Sochi is a Russian city located on the Black Sea. It has an estimated population of 343k residents. Many visitors to the city enjoy the black sand beaches, world-class skiing and winter sports venues, and more. If you have thought about visiting the city for business, to experience climate diversity, or any other reasons, you will want to be sure to use a VPN whenever you use the internet. We’ll offer you more information about that, shortly. Before we do, please take a look at our best VPNs for Sochi list.
| Rank | VPN Service | Our Score | Server Locations | Visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | 9.8 | 160 |  |
| 2 |  | 9.4 | 87 | |
| 3 |  | 9.2 | 110 | |
According to the Freedomhouse.org report on Russia, it should come as no surprise that the country is “not free”. The government frequently monitors internet traffic of their citizens and watches what they do. By using a VPN, you create a secure and encrypted connection. While that is not a guarantee against the Russian government, it does make it much tougher for them to monitor you. That is the best reason to use one while there.
The next reason to use a VPN is to help you get around censorship in the county. As you see in the report we mentioned above, censorship is prolific in the country. When you use a VPN for this reason, you would connect to a server located in a different country. That way, you will fool the blocking software into thinking you are located someplace else. From that point, you can enjoy your favorites, just as if you are located someplace else.
What is the best VPN for Sochi?
We focused on the following criteria to determine our list of the best VPNs for Sochi. You may notice that they are focused on security first.
- Strong military grade encryption to help protect your privacy
- VPN providers that do not keep usage logs
- The ability to unblock popular streaming services and get around filtering
- Large and stable network to help you eliminate disconnects
- VPN servers that performed well in the Sochi region.
- Mobile apps and support for Amazon Firestick devices
Without further delay, here is a list of the best VPN services for Sochi:
1. Best VPN for Sochi: 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 Ukraine (the closest location). Simply select the “All” tab, open Europe, and then open Ukraine. At this point, you can select servers there. When we tested a server in Kiev, Ukraine and tested speed to Sochi, the speed was 120.68 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.
2. Best VPN for Sochi: 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 Ukraine (since it is the closest location. 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 Kiev, Ukraine and tested to Sochi. The download speed was 113.72 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 Sochi: CyberGhost
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 Wi-Fi, torrent anonymously, unblock basic websites (Google, Facebook Instagram, etc.), and choose a server.
Since we wanted to test a server in Kiev, Ukraine, 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 Ukraine and click to the right of the star. This will bring up a full list of servers in Ukraine. The CyberGhost network includes a few servers in Kiev. We connected to one of them and tested the performance to Sochi. As you can see, our download speed was 86.44 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.
The reasons to use a VPN while in Sochi should be clear to you. That is why we have provided you with our favorites. For those that would like to check out other options than the ones above, feel free to 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 Sochi. No matter what you are planning on doing there, VPN protection is a good idea. By using our guide, you can take all necessary steps to protect your privacy.