The new Data Protection Law (DPL), which came into effect on March 17, 2023 is similar to GDPR in that it regulates how personal data can be used, processed or stored. Unlawful data transfer outside the KSA can result in criminal conviction and imprisonment.
Moreover, the Saudi government heavily censors the internet in Saudi Arabia. The government has set up extensive surveillance to thwart any person who criticizes the government, and pornographic and anti-Islam websites are blocked. A VPN (virtual private network) can help unblock these websites and keep you anonymous online. In this guide, we help you find the best Saudi Arabia VPN.
Key Takeaways: Saudi Arabia VPNs
- Saudi Arabian citizens don’t enjoy complete internet freedom. However, as someone living in or visiting Saudi, you can access blocked websites and browse the internet securely using a VPN.
- We recommend ExpressVPN, since it offers excellent security and lightning-fast speeds. If you’re on a budget, you can use one of the other services, including NordVPN, Surfshark or CyberGhost.
- If you need a free VPN for Saudi Arabia, you can use Proton VPN.
A virtual private network encrypts your internet connection so that any encrypted data transmitted from your device is unreadable. Even if your internet service provider (ISP) or the government manages to get this data, they won’t be able to read it. We recommend ExpressVPN, since it offers excellent security and speed. Alternatively, you can use one of the other VPN providers in our list.
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04/25/2023 Facts checked
Article rewritten to reflect recent changes in VPN service providers.
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ExpressVPN is the best VPN in Saudi Arabia. It offers top-notch security and fast connection speeds. However, if you’re on a budget, consider a service like NordVPN, Surfshark or CyberGhost. You might also consider a free service like Proton VPN.
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None of the free VPNs that we believe are trustworthy have a Saudi Arabian server. If you’re looking for a good free VPN, you can use Proton VPN. It doesn’t have a free Saudi Arabian server, though.
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Yes, using a VPN is legal in Saudi Arabia. There’s no law that prohibits the use of VPN. However, VPN usage in general is frowned upon by the Saudi Arabia government, since it keeps them from achieving their objectives.
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Top VPNs for Saudi Arabia
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- : PayPal, Credit card, Bitcoin, PaymentWall
- : 5
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Average speedDownload Speed90 MbpsUpload Speed9 MbpsLatency6 ms -
2
- : PayPal, Credit card, Google Pay, AmazonPay, ACH Transfer, Cash
- : 6
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Average speedDownload Speed92 MbpsUpload Speed9 MbpsLatency4 ms -
3
- : PayPal, Credit card
- : Unlimited
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Average speedDownload Speed96 MbpsUpload Speed9 MbpsLatency113 ms -
4
- : PayPal, Credit card, bitcoin, Amazon Pay
- : 7
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Average speedDownload Speed62 MbpsUpload Speed9 MbpsLatency51 ms -
5
- : PayPal, Credit card, Bitcoin, cash
- : 10
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What Makes the Best Saudi Arabia VPN?
The best VPN services offer three key features — excellent security, the ability to bypass geoblocks and fast speeds. We used the most popular VPN apps to see how they perform and found the following to be the best Saudi Arabia VPNs:
- ExpressVPN — Fast speed and excellent security
- NordVPN — Fastest VPN
- Surfshark — Unlimited connections and a Saudi Arabia server
- CyberGhost — VPN automation features
- Proton VPN — Free VPN service for Saudi Arabia
Many VPN services might not have a VPN server in Saudi Arabia, but that’s not a major drawback. The only benefits of a Saudi Arabian server is that you get slightly faster connection speeds and can acquire a Saudi Arabian IP address. A Saudi IP address is only required when you want to access geoblocked Saudi websites with an encrypted connection.
The most important factors when selecting a VPN are security and privacy, especially in Saudi Arabia, where voices critical of the government are jailed. The most secure VPNs offer encryption protocols like OpenVPN and WireGuard and ciphers like AES and ChaCha20. The best VPNs also commit to zero logging, which means they don’t store or share any of your data.
VPNs can also help access geoblocked content. If you want to access Netflix U.S. from Saudi Arabia, you’ll need to connect to a U.S. VPN server. The problem is that not all VPNs with a U.S. server can get past the Netflix VPN ban — for that, you’ll need one of the best VPNs for streaming out there.
The 5 Best VPNs for Saudi Arabia
Below, we discuss what each of our recommended services offer. If you’re short on time, go with our top pick, ExpressVPN.
1. ExpressVPN
More details about ExpressVPN:
- Pricing: $6.66 per month (15-months plan)
- Free plan: None, 30-day money-back guarantee
- Provider website: expressvpn.com
Pros:
- Fast connection speed
- Great security & privacy
- MediaStreamer for improved streaming experience
Cons:
- Expensive
ExpressVPN is the best Saudi Arabia VPN because it offers an excellent combination of speed and security. It’s one of our fastest VPNs, has a strict no-logging policy and offers adequate security to protect you against Saudi censorship laws.
ExpressVPN offers the latest encryption protocols, including OpenVPN and Lightway — ExpressVPN’s proprietary VPN protocol. The service’s VPN app also provides DNS leak protection, kill switch and split tunneling — a feature that allows routing traffic via encrypted and unencrypted tunnels simultaneously.
You can connect to a server in any of the 94 countries where ExpressVPN has a server. Saudi Arabia isn’t on the list though, so you can’t use ExpressVPN to acquire a Saudi Arabia IP address. If you want to learn more about ExpressVPN, read our comprehensive ExpressVPN review.
Best VPN for Streaming
ExpressVPN is the best VPN for streaming because it unblocks all major streaming services, including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and BBC iPlayer. The ExpressVPN app includes a feature called MediaStreamer, which helps unblock streaming sites without encrypting your connection. Removing the overhead of encryption improves streaming performance, but doesn’t protect your privacy.
ExpressVPN is a premium VPN, and of course, that’s reflected in its pricing. The best deal (the annual plan + three free months) costs $6.66 per month. Shorter-term plans are also available; the six-month plan costs $9.99 per month, while the monthly plan costs $12.95 per month. If you’re not fully confident about ExpressVPN, you can try it risk-free, using its 30-day money-back guarantee.
- Unlimited GB
- 5
- Yes
2. NordVPN
More details about NordVPN:
- Pricing: $3.49 per month (two-year plan)
- Free plan: None, 30-day money-back guarantee
- Provider website: nordvpn.com
Pros:
- Fastest VPN
- Top-notch security
- Unlocks most streaming apps
Cons:
- No specialty servers on NordLynx
NordVPN is the fastest VPN according to our speed tests, but it doesn’t cut corners on security — in fact, it’s one of the most secure VPNs. It offers various encryption protocols, including NordLynx (NordVPN’s take on WireGuard), kill switch and split tunneling.
You get access to over 5,000 servers across 60 countries (excluding Saudi Arabia). This means you can access almost all popular content libraries on online streaming services (such as the U.S. and U.K.), but you can’t acquire a Saudi Arabian IP address using NordVPN.
NordVPN is one of the few VPNs that matches ExpressVPN. ExpressVPN offers better performance, security, and feature set, but NordVPN costs less than half of ExpressVPN. Learn more about the service in our NordVPN review.
Specialty Servers
NordVPN offers four types of specialty servers: double VPN, P2P, obfuscated and Onion over VPN. These server types add another layer of security to your connection, which is especially helpful in a country like Saudi Arabia where the government actively seeks out people who criticize the government.
When you want to access blocked content in Saudi Arabia, using double VPN can help increase your connection’s security to ensure complete anonymity. When you use double VPN, your traffic is routed via two VPN servers, making it even more secure.
NordVPN’s best deal (the two-year plan) costs $3.49 per month — a fair price considering NordVPN’s feature set and performance. Or you might consider opting for a shorter-term plan. The annual plan costs $4.99 per month while the monthly plan costs $11.99 per month. Like ExpressVPN, you get a 30-day money-back guarantee if you want to try NordVPN risk-free.
- Unlimited GB
- 6
- Yes
- Unlimited GB
- 6
- Yes
3. Surfshark
More details about Surfshark:
- Pricing: $2.49 per month (two-year plan)
- Free plan: None, 30-day money-back guarantee
- Provider website: surfshark.com
Pros:
- Unlimited device connections
- Has a server in Saudi Arabia
- Great feature set
Cons:
- High latency
Surfshark entered the market much more recently than other VPN services, but its feature set is anything but basic. The VPN provider has quickly claimed a spot among the best VPNs in the market with an extensive feature set, widespread server network and fast speeds.
The VPN’s servers are spread across 100 countries, including Saudi Arabia. This means Surfshark can help you acquire a Saudi Arabian IP address. With Surfshark, you also get an extensive feature set.
For example, Surfshark offers CleanWeb2.0, a malware and ad blocker that blocks ads on all apps, not just the browser. Surfshark has MultiHop Servers (another name for double VPN) which adds another layer of security to your connection, as well an IP address rotation feature that changes your IP every few minutes. We go into more detail about Surfshark’s features in our Surfshark review.
Surfshark offers adequate security. You can select from encryption protocols like OpenVPN (UDP and TCP), IKEv2 and WireGuard. Our tests didn’t reveal any DNS leaks. Moreover, the VPN provider commits to zero logging.
Unlimited Simultaneous Connections
Unlimited simultaneous connections allow you to share your account with as many people as you’d like. While Surfshark is already a pocket-friendly service, sharing the account (and the cost) with your friends can reduce the cost even further.
Since Surfshark offers unlimited bandwidth, you won’t need to worry about reduced performance when you share your account with your friends in Saudi Arabia.
Surfshark is a pocket-friendly service priced well below comparable services. The best deal (the two-year plan) costs $2.49 per month, or you can opt for one of the shorter-term plans. The annual plan costs $3.99 per month, while the monthly plan costs $12.95 per month. Like other VPN providers, Surfshark offers a 30-day money-back guarantee so you can try it yourself before committing for the long term.
- Unlimited GB bandwidth, Unlimited devices
- Unlimited GB
- Unlimited
- Yes
4. CyberGhost
More details about CyberGhost:
- Pricing: $2.37 per month (two-year plan)
- Free plan: None, 45-day money-back guarantee
- Provider website: cyberghostvpn.com
Pros:
- Excellent desktop UI
- Automation features
- 45-day money-back return
Cons:
- Slow download speeds
CyberGhost is a reliable VPN service with one of the largest server networks of any VPN provider on the market — over 9,000 servers across 91 countries. CyberGhost doesn’t offer any Saudi Arabia servers, though, so you can’t use it to acquire a Saudi IP address.
The VPN provides adequate security, with basic security features like a kill switch and split tunneling, and lets you choose from VPN protocols like OpenVPN, IKEv2 and WireGuard. Oddly enough, IKEv2 — a VPN protocol that’s often best suited for mobile phones — isn’t available on the Android app.
The server network includes optimized streaming servers, but CyberGhost has some gaps to close on the streaming side. We couldn’t access Netflix or Amazon Prime Video using CyberGhost.
The VPN is also slower compared to others on the list. However, we appreciate the intuitive and detailed desktop app. CyberGhost’s VPN app is one of the best VPN apps you’ll see. Read our thorough CyberGhost review to learn more about CyberGhost.
Automation Features
The “smart rules” feature on CyberGhost allows you to automate VPN-related tasks. For example, you can create a smart rule to auto-connect to a specific server when you start the computer. This eliminates a few extra clicks required to connect the VPN every day, assuming you’ll be using the VPN regularly.
CyberGhost is the cheapest service on this list, with its best deal (the two-year plan) costing $2.37 per month. The six-month plan costs $6.99 per month, while the monthly plan costs $12.99 per month. CyberGhost allows users to try the service for longer than its competitors — it offers a 45-day money-back guarantee (14 days on the monthly plan) so you can try the service risk-free.
- Unlimited GB
- 7
- Yes
5. Proton VPN
More details about Proton VPN:
- Pricing: $4.99 per month (two-year plan)
- Free plan: Yes, limited to 3 locations
- Provider website: protonvpn.com
Pros:
- Free unlimited data
- Fast speed
- Excellent user interface
Cons:
- No Mac/iOS split tunneling
Proton VPN tops our list of best free VPNs and for good reason. We typically advise against using free VPNs. They can be slow, insecure and in some cases, infect your computer with virus and malware. You should be especially cautious if you’re using one of the worst VPNs out there. Proton VPN is one of the few exceptions to this rule.
The free plan is a preview to Proton VPN’s paid plan, which means it has a few restrictions. However, it’s completely safe, secure and offers excellent performance on the free plan.
Proton VPN offers VPN protocols like OpenVPN, IKEv2 and WireGuard combined with AES-256 and ChaCha20 ciphers. It also has a strict no logs policy. Moreover, the VPN unblocks all major streaming platforms, as we explain in our Proton VPN review.
The paid plan gives you access to servers in over 60 countries, but Saudi Arabia isn’t one of them, so you can’t acquire a Saudi IP. The free version only includes access to servers in the U.S., the Netherlands and Japan.
Unlimited Data
Free VPNs rarely offer unlimited data. This is a problem because you might run out of data while you’re streaming content online or accessing blocked content, which means your anonymity and security can be compromised. Fortunately, Proton VPN offers unlimited data on the free plan. If you want to watch a show daily on Netflix U.S., you can do that with Proton VPN without worrying about running out of data.
The paid plan gives you access to servers in more countries and other features (like double hop and Tor over VPN). The best value plan (the two-year plan) costs $4.99 per month. The annual plan costs $5.99 per month, while the monthly plan costs $9.99. The VPN also offers the standard 30-day money-back guarantee so you can try the service yourself.
- Unlimited GB
- 1
- Yes
Why You Should Use a Saudi Arabian VPN
If you live in or are traveling to Saudi Arabia and value your privacy, you need a VPN. The Saudi government monitors online activity of Saudi citizens to minimize any criticism against the government. The government even jails critics.
In the past, the Saudi government had banned VoIP services. In fact, the Saudi government recently equated free online expression with terrorism. Currently, you can’t access anti-religion, anti-government or pornography websites if you’re in Saudi Arabia.
Given the government’s approach to freedom of speech and internet freedom, using a VPN is critical to ensure privacy and access to all geoblocked websites.
A VPN helps you unblock these websites as well as protects you from the government’s surveillance. Moreover, while you can access Netflix Saudi Arabia, you’ll need a VPN to access another country’s content library on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Hulu.
Can You Use a Free VPN for Saudi Arabia?
Yes, you can use a free VPN for Saudi Arabia. However, most free VPNs are insecure and unreliable. Some free VPNs also steal your data and infect your computer with viruses and malware.
If you must use a free VPN, we recommend using Proton VPN. It’s a free VPN that offers unlimited data on the free plan. It’s secure and offers great connection speeds. Proton VPN (or any of the reliable free VPNs) doesn’t offer Saudi Arabian servers, which means you can’t use it to acquire a Saudi IP address.
However, Proton VPN can help you access geoblocked websites and secure your connection. Other solid free VPNs include Windscribe and Tunnelbear.
Final Thoughts
VPNs protect you against surveillance and third parties trying to steal your data. They do this by encrypting your data. You can also use VPNs to access geoblocked websites and streaming platforms.
However, not all VPNs are effective. Many can’t bypass geoblocks on websites like Netflix, while others don’t encrypt your connection adequately, leaving you vulnerable to data theft. We’ve tested the VPNs we recommend in this guide for speed, security and their effectiveness in unblocking geoblocked websites.
ExpressVPN is the best VPN for Saudi Arabia, but if you need something more pocket-friendly, consider one of the other services in the list.
Have you ever used a Saudi Arabia VPN before? Which one, and were you able to access geoblocked streaming platforms with it? Let us know in the comments below, and as always, thanks for reading.
The post Best Saudi Arabia VPN in 2023: Bypass Saudi Censorship & Surveillance appeared first on Cloudwards.
