Germany has one of the best pro-data privacy protection laws globally, especially with the incoming EU General Data Protection Regulation. But even in a country like Germany which’s highly rated for internet freedom, the government has tried to implement data retention laws.
If you are a German resident or visiting there temporarily, you might still need a VPN to keep the internet data encrypted, secure, anonymous, and unrestricted web access. You’ll need not just a VPN, but the Germany best VPN that is exactly right for you.
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Germany Best VPN (2024 Update)
Germany is a safe country to stay by generally. The primary challenges German internet users face are privacy threats, access limitations, and torrenting restrictions. It’s always a good idea to use a VPN to protect online privacy for both residents and visitors. In addition, although the government does not filter or block internet content in Germany, many websites and streaming services are geoblock, including US providers like Netflix and YouTube TV. A VPN can help you to access blocked restricted content in Germany.
Whether you’re streaming your favorite shows, working remotely, or simply surfing the web, it’s important to make an informed decision on finding a good VPN to use in German, thus useful to enforce your privacy. In this guide, we’ll show you the best German VPN with the features and reliability and a comparison of the 5 best VPN service providers.
The Best VPN for Germany at a Glance
Short of time? Here is a quick rundown of the best VPNs that work perfectly in the USA:
- NordVPN – Best VPN for Germany Overall, €3.12/mo.
- Surfshark – Germany Best Cheap VPN with premium service at a bargain price, €2.12/mo.
- ExpressVPN – Best VPN for Germany for Netflix Streaming and Torrenting, €5.67/mo.
- IPVanish – Best VPN for Germany with Secure Connection, €2.03/mo.
- PureVPN – Fastest VPN in Germany. The monthly price starts from €2.45.
USD to Euro Conversion: $1 United States Dollar equivalent to €0.85. The price listed is excluding VAT.
VPN in Germany – What is a VPN?
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) works by encrypts all of a device’s traffic by tunneling your internet connection. All your internet traffic will routes through a private server based in a remote location, rather than through your local internet service provider (ISP). By doing so, you will be treated like you are physically inside that network, even though you’re from another place.
For example, if you’re connecting to the German server, your IP address will be mask and change to a German IP address instead of your real IP address. This helps you to use the internet anonymously and offer the closest thing to private internet access. The secure connection helps to prevent public wi-fi hackers, internet service providers, and government agencies from snooping on the traffic. It can bypass geographical lockouts on regionally restricted websites and streaming services, allowing you to access geo-restricted websites and streaming services like Netflix.
How to Choose the Best Germany VPN
When it comes to choosing the best VPN to use in Germany, we carefully evaluate some of the specific areas to make sure you get the best one that you need. We have chosen the top 5 best VPNs in Germany by listed out all the pros and cons for each one to find the VPN that better suits your needs.
Here are the criteria for the Germany best VPN:
Security and Privacy Features – The Best Germany VPN should offer secure VPN protocol, kill switches, dynamic IP addresses, split tunneling, multi-hop, and AES-256 encryption. All these features are the most important aspect of any VPN service to make sure your data are fully secure and protected.
Strong encryption – It is also good to find a VPN provider that uses military-grade encryption like AES 256-bit to ensure your safety online, even connected to the public Wi-Fi hotspot. No-logging policy – Good VPN providers do not store any activity and connection logs, including the web traffic, IP addresses, or any sort of timestamps. This ensures that your privacy is fully protected.
Unlock Geo-blocked Content and Streaming Capability – Look for a VPN that allows easy access to Netflix and other streaming services like Disney+, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, BBC iPlayer, and Showtime.
Global Server Coverage including Germany – It is good to choose a VPN service that has a high number of servers located all over the world, especially with multiple servers in Germany. This is important as you will need a VPN server in Germany if you want to access certain websites back home or watch German TV when you are abroad.
Location of the VPN Company – It is good to find a VPN company located in a country with strong privacy laws and one that isn’t a member of the international surveillance alliances Five Eyes, Nine Eyes, and 14 Eyes. No information can be shared even forced by the federal government. Simultaneous Connections – A fair number of allowed devices per account for all your phone, PC, tables, gaming console, or even share with your family members.
Support for Different Devices and Operating Systems – The ability to connect to the VPN service through different devices like Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, Linux, and Amazon Fire and support operating systems like Android, iOS, Mac, etc.
Decent Customer support – It is important to get support anytime when you have an issue with 24/7 customer support.
Reliable VPN Service Provider – A trustworthy and well-established VPN provider with a great track record for security and privacy.
How to Connect with German IP Address
The most common method of getting a German IP address is using VPN. It is also the most consistent and easiest way.
Here is the simple step-by-step by using the VPN service to connect with German IP address:
- Subscribe to a VPN service with servers in Germany (We recommend using NordVPN)
- Download and install the relevant app for your device.
- Launch the VPN app and sign in.
- Find a German server and connect to it.
- Enjoy connected with the internet with the German IP address.
Today’s Top 5 Best VPN in Germany
There are many different VPN companies in the market. We’ve listed all the latest and greatest options out there to present you with the Germany Best VPN guide here.
NordVPN: The Best all-around VPN Service – Reliable connection, multi-hop technology, fast speed and works well in Germany. Best value for the price. More than 240 servers are located in Germany.
SurfShark: Best Cheap VPN in Germany With Great Features – A bargain-priced provider with excellent unblocking power to access great geo-blocked content with unlimited device connection at a very reasonable price. Their 2-year plan is the cheapest option on this list.
ExpressVPN – Best VPN for Germany for Netflix Streaming and Torrenting – Top-notch privacy, secure and reliable apps, works well for streaming and torrenting to access the most geo-blocked content with high speeds. Have 4 servers in Germany. Now get it with 3 months extra free and free unlimited cloud storage.
IPVanish – Best VPN for Security Features in Germany – A secure US-based VPN with loads of advanced security and privacy features. Comes with a staggering 40,000+ IP addresses spread over the globe. Have 62 servers in Germany.
PureVPN – Fastest VPN in Germany – A huge server network allows you to access global content from any location you like with fast speed, boasted with an impressive feature set. Have almost 200 servers in Germany.
Keep on reading for more details about Germany’s best VPN picked and scroll down for a detailed comparison table
Germany Best VPN – NordVPN
NordVPN is a good option for most people in Germany if you are looking for the best all-around VPN service provider and offers good value for the money.
NordVPN Pros:
+ 5.500+ servers in 59 countries including 240 servers located in Frankfurt and Berlin.
+ Blazing fast speed and faster than any other VPN on the market.
+ Unblocks most popular streaming content at HD speeds from abroad including Netflix.
+ Connect 6 devices at the same time.
+ 30-day money-back guarantee.
NordVPN Cons:
– Static IP addresses and dedicated IP Address option.
NordVPN definitely one of the VPN services to protect your privacy in Germany. This renowned VPN provider is particularly famous for ensuring that your traffic is hidden, has fast download and upload speed, and can unblock almost any geo-blocked content in any geographical zone you might desire for streaming, downloading, or gaming.
NordVPN is based in Panama, which is outside cyber-surveillance organizations’ prying eyes and anti-piracy laws, so do not worry about the data retention laws Plus, the zero-log policy ensures a safe, secure, and totally anonymous connection.
In terms of security and privacy features, NordVPN is an all-around VPN with amazing technologies and features that prove useful in a country like Germany. The industry-standard features of an automatic kill switch, DNS leak protection, and military-grade 256-bit encryption are present in NordVPN to kept our data incredibly safe. There’s also an Onion Over VPN feature that provides several security layers to ensure no data is leaked.
NordVPN has a wide server network by operating 5,500+ server locations across 59 countries, including 240 servers are located in Frankfurt and Berlin. The huge server network is pretty handy and able to grants you lightning-fast speeds and unlimited bandwidth.
And as you’ll expect, NordVPN works great for P2P torrenting, gaming, and bypassing geo-block restrictions to access BBC iPlayer, Hulu, ESPN, Amazon Prime Video, HBO GO, Hotstar, and Netflix, amongst others. Gamers especially love NordVPN for its fast steady speed and have been impressed by the lack of buffer and lag during their gameplay.
The user interface is pretty intuitive and compatible with virtually all operating systems. A single account allows you to connect as many as six devices.
Lastly, NordVPN offers the best value for the money with several subscription plans to choose from, all of which are offered at relatively low prices. The 24-month plan is now offering additional three months for free, make it truly a great deal. NordVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee in a full refund, in case you want to test the service before really committing. Download NordVPN here.
Germany Best VPN – SurfShark
Best Cheap VPN Option to use in Germany for users who look for budget VPN services that work well in Germany.
SurfShark Pros:
+ Fast-growing servers network with over 3.200 servers in 65 countries.
+ Unlimited concurrent connection allowance.
+ Bargain-priced multi-year subscription options.
+ 30-day money-back guarantee.
+ The exceptional unblocking ability for Netflix, iPlayer, YouTube, Amazon, Hulu, and more.
SurfShark Cons:
– Has fewer servers compare with some of its competitors.
Another best VPN option to use in Germany is Surfshark, a great VPN service provider but doesn’t need to break the bank. It is the best budget choice and inexpensive, yet boasted with an impressive collection of security and numerous privacy features.
Based in the British Virgin Islands and strict no-server-logs policy, Surfshark promises to users that they don’t keep logs of any of your traffic data, IP address, or browsing activity.
All the servers are boasted numerous security features including military-grade 256-bit encryption, robust protocols, a kill switch (on all platforms), protection against DNS, WebRTC, and IPv6 leaks. With their CleanWeb feature, Surfshark can block ads and malware by using their built-in ad blocker to prevent malware and phishing attempts on users’ devices.
Surfshark is doing well on the server with more than 3,200 servers in over 65 countries, widely spread evenly around the world. The great server coverage makes Surfshark has great streaming power and is powerful to unblock websites both within and outside Germany. You can get access to geographically restricted content, stream HD video including Hulu, Netflix, and BBC iPlayer, or download torrents without having much to worry about by using this VPN.
Moreover, Surfshark unbeatable value at a bargain price comes with its unlimited concurrent connections allowance. This is very hardy for multiple devices users and shares among with family members.
Surfshark happens to be one of the best budget VPN in Germany that will make browsing the internet in Germany smooth and stress-free. Their 2-year plan is the cheapest option, by just costing €1,79 for one month. But that’s not all, Surfshark provides a 30-day money-back guarantee if you’re not happy with their service.
Germany Best VPN – ExpressVPN
A fast and reliable choice and works flawlessly for Germany. Comes with many advanced security features, blazing fast speed, unblocking capability for Netflix, and bypass geo-blocked restriction.
ExpressVPN Pros:
+ Global network with 3.000+ servers in 94 countries, including 4 servers in Germany.
+ Top-notch 256-bit encryption and security features.
+ Blazing fast German connections for streaming, gaming, file sharing, and downloading.
+ Great for gamers, as its high speeds guarantee remarkable gameplay.
+ Unblock and stream Netflix, Hulu, HBO, Amazon Prime Video, Showtime, BBC iPlayer, and more.
+ Language-friendly, and do offer their page in German.
ExpressVPN Cons:
– It is not as cheap as some other services.
One of the leading VPNs in the industry that is excellent for Germany is ExpressVPN, another favorite VPN service provider for people that are looking for a premium VPN solution. It works great for unblocking region-based streaming sites like Netflix and P2P torrenting, and their stealth servers offer consistently great speeds for gaming and streaming.
Based in the British Virgin Islands, ExpressVPN is exempt from the mass surveillance of the 14 Eyes and fairly immune to anti-piracy laws. No activity or connections logs are kept because of its zero-logs policy.
On its security features, ExpressVPN is just as impressive. You’ll have military-grade AES-256 encryption on each server, choice of VPN protocol, split tunneling, zero-DNS leak protection, and an automatic kill switch to prevent data loss when the connection is lost. The TrustedServer security is another advanced security feature offered with all the data is wiped out when you disconnect from their servers.
With a fast-growing number of servers, ExpressVPN boasted more than 3000 servers in 94 countries, widely spread over 160 locations. ExpressVPN does work very well in Germany, with servers in both Frankfurt and Nuremberg. Plus, this massive network helps make your internet activity safe and secure as well as unlimited bandwidth to browse the internet freely. It is also able to unlock the most geo-blocked content while keeping a high-speed service for gaming or streaming such as Netflix, ESPN, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, HBO, and Disney+.
A dedicated customer support system is available to help you with any issue you may encounter.
A single subscription can connect up to five devices at a time. It supports almost every operating system including Mac, Windows PC, Linux, Android, iOS, Kindle Firestick, or even your PlayStation console or home router.
The only downside to this service is that it is pricier than much of its competition. If you commit to ExpressVPN’s long-term 2-year plan, you can get a pretty good deal of $6.67 per month with three 3-months. It might not the cheapest option for German users, but it certainly is one of the most robust and reliable. Plus, ExpressVPN promises a 30-day risk-free guarantee for risk-free protection.
Germany Best VPN – IPVanish
An ideal VPN for torrenting and is popular with Kodi users in Germany.
IPVanish Pros:
+ 6.500 + servers in 140 countries, including 62 servers in Germany.
+ Unlimited simultaneous connections per account.
+ 30-day money-back guarantee.
+ Excellent round-the-clock support.
IPVanish Cons:
– Some servers didn’t perform well with Netflix.
IPVanish is one of the best VPN services to use in Germany. It maintains a no-logs policy for both traffic contents and metadata. Uncrackable 256-bit AES encryption is used by default.
IPVanish has 1,600+ servers stationed in 75 countries, including 62 servers in Germany, so you can expect to get connected, and quickly. The number of servers might not very impressive but IPVanish is one of the few VPN providers which own and operate its own servers rather than leasing them. So your data doesn’t pass through third-party hands which increases privacy protection.
From the security standpoint, IPVanish offers a wide range of protocols such as OpenVPN, military-grade 256-bit AES encryption, split tunneling, zero-DNS leak protection, and an automatic kill switch. A reliable connection to protect and enhance your online activities in Germany.
IPVanish does an excellent job of unblocking streaming websites like BBC iPlayer and works for most other streaming sites. However, IPVanish isn’t as capable when it comes to unblocking Netflix and Hulu. Look elsewhere if you need to unblock Netflix or Hulu in Germany. It also supports unlimited bandwidth for torrenting at superb fast speeds.
IPVanish works with major operating platforms, including Mac, Windows PC, Linux, Android, iOS, and Kodi for unlimited simultaneous connection. The subscriptions plan starts at $10 per month, but you can get it at $2.40 per month if you commit to its IPVanish’s annual plan. All subscriptions come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Germany Best VPN – PureVPN
A decent VPN service in Germany. PureVPN is a good option to use your favorite streaming services and P2P applications.
PureVPN Pros:
+ Impressive range of servers with 6.500+ servers in 140 countries, including almost 200 in Germany.
+ Optimized servers specifically for P2P and streaming.
+ Based in Hong Kong with a zero-log policy.
+ Dedicated IP Addresses.
+ Unblock BBC iPlayer, Sling TV, Comedy Central, Netflix, and more.
+ 31-day money-back guarantee.
PureVPN Cons:
– Inconsistent speed during peak hours.
PureVPN is a reliable VPN service for your needs when browsing from Germany. Based in Hong Kong with no data retention laws, PureVPN keeps a firm zero-logs policy and doesn’t keep any logs of your activity. It has an excellent reputation for VPN services that are offered at a reasonable price.
PureVPN has a compressive list of servers to choose from. It has a pretty impressive server network, with 6,500+ self-managed servers in 140 countries. There are almost 200 servers widely spread in Germany including Frankfurt, Munich, Nuremberg, Berlin, and Hessen. With so many connection options in so many places, PureVPN works well to unlock your favorite content with super fast speed. They even have servers specifically optimized for P2P and streaming.
Like with most VPNs, PureVPN had all the important security features of a good VPN. The connection is protected with military-grade AES 256-bit encryption, split tunneling, kill switch, and leak protection to make sure your internet connections are well-protected. It also provides an integrated ad-blocking feature, which is another great plus.
All those features were available to connect up to 10 devices simultaneously. The user-friendly app is covered all the most popular platforms like iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, a Fire TV Stick, and Linux.
PureVPN offers one for a very reasonable price at $2.88 per month for its 24-month plan which is highly affordable for a VPN of this quality. It is also backed by a 31-day money-back guarantee.
Why Do You Need a VPN in Germany?
Perhaps you are wondering why it would be a good idea to use a VPN for Germany?
Here are the main reasons why you need the best VPN to use in Germany:
Privacy protection: The German Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND) is the organization that checks online activities in Germany. It gained more power to monitors businesses and travelers after the terrorist attack in Germany in the past years. Using a VPN service allows you to surf the internet anonymously in Germany.
Accessing geo-restricted websites: Many websites such as local banks, institutes, and especially gaming channels can only be accessed with a local IP address. You will need a local German IP address if you want to perform transactions from another country. VPN can mask your real IP address and change it to a German IP address to solve the issue.
Watching Geo-Blocked Youtube: Do you wonder why you are getting “This video is not available in your country” when watching Youtube? To protect authors’ rights, there are a lot of the content on YouTube is unavailable from Germany. A VPN can be used in bypassing geographical restrictions.
Streaming Favorite German Show When Abroad: If you have a subscription from a German streaming platform, you may not be able to use it to stream when you are abroad. With a VPN, you can choose to access the streaming platform with a server in Germany.
Access USA Netflix in Germany: Due to different agreements with Netflix by country, Netflix has different licenses for different shows. So it is not surprising that certain shows are only available in the United States. The Netflix content offered in Germany is quite limited and you can use VPN to access Netflix in different countries.
Staying Safe in Public Wifi: Germany is well-connected with public wifi but those places are also putting you at risk and lacking password protection. Hackers can easily steal your information for criminal activities. VPN servers prevent this happen as your internet activities are well encrypted and protected.
Using VPN for Streaming in Germany
Many people using VPNs to access geo-blocked restrictions in your region to stream for a favorite show, game, or sport. Naturally, this leads to the next question: is it legal to use a VPN in Germany for streaming? Streaming is currently legal in Germany by watching it online without downloading or “owning” the file with no ability to distribute.
Just be sure what you’re streaming doesn’t violate copyright rules. Streaming the commercial streaming services provider such as Netflix, Hulu, Disney Plus, or HBO Max won’t get into trouble while trying to access geo-blocked content with a VPN.
For example, you would be able to access the content from Netflix US from Germany using a VPN service. Even when we got bored with streaming Netflix USA in Germany with VPN, you could always check out what was available in Canada, or Britain, Japan, or anywhere else Netflix operates by changing to another server.
ExpressVPN is often a good option and highly recommendable for most people for sports games and Netflix streaming. It provides good speed and easy access to the right servers to see all your favorite games.
Is Using A VPN Legal In Germany?
Yes, using a VPN in Germany is legal. Apparently, no German legislation has ever been passed against VPN usage within the country. However, breaching copyright and making any copy, such as a download is not. Even though the VPN allows you access to geo-blocked content, it is up to you to avoid infringing on a copyright.
German VPN Free Trial
Although the monthly subscription for the best VPN service in Germany does not break your bank, naturally it is hard to commit for 12 months or 24 months before the test on the service. Most of the VPN service does offer a German VPN free trials, but the offer was abuse use and stop. Luckily, you can still try on the VPN service by offering a money-back guarantee in case you’re unsatisfied with the service. If you decide to pull the plug out, before then, there is nothing to pay.
These German VPN free trials are worth considering:
- SurfShark: 7-day free trial (mobile only) and 30-day money-back guarantee
- ExpressVPN: 30-day money-back guarantee
- NordVPN: 30-day money-back guarantee
- VyprVPN: 30-day money-back guarantee
- CyberGhost: 45-day money-back guarantee
- ZenMate: 7-Days Free Trial, Free version, and 30-day money-back guarantee
Free VPN in Germany
If you’re going to be relying on your VPN for your work and leisure purposes, we strongly advise against using those free VPN in Germany. The free version is only good if you are planning for little usage like checking mail or access for few websites.
There are multiple reasons to avoid a free VPN in Germany for the following reasons:
Limited servers: Most free VPNs don’t have a lot of servers in other countries and often only offer few servers to access for free users. Besides, many of their servers are blocked and blacklisted by popular sites.
Slow Speed: A follow-up from the limited server will causing all the free users to be congested in the free servers, making your speed is much slower. You won’t able to do much for slow speed and waste time to keep on refreshing.
Privacy Concern: While free VPN does not imply a fee for their service, they are actually selling your traffic or data to other companies to earn money or inject advertisements to earn money.
Security Concern: Don’t expect the similar security features that offer for the free VPN. There will be no kill switch or lower-level encryption which end up will draw unwanted security risk to your online activity.
Limited Bandwidth: Many free VPNs do not offer unlimited bandwidth and have a daily/month bandwidth cap. It can be a frustrating experience when mid-way through an exciting video or game, you get cut off.
We hope we are able to change your mind if you’re looking for the best free VPN in Germany. The VPNs listed in this guide only require a very small amount of fee, you can get a cheap yet reliable VPN service from SurfShark with the best features for as little as $2.50 for one month.
Our Verdict: Germany Best VPN
All in all, it depends on your need and what do you want from a VPN service? VPNs will protect you every time you go online while unblocking restricted content from all around the world. It’ll keep you connected to your favorite German sites and shows if you travel outside Germany, Choosing a VPN depends highly on what use you will have for it.
All the 5 best German VPN service providers listed here are good and they offer similar features. You can’t go wrong with any of the options I’ve outlined here.
- NordVPN: Best in overall and value for the money.
- Surfshark: Budget-friendly and able to connect an unlimited number of devices.
- ExpressVPN: Premium VPN service with fastest speeds and world-class security features. Price slightly higher.
All the companions have a money-back guarantee and you can cancel it if you are unsatisfied with the services. Enjoy surfing in Germany.
Quick Comparison Table of Germany Best VPNs:
| VPN |  |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Security | AES 256-bit | AES 256-bit | AES 256-bit | AES 256-bit | AES 256-bit |
| Server | 5,500+ in 59+ Countries | 3,200+ in 63 Countries | 3,000+ in 90 Countries | 1,600+ in 75+ Countries | 6,500+ in 140+ Countries |
| Connection | 6 Devices | Unlimited | 5 Devices | Unlimited | 10 Devices |
| Compatibility | Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, routers | Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, routers | Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, routers | Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, routers | Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, routers |
| Best Price | $3.67/month | $2.49/month | $6.67/month | $2.40/month | $2.88/month |
| More Info | Visit Site | Visit Site | Visit Site | Visit Site | Visit Site |
| Read Review | ExpressVPN | SurfShark | NordVPN | IPVanish | PureVPN |