The best India VPN 2024

VPNs can enhance your privacy in just a few clicks, which is why they're so popular in India, but they're also the most effective way of accessing sites or apps that are blocked by the government – including TikTok, WeChat, PUBG Mobile, and more. 

With the best VPNs, you'll also be able to spoof your location while traveling to tune in to content from back home, like IPL cricket and Hotstar, or access streaming platforms from around the world.

In April 2022, the Indian government introduced new legislation that requires all VPNs to collect and store user data for a minimum of five years. In response, many providers of the best India VPNs shut down their servers in the country, creating much uncertainty for those looking to browse anonymously or access blocked sites. However, more than 270 million people in India use a VPN, and the number is rising.

At Tom's Guide, we regularly test the top VPNs on the market, and on this page, you'll find my top recommendations for India based on their privacy measures, performance, and unblocking power.

Our team of in-house VPN experts has reviewed dozens of providers, and here I'll round up the top VPNs for India based on privacy, security, streaming performance, connection speeds, and ease of use. Check out my top 3 picks below if you're in a hurry, or keep scrolling for an in-depth look at each contender.

Top 3 India VPNs at a glance

1. NordVPN: the best VPN of 2024
NordVPN is my go-to VPN for spoofing my IP address—and you'll have no trouble unblocking sites, apps, and streaming services in just a few clicks. It's hard to overstate just how quick the provider is, too, so you don't have to worry about pages loading at a snail's pace.

All NordVPN plans come with ad-blocking tools, too, so you can go about your day-to-day browsing protected from pop-ups (and worse). Plus, if you fancy trying before buying, a 30-day money-back guarantee gives you the chance.

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2. Surfshark: the best budget option
If you're looking for an inexpensive way to get an Indian IP address,. look no further than Surfshark. It's a low-cost service filled with premium features, and it's more than capable of unblocking streaming content from India and beyond.

If you have a lot of gadgets, or want to cover all of your family's devices, you'll be glad to learn that Surfshark plans come with unlimited simultaneous connections. Check it out risk-free with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

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3. ExpressVPN: the best user experience
ExpressVPN comes in at a close second—but it's a great pick for folks who value simplicity. Its apps are a joy to use, no matter which device you're on, and come jam-packed with tools designed to protect your digital privacy.

I'm constantly impressed by ExpressVPN's unblocking power, too, as well as its server coverage in 94 countries. So, while it's on the pricey side, you're getting your money's worth. See for yourself with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

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The best India VPNs in 2024

NordVPN: the best VPN overall

There's little to be said about NordVPN claiming the #1 for the VPN you can use in India or elsewhere. It simply checks all the boxes, and that's besides being one of the fastest VPNs I've tested during my career. With more than 6,700 servers spread across 144 locations, it shouldn't be surprising that it unblocks sites and apps left and right, avoids VPN bans, and decimates any other form of online censorship.

Besides being one of the fastest, Nord is also my absolute best Netflix VPN. Not only does it unblock virtually everything you throw at it, but it does so at more than 950 Mbps! This effectively means you can install it on your device, connect to a server, and forget you even have it on as it won't slow down your machine.

Security-wise, Nord, once again, gets top marks. Powerful encryption, a kill switch, and specialty Onion servers over VPN and Double VPN, make streaming effortless while knowing your personal data is secure. One tiny smudge on an otherwise stellar experience are Nord's Android and iOS apps. While just as effective, they translate to smaller screens a bit awkwardly, making it trickier to find your way around. Works like a charm on desktop, though!

NordVPN offers more than 5,000 servers in 60 countries to choose from, which should be more than enough to avoid VPN bans, blocked sites and apps, and any other iterations of censorship..

Just like Surfshark, NordVPN manages to pack a lot of functionality into very modest prices – and the free Meshnet feature even allows you to get past the (slightly restrictive) limit of 6 simultaneous connections and create your very own private network capable of supporting 60 devices.

Surfshark: the best cheap VPN

If you're in the market for a budget-friendly VPN, then Surfshark could be your match made in heaven. The service boasts premium performance at a fraction of the price of some of its rivals, and I'm consistently impressed by just how much it manages to pack into one (incredibly cheap) plan.

Off the bat, Surfshark boasts mind-boggling speeds of 950 Mbps using Wireguard – a feat only NordVPN could rival in our latest tests. This is more than enough to handle video calls, online gaming, and HD streaming without breaking a sweat. Additionally, its unblocking capabilities are similarly the cream of the crop, as Surfshark has no issues unblocking BBC iPlayer, Netflix, and Hulu from India (not to mention regional networks like Hotstar).

Arguably one of the best cheap VPNs that offers top-level performance and security, Surfshark's only blemish (and I use the term very loosely) is the lack of customization options of its apps. If you can get past this, though, you get a full GUI for Linux users, split tunneling, and a kill switch that keeps your sensitive information out of curious third-party hands should your VPN connection drop!

Surfshark has a healthy network of 3,200 servers in 100 countries, including three locations in India – Mumbai, Chennai, and Indore. So, wherever you are in India, you'll have no trouble connecting to a server that's relatively close by and capable of delivering excellent speeds.

There's more good news if streaming is your thing, too, seeing as Surfshark is one of the best Netflix VPNs, as well as easily unblocking other streaming services like BBC iPlayer, and Hulu from within India, as well as regional networks like Hotstar.

While its apps aren't quite as customizable as ExpressVPN or IPVanish, there's still a lot to like about Surfshark. You'll get a kill switch that keeps your sensitive information out of the hands of snoopers if your VPN connection drops, split tunneling, and even a full GUI for Linux users.

Simply put, Surfshark is one of the best value for money VPNs out there, and with unlimited simultaneous connections, you can install the VPN on all of your devices with just one plan.

ExpressVPN: the best VPN user experience

If you're after one of the most secure VPNs, ExpressVPN is an excellent choice. With its wide range of protocols to choose from and its seriously powerful encryption, you can rest assured that your sensitive information (like passwords, email addresses, and payment details) is always kept under lock and key.

Simplicity and security are ExpressVPN's bread and butter. It's one of the most secure VPNs available, thanks to a wide range of protocols to choose from, and it's wildly good at unblocking, too, making it simultaneously one of the best streaming VPNs on offer today. If you travel overseas for business or on holiday, you'll be able to stream India-exclusive content effortlessly.

However, our latest round of testing revealed that, while Indian content works fine, Express did struggle at times with unblocking Japanese and Australian Netflix libraries. I should make it clear that, while it did manage to secure access to this content, ExpressVPN only did so on the second or third try. While minor, I felt it important to bring up this information, as while other VPNs may fare worse, NordVPN and Surfshark are better.

Regardless, once you do access your favorite cricket match or BBC iPlayer broadcast, you'll be able to stream it in 4K or otherwise to your heart's content, thanks to Express' excellent speeds. 898 Mbps were the speed results recorded by Express in our latest testing round – lower than Nord's and Surfshark's 950+ Mbps, but still wildly fast.

Lastly, Express' excellent apps bring everything together with their simple and to-the-point design. Regardless of the device and operating system, everything just works, and it's easy to get the most out of the service with only a few clicks and taps.

If I had to find a fault, it’d be that you can only use ExpressVPN on eight devices at the same time. You can install the app on all your devices and log in and out as you wish, however – you don't have to commit to a set eight.

Though it's on the expensive side, you're getting heaps of quality for the price. Plus, if you need help getting set up or picking a server, the ExpressVPN customer support team is available 24/7 via live chat.

Other quality VPNs I've tested

ProtonVPN has many great qualities, but given the recent legal online privacy conundrums in India, I chose to mention it as one of the most secure VPNs for both Indian and other users. Following an extensive makeover, which resulted in a new look to match improved performance, it always warms my heart to see developers working diligently to offer more to users for the same price.

On the business end of things, Proton's most attention-grabbing aspect are its Secure Core servers, located in physically-secure places, which, in turn, are in privacy-friendly countries like Iceland, Sweden, and its home country, Switzerland. Connecting to a Secure Core server routes your traffic to one of these locations before moving on to your chosen country. This is particularly convenient if you're planning to connect to a vulnerable server location like India or Russia/China.

Although it's not quite as good as ExpressVPN, I'd still classify ProtonVPN as one of the best streaming VPNs. During our most recent testing round, the service was able to access numerous Netflix locations, not to mention Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus, BBC iPlayer, and more. Additionally, Proton also offers one of the best free VPN plans, which, despite no unblocking power and a lower server count, still represents a cool way to get a feel for this provider.

Proton VPN's main draw, however, is its suite of security features. The most eye-catching are the Secure Core servers, located in physically secure places in privacy-friendly countries (namely Switzerland, Sweden, and Iceland.) Connecting to a Secure Core server routes your traffic to one of these locations before moving on to your chosen country, which is especially handy if you plan to join a vulnerable server location like India or Turkey.

The Proton VPN apps have a unique look and feel, although some of the more advanced features might make VPN newbies wary. Still, it's great to see that the service doesn't forget its Linux users with a full GUI.

This veteran VPN service was founded in 2010, and has continuously topped our charts one way or another.

Thanks to a proven no-logs policy and possibly the largest number of individual servers in the industry, there's little to doubt about how and why PIA secured its ranking on this list.

Additionally, you get tons of unique features, configurable options, and excellent privacy aspects, but PIA is the best VPN for torrenting.

Few VPNs on the market today deliver connections as reliable as PIA's, not to mention that the number of such friendly P2P-friendly VPN providers is fewer still. Its port-forwarding function is tailored to P2P sharers, and Private Internet Access also permits torrenting on any server.

Following recent improvements, PIA successfully unblocked Disney Plus, BBC iPlayer, multiple Netflix locations, and even smaller sites like Australia's 9Now and 10Play.

One issue we did see with PIA is its customer service, with their response times and reactivity leaving much to be desired in our tests. I'd love to see this veteran improve on this aspect in the future.

How to choose the right VPN

If you want to avoid government restrictions, you'll need to pick a VPN with powerful privacy features. I'd recommend prioritizing AES-256 encryption (which is unbreakable in practice), a kill switch to protect you if your connections drops, and split tunneling so you can choose what apps use the VPN and what don't.

Server locations within India will also be useful, of course. If your VPN doesn't have any, you won't be able to watch cricket on Hotstar or other local TV networks.

When it comes to TikTok (and other banned Chinese apps), there’s a lot of debate over which VPNs can unblock what and whether they work at all. So, in case your chosen service doesn’t do what you need it to, you should look for a money-back guarantee – that way you’ll get a full refund with no questions asked.

ExpressVPN does all of this, and more, which is why I've named it the top VPN for India. There are plenty of solid alternatives to check out too, however, so you're bound to find a service that suits you.

How we test VPNs

As outlined in our How we test VPNs guide, here at Tom's Guide, we test first, and write after. A significant portion of our time is dedicated to testing every VPN service in detail.

Every single claim made by every single VPN provider about every single feature gets tested in real time, in the real world. Speeds, streaming performance, unblocking capabilities, pricing plans, renewal costs – you name it and it gets tested.

Beyond the scope of the core VPN product (multi hop servers, malware, ad-blockers), we also go undercover to scrutinize the support system and ensure it's helpful and works as advertised. We go to such lengths with one goal in mind – to ensure our readers have the most comprehensive, accurate, and thoroughly tested assessments available to make your next decision. 

First of all, we do check the provider websites, and note useful information like the number of servers and locations, whether you’re allowed to use every server for P2P, which encryption protocols are supported, the variety of operating systems it runs on, and tons more. We also check the pricing at this stage.

This initial scan gives us a baseline understanding of the service, and if there are any bold claims on-site we note them to make sure the customer isn’t being misled.

We’ll then dig into privacy policies. This is a very important piece of literature for any company, but for VPNs they need to be absolutely watertight. We’ll also go through the logging or zero-logging policy to look for gaps, and read any information available on independent audits.

Then it comes to testing the applications themselves. We test how easy it is to download and install, noting if any data collection options are clearly outlined to the user. We then inspect the default configuration to see what you have to ‘opt in’ for, and what features are available overall. We then play around with any additional features, such as ExpressVPN’s server speed test or NordVPN’s Double VPN. After we’ve gone through everything on the surface, the fun bit starts – trying to break things.

We throw all sorts of curveballs at these VPNs, like connecting to oddly configured networks, and killing processes to see if we can get the VPN to stop without activating the kill switch.

After we’ve had our fun, we check in with the support team to see if they’re helpful. Then, we’ll check a wide range of streaming sites to see if the VPN is able to access geo-blocked content, and we’ll run a series of speed tests over a few days and nights to get an accurate picture of what sort of connection speeds you can expect.

India VPN FAQ