Best VPNs for Digital Nomads & Remote Workers (2025)

Why Every Digital Nomad Needs a VPN

So there I was in Bali. Cute cafe, good coffee, laptop open. Living the dream, right? Then it hit me—I'm sharing this WiFi with like 40 random people. The backpacker who's been nursing one coconut for three hours. The guy who keeps glancing at everyone's screens. Who knows what's going on.

Public WiFi is basically an open door. Cafes, airports, that coworking space with the "fast internet" sign... anyone with the right tools (freely available, by the way) can see what you're doing. Your bank login. Client emails. That message you sent your ex at 2am. All of it.

A VPN fixes this. It scrambles everything leaving your device into gibberish. Even if someone's snooping, they get nothing useful.

I've been testing VPNs for about six months now. Twelve different ones across fifteen countries—Portugal, Thailand, Mexico, a few others. Some were fine. Some were painfully slow. One kept disconnecting mid-Zoom call which was... not great when you're presenting to a client.

Short version if you're in a hurry: NordVPN is what I ended up sticking with. Fast, works everywhere I've tried it, doesn't annoy me daily. ExpressVPN if money isn't a concern and you want the fastest option. Surfshark if you're watching your budget—it's surprisingly solid for the price.

Our Top 3 VPN Picks

Short on time? Here are our top recommendations for digital nomads:

All three offer 30-day money-back guarantees, so you can test them risk-free. Keep reading for detailed reviews of all 6 VPNs we recommend.

Why You Actually Need One

Security, yeah. But honestly? That's not why most people finally pull the trigger on a VPN subscription.

Your Bank Will Freak Out

True story: tried logging into my Chase account from Bangkok. Immediately locked out. Fraud alert. Had to call them, which meant figuring out international calling at midnight, waiting on hold for 45 minutes, proving I was me...

Now I just connect through a US server first. Bank sees a US IP, doesn't panic. Five seconds of prevention saves hours of headache.

Netflix Gets Weird Abroad

You know what's frustrating? Being three episodes into something, flying somewhere new, and... it's gone. Not available in this region. Cool. Thanks.

VPN lets you connect back home and keep watching. Not technically what Netflix wants you to do, but it works. All the ones I'm recommending handle streaming fine—I've tested.

Some Countries Just Block Stuff

China's the obvious one. But also UAE, sometimes Turkey, Russia depending on what's happening politically. Instagram, WhatsApp, news sites, VPN websites themselves...

If you're heading somewhere restrictive, set up your VPN BEFORE you go. Cannot stress this enough. I watched a guy in Shanghai try to download a VPN after arriving. Spoiler: the App Store was blocking VPN apps. He was stuck.

Coffee Shop WiFi Is Actually Dangerous

I keep mentioning this because people don't believe me. There are YouTube tutorials showing how to intercept traffic on public networks. Takes maybe ten minutes to set up. Your average hacker at Starbucks isn't some movie genius—they just watched a tutorial. Learn more about protecting yourself on cafe WiFi.

The Ones Worth Getting

Tested a bunch. These six are the ones I'd actually recommend to a friend.

NordVPN

This is what's running on my laptop right now. Has been for about eight months.

It's not flashy. It just... works? The speed hit is minimal—I ran tests and it was around 11% slower than without, which I literally cannot perceive in real use. Video calls fine. Uploads fine. Streaming fine.

The thing that sold me: it actually works in restricted countries. I was nervous about a trip to the UAE and spent way too long researching. NordVPN's obfuscated servers did the job. Connected first try.

Other stuff I like:

• 6,000+ servers, so there's always something nearby
• Blocks sketchy sites and trackers automatically (even with VPN off)
• 10 devices, which covers me plus whoever I'm traveling with
• The mobile app doesn't drain my battery like some others did

What's annoying: The cheap price ($3.39/mo) requires a 2-year commitment. Monthly is like $13 which feels steep. And the desktop app is cluttered—took me a while to find the settings I wanted.

Pricing: $3.39/month on the 2-year plan, $4.99/month for 1 year, $12.99 month-to-month. 30-day money-back guarantee on all of them.

Surfshark

Okay so if NordVPN and ExpressVPN feel expensive, this is where I'd point you.

The big thing: unlimited devices. ONE subscription. Your laptop, phone, tablet, your partner's phone, your mom's computer you set up when you visited, whatever. All covered.

Speed was decent. 15% hit in my testing—noticeable if you're looking for it, totally fine for normal use. Zoom worked. Netflix worked. No complaints.

Why it's good:

• Unlimited devices (seriously useful)
• $2.49/month on the long plan
• Has ad/tracker blocking built in
• Works in restricted regions (their NoBorders thing)
• GPS spoofing on Android which is weirdly useful sometimes

What's not great: Customer support took forever when I had an issue. Like, two days to get a real answer. And the speeds vary more—sometimes a server is great, sometimes it's slow, you just reconnect and try another.

Pricing: $2.49/month (2-year), $3.99/month (1-year), $15.45 month-to-month. 30-day guarantee.

ExpressVPN

This is the "I have money and want the best" option.

Genuinely the fastest one I tested. 8% speed loss average. If you do a lot of video calls or upload big files regularly, you'll probably notice the difference versus cheaper options. I did.

Also the most reliable in China. I've talked to people who travel there regularly and ExpressVPN is usually what they use. Their Lightway protocol somehow just... gets through.

Good stuff:

• Fastest speeds, consistently
• Works in China when others don't
• Their support is actually helpful (used it twice)
• Servers are RAM-only so they literally can't store logs

The catch: $6.67/month is the CHEAP option (annual plan). And 8 devices max. Sounds like plenty until you count your laptop, phone, tablet, work phone, partner's stuff... No dedicated IPs either if you need that.

Pricing: $6.67/month (1-year), $9.99/month (6-month), $12.95 month-to-month. 30-day guarantee.

CyberGhost

If streaming is your main thing—like, that's the reason you want a VPN—CyberGhost makes it stupid simple.

They have servers literally labeled by streaming service. Click "Netflix US" and connect. Click "BBC iPlayer" and connect. No guessing which server works, no trying six different ones. It just works.

45-day money-back guarantee too, which is longer than everyone else.

Pros:

• Labeled streaming servers (game changer honestly)
• Huge network, 11,000+ servers
• $2.19/month is cheap
• 45 days to decide

Cons: Don't rely on it for China or UAE—it's hit or miss. The app feels dated compared to others. And speeds outside the streaming servers were inconsistent for me.

Pricing: $2.19/month (2-year), $6.99/month (6-month), $12.99 month-to-month. 45-day guarantee (14 days for monthly).

ProtonVPN

This is for the privacy people. You know who you are. You use Signal, you have opinions about encryption, you've read actual privacy policies.

ProtonVPN is from the ProtonMail team (the encrypted email). Based in Switzerland, strong privacy laws, open-source apps so security researchers can verify everything. They're the real deal if privacy is your priority.

They also have a free tier that's actually usable. No data caps. Limited servers but it works. Good way to test before paying.

What's good:

• Swiss privacy laws, outside the surveillance alliances
• Open-source, independently audited
• Secure Core (routes through multiple privacy-friendly countries)
• Free tier that doesn't suck
• No sketchy ownership or history

What's less good: Pricier than budget options. Fewer servers than the big names. Some streaming only works on paid tiers.

Pricing: $4.99/month (2-year), $5.99/month (1-year), $9.99 month-to-month. Free tier available. 30-day guarantee on paid plans.

Private Internet Access (PIA)

PIA's been around forever. Since 2010. And they've actually had their no-logs claim tested in court. Multiple times. Subpoenas came, they had nothing to hand over. That's rare.

35,000 servers. Unlimited devices. $2.19/month on the long plan. Pure value.

Worth it for:

• Biggest server network out there
• Unlimited devices like Surfshark
• Proven in court they don't log
• Open-source apps
• Ad blocking built in

The tradeoffs: US-based company which makes some people nervous. Interface isn't pretty. And it's not great for heavily restricted countries.

Pricing: $2.19/month (3-year), $7.50/month (1-year), $11.99 month-to-month. 30-day guarantee.

Which One Should You Get

They're all fine. Seriously. You could flip a coin between these six and be okay.

But if you want my actual opinion:

• Most people: NordVPN. Best all-around. Fast, secure, works everywhere.
• Got money: ExpressVPN. Fastest, most reliable in tough situations.
• Tight budget: Surfshark or PIA. Both under $2.50/month, both solid.
• Streaming focused: CyberGhost. Those labeled servers save so much hassle.
• Privacy focused: ProtonVPN. If this matters to you, you already know it matters.
• Going to China: ExpressVPN or NordVPN. Don't gamble with others.

Just pick one and use the money-back period to actually test it. Connect from a few different places. Try streaming. Make some calls. See if it annoys you. You've got 30 days minimum to decide.

Quick Setup Notes

Download your VPN before traveling to restricted countries. I cannot say this enough. The websites and app stores block VPN stuff in China, UAE, etc. You'll be stuck.

Once it's installed, turn on:

• Kill switch (cuts internet if VPN drops—prevents accidental exposure)
• Auto-connect on public WiFi
• WireGuard or NordLynx protocol for speed

Daily routine: nearby server for regular work, home country server for banking and streaming. Takes two seconds to switch.

Bottom Line

Six months, fifteen countries, twelve VPNs.

NordVPN is what I use. Works everywhere, fast enough, doesn't bother me. That's the recommendation for most people.

ExpressVPN if you want faster and have budget for it. Surfshark if you need cheaper. The others have their niches.

They all have money-back guarantees. Try one. Actually test it. Then decide.

And seriously—next time you're on airport WiFi without protection, you're going to think about this. Just get it done.