The Netherlands is the most densely populated country in Europe and is the fourth most densely populated country in the world. With that, the Netherlands has long been known for their very liberal laws regarding many things including internet rights. Digital citizens may enjoy pirated media, as long as it is for personal use, legally. You would think with laws like these, that you would not really need a good VPN service. That is where you are wrong. The reason many Dutch users end up using a VPN is because the Netherlands is still part of the European Union. The EU passed a law in 2006 stating that all ISPs and phone companies were compelled to keep logs of communications and net traffic on everybody for 12 months. The Dutch had taken steps to keep records for six months, but the general restriction was annulled in 2014. If you are traveling to, or are from the Netherlands, we have some great VPN services to recommend.
| Rank | VPN Service | Our Score | Server Locations | Visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | 9.8 | 160 |  |
| 2 |  | 9.4 | 87 | |
| 3 |  | 9.2 | 95 | |
| 4 |  | 9.0 | 110 | |
| 5 |  | 8.8 | 73 | |
The Data Retention Directive or DRD for short is the law the EU passed in 2006. Doubtless, it is designed to be similar in meaning to directives used by the National Security Agency in the USA. Supposedly, the EU communications records are kept anonymously. If what the NSA in the states is doing is standard operating procedure, I would not take the risk. Interestingly enough, VPN services were immune to the directive because they provide no actual content.
Netflix was introduced in the Netherlands on September 11th, 2013 making it the 41st country launch, overall. Just as with the UK, Virgin Media struck a deal with Netflix to be able to access the popular streaming service from a regular cable box. What that means is subscribers to the cable company will have access to the Netflix application, and it can be included in their cable service. That could be a big advantage because you would not have to have a computer or a mobile device to enjoy Netflix, at least from your home.
If you are traveling to, or have relocated to the Netherlands, a VPN will allow you to gain access to your favorite shows that may be geo-blocked outside of your home country. Since I mentioned the UK, let’s use it as an example. BBC iPlayer is a streaming service that is UK only and allows anyone in the UK to view BBC programming for free. If you were from the UK and tried to access the player from the Netherlands, you would be blocked. That is because the software used in the iPlayer’s website is designed to detect the IP address of the user and reject any IP that is outside of the UK. The same holds true if you travel abroad from the Netherlands to anywhere else. If you want to be able to access the shows you are used to watching there, you would want to use a good VPN service. That includes channels like NPO, Netflix NL, RTL XL, and Sport1.
All of that sounds great, but with so many options, how do you know which VPN service to use? Well, we have some great recommendations. The services we mention have custom interfaces, so all you would have to do is select the country you wish to use, and click connect. Why miss a moment of your favorite programming if you are outside of the Netherlands? Or better yet, why not make sure your data is secure with a VPN?
1. Best VPN for Netherlands: ExpressVPN
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One of the things that ExpressVPN is good at will allow you to gain access to international libraries of content, such as with Netflix or Amazon Prime Video. Both these popular streaming services offer access to different titles depending on your location. From the massive US library to the UK, Canada, or India, we feel you should be able to access all of the content when you travel outside your home region. You can use the ExpressVPN MediaStreamer feature or connect to a VPN server to help break through those barriers.
2. Best VPN for Netherlands: NordVPN
If you are a fan of a top-level sports team and happen to be in the city where they play, you already know that the broadcasters will stop you from seeing them online. That is usually because of licensing rights and they call them blackouts. Of course, you can watch them on TV, but some do not have TVs anymore. The solution to the problem is to connect to a VPN by using NordVPN. In this case, you simply need to select a server that is not in the market area. Then, you can watch your favorite team play.
3. Best VPN for Netherlands: PIA
As more and more TV users cut the cord, many of them still want the ability to watch their favorite sports team in action. With a VPN from Private Internet Access, you don’t have to miss out. Unfortunately, licensing rights to the team will consider you to be “in-market” if you try to watch online. That means you would typically miss out unless you chose a VPN server located outside the region. Simply connect to a VPN in a different area, and you will be able to enjoy it.
4. Best VPN for Netherlands: CyberGhost
If you connect to a VPN server with CyberGhost and you are a gamer, there is something you may not be aware of. On some international platforms, games can have different prices than in your home region. An example of that is using a platform like Steam. You can sometimes find your favorite games for a lower price in other countries than you would in your home country. If you use Steam cards as well, you will be able to play your favorites for a lesser amount than usual.
5. Best VPN for Netherlands: IPVanish
If you like to travel abroad, you may quickly notice that your favorite streaming service is not available. For those that want to watch international services like Netflix, you may see that you are not able to access some of your favorite content. Of course, that is why you would want to connect to IPVanish. When you do, you can connect to a server in your home region or find another one to watch in. No matter what you choose, you can’t go wrong with IPVanish.
