Updated on: October 7, 2024
Short on time? Here’s the best VPN for Qatar in 2024:
- 🥇 ExpressVPN : Offers top-notch security and blazing-fast speeds to ensure a smooth streaming, gaming, and torrenting experience in Qatar. It has easy-to-use apps for all major platforms and offers excellent value with its affordable plans. Every purchase is backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee for peace of mind.
Qatar is not a privacy-friendly place. The ISPs (internet service providers) in Qatar monitor what you do online, keep a lot of this data long-term, and might share it with the government on request. Plus, Qatar blocks access to certain content, streaming platforms, and even VoIP services.
VPNs are the best way to protect your online privacy in Qatar. However, many don’t work as advertised. A lot of them are slow or have poor security features that can’t protect your online privacy.
I spent several weeks testing dozens of VPNs to find the best ones for Qatar. While every VPN on my list is worth considering, ExpressVPN is my top pick — it has really fast speeds, strong security and privacy, user-friendly apps, and a 30-day money-back guarantee. Editors' Note: ExpressVPN and this site are in the same ownership group.
Quick Summary of the Best VPNs for Qatar
Editors' Note: Intego, Private Internet Access, CyberGhost and ExpressVPN are owned by Kape Technologies, our parent company
🥇1. ExpressVPN — Best VPN for Qatar in 2024
ExpressVPN is the best VPN for Qatar. It offers super-fast speeds across all servers, a wide range of advanced security features, and user-friendly apps for major platforms.
ExpressVPN has servers across 105 countries — it doesn’t have servers in Qatar, but its large network makes it simple to find a nearby server (including in Egypt and Israel) for the fastest possible speeds.
When it comes to speed, ExpressVPN is the fastest VPN on the market. I was really impressed by the minimal impact on speed, whether connecting to nearby or distant servers. Websites loaded right away, and I didn’t experience any delays or buffering, even when streaming HD and 4K videos. I put its speeds to the test for torrenting, too, and was able to download a 40 GB file in just 18 minutes.
ExpressVPN offers a wide range of advanced security features. It uses perfect forward secrecy that changes the encryption key each time you connect to a different server — this minimizes the amount of data potential hackers can access if the key is compromised. It also has RAM-only servers that erase all data every time the server is rebooted, a strict no-logs policy that has been independently verified multiple times, and Threat Manager, which blocks trackers and malicious sites.
ExpressVPN also has impressive torrenting support, allowing P2P file sharing on all of its servers, which ensures a private and secure environment for torrenting.
What’s more, ExpressVPN has very user-friendly apps. It comes with handy features, like an auto-connect option and a Shortcuts feature that shows your favorite apps on your screen right after you connect to a server.
ExpressVPN offers monthly and yearly plans starting at $4.99 / month. Although it’s one of the more expensive options on my list, ExpressVPN offers the best value on the market. It also comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Bottom Line:
ExpressVPN is the best VPN for Qatar in 2024. It offers lightning-fast speeds, top-notch security features like RAM-only servers, perfect forward secrecy, full leak protection, and an audited no-logs policy. Plus, it blocks ad trackers and malicious sites, includes great streaming and torrenting support, and offers user-friendly apps for all devices.
Read the full ExpressVPN review
🥈2. Private Internet Access — Great for Torrenting in Qatar
Private Internet Access (PIA) is an excellent choice for torrenting in Qatar. It supports P2P traffic on all servers, including its servers in Qatar, and works with all major torrenting clients like Vuze, qBittorrent, and uTorrent. It also supports port forwarding across most of its servers, which improves speeds by connecting you to more peers, and you get unlimited connections, so you can use the VPN on as many devices as you want.
PIA is a very secure VPN. It offers perfect forward secrecy, full leak protection, RAM-only servers, and has a no-logs policy that has been confirmed in court documents. On top of that, PIA uses open-source apps, allowing anyone to analyze its code.
I really like PIA’s MACE — it blocks malicious sites, ads, and trackers. During my tests, I saw zero ads and was happy to see that it detected and blocked 100% of the shady HTTP sites I tried to visit.
PIA has really fast speeds. Every site I visited loaded instantly, and I was able to download a 35 GB file in just 14 minutes and watch HD videos without any buffering.
PIA is great for streaming, too. It works with 30+ popular streaming services, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney+.
I’m a fan of its apps as well. I like that they’re very customizable — you can choose between different VPN protocols and levels of encryption, which allows for faster speeds or better security, and all the features come with helpful explanations, so it’s great for beginners.
Private Internet Access has cost-effective plans, starting at just $2.03 / month. Each plan also comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Bottom Line:
Private Internet Access has great torrenting support. It offers fast speeds on all servers and comes with strong security features, which is great for P2P file-sharing in Qatar. It has great streaming support, too, and all of its plans come with a money-back guarantee.
Read the full Private Internet Access review
Editors' Note: Private Internet Access and this site are in the same ownership group.
🥉3. CyberGhost VPN — Beginner-Friendly VPN for Qatar
CyberGhost VPN is an excellent choice for VPN beginners in Qatar. It offers well-designed apps that include simple explanations, and if you’re new to VPNs, you’ll have no problem configuring it to your liking when in Qatar.
I really like CyberGhost VPN’s Smart Rules feature, which lets you customize and automate your VPN connections. For example, you can set it to automatically connect you to a server in Qatar or a neighboring country like Israel or Egypt when you open the VPN app or launch your favorite app, like Netflix, when you connect to a server.
CyberGhost maintained fast speeds during my tests. The websites I visited loaded quickly, with HD videos taking just 1–2 seconds to load and 4K videos taking just 2 seconds with some initial buffering.
CyberGhost VPN is excellent for streaming, and it works with popular sites like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney+. It also has dedicated P2P servers across 85+ countries (but doesn’t support torrenting on its Qatar servers).
You get great security and privacy features, too. It uses RAM-only servers, perfect forward secrecy, and protects against IPv6 and DNS leaks. I also like its Content Blocker, which prevents ads and connections to malicious sites. In my tests, it protected me from visiting shady sites, but it only blocked ads in search engines.
CyberGhost VPN offers plans starting at $2.03 / month. There’s a 45-day money-back guarantee for long-term plans and a 14-day money-back guarantee for the shortest plan.
Bottom Line:
CyberGhost VPN is a great pick if you’re new to VPNs. It has user-friendly apps that are very easy to navigate, as well as fast speeds, really good security features, and dedicated servers for streaming and torrenting. Plus, all of its long-term plans offer a generous 45-day money-back guarantee.
Read the full CyberGhost VPN review
Editors' Note: CyberGhost and this site are in the same ownership group.
4. NordVPN — Good for Securing Your Online Traffic in Qatar
NordVPN has high-end security features to protect your online activities in Qatar. It uses perfect forward secrecy, RAM-only servers, full leak protection, and has an audited no-logs policy.
I was really impressed with NordVPN’s Threat Protection, which blocks ads, trackers, malicious sites, and downloads — in my tests, it detected a couple of potentially corrupted files. The best part about it is that you don’t even have to connect to the VPN to activate Threat Protection.
I had pretty good speeds with NordVPN. Sites and HD videos loaded in 2–3 seconds, and 4K videos took up to 5 seconds to load, with minimal buffering.
NordVPN also comes with well-designed apps that have good customization options. For example, you can configure the VPN to connect to any server location when you connect to a public Wi-Fi hotspot. I also like the interactive map on its apps — NordVPN doesn’t have a server in Qatar, but the map made it really easy for me to find the nearest server to Qatar, like the UAE.
NordVPN has decent torrenting support — it works with all major torrenting apps. NordVPN supports P2P traffic on 4,500 servers in 45+ countries — the UAE is the closest country.
NordVPN has plans starting at $2.99 / month, and every purchase comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Bottom Line:
NordVPN is a great option for secure connections in Qatar. It has a wide range of advanced security features and an independently audited no-logs policy to keep your data safe online. It also offers fast speeds and really good torrenting support. Each plan comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
5. Surfshark — Budget-Friendly VPN for Qatar
Surfshark is one of the most affordable VPNs on the market. So it’s a great choice if you need a cheap VPN for Qatar. It doesn’t have a server in Qatar, but you have other nearby options like Israel, Egypt, and the UAE. Plus, it offers unlimited simultaneous connections for secure internet access for Qatar for the whole family.
Surfshark had pretty decent speeds during my tests — websites and videos loaded in 3–4 seconds, and I only experienced minimal buffering on HD and 4K videos.
You get good torrenting support as well — Surfshark supports P2P traffic on all of its servers.
Surfshark also has strong security features — including perfect forward secrecy, RAM-only servers, an audited no-logs policy, and DNS leak protection.
Surfshark’s apps are easy to use with an intuitive interface — all features come with helpful explanations. I also like that they come with very convenient features. For example, Surfshark lets you connect with just 1 click to the nearest country or the fastest possible server, and it allows you to configure the quick-connect button to connect you to any of its servers.
Surfshark offers affordable plans starting at $1.99 / month, and each one is covered by a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Bottom Line:
Surfshark is one of the cheapest VPNs for Qatar. It also offers easy-to-use apps, allows unlimited connections, and has strong security features. It also supports torrenting on all servers. All of its plans are backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Read the full Surfshark review
Quick Comparison Table
Editors' Note: Intego, Private Internet Access, CyberGhost and ExpressVPN are owned by Kape Technologies, our parent company
How to Choose the Best VPN for Qatar in 2024
- Find a VPN with a large server network. A large server network means you can easily find nearby servers to connect to for fast speeds.
- Opt for a VPN that offers strong security. All the VPNs I’ve included come with industry-standard security features, including 256-bit AES encryption, a kill switch to disconnect you from the internet if your VPN connection fails, and a no-logs policy to ensure your VPN provider doesn’t log your browsing history or IP address.
- Pick a VPN with fast speeds. While all VPNs tend to slow your connection speed due to encryption, the VPNs on my list maintain some of the fastest speeds in the market for browsing, torrenting, and gaming in Qatar (ExpressVPN is the fastest).
- Select a user-friendly VPN. The VPNs on my list come with easy-to-use apps for all major platforms, so even if you’re new to VPNs, you’ll have no problem finding the server you want.
- Look for a VPN with good streaming and P2P support. Check to make sure the VPN works with popular streaming sites. The VPN should also allow torrenting on its servers, especially those located near Qatar.
- Ensure the VPN offers value for money. All of the VPNs on my list offer a wide range of features at an affordable price, and all come with a money-back guarantee so you can try them out risk-free.
Top Brands That Didn’t Make the Cut
- Proton VPN. Proton VPN has pretty good security and privacy and has good streaming support. It also offers decent speeds, but it’s slower than the VPNs I recommend.
- IPVanish. IPVanish comes with intuitive apps, good security, and great torrenting support, but it doesn’t work well with a lot of streaming services.
- TunnelBear. TunnelBear is a pretty secure VPN with user-friendly apps, great privacy, and decent speeds. That said, it has servers in fewer countries than any of the VPNs on my list.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is using a VPN legal in Qatar?
Yes, VPNs are perfectly legal in Qatar. But, as in many other countries, it’s illegal to use a VPN to engage in activities that violate the country’s laws or regulations. This essentially means that if you use a VPN to spread “fake news,” which is a criminal offense in Qatar, you could face legal consequences.
You can still use VPNs for everything else, and I recommend always using one when going online in Qatar — it’s the best way to protect your privacy when doing anything on the internet. My favorite is ExpressVPN, as it’s very fast, secure, and easy to use.
Can I use a free VPN in Qatar?
Yes, but I don’t recommend it. Free VPNs are often very slow and lack the basic security and privacy features — some may even sell your data. There are some really good free VPNs that are secure and come with decent speeds, but I think It’s much better to invest in a premium VPN like ExpressVPN, which offers lightning-fast speeds, great privacy, and top-notch security features.
Why should I use a VPN for Qatar?
The main reason is VPNs are great at protecting your online privacy. They encrypt all of your online traffic so nobody, not even the ISP, will be able to see what you’re doing online. I recommend using ExpressVPN because of its fast speeds, advanced security features, and user-friendly apps.
How do I check if my VPN works in Qatar?
You can check if your VPN works by visiting an IP address checker website. If the displayed location matches the VPN server location you connected to, then your VPN is working. Ensure that your original IP address isn’t visible to maintain your online anonymity.
Keep in mind that many ISPs tend to block your VPN (especially if you’re using a free service). So It’s recommended to download and install a reliable VPN before you arrive in Qatar to avoid this problem.