Doha is the capital and most populous city in Qatar. It has an estimated population of 1.7 million people. The city attracts visitors from far and wide for many reasons. Some of those include business opportunities, beautiful beaches, historical sites, shopping, Desert Safaris, and more. If you are planning to visit the most visited city in the middle east, you want to make sure that you use a VPN any time you use the internet. We’ll give you more information about that in a moment. First, take a look at our best VPNs for Doha list.
| Rank | VPN Service | Our Score | Server Locations | Visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | 9.4 | 280 |  |
| 2 |  | 9.4 | 160 | |
| 3 |  | 9.2 | 87 | |
While there are many beautiful things to witness in Doha and Qatar, that beauty does not carry over to freedoms. According to a report from Freedomhouse.org, Qatar is not free. That is why you need to use a VPN to protect your privacy. The government monitors and controls internet traffic. By connecting to a VPN, you create a secure and encrypted connection. That will make it much more difficult prying eyes to watch your activity.
In that same line, there is quite a bit of internet censorship in the city and county. When you use a VPN in this case, you connect to a server located in a different area. That way, it will help you get around the government censorship just like you were in a different location.
What is the Best VPN for Doha?
Because of the prolific censorship in the city and country, we will use criteria that focus on security first. Then, we can answer what the best VPN for Doha is. Here are the criteria:
- Strong encryption using military grade specifications to protect your privacy
- Providers with a strict a no-logs policy
- High network stability to eliminate server disconnects
- Fast servers that perform well in Doha and the region
- Ability to get around government censorship and geo-restricted material
- Multi-platform mobile app support including Amazon Firestick
Now, here is a closer look at the best VPNs for Doha.
1. Best VPN for Doha: HMA
HideMyAss was brought to life in 2005 when Jack Cator, a 16-year-old student in England, decided that he wanted to create a service to help people avoid censorship. Specifically, Jack was unable to access social media sites and online games because they were blocked on the school network. HMA added hundreds of thousands of users the first month and has since grown into one of the largest VPN services in the world with over 350 server locations. Privax, the parent company of HMA Pro VPN, joined the AVG team in 2015.
For those that want to find a VPN provider with the most server locations, HideMyAss is your best choice. Just keep in mind that HMA logs user activity which is a concern for some VPN users. HMA hosts some VPN servers in Doha. To connect to a server there, you will want to go into the “Location Mode” and select “Change Location” to get started. Then click on the “Cities” tab and search for Doha. We connected to a server there to test and found the speed to be 97.84 Mbps.
In 2016 HMA and a few other leading VPN providers led the way in simplifying their custom client software. The result is a full set of custom apps that make it easy for any user to connect to the HMA network and encrypt your connection. They have software available for Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS. You can also connect to HMA through your router. HMA offers unlimited VPN access from just $4.99 a month and offers all new users a 30-day risk-free money back guarantee.
2. Best VPN for Doha: ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN brings together fast VPN access with MediaStreamer which acts as a Smart DNS service to help unblock access to some great 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.
ExpressVPN manages a very large VPN network. Beyond the USA and Canada, the ExpressVPN network boasts hundreds of servers in key locations to help protect their user’s privacy. You can use their network to protect your privacy, unblock censorship, and watch your favorite teams from anywhere.
The ExpressVPN app allows you to select a server location down to the city but you can not choose a specific server. Instead, the client will select a 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 region. Simply select the “All” tab, open Asia, and then open Sri Lanka (the closest location). At this point, you can select servers there. When we tested a server in Sri Lanka and tested a server in Doha. The speed was 17.68 Mbps.
While ExpressVPN is sold at a higher price point than the other services in our list, the value is high given the size of their network and service features. You can connect a computer, handheld device, router, and game console (SmartDNS) with a single VPN account for just $6.67 a month with a 30-day money back guarantee.
3. Best VPN for Doha: NordVPN
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 want to get a subscription for a longer length 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 both Android and iOS (iPhone, iPad) devices.
NordVPN hosts a number of servers in the region. 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 Georgia and tested to a server in Tbilisi and the download speed was 1.10 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.
Now, we have shown you some of our favorite VPN options to use while in Doha. You can clearly see that there are some very good reasons to do so. For those that would like other options, If you would like to see other options than the ones above, you can always take a look at the providers on our top 10 VPN list. All the options on that list should perform well, but we made our choices based on a number of factors. That is how we optimized our choices for Doha. No matter what you are planning on doing there, VPN protection is a good idea. By using our guide, you can protect your privacy with the best possible options.