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Best VPNs for Australia 2020

There is no denying VPNs are becoming a crucial part of our digital lives, and we need them to make ourselves secure over the web. You have to trust them what they claim and do to protect their customers’ whereabouts.

However, not all the VPNs do the same as numerous Android VPN apps have serious privacy flaws. In the context of Australia’s metadata retention initiative, the role of VPNs becomes more evident.

Therefore, before subscribing to any VPN service in Australia, you should contemplate about the following factors:

Availability of Australian VPN servers

When you choose a VPN service, be sure that your potential VPN offers a multitude of servers in the maximum number of states in Australia. In case a server is not connected, you can try out another server available in the same location.

Logging Policy

A VPN service should not keep its users’ log in any form, be it connection or usage logs. The official authorities are already keeping an eye on users’ online activities. In this situation, logging practice will not do any good for the reputation of a VPN provider.

Privacy and Security Features

An ideal VPN service should offer a great mix of privacy and security features. The provider should include several tunneling protocols like OpenVPN, SSTP, L2TP/IPsec, IkEv2, and others in its armory.

An internet kill switch is a must along with other desirable features like split tunneling, double VPN, and multi-logins. All these features provide peace of mind and an additional level of security to users eventually.

Compatibility with different platforms and devices

Your chosen VPN service should support a wide range of operating systems and devices like Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Routers, Gaming Consoles, Smart TVs, Fire TV stick, Chromecast, and others.

Customer Support

Customer support is a neglected area, but it does have its importance. If you are facing issues at the time of installing the app on your device, you would prefer to use a live chat or even a phone call instead of an email.

Thus, you should consider subscribing to a VPN service that has an array of support features up its sleeves.

6 Best VPNs for Australia in 2020

For the sake of your convenience, I have curated a list of best country vpns that take no half measures when it comes to protecting users’ privacy. The list includes:

1. NordVPN

NordVPN offers 270 servers in different cities of Australia, including Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney. Similarly, the Panama based provider exists in 55+ countries through 5000+ servers worldwide.

The service is considered as one of the fastest VPNs in Australia due to its lightning-fast speeds. Besides, it offers an excellent unblocking feature in the shape of SmartPlay DNS that allows you to unblock geo-restricted content from anywhere.

Apart from this, NordVPN offers an OpenVPN protocol that comes up with a built-in 256-bit military-grade encryption. Besides, the service provides a similar encryption feature by the name of Double VPN. This feature encrypts your data and, at the same time, routes it through two servers.

This way, hackers, cybercriminals, and even Australian ISP providers are unable to trace your online activities. Above all, NordVPN does not store its users’ information and follows the concept of no-logging policy appropriately.

If we talk about its jurisdiction, NordVPN mainly operates from a safe country, i.e., Panama. The country is not a part of 5, 9 0r 14 eyes countries by any means. In terms of privacy and security, you can use different features like an internet kill switch that does not leak your web surfing activities in case your NordVPN connection suddenly stops working.

Likewise, the provider safeguards its users’ online browsing tasks with the help of DNS or WebRTC leak protection features. If you are downloading torrents in Australia, then the role of this security feature comes in handy as it does not reveal your torrenting activities to your ISPs and other surveillance agencies.

NordVPN is compatible with all the leading platforms and devices like Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS, Routers, Smart TVs, and Gaming Consoles. You can watch all the latest TV shows or movies by unblocking US Netflix, Hulu, and other streaming services while residing in Australia.

You can subscribe to its 3-year plan at the price of $3.49/month to get a massive 70% discount with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

NordVPN Salient Features

• 5000+ servers in 55+ countries including 270 servers in Australia
• Offers obfuscation feature
• Provides 6 multi-logins
• Offers no-logging policy feature
• Unblocks US Netflix and BBC iPlayer
•  Compatible with Windows, Mac, Linux Android, iOS and other devices

2. ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN offers 100+Australian servers in cities like Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney. Furthermore, the service provides 3000+ servers in 90+ countries worldwide. ExpressVPN is assumed as one of the best VPNs for Australia based on its superb performance in different areas like jurisdiction, speed, customer support, privacy and security, and compatibility.

The service offers the split tunneling feature that helps you to access international websites and local websites both at the same time. For instance, you can select your local IP address to watch Australian content. Besides, you may choose the ExpressVPN server’s IP address to unblock a foreign website or service.

It means you can watch Channel 9’s transmission on one browser while you can watch BBC iPlayer content on another browser simultaneously. You can use its internet kill switch feature, which is available in the app by the name of the network lock.

ExpressVPN does have another exciting feature that is perfect forward secrecy. This feature changes your encryption key every time you log in to the app, and as a result, your previous browsing session history is eradicated.

There is another security feature you can use, which is TrustedServer. According to this feature, ExpressVPN servers mainly operate on volatile memory or RAM. The RAM servers need a constant power supply to write and retain users’ information.

But, when these RAM servers are rebooted every time, they no longer contain any users’ personal information. Like other VPN services, ExpressVPN uses 256- bit encryption to ensure complete protection of their users’ data.

It does not keep a log of its users’ activities and hails from a safe jurisdiction, i.e., BVI (British Virgin Islands). You can choose ExpressVPN for both torrenting and streaming purposes since the service lets you download torrents anonymously in Australia.

This service is a viable option when it comes to unblocking famous international media streaming services like Netflix, Disney Plus, Hulu, and so on. In terms of speed, ExpressVPN exceeds its users’ expectations as you can watch your favorite movies and TV shows at excellent connection speeds.

If you talk about its compatibility, you can install ExpressVPN on several operating systems and devices, be it Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS, Routers, Gaming Consoles, and Smart TVs. You can get its yearly plan at the cost of $8.32/month with a reasonable 35% discount and a 30-day refund policy.

ExpressVPN Salient Features

• Offers 3000+ servers in 90+ countries including 100+ servers in Australia
• Provides obfuscation settings
• Offers 5 simultaneous connections feature
• Provides no-logging policy feature
• Works with US Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Disney Plus, and other services
• Compatible with Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS, Routers and other devices

3. Surfshark

Surfshark provides 100+ servers in 5 different cities of Australia, including Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney. The provider has existence in 60+ countries of the world through 1040+ servers.

You can use its split tunneling, also known as Whitelister feature to browse local as well as international websites or services at the same time. The provider has an impressive internet kill switch feature that lets you remain anonymous over the web when your VPN app does not work.

Surfshark does not expose your actual whereabouts, be it an IP address, DNS, and WebRTC information to Australian ISPs as it protects you from all such leakages online. The Cleanweb feature works like an ad blocker that secures your devices from malware, online tracking, and phishing attempts.

The provider belongs to safe jurisdiction, which is BVI (British Virgin Islands). It means the country does not have to follow any mandatory data retention laws. Above all, Surfshark does not store its users’ information and has a clear-cut privacy policy that makes it an ideal service for privacy-conscious people.

In terms of compatibility, it supports all the leading platforms like Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS, Routers, and Smart TVs too. You can mask your actual IP address while torrenting in Australia without any hassle.

Surfshark offers decent streaming speeds regularly that allows you to watch any content be it TV shows, documentaries, and movies in high definition quality. The service works quite well with the popular streaming services like Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Disney Plus, Hulu, and others.

You can start using its 2-year package by paying $1.99/month at an excellent 83% discount with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Surfshark Salient Features

• Offers 1040+ servers in 60+ countries including 100+ servers in Australia
• Provides split tunneling feature in its Windows and Android app
• Provides unlimited simultaneous connections feature
• Follows no-logging policy feature
• Unblocks US Netflix, and Disney Plus
• Supports Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS, Routers and other devices

4. CyberGhost

CyberGhost provides 104 servers in three main cities of Australia that are Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney. The Romania based VPN service offers 5500+ servers in 80+ countries globally. CyberGhost is one of the best VPNs for privacy as it provides a wide range of security and privacy features.

You can use OpenVPN protocol alongside 256-bit encryption to protect your crucial information online. The service does not keep logs of its users’ data and falls outside 5,9, or 14 eyes countries.

CyberGhost does not expose your sensitive data over the web. The provider offers an impressive internet kill switch feature that keeps your information anonymous even if the VPN app does not work for any reason. It means ISPs and other unwanted personnel cannot keep an eye on your online browsing activities.

CyberGhost supports numerous operating systems and devices like Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS, Routers, Gaming Consoles, and Smart TVs. Likewise, it offers leak-proof apps, which are user-friendly from the installation point of view.

You can opt CyberGhost for streaming purposes as it unblocks famous streaming services like US Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and others in no time. You can watch TV shows, movies, documentaries, and much more without facing any buffering issue whatsoever.

CyberGhost supports torrenting activities of its Australian users, which means you can download your desired torrents securely. Moreover, you can use its built-in ad-blocker feature that helps you remain safe from online tracking issues that may hamper your online privacy in Australia significantly.

In terms of speed, the service will not disappoint you as it provides more than decent connection speeds. You can get its 3-year plan at the cost of $2.75/month with a humongous 79% discount and a 45-day money-back guarantee.

CyberGhost Salient Features

• Offers 5500+ servers in 80+ countries including 104 servers in Australia
• Provides 7 simultaneous connections feature
• Offers no-logging policy feature
• Unblocks US Netflix and BBC iPlayer
• Compatible with Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS, and Routers

5. Private Internet Access

Private Internet Access offers 113 servers in three cities of Australia, i.e., Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney. The US-based VPN service provides 3300+ servers in 40+ countries across the globe. The provider is, no doubt, one of the best-paid VPNs because of its next-level privacy and security features.

You can use its attractive kill switch feature that disconnects your internet connection if the VPN app stops working. As a result, you remain safe from the vicious eyes of Big Brother and other surveillance actors.

The service provides different tunneling protocols like OpenVPN, L2TP/IPsec, and PPTP too. If we talk about OpenVPN protocol, this is one of the safest protocols available in the industry that encrypts your data with 256-bit automatically. On the other hand, the L2TP protocol does not offer any encryption itself but relies on authentication protocol IPsec to encrypt users’ data completely.

The PPTP is a relatively weak protocol as compared to OpenVPN and L2TP/IPsec protocol. However, the protocol is suitable for streaming needs as it allows you to watch videos, TV shows, and movies at better connection speeds. On the speed front, Private Internet Access usually performs a decent job.

Despite hailing from a 5-eye country USA, PIA does not store its users’ data. This is a big plus because the US has its data retention laws. In this situation, you should not bother yourself at all since the provider follows a no-logging policy quite strictly.

Private Internet Access is a miss or hit affair when it comes to unblocking US Netflix, Disney Plus, and other video-on-demand streaming services. But, you can still use the service for protecting your torrenting activities from Australian ISPs as it supports the P2P tasks of internet users.

You will have to pay $2.85/month to use its 1-year plan at an excellent 71% discount with a generous 30-day refund policy.

Private Internet Access Salient Features

• Provides 3300+ servers in 40+ countries including 113 servers in Australia
• Offers 10 simultaneous connections feature
• Occasionally works with Netflix
• Supports torrenting activities of users
• Compatible with Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS, and Routers

6. IPVanish

IPVanish provides 78 servers in four main cities of Australia. These cities are Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney. The provider offers 1400+ servers in 60+ countries globally and is one of the best VPN services in terms of usability and performance within Australia.

The service offers numerous privacy and security features like internet kill switch, OpenVPN protocol, IKEv2 protocol, IKEv2 protocol, L2TP/IPsec protocols, 256-encryption, and others. IPVanish offers an exciting security feature SOCKS5 to its Australian users.

It is a proxy server that safeguards your web (HTTP) traffic and BitTorrent clients like Vuze, Deluge, and uTorrent. You can access this secure proxy server by entering your username and password only using the control panel.

This feature sounds good, especially in the context of torrenting, as you can perform your P2P tasks without exposing your original IP addresses in Australia. If you want to know about its performance in other domains like customer support, IPVanish has outperformed its competitors by a long distance.

You can go through its informative installation guides to install the apps on your preferred devices. The service allows you to solve your queries related to VPN setup or others in different ways like live chat and contact us option. It also offers a reliable phone call feature.

IPVanish is an interesting option to unblock US Netflix and BBC iPlayer in Australia at better streaming speeds. However, the service mainly works from the US, which is not a safe jurisdiction from users’ privacy perspective.

That said, it does not store users’ data and provides a user-friendly logging policy overall, which makes IPVanish a safe bet in the end. The provider support numerous operating systems and devices, including Windows, Mac, Android, Linux, iOS, and Routers.

You will need to pay $6.49/month to get its yearly plan subscription at an incredible 71% discount with a 7-day refund policy.

IPVanish Salient Features

• Offers 1400+ servers in 60+ countries including 78 servers in Australia
• Provides 10 multi-login feature
• Offers no-logging policy feature
• Unblocks US Netflix and BBC iPlayer
• Compatible with Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS, and routers

The Impact of COVID-19 on Cybersecurity in Australia

The Australian users are currently combating with the devastating impacts of Coronavirus. The country is following a strict lockdown, and as a result, people are confined in their homes. The hackers are taking full advantage of this situation, and due to this reason, COVID-19 related phishing attacks in Australia have been increased.

Similarly, they can also attack the official computer systems of employees who are working from home in Australia. This is because hacking against corporations surged in the US and other countries worldwide during March 2020.

If you want to eradicate such privacy problems proactively, then use a reliable Australian VPN service.

Why do you need a VPN in Australia?

Australia is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world when we talk about data breaches and exposed records. Besides, Australian businesses have witnessed an alarming 33% rise in cyber attacks from 2017 to 2018.

Considering the surge in data breaches and cyber-attacks, the use of VPN within Australia has become the need of the hour. Apart from this, intelligence agencies in Australia can obtain your internet usage and telecommunication records from the concerned organizations.

So, the importance of using a VPN has grown to a great extent as it helps you to keep your browsing as well as communication data secure from the prying eyes of surveillance actors.

In terms of streaming, you can unblock US Netflix, Hulu, and other famous video-on-demand services on a number of devices with a VPN.

Advantages of using an Australian VPN?

When you use a VPN in Australia, you can get numerous advantages, including:

Torrenting

By using the best VPN for torrenting in Australia, you can make your P2P tasks anonymous and secure from ISPs and surveillance actors.

Netflix

You can unblock US Netflix or any other Netflix region with a VPN in Australia. If you want to access other geo-restricted services like Hulu and Disney Plus, you will have to rely on a VPN again.

Reddit

You can use your Reddit account through a VPN from abroad as it provides you a local Australian IP address that helps you maintain your Reddit profile accordingly.

Gaming

Once you use a VPN for gaming in Australia, you can increase lag and decrease ping using a faster server connection. Besides, you can play geo-limitation issues games on your Android or iOS devices while traveling.

Whirlpool

Whirlpool is a very popular discussion platform among Australian users, but you cannot access it outside Australia. After using a VPN, you can change your online location and get a local IP address that helps you unblock Whirlpool from anywhere.

How can I use a VPN within Australia?

You can use a VPN in Australia by following these simple steps:

• Choose a VPN service like NordVPN that offers a multitude of Australian servers.
• Download and subscribe to the VPN service
• Use your login credentials to launch the VPN app on your device.
• Connect to your preferred Australia VPN server from the servers’ list

• Check your new IP address on ipleak.org and start watching your favorite shows.

Best VPNs to use in Australia sub-region wise

Victoria

NordVPN is our recommended VPN service because it offers 61 servers in Victoria through Melbourne. Victoria is one of the famous tourist destinations. Therefore, you can use NordVPN as a tourist to secure your digital footprints while using public Wi-Fi networks in different cities of Victoria.

New South Wales

You should use CyberGhost in New South Wales as cybercrimes are increasing in this state at a rapid pace. The service provides 84 servers in Sydney, a popular city of NSW that allows you to remain anonymous and untraceable from the vicious eyes of digital thieves.

Queensland

You can use NordVPN in the Queensland region because it offers 62 servers in Brisbane alone. The provider supports different online tasks of internet users like web surfing and video streaming. You can opt NordVPN for gaming because it helps you to reduce ping using its faster server connections.

Western Australia

If you want to perform torrenting while residing in any city of Western Australia, then you should subscribe to ExpressVPN. It offers 20+ servers in Perth, a city of Western Australia. The service does not store its users’ browsing sessions and provides complete online freedom to users.

ExpressVPN unblocks numerous streaming services like US Netflix, Hulu, Disney Plus, and so on. Hence, you can watch your favorite TV shows and movies in Western Australia without exposing your actual whereabouts.

South Australia

If you reside in the South Australia region, then you should use NordVPN since the provider offers 34 servers in Adelaide exclusively. Thus, you can do various online activities like shopping, video streaming, online banking, and others securely.

NordVPN is a suitable option for those users who want to use an all-around VPN service that provides them a complete online privacy solution.

Tasmania

NordVPN or other services on the list do not offer a server in the Tasmanian region. However, the Tasmanian residents can connect to any NordVPN server from the list of these 49 servers, which are available in the closest region, Western Australia.

Cyberbullying is a serious privacy issue in Tasmania. Therefore, NordVPN turns out to be a safe bet when you want to keep bullies and other unwanted personnel at bay.

Australian Capital Territory

ExpressVPN, Surfshark, or other services in the list do not provide a server in any city of the Australian Capital Territory. Still, you can use ExpressVPN by connecting to any of its Sydney servers to protect your crucial online information from cybercriminals.

Northern Territory

Private Internet Access, CyberGhost, IPVanish, and other VPN providers presented in the list do not offer their servers in the Northern Territory region. However, you can still choose NordVPN that provides 62 servers in Brisbane, a neighboring city to Northern Territory.

Data breaches have become in this state quite common in the recent past. Hence, you should subscribe to NordVPN to evade data breaches and other online security issues under your budget.

VPN services you should not use in Australia?

The main objective of any service is to improve the online anonymity of internet users. But, not all VPN services fulfill this criterion. They can hamper your privacy to a certain extent. Here is the list of VPNs you should avoid using in Australia:

• Hola
• HideMyAss

Hola

Hola is an Israel based VPN service that works quite differently compared to other VPN services. The provider follows the concept of peer-to-peer networking in which users are connected with the help of idle bandwidth.

This way, users can easily utilize other users’ internet connection for any illegal or unethical activity. The said practice creates a big question mark on the credibility of the Hola VPN service.  A Hola user during 2015 performed DDoS (Distributed Denial of service) attack using the computer of another user.

HideMyAss

HideMyAss is a UK based VPN service that has been accused of keeping its users’ detailed metadata logs in the past. These metadata logs include users’ actual IP addresses. Therefore, you should refrain from using HMA (HideMyAss) in Australia.

Can I secure myself from Australia’s data retention laws by using a VPN?

You cannot hide from Australia’s data retention laws with a VPN, but it masks your actual IP address through another alternative IP address. Besides, a VPN hides users’ internet traffic and their locations online.

According to Australian data retention laws, ISPs do not record the content of your internet traffic, but they do store metadata of their subscribers.

Metadata consists of different types of information, such as the time and date of an internet browsing session, including the source and destination of emails too. In short, VPNs do not conceal users’ metadata.

Should I use a free VPN in Australia?

You should not use free VPNs as they do not encrypt users’ data completely. Moreover, they often fall short in terms of server spread, customer support, and compatibility. They can also sell your crucial data to third party advertisers to support their operational cost.

Still, if you are willing to use free VPN to secure your identity at any cost, here are some of these:

• Urban VPN (Provides 1 server in Australia)
• TunnelBear (Offers 1 servers in Australia but has a 500 MB data/month limitation)

FAQs

Wrapping Up

You cannot bypass data retention and surveillance laws without using the best VPN for Australia in the country. Due to Coronavirus pandemic, privacy issues like cyber and phishing attacks are increasing; therefore, it has become a necessity to use a VPN within Australian territory.

You can also read about best south africa vpn, best new zealand vpn, best colombia vpn, and more.