The best Thailand VPN in 2026: expert choices whether you're travelling or living in the region

Thanks to this diverse server distribution, users can connect through international endpoints to overcome local restrictions. This can help unblock censored websites such as BBC One, BBC Two, CNN, Yahoo! News, Post-Intelligencer, Wikipedia, and The Daily Mail, many of which may be partially or fully inaccessible in Thailand.

In our testing, Surfshark also consistently unblocked popular streaming platforms, including Netflix (US, UK, Australia), Amazon Prime Video, and BBC iPlayer. The connections were fast (950+ Mbps), stable, and reliable throughout, confirming Surfshark’s status as one of the fastest VPNs for smooth, buffer-free streaming.

Its smooth performance is well paralleled by its app. Surfshark makes the experience seamless, especially for beginners. The interface is identical across desktop, mobile, and smart TV platforms, and it’s incredibly simple to navigate. Recommended servers, recent connections, and nearby locations are clearly displayed.

There’s no interactive map, but the clean layout and fast access to essential features more than make up for it.

Outside the app experience, Surfshark is headquartered in the Netherlands, which isn’t the most privacy-friendly jurisdiction, but its no-logs policy is independently verified by Deloitte for the second time.

This audit included an in-depth examination of how Surfshark’s standard, static, and multiport servers are configured and maintained, as well as an assessment of how its internal processes support user anonymity. The result confirms that Surfshark consistently applies its privacy standards across its entire infrastructure.

Security-wise, Surfshark continues to impress with thoughtful features that go beyond the basics. One example is its kill switch, which adds an extra layer of protection if your VPN connection ever drops. You can set it to a more lenient mode that only activates during accidental connection losses, or choose a stricter version that shuts down all traffic the moment any interruption is detected.

For added peace of mind, Surfshark includes Everlink, a smart recovery tool that reconnects you through a different secure tunnel if your VPN session drops unexpectedly.

While this feature isn’t tied to changing your virtual location or unblocking geo-restricted content, it adds meaningful value, especially in regions like Thailand, where cyber threats are on the rise.

According to the National Cyber Security Agency (NCSA), 1,002 cyber incidents were reported between January and May 2025 alone, with 63% of organizations experiencing a data breach. So, having something like Threat Protection Pro built in makes sense, as it can really give you peace of mind, plus it’s a lot cheaper than buying separate antivirus software.

In our own tests, Threat Protection Pro blocked 79% of malware-hosting sites and 87% of phishing sites, a noticeably better result than what we saw with Surfshark (34% and 94%).

Like our best VPN for Thailand, NordVPN is also independently audited by Deloitte and runs on RAM-only servers, so none of your data sticks around. It’s a strong setup for anyone who takes privacy seriously.

When it comes to basics, NordVPN is just as easy to use as ExpressVPN, our best VPN for beginners, or Surfshark. If you’re simply looking to pick a location and hit Connect, the experience is just as seamless: quick installation, intuitive interface, and even a handy browser extension for lightweight use.

That said, NordVPN packs in a lot of extra features under the hood, which can make the interface feel a bit more complex at first glance. For instance, the previously mentioned Threat Protection Pro isn’t front and center in the main menu, as it takes a bit of navigating to find.

It’s clear some usability compromises were made to accommodate the extensive feature set. While that might require a little digging for first-time users, the extra functionality is well worth it once you get the lay of the land.

NordVPN’s extensive network of over 7,600 servers across 118 countries means travelers heading to Thailand can easily stay connected to their favorite home content without interruption.

In our tests, it had no trouble unblocking major streaming platforms like Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, SBS On Demand, BBC iPlayer, Fubo TV, 10Play, and 9Now. We tested it across multiple devices, including Windows, Android, iPhone, iPad, and Fire Stick, and experienced smooth, buffer-free streaming every time, even when switching between local and international servers.

At the same time, Thais traveling abroad won’t miss a beat. NordVPN offers servers in Bangkok (and several more across the Southeast Asian region), providing smooth access to local services like AIS Play, TrueID, and even banking apps like K Plus and SCB Easy. Plus, it can help bypass restrictions on apps like Telegram, keeping your connection secure and unrestricted wherever you are.

Much of this can be credited to NordLynx, NordVPN’s proprietary protocol based on WireGuard, which delivered download speeds over 950 Mbps in our testing. That puts it ahead of ExpressVPN’s Lightway protocol (898 Mbps) and even edges out Surfshark in some real-world scenarios.

SmartPlay, NordVPN’s built-in combination of SmartDNS with VPN-level encryption, likely deserves some of the credit, too. It ensures that even when accessing region-locked content, your connection remains encrypted, your IP address remains hidden, and you avoid the headaches of manual DNS configuration.

Another standout feature is Shuffle IP, which assigns a unique IP address for every site you visit. Unlike some rotating IP systems that can create detectable patterns, ExpressVPN’s approach keeps your activity unlinked and far harder to track. It’s a subtle yet powerful layer of protection—and you’ll soon see why that matters.

To top it off, ExpressVPN boasts a strict no-logs policy, but this isn’t just a claim; it’s been independently verified 23 times, including a recent 2025 audit by KPMG. The audit confirmed that ExpressVPN’s TrustedServer technology is designed exactly as described: to never store user data.

ExpressVPN is the most beginner-friendly VPN we’ve used. Setup is smooth, and connecting takes just one click, no digging through menus or tweaking settings. More advanced tools are tucked away for those who need them, but never clutter the clean, intuitive interface.

We also appreciated how consistent the experience was across desktop and mobile. The "shortcuts" tool is a nice touch, allowing you to launch frequently used apps or sites immediately after connecting.

Another note: desktop login requires a one-time activation code instead of your email, but it’s a minor step in an otherwise seamless process.

Although it's not quite as good as NordVPN, ExpressVPN is a strong contender for streaming. With servers in key regions like the UK, US (including a server location in all 50 US states), and seven locations across Australia, this VPN is ideal for accessing platforms such as BBC iPlayer, ITV, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, and even the Australia-based The Age newspaper (notoriously restricted in Thailand).

It also handles Australian services like 10 Play and 9Now with ease. However, we did encounter a few hiccups, as some streaming libraries, like Netflix, required switching between servers to gain access (which wasn't the case with Nord). Still, that’s pretty common across all VPNs, and usually, one working location is all you need.

For the thousands of Australians living or traveling abroad (Thailand being the fifth most popular destination for Aussies), having reliable access to local content is a significant advantage.

With speeds reaching up to 898 Mbps in our tests on its proprietary Lightway protocol, you’re looking at more than enough bandwidth for 4K streaming without buffering, even with a few background apps in play.

While streaming is its strong suit, we couldn’t help but notice how well ExpressVPN performs for gaming too. With 148 server locations across 106 countries, slightly edging out NordVPN and Surfshark, it’s well-equipped to reduce lag and unlock geo-restricted titles like Tropico 5 and Grand Theft Auto, which aren’t available in Thailand. Combined with the Shuffle IP feature, this makes Express the best gaming VPN for those who want smooth access without the fuss.

It supports OpenVPN, WireGuard, and its own Stealth protocol for bypassing VPN blocks. While it doesn’t use RAM-only servers like NordVPN or ExpressVPN, the disk encryption setup achieves similar protection in practice. Forward Secrecy is also included, creating new encryption keys for every session. The only letdown here is its weak malware/phishing protection, which blocked just 11% of malicious sites in our testing.

Proton VPN has come a long way in terms of usability. The app was redesigned and now offers a consistent, modern interface across Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS.

While it leans more toward power users, with detailed traffic stats, protocol settings, and customizable profiles, we can't quite say the learning curve is steep. One-click connect is available front and center, and the optional walkthrough makes onboarding smoother than you’d expect from a privacy-first provider.

We especially liked the ability to create Connection Profiles, which allows you to pre-set specific servers, protocols, and features, such as Secure Core or NetShield. This makes switching between use cases (streaming, torrenting, browsing) much quicker.

However, it’s not quite as beginner-friendly as ExpressVPN or Surfshark, for that matter, especially if you're after something that "just works" out of the box.

Proton VPN may not be as slick as NordVPN or Surfshark for streaming, but it still gets the job done. In our tests, we reached download speeds of over 950 Mbps, matching the fastest VPNs on this list.

In our tests, Proton VPN successfully unblocked most US-based services, such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, although not quite as consistently as its top-tier rivals. For trickier libraries, such as Netflix Japan or France, we sometimes had to reconnect to a different server. There’s no dedicated streaming mode, but the "Plus" servers (available to paying users) are optimized for better performance with these services.

For Thailand-specific content, Proton offers two virtual servers that appear to be in Thailand but are routed through privacy-friendly countries (Iceland and Switzerland). While not ideal for local latency or live TV, they worked fine for accessing Thai websites and geo-locked apps.

The same setup applies to neighboring countries like Cambodia, Malaysia, and Myanmar, which are supported via virtual exit nodes, which may come in pretty handy if you're trying to stay connected to home media while abroad.

CyberGhost’s no-logs stance was independently audited by Deloitte in January 2024, which gave it a clean bill of health. Despite some concerns around its parent company’s past (formerly Crossrider, linked with malware distribution), CyberGhost has worked hard to rebuild trust through ongoing transparency reports and independent audits.

With the launch of its bug bounty program in 2022, the organization has gone the extra mile to show its commitment to security.

CyberGhost’s apps are sleek and beginner-friendly, though they lean towards simplicity rather than a flood of advanced features. Installation is straightforward, and the interface across Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android is clean and easy to navigate. The big one-click connect button makes it ideal for users who want to get online quickly without fuss.

That said, connection times leave something to be desired. Using WireGuard, CyberGhost took around three seconds to connect, which is significantly slower than competitors that connect in under a second. Disconnecting can also be sluggish, sometimes taking up to ten seconds, which can test the patience of users who frequently switch servers.

CyberGhost delivers a solid streaming performance with dedicated servers for major platforms, including Netflix (US, UK, Japan, Canada, Australia), Prime Video, Disney+, and BBC iPlayer. In testing, it consistently unblocked these services and streamed in smooth HD, powered by WireGuard speeds of over 950 Mbps.

For users in Thailand or travelers to the region, CyberGhost offers valuable regional options: three UK servers with P2P support for accessing UK content, a virtual server in Thailand that supports P2P, perfect for unlocking Thai streaming services and apps from abroad, and a physical server in Myanmar with P2P support, providing another nearby connection for Southeast Asian users.

While CyberGhost supports torrenting well across 80 countries with P2P-optimized servers, it lacks port forwarding, which may limit torrenting performance for some users.

Overall, CyberGhost’s strong streaming capabilities combined with its Thailand-region server options make it a dependable VPN for anyone in or visiting Thailand who wants easy access to both local and international content without compromising speed or privacy.