Updated on: April 4, 2024
Only 3 Steps (Quick + Easy) to Getting a German IP address in 2024:
- Step 1: Choose a VPN. Make sure the VPN has at least 1 server in Germany. I recommend ExpressVPN because it’s secure, fast, user-friendly, and comes with excellent streaming and torrenting support.
- Step 2: Install the VPN. Select the right app for your device and follow the instructions. It only takes 1 or 2 minutes to complete the installation process. If you want to connect multiple devices, check how many simultaneous connections the VPN allows — ExpressVPN, which is my #1 choice, allows 8 connections.
- Step 3: Connect to a server in Germany. Open the app and select Germany from the list of server locations. Now, you’re all set and ready to browse the internet as if you were located in Germany!
The quickest, easiest, and safest way to get a German IP address is with a VPN (virtual private network). While there are other options, none of them are as secure and reliable as a VPN.
A VPN is an app that has servers located in countries all over the world. When you connect to a VPN server, your real IP address is replaced with a new one that corresponds with the country you’re connected to, such as Germany. This way, you can browse the web as if you were in Germany.
A VPN also encrypts all of your internet traffic, making it impossible for a third party to monitor the websites you visit and the files you download. VPNs are really easy to use, completely legal, and budget-friendly.
I tested the best VPNs on the market and found 5 that always gave me a German IP address. My favorite is ExpressVPN because it has excellent security, superfast speeds, and user-friendly apps.
Best VPNs for Getting a German IP Address in 2024
- 🥇1. ExpressVPN — Best overall VPN for getting a German IP address in 2024 (with industry-leading speeds).
- 🥈2. Private Internet Access — Excellent VPN for P2P traffic on all German servers (comes with great privacy tools).
- 🥉3. CyberGhost VPN — Great VPN for gaming on dedicated gaming servers in Germany + automation rules.
- 4. NordVPN — Good VPN for secure connections to German servers (includes malware protections).
- 5. Surfshark — Beginner-friendly VPN with intuitive apps for all of the popular operating systems.
🥇1. ExpressVPN — Best VPN for Getting a German IP Address
ExpressVPN is my favorite VPN for getting a German IP address thanks to its best-in-class security features, extremely fast speeds, and easy-to-use apps for all of my devices. Overall, ExpressVPN is ranked #1 on our top 10 list of the best VPNs in 2024.
ExpressVPN has 2 server locations in Frankfurt and 1 in Nuremberg, so you can conveniently choose which one is closest to your location to get the best speeds. In my tests, each server always provided me with a German IP address and a stable connection.
Frankly, you’re not going to find a faster VPN than ExpressVPN. I tested my speeds while connected to all of ExpressVPN’s German servers, and my speed loss was hardly noticeable — videos in 4K played without any delay or buffering, I downloaded files almost as fast as I did without the VPN connection, and websites loaded right away.
ExpressVPN is also the best VPN out there for streaming and torrenting. Its support reps confirmed that it works with Netflix Germany, Disney+ Germany, and Amazon Prime Germany, as well as German-based sites like ARD Mediathek, Zattoo, Sport1, and ProSieben. I also like how it allows torrenting on all servers in 105 countries, including Germany, and it works with all of the top torrent clients like Deluge and uTorrent.
ExpressVPN has apps for all the most popular operating systems and devices, including Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, Linux, Chromebook, and Kindle Fire. ExpressVPN even offers a router app, which is a great way to exceed the device limit and cover all of the devices in your home.
I was really impressed with ExpressVPN’s security features. Its strict no-logs policy has been independently audited and confirmed multiple times, and it comes with full leak protection (and passed all of my leak tests connected to German servers) and a really good tracker and malware blocker. ExpressVPN also has sophisticated technology such as RAM-only servers, which wipe all data with each restart, and perfect forward secrecy — it regularly changes your encryption key to prevent hackers from accessing past or future keys.
ExpressVPN’s plans start at $6.67 / month. While this is a little higher than other VPNs, ExpressVPN provides the best value on the market. All plans are backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Read our full ExpressVPN review
🥈2. Private Internet Access — Great Torrenting Support
Private Internet Access (PIA) is an excellent choice for downloading files with a German IP address. It allows torrenting on all German servers, works with popular torrent clients like Deluge and uTorrent, and comes with port forwarding, which speeds up your downloading speeds (but doesn’t encrypt your traffic). PIA is also great for streaming.
In terms of security, PIA is a top-notch pick. It has a strict no-logs policy that has been independently verified and includes advanced security features like full leak protection, RAM-only servers, and perfect forward secrecy. In my tests, PIA never leaked my IP address — I only saw PIA’s IP address.
Speed-wise, PIA delivers competitive results. While it may not be as fast as ExpressVPN, it still offers great speeds. In my speed tests, international sites loaded instantly, HD and 4K videos didn’t buffer, and I didn’t experience any lag in my online games.
But my favorite PIA feature is its ad blocker, called MACE. It blocks ads, trackers, and malicious sites and it performed really well in my tests — MACE blocked all ads on ad-heavy sites and stopped me from visiting shady sites every time.
What’s more, I really like that PIA’s apps are very intuitive, and you can download them on as many devices as you want (PIA allows unlimited connections). You can browse servers by name and it doesn’t take more than a few seconds to find and connect to any of its German servers.
Private Internet Access plans start at $2.03 / month and are backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Read our full Private Internet Access Review
🥉3. CyberGhost VPN — Great for Gaming on German Servers
CyberGhost offers 25+ dedicated gaming servers located in Germany. Each server also displays the ping, so you can choose the server with the lowest ping for the fastest downloads and gaming speeds — these features help CyberGhost rank as one of the best VPNs for gaming.
I like how it allows you to customize your VPN connection with as little interference from you as possible thanks to its Smart Rules feature. You can set it to automatically connect to a German server on launch, configure it to auto-launch your browser or any app once it connects to a German server, and even connect you to a German server when it detects an unsafe network.
The VPN offers 25+ dedicated gaming servers located in Germany. Each server also displays the ping, so you can choose the server with the lowest ping for the fastest downloads and gaming speeds — these features help CyberGhost rank as one of the best VPNs for gaming.
And it’s super easy to find the dedicated servers or a regular German server. There’s a tab on CyberGhost’s app for streaming, gaming, and torrenting servers, and the servers tabs are all listed in alphabetical order by country.
I had very fast speeds for all my online activities with CyberGhost VPN — websites had zero delays loading and my videos played within a few seconds of starting them. That being said, ExpressVPN’s speeds were still faster.
CyberGhost VPN has strong security features. You get RAM-only servers, perfect forward secrecy, and full leak protection, and its no-logs policy was reviewed and verified by an independent security firm.
CyberGhost VPN offers a few plans starting at $2.03 / month. The longer-term plans come with a very generous 45-day money-back guarantee, and the monthly plan has a 14-day money-back guarantee.
Read our full CyberGhost review
4. NordVPN — Reliable With Excellent Security
NordVPN offers great security features for all online activities with a German IP address — including RAM-only servers, perfect forward secrecy, and full leak protection (DNS, WebRTC, and IPv6).
One of my favorite NordVPN security features is Threat Protection — it blocks malicious ads and trackers and protects you from shady sites and files. I didn’t see any ads on ad-heavy sites, and the feature prevented me from accessing the shady sites I tried to visit. On top of that, the Threat Protection feature is very convenient because it remains active even if you’re not connected to a VPN server.
During my speed tests, NordVPN had great speeds, but it wasn’t as fast as ExpressVPN. German news websites loaded instantly without any buffering, YouTube videos took 4-5 seconds to load in HD, and I was able to play video games without any issues.
NordVPN has great torrenting support. The provider allows torrenting on its German servers and works well with all popular torrent clients, including uTorrent and BitTorrent. It also supports streaming.
I found it easy to connect to a German server with NordVPN. Its apps have an auto-connect feature that you can customize so it automatically connects you to one of its German servers when you launch the VPN and re-connects you to your preferred server location when your connection drops.
NordVPN has budget-friendly plans that start at $3.09 / month. All plans are backed by a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee.
5. Surfshark — Great Option for Beginners
Surfshark is a great option for VPN beginners who need a German IP address. It has intuitive apps for all major devices that come with very convenient features. The app lists the server locations you have recently connected to, which is very handy if you regularly connect to one of its German servers, and there’s a customizable Quick-Connect feature that you can configure for 1-click connections to German servers.
I like that Surfshark has advanced security features, such as perfect forward secrecy and RAM-only servers. Its no-logs policy has been independently audited, and it does have leak protection — but only against DNS leaks. My top pick, ExpressVPN offers full leak protection, which includes IPv6 and WebRTC leaks too. That said, I didn’t experience any leaks in my tests — I only saw Surfshark’s German IP addresses.
And I’m a fan of Surfshark’s CleanWeb feature, which blocks ads and trackers and prevents you from visiting malicious websites. CleanWeb blocked most ads on the sites I visited in my tests (though, I did see some pop-up ads), and it prevented it from accessing shady HHTPs sites every time.
Surfshark offers great speeds, but it’s noticeably slower than ExpressVPN. German websites took 1-2 seconds to load, and I only experienced minor buffering on HD and 4K videos. It has good speeds for torrenting, which you can do on German servers, and offers good streaming support, too.
Surfshark’s plans start at only $2.29 / month. All plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Read our full Surfshark review
Comparison of the Best VPNs for Getting a German IP Address in 2024
How to Choose the Best VPN for Getting a German IP Address
- Look for servers in Germany. The VPN must have a server in Germany to get a German IP address. I made sure that all the VPNs I recommend offer German server locations.
- Check connection speeds. Using a VPN will slow down your internet speed because of the distance your data has to travel and the encryption process. However, all of the VPNs listed here maintained very fast speeds in my tests (ExpressVPN is the fastest).
- Find a VPN with strong privacy and security. I only recommend VPNs that have industry-standard VPN security features like a strict no-logs policy (and all of them have audited policies), a kill switch so your data is never exposed if you lose the VPN connection, and military-grade 256-bit AES encryption. All of my top choices also have perfect forward secrecy and DNS leak protection.
- Consider streaming and torrenting capabilities. The VPNs I recommend allow torrenting on German servers and have good streaming support.
- Choose a VPN that’s easy to use. A good VPN should be simple to use for advanced users and beginners. My top 3 picks are all extremely intuitive and take just a few minutes to install and are user-friendly.
- Make sure the VPN has a good value plan. I only chose VPNs that allow multiple connections (Private Internet Access and Surfshark allow unlimited connections), offer flexible and competitive pricing plans, and have a money-back guarantee.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I get a German IP address?
The best way is to use a VPN. VPNs have servers located all over the world, and when you connect to one, it replaces your IP address with an IP address from your new location (like Germany). My favorite VPN for getting a German IP address is ExpressVPN, which maintains the fastest speeds in the industry, supports torrenting and streaming on all of its German servers, and has user-friendly apps.
It’s also really easy to get a German IP address — just follow these 3 simple steps.
Is using a VPN to get a German IP address safe?
Yes, VPNs are very safe as long as you use a trusted provider. A quality VPN, like the ones on this list, includes 256-bit AES encryption, which scrambles your online traffic so it’s completely unreadable. The best VPNs also have tools like a kill switch (disconnects you from the internet if the VPN connection fails to prevent data leaks), full leak protection so your actual IP address is never exposed, and they come with a strict no-logs policy to prevent the VPN from storing your data.
My top pick for securing your data and getting a German IP address is ExpressVPN because of its robust security features, lightning-fast speeds, and intuitive apps.
Can I get a German IP address for free?
Possibly, but I advise you not to use one. Many free VPN plans don’t offer access to their German servers, but even the ones that do typically have slow speeds set a limit on the amount of data you can use, and keep many useful features behind a paywall.
Instead, I recommend using a premium service like ExpressVPN to ensure you have full access to the VPN’s server network, the fastest speeds, and top-quality features.
Can I use a VPN to access Netflix Germany?
Yes. If you’re in Germany, you can securely stream Netflix Germany by connecting to a VPN server in your location. This way, you’ll keep all of your Netflix-related activities private. I recommend doing that with a good streaming VPN that has at least 1 server in Germany, like ExpressVPN.
You can, in theory, also watch Netflix Germany from a different location using a VPN, but this may constitute copyright infringement and is against Netflix’s Terms of Use.
