Afghanistan is a landlocked located in South-Central Asia. It has a population of 32 million people. There are a few reasons people visit this desert country including the national museum, The Kabul Zoo, and more. If you are going to be one of the people visiting the country, there is something you should know. If you are going to use the internet, you should connect to a VPN first. Before we tell you more about that, please have a look at our best VPNs for Afghanistan list.
| Rank | VPN Service | Our Score | Server Locations | Visit Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | 9.8 | 160 |  |
| 2 |  | 9.4 | 87 | |
| 3 |  | 9.2 | 110 | |
| 4 |  | 9.0 | 95 | |
| 5 |  | 8.8 | 68 | |
If you take a look at the report from Freedomhouse.org, you can see that country is definitely “Not Free”. That is due to the constant monitoring and arrests by the Taliban government. It is no surprise that the Taliban is oppressive. If you are going to be in Afghanistan, you will want to use a VPN to protect your privacy by connecting to a VPN When doing so, you add an extra layer of encryption to your internet activity. That way, you will keep yourself safe from prying eyes, whether they are from the government or otherwise.
Additionally, government censorship is huge in Afghanistan. As you can see in the report, the government does not mind violating the rights of its citizens and shutting down websites. To get around this type of censorship, you would need to connect to a server in another region. That will make the censorship software think you are located someplace else. When you do, you can view the content you should normally be able to view.
What is the Best VPN for Afghanistan?
Afghanistan is a nightmare of security and access issues. Both types of factors to use a VPN are about equal. Because of that, we’ll look at them and tell you what the best VPN for Afghanistan is.
- Strong encryption with military grade components to protect you from the prying eyes of the government
- Ability to get around government censored content while in Afghanistan
- Strict no-logs policy offered to help protect the privacy of users
- High network stability to avoid disconnects in the region
- Mobile apps and support for Amazon Firestick devices
- High-Speed servers that perform well on speed tests in the region
Let’s take a more in-depth look at the best VPNs to use while in Afghanistan.
1. Best VPN for Afghanistan: ExpressVPN
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ExpressVPN brings together fast VPN access with MediaStreamer which acts as a Smart DNS service to unblock access to geo-restricted content. The VPN service will help encrypt your connection and unblock live sporting events. You will even find a list of the latest live entertainment and sporting events on their website. Being in the British Virgin Islands puts ExpressVPN outside the 5 eyes and 14 eyes countries. They maintain a no-log policy that has been verified through high profile legal requests over the years.
ExpressVPN manages a very large VPN network. Beyond the USA, the ExpressVPN network boasts thousands of servers in key locations to help protect user’s privacy. You can connect to their VPN network to protect your privacy, unblock censorship, and watch your favorite streaming services from anywhere.
The ExpressVPN app allows you to select a server location down to the city but you do not need to choose a specific server. Instead, the client will select the fastest server in your chosen location. You also need to know that some cities are not shown on the recommended tab inside the client. You may find that issue with servers in the area. Simply select the “All” tab, open Asia, and then open Turkey. At this point, you can select servers in Turkey (the closest area). When we tested a server there, the speed was 66.54 Mbps.
Perhaps the biggest advantage of using ExpressVPN is their support for a wide range of devices. ExpressVPN offers custom VPN software for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android. Connect your desktop and mobile at the same time with up to 3 simultaneous connections. You can also install the ExpressVPN web extension for Chrome or Firefox. Want to protect your entire home network with a single VPN account? If so you can use the ExpressVPN router app to set it up. The MediaStreamer feature adds Smart DNS support to devices like game consoles (PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, etc.), media boxes (Apple TV, Roku, Nvidia Shield TV, etc.), and Smart TVs.
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ExpressVPN performed very well in our speed tests. They are a great choice for privacy and to unblock geo-restrictions. Customer support is available 24/7 to provide assistance and answer any questions. Enjoy the best VPN for less with confidence as ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
2. Best VPN for Afghanistan: NordVPN
Sign up for 36 months for just $2.99 per month (75% discount)
NordVPN is based in Panama which some users prefer to using a VPN company that’s actually headquartered in the United States. You will find that NordVPN has a strong presence in the US with servers located throughout the country. Members have full access to their network in the USA and beyond for a very good price.
You will find that NordVPN has perhaps the best mix of services for the price if you subscribe to an account for a longer period of time. All users have full access to their network and custom software. You can connect using the VPN client for Windows or Mac. They also have an easy-to-use mobile app for Android and iOS (iPhone, iPad) devices. You can use the NordVPN browser extension for Chrome, Firefox, or Safari. NordVPN offers some advanced privacy features like double VPN, P2P servers, and dedicated IP that really helps the service stand out.
NordVPN hosts a number of servers in Turkey. From the console, clicking on the 3 horizontal dots to the right of the country, you can locate the server area and see the percentages of the servers available. We tested a server located in Turkey and tested it to Kabul, Afghanistan. The download speed was 54.26 Mbps.
Want to access streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, or BBC iPlayer from anywhere in the world? If so NordVPN is a great choice. They are one of the only VPN services that can still unblock Netflix. You can sign up for unlimited VPN and SmartDNS service from just $2.99 a month with a 3-year membership.
3. Best VPN for Afghanistan: CyberGhost
Sign up for 36 months for just $2.75 a month (79% discount)
CyberGhost was founded in 2001 by 7 enthusiastic young team members in Bucharest, Romania. Since that time the company has grown into one of the largest VPN services in the world. The team of 50+ members is focused on protecting users privacy. Robert Knapp, co-founder and CEO, continues to lead the team even after they joined the Crossrider group in 2017. Since that time the CyberGhost network has expanded quite a bit.
CyberGhost offers a nice mix of server locations, strong encryption, and the ability to unblock popular streaming services like Netflix, YouTube Red, and Amazon Prime. Some of the channels even let you unblock geo-restrictions for multiple regions. For example, you can access Amazon Prime video content in the US, Germany, or UK. The Windows client also gives you the option to surf anonymously, protect WiFi, torrent anonymously, unblock basic websites (Google, Facebook Instagram, etc.), and choose a server.
Since we wanted to test a server in India, we opened the Windows client and clicked on the “Choose My Server” option. From there you can expand any country and select a specific server. The CyberGhost network includes a number of servers in India. We connected to one of them and tested the performance. As you can see, our download speed was 67.68 Mbps.
The CyberGhost VPN client is one of our favorites. It is very easy to use and includes a number of advanced features to help protect your online privacy. They have a development team in Germany that is continually adding features to the client and mobile apps. You can sign up for full access to the CyberGhost network from just $2.75 a month during their current promotion.
4. Best VPN for Afghanistan: PIA
Sign up for 24 months for just $3.49 a month (65% discount)
Private Internet Access (PIA) gives users a few different options. Unlike in the past, you no longer have to set up a profile for each VPN server. Now, you can connect to any of their server locations in 33 countries. The PIA team has organized their servers by region, country, and city. You will find the speed to be fast most of the time.
There are a lot of torrent users who love Private Internet Access. The service includes a feature that will stop your system from communicating if the connection to their service drops. Meaning if your encrypted VPN access is dropped for any reason it will keep you safe.
PIA offers a Windows client and other apps that are simple and easy to use. However, you won’t want to underestimate it. PIA offers different levels of privacy protection depending on your needs. You can control encryption levels to help you find the right balance between privacy and speed.
PIA offers a Windows client and other apps that are simple and easy to use. However, you won’t want to underestimate it. PIA offers different levels of privacy protection depending on your needs. You can control encryption levels to help you find the right balance between privacy and speed. We connected to an Indian server and came up with a speed of 60.76 Mbps.
When it comes to their Windows client the PIA team has included an Internet kill switch. The kill switch will kill your Internet connection anytime the VPN fails. That can really come in handy for those wanting to ensure anonymity. Private Internet Access offers VPN from $3.49 a month along with a 7-day money-back guarantee.
5. Best VPN for Afghanistan: Surfshark
Sign up for 24 months for just $1.99 a month (83% discount)
Surfshark launched their VPN service in 2018. Since that time, the company has made quite a splash in the community. The team continues to grow and add locations all the time and is heavily focused on pricing and privacy. It also has the whistles and bells that you would expect with the bigger services
With more than 500 servers in 50 countries, strong encryption, and the ability to unblock popular streaming services like Netflix, YouTube Red, and Amazon Prime, they have many opportunities to enjoy their service. You even have the ability to watch some of the services that are available in multiple regions. For example, you can access Amazon Prime video content in the US, Germany, or UK. The Windows client also gives you the option to surf privately, protect your WiFi traffic, torrent anonymously, and more, when you choose a server.
For our tests regarding Afghanistan, we wanted to select a server located in Madrid. Once you log in, simply search for India in the search bar. From there, you can connect to a server located there. When we connected to a server and tested the speed to Kabul, Afghanistan, the speed was 2.23 Mbps.
For the money and the features, Surfshark is a good option for those that do not necessarily need a very high-speed connection while there. Everything is easy to use and you should not have any issues. You can sign up for an unlimited account with unlimited devices for $1.99 a month when you buy a 2-year plan.
If you are going to brave going to Afghanistan in the future, it is a smart idea to use a VPN. As you can see, there are some great options above. Of course, there are other options available on our top 10 VPN list. They will all perform as expected, but we optimized our choices specifically to work for the Afghanistan region. That way, you will have access to restricted content and keep yourself safe. By reading our guide, we can help you find the right decision to fit your needs.