Ottawa, Canada stands on the south bank of the Ottawa River and is the capital city of the country. The current population of the city is almost 965k and the metro area houses 1.32 million people. That means it is the 4th largest city in Canada. Ottawa boasts a wide and varied economy as well as the most educated population in Canadian cities. There are a variety of reasons to visit the city. If you will be included in the list of visitors to the city this year and want to use public WiFi, be sure to use a VPN first. We’ll explain more, shortly. However, we suggest taking a look at our list of the best VPNs for Ottawa.
| Rank | VPN Service | Our Score | Server Locations | Visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | 9.8 | 160 |  |
| 2 |  | 9.4 | 87 | |
| 3 |  | 9.2 | 110 | |
| 4 |  | 9.0 | 76 | |
| 5 |  | 8.4 | 14 | |
When the Champlain Sea drained 10,000 years ago, the Ottawa Valley became habitable. Through time, settlers used it for a variety of different activities. The name comes from the Ottawa River, a variation of the Algonquin word, Odawa. A fitting name considering it means to trade. The first European settler arrived in 1610.
Today, there are many reasons to visit Ottawa. Despite having some similarities with some of the cities in the US, it has a distinctive Canadian flavor. Whether you want to take in the fine arts, zoos, parks, festivals, museums, or even sporting events, you can find them all there. In the list below, you can see some of the different teams and leagues or sports available in the area. If the name has a different start than Ottawa, we will mention it here.
- Senators (NHL)
- Redblacks (CFL)
- Champions (CAAPB)
- Ottawa Gee-gees & Carleton Ravens (Usports)
- Fury FC (AF)
- Swans (Australian Football)
- Sooners (Ontario Australian Football League)
Of course, there are some minor and amateur leagues as well as other sports. With all of those options available, you won’t run out of things to do while in Ottawa. That said, the internet is a big of life these days. If you want to use public WiFi, there are many places around the area that offer free WiFi to their patrons. Though that is great for customers, it is also great for cybercriminals as well. By using a VPN, you can secure your data by creating a secure and encrypted connection to the server of your choice. That makes it very hard for those criminals to compromise your personal data.
The next reason you may want to use a VPN is to help you with geo-restrictions. Though there are no censorship issues in the city or country, you’ll still run into media companies that will block you from seeing a sporting event or other show online. By using a VPN, you can trick the software into thinking you are located somewhere else. That way, you will be able to see what you would normally see.
Those are both good reasons to use a VPN while in Ottawa. There may be others you discover later, though. From protecting your privacy to helping you get around geo-restrictions, a VPN has you covered. Now, we’ll tell you a bit about the different protocol options. With all of the choices available, you will want to use either the IKEv2 or the OpenVPN encryption protocols when choosing one. That said, not all providers offer the first one. If the providers give you an option between versions of OpenVPN, the UDP version is the fastest. However, the TCP version is better if you are having connection issues.
Without further delay, here is a list of the best VPN services for Ottawa:
1. Best VPN for Ottawa: 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. Unfortunately, that is the case for Montreal. Simply click on the Canadian flag at the top and select the Montreal server. As you can see, we tested a server in Montreal (since it was the closest) and the speed was 112.88 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.
2. Best VPN for Ottawa: 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 number of servers in the area. The easiest way to select a specific server number is to select the “Servers” tab in the app and then sort the results in alphabetical order. You can then scroll down and select any of the servers nearby. As you can see we tested a server in the area and the speed was 110.32 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 Ottawa: 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. We tested a server in Montreal and found the speed to be 118.47 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 Ottawa: IPVanish
Sign up for 12 months for just $4.87 a month (60% discount)
As you might guess, we are using servers located in Montreal (because it is the closest location). IPVanish will do well for you and is a great choice when looking for VPN service. They have more server locations in the United States than the other companies on our list. This makes them a go-to VPN Choice to use while in Ottawa.
Along with a large footprint in the USA, IPVanish hosts servers in every continent other than Antarctica. The network has consistently been the fastest VPN in North America and Europe in our speed tests. You will find multiple server locations in countries like the US and UK. You can select a location or an individual server.
IPVanish hosts 3 servers in Montreal and you can choose to connect to any of them. We tested an IPVanish server in Montreal and found the speed to be 111.16 Mbps. The speeds of all of their servers are fast, so you should not have a problem depending on your purpose for using a VPN.
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 Ottawa: CactusVPN
CactusVPN is headquartered in the country of Moldova. For those unfamiliar with the country, it is located in Eastern Europe and borders the Ukraine and Romania. The service was formed in 2011 by three friends that all had backgrounds in e-commerce. Though it is much bigger now, they still like to maintain the “family model”. The creators refuse to sell the company because they want to keep it that way. Currently, they have more than 22 servers located in 14 different countries.
CactusVPN hosts a server Montreal (the closest to Ottawa) which is perfect for those who want a secure IP address in the city. We tested the speed of the server and found it to be 125.97 Mbps. The server is local to Montreal and is fast enough to easily stream HD content.
Though CactusVPN is small, they state that they use only high-speed VPN servers. They are also feature rich. Those include strong encryption, DNS leak protection, kill switch, apps killer, and more. You can sort by speed, country, and even protocol. They make it easy to switch between locations. You can sign up for full access including Smart DNS for as low as $6.99 a month during their current promotion.
If you would like to take a look at other options, you can always view our top 10 VPN services list. We chose our options based on speed, reliability, security, and even price. We also looked for servers in and around Ottawa. That way, you have access to the best speeds available. For those that plan on doing any streaming, you already know how important speed can be. All of our providers have good networks, so you can’t go wrong. Use our guide to help you find the best options.