Updated on: May 6, 2024
Short on time? Here’s the best VPN for India in 2024:
- 🥇 ExpressVPN : Comes with a ton of advanced security features to keep your privacy protected while online in India. It also offers super fast speeds, excellent streaming & torrenting support, user-friendly apps, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Accessing your favorite sites and services can be difficult when you’re in India. Many streaming platforms and popular sites are out of reach due to restrictions, and the government has the right to monitor your online activities, which is really concerning.
In theory, you could change your IP address with a virtual private network (VPN) to see content and websites that aren’t available in India. But you need to be aware that this is against most services’ terms and conditions, and it could constitute copyright infringement. In addition, not all VPNs are good for people in India. Many have poor security features that can’t protect your online privacy, come with slow speeds, or simply don’t work with streaming services.
I spent the past few weeks testing tons of VPNs to find the best ones for India, and all the products on my list are excellent. However, ExpressVPN is my top pick thanks to its fast speeds, user-friendly apps, and strong privacy and security features.
Quick summary of the best VPNs for India:
- 1. 🥇ExpressVPN — Best overall VPN for India in 2024 with the fastest speeds and advanced security.
- 2. 🥈Private Internet Access — Great pick for torrenting in India with excellent security and extra P2P tools.
- 3. 🥉CyberGhost VPN — Great for new VPN users in India with highly customizable automation settings.
Disclaimer: Major VPN providers have removed their physical servers from India because of the country’s law requiring VPN servers to collect and store user data for at least 5 years. However, some VPNs on my list use virtual servers in different countries to provide an Indian IP address, thereby avoiding India’s user data retention laws.
At SafetyDetectives, my colleagues and I stand firmly against copyright infringement. The VPN services on this list have strict no-logging policies in place, ensuring they cannot record or even view your online activities. This means you are responsible for how you use a VPN, so please make sure to follow all the relevant rules and regulations.
🥇1. ExpressVPN — Best VPN for India in 2024
ExpressVPN is the best overall VPN for India. It offers super-fast speeds, a wide range of advanced security features, user-friendly apps for major platforms, and a large server network with 2 virtual locations for India. In fact, it’s my favorite VPN in 2024.
When it comes to advanced features, it’s hard to beat ExpressVPN. Your online privacy and security are protected with tools including:
- TrustedServer technology. ExpressVPN stores user data on RAM-only servers, not on a hard drive. This means that all data is completely wiped every time the servers are rebooted, minimizing the risk of third parties accessing your data and information.
- Threat Manager. Blocks malicious sites and limits how much browsing data ad trackers are able to collect.
- Perfect forward secrecy. Every time you start a new session, your encryption key is changed. This protects both your past and future data from potential hackers and government surveillance.
- Full leak protection. ExpressVPN comes with built-in protection against IPv6, DNS, and WebRTC leaks. This ensures that your online activity and IP address stay private and aren’t revealed to any third parties.
- Ad Blocker. Filters out most display ads and stops them from loading and appearing on your browser.
I had the fastest speeds with ExpressVPN during my tests. I didn’t notice any slowdowns while connected to its virtual servers for India — 4K videos played instantly with no buffering, a 30 GB file downloaded in 16 minutes, and all sites loaded right away.
ExpressVPN is my favorite VPN for streaming in India, too — its support reps confirmed that it works with 100+ streaming services, including Netflix India, Hotstar, and Amazon Prime. It also supports torrenting on all of its servers and ensures a secure and private environment for P2P file sharing.
ExpressVPN has a starting price of $6.67 / month. It’s one of the more expensive options on my list, but it does offer the best value on the market given the quality of the features it provides. It also comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Bottom Line:
ExpressVPN is my favorite VPN for India and our top VPN in 2024. It offers lightning-fast speeds, it’s very secure, and it includes advanced features like full leak protection, perfect forward secrecy, and RAM-only servers. Plus, it’s great for streaming and torrenting, and it comes with a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee.
Read the full ExpressVPN review
🥈2. Private Internet Access — Great for Torrenting in India
Private Internet Access (PIA) is another great VPN for India in 2024. It has excellent security and privacy features, including full leak protection, RAM-only servers, perfect forward secrecy, an audited no-logs policy, and open-source apps, which means anyone can inspect the code for security flaws.
I really like PIA for torrenting. It allows P2P traffic on all of its servers (including its virtual servers in India) and works with all major P2P clients, including qBittorrent and uTorrent. It also supports port forwarding across most servers, which increases P2P file-sharing speeds by letting you connect to more peers. It actually makes our overall list of the best VPNs for torrenting in 2024.
I was also impressed by how fast PIA is — pages loaded instantly, and HD-quality videos played as soon as I clicked on them. That said, it took me 18 minutes to download a 30 GB file, which is 2 minutes longer than with ExpressVPN, but I don’t think that’s a huge deal.
PIA is excellent for streaming in India. It works with 30+ popular streaming services, including Netflix India.
PIA’s MACE is the most powerful VPN ad blocker on the market. It does a great job blocking ads, trackers, and malicious sites. In my tests, I saw no ads at all, and the tool stopped me from accessing various shady sites when I tried.
Private Internet Access has very well-priced plans starting at just $2.03 / month. It allows unlimited device connections, and all plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Bottom Line:
Private Internet Access is a solid option, especially for those wanting to torrent in India. It allows P2P file sharing on all its servers, works with top torrenting clients, has very good speeds, and allows unlimited device connections.
Read the full Private Internet Access review
🥉3. CyberGhost VPN — Great VPN for Beginners in India
CyberGhost VPN is an excellent choice for beginner users in India. It has 25+ virtual server locations for India and a whole host of well-designed features to ensure a user-friendly experience.
I particularly like the Smart Rules feature. It lets you customize your VPN connection and adjust different settings to your liking. For example, you could use this feature to automatically connect to one of CyberGhost’s virtual servers in India and open Hotstar as soon as the app starts.
You’ll also get pretty good speeds with CyberGhost VPN, but it’s not as fast as ExpressVPN or Private Internet Access. In my tests, websites, and HD videos loaded instantly, and 4K videos took 1–2 seconds to load with minor buffering at the start.
CyberGhost offers dedicated streaming and torrenting servers, too. The streaming servers are optimized for specific streaming sites (like Netflix), while the torrenting servers are optimized for fast P2P downloads. If you’re visiting India, you can also access games like Mobile Legends and enjoy a lag-free gaming experience while connected to one of its gaming-optimized servers.
I really like how the VPN comes with tons of advanced security features — including perfect forward secrecy, RAM-only servers, and strong leak protection. Yet, unlike ExpressVPN and Private Internet Access, it only protects against IPv6 and DNS leaks and lacks WebRTC leak protection.
Also, I’d like to see CyberGhost improve its ad blocker. It wasn’t as good as PIA MACE in my tests. While it was very good at blocking malicious sites, I can’t say the same for ad blocking — it only blocked about 25% of ads on most sites.
CyberGhost VPN’s plans start at $2.19 / month. Yearly plans come with a 45-day money-back guarantee, while the monthly plan offers a 14-day money-back guarantee.
Bottom Line:
CyberGhost VPN is a very user-friendly VPN. It offers easy navigation, great streaming and P2P support, and strong security features including RAM-only servers and IPv6 and DNS leak protection. Plus, there’s a generous 45-day money-back guarantee on all annual plans.
Read the full CyberGhost VPN review
Quick Comparison Table
How to Choose the Best VPN for India in 2024
- Look for a VPN that works in India. While this may seem obvious, not all VPNs work efficiently in every country. All the VPNs on my list work perfectly in India.
- Get a VPN with good security features. All the VPNs on my list come with industry-standard security features, including 256-bit AES encryption, leak protection, a no-logs policy, and a kill switch to disconnect you from the internet if your VPN connection drops.
- Choose a VPN that maintains fast speeds. Although VPNs typically slow down internet speeds due to encryption, the VPNs on my list are among the fastest on the market, with ExpressVPN being the fastest.
- Find a user-friendly VPN. The VPNs on my list come with intuitive apps for all platforms, making it really easy to find and connect to any server.
- Consider streaming and P2P support. A good VPN should be able to work with multiple popular streaming platforms, including Netflix, Hotstar, and more. It should also allow torrenting on its servers, especially the ones near India.
- Pick a VPN that offers good value. You want to choose a VPN that offers good value for money. All of the VPNs on my list offer a wide range of features at a reasonable price and come with a money-back guarantee.
Why Use a VPN in India?
In recent years, India has shown signs of tightening its grip on internet freedom. The government passed a new law requiring VPNs to collect and store user data for at least 5 years, as it seeks to monitor the online activities of its citizens. It’s becoming increasingly clear why using a VPN in India, whether you’re a resident or a visitor, is crucial for a good online experience. Here are the main reasons why you should consider a VPN in India:
Bypass Censorship
If you can’t access your favorite sites, it’s likely the Indian government has blocked them for people inside India. Luckily, a VPN can help you solve this problem — it reroutes your internet connection through servers in different countries, effectively disguising your location. This allows you to browse the web with the same freedom you’d experience anywhere in the world.
Regain Freedom of Speech
It can be a bit risky to express dissent online in India, especially with the increased government surveillance. However, by masking your IP address, a VPN gives you the confidence to express your thoughts and opinions online without worrying about possible repercussions.
Unlock Favorite Games
India also blocks access to many popular games — such as Clash of Kings. However, a VPN can help you get around this problem. It changes your IP address to your desired location, allowing you to enjoy your favorite games while visiting India (or any other country for that matter).
Top Brands That Didn’t Make the Cut
- Proton VPN. Proton VPN is highly private and secure and has good streaming support. But while it has good speeds, it’s still slower than the VPNs on my list.
- IPVanish. IPVanish comes with user-friendly apps and unlimited connections, but it falls short when it comes to streaming.
- TunnelBear. TunnelBear is really beginner-friendly thanks to its intuitive apps. It has great security and privacy, but it isn’t as fast as the other VPNs on my list.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the best VPN for India?
ExpressVPN is my top choice for India and the best overall VPN in 2024. While it no longer has physical servers in India due to the VPN Data Law, it has 2 virtual server locations for India that maintained really fast speeds in my tests. It also comes with excellent security and great streaming and torrenting support. There’s a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can try it out risk-free.
Is it legal to use a VPN in India?
Yes, there are no laws in India directly banning VPNs, but the government discourages their use. Lately, the government imposed strict data retention laws on VPN service providers, causing many to remove their physical servers from the country.
I have listed the best VPNs for India here. Still, it is important to adhere to Indian laws regarding online activities, including the prohibition of accessing banned websites and downloading copyrighted materials.
Can I use a proxy in India instead of a VPN?
Yes, it’s possible, but it’s risky. It’s better to invest in a premium VPN like ExpressVPN that uses advanced security features to protect your data in India.
It’s also inconvenient to stream through proxies because of congested servers and inconsistent speeds. What’s more, proxies often lack encryption and no-logs policies, making them unsafe for your data.
Is it safe to use a free VPN in India?
Yes, but I don’t recommend it. Although there are some good free VPNs, most of them have slower speeds, limited bandwidth, or log your data to sell it. It’s way better to invest in a premium VPN like ExpressVPN, which is one of the fastest VPNs in 2024 and has excellent security and privacy features to protect your online privacy in India.
