Best VPNs for Asia in 2024

With each passing year, Internet freedom seems to be declining. According to the latest 'Freedom on the Net' reports, things are getting worse as they state that none of the 8 Southeast Asian countries excel in Internet freedom. So, if you’re a resident or plan on traveling to Asia, you'll want to secure your privacy, ensure you're not tracked online, and bypass geo-blocks and Internet restrictions.

To overcome Internet restrictions, you need a VPN to connect to the Internet safely. Moreover, each government has policies that block various sites. Also, some Asian countries arrest online commentators, and you also need a VPN to bypass China’s Great Firewall. And then, you need to consider the diverse Internet infrastructure across Asia, making a fast VPN necessary for an optimal browsing experience.

In this article, we'll talk about the best VPNs for Asia, show you how to use one, and explain the reasons why you need a VPN for Asia. We'll answer some useful FAQs as well.

Best VPNs for Asia - Our Shortlist

1. NordVPN - Our Best-Rated VPN for Asia in 2024
2. Surfshark - Best VPN for Asia with Unlimited Simultaneous Connections
3. ExpressVPN - High-End Privacy for Accessing the Web from Asia
4. CyberGhost VPN - User-Centric VPN with Lots of Specialized Servers
5. Private Internet Access - Advanced VPN for Asia with In-Depth Customization

How to Get an Asian IP Address?

Upon signing up for a suitable VPN, you'll need to download its software on your device(s). Then, connect to a server in an Asian country to obtain a local IP address - like so:

1. Sign up for the VPN that works in Asia (we recommend NordVPN).
2. Download and install the VPN app on your device.
3. Now, use your VPN account credentials to log into the VPN app.
4. From there, connect to a suitable VPN server.
5. Go back to your normal Internet browsing. That’s it!

You can select a VPN server within Asia or outside. It depends on where you are and what you want to get unblocked. For example, if you’re in China and want to access local Indian content, you need to connect to an Indian VPN server. To access local Asian content from another part of the world, ensure you use a VPN with lots of Asian servers.

The Best VPNs for Asia in 2024

To navigate to the best option available, you need to follow certain guidelines, most of which were established in our guide to the best VPN with plenty of servers. More precisely, your VPN should offer plenty of servers across Asia and the rest of the world. You'll also want fast performance and the ability to unblock popular Asia-based platforms like U-Next, Hotstar, YouKu, iQIYI, and Viu.

Next, obfuscation is needed to bypass tough Internet blocks, and a kill switch is needed to ensure you don't experience a data leak. Related to that, pick a VPN with a no-logs policy, strong protocols, and high-end data encryption. Ensure you get enough simultaneous connections, as well as native apps for all your devices.

Of course, you should also be after a fair price. Furthermore, make sure your purchase is risk-free by opting for a VPN that has a generous money-back policy. Lastly, ensure you're covered well in terms of technical issues by opting for a provider with 24/7 live chat customer support.

Following the criteria set above, these are the top 5 VPN services that work in Asia:

1. NordVPN - Our Best-Rated VPN for Asia in 2024

NordVPN has 6,400+ servers across 111 countries, including India, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, and Japan. In Asia alone, NordVPN offers close to 500 servers. However, it lacks servers in China.

Moreover, you get impressive speeds thanks to blazing-fast servers that support P2P. In fact, NordVPN is among the fastest VPN services available right now. On top of that, it works great for unblocking sites and digital platforms. It has no issue unblocking various Asian versions of Netflix, Hotstar U-Next, YouKu, Vie, iQIYI, and countless more.

There's also obfuscation on a select group of servers, as well as a kill switch across all its supported platforms. Next, NordVPN implements a no-logs policy and the best protocols, including IKEv2/IPsec, OpenVPN, and NordLynx (an in-house ultra-fast protocol built on top of WireGuard). For complete data protection, all data sent through this VPN’s tunnel is secured via 256-bit AES or ChaCha20 encryption. 

It supports connecting 10 devices simultaneously and installing on routers (manual install). Let's not forget to mention that NordVPN works on practically any device out there, which includes computers, phones, tablets, streaming devices, and more.

Right now, NordVPN is priced at $3.09/month for its 2-year plan. Also, you don’t have to worry as they offer a 30-day money-back guarantee. However, before you decide to get a refund, you can try to solve your issues via their 24/7 customer service (which includes live chat as well).

2. Surfshark - Best VPN for Asia with Unlimited Simultaneous Connections

Surfshark offers 3,200+ VPN servers across 100 countries, with quite a few servers in Asia. You'll find hundreds of servers scattered across countries like India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and more. Unfortunately, there are no servers in China.

With this VPN, you get blazing-fast speeds, suitable even for the most bandwidth-hungry tasks. It also works great for bypassing censorship and unblocking online content. If you wish to unblock U-Next, YouKu, various Netflix Asian libraries, or perhaps iQIYI or Vie, you won't encounter any issues.

This VPN also supports obfuscation, which you can enable on-demand. There's also a kill switch, in addition to an independently audited no-logs policy. Moreover, they use RAM-only servers, which means your data is never logged or stored. Surfshark also has protocols like OpenVPN, IKEv2/IPsec, and WireGuard, combined with AES-256 and ChaCha20.

Additionally, you get unlimited simultaneous connections and support for any platform - Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS/iPadOS, routers, and more. As noted in our full analysis of Surfshark, this is a fully automated VPN, which makes it suitable for any type of user.

Surfshark costs $2.19/month (2-year plan). It also offers a no-questions-asked, 30-day money-back guarantee. Surfshark also offers excellent customer service. You can connect with them through 24/7 live chat, and there are tons of useful installation guides, explainers, and similar.

3. ExpressVPN - High-End Privacy for Accessing the Web from Asia

ExpressVPN offers thousands of servers in 105 countries, and when it comes to Asia, ExpressVPN has a good server presence. This provider includes servers in prominent Asian locations, such as India, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Taiwan, Mongolia, Sri Lanka, and Japan, among others.

This is also one of the fastest providers overall and offers blazing-fast servers. We also have to praise ExpressVPN's stellar content-unblocking capabilities. You'll manage to unblock any site, including U-Next, Netflix, YouKu, iQIYI, and dozens more.

With a privacy-focused approach, ExpressVPN comes with a kill switch (cutting off the Internet if your VPN connection drops) and obfuscation across the board. There's also a strict no-logs policy, as well as protocols like Lightway, IKEv2/IPsec, and OpenVPN, as well as military-grade 256-bit AES and WolfSSL data encryption to facilitate such excellence in security

Your subscription to ExpressVPN supports 8 simultaneous connections. Plus, you'll find apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS/iPadOS, dedicated streaming devices, and even routers. ExpressVPN is very user-friendly despite being a hugely powerful VPN.

This VPN's lowest price is $6.67/month (annual plan). It also comes with the standard 30-day money-back guarantee, applicable to all its subscription plans. Moreover, ExpressVPN offers 24/7 live chat to ensure complete customer satisfaction, in addition to email support, support tickets, installation guides, and more.

4. CyberGhost VPN - User-Centric VPN with Lots of Specialized Servers

If you’re looking for a budget VPN without compromising on speed and features, then meet CyberGhost. It offers thousands of servers across 105 countries. CyberGhost is the only VPN on our list that has servers in China. It also has servers in India, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea, and Bangladesh, among many other countries and locations across Asia.

However, CyberGhost’s servers may lack compared to its competitors. That said, you will get a stable performance suitable for various different online activities. This VPN has specialized servers for unblocking sites, so it's no surprise that it works with Netflix, YouKu, iQIYI, U-Next, Vie, and more.

This VPN doesn't offer obfuscation, but there is a capable kill switch set to work in the background. Also, CyberGhost takes users’ privacy very seriously. That’s why they implement a strict no-logs policy, which has been audited just recently. It creates a secure VPN tunnel using IKEv2/IPsec, WireGuard, or OpenVPN, paired with AES-256 and ChaCha20 data encryption.

Connecting up to 7 devices simultaneously seems generous enough. Speaking of device support, CyberGhost works on any popular platform and device. You can set it up on a computer, phone, tablet, streaming device, smart TV, and router, as explained in our full review of CyberGhost VPN.

CyberGhost's current price is $2.19/month (2-year plan), and it offers a 45-day money-back guarantee. If you ever need help, you can connect to its 24/7 customer live chat support. There's also email support, plenty of installation guides and explainers, support tickets, and more.

5. Private Internet Access - Advanced VPN for Asia with In-Depth Customization

Private Internet Access is a popular VPN provider based on an open-source project that instills trust among its users. Moreover, they have thousands of servers in 91 countries worldwide. There are servers across Asia, including India, China, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia and Hong Kong.

PIA offers medium-fast connection speeds out of the box. That said, PIA is known for its high level of customization, so reaching faster speeds is possible. Plus, this provider will help you unblock tons of different sites, including many Asian Netflix libraries, YouKu, iQIYI, and plenty more.

You can opt for obfuscation, which comes as an optional feature. There are also several types of kill switches that keep accidental data leaks away. In addition to an audited no-logs policy, each connection uses one of 3 strong VPN protocols: OpenVPN, WireGuard, and IKEv2/IPSec. It encrypts data with the military-grade 128/256-bit AES or ChaCha20 algorithm to stop data snooping.

You'll also like that PIA supports unlimited simultaneous connections. This provider offers software for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS/iPadOS, and more. Of course, it also supports dedicated streaming devices and routers as well.

This VPN's current lower price is $2.19/month, which is the cost of its 2-year plan. It also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee on all its plans. Moreover, PIA excels at its customer support. Their 24/7 live chat support is responsive, and you can also get help via their email support.

Do You Need a VPN for Asia?

You need a VPN for Asia to bypass Internet restrictions, visit blocked websites, ensure you're not tracked online, as well as to bypass bandwidth throttling, and get a better torrenting and gaming experience. Let's take a closer look at all those reasons:

• Browse the Web Without Being Tracked: VPNs have many anti-tracking features, which means you'll get to browse the Web anonymously and without anyone following you.
• Go Beyond Internet Censorship: If your country censors Internet sites, a VPN is the best option to hide your IP address and regain access to any source on the Internet.
• Visit Blocked/Restricted Websites: Streaming apps and similar platforms are often geo-blocked. You can access those by connecting to a VPN server in a supported country.
• Access Your Local Sites from Abroad: When traveling, a VPN will help you connect to a server in your home country, so you'll get to use your local sites from anywhere.
• Fight Against Bandwidth Throttling: Many Internet providers throttle those who consume a lot of bandwidth, which you can evade by ensuring your VPN traffic is hidden and encrypted.
• Use Public Wi-Fi Networks Safely: When you connect to a VPN server over public Wi-Fi, you'll ensure that malicious actors don't find your device.
• Protect Yourself When Shopping Online: Most online shops offer encrypted connections. Still, take no risks and use a VPN to ensure the safety and security of your payment information.
• Evade Price Discrimination: Using a VPN server in a country with lower prices will force online shops to charge you less. So, a VPN can even help you save money in the long run.
• Reach a Better Online Gaming Experience: By lowering your ping and optimizing latency, VPNs allow gamers to achieve more responsive gameplay sessions.
• Anonymize Your P2P Traffic: A VPN is essential in the world of torrenting, as it helps anonymize your traffic, reducing the risk of getting a copyright infringement change.

Should You Use a Free VPN for Asia?

You could use a free VPN provider for Asia - but we don't recommend doing that. That's because free VPNs come with tons of limitations that will restrict what you can do on the Internet.

More precisely, free VPNs come with tiny server networks, slow speeds, and limited features, and they might affect your privacy as they offer low-end protocols and encryption. Plus, free VPN apps have no simultaneous connections and they even log your sensitive information, which is then sold to third parties.

What you can do instead is pick a trial of a premium VPN, giving you access to high-end features for a limited period. For example, there's a NordVPN free trial available for 7 days on Android (and there are 30-day money-back guarantees for other platforms).

Once you're ready to make the final call, here are our top-rated VPN providers. They all come risk-free, as they all have no-questions-asked money-back policies.

Final Thoughts

There is no doubt that you can always browse the Internet without a VPN. But, doing so leaves you as a target to hackers and government snooping. Also, know that some governments in Asia are strict when it comes to content restrictions. You can bypass all those issues with a VPN - letting you unblock content, preserve your privacy, bypass bandwidth throttling, and more.

The most effective option is NordVPN, which comes with an army of Asian VPN servers, letting you bypass even the strictest Internet blocks. It's the best VPN for Asia because it's suitable for any use, delivers ultra-fast speeds, works on any device, and follows a strict no-logs policy.

That’s all when it comes to choosing a VPN to protect your online presence in Asia. If you have any questions, let us know via the comments section below. Thank you for reading!