The State of Israel is a small country located in Western Asia on the Mediterranean Sea. It has an estimated population of 8.9 million people. The country is considered by Jews, Christians, and Muslims as the biblical holy land. Many tourists, pilgrims, missionaries, and businesses travel to the area because of the historical significance and because of the opportunities. No matter what your reason for visiting the country is, there is a good chance you will want to use public WiFi. Before you do, however, you’ll want to connect to a VPN first. Here is a list of the best VPNs for Israel.
| Rank | VPN Service | Our Score | Server Locations | Visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | 9.8 | 110 |  |
| 2 |  | 9.2 | 280 | |
| 3 |  | 9.2 | 160 | |
| 4 |  | 9.0 | 76 | |
| 5 |  | 9.0 | 87 | |
The Israeli government restricts and completely blocks some content. For starters they block pornographic websites. Technically users can opt out of the censorship by requesting access from their ISP but that is huge invasion of privacy. Social media is mostly open in Israel but they will restrict access to content deemed inappropriate. Theses are normally hateful posts. The same is true for the press. The government has the right to restrict the press from reporting which is disturbing.
Despite the country’s small size, the potential for high-speed internet connections is great. However, that also means it is great for cybercrooks. No one wants to have their personal data stolen whether they are on a business trip, vacation, or mission trip. By using a VPN, you create a secure and private connection to a server of your choice. Because it is encrypted, that makes it much harder for would-be thieves to steal your sensitive information.
The second reason to use a VPN is to help you get around geo-blocks and restrictions. While Israel has no real censorship issues other than hate speech, there are definitely things that you may want to access from outside the country. If you are using a VPN in that case, you can connect to a server in a different location. That will make the blocking software think you are located somewhere else. Then, you can browse as you normally would.
While those are the two biggest reasons to use a VPN when in Israel, you could discover others along the way. From accessing geo-restricted and banned content to simply protecting your privacy, using a VPN is a bright idea. Now that you see the reasons behind using one, there are some things you need to look at.
What is the best VPN for Israel?
In considering this question, you need to take several factors into account. To find the best VPNs for Israel, we used the following criteria:
- Strong military-grade encryption to help protect you from thieves
- High-speed servers that perform well while in Israel
- Providers that have a no logs policy
- Multi-platform mobile app support including Amazon Firestick
- Ability to get around geo-blocks inside and outside of the region
- High network stability to help lessen or eliminate the chance of disconnects
And now to our list of the best VPNs for Israel.
1. Best VPN for Israel: 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 Israel, we opened the Windows client and expanded the interface. From there, you will want to click on the “All Servers” tab if it isn’t already active. Scroll down to Israel and click to the right of the star. This will bring up a full list of servers in the country. The CyberGhost network includes a few servers in Tel Aviv. We connected to a server there and we got a speed of 125.39 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.
2. Best VPN for Israel: HMA
Sign up for 36 months for just $2.99 a month (75% discount)
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.
If your goal is to find the VPN with the most server locations then 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 Israel including several servers in major cities. 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 Petah Tikva (the best location option in the country). We connected to a server there to test and found the speed to be 86.09 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.
3. Best VPN for Israel: 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 their user’s privacy. You can use their 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 the cities we mentioned. Simply select the “All” tab, open Middle East and Africa, and then open Israel. At this point, you can select a server there. When we tested a server in Tel Aviv, the speed was 34.20 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 from 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 get all set 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.
4. Best VPN for Israel: IPVanish
Sign up for 12 months for just $4.87 a month (60% discount)
Israel may seem small, but they definitely have their share of Western culture. Many VPN providers have servers in the country. Of course, that includes IPVanish. You can expect fast speed in locations in multiple parts of the world. Because of that reason, we choose IPVanish as one of our go-to options to use while in Israel.
As well as quite a bit of coverage in various regions, IPVanish hosts servers in every continent other than Antarctica. The network produces great speeds and they perform well on our speed tests. You will find multiple server locations all over Asia. You can select a location or an individual server from the drop-down menu.
IPVanish hosts a number of servers in the locations we mentioned above and you can choose to connect to any of them. If you see servers that have the letter “a” in the server name, those are the fastest. We tested an IPVanish server in Tel Aviv and found the speed to be 29.65 Mbps.
When it comes to value IPVanish is hard to beat. They offer unlimited access to their VPN network and custom software for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Amazon Firestick and more for $7.50 a month or $58.49 a year. That works out to just $4.87 a month on the annual plan. A 7-day money back guarantee covers all new members.
5. Best VPN for Israel: 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 a longer term account. 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 few servers in the area, including some in Israel. 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 in Tel Aviv and found it to have a download speed of 9.81 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.
For everyone that would like to have the options of other providers, please don’t hesitate to take a look at our top 10 VPN services. However, we don’t think you will need to, though. We hand-picked our choices specifically over other leading services because of regional locations, speed, price, and security. We also looked for providers with a good network of VPN servers. That way, you can get the best possible speeds available. No matter which one you choose, there are no bad options. If you plan on streaming content or just keeping yourself safe while in Israel, speeds are important. You can make an informed decision by using our guide.