If you live in Indonesia, a VPN is a vital bit of kit that will transform your browsing experience as well as your privacy when online.
Indonesia's netizens will run into geo-restrictions if they want to access content from outside their region, and what's more, the government has completely banned access to some of the most popular sites on the internet.
What are the Best VPNs for Indonesia?
Below you'll find our very best VPNs to use, whether you want to access Indonesian content from outside the region or enhance your privacy within it.
- ExpressVPN - The best VPN for Indonesia. A fast reliable VPN with state-of-the-art security features to keep you safe and servers in Indonesia.
- CyberGhost VPN - An easy-to-use VPN that's great for Indonesia due to its commitment to preserving user privacy. VPN servers in Jakarta.
- NordVPN - A great choice for Indonesia thanks to its lightning quick speeds, novel security features, and Indonesian IP addresses.
- Surfshark - A low-cost, high-performance VPN that works well in Indonesia. It's loved by it's used users and has Indonesian VPN servers.
- VyprVPN - A solid choice for using in Indonesia. It's a great all-rounder that owns its own server network. VPN servers in Jakarta.
To ensure that you get the best VPN for Indonesia we have chosen services that have the following features:
- Ability to bypass government censorship laws
- A reliable and speedy server network
- A kill-switch and other contemporary security features
The best VPNs for Indonesia: an in-depth analysis
Here's a closer look at the best VPNs for Indonesia. If you need more information, check out our detailed VPN reviews.
ExpressVPN is the best VPN for Indonesia, and one we recommend confidently due to it's impeccable track record of keeping its users safe and unblocking content from around the world. ExpressVPN is an excellent choice of provider for Indonesia, and security-wise, you won't find many out there to rival it. ExpressVPN's TrustedServer technology ensures no user data can persist on their hard drives – they run everything on RAM instead – which means everything is wiped every time a server powers down. ExpressVPN also has excellent DNS leak protection and a kill-switch and uses next-generation encryption protocols like Lightway, which has a much smaller codebase and allows ExpressVPN to establish quicker connections. PwC has recently done a security audit of ExpressVPN and confirmed they do what they say on the tin, which is another point of reassurance. ExpressVPN has a network of over 3,000 servers and coverage all across Asia, Europe and the Americas, so you'll be able to unblock geo-restricted content from across the globe in Indonesia. ExpressVPN performs consistently well in our speed tests too, meaning you won't be waiting for film and TV shows to buffer. If you're still not convinced, just take advantage of ExpressVPN's offer to refund you after a month if you aren't happy. CyberGhost is an easy-to-use, consistently speedy VPN that's great for Indonesia and keeps no logs of users' activity. CyberGhost is the second VPN we recommend to use in Indonesia. Importantly, it's very easy to use and doesn't overcomplicate the task at hand on its apps. This will be somewhat of a godsend to VPN newbies in Asia – the last thing you want to be doing whilst visiting banned sites like Reddit is messing around with unnecessarily complex VPN settings and feeling unsure whether you've configured it properly. On the topic of unblocking content, CyberGhost has a proven track record of affording its users' access to content from across the globe thanks to its server locations in 88 different countries. CyberGhost's NoSpy servers, located in their Romania HQ, are run by a crack team of dedicated security professionals and can even provide extended bandwidth to those who connect through them. Particularly in a country like Indonesia, you need a VPN provider you can trust, and one that's attitude is completely at odds with the government's approach to internet freedom. CyberGhost is exactly that and is based in a country that refuses to sign up to EU data retention directives. They also offer all the latest encryption protocols including IKEv2, L2TP/IPSec, and WireGuard for Linux users. CyberGhost's money-back guarantee period is 15 days longer than the other VPNs on this list, so if you're still undecided, there's no stress! NordVPN is another VPN that would be a great fit for using Indonesia. The quickest provider on the list, NordVPN also does not compromise on security and comes with a number of useful privacy tools. NordVPN is an ultra-speedy VPN with a number of handy privacy features that make it worth the purchase. Although only standard security features are available on its server in Indonesia, if you want to connect to places like the US, UK, and various other European countries, you'll be able to use their obfuscation technology to fool your ISP into thinking you aren't even using a VPN. On top of that, their double VPN function adds an extra layer of security by sending your traffic through two private servers instead of one. CyberSec, on the other hand, keeps you safe from malware and viruses. If you want to access one of the many sites banned in Indonesia, NordVPN is a great choice – it's been proven as a reliable geo-spoofer and has no trouble unblocking the most sought-after streaming sites like BBC iPlayer. NordVPN also has a number of servers around Asia so connecting to neighboring countries to explore their online content is an easy task. If it sounds like the right VPN for you, take it for a test run – you've got 30 days to decide or your money back. Surfshark is a budget-friendly VPN that works great if you want to unblock geo-restricted content whilst in Indonesia and stream media without worrying about it buffering. Surfshark is based in the British Virgin Islands, and it's always a good sign when a provider is based in a country with strict laws around privacy and a government that has no penchant for demanding data is handed over. It has thousands of servers in 65 countries, so geo-spoofing from Indonesia is not an issue – and considering it's the (close) second quickest VPN on this list, you can rest assured your viewing experience won't be interrupted by a bad connection. For the price of a cup of coffee a month, Surfshark can hugely enhance your online privacy significantly thanks to its innovative set of security features. On their Jakarta server, your data is encrypted using TCP/UDP protocols and you can activate Camoflauge Mode so your internet service provider won't even know you're using a VPN. This will be welcome news to Indonesian citizens spooked by ministerial comments over the last couple of years hinting at a VPN ban. If you're looking to keep your family and friends safe too, this provider is a great pick, as you can install the app on an unlimited amount of devices. Not convinced? If you pay the small subscription fee and don't like it after a month, Surfshark will give you your money back! VyprVPN is a great all-rounder to use in Indonesia. It has oustanding technical security, and has had a full independent third-party audit of its service. VyprVPN mixes speed and security in equal measure. As we've already covered, VyprVPN actually owns all their servers, so they can guarantee their no logs policy in a deeper and more meaningful way. Other impressive security measures include its Chameleon Protocol, which, without reducing speeds, scrambles OpenVPN packet metadata so as to avoid detection via Deep Packet Inspection can't recognize it. It also comes with standard security features including AES-256 bit encryption, a kill-switch and a DNS leak test function. Just the sort of attitude to privacy you'd want in a country with a history of banning social media websites and other popular pages. VyprVPN is another VPN on this list that has performed well on speed tests, and it unblocks content at a reliable rate from all around the world. If you want to connect to a server in Indonesia, it has you covered too, as it does in many of the neighboring countries like Singapore and Malaysia. Try it for yourself, without risking your cash, thanks to its fantastic 30-day money-back guarantee! 1. ExpressVPN
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5. VyprVPN
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Why do I need a VPN for Indonesia?
VPNs are legal to use in Indonesia, and around 40% of the population are thought to use one when they head online.
This is largely due to Indonesia's Draconian censorship laws, which have seen the authorities ban tens of thousands of sites on the grounds that (according to the Indonesian government) they promote nudity, misinformation and extremist ideology.
The government is evidently prepared to shut down the internet completely, and did so last year on more than one occasion, amidst protests, in the eastern state of Papua. Even more worryingly, last year, a government minister suggested that Indonesians should only use licensed VPNs. Others have suggested they may soon be banned altogether.
What sites are blocked in Indonesia?
In 2019, Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram were banned for three days during a period of national protest on the grounds they were promoting misinformation.
Telegram and YouTube, the latter of which is incredibly popular in the country, have also been temporarily banned in the last few years. Netflix has also been blocked and then unblocked by Telkom, the country's biggest internet service provider.
But such is the nature of the government's relationship with the internet and its citizens that any popular site could be banned without warning.
How to set up your VPN for Indonesia
Simply follow the steps below to set up a VPN for Indonesia.
- Select one of the providers from the list above.
- Sign up for one of their account subscriptions.
- Follow the provider's instructions to activate the VPN.
- Connect to a server located in Indonesia.
- Enjoy your private browsing experience!
Why you shouldn't use a free VPN in Indonesia
There are some great free VPNs available, yet many come with risks not commonly associated with their paid competitors.
It's important to remember that wherever you are in the world. But particularly in a country like Indonesia, which is constantly banning websites and shutting down the internet, you need a VPN provider that can guarantee no logs of your activity are kept or sold to third parties.
Unfortunately, this guarantee just can't be afforded to users of free VPNs. Free services have to have some way of making money, and sometimes that comes in the form of selling data to third parties.
Free VPNs are notorious for being infested with malware, irritating ads, and rarely offer any genuine privacy.
It also takes a lot of time, effort, staff, and commitment to be able to run an operation that can reliably protect millions of users across the world simultaneously – so it's not surprising that finding such a service for free is incredibly rare.
Conclusion
It's no surprise so many Indonesian citizens use VPNs already, considering the government's propensity to ban and restrict content.
More will likely follow. So if you're living in the region and want a more expansive online experience with several added layers of security, make sure to download one of these:
- ExpressVPN - The best VPN for Indonesia. A fast reliable VPN with state-of-the-art security features to keep you safe and servers in Indonesia.
- CyberGhost VPN - An easy-to-use VPN that's great for Indonesia due to its commitment to preserving user privacy. VPN servers in Jakarta.
- NordVPN - A great choice for Indonesia thanks to its lightning quick speeds, novel security features, and Indonesian IP addresses.
- Surfshark - A low-cost, high-performance VPN that works well in Indonesia. It's loved by it's used users and has Indonesian VPN servers.
- VyprVPN - A solid choice for using in Indonesia. It's a great all-rounder that owns its own server network. VPN servers in Jakarta.