Date: November 3rd, 2024
Author: Trevor James
If you're looking for the Best VPN for Canada, this comprehensive Canada VPN guide will help you get around the censorship in Canada, stream your favorite shows, and more. As of November 2024, I recommend the following VPNs below.
I grew up in Canada and am Canadian as it gets, but one thing that's concerning to me is how Canada is becoming more and more of a place where you need a VPN. What's currently happening in Canada? More on that below.
What's inside this guide?
ToggleHighly Recommended
ExpressVPN
First, I'm introducing all of the best VPN's for Canada, giving you the best VPNs and which are fastest for Canada in a big list. Then, I'm reviewing all of the best VPNs one by one and comparing them. In each VPN review, I've also found some discount links! Welcome to the ULTIMATE Canada VPN Guide!
At the bottom, I'm also providing a resource of some of the best free VPN's for Canada as well!
VERDICT
As of February 2024, ExpressVPN (49% off using this link) is the #1 best VPN for Canada. It is the fastest and most reliable. I’ve been using ExpressVPN for over 10 years, it’s excellent at streaming content while abroad and is very fast. NordVPN is my backup VPN, but I’m mainly just using Express.
VPN Provider | DL Speed (MBps) | Server Locations (Countries) | Summary |
---|---|---|---|
1. ExpressVPN | 22 | 94 | I've been using ExpressVPN for years inside and outside of Canada. It's the fastest and most reliable VPN, especially for Canada. |
2. Surfshark VPN | 18 | 100 | Works pretty well. Available for most devices. Also streams quite decent. |
3. NordVPN | 17 | 59 | Also has pretty good speeds. A solid and fairly reliable VPN for Canada. |
4. Private Internet Access | 16 | 33 | I sometimes use this one as it's decent for streaming but overall I think it could be a little better. |
5.Proton VPN | 15 | 68 | Another solid VPN for Canada |
VERDICT
ExpressVPN is the clear winner. It is definitely the BestVPN for Canada in 2024. It really has the best unblocking abilities for streaming. It’s the fastest, easiest to use, and has the most privacy and security out of all the VPNs on the list.
Canada’s censorship landscape keeps getting worse. And a VPN helps you stream content from around the world and stay secure.
Furthermore, new policies are infringing on people’s privacy. Today, Canadian privacy is being threatened by two legislations: Bill C-11 and Bill C-18. More on that below, but first, let’s get into the Full VPN Reviews.
There are many VPNs out there. You can go out and test them all if you want. In fact, I encourage you to test. Just not every single one of them. I’ve already tested multiple VPNs. So I’m sharing with you my personal shortlist. From my experience these are the best VPNs for Canada. Here’s a snapshot of their strengths.
Let’s now have a closer look at our best Canada VPNs.
ExpressVPN | Surfshark | NordVPN | PIA | Proton VPN | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Brand | |||||
Review | ExpressVPN Review | Surfshark Review | NordVPN Review | Coming Soon | Coming Soon |
Price (lowest price per month) | $6.67/month | $4.59/month | $2.39/month | $2.03/month | $5.50 /month |
Free Versions | None, but has 30-day money back guarantee | 7 day free trial or 30 day money-back guarantee | 7 day free trial or 30 day money-back guarantee | None, but has 30-day money back guarantee | Offers a free VPN |
Server locations | 94 countries | 100 countries | 59 countries | 84 countries | 68 countries |
OpenVPN protocol | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Streaming | Netflix, Hulu, Amazon prime, Disney+, and more | Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime | Netflix, Hulu, and more | Netflix, Hulu, and more | Netflix, Hulu, and more |
Logging | No logs | No logs | No logs | No logs | No logs |
Speed | Super Fast | Fast | Pretty good | Pretty good | Pretty good |
In my experience, ExpressVPN is the best VPN for Canada in 2024. Yes, some providers are better on paper. Some have a larger server network. Some can support more simultaneous connections. And so on and so forth. But when I tried them all, I got the best user experience with ExpressVPN.
Other VPNs had trouble connecting to certain countries. They just kept retrying over and over. In some cases, I even had to give up. ExpressVPN had the fewest connection issues. And once it connected, the VPN speeds were superb!
This premium VPN really shines when you unblock streaming services with it. Other VPNs couldn’t even stream certain country libraries even if those countries were on their list of locations. ExpressVPN is in 96 countries, giving it the second largest network coverage among my preferred VPNs. And I had no trouble streaming in every country I tried.
It’s got the most intuitive VPN app too. The moment the app launches, you’ll immediately figure out what to do.
ExpressVPN is packed with privacy and security features, including:
ExpressVPN is based in the British Virgin Islands (BVI). BVI’s laws are separate from the UK. BVI doesn’t have any data retention laws, so the place is privacy-friendly.
Highly Recommended
ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is usually installed on PCs, laptops, and mobile devices. But you can also install it on some routers. That router can then support almost unlimited simultaneous connections. This will allow you to circumvent ExpressVPN’s limit. That limit is 5 devices per subscription.
I’m pretty sure you’ll love ExpressVPN. Of course, don’t take my word for it. It’s best to take advantage of ExpressVPN’s 30-day money-back guarantee and see for yourself. During that 30-day period, put ExpressVPN through its paces. If you don’t like it, cancel and ask for a refund. If you do that, you would have then availed of a free VPN service.
The second service I would recommend for best VPNs in Canada is Surfshark. This premium VPN takes pride in being able to support unlimited simultaneous connections. That means you can connect an unlimited number of devices at the same time using a single subscription. Not only that. Surfshark also has the largest server network. It’s in 100 different countries.
Surfshark did well in unblocking several streaming services. I tried it on Netflix, Disney+, ESPN+, and others. Like ExpressVPN, Surfshark can be installed on certain routers.
Surfshark’s security features include:
This VPN company is based in the Netherlands. Like BVI, the Netherlands doesn’t require VPN companies to log or retain user data.
Highly Recommended
Surfshark
So why isn’t Surfshark my best VPN for Canada? While Surfshark is very impressive on paper, I wasn’t as impressed when I tested it. Don’t get me wrong. Surfshark is really good. That’s why it’s my second best. It just so happens that it didn’t do as well as ExpressVPN in my tests. I encountered more retries with Surfshark when I tried to connect to certain countries.
I’ll be updating these reviews every now and then, so the results may be different next time around. So stay tuned!
Again, as I will always remind you throughout this article: test these VPNs yourself. There are just 5 of them. I’ve already picked the 5 best out there, so you don’t have to put a lot of effort on research.
Surfshark has a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can give it a test run. If you cancel and ask for a refund within 30 days, it would be like you used a free VPN for 30 days!
This premium VPN doesn’t have as many VPN locations as the others on this list. However, I noticed it quickly connects to the countries it supports. Not all VPNs are like that. Some just keep on retrying. I also liked how NordVPN could easily obtain Canada IPs. That makes it an ideal VPN for Canada streaming services.
NordVPN only supports 6 simultaneous connections per subscription. But if you set it up on a router, the VPN router will be able to accept unlimited connections.
NordVPN’s security features include:
The company is based in Panama. This is another privacy-friendly place with no data retention mandates.
Highly Recommended
NordVPN
I encourage you to take advantage of NordVPN’s 30-day money-back guarantee. It’s one of the most affordable options on this list. So if you like it, you’ll be getting a great bang for your buck. And if you don’t like it, you can simply cancel before the 30 days end. NordVPN will give you a refund, so that’s still a free VPN for 30 days.
Those were my personal top 3 best VPNs for Canada. But you might also want to check out these two. They’re not arranged in any particular order whatsoever.
Private Internet Access VPN is the most affordable VPN for Canada on my list. You can get it for just a little over $2 per month. Also known as PIA VPN, Private Internet Access has servers in 84 countries. That server network size makes it easy for PIA VPN to unblock various streaming services around the globe.
Recently, Private Internet Access took a page from Surfshark’s playbook. PIA now supports unlimited simultaneous connections. That’s in one subscription. You can protect your entire family’s online activities with that.
PIA VPN’s security features include:
While Private Internet Access has a no-logs policy, it’s based in Denver, CO, in the United States. I’m no legal expert, but AFAIK the US isn’t a completely privacy-friendly jurisdiction.
Highly Recommended
Private Internet Access
If you wish to check out PIA VPN, try its 30-day money back guarantee offer.
Wrapping up this list of the best Canada VPNs is ProtonVPN. It’s got servers in 68 different countries. This VPN was quite good in unblocking streaming services. It’s a great VPN for Canada users who wish to unblock libraries in other countries.
ProtonVPN’s security features include:
This secure VPN service is based in Geneva, Switzerland. That’s one of the most privacy-friendly places in the world.
Highly Recommended
ProtonV
If you’d like to give ProtonVPN a test run, try their 30-day money-back guarantee offer.
So what would I recommend? If I were to search for the best VPN for Canada, I would look for the following qualifications.
First, I would look for a VPN service with a substantial number of Canadian servers. Generally speaking, the more Canadian servers, the better. I’m not saying the service with the most number of servers is already the best VPN for Canada. I’d still be looking at other qualities as well.
But if you’re abroad and want to access content in Canada, you’ll want to obtain a Canadian IP address. This will allow you to unblock Canadian Netflix and other Canadian streaming sites. A VPN provider with plenty of servers in Canada will give you a better chance of doing that.
Also, more Canadian VPN servers mean faster VPN speeds for certain users. That’s because the servers won’t get overloaded easily. In particular, It will mean faster speeds for users connecting to VPN Canada servers.
Do you fancy using various international streaming services? For example, are you excited at the thought of streaming other countries’ Netflix libraries? If you’re not, you probably will be once Bill C-11 and Bill C-18 take effect. If Google, Meta, and other streaming companies pull out of Canada, you can only view their content in other countries. And if you’re based in Canada, you’ll need to obtain the IP addresses of other countries to do that.
If that’s what you like, you’ll want a VPN provider with a wide network coverage. You’ll want a provider with server locations around the globe. A wide network coverage will allow you to unblock more geo-restricted streaming services. You can, for example, unblock streaming services in Europe, Asia, Africa, and so on.
VPN services with a lengthy country list can also benefit Canadians traveling abroad. That’s because they will always have access to a VPN server nearby. The closer a server is, the faster your VPN speeds will be.
Free VPNs lack the extensive network coverage that premium VPNs have. That’s why I rarely recommend them.
Yes, the quantity of a VPN’s country list is important. However, it’s also important to take into account the quality of that list. Does the list include countries whose content and streaming services you want to access?
Go to a VPN provider’s website and look for its list of server locations. If a country is in that list, it means you can obtain an IP address from that country. As a result, you can unblock geo-restricted content in that country. So, countries that are most relevant to you must be there.
If privacy is your primary motive for using a VPN, you need to know where VPN providers are based. Not only that, you need to know where their servers are located. This is important because some countries have strict data retention laws. These laws require VPN providers to store server log data for a certain period of time. Laws like these go against privacy principles.
They allow governments to retrieve customer data and track your online activities. So it’s really important to know where providers operate. Choose providers that avoid retention laws. Here’s one example. ExpressVPN removed their servers as soon as India started imposing data retention mandates. That’s always a good sign. It means the provider takes privacy very seriously.
Some providers take extreme measures to protect customer privacy. What do they do? They don’t store log data. So even if a hacker or a government representative searches the VPN servers, they won’t find anything.
Of course, a VPN server located in a country with data retention laws will be forced to store logs. That’s why I recommend VPN providers that don’t operate in countries with data retention mandates. They’re the only providers that can effectively implement no logs policies.
Most VPN services claim to be capable of unblocking streaming platforms like Netlix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu and Amazon Prime Video. But once you try them out, you’ll be in for a big surprise. Many of them fail to block consistently.
In Netflix, you’ll sometimes encounter proxy error messages like:
This happens because Netflix keeps tabs of known VPN IP addresses.
So if you see these errors while connecting to Canadian Netflix, it doesn’t mean you failed to get a Canada IP address. It means the IP address has already been blacklisted. To avoid these errors, choose Canada VPNs that constantly update their server network.
All VPNs will encrypt your internet connection. But the best VPNs don’t end there. Premium VPNs add more layers of security. That way, you’ll be more protected when you’re browsing online. Some of the more common security features offered by VPN service providers include the following:
VPN protocols play a big role in the security and performance of your VPN connections. Old protocols, for instance, can’t support strong encryption. If a VPN still uses old protocols, then it wouldn’t be very effective in protecting your internet traffic.
Some VPN providers develop their own VPN protocols. For example, ExpressVPN has Lightway and NordVPN has NordLynx. These protocols are optimized for their VPN provider’s network. Generally speaking, they can give you better VPN speeds.
For example, I ran some tests using different protocols on ExpressVPN. Lightway gave me the best video quality on streaming sites.
Some VPN companies boast of having many server locations. Some even emphasize that they have multiple servers in one location. But when you attempt to connect to these locations, the app just keeps retrying. To make things work, you sometimes have to fiddle with VPN protocol settings.
That’s why it’s very important to test a VPN service before committing to a long-term subscription. If you can, test every country that you think you’ll be connecting to in the future. There are ways to test a premium VPN without paying. I’m not talking about free VPN services. I’ll elaborate on this in a short while.
Most of the people who have asked my recommendation for the best VPN in Canada aren’t exactly techies. While VPNs are generally easy to use, they can sometimes be intimidating for non-tech users. Ideally, when you launch the VPN app, you should instantly figure out what to do.
Like I said earlier, it’s very important to try VPN services before committing for the long haul. Don’t trust what websites say. If a VPN doesn’t have a free version, look for a 30-day money back guarantee.
This entails getting a one month subscription. You can then test the VPN for 30 days. If you don’t like it, you can cancel and ask for a refund. It’s like you had a free VPN for 30 days. Only by testing VPNs yourself can you find the best VPN for Canada.
For instructions on how to do this on a specific device, read my article “How to change Netflix region”. In the meantime, here are the general steps.
For instructions on how to do this on a specific device, read my article “How to change your location with a VPN”. But here are the general steps.
For instructions on how to do this on other devices, read my article on “How to change Netflix region”. In the meantime, here are the general steps.
The best Canada VPNs should offer great customer support. You may contact your provider through email. You’ll usually find their email address in the Contact US page of their official website. Sometimes, they’ll display a link in the Contact Us page. Once you click that link, your email client will open. The To field of your client will then contain your provider’s email address. You can send your queries and complaints through that.
But if you want a faster response, see if your provider has an online chat. Some providers have made their online chats easily accessible. In ExpressVPN for example, you can easily find their online chat at the bottom-right corner of every page. I usually prefer the online chat because I can get answers much faster that way. So kudos to those Canada VPNs that provide online chats!
Every VPN provider has a download page for their VPN apps. So just go straight to your desired provider’s web site. Their download page will have installers for various platforms. That usually includes Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and Linux. If you want to get a VPN for your mobile devices, you can also check out the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. All the best VPNs for Canada have their apps there.
Streaming services like Canadian Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and Amazon Prime Video will only give you access if you’re in Canada. To bypass this restriction, you can use Canada VPN servers. These servers can help you gain access because they have Canadian IP addresses. Once Netlfix and other sites inspect your IP address, they’ll think you’re in Canada.
Canadian internet providers can’t see your searches even if you don’t use a VPN. I’m of course assuming you’re searching in Google and other search engines that use encryption. That said, Canadian ISPs can still determine what you do online based on various information. They can, for instance, look at your DNS requests, source and destination IP address, and so on.
A VPN can hide all that information from your ISP. But bear in mind. That information can still leak out if your VPN connection is suddenly cut off while you’re connected to the internet. That’s why you need a kill switch. It will automatically disconnect your internet connection if your VPN suddenly disconnects.
The price of Canada VPNs range from around $2 per month to around $15 per month. That’s in USD. If you want to get the best VPN for Canada at the lowest price, look for long-term plans. The most affordable Canada VPN prices are in the 1 year or 2 year plans.
Currently, NordVPN has the largest server network with 100 server locations. This is followed closely by ExpressVPN with 94. If you plan to connect to many countries, you’ll want to look for Canada VPNs with wide network coverage. The best VPNs for Canada rely on their wide coverage to unblock streaming platforms. This will allow you to unblock Netflix libraries around the world.
A VPN can unblock geo restricted streaming services. These are streaming services that limit user access based on the user’s location. Streaming companies are able to do this by inspecting the user’s IP address. IP addresses that don’t belong to the service’s allowed country or region are blocked.
A VPN bypasses these restrictions. It does so by providing you an IP address associated with the country whose streaming content you wish to access. Let’s say you wish to access Canadian Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, or BBC iPlayer. A VPN can give you a Canadian IP address to help you achieve that.
Most VPNs I’ve tried have their Canadian servers in Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal. It should be safe to assume most servers are found there.
All things being equal, more servers mean you’ll have have a greater chance to connect. More Canadian VPN servers also means you’ll have a better chance to unblock Canadian Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and BBC iPlayer. However, things are not always equal.
A service with better spec’d servers can beat a service with a larger server count. That being said, any service with a substantial number of Canadian servers is a good candidate for the best VPN for Canada. Unfortunately, it’s hard to determine which service has the most number of Canadian servers. That’s because some services don’t disclose their server count.
To find the best VPN in Canada, don’t just look at server count. Try them out yourself.
I get this question very often. To be honest, I haven’t bothered to find out which free VPN is the best. Why? because I have yet to encounter a reliable Canada VPN that’s free. All free Canada VPNs that I tried had significant limitations. For instance, some free VPNs impose bandwidth limits. Other free Canada VPN solutions could only connect to a few countries. Others don’t have a true no log policy. And so on and so forth.
If you’re looking for a VPN in Canada, avoid the free version. Stick with premium Canada VPN services. They’re the best Canada VPNs. They’ll give you unlimited bandwidth, longer country lists, and audited privacy and security features.
Because of two new bills, Bill C-11 and Bill C-18. Bill C-11 requires streaming services to promote Canadian content a.k.a. CanCon and to make them more discoverable. For example, instead of recommending you movies and TV shows aligned to your preferences, Netflix will have to recommend CanCon. Failure to do so may result in fines.
It’s hard to imagine streaming platforms changing their algorithms to follow the laws of one country. These platforms may decide to avoid the fines and do business elsewhere. If Google’s reaction to Bill C-18 is any indication, they’ll likely do just that. And if that happens, Canadians won’t be able to access content from these platforms anymore.
So what is Bill C-18?
Bill C-18 requires tech companies like Google and Meta to pay a sort of link tax. Google and Meta must compensate Canadian news organizations whenever they link to the latter’s content. Both Google and Meta find the link tax unreasonable. In response, both companies have decided to block Canada users from viewing content that have those links. That’s actually a lot of content.
Google, for instance, will be removing links to Canadian news on Google Search, News, and Discover. Meta will likewise be blocking access to Canadian news on Facebook and Instagram.
So why are people searching for the best VPNs for Canada? You see, a VPN service can help you circumvent many forms of online censorship. Let’s say for example Bill C-11 ends up forcing streaming platforms to leave Canada. You can bypass Bill C-11 censorship and access those streaming platforms in other countries by using a VPN.
Too much censorship can really be suffocating. But that’s not the only reason why Canadians are searching for the best VPNs for Canada. More people have been victimized by data breaches and other cyber incidents. Thus, they too are becoming more conscious about online security.
Canadians are now turning to VPNs to be secure. VPNs encrypt internet traffic. That prevents hackers from stealing our data when we’re browsing online.
Lastly, VPNs are pretty good at unblocking geo-restricted content. It allows Canadian travelers like me to access Canadian content from abroad. I’m usually in Asia. But I can access Canadian Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and Amazon Prime Video. It also allows Canada-based users to access geo-blocked content in other countries.
Read my article about changing Netflix regions with a VPN. There you’ll get more information about geo-blocking.
A good Canada VPN will allow you to access streaming services that are normally only available in other countries. But the extent of this capability largely depends on your chosen VPN. The best Canada VPNs can unblock the top streaming sites. This includes Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, ESPN+, and many others. We’ve covered the best VPNs for Canada earlier in this article.
Thank you for reading my extensive VPN for Canada post! I hope you enjoyed reading and that it was helpful for you!
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