Updated on: August 27, 2024
Short on time? Here’s the best VPN for Europe in 2024:
- 🥇 ExpressVPN : It has a large server network, with servers in 105 countries, including 40+ in Europe, and offers the fastest speeds. It includes advanced security features to protect your privacy in European countries with surveillance laws, and it reliably accesses tons of streaming sites in Europe, like Sky Go, BBC iPlayer, and Rai Play, as well as multiple international content libraries (including in the US) for sites like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. All plans have a 30-day money-back guarantee.
The best VPNs for Europe are great for protecting your privacy, as they don’t allow internet service providers (ISPs) to see what you’re doing online. This protects you from data retention laws that some European countries have, like France’s Intelligence Act that requires ISPs to retain metadata from users for up to a year.
These VPNs easily access content from outside of Europe, like banking sites, which is great if you’re traveling to a European country for a vacation, work, or are temporarily moving there. They also work with lots of streaming sites in Europe and US content libraries.
My top choice is ExpressVPN due to its large server network in and outside of Europe. Plus, it comes with industry-leading security features, it maintains the fastest speeds on the market, and it has excellent streaming and torrenting support — this is why we rank ExpressVPN as the best VPN on the market in 2024. Editors' Note: ExpressVPN and this site are in the same ownership group.
Quick summary of the best VPNs for Europe:
- 1. 🥇ExpressVPN — Best overall VPN for Europe in 2024 (with a vast server network in Europe & the world).
- 2. 🥈Private Internet Access — Excellent VPN for torrenting in Europe (with the best VPN ad blocker on the market).
- 3. 🥉CyberGhost VPN — Excellent VPN for streaming in Europe (with dedicated streaming servers).
- 4. NordVPN — Privacy-friendly VPN for Europe (with plenty of extra security features).
- 5. Surfshark — Easy-to-use and affordable VPN for Europe (excellent pick for beginners).
Editors' Note: Intego, Private Internet Access, CyberGhost and ExpressVPN are owned by Kape Technologies, our parent company
🥇1. ExpressVPN — Best Overall VPN for Europe
ExpressVPN is my favorite VPN for Europe. It has servers in 40+ European countries and offers multiple server locations in many different nations — this allows you to connect to a server that is closest to you for the fastest speeds. For example, there are 5 locations in the UK (Wembley, London, East London, Docklands, and Midlands), 4 server locations in France (Paris, Marseille, Alsace, and Strasbourg), 3 in Italy (Milan, Naples, and Cosenza), and 2 server locations in Germany (Frankfurt and Nuremberg) and Spain (Barcelona and Madrid).
ExpressVPN is the fastest VPN on the market thanks to its proprietary Lightway protocol, which was faster than any other VPN protocol I tested. I barely noticed I was connected to a VPN in my own country, neighboring countries, and even a distant server in the US.
It’s the best VPN for streaming and torrenting. It works with tons of streaming platforms that are available in Europe, including country-specific streaming sites, like BBC iPlayer (the UK), France TV, and ZDFmediathek (Germany). It can access 10+ Netflix and Amazon Prime libraries, including the US. Plus, ExpressVPN allows P2P traffic on all servers in Europe and works with popular P2P clients, such as qBittorrent and Transmission.
I like that ExpressVPN offers anti-DDoS protection on all servers, allowing you to safely game on nearby servers in Europe and in specific local regions. You also get cloud gaming support on European servers, so you can seamlessly stream video games to portable devices like tablets and smartphones without any annoying buffering.
ExpressVPN keeps your privacy in Europe thanks to advanced security features. This includes a no-logs policy that’s been independently audited and confirmed. In addition, the VPN publishes transparency reports every 6 months, which details the requests for user data it received and how it couldn’t comply — making it pretty easy to trust it. There are also RAM-only servers, which wipe off all data with every server reboot, so even if certain European countries request your data, the VPN will have nothing to turn over.
There are also some great extra features for convenience like Advanced Protection, which blocks ads, malicious sites, and ad trackers — they monitor your online activities and share personal information with European countries with data retention laws.
ExpressVPN’s plans start at $6.67 / month. All plans have a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Bottom Line:
ExpressVPN is my top recommendation for Europe. It has servers in lots of countries in Europe, can access European streaming sites in specific countries like BBC iPlayer and France TV, and works with 10+ Netflix libraries. It supports torrenting in Europe and is great for gaming. All plans have a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Read the full ExpressVPN review
🥈2. Private Internet Access — Excellent VPN for Torrenting in Europe
Private Internet Access (PIA) has excellent torrenting support for Europe. It allows P2P traffic on all servers in 40+ European countries, works with top torrent clients like uTorrent, and comes with extra torrenting features. This includes SOCKS5 proxy servers that change your IP address but don’t encrypt your traffic, so you get faster uploads and downloads. Plus, there’s port forwarding on desktop and mobile, which enables more peer connections for improved download speeds.
PIA can access multiple streaming sites available in Europe, including BBC iPlayer and RaiPlay, and it has dedicated servers for streaming in the UK, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, and Italy that work with multiple streaming services. Plus, it accesses the US library on Netflix, Max, Hulu, and Disney+.
When it comes to gaming, PIA is one of the best VPNs. It has anti-DDoS protection on all servers and provides low ping for uninterrupted gaming. The one minor drawback is there’s no cloud gaming support, like with ExpressVPN.
PIA has the best VPN ad blocker, PIA MACE, which blocks ad-heavy European websites, like the Daily Mail and Le Monde. More importantly, it prevents ad trackers from monitoring your online activities, collecting your data, and sharing it with third parties, including potentially European governments.
The VPN also comes with advanced security features, including RAM-only servers, a no-log policy that’s been audited and proven in court multiple times, and regular transparency reports. So PIA doesn’t have anything to share with European countries that may request user data, or anything to retain in countries in Europe that ask companies to keep your data.
Private Internet Access offers very affordable plans starting at $2.19 / month. All plans are covered by a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Bottom Line:
Private Internet Access is an excellent choice for torrenting in Europe, as it comes with P2P extras like port forwarding and SOCKS5 proxy servers. It works with streaming sites in Europe, and it can access other international libraries, including in the US. Plus, PIA comes with top-notch security features to protect your data from some surveillance laws in Europe and the best VPN ad blocker. Each plan has a 30-day 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 — Dedicated Servers for Streaming in Europe
CyberGhost comes with dedicated servers for streaming in 15+ European countries. These servers are specifically designed and tested to work with the streaming services they are assigned to. CyberGhost offers dedicated streaming servers for sites like France TV, Rai Play, and BBC iPlayer, several Netflix and Max libraries. In addition, there are more than a dozen dedicated streaming servers in the US for apps like Hulu, Amazon Prime, and Netflix.
The VPN also has optimized servers for torrenting, too, in 40+ countries in Europe, lots of which don’t have any data retention laws. However, it doesn’t come with features like port forwarding and a SOCKS5 proxy server like Private Internet Access.
This provider is very secure to use in Europe, as it comes with advanced security features like RAM-only servers and an audited no-logs policy. Plus, you get CyberGhost’s NoSpy servers, which are housed in the provider’s headquarters in the privacy-friendly Romania that only in-house staff can access, so third parties can’t compromise your data.
CyberGhost has an ad blocker, too, called Content Blocker, that blocks ads, trackers, and shady sites. In my tests, it stopped some ads, but fewer than ExpressVPN’s Advanced Protection. However, it did flag all malicious sites I tried to access.
CyberGhost VPN’s plans start as low as $2.03 / month. Long-term plans have a 45-day money-back guarantee and the monthly plan has a 14-day money-back guarantee.
Bottom Line:
CyberGhost VPN has dedicated servers in European countries for streaming and torrenting. It also has noSpy servers in Romania, which offer great privacy in Europe, considering Romania doesn’t have any data retention laws. Plus, you get a decent ad, tracker, and malicious site blocker, and advanced security features. Long-term plans have a 45-day money-back guarantee and the monthly plan has a 14-day money-back guarantee.
Read the full CyberGhost VPN review
Editors' Note: CyberGhost and this site are in the same ownership group.
4. NordVPN — Great Extra Features for Privacy
NordVPN has great extra features for protecting your data and privacy in Europe. Its Threat Protection Pro feature combines an ad, tracker, and malicious site blocker, and a file scanner that looks at files you download and inspects them for malware on desktop, so it’s great for securely downloading files in Europe.
NordVPN includes advanced security features, including an audited no-logs policy, it issues a transparency report, and uses RAM-only servers, so your data is secure while connected to any of NordVPN’s 30+ European countries.
For extra privacy, NordVPN offers double VPN servers, which route your traffic through 2 VPN servers instead of 1 server, with exit servers located Sweden, Switzerland, Netherlands, France, and more. These servers make it harder for any government in Europe to trace any activities back to you — just note that these servers slow down your connection speeds due to the extra layer of encryption.
In terms of streaming NordVPN works with BBC iPlayer, several DAZN libraries, Amazon Prime Video and Netflix. That said, ExpressVPN works with a lot more streaming sites. If you like to torrent, you’ll like that NordVPN allows torrenting on all European servers and has SOCKS5 proxy servers.
NordVPN has plans that start at $3.09 / month. Each purchase has a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Bottom Line:
NordVPN is a good choice for privacy. It has a great ad blocker, a file scanner for securely downloading files on desktop, and double VPN for extra privacy in Europe. The VPN is also great for streaming and torrenting from Europe. Every plan has a 30-day money-back guarantee.
5. Surfshark — Affordable VPN With Unlimited Simultaneous Connections
Surfshark is a great beginner-friendly VPN for anyone who needs one in Europe. It has servers in 40+ European countries, and you can easily configure its Quick Connect feature to connect you to the fastest server. I also like how it recommends the fastest server location and offers the fastest server in a neighboring country.
Surfshark has audited no-logs policy but it doesn’t publish a transparency report like the other VPNs on this list. In addition to using RAM-only servers, it also has an IP Rotator feature that regularly changes your IP address without disconnecting from the VPN, which is an extra layer of privacy.
The VPN works with 50+ streaming apps, including numerous Netflix and Amazon Prime libraries, BBC iPlayer, DAZN, Rai Play, and more. It can also access 15+ Netflix libraries. Surfshark supports P2P traffic on all of its servers.
Surfshark’s plans start at $2.19 / month. All plans include a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Bottom Line:
Surfshark is a great Europe VPN for beginners. It offers lots of easy 1-click connections, has advanced security features to protect your privacy from data retention laws in Europe, and works with streaming sites available in Europe (and the US). It also allows torrenting on all European servers. Each plan has 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
Testing Methodology: Comparison & Ranking Criteria
I put together a list of the best VPNs for Europe by following our tried-and-true testing methodology. I made my choices based on the VPN’s server network in Europe, streaming, gaming, and torrenting support, security, and a lot more. Here are some of the criteria I used to choose and rank the VPNs on my list:
- I checked each VPN’s server network. Every VPN on this list has servers in multiple countries in Europe, including Italy, France, Germany, and Sweden.
- I considered each VPN’s speeds. All VPNs slow down your speeds due to the encryption process. The VPNs on this list have fast speeds. That said, ExpressVPN maintains the fastest speeds on the market.
- I reviewed the VPNs’ security and privacy features. My recommendations have industry-standard security features, such as 256-bit AES encryption, an audited no-logs policy, and a kill switch, which shuts down your internet connection if the VPN connection drops. They also use strong leak protection. The VPNs on my list passed my IP leak tests.
- I evaluated each VPN’s streaming and torrenting support. My recommendations reliably work with platforms that are available in Europe, like local Netflix libraries, Rai Play, and BBC iPlayer. Plus, they allow torrenting on servers in Europe and work with popular P2P client apps.
- I looked for VPNs that offer a good value. My VPNs allow multiple device connections and have great extra features, like split-tunneling and ad blockers. Plus, they offer generous money-back guarantees.
Top Brands That Didn’t Make the Cut
- TunnelBear. TunnelBear has a fun and intuitive interface and lots of server locations in Europe. However, it’s not as fast as the VPNs on this list and doesn’t offer a money-back guarantee.
- Windscribe. Windscribe maintains fast speeds and is pretty secure. That said, it has servers in 20+ server locations in Europe, which is fewer than the VPNs I recommend here. So it might be hard to find a server with fast speeds. Plus, it only offers a 3-day money-back guarantee.
- Mullvad VPN. Mullvad VPN is a secure VPN with great extras. However, it isn’t a good option for streaming, as it doesn’t work with local European streaming sites like RaiPlay and France TV.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the best VPN to use in Europe?
ExpressVPN is the best VPN for Europe. It has servers in 40+ countries in Europe, maintains super fast speeds on both nearby and very distant servers, and has excellent streaming support for country-specific sites like Rai Play and BBC iPlayer and can access multiple international libraries for services like Netflix, Max, Disney+, and Amazon Prime.
Can I use a VPN to stream in Europe
Yes! The top VPNs on the market, like the ones on my list, work with many country-specific streaming platforms like BBC iPlayer and France TV and international ones like Netflix and Amazon Prime.
How do VPNs handle data privacy for European Union citizens?
Reputable VPNs like the ones on my list have strict no-logs policies, all independently audited and confirmed, so they don’t monitor or log any user data. Plus, they have RAM-only servers that delete all data with each reboot. So, even if any European authorities ask for data, the VPNs won’t have anything to share.
How do I set up a VPN on my device in Europe?
Setting up a VPN for Europe typically involves the following steps:
- Choose a VPN provider. I recommend ExpressVPN because it has a great server network in Europe, fast speeds, and excellent streaming support.
- Download and install the app. Follow the on-screen instructions and the whole process will be completed in a few minutes.
- Open the VPN app and connect to a server. You’re all set to browse the web securely in Europe.
