best3vpn

What's blocked in South Africa

Low censorship Checked Editor review

All major apps work with no national blocking.

  1. WhatsApp: Works
  2. Voice & video calls: Works
  3. Telegram: Works
  4. Signal: Works
  5. Discord: Works
  6. Facebook: Works
  7. Instagram: Works
  8. X (Twitter): Works
  9. TikTok: Works
  10. YouTube: Works
  11. Google: Works
  • Works
  • Age-gated
  • Partly blocked
  • Slowed down
  • Blocked

App by app

None of the 41 apps we track is blocked or restricted in South Africa right now.

Not offered in South Africa

These companies don't sell their service here. That's a business or sanctions decision, not government censorship.

Working normally

Chat & calls

Social media

Video, TV & music

Games

Search, AI & money

The 3 VPNs that fit South Africa

Our assessment, plus what visitors in South Africa are reporting this week.

Picked for streaming and everyday privacy.

NordVPN

Connects

Not enough votes yet. Tested it here? Tell others below.

Working for you right now?
Try NordVPN

Surfshark

Connects

Not enough votes yet. Tested it here? Tell others below.

Working for you right now?
Try Surfshark

ExpressVPN

Connects

Not enough votes yet. Tested it here? Tell others below.

Working for you right now?
Try ExpressVPN
Not sure about these three? See 3 more VPNs CyberGhost, Private Internet Access and Proton VPN

CyberGhost

Connects

Not enough votes yet. Tested it here? Tell others below.

Working for you right now?
Try CyberGhost

Private Internet Access

Connects

Not enough votes yet. Tested it here? Tell others below.

Working for you right now?
Try Private Internet Access

Proton VPN

Connects

Not enough votes yet. Tested it here? Tell others below.

Working for you right now?
Try Proton VPN

We earn a commission if you buy a VPN through our links. It never changes what we report as blocked. How we pick and how we make money

What's going on

South Africa has one of Africa's most open internets and no platform blocks.

Before you connect: Mostly used for privacy and streaming.

Legal

VPNs are legal.

This is general information, not legal advice.

Questions people ask

Are any apps blocked in South Africa?

None of the 41 apps we track is fully blocked in South Africa right now. All major apps work with no national blocking.

Which streaming and online services are not available in South Africa?

HBO Max, Hulu, BBC iPlayer and JioHotstar are not offered in South Africa. That is the companies' decision, often because of licensing or sanctions.

Is it legal to use a VPN in South Africa?

Legal. VPNs are legal.

Which VPN works in South Africa?

Our picks for South Africa are NordVPN, Surfshark and ExpressVPN. Check the live votes on this page for this week's results.

Report a block

Seeing something different in South Africa? An editor reviews every report before the page changes.

Sources