Turkey is a country that is located in western Asia and bordered by eight different countries. Though the country is officially secular, 98% of the population is Muslim. What is remarkable about Turkey are the facts that it is a democracy and half of the population is below 30. All of that said, the country has some very strict laws on internet usage. If you are traveling to this dynamic country, or if you live there, a good VPN service will help you get through rough spots just in case the Turkish government puts a ban on social media sites again.
| Rank | VPN Service | Our Score | Server Locations | Visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | 9.8 | 160 |  |
| 2 |  | 9.4 | 87 | |
| 3 |  | 9.2 | 95 | |
| 4 |  | 9.0 | 110 | |
| 5 |  | 8.8 | 73 | |
There are some big questions about the future that Turkish citizens will face. The first question comes because of the instability in the region. Fortunately for the Turks, thanks to good security, the problems are contained within the borders of the other countries in question.
The Turkish economy is the 15th largest in the world. With so many residents under 30, the technology field and technology start-up companies are driving the country to become the lead economic powerhouse in the region. The government has also offered many incentives and investments to bolster the tech field, including building business parks and giving those companies tax-exempt status. The Turks have propelled much of their own economic engine because as much as 97% of the businesses in Turkey are small or medium-sized, and employ 4/5ths of the workforce.
The problem with that is while the government is encouraging all of this growth, their data retention policy states that data must be kept for at least two years. They also have the ability to block websites in as little as 4 hours time. With these rules, the government can go beyond regular site wide banning as in the case of Youtube last year, it can block specific content on websites just like China can. The last part of these stringent rules comes in the form of a deep packet inspection policy. What that means is they have the ability to get around anonymizing tools that people might use to get around blocks or bans. All of these rules have been put in to place without any kind of independent oversight.
So in this case, the irresistible force meets the immovable object. It is difficult for me to see how a country that is so technologically savvy could, at the same time, be so restrictive on the very thing they are creating. Does the Turkish government actually expect to keep such a tight hold on internet usage? There is evidence that other countries have done that very thing, so the idea is not totally without precedent. With all of the blocked content, you should be able to use a good VPN service to unblock it all.
VPNs are important in Turkey for two reasons. The first reason is internet security. As you can see, the government has access to all online activity and it is all recorded for a minimum of two years. A VPN service would suspend data collection like that. The second reason comes as a way to unblock content. Since it is clear that the Turkish parliament will block sites and specific content on the fly, a VPN would stop any interruptions from occurring as well as allowing you to see geo-blocked streaming content by allowing you to connect to a different country. Get a VPN service so you can view some of the channels that would typicially be geo-blocked outside of Turkey like CNN Turk, Beyaz TV, Edessa TV, Star TV, Sky Turk 360, and Show TV just to name a few.
There you have it. Clearly, there are important reasons to use a VPN service in Turkey. The question is, which one is the best to choose? We have several great suggestions for VPNs and all of them have custom clients. Connecting to them is as simple as selecting a country, and pushing a button.
1. Best VPN for Turkey: ExpressVPN
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We feel that no one should have to miss out on watching their favorite sports. Luckily, ExpressVPN agrees with that thought. If you like to travel abroad, are an expat, or you are otherwise outside the viewing area, you may have an issue when you try to watch your home team. The solution to that is to connect to a VPN in the region you want to join. It will get you past any geo-blocking software so you can enjoy the live streams of your favorite sporting events.
2. Best VPN for Turkey: NordVPN
If you play one of the many games that are available through an internet browser, we suggest that you connect to a VPN server by using NordVPN. While browser games are fun, you may have noticed that they can sometimes take a while to load. Often, that is because of the processes or ads that are trying to load on the page. Some companies even create free games to spread their malware. By turning on the NordVPN CyberSec feature, however, you can block annoying ads and potentially avoid malware that could cause harm.
3. Best VPN for Turkey: PIA
Established in 2010, Private Internet Access has an excellent reputation in the community. They support several different privacy foundations and organizations, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Fight for the Future, the Internet Society, OpenMedia, Open Rights Group, and many more open source projects. That shows their commitment to protecting the privacy of their members and why so many users love the service. In addition to reasonable pricing, Private Internet Access offers a trustworthy service that you can not go wrong with if you choose it.
4. Best VPN for Turkey: CyberGhost
All VPN providers say they will protect you, but not all of them can prove it. Luckily, CyberGhost is one that can. The truth is some can compromise your security with DNS leaks. After you sign up for service, there are several places online where you can test to see if the reason you are connecting to a VPN is working. While the CyberGhost website has a tester, it likes to state that you are exposed when you may not be. If you connect to a VPN and you see an IP address that is not from the company, you have leaks.
5. Best VPN for Turkey: IPVanish
One of the great things you can do when you connect to a VPN server from IPVanish is stream content from different regions. IPVanish spreads its more than 1400 servers over 75+ locations. That makes them an ideal candidate to stream. Their fast speeds also help when watching content from other areas because it means you will not usually have to deal with lag. If your goal is to stream movies and shows from different parts of the world, you can’t go wrong with IPVanish.
