Facts checked 17 Oct 2026 Formula published below
Best VPN for travel and public Wi-Fi
Hotel, airport and café Wi-Fi is shared with strangers, and some destinations block apps you rely on. A travel VPN needs to cover all your devices, get through local blocks and keep your home services working.
Top pick
ExpressVPN 91/100
Devices at once: 10, 12 or 14 by plan. Obfuscation is switched on automatically on every server, so there is no special mode to find.
What matters for travel and public wi-fi
Public Wi-Fi is shared
Anyone on the same network can try to snoop. A VPN encrypts everything between your device and the VPN server.
Some countries block your apps
Check the destination first: WhatsApp calls, Google or Instagram may not work. The table below shows where VPN use itself is restricted.
Count your devices
Phone, laptop, tablet and a partner's phone add up. Device limits are listed below. [1] [2] [3]
The top 3
#1
ExpressVPN 91/100
Devices at once: 10, 12 or 14 by plan. Obfuscation is switched on automatically on every server, so there is no special mode to find.
Try ExpressVPN#2
NordVPN 91/100
Devices at once: 10. Largest network of the six, with the NordWhisper protocol for networks that inspect traffic.
Try NordVPN#3
Proton VPN 82/100
Devices at once: 10 (free plan: 1). Swiss-based with open-source apps and a free tier, plus a Stealth protocol for restrictive networks.
Try Proton VPNFull ranking
| # | VPN | Score | Breakdown | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ExpressVPN | 91/100 | Stealth / obfuscation 10 · Privacy & audits 8 · Streaming 9 | Try ExpressVPN |
| 2 | NordVPN | 91/100 | Stealth / obfuscation 9 · Privacy & audits 8 · Streaming 10 | Try NordVPN |
| 3 | Proton VPN | 82/100 | Stealth / obfuscation 8 · Privacy & audits 10 · Streaming 7 | Try Proton VPN |
| 4 | Surfshark | 81/100 | Stealth / obfuscation 8 · Privacy & audits 7 · Streaming 9 | Try Surfshark |
| 5 | Private Internet Access | 69/100 | Stealth / obfuscation 5 · Privacy & audits 8 · Streaming 8 | Try Private Internet Access |
| 6 | CyberGhost | 64/100 | Stealth / obfuscation 4 · Privacy & audits 6 · Streaming 9 | Try CyberGhost |
Devices at the same time
- NordVPN
- 10
- ExpressVPN
- 10, 12 or 14 by plan
- Surfshark
- Unlimited
- Proton VPN
- 10 (free plan: 1)
- Private Internet Access
- Unlimited
From each provider's plan pages and press coverage [1] [2] [3]. Limits change; check before you buy.
Where VPN use is illegal or restricted
| Country | VPN law | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 🇦🇫 Afghanistan | Legal with restrictions | There is no clear VPN law, but authorities treat access to banned content harshly. |
| 🇧🇾 Belarus | Legal with restrictions | Anonymisers and Tor were banned in 2015. Individual VPN use is common, but subscribing to or sharing content from 'extremist' channels is prosecuted. |
| 🇧🇫 Burkina Faso | Legal with restrictions | No VPN law has been published, but critics of the junta have been detained or forcibly conscripted. |
| 🇨🇳 China | Legal with restrictions | Only government-approved VPNs are legal. Enforcement against individual tourists is rare, but VPN traffic is actively detected and slowed, especially around political anniversaries. |
| 🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea | Legal with restrictions | There is no published VPN law, but authorities treat online criticism harshly and have arrested people over social media posts. |
| 🇪🇷 Eritrea | Legal with restrictions | There is no clear VPN law, and internet café use is monitored. |
| 🇮🇷 Iran | Legal with restrictions | Only licensed VPNs are legal, yet unlicensed VPN use is near-universal. During full shutdowns no VPN can help because there is no international connection to tunnel through. |
| 🇱🇦 Laos | Legal with restrictions | VPN use is not specifically banned, but the state monitors internet use closely and punishes online criticism. |
| 🇲🇱 Mali | Legal with restrictions | There is no published VPN law, but online criticism of the military government has led to arrests. |
| 🇲🇲 Myanmar | Illegal or effectively banned | A 2025 cybersecurity law made unlicensed VPN use a criminal offence, and phones have been checked for VPN apps. |
| 🇳🇪 Niger | Legal with restrictions | There is no published VPN law, but critics of the junta have been detained. |
| 🇰🇵 North Korea | Illegal or effectively banned | Unauthorised access to foreign information carries severe penalties. We do not recommend attempting it. |
| 🇴🇲 Oman | Legal with restrictions | Only licensed apps and services are officially allowed; personal VPN use is not clearly addressed in law. |
| 🇵🇰 Pakistan | Legal with restrictions | The PTA requires VPNs used for business to be registered, and unlicensed VPN services can be blocked by ISPs. Personal use has not been criminalised, but services are throttled. |
| 🇷🇺 Russia | Legal with restrictions | Using a VPN is legal, but only approved providers may operate, advertising VPNs is banned, and July 2025 laws added penalties for searching for banned content. Hundreds of VPN apps were removed from Russian app stores. |
| 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | Legal with restrictions | VPNs are not banned outright, but accessing or posting content that is illegal in Saudi Arabia is still an offence. |
| 🇹🇯 Tajikistan | Legal with restrictions | There is no published VPN ban, but content laws are strictly enforced. |
| 🇹🇿 Tanzania | Legal with restrictions | 2020 online content rules restrict tools that help reach prohibited content. |
| 🇹🇲 Turkmenistan | Illegal or effectively banned | VPN use is effectively banned and enforcement is aggressive. |
| 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | Legal with restrictions | VPNs are legal for legitimate purposes. Using one to commit a crime or to access blocked services for illegal ends can bring heavy fines. |
| 🇺🇿 Uzbekistan | Legal with restrictions | VPNs are not banned, but authorities block many VPN servers. |
| 🇾🇪 Yemen | Legal with restrictions | No clear law, but authorities in Houthi areas monitor and punish dissent. |
| 🇿🇲 Zambia | Legal with restrictions | VPNs are not banned, but the 2025 cyber laws give authorities wide interception powers and could be used against encryption tools. |
How we scored
Nobody pays for a position here. Each VPN's score out of 100 uses these weights:
- Stealth / obfuscation
- 35%
- Privacy & audits
- 29%
- Streaming
- 35%
Ratings are our editorial scores for the six VPNs we track. Country pages add whether each VPN connects there and what visitors report. How we track
Questions people ask
What is the best vpn for travel and public wi-fi?
On our scores, ExpressVPN (91/100), then NordVPN and Proton VPN. The weights used are listed on this page.
Can I take a VPN to any country?
No. VPN use is illegal in a few countries and restricted in others; the table on this page lists them from our tracker.
Sources
We earn a commission if you buy a VPN through our links. It never changes what we report as blocked. How we pick