Rio de Janeiro is the second most populous city in Brazil. It has an estimated population of almost 6.7 million residents. There are some really great reasons to visit this fun city. From nightlife to Carnival, to food, beaches, and more, you can find plenty of things to do there. Whether you are going to be visiting for business or pleasure reasons, there is a good chance you will want to take advantage of the WiFi available in the city. When you do, though, be sure use a VPN. There are a few reasons behind doing so, and we will explain them in a moment. First, have a look at our list of the best VPNs for Rio de Janeiro.
| Rank | VPN Service | Our Score | Server Locations | Visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | 9.8 | 160 |  |
| 2 |  | 9.2 | 110 | |
| 3 |  | 9.0 | 46 | |
| 4 |  | 9.0 | 87 | |
| 5 |  | 8.8 | 70 | |
Despite boasting about progressive internet laws, a FreedomHouse.org report lists Brazil as partially free. There is some evidence that government surveillance may be happening. Of course, that makes using a VPN very important. When you do, you create an encrypted connection to a server. That makes it much harder for anyone that would want to see your traffic to do so.
The next reason to use a VPN in Brazil has to deal with censorship. That includes using apps on your phone such WhatsApp. That one is frequently blocked in the city and country. By connecting to a VPN in another region, you can get past such censorship and geo-restrictions as well.
What is the Best VPN for Rio de Janeiro?
Because of Brazil’s status, answering which VPN is the best for Rio de Janeiro is dependent on several factors. In this case, we are going to look at security reasons first.
- Strong military-grade encryption to protect the user’s privacy
- Strict no logs policy
- Providers with high network stability to reduce the chance of disconnects
- Ability to get around geo-restricted censored apps, and censored content in Rio de Janeiro and other regions of Brazil
- Fast servers that perform well in Melbourne and the region
- Multi-platform mobile app support including Amazon Firestick
Now, here is a closer look at the best VPNs for Rio de Janeiro.
1. Best VPN for Rio de Janeiro: 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 servers in Brazil. Simply select the “All” tab, open Americas, and then open Brazil. At this point, you can select servers there. When we tested a server in Sao Paulo and tested to Rio. The speed was 120.93 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 Rio de Janeiro: 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 Sao Paulo, 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 Brazil and click to the right of the star. This will bring up a full list of servers in Brazil. The CyberGhost network includes a few servers in Brazil. We connected to one of them and tested the performance. As you can see, our download speed was 53.68 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.
3. Best VPN for Rio de Janeiro: StrongVPN
Sign up for 12 months for just $4.37 a month (41% discount)
StrongVPN is headquartered in the United States and has one of the best VPN networks in the country. In the past the company charged users based on the number of server locations and protocols they used. That has changed as StrongVPN now offers members full access to their network with hundreds of servers worldwide.
The latest addition to the StrongVPN service is the StrongDNS feature. Everyone who signs up for a StrongVPN account also receives free access to StrongDNS which is a smart DNS service used to circumvent geo-restrictions. It is a great solution for those who plan to travel outside the USA and want to access Netflix.
StrongVPN hosts a few servers located in Rio. Unfortunately, you can not select a specific server. Instead, you will want to click on the server location drop-down, choose the United States, and then select one in Rio de Janeiro. We selected OpenVPN UDP for the best performance. We got speeds of 36.98 Mbps.
StrongVPN has been kind in offering our visitors a 25% discount. The coupon stacks on top of their normal term discounts. You can enjoy unlimited VPN and free SmartDNS access for just $7.50 a month or $52.49 a year. The annual account works out to just $4.37 a month. New users are covered by a 7-day money back guarantee.
4. Best VPN for Rio de Janeiro: 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 Ijui. 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 Ijui, Brazil, and the download speed was 10.70 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.
5. Best VPN for Rio de Janeiro: VyprVPN
The VyprVPN team is based out of Austin, Texas and has a long history of fighting for user’s Internet privacy. They have hosted an annual privacy panel at SXSW for several years and have even spent time in Washington, DC lobbying for privacy reforms. You will find the VPN service to be in line with their values.
You will notice some added features with VyprVPN depending on which account you choose. The VyprVPN Premium plan includes 5 simultaneous connections, VyprVPN Cloud, and Chameleon protocol. The VyprVPN Cloud feature allows you to control your own VPN server in the cloud while the Chameleon protocol helps users in countries like China get around government censorship.
The VyprVPN client does not give you the ability to select a specific server number in Sao Paulo. Instead, you will want to switch the location to the city. From there, the client will automatically connect you to the best VPN server in Sao Paulo. You can see the results of the speed test below. We performed our test in Sao Paulo and got a result of 9.12 Mbps.
VyprVPN has been kind in offering our visitors a 25% discount. The coupon stacks on top of their normal term discounts. You can enjoy unlimited VPN and VyprVPN Cloud for just $12.95 a month or $60 a year. The annual account works out to just $5.00 a month. New users are covered by a 30-day money back guarantee.
With the state of things in Brazil and Rio de Janeiro, you can see some big reasons to use a VPN. Though we have provided you with some great choices, you can see other options by looking 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. However, we optimized our choices for Rio de Janeiro. No matter what you are planning on doing there, VPN protection is a good idea. When you use our guide, you can make the best decision for your needs.