Published on: November 6, 2024 Updated 2 times since publishing
- 🥇 ExpressVPN : It encrypts your traffic with military-grade encryption, making your online banking activities unreadable to hackers, and it has an audited no-logs policy, meaning it won’t monitor or store any data about what you do with your online bank accounts. Plus, the VPN offers a large server network, so you can access your bank account securely from anywhere. All plans have a 30-day money-back guarantee for first-time users.
The best VPNs for banking protect your privacy when making transactions or checking your balance. They encrypt your data with the most advanced encryption methods, making all your online banking activities unreadable to cybercriminals or third parties, which prevents them from building a profile based on your behavior.
They also stop hackers from tracking you by masking your IP address and location, helping to avoid tracking and security triggers. Finally, they all have strict no-logs policies, meaning the VPN won’t see or log any of your online banking activities.
After a few weeks of testing, I’ve found my favorite VPNs for secure banking that can access many top bank sites and apps from anywhere in the world without an issue. My top choice is ExpressVPN, as it offers a large server network that works with bank apps worldwide, strong security features, and a no-logs policy that’s been independently audited and confirmed multiple times. Editor's Note: ExpressVPN and this site are in the same ownership group.
Quick Summary of the Best VPNs for Banking
Editor's Note: Intego ONE, Private Internet Access, CyberGhost and ExpressVPN are owned by Kape Technologies, our parent company
🥇1. ExpressVPN — Best Overall VPN for Banking
Basic 12-Months plan: $3.99 / month
1-month plan: $12.99 / month
ExpressVPN is the best VPN for banking. It uses military-grade 256-bit AES encryption to secure your sensitive banking data in transit, ensuring that your transactions, login credentials, and personal information remain private and inaccessible to any third parties (like hackers), especially on unsecured networks like public Wi-Fi.
ExpressVPN also ensures privacy for your online banking with its audited no-logs policy and RAM-only servers, which automatically erase all data with every reboot. Even if hackers were to gain access to the servers, there’d be nothing for them to steal. It also uses perfect forward secrecy, which creates a new, unique encryption key for each session — so if a key were ever compromised, only that single session would be affected, keeping all your past and future banking activities hidden and secure.
ExpressVPN includes a kill switch (Network Lock) that keeps your banking data safe by automatically taking you offline if the VPN connection drops. This way, there’s no chance of sensitive information slipping through if your connection is interrupted. Plus, the VPN has full leak protection against DNS, WebRTC, and IPv6 leaks — I never saw any leaks in my tests while connected to the VPN.
The VPN has a large server network with servers in 105 countries, which allows you to securely access your bank account from anywhere. Plus, it offers dedicated IP addresses for a small extra price from 20+ countries, including the US, Canada, and Germany. A dedicated IP makes accessing your bank account smoother since it’s less likely to be flagged by banks that often block shared VPN IPs.
ExpressVPN has Threat Manager, too, which helps keep you safe from fake bank sites that can appear in phishing emails or texts. These sites are designed to look like real bank pages and steal your information. Threat Manager comes in handy even if you mostly use your banking app, because it blocks hidden trackers that could try to collect sensitive data in the background.
Bottom Line:
ExpressVPN is the best VPN for online banking. It protects your banking transactions and login credentials with military-grade encryption, offers advanced security features that add extra layers of privacy, and works with top bank sites and apps. Plus, it offers dedicated IP addresses for reliable access to your bank account if your bank blocks shared VPN IPs.
Read the full ExpressVPN review
🥈2. Private Internet Access — Secure VPN With Affordable Plans
6-month plan: $7.50 / month
1-month plan: $11.95 / month
Private Internet Access (PIA) is a cheap VPN for anonymizing your online banking. It follows an audited no-logs policy and uses both RAM-only servers and perfect forward secrecy. I really like its Advanced Kill Switch that blocks internet access if you aren’t connected to a VPN server. This means you won’t accidentally access your bank site without securing the connection first.
This provider comes with servers in 50 countries, so you’ll have no issues finding a server location to safely access your bank account. Like with ExpressVPN, you can get a dedicated IP address for a more reliable connection to your banking app. PIA has dedicated servers in 10 countries, including in 11 US states. But if you need more dedicated server location options, it’s best to check out ExpressVPN.
I like how PIA lets you customize connections to your banking site or app. You can set the VPN to automatically connect on unsecured Wi-Fi, keeping your banking data safe while making payments on public networks at a hotel or airport.
The VPN includes great extras that can be helpful for safe online banking. PIA MACE automatically blocks trackers and phishing sites from fake bank emails to protect your bank account. Plus, the Identity Guard feature alerts you if your email, username, or password appears in a leak. This allows you to promptly change your credentials and take necessary action to prevent potential financial loss.
Bottom Line:
Private Internet Access is an affordable VPN with advanced security features, making it a great pick for protecting your online banking activities on a budget. It has a great server network that access bank apps from anywhere, and I like its Advanced Kill Switch that ensures you don’t access your bank account unprotected.
Read the full Private Internet Access review
Editor's Note: Private Internet Access and this site are in the same ownership group.
🥉3. CyberGhost VPN — Beginner-Friendly VPN With Automation Rules
6-month plan: $7.50 / month
1-month plan: $11.95 / month
CyberGhost VPN automatically secures your connections for online banking, keeping your sensitive financial information protected at all times. This is thanks to its Smart Rules that let you set automation rules, like connecting to a VPN server on launch and whenever you join an unsecured network so your bank activities are protected even if you forget to turn on the VPN. You can even set it to open your banking app right after it connects to the VPN server for convenience.
CyberGhost VPN has an audited no-logs policy and uses perfect forward secrecy and RAM-only servers. On top of that, it has NoSpy servers that offer an extra layer of security — they’re housed inside its headquarters, where only CyberGhost staff can access them.
CyberGhost’s Content Blocker protects you from trackers and phishing sites that may try to capture your bank account info and sell it to third parties. Like Private Internet Access, CyberGhost also offers an Identity Guard feature that alerts you if the email you use for your bank account and any other related details have been leaked in a data breach.
The VPN comes with servers in 100 countries and offers dedicated IP addresses from 20+ countries, including the US.
Bottom Line:
CyberGhost VPN lets you create auto-connection rules to consistently protect your online banking activities, at home and on the go. Its server network can access bank sites from anywhere, and it has advanced security features, unique NoSpy servers for extra privacy, and a great malicious sites blocker.
Read the full CyberGhost VPN review
Editor's Note: Intego ONE, Private Internet Access, CyberGhost and ExpressVPN are owned by Kape Technologies, our parent company
4. NordVPN — Great Malware Protection for Your Bank Account & Device
Plus 24-month plan: $3.59 / month
Complete 24-month plan: $3.99 / month
Prime 24-month plan: $6.99 / month
NordVPN is great for protecting your banking data and device from malware. Its Threat Protection Pro feature not only blocks hidden trackers and protects you from phishing links, but it also scans any files you download for hidden threats. For instance, if you receive a fake email that claims to be from your bank and accidentally download an attachment, Threat Protection Pro will catch and remove any malware in the file, preventing it from compromising your banking data or infecting your device.
NordVPN includes an app-based kill switch that can be set to shut down only your banking app if the VPN connection drops, without affecting the rest of your apps. I like this feature because it’s great for preventing accidental leaks while you’re logging into your bank account or making transactions. The VPN also uses RAM-only servers and perfect forward secrecy, and it has an audited no-logs policy.
The provider has a decent server network in 149 countries and offers dedicated IPs in 20+ countries for a small fee, giving you many server options to connect to that can access your account even if your bank blocks shared VPN IPs.
Bottom Line:
NordVPN offers great malware protection for your banking activities thanks to its Threat Protection Pro. The feature scans fake emails that can compromise your bank account and blocks hidden trackers in your banking app. There’s also an app-based kill switch and a decent server network.
5. Surfshark — Privacy-Friendly VPN With a Built-In GPS Feature
One 24-month plan: $2.49 / month
One+ 24-month plan: $4.19 / month
Surfshark offers great privacy for online banking. My favorite is its Override GPS Location feature on Android that syncs your device’s GPS data with the VPN server’s location. Since banks often check your device’s location during logins, this ensures you won’t raise any security flags because of a mismatch between the VPN server location and your device’s location.
I like how customizable the kill switch feature is — you can set it to activate only if the VPN connection drops or when the VPN is off. This ensures you won’t accidentally access your bank account without a secure connection.
In terms of security, you also get CleanWeb, which blocks fake bank sites, as well as advanced security features like RAM-only servers, perfect forward secrecy, and an audited no-logs policy.
Surfshark has servers in 100 countries and offers dedicated IP addresses in 10+ countries including the US, Australia, and the Netherlands, which work with banks sites and apps worldwide. That said, ExpressVPN has dedicated IP addresses in 20+ countries.
Bottom Line:
Surfshark has all the advanced features for protecting your online banking privacy, as well as a unique GPS Location feature that helps you avoid any security alerts by matching your GPS data with the VPN’s server location. It also has a customizable kill switch, and great server network.
Read the full Surfshark review
Quick Comparison Table
Editor's Note: Intego ONE, Private Internet Access, CyberGhost and ExpressVPN are owned by Kape Technologies, our parent company
Testing Methodology: Comparison & Ranking Criteria
I followed our detailed testing methodology when choosing the best VPNs for banking. I tested each VPN in different scenarios to determine security, extra features, server network, and more. In the section below, I’ll outline the criteria applied when ranking these VPNs:
- I checked for the latest encryption method. The VPNs on my list use military-grade 256-bit AES encryption that makes your sensitive banking data like login info and transaction details unreadable to any third parties, including your ISP and cybercriminals.
- I tested each VPN’s kill switch & leak protection. The VPNs that I recommend prevent your banking data from leaking with a kill switch (which disconnects you from the internet if the VPN connection drops) and strong leak protection — I never saw any leaks in my tests. This ensures that you don’t access your bank account without protecting the connection first.
- I looked into the server network. I only recommend VPNs with large server networks, so you can securely access your bank account from any location. My picks also offer dedicated IP addresses for an extra cost that provide more reliable access to your banking site or app than VPN-shared IP addresses, which can be easily detected and blocked by banks.
- I considered each VPN’s no-logs policy. Each VPN that’s on my list has an independently audited and verified no-logs policy, confirming that it doesn’t store your online banking activities or data.
- I made sure the VPNs provide a good value. I only recommend VPNs with affordable plans and a money-back guarantee. Plus, they all come with extra features like malicious site blockers and dedicated IP addresses.
Top Brands That Didn’t Make the Cut
- TunnelBear. TunnelBear offers strong security and intuitive apps. But it has a much smaller server network than the VPNs I recommend, which limits your options. Plus, its malicious site blocker only works on the Chrome browser, and it doesn’t offer dedicated IPs.
- PrivateVPN. PrivateVPN is a customizable VPN with great privacy features. That said, the iOS app doesn’t come with a kill switch, meaning you might experience leaks of your bank details if the VPN connection drops. Plus, the VPN doesn’t offer any extras, like a malicious site blocker.
- IPVanish. IPVanish has a great malicious site blocker to protect you from fake bank sites and is easy to use. However, the VPN lacks RAM-only servers, and it doesn’t have dedicated IP addresses.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the best VPN for banking?
ExpressVPN is the best VPN for banking. It uses 256-bit AES encryption to make your banking traffic unreadable and offers an audited no-logs policy and RAM-only servers. Plus, it comes with a large server network that accesses bank sites and apps from anywhere in the world.
It also offers dedicated IP addresses for an extra cost in 20+ countries. This IP address is assigned only to you and makes it less likely that your bank will block your access (most banks block shared VPN IP addresses).
Is a VPN good for banking?
Yes, I always recommend using a VPN for online banking, especially when accessing your banking account on public Wi-Fi, which is generally not very secure.
The VPNs I recommend encrypt your internet connection, protecting your sensitive information from potential threats. They also use RAM-only servers and perfect forward secrecy for an extra layer of privacy, include malicious site blockers to protect you from phishing attempts, and come with large server networks for safely accessing your bank account from anywhere.
Why do banks block VPNs?
Banks block known shared VPN IP addresses to prevent fraudulent activities like identity theft and unauthorized transactions. VPNs hide your true location, making it harder for banks to verify that you’re the legitimate account holder, especially if the login attempt appears from a different country or an unusual location.
But my top VPN picks for banking regularly update and maintain their servers’ IP addresses, so there’s a good chance they’ll be able to access your bank app without an issue. Plus, they offer dedicated IP addresses for more reliable access to your bank account.
Can VPNs steal your bank details?
Secure VPNs like the ones on my list don’t steal your bank details. They come with no-logs policies that have been independently audited, confirming that they don’t log your bank details and activities. Plus, each VPN offers RAM-only servers, which erase all data with each server reboot.
Editor's Note: ExpressVPN and this site are in the same ownership group.
