Whether you live in Canada or you're just visiting the Great White North, a Canada VPN is the perfect tool to have at your disposal.
Using the best VPN for Canada is a quick and easy way to ensure your privacy online. Canada is well-known for its government's invasive surveillance, and is a member of the notorious Five Eyes alliance. A VPN can help by cloaking your activity, meaning that no one will be able to see or track what you're browsing online.
What's more, a Canada VPN is also a perfect tool for unblocking overseas streaming content on sites like Netflix and BBC iPlayer – and if you're a Canadian abroad, you'll be able to watch CTV, TSN, Crave and more anywhere.
How to choose a Canada VPN
Most users will want a good all-rounder as their Canada VPN. Rock-solid privacy and a watertight zero-logging policy come first, and will ensure your data stays private from your ISP, the government, and any other dodgy snoopers on public Wi-Fi.
Then, excellent apps for a good range of devices will be important for most, as staying protected on the go is just as important as at home. Streaming support is also a big plus, and in our testing the most private services are also the best for this, so no sacrifices need to be made.
Overall, we rate ExpressVPN as the very best Canada VPN. With plenty of servers both in and outside Canada, top streaming support and excellent, audited privacy credentials, it's the full package. However, there are also a few good alternatives, so here we'll run down the top VPNs for Canada so you can pick your favorite from the bunch.
The best Canada VPNs today
It's easy to see why ExpressVPN is quite simply the best Canada VPN of 2023. Not only does it offer excellent connection speeds all over the world, but it can unblock just about every streaming service around, is perfect for torrenting, and is incredibly private and secure to boot – as our only 5-star rated VPN, our ExpressVPN review is testament to its quality.
First things first, ExpressVPN boasts industry-standard AES-256 encryption combined with a selection of protocols, Perfect Forward Secrecy and an audited no-logging policy. It also has a kill switch to protect you if your connection drops, plus split tunnelling, which can route some of your traffic through the VPN while keeping some untouched.
As well as that, Express has a stellar history of reliably unblocking Netflix libraries around the world (including Canada), as well as Hulu, Amazon Prime Video and more. That’s quite a cinematic roster, and much of it will be unlocked as part of your subscription if you virtually relocate yourself to a certain country.
Don’t be intimidated by Express’s comprehensive list of features – if all you want to do is press a button and get connected, you can do that too. While fine-tuning a VPN is fun for some, we really appreciate how ExpressVPN works perfectly out the box, and is perfectly suited for those that just want to plug and play – especially on mobile devices.
Overall, there’s not a VPN service out there that can match ExpressVPN. Simply put, it can basically do everything. But, if you’re not sure, it also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee so you can test the service. If you change your mind, you’ll get a full refund, no questions asked.
If you're on a budget, Surfshark is our top-rated cheap VPN – and it just so happens to be an excellent VPN for Canada, too. With all the features you need and none you don't, our Surfshark review found that it's faster than any other (when using WireGuard) at a fraction of the price.
With AES-256 encryption and several protocols including WireGuard, plus an ad blocker, kill switch and more, its desktop clients are powerful and reliable. It’s easy to install and provides quick access to Surfshark’s 3,200+ servers worldwide – with around 90 of them in Canada itself.
the mobile apps are polished a professional, offering a very simple way to get connected anywhere in the world. What's more, they also solve one of ExpressVPN’s only downfalls – with unlimited simultaneous connections you can cover as many devices as you like, whether that’s 5 or 105. If you need whole-family cover, Surfshark is an excellent choice.
Some users may find Surfshark’s apps too simple, and beyond protocols and the kill switch there’s not a lot to change – but that really won’t matter to many, and the provider’s charm is in its simplicity. It’s cheap, easy, and reliable. What more could you want?
Sign up now on the Surfshark website
NordVPN is arguably the biggest name in the VPN world, so it’s no surprise it works great as a Canada VPN. With class-leading privacy features and streaming power to match, our NordVPN review found it to be one of the best services around today, and it’s also really easy to use.
The provider has over 400 servers located in Canada, and that all but guarantees you’ll be able to get great speeds for streaming and regular browsing no matter where you’re located. Plus, with over 5,500 servers worldwide, if you’re on holiday or a business trip you should be able to get connected with ease – and it's one of our top-rated Netflix VPN services.
For those looking for ultimate privacy, Nord has a lot to offer. You'll get AES-256 encryption as standard, a good kill switch, and a range of protocols including the speedy in-house NordLynx. NordVPN has also recently been independently audited, which should allay any fears about the company’s 2018 data breach.
NordVPN offers a great range of apps for tons of devices, but do be aware that the interface can be a little awkward on smaller screens – we’d much rather see a list of servers than a map. However, if you’re looking for a trusted name in cybersecurity, you could do a lot worse than NordVPN.
Sign up now on the NordVPN website
In our most recent Private Internet Access review we found that the provider has recently upped its game, both in terms of its network and its general usability.
Boasting more individual servers than all of its competitors, PIA has thousands of servers in Canada alone, meaning it's super simple to find a speedy connection wherever you are in the country.
If you're looking to unblock Netflix, YouTube, Disney+ or Amazon Prime Video, you're in luck, as in our testing PIA got us access without a hitch. However, BBC iPlayer caused some issues, so it's not an absolutely perfect VPN for streaming.
Privacy-wise, PIA is seriously impressive. With a comprehensive zero-logging policy alongside interesting advanced features like port forwarding and a command line tool which allows you to write your own scripts that automate the program, it'll definitely appeal to the techier user.
One of the few negatives is that PIA's connection speeds are fairly slow compared to the competition, but with WireGuard connections reaching more than 510Mbps, these speeds should be satisfactory for just about any user – and for the price, it's a great value Canada VPN.
Sign up now on the Private Internet Access website
Proton VPN has really been on the up in the last year or so, and has addressed the very few issues we had that were stopping it from cracking the top five. And now, on the back of an incredibly impressive Proton VPN review, here it is.
It's a great fit for those looking to globetrot Netflix in privacy, as in our testing it was able to unblock UK, US, and Canadian libraries – much better than a lot of the competition. Plus, it can access BBC iPlayer, Prime video, YouTube, and more.
Privacy is also a high priority for Proton VPN, and as well as a full bare-metal DNS network and safe servers all over the world, you'll also be able to use the Secure Core feature. Essentially, this routes your connection through an ultra-secure server (Iceland, Switzerland, or Sweden) before sending it on to your location of choice. This is great if you also need a UAE VPN, Turkey VPN, or any other similar risky location.
Overall, Proton VPN is a seriously potent, private VPN, and while it does lack 24/7 support (right now), it's definitely worth considering if privacy is at the top of your list.
Sign up now on the Proton VPN website
How we test the best Canada VPNs
Every six months we undertake a comprehensive review process of the best providers. Our expert team tests the reliability of apps on a range of devices, digs deep to find flaws, and sees if features like kill switches are truly up to task.
We also test them with streaming services – in this case, access to Canadian sites is prioritized – to see if they're able to unblock everything a potential user might want it to.
Servers located in Canada are also a must here, and every provider on this page has a good range of Canadian IPs to choose from.
Finally, we judge how good a package the VPN provides as a whole. This includes comprehensive speed testing on our 1Gbps uncontested line, checking out the live chat support, seeing how intuitive the apps are, and any extra goodies like bundled antivirus or darkweb monitoring.
Canada VPN FAQ
What is the best Canada VPN?
In short, we consider ExpressVPN to be the #1 VPN for Canada available today. With unbeatable privacy, tons of servers, great speeds and excellent streaming potential, it's the full package. However, if you're looking for a slightly cheaper alternative, Surfshark will cover all your bases for less than $2.50 a month.
Why do I need a Canada VPN?
The two biggies are privacy and streaming.
If you follow the news you'll know that online freedoms are gradually getting eroded in Canada and the US (well, the whole world, really), so having a VPN is the first and easiest step to take in making sure you're looking after your data.
By anonymizing all your traffic, a good Canada VPN can help you avoid hackers and trackers, targeting advertising, ISP throttling and so much more – check out our mega page on VPN uses to learn about everything they can do.
Also, streaming is a huge part of our lives now, but if you head overseas it's quite likely you won't be able to access the content that you're used to. By using a VPN you'll be able to spoof your location back home, giving you access to everything you're used to.
You'll also be able to explore different regional streaming services from your own home in the same way – just pick a server and get going.
Can I get a Canada VPN free?
While free Canada VPNs do exist, you need to be careful. Also, you have to be aware that every free VPN has its drawbacks.
You'll likely be subjected to daily or monthly data caps, ranging from the generous to the pathetic, and you also probably won't get the same high speeds as you would if you paid for a service.
Some are also known to inject adverts into your browsing, which is one of the main things people use VPNs to avoid.
If you won't be using you VPN much at all, a free service could work. However, if you want to stream, game, or even just have it on all day, you'll need something fully fledged – and with Surfshark starting at around $2.50 a month, you won't have to pay much either.
Is a VPN legal in Canada?
Using a VPN in Canada is entirely legal, and having one installed on your computer does not incriminate you in any way.
However, Just because VPNs can make it possible to 'get away' with illegal activities such as pirating content and software, using one does not suddenly make illegal acts legal.
We in no way condone using a VPN to perform illegal activities, but we can also reassure you that in Canada, having a VPN subscription alone is nothing to worry about.
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