Best VPNs for the Middle East

Unfortunately, internet censorship is rife in many Middle Eastern and Arab countries, and the government isn’t the only entity that can monitor your online activities. There’s a chance that your employer, your Internet Service Provider (ISP), or hackers also keep tabs on you. Luckily, there’s an easy way to ensure your privacy and safety while online, and that’s to use a Virtual Private Network (VPN).

VPNs encrypt your traffic and route it through a server in a different location, ensuring any outside observer can’t read it. Aside from privacy, this process has another major benefit: it assigns you a temporary IP address, which allows you to appear as though you’re browsing from another country. This allows you to access geographically restricted sites and services — such as your online banking or home streaming libraries — while traveling in the Middle East.

Some countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Saudi Arabia, block traffic from all but a few government-approved VPNs. This means that the majority of VPNs won’t work in these locations. However, some still do. Below, we’ve listed the best VPNs that work anywhere in the Middle East. We’ll go more in-depth with each of our top picks later, but if you just want to see our recommendations, here’s a quick summary:

The best VPNs for the Middle East:

1. NordVPN: Top recommended VPN for the Middle East. This superfast and highly secure service works easily in countries with strict online censorship. Includes a 30-day money-back guarantee.
   TIP In our testing we found that the cheapest NordVPN plan (Standard) works perfectly for Middle East.
2. Surfshark: The best budget VPN for Middle Eastern users. Servers in several Arab countries, lots of privacy tools, and a total lack of device limits.
3. Total VPN: A speedy, versatile VPN with a strong presence in the Middle East. Great for bypassing censorship, streaming, or staying in touch while traveling.
4. ProtonVPN: Offers a vast array of security features, an expansive server network, and exceptional unblocking ability. Follows a strict no-logs policy.
5. ExpressVPN: A reliable VPN with servers in Egypt, Israel, and over 100 other countries. Fast speeds and the ability to beat the world’s toughest censorship.
6. IPVanish: Very fast servers available in Turkey, Israel and the United Arab Emirates. Apps come with obfuscation that can help disguise VPN traffic. Allows unlimited device connections.
7. PureVPN: This quick, no-logs VPN obfuscates your data automatically, making it ideal for shielding your activities while visiting Middle Eastern countries.
8. Private Internet Access: Servers in 91+ countries. Decent, unthrottled speeds. Secure unlimited devices at once. No-logs policy included.
9. PrivateVPN: A secure, reliable way to safely browse the internet in the Middle East. A strict no-logs policy and a choice of VPN protocols.

How to browse safely with a VPN in the Middle East

The good news is that with a VPN, it’s fairly simple to protect yourself when using the internet in the Middle East. Just follow these simple steps to get connected.

Here’s how to use a VPN in the Middle East:

1. First, you’ll need to sign up for a reliable VPN service. We recommend NordVPN, but Surfshark and TotalVPN are good alternatives.
2. Download and install the appropriate version for your device.
3. Connect to a server in the country of the site or service you’d like to unblock, this will give you the country-specific IP address you need to access the site. For example, connect to a server in the UAE if you want a UAE IP address.
4. Try loading the desired website. If it doesn’t load immediately, you might have to clear your browser’s cookies and cache. Once you reload the page, it should work correctly.
5. If you face any persistent issues, you will need to reach out to your VPN provider for technical support. Most of our recommendations have live chat, available 24 hours a day.

Criteria for the best Middle East VPNs

While there are thousands of VPNs on the market, most aren’t worth your time. For starters, very few work in the Middle East and fewer still offer the speed or security features required for regular usage. To find the best VPNs for users in the Middle East, our team paid close attention to everything candidates had to offer in the five main areas below.

• Speed: We carried out multiple speed tests while connected to each provider’s servers in the UAE. This helped ensure that we only recommended VPNs that were fast enough for streaming, downloading and other online activities.
• Network accessibility: We specifically looked for providers with multiple server locations in the Middle East. Next, we tested the effectiveness of their obfuscation. Finally, we took into consideration the overall size of their server networks as a measure of availability.
• Security and privacy: Middle Eastern countries vary in the degree that their governments interfere in citizens’ online activities. To ensure you stay safe and secure online, we only recommended providers that scored highly against our 16 security and privacy metrics.
• Ease of use: We used 10 different ease-of-use metrics to gauge the overall user-friendliness of each provider. These included looking at the design of their apps and the existence of any task-specific servers.
• Value for money: To find which providers offered the most overall worth for users, we evaluated them against almost a dozen value-for-money metrics. Amongst other things, this involved checking whether they had reasonably priced plans and a money-back guarantee.

This is just an overview. Our methodology section below explains the full testing process and explains how the results might impact your choice of provider. For now, let’s look at the VPNs that made the list.

Middle East VPNs compared

We’ve compared the most important features for the top VPNs here. Prefer to read the in-depth reviews? Start with NordVPN – our #1 choice VPN for the Middle East.

Best VPNs for the Middle East

Here’s our list of the best VPNs for the Middle East:

1. NordVPN

Dec 2025

NordVPN is our first choice VPN for the Middle East. It has more than 8,000 servers throughout 120 countries including Turkey, Israel, and the UAE. Not only that, this service can access virtually any geo-blocked platform, whether it’s Netflix, Prime Video, and Disney+. It also works with blocked VoIP services like Zoom. This VPN even has a special protocol named NordWhisper that’s designed to beat strict regional censorship. Users can connect up to 10 devices at the same time and speak with staff via the 24/7 live chat service.

NordVPN is a constant fixture near the top of our industry speed testing charts. To see what its Middle Eastern servers are capable of, we decided to test them in the morning, at noon, and in the afternoon using a 250 Mbps connection. This VPN delivered an average download speed of 198.21 Mbps, which is more than 10 times the recommended speed for streaming 4K video. Needless to say, this is one of the fastest VPNs on the market right now. Take a look at the results:

This provider doesn’t compromise on privacy. It uses unbreakable encryption backed up a customizable kill switch and protection against WebRTC, DNS, and IPv6 leaks. There’s also an automatic ad and tracker-blocker, a tool that can monitor the dark web for your personal information, and automatic wifi protection. There are even specialty servers for torrenting, using Tor, or evading stubborn censorship. NordVPN has been audited several times and proven that it doesn’t keep any logs.

NordVPN apps are available for macOS, iOS, Windows, Android, and Linux. It can be manually installed on wireless routers.

BEST VPN FOR THE MIDDLE EAST:NordVPN is our top pick. It offers comprehensive protection, excellent unblocking, and decent speeds at a very affordable price. There’s even a 30-day money-back guarantee so that you can try it completely risk-free.

To find out more, read our full NordVPN review.

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2. Surfshark

Surfshark is the best budget VPN for the Middle East. With more than 4,500 servers spread across 100 countries including Israel, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia, you’ll have plenty of options. What’s more, it’s able to access a huge range of stubborn geo-blocked platforms including Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, and Netflix. There aren’t any bandwidth or connection limits, plus users can speak directly with support staff using the 24/7 live chat feature.

Our expert testers put Surfshark’s Middle Eastern servers to the test by measuring their speeds at three different times of day. We were impressed by this VPN’s performance, averaging 192.11 Mbps with just 6 Mbps of variability across all of our tests. That’s a phenomenal result and one that puts Surfshark near the front of the pack where speed is concerned. Let’s see how it did:

Despite its affordable price, this provider refuses to compromise on privacy. It comes equipped with unbreakable AES encryption, DNS and IPv6 leak protection, and a kill switch that’ll stop all data transfer when your connection drops. Surfshark can also block ads and trackers, swap your IP address regularly, and obfuscate your traffic in places like the UAE, KSA, and China. There are even specialty servers for encrypting your data twice! Recent updates introduced a new content-blocker that can hide various types of adult content too, making it great for anyone with kids.

Surfshark has apps for Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and Amazon Fire Stick. You may have to manually configure the service on macOS and iOS devices in certain countries. It can be manually installed on Linux and select routers.

BEST BUDGET CHOICE:Surfshark is our top low-cost VPN for users in the Middle East. Offers great streaming ability, a total lack of connection limits, and powerful privacy features, as well as a 30-day money-back guarantee on all plans.

Read our full Surfshark review for more information.

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3. Total VPN

Total VPN is a reliable and versatile provider with a network spanning 80+ countries, four of which are in the Middle East. This service is known for its strong unblocking ability, handily sidestepping most online restrictions and granting access to region-locked platforms no matter your location. Users can get help via the 24/7 ticket system and connect a maximum of five devices at the same time.

Every VPN will reduce your speeds to some degree, which is why it’s so important to choose a service with the smallest footprint possible. Our team ran three speed tests on Total VPN’s UAE servers (in the morning, at noon, and in the afternoon).

Their average speed was 181.64 Mbps, with only two providers delivering a better result. In other words, Total VPN is suitable for virtually any day to day task, whether it’s streaming, torrenting, or just browsing the web privately.

So how do you know that Total VPN can truly keep you safe online? For starters, it’s been around for over a decade and hasn’t had a single data breach. Additionally, it uses industry-approved protocols and unbreakable encryption, while offering safeguards like leak protection and a kill switch.

We’re big fans of this VPN’s Hydra protocol too. This maintains as much of your initial speeds as possible while being able to sidestep most VPN-detection systems; perfect for users in countries with strict digital censorship.

Total VPN apps are available for Windows, Android, iOS, and MacOS.

QUICK AND SECURE:Total VPN boasts a high level of performance and powerful privacy tools, as well as multiple server locations in the Middle East. A strong choice for any day to day task. Annual subscribers can take advantage of a 30-day money-back guarantee, with shorter plans offering a 14-day guarantee.

Take a look at our complete Total VPN review.

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4. ProtonVPN

ProtonVPN has a phenomenal reputation for privacy thanks to its parent company also creating Proton Mail. There are more than 15,000 servers spread across 120 countries, with a strong presence in the Middle East. Our team was able to access some of the most stubborn geo-blocked platforms while connected including BBC iPlayer, Hulu, and Sling TV. Users can secure up to 10 devices simultanously and access customer support, day or night, using the 24/7 live chat system.

So just how quick is ProtonVPN? We tested its servers in the UAE at three times of day to find out. With an average speed of 139.95 Mbps, this was one of the speediest services we tested. You’ll be able to download large files, play online games, and watch your favorite shows without any noticeable performance issues. Best of all, there was less than 5 Mbps of variance across three tests!

There is a free ProtonVPN plan available, but this limits your speeds, customer support options, number of connections, and server access, so we’d suggest upgrading sooner rather than later. Also, be sure to download the app before traveling abroad, just in case ProtonVPN’s website is inaccessible in your destination.

ProtonVPN is known for going above and beyond on privacy. As well as unbreakable encryption (AES-256 on OpenVPN connections, ChaCha20 on WireGuard), it employs a kill switch, DNS and IPv6 leak protection, and a true no-logs policy. There are plenty of advacned features too, such as its Stealth protocol, split tunneling support, and automatic blocking of ads, trackers, and malware. You can even change the DNS servers used or activate the speed-boosting acceleator function. ProtonVPN accepts cash and cryptocurrency payments, meaning you can sign up anonymously.

ProtonVPN has apps for Android, iOS, Windows, MacOS, and Linux devices. Further, users can follow manual setup instructions to get it running directly on most routers.

ADVANCED SECURITY:ProtonVPN gives you lots of ways to customize your setup. Not only that, it’s fast, works with a ton of geo-blocked apps, and refuses to store details of your online activities. Paid subscriptions come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Check out our in-depth ProtonVPN review.

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5. ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN is another incredible option for browsing safely in the Middle East. It boasts an expansive network, with servers in 105 countries including Egypt, Turkiye, and the UAE. What’s more, this VPN will automatically obfuscate your traffic when it detects that you’re in a country where the internet is censored. Whether you want to stream Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime Video abroad or just torrent safely, this VPN can help. It permits up to 14 simultaneous connections and offers 24/7 support.

ExpressVPN actually has its own connection protocol named Lightway. This was billed as a lightweight, faster, and more efficient alternative to OpenVPN. To see if it really makes a difference, we tested this VPN’s speeds at various times of day. ExpressVPN achieved average speeds of 127.34 Mbps, which is plenty for most day to day tasks. That’s not an outstanding result, but at least it was consistent: speeds varied by just 4.72 Mbps across three tests. See for yourself:

We’re big fans of ExpressVPN’s security offering because it asks very little of the user. From the moment you connect, your traffic is secured using quantum-resistant encryption, DNS and IPv6 leak protection, perfect forward secrecy, and a kill switch. You can, however, tell this VPN to also block adult content, ads, trackers, and suspicious websites. ExpressVPN has been audited on several occasions, each time proving that it doesn’t keep logs. If you want to sign up anonymously, just make sure you pay with Bitcoin.

This VPN recently moved to a tiered pricing system, meaning you can now get a two-year ExpressVPN subscription for a few dollars per month. There are apps for Android, iOS, MacOS, Linux, and Windows, as well as custom firmware for routers.

PRIVACY-ORIENTED:ExpressVPN is fast and private, reliably works in the Middle East, and can access VoIP services such as Skype. It comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Check out our full ExpressVPN review.

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6. IPVanish

IPVanish is an industry veteran with more than a decade in the industry. It has roughly 3,200 servers across 100+ countries including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Jordan. This service has no problem bypassing most online censorship and can reliably access major platforms like Netflix, ITVX, and Disney+. Best of all, IPVanish doesn’t have a connection limit, meaning it represents fantastic value for families or anyone with lots of devices to protect. Support is available via 24/7 live chat.

Users can tell which servers will most likely provide the speediest connection by glancing at the ping time and relative load listed alongside each.

We decided to evaluate IPVanish’s speed using its Emirati servers, a 250 Mbps connection, and three tests spread throughout the day. This provider did quite well, averaging 177.23 Mbps with less than 10 Mbps of variability. For context, that’ll let you download a 1 GB file in under a minute, stream live broadcasts in the highest possible quality, and play online games with no lag or unexpected disconnection. Here’s a chart showing IPVanish’s speeds at different times of day:

So how exactly does this VPN keep you safe? To begin with, it uses uncrackable AES-256 encryption. There’s also a kill switch, DNS and IPv6 leak protection, and a fully-audited zero-logs policy. Of course, IPVanish has been enhancing its toolkit with new features in recent years; these include a combined ad and tracker-blocker, a tool that checks whether links are safe, and servers that encrypt your traffic twice. It’s even capable of scrambling your OpenVPN traffic, which may help you browse safely in some countries with restricted internet access.

As well as its regular subscription, IPVanish offers an Advanced plan. This comes with the VPN itself, a cloud-based secure browser that you can access anywhere, and 1 TB of cloud storage. Not bad for a little over a dollar more each month!

IPVanish has its own apps for iOS, Amazon Fire Stick/ FireTV, Android, MacOS, and Windows. Its website contains instructions for installing this VPN on Linux systems or routers.

SCRAMBLE FEATURE:IPVanish has servers in several Middle Eastern countries and impressively fast connection speeds. It can obfuscate user traffic and allows unlimited device connections. Annual plans include a 30-day money-back guarantee.

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7. PureVPN

PureVPN boasts a large network, with servers in 65 countries, including Turkey, Egypt, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates. This alone would make it a strong choice for any users in the Middle East, but its true value shows when you consider it works in high-censorship countries, offers automatic obfuscation, and can access virtually any geo-blocked streaming platform including Netflix and Disney Plus. Users can secure up to 10 devices at the same time, with customer support available 24 hours per day over live chat.

PureVPN is very easy to use, with intuitive apps and most of the main panel dedicated to getting you connected as quickly as possible. It even has servers specifically designed for accessing your favorite geo-blocked sites abroad; just click Shortcuts above the server list to show them.

To find out what kinds of speeds PureVPN users can expect, we tested the performance of its servers in the UAE. These tests occured in the morning, at lunchtime, and in the afternoon, resulting in an average speed of 131.02. That’s an exceptional result made even better by the fact that PureVPN’s speeds only varied by around 3 Mbps. The table below has all of our data:

There aren’t many other providers that can claim the same level of security as PureVPN. Aside from its unbreakable AES-256 encryption, this service keeps your activities hidden using DNS, IPv6, and WebRTC leak protection, a kill switch, and automatic ad and tracker blocking. There’s also a strict no-logs policy and you can trust this, since PureVPN has been audited several times. Note that while all OpenVPN traffic is obfuscated by default, it’s a good idea to install PureVPN before arriving in the Middle East since the website may be blocked in certain countries.

The provider offers its own Windows, Android, MacOS, iOS, and Linux apps. If you’d rather secure your entire home network, there are manual setup guides explaining how to install it on a router.

EVADE CENSORSHIP:PureVPN allows you to access the wider internet in places like Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Oman. What’s more, it provides exceptional performance and doesn’t compromise where security is concerned. Includes a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Still not sure? Learn more with our complete PureVPN review.

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8. Private Internet Access

Private Internet Access boasts an expansive server network, with a presence in 90+ countries including Qatar, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia. Not only is it able to sidestep most government censorship, this VPN works flawlessly with major region-locked platforms like BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime Video, and Peacock. Customer support staff are available around the clock via live chat and best of all, users can connect as many devices as they like at the same time.

This is all very impressive, but how speedy are Private Internet Access’ servers in the Middle East? We chose one in the UAE and ran three performance tests using our 250 Mbps connection. This VPN delivered an average speed of 67.3 Mbps, with 6 Mbps of fluctuation. While this won’t win any awards, it’s still well above what’s needed for everyday usage, and can even help you stream 4K content on multiple devices at the same time. Take a look:

If you’re someone who likes to customize things, you’ll feel right at home with Private Internet Access. This VPN lets you adjust just about anything from its encryption level (256-bit AES as standard) to the port you’re using. There’s also a kill switch, DNS and IPv6 leak protection, and a feature called MACE that blocks ads and trackers. There are obfuscated multi-hop servers too, plus split tunneling support and the ability for Private Internet Access connect on its own in some situations. This provider doesn’t keep any logs and has proven it via multiple independent audits.

Private Internet Access provides apps for the following: Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Linux, and Amazon Fire TV. Users are permitted unlimited simultaneous device connections. You can also find browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox. PIA can work with compatible routers but requires manual configuration.

SERVERS IN 91+ COUNTRIES:Private Internet Access offers unlimited bandwidth, and provides servers in more than 91 countries. Secure unlimited devices simultaneously. All connections are 256-bit AES encrypted. 30-day money-back guarantee.

Read our full Private Internet Access review.

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9. PrivateVPN

PrivateVPN owns its entire network outright, unlike most other providers. In fact, it even hosts and acts as an ISP to them, preventing any third-parties from ever having access to your data. There is a tradeoff for privacy though: PrivateVPN only has 200 servers but they’re spread across 63+ countries, including Israel, Turkey, the UAE, and Cyprus. On the plus side, you can connect 10 devices at once and live chat-based customer support is available at most (but not all) times of the day.

You might be surprised to hear that this provider, despite its low price and small network, can reliably beat the world’s strictest limitations. Not only does it work perfectly in countries with strict censorship like China, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia, it can even help you stream content on platforms such as Netflix or BBC iPlayer.

Now, given its self-managed approach to networking, it’s no surprise that PrivateVPN is usually a little slower than its competitors. Our team used its server in the UAE for our testing, resulting in an average download speed of 56.75 Mbps. Although this isn’t super fast, it’s more than enough for day to day activities like torrenting, playing online games, and streaming your favorite shows. Here are our full results:

PrivateVPN, as its name suggests, takes your privacy very seriously. It flat out refuses to keep any logs, but hasn’t been audited at the time of writing. By default it uses 256-bit AES encryption, though in a pinch this can be reduced to 128 bits for slightly improved speeds. There’s also a kill switch capable of closing specific apps when your connection drops, as well as DNS and IPv6 leak protection.

If you’re planning a visit to a country with extreme restrictions, make sure to activate the Stealth VPN mode since this will obfuscate your traffic, hiding the fact that you’re using a VPN at all. It’s possible to sign up anonymously by paying in Bitcoin too.

PrivateVPN offers apps for Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS. Manual configuration is required for Linux-based systems or network routers.

SECURE BROWSING:PrivateVPN is a reliable, good-value service. It comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee, great unblocking capability, and the option to register anonymously.

Interested? check out our full PrivateVPN review.

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Internet censorship in the Middle East

Middle Eastern countries like Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates have some of the most pervasive internet censorship in the world. There are numerous documented cases of citizens being prosecuted for speaking ill of the government or expressing opinions contrary to the status quo. These countries restrict access to huge swathes of content, and these blocks often include popular social media platforms, messaging apps, and news websites, severely restricting the flow of unbiased information.

This table shows you the current status of internet censorship and VPN regulations throughout the Middle East.

VPNs for the Middle East: FAQs