The Best VPNs for Germany

1. NordVPN - Best VPN for Germany Overall

Editors Rating:

9.7 /10

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How We Review

NordVPN is headquartered in Panama, outside cyber-surveillance organizations’ prying eyes. But just because corporate is in Panama, though, doesn’t mean they don’t have Germany covered. With more than 240 servers to choose from, we could access a secure server no matter where we were in the country. The VPN kept our data incredibly safe through a combination of military-grade encryption and multi-hop VPN technology. Beyond protecting us, though, the software allowed us to enjoy Netflix, to download torrents at lightning-fast speeds, and to do it all with complete anonymity.

Unmatched Security

The two best friends who founded NordVPN say they want to create an internet free of censorship and surveillance, and we believe them. We loved the fact that they’re headquartered in Panama, a country that has refused to join Five Eyes, Nine Eyes, or 14 Eyes, the three surveillance alliances that have developed between some countries.1 That means that NordVPN can never be forced to turn over our data to the government. We were even more impressed by the fact that in eight years, NordVPN’s privacy infrastructure has never once been compromised, they’ve never had a single data breach, and they’ve never disclosed any information about any of their eight million users.

Lots of Servers

NordVPN maintains over 5200 servers worldwide, and, as we mentioned, 240 of those servers are located in Frankfurt and Berlin. Obviously, that’s a lot of servers, but in practical terms what does that really mean? It meant wherever we roamed, Hamburg to Kiel, Munich to Erlangen, we could count on our ability to get a safe, secure, and totally private connection.

Double VPN Encryption

What’s safer than a VPN that connects to one server? A VPN that connects to two, of course. NordVPN uses something called multi-hop technology, which basically creates a chain between two or more of its servers. That means that anyone who had wanted to trace our IP address wouldn’t just have had to decrypt one server; they would have had to decrypt at least two. Internet security just doesn’t get much stronger than that. We could be sure that whatever we were doing, whether it was streaming a Netflix series or downloading torrent files, we were doing it in absolute anonymity.

2. Surfshark - Best VPN for Families in Germany

Editors Rating:

9.5 /10

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How We Review

Surfshark may be a newcomer in the VPN space, having been established only in 2018, but it’s already making waves. It’s a reliable VPN service with fast speeds, an expansive network of servers, useful security features, and competitive pricing. It’s particularly well-suited for families, as it allows an unlimited number of devices to connect to its servers simultaneously. Plus, it works great in Germany.

VPN for the Whole Family

Surfshark is one of the few VPNs that allow unlimited simultaneous connections, which is why it’s a great fit for families. For reference, a lot of other VPNs we tested only allowed less than 10 connections at a time. So Surfshark has the clear advantage here. With unlimited simultaneous connections, you can encrypt not just your phone or computer, but even smart TVs and gaming consoles. Plus, you can share your VPN with other members of your household so they, too, can enjoy safer browsing.

Choose Your Connection

Surfshark is one of the more customizable VPNs we’ve tested. Here’s an example: When you connect to a server location, you can choose between servers with shared dynamic IP addresses, static IP addresses, or multi-hop. That way, you can tailor your connection to what you’re doing. If you want a more secure connection, go with multi-hop. If you need a VPN just for browsing, use a regular server with dynamic IP addresses. And if you need a VPN for online gaming, a static IP address might work best for you.

A VPN That Doesn’t Break The Bank

Surfshark is already a good value VPN, considering that a single subscription supports an unlimited number of devices. But factor in its pricing for long-term subscriptions, and Surfshark becomes an incredibly affordable VPN. A two-year subscription costs just above $2 a month, less than what most spend on a cup of Joe. Of course, if you don’t want a long-term commitment, there’s a monthly plan and a six-month plan, but know that Surfshark’s best-value plan is the two-year plan. For these reasons and more, Surfshark has earned a spot on our Best VPNs for Germany list.

3. Private Internet Access VPN - Best VPN for Germany with Dynamic IP Addresses

Editors Rating:

9.4 /10

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How We Review

Private Internet Access, as their name implies, takes privacy seriously. They issued us a dynamic IP address, and we had access to the VPN on an unlimited number of devices, so we didn’t have to choose between them when we wanted safety and security. Yes, they are headquartered in the U.S., which means that technically they are subject to Five Eyes surveillance. However, the company deals with that by maintaining a strict no traffic logging policy. That means even if the government should suddenly come knocking on their door, they have no useful data to turn over.

Dynamic IP Addresses

Private Internet Access used dynamic IP addresses to keep our location hidden. Many companies offer “shared” addresses which means multiple users share a single address. A dynamic address, in contrast, constantly changes each time you connect to the VPN. Both methods can be effective at ensuring privacy, but dynamic addresses are slightly safer when it comes to protection from hackers, since they make it harder for a third-party to lock in on any one address.

No Traffic Logging

Private Internet Access is located in the U.S., but unlike some other American VPN companies, it maintains no traffic logging. So even though it’s technically headquartered in a Five Eyes country, it couldn’t be forced to turn over any of our traffic data, since it doesn’t have any data to turn over. Better yet, its record is spotless on that score. In fact, the company published a very clear statement of its principles when it comes to privacy and surveillance:

“We can unequivocally state that our company has not and still does not maintain metadata logs regarding when a subscriber accesses the VPN service, how long a subscriber’s use was, and what IP address a subscriber originated from. Moreover, the encryption system does not allow us to view and thus log what IP addresses a subscriber is visiting or has visited.”

Seems pretty straightforward to us!

Unlimited Devices

We can’t keep up anymore with exactly how many devices we have. There’s our work laptop, our personal laptop, our phone, our tablet, our Kindle…it’s a good thing we don’t have kids since there’s no way we could keep up with their electronics too. With all those platforms, we tend to prefer a company like Private Internet Access which allows us to use their VPN service on any of our ever-expanding number of devices. We will admit we would have liked more than five simultaneous connections. Still, whether we were working with Windows or Ubuntu, using a Mac or an iPad, surfing on an Android phone or or an iPhone, we were covered. Read more about Private Internet Access’ subscription options.

4. IPVanish - Best VPN for Germany for Customer Service

Editors Rating:

9.3 /10

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How We Review

We got fast downloading speeds and up to 10 simultaneous connections on an unlimited number of devices with IPVanish. That came with access to some of the best customer service in the industry. As it happens, the company has 62 servers in Germany, so you can expect to get connected, and quickly.

Split Tunneling

Split tunneling is an incredibly useful component for a VPN. We spent time in several cafes in Hamburg, one of the kaffee centers in Germany: caffeine fuels our best ideas. Split tunneling allowed us to toggle easily back and forth between our two “tunnels”: our VPN and our local connection. All those files from our office stayed encrypted while our Spotify playlist was just fine—and eating up less bandwidth—running through the cafe’s Wi-Fi.

Streaming Options

Did we mention we’re a little eclectic? With some of our favorite shows on one server and other favorites on others, sometimes it seems like we’ve never met a streaming service we didn’t absolutely need. So we were psyched to learn that IPVanish works directly with a whole plethora of different streamers, from ESPN+ to HBO Max, CBS All Access to the WWE Network. That being said, we were a bit disappointed to find that not all IPVanish servers connect to Netflix. But who needs Netflix when you can get your smackdown on? To view other options, read about the best VPNs for Netflix.

Customer Service

We aren’t native Deustchlanders, so trying to decide which of IPVanish’s local German servers was right for us got a little complicated. Luckily, we had access to one of the most responsive support services in the business. We could have used a call helpline 24/7, but we’re a little shy and opted instead for the website’s live chat. While we waited our turn, it actually kept us updated on exactly where we were in the queue. In no time, we found out exactly what we needed. We could even have submitted an email support request and received a response—again—24/7.

5. CyberGhost - Best VPN for Germany for Torrenting

Editors Rating:

8.9 /10

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How We Review

The most affordable VPN on this list, CyberGhost doesn’t sacrifice security for value. They’re headquarters in Romania meant our data wouldn’t be subject to Five Eyes, Nine Eyes, or 14 Eyes surveillance. We still had access to seven connections on an incredible 690 servers located in Frankfurt and Nuremberg. And with CyberGhost’s Smart Rules, we could make sure that our VPN sprang into action every time we decided to stream or torrent. All this cost us as little as $2.25 a month when we signed up for a three-year contract.

Affordability

Of all the VPNs we’ve surveyed, CyberGhost is one of the most affordable. While a one-month subscription would have cost us $12.99, signing up for a full year dropped that price to $3.99, two years dropped it to $3.49, and signing up for three years dropped it to just $2.25. The company also offered a number of additional cost-saving features including student discounts and a referral program. To learn more, read our page on CyberGhost’s pricing.

Torrenting

Our tastes can be eclectic, and we find torrenting great for tracking down obscure, hard-to-find TV series. Luckily, CyberGhost had us covered with an easy-to-use “Torrent Now” button. We were able to find exactly what we needed and to do it without worrying about who might be looking over our shoulder.

Smart Rules

CyberGhost’s split-tunneling comes with an additional handy feature called “Smart Rules.” This allowed us much greater control over what and how we connect to their servers. We could create a rule, for example, that every time we ran our torrent software it would run through the CyberGhost VPN. We could even specify which particular server we’d connect to. This is ideal for ensuring that those of us who might be a little forgetful never forget to run a VPN when we need it.

6. PureVPN - Best VPN for Germany with Weekly Contracts

Editors Rating:

8.9 /10

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How We Review

PureVPN had all the important features of a good VPN—military level encryption, split tunneling, a no-traffic logging policy—but they also offered us some features not available with every VPN. For one thing, PureVPN maintains a ton of servers, and there’s one in almost every country on the planet, including almost 200 in Germany. In addition, PureVPN offers dedicated IP addresses. We had the security of encryption, of course, but also the convenience that comes with an address that never changed that only we were on. All those features were available on up to ten of our devices.

Tons of servers internationally

PureVPN has over 200 servers in Germany, which include 63 in Frankfurt, 54 in Munich, 12 in Nuremberg, 54 in Berlin, and 18 in Hessen. With so many connection options in so many places, we weren’t surprised to find that their speeds were super fast, whether we were uploading or downloading.

Available Dedicated IP Addresses

In addition to its static addresses, PureVPN also offers dedicated IP addresses. We’ve talked already about the relative values of shared and dynamic IP addresses. What we haven’t mentioned yet is the “dedicated” address. A dedicated address is one that only we own. That meant that, while we were still completely protected, we were the only ones using the address. This helped with speed times, since the machine didn’t have to process new addresses. It also meant that the bank didn’t have to constantly ask us to re-verify who we were, since our address never changed. Not all VPNs offer dedicated addresses; PureVPN offers one for the very reasonable price of $3.99 per month.

Netflix Access

Let’s share a little secret not everyone knows: Netflix offers different content depending on the country you’re in. That doesn’t just mean Canadian Netflix features Canadian shows. Many popular American shows are made available in other countries but not the U.S. Since we’re sharing secrets anyway, here’s another good one. A VPN with Netflix access, such as PureVPN, allowed us to access those other Netflixes in other countries. So, when we got bored with everything available here, we could always check out what was available in Canada, or Britain, or anywhere else Netflix operates.