IP address India

If you’re an expat living abroad, using a VPN for an Indian IP address can give you a taste of home. From accessing home comforts like Hotstar to managing your Bank of India account remotely, it’s all possible with a VPN server.

Despite recent government mandates that require VPN providers to archive user data for 5 years, leading many VPN providers to withdraw any physical servers from India, many VPN services can still do the job.

Our exhaustive research and testing have led us to the top 5 VPNs that can still provide working Indian IP addresses from the US, UK, Canada, or anywhere else in the world. This guide will show how to leverage a VPN to get an Indian IP address and also the best tools for the job.

The best VPNs for an Indian IP address: Summary

Don’t have time to read the whole article, here is our list of the best VPNs for getting an Indian IP address:

  1. ExpressVPN: The best VPN to get an Indian IP address. Offering a virtual server in India and top-notch online security features. Works with Netflix and other geo-restricted content on Indian websites. Great customer support.
  2. CyberGhost: An easy-to-use VPN for getting an IP address in India. Speed and reliability with a user-friendly interface. Great for unblocking geo-restricted Indian TV channels, Bollywood movies, and more. Also works with most major streaming platforms.
  3. IPVanish: A secure Indian IP VPN pick. Fast speeds and good user privacy. A strict no-logs policy and AES 256-bit encryption. Lets you enjoy as many simultaneous device connections as you like and works reliably on Indian sites.
  4. PrivateVPN: A low-cost and powerful unblocked for Indian content. Boasts impressive speeds and privacy credentials. Is one of the few VPNs that still have physical servers in India. Works with Indian services like Star Sports and Hotstar.

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How we picked the best VPNs for an Indian IP address

To find the best VPNs for getting an Indian IP address, we tested and looked for services with the characteristics below:

  • Virtual servers capable of getting you an IP address from India
  • Stable, high-speed VPN connections
  • Exemplary online security and encryption features
  • Strong multi-platform support
  • Logging policies designed to protect the user’s privacy above all else

How to get an IP address in India

From real-world experience, here’s how to use a VPN to connect to India and get a local IP address:

  1. Sign up for a VPN. We recommend ExpressVPN.
  2. Download and install the app.
  3. Connect to an Indian VPN Indian server.
  4. Visit a geo-locked Indian site, such as India TV, and start browsing or streaming.

Please note: If you’re having any issues accessing Indian services, try clearing your cache and cookies.

Best VPNs for an Indian IP Comparison

We’ve compared the most important features of the top VPNs here. Prefer to read the in-depth reviews?

No valueExpressVPNCyberGhostIPVanishPrivateVPN
WebsiteExpressVPN.comCyberghost.comIPVanish.comPrivateVPN.com
Ranking for gaining an Indian IP address1234
Servers in India
Avg Speed (Mbps)100+ Mbps100+ Mbps100+ Mbps39 Mbps
Popular Sites Unblocked70%85%85%
Devices SupportedWindows, MacOS, iOS, AndroidWindows, MacOS, iOS, Android, Amazon Fire TVWindows, MacOS, iOS, Android, Amazon Fire TV
Best deal (per month)$6.67
SAVE: 49% + 3 months free
$2.19
SAVE 83% on the 2 year plan
$2.75
SAVE 78% on the 2 yr plan
$2.00
Save 85% on a one year plan + 24-months free

Best VPNs for an Indian IP address: In-depth analysis

From our research and testing, here is our list of the best VPNs for getting an Indian IP address:

1. ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN

Apps Available:

  • PC
  • Mac
  • IOS
  • Android
  • Linux

Website:  www.ExpressVPN.com

Money-back guarantee: 30 DAYS

ExpressVPN is one of the few remaining VPNs to offer an Indian IP address, thanks to its virtual server. has around 3,000 servers globally, in 94 countries. There are also virtual Indian servers (located in Singapore and the UK) that are perfect for streaming Indian content or accessing Indian sites while abroad. This provider offers first-class speeds, unlimited bandwidth, and the ability to protect up to five devices at a time.

This service provides a secure connection and comes with 256-bit AES encryption enabled by default. It also offers perfect forward secrecy, DNS leak protection, and a kill switch that stops data transfer if you lose your internet connection to the VPN. ExpressVPN doesn’t log any activity or session data, meaning your activities will stay private at all times. With live chat available 24/7, customer support staff can help resolve any issues whenever they occur.

This VPN has excellent multi-platform support, with apps for Linux, Windows, MacOS, iOS, and Android devices. You can also use ExpressVPN browser extensions or custom router firmware.

Pros:

  • Fast speeds
  • Great privacy and security features
  • Works with all major video streaming sites including Hotstar
  • Apps for all operating systems, including Linux

Cons:

  • Fewer advanced configuration options than some VPNs

Our score:

4.5 out of 5

USER FRIENDLY:ExpressVPN is a fast and secure service with user-friendly apps for all operating systems. Hard to beat on privacy protections and security in India. All plans include a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Read our full review of ExpressVPN.

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2. CyberGhost

CyberGhost

Apps Available:

  • PC
  • Mac
  • IOS
  • Android
  • Linux

Website:  www.Cyberghost.com

Money-back guarantee: 45 DAYS

CyberGhost is another provider that continues to offer virtual servers inside of India. While this VPN removed all of its physical Indian servers, it still has a few virtual ones, meaning you can still get an Indian IP address while abroad. In fact, it even has a separate list of streaming servers, including ones that work with Indian services like Disney+ Hotstar and Netflix India. This means you can watch your favorite Bollywood movies, live shows on Indian TV channels, or the big match on Star Sports, from anywhere in the world.

CyberGhost aims to offer apps that are as user-friendly as possible while maintaining your privacy. It includes a kill switch, forced HTTPS, ad-blocking and anti-malware features, as well as 256-bit encryption. Internet users are protected from DNS, IPv6, and port forwarding leaks. This VPN does not log any personally identifiable information, protecting all of your internet activity. It also provides free 24/7 support over live chat.

CyberGhost has apps for Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android, and iOS devices. Manual configuration is required for supported network routers.

Pros:

  • Fast, reliable speeds
  • Low cost
  • Works with several streaming services
  • No logs policy

Cons:

  • Won’t work in China, Iran, UAE or Saudia Arabia

Our score:

4.5 out of 5

GREAT FIRST VPN:CyberGhost is simple to set up. Great privacy and security. Reliable in India and works well with geo-restricted content on popular streaming sites. 45-day money-back guarantee.

Read our full CyberGhost review.

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3. IPVanish

IPVanish

Apps Available:

  • PC
  • Mac
  • IOS
  • Android
  • Linux

Website:  www.IPVanish.com

Money-back guarantee: 30 DAYS

IPVanish might not list them on its website, but it does actually have virtual Indian servers, along with 1,900 real ones in a further 60+ countries. This VPN has almost no impact on your internet connection speed, exceptional multi-platform support, and allows an unlimited number of simultaneous connections. In other words, you can protect all of your devices with just one account, making it one of the best VPNs for multiple devices.

This VPN uses 256-bit encryption, DNS and IPv6 leak protection, and a kill switch to keep your personal information safe. Users can create a more advanced security setup by enabling the features which block LAN traffic, obfuscate OpenVPN traffic, and connect automatically when on an untrusted network. Best of all, this service doesn’t keep any logs whatsoever.

IPVanish is one of the only major VPNs to be featured in the Amazon Fire TV app store, but it also has apps for Windows, MacOS, iOS, and Android devices. It can be installed manually on Linux devices and some routers. There is a 30-day money-back guarantee available, so you can get a full refund on your subscription cost if you’re not 100% satisfied.

Pros:

  • Great for torrenting
  • Fast speeds
  • Easy to use

Cons:

  • Doesn’t reliably work with Netflix
  • Doesn’t work with Amazon Prime Video

Our score:

4 out of 5

PRIVACY FIRST:IPVanish refuses to keep any logs and has no connection limit, making it ideal for privacy-minded families. 30-day money-back guarantee on annual plans.

Read our full IPVanish review.

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4. PrivateVPN

PrivateVPN

Apps Available:

  • PC
  • Mac
  • IOS
  • Android
  • Linux

Website:  www.PrivateVPN.com

Money-back guarantee: 30 DAYS

PrivateVPN has two physical servers located in India. We reached out to the company to enquire about the safety of these and were informed that PrivateVPN would simply abide by its privacy policy. In short, it has a strict no-logs policy and won’t keep logs, regardless of what the government says.

This is a highly versatile service that works reliably with popular streaming platforms including Netflix US, Disney+ Hotstar, The Times of India, and India TV. Its security toolkit includes 256-bit encryption, a kill switch, and protection against IPv6 and DNS leaks, plus a stealth mode made for bypassing country-wide censorship. Customer support can be reached 24/7 via live chat, and can even remotely connect to your computer and configure the software for you if you allow them to.

This service offers Windows, Android, MacOS, and iOS apps. It can be manually configured to work on Linux-based systems and selected routers in a matter of minutes.

Pros:

  • Fast speeds
  • Works well with streaming services including Netflix
  • Great security and privacy features

Cons:

  • Still using physical Indian servers
  • Live chat support not 24/7

Our score:

4.5 out of 5

GREAT SPEEDS:PrivateVPN is a good family choice. Works well in India and allows up to 10 devices on the same account. Fast connections but could do with virtual servers for added peace of mind. 30-day money-back guarantee.

Read our full PrivateVPN review.

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Our Methodology: Finding the best VPNs for an Indian IP address

Unfortunately, not just any VPN is suitable for getting an Indian IP address. Additionally, if you’re trying to spoof your location, it’s likely you’re interested in accessing geo-restricted services as you travel, which introduces further challenges. To determine which VPNs are best suited to this task, we took the following areas into account:

  • Indian servers: The most important requirement, but one that’s increasingly hard to find. We looked for VPNs that could get you an Indian IP address, ideally through the use of virtual servers, since these aren’t subject to Indian data protection laws.
  • Connection speeds: It’s no use having an IP address from India if your connection is too slow to use! We regularly test dozens of VPNs to find out which is fastest and see how their speeds have changed over time. We only recommend services with better-than-average speeds that provide the best experience for streaming, gaming, downloading, or other high internet traffic activities.
  • Streaming abilities: Region-locked services often try to detect VPNs and block their users from accessing them abroad. Our top VPNs can reliably bypass this kind of restriction and can help you securely access many popular streaming platforms (Netflix India, Star Spots, and Disney+ Hotstar, for instance) from abroad.
  • Security and privacy: Above all else, VPNs are privacy tools. We won’t recommend any service without 256-bit AES encryption, a kill switch, or DNS leak protection at a minimum. We’re especially keen to prioritize those that have no-logs policies, or that regularly improve their security offerings with new features and additional supported protocols.
  • Value for money: It can be difficult to tell how much a given service is worth. Rest easy: we consider each VPN holistically, and if it costs more than similar services without providing an excellent justification for doing so, we just won’t recommend it. We also look at refund policies and money-back guarantees.
  • Ease of use: All of our recommendations must be simple enough for complete novices to use. Anything else that reduces the barrier to entry is a huge plus, whether it’s a low price point, a lack of connection limits, or multi-platform support.

Believe it or not, this is actually only the beginning of our testing. For an explanation of our full process, check out this guide to our VPN testing methodology.

Why are some popular VPNs missing from this list?

As mentioned at the top of the articles, due to a government mandate, the Indian government requires VPN companies operating in the country to retain and store logs on users for 5 years. As you can imagine many VPN providers refuse to do this as it compromises their user’s privacy, so they refuse to run servers in India.

One such VPN provider is NordVPN.

Can I use a free VPN to connect to India services?

We wouldn’t recommend using a free VPN to get an Indian IP address. The prospect of a free VPN might seem attractive at first, the there are several reasons why we don’t recommend using them.

First of all, their server networks are not robust which means they do not have a wide-ranging choice of locations to pick from, like their premium counterparts. In addition, what few servers they do have are often over-subscribed and offer slow speeds.

Then there is the adage “If you aren’t paying for a service, you are the product”. This is relevant to most free VPNs. Despite not being charged directly free VPNs still need to make money and to do so they will often collect user data and sell it to third parties. Some will even inject ads into your browser as an additional revenue stream.

The level of protection offered by a free VPN service is also lacking, with many of them leaking user data, having many different exploits, and even injecting adware onto your device. So if privacy is important to you would recommend extreme caution if proceeding with a free VPN.

The truth is that free VPNs often introduce more security risks than they prevent. A recent study showed that many free Android “VPNs” contain malware, and many don’t encrypt your traffic at all. It’s not just mobile devices at risk, either: these shady services are incredibly prevalent, and we’ve even seen cases where a widely used free VPN sold its users’ bandwidth to be used in a botnet. Don’t put your trust in a service that doesn’t care about your security; choose a reputable VPN provider with a proven history of protecting its users’ privacy.

What Indian TV can I watch with a VPN?

The main reason why many expats want an Indian IP is to access TV channels from back home online. This is why we make sure all of our VPNs are up to the task of streaming HD video online.

Once you’ve signed up and connected to your VPN in India, you should be able to start watching Indian TV online using your chosen streaming service, including:

  1. Disney+ Hotstar
  2. India TV
  3. Jiocinema
  4. YuppTV
  5. Spuul
  6. Voot

Are there ways to get an Indian IP address without a VPN?

It’s true that VPNs aren’t your only option when spoofing your location, but it’s the recommended method for both speed and security. If there’s a reason why you’d rather not use a VPN for spoofing, there are a few other methods of getting an Indian IP address that we’ve listed below.

Use Tor to get an Indian IP address

Tor (AKA The Onion Browser) is a heavily encrypted browser that puts the anonymity of its users above all else. As such using Tor is slow, very slow. Then there’s the complexity of using it to change your IP location. It takes time and a lot of technical know-how. For this reason, we wouldn’t recommend using Tor for Geo-spoofing, especially if you are intending to stream.

If you are still interested in learning more, we’d recommend reading our guide to Tor browser country codes as your next step.

See also: Best VPNs for Tor

Use a proxy to get an Indian IP address

A proxy works similarly to a VPN but without the added security. This lack of emphasis on privacy means they are usually only up to the task of bypassing local blocks and censorship, rather than something more challenging like Netflix.

If you are lucky and find a proxy that will work with your chosen site then only your traffic from your web browser will be covered by the proxy. This means any apps will not be. Compare this with a VPN, all of your traffic that leaves your device is covered by the VPN and will be encrypted, including Skype, P2P traffic, gaming traffic, and more.

See also: How to get a US IP address

Indian IP address FAQ

Are VPNs legal in India?

VPNs are not banned in India; they are, after all, extremely useful privacy tools and many businesses rely on them for safe networking. However, recent legislation made it mandatory for VPN companies to log data that could identify their customers, which completely defeats the purpose of a VPN.

In response, many leading VPNs withdrew their servers from India, switching instead to using virtual servers that still give users an Indian IP address, without requiring the company to keep logs.

What is the best Indian channel to watch cricket?

If you’re looking to watch cricket in India, your best bet is usually Disney+ Hotstar. This network has the rights to the ICC and ACC leagues and a variety of domestic leagues, and you can watch online from ₹299 per month.

How can I stream Bollywood movies from outside India?

There are all kinds of services offering access to Bollywood movies: take Sony LIV, Disney+ Hotstar, and Jiocinema, for instance. However, these platforms tend to be region-locked and international platforms usually don’t offer nearly as much choice. To watch Bollywood films on the same services you’d use back home, just connect to an Indian VPN server.

My VPN provider is offering me a static IP address in India, is that a good idea?

Static IP addresses can be helpful in some situations. For instance, you’re less likely to have login attempts flagged as potentially fraudulent if you always sign in with the same IP address. Likewise, since there’s much less traffic coming from static IP addresses, they’re more difficult for geo-blocked platforms to identify and blacklist. However, as you’re the only person using the address, it does mean that you’re slightly easier to track across the web.

So what’s the best location to get a static IP address from? This really depends on what you need it for, and where you are in the world. Generally, the further you are from your chosen server, the slower your speeds will be, so if you live in a distant country, India may not be the best choice.

On the other hand, if you really want to stream Indian TV while traveling and have had difficulty finding an Indian server that works reliably, a static Indian IP address could work. Just be sure to check that your provider follows a no-logs policy (and ideally, doesn’t actually have servers physically in India).

How can I check if my Indian VPN service is slow?

There are several reasons why your VPN might be slow, but first, it’s important to determine whether it’s your VPN or your internet connection at fault. To do this, simply run a speed test with the VPN disconnected. When you’re done, connect to the VPN and run another. It’s normal to see a reduction of about 30%, but if there’s a more significant difference than this, your VPN really is the issue. 

So why might this be? You may simply be too far away from the server, or too many people might be trying to use the same server at once, causing a slowdown for everyone connected. Luckily, these issues are easily resolved: just connect to a nearby server with lower overall load. Hopefully this will fix your problems, but if not, we recommend getting in touch with your VPN’s support team to see if they can give you an idea of when the problem will be fixed.

Why does NordVPN have no servers in India?

NordVPN is one of the world’s leading VPN providers. However, they currently do not have any servers in India due to rules established by India’s Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-in) rules published on June 26, 2022.

Due to this regulation, NordVPN has had no choice but to comply and remove all servers from India. However, our list above shows which VPN providers still has servers in India.

Is a VPN a good idea for Indian expats?

Yes. All the VPNs recommended in this guide provide their subscribers with the ability to connect to VPN servers in India. This lets you acquire an Indian IP address from abroad, which allows you to use the internet as if you were back in India. As a result, you can use local Indian services such as Disney+ Hotstar, which are usually geo-restricted abroad. 

By connecting to a VPN, any Indian expat can instantly appear to be back home. This allows you to continue enjoying services from back home despite living abroad. As a result, you can login to government portals, use internet banking, or watch Indian TV channels and streaming services from anywhere in the world.

Why did so many VPNs remove their Indian servers in 2022?

2022 saw many VPNs remove their Indian servers due to a directive from India’s Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-in). This ordered data-handling companies such as VPNs to collect and store user data. What’s more, the directive required that this data be stored for up to five years (during which period, it must be shared with the government upon request).

Needless to say, no pro-privacy VPN provider is going to agree to this. As a result, there was no other option but for VPNs to shut down their servers in India. The good news is that VPNs still work in India. However, you’ll just need to connect to a server in another country instead.

Can I download torrents with an Indian IP address?

Yes, you can download torrents with an Indian IP address, but you must be aware of some legal and safety considerations before doing so. Torrenting itself is not illegal in India, but downloading and sharing copyrighted content without the owner’s consent is.

To safely download torrents and unblock torrent sites from inside India, you can use a VPN service to hide your IP address and encrypt your torrent traffic. This will allow you to use the VPN’s anonymous IP addresses as your own and encrypt all internet traffic.