| 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 | |
You’ll want to use a VPN in Zimbabwe for a few different reasons, however, the biggest one is for privacy. The FreedomHouse.org lists the country as partly free. However, the country is under quite a bit of turmoil at the moment. While the internet authority protests the government monitoring of the internet, the government seems to be using their own set of rules. Since internet penetration is relatively low in the country, it is easily monitored and mostly used for email. Whether you are using public WiFi or private WiFi, you will want to connect to a VPN first. By doing so, you create a secure and encrypted connection to the server of your choice. That could definitely help to keep you safe. It also makes it much more difficult for the government or cyberthieves to gain access to your sensitive data.
The second reason is not that important but still worth mentioning. There is not much censorship to really speak of, but you will definitely encounter geo-restrictions. The solution to this is to connect to a VPN located in another country. That makes the blocking software think you are located someplace else. That way, you can browse as you normally would.
What is the Best VPN for Zimbabwe?
We can answer that question by looking at a few criteria. The most important ones deal with privacy. Only by looking at them can we determine the best VPNs for Zimbabwe.
- Strict no-logs policy
- Military grade strong encryption to protect privacy
- Large network of servers in the region to help eliminate disconnects
- Ability to get around geo-restrictions in the African region
- Fast servers that perform well in Southern Africa
- Multi-platform mobile apps that include support for many devices such as Amazon Firestick.
Using those factors, here are the best VPNs for Zimbabwe.
1. Best VPN for Zimbabwe: ExpressVPN
Sign up for 12 months and get 3 MONTHS FREE on our #1 rated VPN
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. This is true for Johannesburg. You will want to select the “All” tab, open Africa, and then open South Africa. At this point, you can select the Johannesburg server location. As you can see we tested a server in Johannesburg and the speed was 119.47 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.
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 Zimbabwe: 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 Johannesburg (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 the South African server in Johannesburg and the download speed was as 65.32 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 Zimbabwe: PIA
Sign up for 24 months for just $3.49 a month (65% discount)
Private Internet Access (PIA) gives users a few different options. Unlike in the past, you no longer have to set up a profile for each VPN server. Now, you can connect to any of their server locations in 33 countries. As you can see below, the PIA team has organized their servers by region, country, and city. The server locations are listed in alphabetical order by country.
There are a lot of torrent users who love Private Internet Access. The service includes a feature that will stop your system from communicating if the connection to their service drops. Meaning if your encrypted VPN access is dropped for any reason it will keep you safe.
PIA offers a Windows client and other apps that are simple and easy to use. However, you won’t want to underestimate it. PIA offers different levels of privacy protection depending on your needs. You can control encryption levels to help you find the right balance between privacy and speed. As you can see, our speed test showed that PIA performs well in the region. When we connected to a Johannesburg server, we got a speed of 67.48 Mbps.
When it comes to their Windows client the PIA team has included an Internet kill switch. The kill switch will kill your Internet connection anytime the VPN fails. That can really come in handy for those wanting to ensure anonymity. Private Internet Access offers VPN from just $3.49 a month.
4. Best VPN for Zimbabwe: 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 Johannesburg, 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 Africa and click to the right of the star. This will bring up a full list of servers in Africa. The CyberGhost network includes a number of servers in Capetown. We connected to one of them and tested the performance. As you can see, our download speed was 8.01 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.
5. Best VPN for Zimbabwe: IPVanish
Sign up for 12 months for just $4.87 a month (60% discount)
IPVanish offers several servers in the area, so you should not have any issues there. You can expect fast speed in locations in multiple parts of the world as well, though. Because of that, we choose IPVanish as one of our go-to options to use while in Zimbabwe.
As well as quite a bit of coverage in various European regions, IPVanish hosts servers in every continent other than Antarctica. The network produces great speeds and they perform well on our speed tests. You can select a location or an individual server from the drop-down menu.
We just mentioned that IPVanish has servers all over the region and they are all available to you. If you happen to see a server that has the letter “a” as part of its server name, those are the fastest in the network. We tested an IPVanish server in Johannesburg and found the speed to be 5.65 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.
There are some great options to use while visiting Zimbabwe to protect yourself. Hopefully, we made the reasons clear why finding a great VPN is a good idea. There are more options you can also look at on our top 10 VPN list. While they are also good options, we made sure our specific choices based on several factors including security, stability, speeds, price, we made sure they were optimized for Zimbabwe. No matter what activities you engage in while you are in the country, those factors are important. By using our guide, we can help you make the right decision to fit your needs.