The Best UAE VPN in 2023 | Unblock Global Content With a VPN

With one of the best UAE VPNs, you’ll be able to access geo-restricted and censored content, protect yourself online (from third-parties snooping, public WiFi threats, and more), and even bypass the country’s VoIP ban. Having said all this, picking a VPN best suited to your needs and budget isn’t easy, especially with the number of options available.

In this post, we’ve rounded up, ranked, reviewed, and compared the market’s best UAE VPNs — from the almighty NordVPN and ExpressVPN to budget VPNs like Surfshark; here’s everything you need to know to make an informed decision on which one best suits you. Let’s dive right in.

The Best UAE VPNs in 2023 | Quick Answer

Having factored in things like pricing, speed, user-friendliness, value-for-money, and their ability to bypass the UAE’s VPN blocks, these are the VPNs that make the cut:

1. NordVPN — Best UAE VPN Overall | Advanced NordLynx Protocol | Put it to the Test With The 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee
2. ExpressVPN — Best UAE VPN for Security | Avoids VPN-Blocking Technologies | Test it Out Using Its 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee
3. Private Internet Access — Best UAE VPN for Server Network | Over 35,000 Servers Available | Use its 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee
4. Surfshark/SSOne — Best Cheap UAE VPN | Full Software Package | Try the 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee
5. PrivadoVPN — Best VPN for UAE Free | No Bandwidth Cap | Premium Version at a 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee
6. CyberGhost — Veteran UAE VPN With Streaming-Optimized Servers | 8,200+ Servers in 90+ Countries | Longest Money-Back Guarantee at 45 Days
7. IPVanish — First-Class Option for Advanced Users | Many Customization Options | No-Questions-Asked 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee
8. PrivateVPN — Solid UAE VPN for Torrenting | Easy to Use | Put it to the Test With its 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee
9. VyprVPN — Excellent for Avoiding Anti-VPN Technology | Superb Security | Take Advantage of the 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee Today
10. ProtonVPN — Excellent Free UAE VPN | Zero Data Limits | Test it With The 7-Day Free Trial

The Best UAE VPNs in 2023 | In-Depth Reviews

Here we’ll be looking through each of the best UAE VPN providers and reviewing their features, pros, and cons so that you can decide on the best VPN for you.

1. NordVPN — Best UAE VPN Overall

NordVPN’s security-first approach, alongside its massive popularity in the region, makes us confident that it’s one of the best VPNs in UAE that your money can get.

It uses Onion over VPN to hide all your traffic and make it seem like it’s coming from the anonymous Onion network.

NordVPN uses high-level SSL-2048-bit encryption, which is one of the most secure VPN encryptions out there, plus double VPN to hide your information. This, alongside its other security features, makes it so that authorities have a tough time detecting your traffic.

NordVPN is pretty much the fastest VPN out there, with speeds up to 720Mbps, and its advanced NordLynx encryption protocol. With servers across over 80 countries, you’ll have no problem avoiding region locks on streaming sites like Netflix.

If you’re looking for a solid way to get around the UAE porn ban, you’ll be delighted to know NordVPN is one of the best porn VPNs in the industry. Besides this, if you only need a VPN for some activities, you’ll be happy to know NordVPN supports split tunneling.

This makes it so that NordVPN’s VPN services only apply to certain apps (like your browser) without applying them to the entire device. This can be incredibly useful if you’re going all-out on its privacy options and don’t want that to slow down your other activities.

NordVPN enforces a strict no-logs policy. This is crucial in Dubai and the rest of the UAE, as even if the law demands NordVPN hands over your logs and records, they’ll be unable to do that since they don’t keep them.

NordVPN is the best VPN under $5 you can get if you’re looking for a VoIP VPN service. It takes all of these premium features and puts them in an easy-to-use, affordable service.

If you want to put it to the test, take advantage of its 30-day money-back guarantee today.

2. ExpressVPN — Best UAE VPN for Security

ExpressVPN provides over 3,000 servers in 93+ countries, so you’ll have no problem connecting to the country you want. It uses server obfuscation technology to mask your traffic and get around UAE VPN blocks.

You can configure ExpressVPN to start up automatically the moment you open an app like WhatsApp or Google Chrome so that your ISP can’t catch what you’re doing if you accidentally open them without a VPN on.

This, alongside the ability to install it on routers, makes it incredibly difficult to detect your VPN use. On top of this, ExpressVPN enforces a strict no-logs policy to ensure that your data doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.

To further hide your identity, ExpressVPN has military-grade AES-256 encryption, various protocols (including the high-speed Lightway protocol,) IPv6 leak protection, and a killswitch.

All of these features put together ensure that you won’t be caught by an IP leak or by your VPN disconnecting, as the killswitch will immediately disconnect you from the network if ExpressVPN unexpectedly shuts down.

Many of the best VoIP VPN services neglect their region-blocking features. However, ExpressVPN is the best VPN for Netflix. This is due not only to its excellent region-unblocking features but also its extremely high speeds — reaching up to 430 Mbps.

This makes it perfect for visiting streaming services or other restricted sites in Dubai or the rest of the UAE.

The best VPN in the UAE will also need excellent customer support to aid you in navigating the UAE’s ever-changing restrictions. ExpressVPN features 24/7 live chat support, ensuring you can reach an agent within seconds of asking for one.

If you want to put our number 1 best VPN in UAE to the test, you can try ExpressVPN for free with its 30-day money-back guarantee.

3. Private Internet Access — Biggest Server Network | 35,000 Servers Across 78 Countries | Use Its 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee!

Private Internet Access, aka PIA, is the VPN with a massive server network, boasting a server network of over 35,000 servers in over 84 countries. It also features 10 servers across the UAE, ensuring smooth connection speeds.

The VPN’s security policy is incredibly important for finding the best VPN for Dubai and other regions of the UAE. Not only does PIA have a strict no-logs policy, but it even proved this in court when the FBI asked them to turn users’ logs over.

And if they can reject the FBI, you can bet they can reject anyone else.

The VPN is extremely customizable and lets you have full control over pretty much every part of your VPN experience. Whether you want to change a protocol, turn off the killswitch, change the encryption, or anything else, PIA will let you do it in a couple of clicks.

The biggest thing holding PIA back is that it can sometimes struggle to work correctly in the UAE without contacting support.

The United Arab Emirates ISPs put a lot of effort into stopping VPN protocols from working in the country, and they sometimes catch up with PIA’s offerings.

PIA is one of the best United Arab Emirates VPN services for Linux users. It’s our best Linux VPN because it offers all of its services on the OS, in addition to having a fully operational GUI. You can even install it on routers and video game platforms in case you need it.

If you’d like to try PIA, you can use its 30-day money-back guarantee to try it for free!

4. Surfshark/SSOne — Best Cheap UAE VPN | Full Software Package | Try the 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee

Surfshark One is a full software package giving you access to everything you’ll need to ensure your privacy online. The package comes with a VPN, dark web scanner, safe search engine, and antivirus.

If you’re looking for a one-stop shop for all of your cybersecurity needs, Surfshark One might just be the perfect pick for you.

Surfshark VPN has repeatedly shown itself to work in the UAE uninterrupted. This is mostly due to its support for multiple protocols, including WireGuard and OpenVPN.

A big bonus here is that with the safe search engine that comes with the package, your search will be even more private than usual and be advert-free. With Surfshark’s P2P-friendly servers, its antivirus can be a huge help in case you download a malicious torrent.

The antivirus will even immediately stop your traffic if you accidentally wander onto a malicious site. The dark web scanner is most useful for finding out if your data got leaked.

When hackers find your data (usually login details for important sites), they’ll often try to sell it off on the dark web. The scanner detects this and lets you act immediately by changing the relevant credentials.

If you, too, would like to reap the benefits of a full security package for the price of a VPN, use Surfshark One’s 30-day money-back guarantee to try it for free!

5. PrivadoVPN — Best VPN For UAE Free | No Bandwidth Cap | Premium Version at a 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee

PrivadoVPN is our top choice for the best VPN for UAE free. It has no bandwidth limits, a zero-log policy, and high speeds on its free servers.

Like most of the best UAE VPN services, PrivadoVPN has obfuscated servers that’ll help you connect to VoIP services or other websites. In fact, it’s the best free VPN across the board, being the only VPN that’ll let you unblock US Netflix for free.

PrivadoVPN has excellent speeds and won’t restrict your bandwidth or online activities at all, unlike most free VPNs. You get 10GB of high-speed connections, which is enough for a lot of VoIP/streaming; however, it might be too little for UAE residents.

Even after that cap, it’ll let you keep using the VPN. However, the speed will be lower, making it quite impractical for streaming. That being said, even at that point, it’s an excellent VoIP VPN.

In terms of security, PrivadoVPN checks all the boxes, offering many protocols, including WireGuard with 256-AES encryption. They also follow a strict no-logs policy, which is crucial even for a free VPN.

You can get the best VPN in UAE for WhatsApp calling in terms of free VPNs below, or get a 30-day money-back guarantee for PrivadoVPN’s paid version below.

6. CyberGhost — Veteran UAE VPN With Streaming-Optimized Servers | Longest Money-Back Guarantee

CyberGhost is one of the longest-standing VPNs in the industry, with over a decade of experience behind them and an impressive 8,200+ servers across 90 countries.

One of CyberGhost’s biggest draws and what makes it one of the best VPNs for Dubai travelers are its streaming-optimized servers.

Not only will CyberGhost unlock US Netflix in the UAE, but it’ll also have no problem letting you watch it in HD resolution, with a massive top speed of 850Mbps. With that said, it’s one of the best VPNs for Hotstar in the UAE, with high speeds and excellent unblocking capabilities.

You can pick multiple protocols, as well as one of its obfuscated, NoSpy servers, to ensure your maximum protection. Naturally, the VPN also uses AES-256 encryption.

With published UAE connection guides and 24/7 live support, this is one of those VPNs that are doing their very best to combat the UAE’s ever-advancing VPN blocks.

If you’re considering whether paid VPNs are worth it and think it takes a little more than a month to find out, you can take advantage of CyberGhost’s massive 45-day money-back guarantee.

7. IPVanish — First-Class Option for Advanced Users | Many Customization Options | No-Questions-Asked 30-Day Guarantee

IPVanish is one of the best VPNs in the UAE for the sheer control over your VPN experience it provides. If you’re an advanced, tech-savvy user, IPVanish will let you manipulate your settings in any way you see fit.

You can adjust the protocol (including the WireGuard protocol), tunneling, interface, and more. It has solid speeds and can be set up so that it automatically connects whenever you connect to the internet(even on your phone.)

Notably, you can configure IPVanish on your Wi-Fi router to protect multiple devices. If you’re a UAE resident, this can be incredibly useful as you can give a degree of protection to all devices connected to your network.

If you’re looking for a VPN that fully hands you the reins, give IPVanish a shot with its 30-day money-back guarantee.

8. PrivateVPN — Solid UAE VPN for Torrenting | Easy to Use | Put it to the Test With its 30-Day Guarantee

PrivateVPN could be the perfect VPN for you if you’re simply looking for a simple, streamlined VPN that works in the UAE and Dubai.

If you’re looking to get one of the best VPNs in UAE for WhatsApp calling that stays simple to use, PrivateVPN’s network of 200+ servers across 63 countries will do just fine.

Plus, despite being small, the 200 servers are all P2P friendly, making it great for torrenting. The VPN boasts a clean UI with zero superfluous details; you can get to any setting you want to look through in a single click and usually set up everything in 3-4.

Usually, simply clicking “Connect” will do the trick, even in the UAE. It’s also one of the best VPNs for Hotstar in UAE, with it being quite impressive at maintaining your security and anonymity.

On top of all of this, getting around region-blocked content is quite easy and only takes a couple of clicks. If you’re looking for a clear-cut, simple VPN, give PrivateVPN’s 30-day money-back guarantee a try.

9. VyprVPN — Excellent for Avoiding Anti-VPN Technology | Superb Security | Take Advantage of the 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee

VyprVPN is a VPN that’s extremely adept at getting around internet restrictions. Getting around the UAE’s VoIP ban or the Great Firewall of China is a breeze with this VPN.

Outside of being one of the best VoIP VPN services, VyprVPN takes advantage of its over 300,000 shared IPs to help you disguise your online presence with ease.

You’ll experience reasonable, consistent speeds with the VPN, featuring the quick and secure WireGuard protocol. If it weren’t for options like NordVPN, ExpressVPN, and VyprVPN would be the premier option for getting around the UAE’s restrictions.

While it can often match and even sometimes exceed them, it is a bit pricy. To try VyprVPN, you can use its 30-day money-back guarantee and try it risk-free.

10. ProtonVPN — Excellent Free Porn VPN | No Data Limits or Bandwidth Throttling

ProtonVPN is one of the best free VPNs out there, founded by CERN scientists in Switzerland. The Proton company stands behind the idea that privacy is a basic human right, which is why they’ve developed a whole suite of free, privacy-focused apps.

While ProtonVPN’s free version is an excellent VPN with no bandwidth limit or speed throttling, it does have a distinct downside. That is that it restricts what you can do online, so you won’t be able to torrent or stream Netflix.

Otherwise, it’s the best VPN in Dubai that you can get for free if your needs don’t cover those two. The VPN has 8 servers in Dubai alone and uses AES 256-bit encryption alongside multiple protocols.

With the free version, you even get an ad blocker that’ll make your browsing experience easier. However, if you’re looking to unlock Netflix or Hotstar, you’ll need to pursue the premium version.

If you’d like to try its premium version out, you can take advantage of its 7-day free trial.

Best UAE VPNs | Top 10 Compared

When it comes to comparing things like pricing, server count and distribution, speeds, and other details, having a head-to-head overview of the tools can make comparing them much easier:

How We Chose the Best UAE VPN

There’s a lot that goes into choosing the best UAE VPN. Our first and biggest criterion is that the VPN works in the country, as many are unfortunately thwarted by UAE’s VPN-blocking technologies.

For this, a VPN must either natively have obfuscation (the ability to make your traffic seem like regular HTTPS) or be compatible with open-source methods.

Part of the reason why NordVPN is our #1 pick is that it automatically sets this up when it detects you’re in the UAE.

Our second priority was that the VPN has a killswitch and a zero-logging policy. These two ensure you won’t be caught without a VPN at an inopportune moment and that the state won’t be able to find your internet usage data even if they demand it from the VPN provider.

Next, we’ve mostly looked at the best VPN outside 14 eyes countries. This is because the 14 eyes alliance has been adamant about invading people’s security, and any VPN based in a 14-eyes country is a risk.

Because of this, the best VPN outside 14 eyes countries is likely to be the best UAE VPN as a whole since they’re not going to turn you over to the authorities for something as mundane as a WhatApp call.

Of course, speed is a big consideration. It won’t do you any good to have a perfectly secure UAE VPN if you can’t use it for the stuff you need the most: streaming and VoIP calls.

Because of this, we’ve been giving an edge to VPNs that can provide their users with high, consistent speeds. With that said, VPNs with high-speed protocols like variants of WireGuard (such as Lightway or NordLynx) were ranked better.

Naturally, user-friendliness was something we put a high emphasis on. Not everyone can operate an advanced VPN without hassling themselves for 20 minutes to learn to use it. Ideally, the best UAE VPN would be able to pair advanced features with a strikingly simple UI.

A large server network, ideally with multiple servers in the UAE (with at least 1 in Dubai), is highly preferable, as this will ensure a more consistent connection.

Naturally, we’ve also looked at the price and compared it to the value provided, and in our experience, there’s no reason for an individual to be paying more than $10/month for a first-class VPN service.

How to Set Up a UAE VPN

Now, we’ll be looking at how to set up our best UAE VPN — NordVPN. If you choose another VPN, the steps are largely similar:

Step 1 — Purchase a NordVPN Subscription

Visit the official NordVPN website and click “Get NordVPN” or “Get the Deal” if there’s one currently available.

Choose between three pricing plans and enter your email address and payment information to complete your purchase.

Step 2 — Download and Install NordVPN

To download the NordVPN app, click the “Download VPN” button from the website navigation, as seen in the image below.

If you want to use the VPN on your smartphone, download the app directly from the Google Play Store or App store.

Install the VPN app and provide the necessary permissions by clicking “Accept” when prompts appear on your screen.

Step 3 — Connect to a Secure VPN Server

Log into the NordVPN app using the credentials provided in the confirmation email. From here, select one of the 5,500+ secure VPN servers and click connect.

That’s all there is to it — you can now bypass online censorship and browse the web freely.

UAE VPN FAQs