Canada might seem like a friendly nation in the north, but it is highly strict when it comes to internet surveillance. A VPN, that hides your online activity is completely legal in Canada, but that rather depends on how you use it.
If you’re using it for committing something illegal, that’s strictly forbidden. But in any case, the government wouldn’t know if your VPN doesn’t share information with the Canadian government.
6 Best VPNs for Canada that works in 2020
Below is the list of 6 top VPN services in Canada that you want to use and why:
- PureVPN: Budget-friendly VPN with powerful features that’s also easy on the pocket (60 servers in Canada).
- Surfshark: Fast speeds, lightweight, cheap price with flagship features.
- NordVPN: Unblocks any streaming service (US Netflix, Hulu, HBO) from Canada (410+ servers in Canada).
- ExpressVPN: Fastest VPN on the market with tons of features for a premium price (5 servers in Canada).
- CyberGhost: Super lowkey VPN with tons of servers capable of unblocking pretty much anything with 211 Canadian servers.
- PIA VPN: Largest server park consisting of 13916+ global servers.
1. PureVPN – Best for Canada
PureVPN is the recommended choice when it comes to bypassing geo-restrictions, protecting your online data, or streaming HD content.
With net neutrality now abolished, Canadians have good reason to fear unfair treatment of online traffic.
PureVPN can help you turn invisible on the Internet with its encryption and privacy policy. It offers 2,000 servers in 140+ countries that help you unblock US Netflix, Hulu Live TV, and all other websites that are blocked in Canada.
It has servers in Vancouver, Montreal, Quebec to shield you from surveillance programs of intelligence agencies in Canada. It only costs $1.32/mo which makes it the cheapest VPN service.
In addition to servers, the PureVPN app offers tons of super-secure features, which we have covered in our review. Infact PureVPN is one of the best VPNs for Kodi as well as the best VPNs for firestick Canada.
2. Surfshark – Fastest Canada VPN
Surfshark is a newcomer in the VPN industry but has already proven to be an excellent service. With its great speed, while streaming, it is considered the fastest VPN in Canada having a network of more than 1,700+ servers.
The logging policy and security features of Surfshark are top-notch, which makes it a worthy contender for the best VPN you can use in Canada.
The best part is, it is also the cheapest VPN in Canada and is currently available for only $2.21/mo if you purchase its 2-year subscription. This is an excellent deal for a VPN, especially with a 30-day money-back guarantee to boot!
The compatibility is great and I truly believe that Surfshark offers one of Canada’s best VPN apps for the Windows operating system.
Want to learn more about Surfshark, check out our exclusive Surfshark review.
3. NordVPN – Best Canadian VPN
NordVPN has the second-largest server network after CyberGhost having a total of 5,200+ servers and is present in 59 countries. With so many servers, you’ll be able to easily use Hulu in Canada and also unblock some major streaming services like Netflix, HBO, and Amazon Prime.
Since it is based in Panama, a country with no data retention laws, your online activity will not be tracked or collected by the government. Canadian users can consider themselves safe online while using NordVPN.
You can read more about NordVPN in our exclusive review which I believe is recommended for Canadian users.
NordVPN is not that expensive and is only available for $3.71/mo wit a 30-days refund policy.
4. ExpressVPN – Best VPN Canada for Streaming
ExpressVPN is arguably the most trustworthy VPN you can have if you are a Canadian. The provider understands the issues facing Canadians and aims at solving their problems through VPNs.
For instance, ExpressVPN conducted a survey to find out their preferences for VPNs. Speed, usability, and privacy policy were the major factors that Canadians were found to care about.
Guess what?
And because of its lightning-fast speed, it’s also one of the best options for VPN streaming. It is a bit expensive at $6.67/mo but offers a 30-days money-back guarantee and works with 5 devices at the same time. You can also check out the ExpressVPN deals.
Interested in ExpressVPN, make sure you check out our in-depth ExpressVPN review.
5. CyberGhost – Secure VPN for Canadian Users
CyberGhost is an interesting choice for those Canadian internet users who do not want to spend much on their online privacy. It provides a proprietary security feature that it calls anti-fingerprinting, and it basically boosts your security against online threats.
CyberGhost has more than 6,500 servers in over 90 countries and offers a 45-day money-back guarantee. It supports torrenting services as well.
Based on our Cyberghost review, and considering the strict anti-torrenting laws in Canada, CyberGhost is the best VPN in Canada for P2P sharing.
CyberGhost is now available at $2.25/mo which is an affordable price.
6. PIA VPN – Best for Torrenting in Canada
PIA VPN has many features that make it one of the best VPN Canada. It has a server network that consists of 13916+ servers that stream Netflix, Hulu, iPlayer, and other services from within Canada.
They have a strict no-log policy, meaning that the provider keeps no tabs on what you do on the internet. Privacy is hard to come by in Canada with the enforcement of Bill C-51, according to which, all ISPs are required to keep data of every citizen for 6 months.
PIA VPN’s strong encryption and its the privacy policy which is covered in our exclusive review are perfect for Canadian users.
This VPN is affordable as well available for only $2.19/mo with 30-days money-back guarantee.
Here is the Video guide for our recommended top 3 VPNs that work best for Canadians in 2020
How to choose the best VPN for Canada?
When selecting the best VPN service in Canada, you need to look for certain criteria/features that I have highlighted below:
- Servers: Numbers of servers and their locations (within Canada and Outside Canada) to unblock geo-restriction worldwide.
- Encryption: A strong encryption i.e. 256-bit is super necessary to keep your online activity hidden completely
- Privacy policy: Make sure to read their privacy policy to know if they keep any logs. If they do, then stay away from that provider.
- Automatic kill switch: This feature will disconnect your internet if by any chance a VPN connection drops. Your ISP won’t know if you were accessing any website that is blocked by the government.
- Money-back guarantee: A refund policy is a good way to test out the Canadian VPN service. Make sure to read their refund policies because there are some clauses that are not highlighted by the provider in bold letters.
Why you need a VPN in Canada
Let’s be real for a second, Canada is one place where you shouldn’t take your online privacy for granted.
Allow me to explain…
If I ask you to picture Canada, what comes to your mind? Friendly people, heavenly scenery, and mouthwatering maple syrup right?
But what if I told you that there is a darker side to the country’s existence.
Ever since Edward Snowden uncovered the secret surveillance programs of the U.S led NSA, other members of the 5 eyes were brought to light.
Canada is an active member of the 5 eyes alliance. Meaning, it will share its citizens’ information with member countries.
Let’s have a look at the reasons why you need a VPN in Canada:
1. Canadian Parliament Passes ‘C-51’ Anti-Terror Bill
The Canadian parliament has come up with a controversial bill that is seriously going to harm the online privacy of Canadian users.
The Antiterrorism Act 2015 bill states that the government will be able to monitor each and every activity of yours to make sure you are not involved in any “terrorist” activity.
In this scenario, the privacy of Canadians is now more threatened than ever, necessitating the user of privacy-enhancement tools like VPNs.
2. Canadian Parliament Passes ‘C-11’ Bill
Bill C-11 or the Copyright Modernization Act, is an amendment to the Canada VPN law for copyright that has broadened the definition of copyright infringement. Under the amended law, breaking digital locks on content even for personal or educational use is a crime.
This means that you can conform to fair dealing policy, but still, be penalized if found breaking the digital lock on the content.
Yeah, it makes no sense. The law is self-contradictory. But the world is getting crazier by the minute and we had better not get carried away by this wave of madness.
How you may ask? For starters, get a VPN!
3. Escape the Five Eyes surveillance, use a VPN
Canada may not be as cruel with its censorship policies as China, but it poses a serious threat to your online security.
Since it is a part of Five Eyes – an intelligence alliance that comprises of United States, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, and Canada, the online privacy of a user is torn to pieces by the Canadian and other member authorities.
The best VPN for Canadians can help you protect against unwanted snooping and surveillance by the Five Eyes and other online spy agencies. VPN providers are considered as an epitome for online protection since the protocols are hard to break by and the encryption is impossible to decode.
4. Beat Geo restriction and access restricted websites and VoD services
Geo-restriction can seriously be a pain in the neck. Even though Canada doesn’t have too many restrictions on what sites you can or cannot visit, there are still some websites that are inaccessible in Canada.
If you’re particularly nitpicky, there are plenty of US on only websites that you won’t be able to access in Canada.
Here are a bunch of U.S only websites that you might not be able to access without the top VPN Canada. To access these websites, I recommend you to use PureVPN.
- Pluto TV
- LogoTV
- Fandor
- Popcornflix
- ShoutFactoryTV
- USTVnow
- CNBC
- Adult Swim
5. Deter ISPs from spying on you
Even if you’re least bothered about surveillance agencies collecting your personal data, your ISP snooping on your online activities doesn’t sound too ethical, does it?
Just imagine, all the sites you visit, whatever you purchase or contact online is all being logged.
If you’re wondering how this is possible, let me explain. With the help of your IP and DNS requests your computer makes, your ISP can literally see everything you do online.
Your valuable data can be used to monitor your online behaviors or can be sold to would-be digital marketers.
That said, a VPN can help you avoid all this by masking your IP and passing all of your DNS requests through their own encrypted DNS servers.
Torrenting in Canada
Torrenting has always been a major attraction among Canadians. At one time, it had the highest percentage of Torrent users. The Canadian government did well to limit a percentage by cracking down on these users.
The government started sending out these letters which basically means you are being sued for copyright infringement.
But did you ever wonder how did the government know if these users’ were downloading torrents? That is through your Internet Service Provider (ISP). Your ISP tracks everything you do over the internet because they track your IP address.
The only way to mask your IP address is by installing a VPN. Most VPNs provided in the list also offer the Split Tunnelling feature. It allows you to divide your internet traffic that you want to show it to your ISP and what traffic you don’t want to reveal it to your ISP.
In any case, a VPN is a good option. The ones I have listed in this guide.
VPNs you should avoid in Canada
There are tons of VPNs out there that claim to be the best in protection and in speed. Since users are not tech-savvy, they believe what they are been told. But not anymore!
In this section above, I discussed how to select the best Canada VPN service. But in this section, I will discuss some factors that you need to check whether they help you avoid some VPNs. Here are some factors:
- Avoid those if a VPN does not have a comprehensive privacy policy
- A VPN that does not have OpenVPN protocol
- A VPN that has hidden charges
- Does not support multiple devices
- Does not have the Kill Switch feature
Best Free VPN for Canada
A free VPN may be tempting at first, but you need to avoid them at any cost. They may be free but they will sell your data and that is how they earn money. That is why I recommend you to check out our amazing VPN deals and gets premium VPNs at affordable rates.
But if you still want to go for a free one, I have listed 3 free VPNs that you can use in Canada that don’t keep logs nor tracks your data. You can view the complete list in our free VPN for Canada guide:
If you think your online activity can still be compromised, then use Canada proxy for absolutely free.
FAQs
?What is the best free VPN in Canada?
The top 3 VPNs that you can use for free in Canada are Windscribe, TunnelBear, and ProtonVPN. These VPNs do not tracks users’ browsing activity.
?Are VPN legal in Canada?
VPNs are completely legal in Canada. The law does not bar any VPN company from offering their services in the country which makes it completely safe to use.
❓How do I get a VPN in Canada?
To get a Canadian IP address for people living outside of Canada, you need to:
- Subscribe to PureVPN
- Download and Install the app
- Connect to a Canadian server
- Enjoy streaming Canadian TV
?How much does a VPN cost in Canada?
PureVPN offers the most affordable price for Canadian users i.e. [get_price id=13499] for its 5-year plan and you also get a 31-days money-back guarantee.
Final Verdict
With more and more absurd legislation passing almost every day, the internet has become a pretty messed up place in Canada.
If you’re living in Canada or planning a visit, your online activities are always going to be under the radar 24/7. Even worse, accessing blocked sites could prove to be a total nightmare. That is unless you choose to use a VPN.
By opting for any one of the above mentioned best VPN for Canada, you can always get access to all the popular streaming services including Netflix US and also evade government surveillance at the same time. You can check out the best lifetime VPN service and avail upto 83% off.
i tried using different vpn’s like Hidemyass, PIA and others to access some sites with an anonymity of 100% but still couldn’t be granted access . please what else is needed of me to gain access
Hi vincent1,
Could you please give us more detail about the sites your are trying to reach. HMA and PIA offer some of the largest server locations. However, you can give PureVPN or NordVPN a try as well.
Hi there, I am going to be traveling soon but cannot miss NHL matches. Will a vpn help in this situation? What do I need to do?
Hello, yes a VPN will definitely help you watch NHL. All you need is a Canada VPN service. Once you have subscribed to a VPN, login and connect to a server located in Canada. This way you’ll be able to stream NHL on any of your preferred channel while traveling.
Do let us know if you need further assistance! Cheers.
Hello,
I am located in Toronto and have selected HideMyAss as a Canada VPN. I have installed Dlink 601 with DD-WRT encryption and connected to Hong Kong server. The protocol I am using is L2TP and everything is working fine, also I have achieved a Hong Kong IP address. But, only problem that I’m facing is this sudden drop in my network speed, after connecting to VPN. As previously, I was getting 0.23Mbps, which has been decreased to 0.16Mbps. It is considerably slow speed for an internet connection of 6MB DSL.
Can you help me to fix it?
I have been using VPN for two years and PIA was once among my favorite VPN services. Amazing interface, blazing fast speed and countless servers were prime offerings of their service. However, PIA has been compromising on its service for few months. The YouTube app faces frequent buffering and interruptions due to overloaded servers. In addition, I experienced IP leaks few times, when I connected to US server, but Google presented me with its UK page.
Consequently, I have come across this question that is there a true VPN service that has proven to work seamlessly in Canada? If yes, then what are the leading aspects that define the best Canada VPN service?
Dear Penelope,
PIA is one of the renowned VPN services in industry. However, many users had reported about degraded service performance of PIA in last year. But, the provider has improved a lot and increased its number of servers recently. We suggest you to clear cache of your browser, turn off any proxy extensions on browser and then connect to US server of VPN. This will resolve your issue.
Also, if you’re looking for different Canadian VPN service then we suggest you to choose from one of the providers mentioned in this guide. As all the specified providers offer strong encryption tunneling protocols, a transparent zero activity logging policy, and a large number of servers spread across prime regions of the world. After using one of the specified VPN service, you will be able to access internet in Canada with complete freedom and reliable privacy.
hi there, I have just moved to Ontario and want to access SohuTV. Can you suggest me a decent VPN service that I can use to access Sohu here as my virtual private network is unable to unblock Chinese websites.?
Dear Janet,
Thanks for inquiring, to access exclusive Chinese sites from outside China, you need a VPN service that offers servers in the Mainland China. You can use one of the best virtual private network services to unblock unlimited Chinese sites from anywhere in the world. All the services listed in attached guide offers various optimized servers in different cities of China.
Canada is widely acclaimed for a massive number of internet users than any other country. Being a mainstream region for tech geeks, Canadians love to stream videos online. However, popular Canadian channels are geo-restricted outside Canada, meaning that users can’t access Bravo, CBC, Sportsnet and Canal De from outside Canada. To get away with restrictions, Canada VPN provides instant access to all Canadian channels from anywhere in the world. However, I haven’t tried NordVPN yet but I would suggest users to get a decent Canada secure ip like Express and Ivacy for top-notch privacy, anonymity and accessibility.
Internet censorship in Canada is least aggressive than anywhere else in the world. If you want to unblock geo-restricted sites and streaming services, then Canadian server will be the best pick for you. With having tremendous advantages, Canada VPN server will allow you access unlimited geo-blocked content instantly and hassle free.