Saudi Arabia is among the countries where internet censorship is high. Many sites are blocked in the country due to religious, political, and social beliefs. Around half a million websites have been included on the block list. Websites include those showing adult material, drug use, and gambling among others. The app list includes popular VoIP and messaging sites, including Snapchat, Skype, WhatsApp, and Telegram. But there is a way to get around censorship in the country – by using a VPN. That’s why we have chosen three of the best VPN to use in Saudi Arabia (KSA).
A Virtual Private Network Offers Many Benefits
There are many uses of a Virtual Private Network and below are some of the most popular reasons why people use the service in the country. You might use a plan to:
- Overcome censorship and access blocked websites,
- Get around geo-restrictions when visiting the country,
- Protect your privacy online from hackers,
- Stop the ISP spying on your activities online,
- Save money on flight tickets.
How does a VPN get around censorship in Saudi Arabia?
By using one of the best VPN in Saudi Arabia from our list, it is possible to get around the strict censorship laws and access blocked sites and apps.
When you sign up with a Virtual Private Network provider, you can download an app to the device you use to connect to the internet. You then use the app to choose a server and connect to that server.
In the first instance, you take on an IP address assigned to the country you chose while masking your own. Second, and more important to overcome geo-restrictions, you are behind an encrypted tunnel.
Any information you send online, such as typing the address of the website you want to visit, is encrypted. This means the ISP cannot determine what site you want to visit.
If they cannot tell what site you want to visit, they cannot block it.
What is the best VPN for Saudi Arabia to beat geo-restrictions?
A Virtual Private Network can also help you overcome geo-restrictions if you are visiting Saudi Arabia.
Say you want to continue watching your favorite TV shows while visiting the country. If you try to visit US Netflix, you cannot access it. This is because the ISP knows where you are located through your IP address.
The solution is to take advantage of the fact that the Virtual Private Network masks your own IP address and allows you to take one from a server anywhere in the world.
In the case of you wanting to stream US Netflix in Saudi Arabia, you would change your IP address to one from a server in the United States. This will fool the ISP into thinking you are located in America, giving you access to Netflix US.
Of course, you also have the protection of an encrypted virtual tunnel in place, for added security.
The same would apply to any country whose content you want to watch while abroad. Just choose a server from your home country and connect to that server.
Choose one of the best VPN in Saudi Arabia (KSA) for your safety
Another reason to use a Virtual Private Network is for security. You do not know who is watching your online activities, more so if you use public WiFi. Hackers can obtain your personal details, which may result in them stealing your identity.
When behind a virtual tunnel, all data is encrypted, so hackers cannot read the information. Along with this, your IP address is masked and you have an alternate one from the server.
Keep your online activities hidden from the ISP
With the protection of the encrypted virtual tunnel provided by your Virtual Private Network, your ISP cannot spy on what you do online.
Protect yourself when torrenting with ExpressVPN >
Whether this is streaming your favorite shows from abroad, visiting blocked websites, or torrenting, you will remain anonymous.
If you download torrents online and download content that is copyrighted, you stand to get a warning from the ISP, and even face legal charges. So, this is why you should use a VPN – one of the reasons, at least!
With a change of IP address and the virtual tunnel in place, it is impossible for the ISP to know what you download. If they do not know what you are downloading, they cannot catch you doing anything illegal.
Get cheaper flight tickets
Believe it or not, you can also use a Virtual Private Network to save money online.
For instance, if you are comparing the prices of flight tickets or hotel rooms, you can connect to a server in another country where the cost of living is lower than that of your country.
With the alternate IP address, the site believes you are located in that country and you can compare prices to get the lowest deals.
Is It Legal to Use a VPN in Saudi Arabia?
The country does have strict censorship laws about what you can see and do online and they have blocked many websites and apps.
However, up to now, they have not outlawed the use of Virtual Private Networks, so the answer is yes, you can legally use one in the country.
Three of the Best VPN Providers
So what is the best VPN in KSA (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia)? We wanted to ensure you had a choice when choosing a provider, so instead of recommending just one, we have chosen three.
1. ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN tops our list as the premium provider. It does have a great deal to offer and it is the best at beating censorship, even in countries with strict censorship measures.
This makes them an ideal choice whether you want to gain access to blocked apps or overcome geo-restrictions and stream your favorite TV shows on Netflix.
The provider also stands out by offering MediaStreamer. This Smart DNS service is a great way of overcoming geo-restrictions.
Another good reason to choose ExpressVPN in Saudi Arabia is the huge number of blazing fast-servers – 3,000+ of them in 94 countries. These are excellent when using the service to stream content in HD and for downloading torrents fast.
Additionally, 256-bit military-grade encryption keeps you safe and secure online whether you are torrenting or just browsing the internet. ExpressVPN supports OpenVPN protocol along with numerous other protocols and they have a strict no-logging policy.
Needless to say, it’s a great choice for use in countries with strict censorship, such as Saudi Arabia. ExpressVPN offers support for a wide range of apps including Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and routers, among others.
With ExpressVPN, you can get a yearly plan with savings of 49% compared to paying month by month and get three months free.
Finally, another good reason why ExpressVPN is among the best VPN in Saudi Arabia is the 30-day unconditional money-back guarantee offered.
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Excellent speeds
- User-friendly apps
- Strong encryption
- A great solution for streaming
- No logs VPN provider
- More expensive than most rivals
Stream US Netflix in Saudi Arabia with ExpressVPN now >
2. CyberGhost
CyberGhost has earned a place on our list of the best VPN for Saudi Arabia (KSA) as it offers 7,000+ worldwide servers. Servers are fast, however, not as fast as the speed offered by ExpressVPN. On saying this, the speeds are adequate for downloading and streaming.
The provider offers military-grade encryption for security and anonymity online. In addition, a Kill Switch is included to ensure the internet connection stops if the server disconnects. This means your security is not compromised.
CyberGhost has a strict no-logging policy. The policy means that the provider does not log how and when you use the service. Therefore, they have no records, even if the government asks for them.
The only downside with the provider is that, while there are apps for numerous devices, the desktop client is not one of the easiest to use. But, the good thing is that all platforms are supported, even including routers and streaming boxes.
- Competitive prices
- Good privacy
- 7,000+ servers
- P2P is allowed
- Servers optimized for streaming and P2P
- Doesn’t work in China/Russia/Turkey
Remain secure and anonymous with CyberGhost now >
3. NordVPN
NordVPN makes it onto our list of the best VPN in KSA, offering wide server coverage. To be precise, there are 5,400+ servers around the globe, sprinkled over 60 countries. Not a bad set of numbers, huh?
Other benefits include military-grade encryption and a no-log policy.
As said, the provider boasts thousands of servers, along with dedicated servers that are perfect for torrenting.
Servers are fast, they are perfect for overcoming geo-restrictions and censorship with no problem and streaming in HD from Netflix and other streaming platforms.
NordVPN offers a wide choice of protocols to use including NordLynx, OpenVPN, IKEv2, L2TP, and PPTP.
Combined with Kill Switch and DNS leak support, the provider successfully secures your online presence. Novices can simply download an app, install it, and remain secure without the need to make changes.
- Secure apps
- Over 5,600 servers worldwide
- Decent speeds
- VPN for Tor and double VPN
- Great customer support
- Unblocks Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and more
- Expensive short-term plans
- A security breach in 2018
Bypass censorship in Saudi Arabia with NordVPN >
In Summary
We have done all the hard work for you by choosing the top 3 best VPN for Saudi Arabia. All you need to do now is choose one of the providers, then go ahead and sign up for a plan.
Once you have connected to a server of your choice, you can enjoy all the benefits offered.
However, as the country does have strict censorship, we recommend you sign up for the plan and download apps while outside of the country.
Just a quick reminder before ending. By using a Virtual Private Network, you have protection from hackers. Along with this, you can overcome restrictions and censorship, avoid ISP’s spying, and even bet online without restrictions.
With everything in mind, it’s clear why we recommend using a VPN for Saudi Arabia.
A professional writer with a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. Since his youngest age, he loves everything related to internet, technology, fitness, games, and dogs! He joined our team in order to bring his deep knowledge in security services, among which VPN is of course a key component.
