With an Azerbaijan VPN, anybody in the country can bypass government-imposed censorship without being tracked by their ISP. This lets them escape the bubble of propaganda and censorship. In this article, we explain how to use a VPN service in Azerbaijan, while also recommending the most secure VPN services for Azeri citizens.
The best VPNs for Azerbaijan at a glance
Below you can take a quick look at the best VPNs for Azerbaijan. However, if you require more information, please scroll down for detailed summaries about each provider.
- NordVPN - The best VPN for Azerbaijan. Offers excellent speeds, stealth features, great apps for all major platforms, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- ExpressVPN - A VPN with plenty of server locations for Azerbaijan. You get fast servers worldwide, advanced privacy features, and a strong zero logs policy.
- Surfshark - A cheap VPN pick that is highly praised by users. It's excellent value-for-money, offers blazing speeds, and it has servers all over the world.
- Private Internet Access - A highly customizable VPN that's packed with loads of privacy features and decent speeds, making it ideal for torrenting.
- AtlasVPN - A great all-round service for Azerbaijan. Offers great speeds, a myriad of features, unlimited simultaneous connections, and a free plan to test it risk-free.
Azerbaijan is a country that experiences severe online content restrictions as well as the institutionalized violation of user rights. The already dire situation recently deteriorated further, due to the political conflict with Armenia. The Azeri government is now censoring a growing number of websites – and citizens are turning to a VPN for Azerbaijan to regain their freedom.
With this in mind, it's important that your VPN is reliable and provides watertight privacy, with good unblocking capabilities being a great bonus.
Best VPNs for Azerbaijan | In-depth summaries
Here we explore in more detail how each service best suits users in Azerbaijan. For more information about each provider, you can click through to its website, or check out our in-depth reviews.
NordVPN is the best Azerbaijan VPN. It's a super-fast provider that offers a fully-featured service at a competitive price point. The prefect choice for private and secure unblocking. Nord Demo NordVPN is a highly reputable VPN provider based in Panama. It is a no-logs provider with servers in over 60 countries
worldwide, and it has the features you need to bypass any censorship imposed by the Azeri government. NordVPN has apps for all popular platforms, and those apps come with a kill-switch, obfuscation (stealth servers) to prevent your ISP and the government from detecting VPN use, DNS leak protection, and strong military-grade OpenVPN encryption. Nord is also one of the fastest VPNs in the world, which makes it ideal for streaming in HD. Plus this VPN will let you access Netflix US, BBC iPlayer, or any other geo-restricted international services you might be interested in. Users can install this VPN on up to 6 devices, which is not bad at all, (although some VPNs below offer an even bigger allowance). On the other hand, I'm always surprised by the low price of this VPN considering how many features it has. A secure VPN that will let you access any restricted content in Azerbaijan. You can test it risk-free thanks to its money-back guarantee. ExpressVPN is a VPN with the most different server locations on this list. Offers a massive network of lightning-fast servers all around the globe. Besides, it's a premium service with a premium pricetag. ExpressVPN Demo ExpressVPN is a truly mind-blowing VPN service that has been around for over ten years. The service is based in the British Virgin Islands – a location that is considered superb in terms of privacy. Plus, this is a no-logs VPN which means that it will never have any records of what you do online. ExpressVPN has outstanding apps for all platforms with advanced privacy features such as OpenVPN encryption, a kill-switch, and obfuscation. This makes this VPN suitable for torrenting and bypassing any websites that have been blocked by the Azeri government. With Express you get servers in 94 countries, which gives you endless streaming, gaming, and browsing options. And this VPN is known to unblock international TV stations and services such as BBC iPlayer or Netflix US. This makes it great not only for escaping the censorship bubble imposed by the Azeri government, but also for getting more entertainment online. We love that this VPN has 24/7 live chat support so that you can ask questions at any time, and because this VPN has a 30-day money-back guarantee, you can test it risk-free to ensure that you like it. Perfect for staying safe both at home and on public WiFi. Surfshark is a high-speed, low-cost VPN provider that offers a feature-rich service and unlimited simultaneous connections. A grat pick for unblocking on a budget. Surfshark Demo Surfshark is a popular VPN service that is often praised by subscribers and Reddit users. It is a secure no logs VPN with apps for all platforms. Those apps have all the important features you need to gain online privacy in Azerbaijan, this includes the all-important kill-switch and obfuscation features. Considering the ridiculously low price of a subscription, this VPN has an extremely well-rounded feature set, servers in over 100 countries
across the globe, and the ability to unblock highly sought-after international services. It is also perfect for accessing censored content without your ISP, local network administrators, or the Azeri government finding out. We find this VPN extremely easy to use, which makes it a good choice for beginners. And you can test it risk-free, thanks to its 30-day money-back guarantee. With its ability to unlock a huge variety of Netflix libraries, it's a great option for anybody who is low on cash but wants to stream their favorite shows. Private Internet Access is a reliable service that offers a competitive price point and excellent torrenting capabilities. PIA Demo Private Internet Access (PIA) is a US-based VPN provider that has proven its no-logs policy in court on two occasions. This means you can trust it to never store any logs that could later be used to reveal what you did online while connected to the VPN. This VPN also has the most advanced feature set available on the market. The VPN has a kill-switch, DNS leak protection, OpenVPN encryption, port-forwarding, split tunneling, and a SOCKS5 proxy. This makes it an excellent service for anybody wanting to bypass blocks imposed by the Azeri government. Plus, this VPN gives users more granular control over the encryption than any other service on the list – ideal for techy users who want to be able to customize things. PIA VPN has servers in 84 countries
worldwide, which gives you plenty of options for unblocking content. This VPN can easily be trialed, thanks to its money-back guarantee. It may be a more intimidating option for VPN beginners, but it's a highly reliable service that is definitely worth considering. AtlasVPN is a great all-round Azerbaijan VPN. It's super fast, offers additional features like ads and malware protection, and sets no limits on simultaneous connections. AtlasVPN Demo AtlasVPN is another excellent value-for-money VPN choice for Azerbaijan. It comes with robust encryption, various VPN protocols (including speedy WireGuard protocol), and a plethora of advanced privacy features – at some of the lowest prices on the market. Sleek and easy-to-use apps are available for Mac, iOS, Windows, and Android, and you can test the service for free, although the free version has some limitations (as opposed to paid plans). A SafeSwap feature routes your outgoing traffic through a few different server pools, and by rotating IP addresses for you between each online session, it helps you stay untraceable both in Azerbaijan and abroad. With a premium plan, you also get MultiHop+ with which you get to rotate VPN server locations as well, providing you with multi-layered privacy protection. Additional features like ad, malware, and tracker blockers are also included. Even split tunneling is available, free of additional charge, which allows you to separate your VPN traffic (streaming, torrenting, and gaming) from non-VPN activities (online banking, work-related social platforms, and similar). Admittedly, AtlasVPN has a smaller server network than most VPNs above, however, hundreds of servers strategically placed across 40 locations worldwide are still more than enough for an average user. Besides, this VPN works with Netflix, HBO Max, BBC iPlayer, and other popular streaming platforms, so you'll never run out of fresh entertainment in Azerbaijan. Ardent streamers will be happy to hear that P2P is enabled, so you can share and receive files safely with peace of mind. Finally, with unlimited simultaneous connections, affordable plans, and a 30-day money-back guarantee, you can try this VPN completely risk-free and decide if it's the best choice on this list for you. 1. NordVPN
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Why you need a VPN for Azerbaijan
The Azeri government works hard to block online content that it believes to be in conflict with local religious and moral standards. Online filtering is used to ensure that people can’t access pornography, for example. In addition to these blocks, the government engages in widespread censorship of social media sites, blogs, and any politically motivated content that is critical of the government.
Since 2017 a growing number of websites that promote dissenting political opinions have been restricted, and any content that promotes political opposition – or that exposes government corruption is quickly censored.
News sites like Arqument.az, Az24saat.org, Monitortv.info, and Xural.com have already been completely blocked for allegedly publishing defamatory stories about government officials, and it is becoming harder and harder for citizens to escape the self-censorship that occurs in the media due to the government’s authoritarian controls. Journalists are regularly pressured using the courts, which often act with impunity.
The arrest and prosecution of social media users have also been increasing – making it more and more dangerous to express dissenting opinions online.
To make things worse, clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan since July of 2020 are causing the nation to move to the brink of war, with levels of censorship being noted across the country as a consequence, and cyberattacks at the hands of Armenia being reported across services within the country. Check out our Armenia VPN page for information about using a VPN in the country.
As a result of the growing tensions, huge numbers of people in Azerbaijan have been turning to VPN services. VPN providers are reporting a doubling of VPN uptake in the country in 2020 alone, as citizens rush to gain this vital online privacy tool.
How does a VPN help in Azerbaijan?
A Virtual Private Network is an online tool that any Azeri citizen can use to gain privacy and freedom online. A VPN works by encrypting your web traffic so that your ISP, local network administrators, and the government are unable to track what you do online.
A VPN also lets you bypass any restrictions imposed by ISPs on behalf of the government. As a result, the VPN will let you access any website content that has been blocked in Azerbaijan.
By allowing you to conceal your IP address from the websites and online services you visit, a VPN will also let you circumvent geo-restrictions. As a result, you can stream BBC news on iPlayer, or access any restricted news sites, TV streams, or blogs that have been blocked by the Azeri government. All you have to do is connect to a server in a foreign country!
A VPN can also allow you to protect your identity online, by preventing the sites you visit from tracking your real IP address. This can allow you to post dissenting opinions anonymously without fear of it being traced back to you.
Are VPNs legal in Azerbaijan?
Yes. There are not currently any restrictions on the use of VPN services in Azerbaijan. This means that it is, currently, completely legal to own, install, and use a VPN in Azerbaijan.
Accessing content that has been blocked by the government could get you in trouble with the police, particularly if you are supportive of individuals or groups that are critical of the government, express dissenting opinions, or otherwise oppose the Azeri government.
This is why it is important to use a VPN that has strong encryption and advanced VPN security features such as a kill-switch, DNS leak protection, and obfuscation. These features will ensure that you can use the internet without being tracked by your ISP or the government, which ensures that whatever you do online remains private and will not cause you to be reprimanded and prosecuted.
What features does a VPN for Azerbaijan need?
Due to the tense political situation in Azerbaijan, it is vital for Azeri citizens to use trustworthy and reliable VPN services that will provide watertight privacy levels. There are dozens of VPNs on the market, and not every service is suitable for use in Azerbaijan.
In this guide, we have singled out the VPN services that are secure enough for bypassing government restrictions in Azerbaijan. To explain exactly how we chose these VPN services, we have included the criteria we used to pick these providers below:
- Strong military-grade encryption to prevent anybody from monitoring your online habits
- A wide choice of international servers for bypassing local censorship and international geo-restrictions
- A kill-switch to prevent you from leaking unencrypted data to your ISP if the VPN connection fails
- Obfuscation (stealth mode) to allow you to conceal your VPN use from your ISP and the government
- DNS leak protection to ensure that the VPN does not fail – putting your privacy at risk
- Fast servers capable of streaming in HD
- Apps for all platforms that are reliable and easy to use
- Value for money
Can I use a free VPN in Azerbaijan?
Although there are plenty of free VPNs available on the market, studies have revealed the vast majority of those free services to be a risk to your privacy. Free VPNs often have concerning privacy policies that allow them to harvest user data and sell it to third parties. These logs could also potentially be accessed by the government and used to reveal that you accessed content that had been blocked.
This is why it is essential not to use free VPNs that have weak encryption, dangerous privacy policies, or apps that suffer from critical leaks. Unfortunately, very few free VPNs exist that are actually safe to use.
The good news is that there are some trustworthy free VPN providers on the market that offer a limited free plan. While this is just a stripped-back version of their premium services, these VPNs can be used to access restricted content in an emergency, which is really good news if social media has been blocked, for example.
The free VPNs that we have recommended are all reliable services that will not put your data at risk. However, please bear in mind that those free services are limited in the following ways:
- Fewer server locations
- Slower connection speeds (bandwidth restrictions)
- Monthly usage limits (download restrictions)
To find out more about which free VPNs are safe to use, and to find out why you must stay away from 99% of free VPNs please follow the link above. Also, bear in mind that you can use any of the recommended VPNs for Azerbaijan in this article without risking your money – because they all have a 30-day money-back guarantee to let you test their service.
Conclusion
A VPN is one of the best ways to protect yourself on the internet. If you're serious about your online privacy in Azerbaijan, then here's a quick reminder of the best VPNs for Azerbaijan:
- NordVPN - The best VPN for Azerbaijan. Offers excellent speeds, stealth features, great apps for all major platforms, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- ExpressVPN - A VPN with plenty of server locations for Azerbaijan. You get fast servers worldwide, advanced privacy features, and a strong zero logs policy.
- Surfshark - A cheap VPN pick that is highly praised by users. It's excellent value-for-money, offers blazing speeds, and it has servers all over the world.
- Private Internet Access - A highly customizable VPN that's packed with loads of privacy features and decent speeds, making it ideal for torrenting.
- AtlasVPN - A great all-round service for Azerbaijan. Offers great speeds, a myriad of features, unlimited simultaneous connections, and a free plan to test it risk-free.