does not expose your actual whereabouts like IP address, DNS, and WebRTC data even if the VPN app does not work. Similarly, you may use its cleanweb feature that blocks ads, malware, and access to malicious websites.

Surfshark mainly operates from a user-friendly jurisdiction BVI (British Virgin Island). The country does not belong to any 5, 9, or 14 eyes alliance and does not impose any data retention laws on internet users by itself. The service does not keep a log of its users’ data in any form, such as connection or usage logs.

The provider is compatible with operating systems and devices, including Windows, Mac, Android, Linux, iOS, Smart TVs, and Routers. Surfshark supports the P2P activities of its users and provides above-average connection speeds.

Hence, you can watch TV shows, movies, documentaries, and much more by unblocking US Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Disney Plus, and others without facing any buffering issue. You can get its 2-year subscription plan by paying $1.99/month at a humongous 83% discount with a 30-day refund policy.

Surfshark Salient Features

• Offers 1700+ servers in 60+ countries including 80+ servers in Canada
• Provides unlimited simultaneous connections feature
• Supports torrenting activities of its users
• Compatible with all the famous operating systems and devices
• Unblocks US Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and Disney Plus

6. IPVanish

IPVanish offers 33 servers in three cities of Canada such as Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. The US-based VPN service provides 1400+ servers in 60+ countries across the globe. The provider offers numerous privacy and security features, including kill switch, IP leak protection, SOCKS5 proxy, OpenVPN protocol, IKEv2 protocol, L2TP/IPsec protocol, and 256-bit encryption.

Through its impressive SOCKS5 feature, you can protect your web traffic (HTTP) and BitTorrent clients such as uTorrent, Deluge, and Vuze. You will have to mention your username and password using the control panel if you want to experience this secure proxy server.

Apart from torrenting, you can use IPVanish in Canada to unblock famous streaming services like US Netflix and BBC iPlayer in no time. In terms of speed, the US-based VPN provider has performed a decent job. Likewise, the service provides an excellent customer support feature to its users.

You can explore its detailed FAQ section to get the answer to general queries. Besides, you can use its efficient live chat feature to discuss your VPN related questions with their support agents. IPVanish supports different operating systems and devices like Windows, Mac. Android, Linux, iOS, and Routers.

The provider hails from the 5-eyes country, USA. Therefore, the service will have to abide by mandatory data retention laws. However, the good thing is IPVanish does not keep its users’ data and follows the no-logging policy appropriately.

You can use its yearly plan by paying $6.49/month at an excellent 71% discount with a 7-day money-back guarantee.

IPVanish Salient Features

• Provides 1400+ servers in 60+ countries including 33 servers in Canada
• Offers 10 multi-logins feature
• Supports P2P activities of its users
• Works with US Netflix and BBC iPlayer
• Provides impressive support options like live chat, phone call, FAQs, and email

How to get a Canadian IP Address with a VPN?

You can follow these simple steps to get a local Canadian IP address through a VPN:

• Select a VPN service like ExpressVPN that offers multiple VPN servers in Canada
• Download and subscribe to the VPN service
• Use your login credentials to open the VPN app on your device
• Connect to a Canadian server from the servers’ list

• Check your new IP address on ipleak.org

Cybersecurity Implications of COVID-19 for Canada

Similar to other countries, Canada is also not secure from the dangerous impacts of Coronavirus. The Canadian Anti Fraud Center (CAFC) has issued a significant warning related to the increase in COVID-19 fraudulent scams, phishing attacks, and malware attempts.

The Canadian center for Cybersecurity has also issued a warning related to the surge in cyberattacks to health organizations working in Canada. Thus, you are bound to use a trustworthy VPN service within Canadian territory.

By doing so, you can protect your original identity secure and anonymous from such privacy problems online.

Why should I use a VPN in Canada?

Canada is a member of 5 eyes alliance. It means your personal information can be shared with the intelligence-sharing agencies of other member countries as and when needed. Similarly, the Canadian parliament passed a controversial “C-51 ” Anti-Terror Bill a few years ago.

According to the Anti-terrorism Bill 2015, the government has a right to monitor your online activities to see whether you are involved in any terrorist activity or not. In this situation, you have no option left other than using the best VPN for Canada.

When you use a reliable VPN service, you can stop ISPs, government, and even hackers from keeping an eye on your online activities. Moreover, it allows you to secure your online data from the prying eyes of cybercriminals when using a public Wi-Fi network.

If we talk about the impacts of cybercrime on Canadian businesses, 21% of Canadian business operations were affected by the cybersecurity incidents during 2017. Furthermore, the employees were unable to perform their routine tasks and had to incur additional or recovery costs.

Thus, businesses will need to deploy VPN services if they want to protect their crucial business data from hackers and other unwanted people online.

Advantages of using a Canadian VPN service

The advantages of using a VPN within Canadian territories are endless. Here is the list of some benefits that it offers:

Torrenting

When you use the best VPN for torrenting in Canada, you can perform torrenting tasks securely and anonymously. A VPN masks your actual IP address and encrypts your entire web traffic. As a result, ISPs are unable to monitor what you do over the web.

This way, you can download your preferred torrents without exposing your actual whereabouts.

Netflix

You can access US Netflix by using the best VPN for US Netflix in Canada. Once you connect to a US server in Canada, you can change your online location and unblock US Netflix media library in no time. You should use ExpressVPN or NordVPN to unblock US Netflix.

Streaming

You will have to use a VPN for streaming purposes in Canada to access other services like Hulu, Disney Plus, BBC iPlayer, DAZN, and so on.

You can use NordVPN to access Hulu while residing in Canada. If you want to unblock DAZN from overseas, you can consider using NordVPN.

Fire TV Stick

You should subscribe to Surfshark to watch your favorite movies, TV shows, and documentaries on Fire TV Stick. If you want to watch TV content of different IPTV providers like YouTube TV, FuboTV, and others, then you can use ExpressVPN.

Reddit

If you’re going to unblock your Reddit account from abroad, then you should use a VPN service that offers a local Canadian IP address. Hence, you can access your Reddit account instantly.

Gaming

If you reside in Canada, then you can use a VPN to play your favorite geo-restricted games online on your multiple devices simultaneously.

Best VPNs to use in Canada Region-wise

Northwest Territories

ExpressVPN is ours recommend VPN service because it offers 5 dedicated servers in 3 different cities of Canada, including Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. However, ExpressVPN or other VPN services in the list do not provide servers in Northwest Territories exclusively.

That said, you can still connect to ExpressVPN’s Toronto server to protect your privacy while residing in any city of Northwest territories.

Nunavut

Nunavut is another famous Canadian sub-region like Northwest territories. NordVPN or other VPN services do not provide a server in any city of Nunavut. But, it offers 150+ servers in Montreal that you can connect from any city of Nunavut like Arviat, Baker Lake, and others.

Prince Edward Island

ExpressVPN or other VPN services do not offer a server within Prince Edward Island territory. You will have to connect to ExpressVPN’s Montreal server to spoof your online locations if you reside in Prince Edward Island.

Ontario

NordVPN provides 150+ servers in Toronto, a famous city in the Ontario region. Therefore, you can select any server of your choice and safeguard your actual IP addresses, DNS, and webRTC information.

Yukon Territory

If you reside in Yukon Territory, then you can connect to ExpressVPN’s Vancouver server to perform any online task anonymously.

Quebec

ExpressVPN offers 2 servers in Montreal, a major city of Quebec. You can use these servers in Quebec to unblock geo-blocked services in a blink of an eye.

Manitoba

Surfshark or other VPN providers do not offer their servers in Manitoba province. However, the service exists in Vancouver, the nearest city to Manitoba through 30+ servers. If you want to do your desired online activities like video streaming and online banking in Manitoba, Surfshark is an ideal choice.

British Columbia

NordVPN offers 130 servers in Vancouver, a city situated in British Columbia. You can protect yourself from phishing attacks, cybercrime, and other privacy hassles by using NordVPN in this famous province of Canada.

Alberta

NordVPN or other VPN providers do not offer servers in Alberta. However, you can choose any NordVPN’s Vancouver server to remain secure and anonymous while residing in Alberta.

Nova Scotia

ExpressVPN or other VPN services in the list do not offer servers in Nova Scotia, an eastern Canada province. But, you can use its Montreal server to bypass ISP and government monitoring issues in Nova Scotia.

Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan is another sub-region of Canada where ExpressVPN or other VPN provider do not offer their servers. However, you can connect to ExpressVPN’s Montreal server to unblock famous streaming services like DAZN, Netflix, and others in Saskatchewan.

New Foundland and Labrador

NordVPN or other services in the list do not offer servers in New Foundland and Labrador sub-region. However, you can use any server from the list of NordVPN’s 150 servers to remain safe from the prying eyes of cyber goons in New Foundland and Labrador.

New Brunswick

ExpressVPN or other VPN providers on the list do not offer a server in New Brunswick. If you want to keep cybercriminals and digital thieves at bay, then you should connect to ExpressVPN’s Toronto server in New Brunswick.

Should I use a free VPN for Canada?

You should not use free VPN services while residing in Canada. They are not ideal in terms of speed, server network, and customer support. They often come short in other areas like tunneling protocols and encryption. A free VPN provider may sell your crucial personal data to third-party marketers to make ends meet.

At times, it acts as a honeypot for law enforcement agencies as it can share users’ web browsing histories with intelligence sharing organizations.

If you still want to use free VPN services compromising your privacy, here are some of these:

• Urban VPN (Offers 1 server in Canada)
• Hide.me (Provides 1 server in Canada)

VPN services Canadian users should avoid

Not every VPN service provides online anonymity and privacy to its users. The same goes for Canadian users too. There are a handful of VPN services you should not use in Canada as they can expose you to various online threats. These are:

• Hola
• TunnelBear

Hola

Hola is not a conventional VPN by any means. The Israel based VPN service connects its subscribers with each other using their idle bandwidth. As a result, users can access other users’ internet connection and perform any illegal activity quite easily.

TunnelBear

TunnelBear is a Canada based VPN service. Therefore, you should not subscribe to this VPN service as law enforcement agencies can forcefully compel TunnelBear to provide users’ browsing data without any warrant.

Which VPN is the safest to use in Canada?

If we talk about performance and overall safety, ExpressVPN is the best VPN for Canada. The service headquarter is based in the user-friendly country, BVI (British Virgin Islands). Furthermore, the provider does not store its users’ data in any way, such as connection or usage logs.

ExpressVPN offers different tunneling protocols like OpenVPN (UDP/TCP), PPTP, SSTP, and L2TP/IPsec alongside 256-bit encryption. The service is free from all such leakages like IP, DNS, and WebRTC. Besides, the service exists in 90+ countries, including Canada, worldwide.

Does Internet Surveillance exist in Canada?

Yes, internet surveillance is a harsh reality in Canada. The official authorities of Canada have spied on their own citizens’ online activities in the past. The government had designated a team of professionals who were supposed to identify security loopholes in numerous applications like web browsers online.

These hackers did not report such vulnerabilities to the concerned software developers. Instead, they used these security issues to monitor users’ online activities. This way, they were able to record different types of personal information, including users’ identity, communication activities, and location data as well.

Therefore, considering the kind of internet surveillance that Canada exercises, you should always use a premium VPN service before surfing the web. By doing so, you may safeguard your online identities from ISPs and surveillance agencies to a certain degree.

FAQs

Wrapping Up

If you are planning to reside in Canada in the future, then you will have to equip yourself with the best VPN for Canada. In this way, you can bypass geo-limitation issues that do not allow you to watch international streaming services like US Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Disney Plus, and others.

You can protect yourself against different surveillance laws like Anti Terrorism Bill 2015 and the Copyright Modernization Act by acquiring a VPN. If you wish to safeguard your online browsing activities from ISPs and other surveillance actors in Canada, use a trustworthy VPN service.