WhatsApp is available in most parts of the world, but you’ll need a VPN to access it in some countries. I recommend NordVPN as the best VPN for global WhatsApp access, and I’ll tell you why.
This VPN app has over 5000 servers, offers obfuscation for those in heavily censored countries, is fast enough to handle video calls and features high-level encryption.
Other alternatives that impressed me in the tests include ExpressVPN for its automatic obfuscation, Surfshark for its affordability, CyberGhost for its vast server network, and AtlasVPN, the only one with a free version.
If you want to unblock your WhatsApp and chat privately, I recommend you continue reading.
The 3 Top VPNs for Accessing WhatsApp Globally
ExpressVPN offers automatic obfuscation that works across all servers and protocols. It has over 3,000 servers for unblocking WhatsApp, even in the most censored countries. The speeds are also among the fastest, ideal for all WhatsApp needs.
NordVPN is a reliable VPN with the best security and privacy features like Double VPN, obfuscation, and military-grade encryption. It’s also fast enough to handle VoIP services without interruptions and compatible with all devices that support WhatsApp.
Surfshark is the cheapest VPN with 3200+ servers to unblock WhatsApp anywhere. It also packs impressive speeds for clear, HD video calls and huge file transfers without interruption.
For the most part, WhatsApp isn’t a demanding communication app.
However, considering the sensitive information that passes through it, it’s never a bad idea to use a Virtual Private Network to keep private chats secured at all times.
Want to Stay Connected on WhatsApp All the Time? Here Are the Top VPNs at a Glance
You’re probably in the middle of a chat right now, and nobody ever wants to be kept waiting with blue ticks. So, here’s a quick look at the five best VPNs for WhatsApp.
NordVPN – Best Privacy and Security for WhatsApp
ExpressVPN – Best Obfuscation for Hiding WhatsApp + VPN Use
Surfshark – Most Affordable for WhatsApp With Unlimited Connections
Cyberghost – Largest Server Network for Unblocking Whatsapp Anywhere
AtlasVPN – Best Free VPN for WhatsApp
WhatsApp is blocked in about 20 countries. This is mostly due to the app’s end-to-end encryption that stops governments from snooping on their citizens’ communications. Some telecommunication companies also play a part in banning WhatsApp because it’s a huge VoIP competitor.
Fortunately, my 5 VPN recommendations get around these restrictions with ease.
The Best VPNs for Accessing WhatsApp Globally
On its own, WhatsApp is decently secured (end-to-end encryption).
This is one of the reasons why authoritarian governments ban it since they can’t snoop on private conversations. Adding a VPN to the mix unblocks WhatsApp access AND secures your communications better.
For clarity, I used a base internet connection of 30 Mbps for my speed tests.
Ready to know what’s cooking? Let’s roll!
NordVPN - Best Privacy and Security for WhatsApp
| Location | Servers | Connections | Average Speeds | Best Deal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panama | 5500+ | Six | 25 Mbps | Show Offer |
Unblocking WhatsApp
NordVPN has over 5500+ servers in 59 countries, making it ideal for unblocking WhatsApp globally. This is a little short of what CyberGhost offers (8900+ servers) but that doesn’t put a dent on what the VPN is capable of.
NordVPN also offers specialty servers ideal for unblocking WhatsApp across all devices. These include Obfuscated and Double VPN servers to bypass heavy WhatsApp censorship in countries like North Korea, Syria, or China, without detection.
Furthermore, NordVPN has 1900+ servers in the US alone, where WhatsApp isn’t restricted. That’s more than CyberGhost (1300+) and ExpressVPN (25) combined.
However, NordVPN’s obfuscation is the slowest on this list.
Thus, you may struggle to get good quality on WhatsApp calls or better speeds while uploading/downloading files when using obfuscation.
Privacy & Security
NordVPN’s robust privacy and security features are important for WhatsApp. There’s the AES 256-bit encryption that protects your private chats against snooping from government, ISP, hacker or network admins.
This also keeps you safe from man-in-the-middle attacks and conversation hijacking attempts when chatting over public WiFi or mobile data.
Furthermore, you get a kill switch (two in the Windows app) that automatically disconnects the internet traffic when your VPN connection drops. This VPN connection drop could happen when you’re switching from WiFi to mobile data. Luckily, the kill switch prevents your actual IP from leaking during that switch.
You can also use the split tunneling feature to keep VPN-incompatible apps like PayPal working perfectly. However, split-tunneling is only available for Android and Windows.
Connection Speeds
I conducted two speed tests. One with obfuscation activated and another with NordLynx, NordVPN’s fastest protocol. I averaged 3 Mbps with obfuscation, which is expected since the security feature uses the traditionally slow OpenVPN protocol.
However, I averaged 25 Mbps for the second test on NordLynx.
This is fast enough to handle video and audio calls without lag.
You can also send and receive huge files faster on these connection speeds.
But, it was still slower than Surfshark and ExpressVPN.
Since most people use WhatsApp on mobile devices with mobile data, I recommend NordLynx as it’s the fastest protocol, saves time and your data.
Device Compatibility
You can use NordVPN on all WhatsApp-compatible platforms like Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows. If you love using WhatsApp Web, NordVPN also provides Chrome, Firefox, and Edge browser extensions.
Plus, with six device connections, you can get your devices protected and ready for secure chats anytime.
NordVPN is relatively affordable; not as cheap as Surfshark, but it’s still more affordable than ExpressVPN and comes with a 30-day money back guarantee. You can bump that price further by taking advantage of these fantastic discounts while they last.
Pros
- Unblocks WhatsApp anywhere
- Fast speeds for video calls
- Offers obfuscation
- Reliable security and privacy
- Compatible with most devices
Cons
- Slow obfuscation
ExpressVPN - Best Obfuscation for Hiding WhatsApp + VPN Use
| Location | Servers | Connections | Average Test Speeds | Best Deal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BVI | 3000+ | 5 | 28 Mbps | Show Offer |
Unblocking WhatsApp
ExpressVPN is another premium VPN service with 3000+ ultra-fast servers to access WhatsApp from anywhere. This server network is smaller than CyberGhost’s and NordVPN’s, but ExpressVPN has an advantage over the rest: automatic obfuscation.
ExpressVPN’s obfuscation works across all servers and protocols, and it’s optimized for speed. Thus, you can chat securely and hold high-quality video calls in the most restricted regions (like China and North Korea) without significant speed drops. That’s rare in the VPN world!
Privacy & Security
This is a secure VPN provider with state-of-the-art encryption to safeguard your internet activity when chatting on any network.
Not even your ISP can access your private chats; all they’d see is gibberish, encrypted text.
Plus, there’s a network kill switch that prevents IP and DNS leaks if there’s any disruption to your VPN connection. This prevents your ISP, hackers or network admin from even briefly seeing your chats, Whatsapp files, or other WhatsApp activity.
ExpressVPN also offers split tunneling (not available on iOS).
This is good if you have banking apps (or other location-sensitive apps) that may trigger alerts if you change your actual IP address.
Connection Speeds
Using Lightway – UDP (ExpressVPN’s fastest protocol), I averaged 28 Mbps, the fastest speed on this list. Video calls were smooth, and I sent/received huge files without delay.
Like NordVPN, the best way to maximize your mobile data when using WhatsApp with ExpressVPN is to stick to the fastest protocol.
Lightway – UDP worked perfectly for me.
Device Compatibility
ExpressVPN has native apps for Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS; and all these platforms support WhatsApp. The VPN also offers browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox, if you prefer WhatsApp Web.
But with only five simultaneous device connections, ExpressVPN is at the bottom of the multiple connections list. In retrospect, five is sufficient for the individual needs of a person with a few devices.
Regards pricing, ExpressVPN takes the unwanted crown of being the most expensive VPN service. The good news is that you can still get it at a cheaper rate with these fantastic discounts!
Pros
- Unblocks WhatsApp worldwide
- Blazing fast connection speeds
- Fastest obfuscation
- Reliable security and privacy
- Compatible with most devices
Cons
- Expensive price plans
- Smaller server network than CyberGhost
Surfshark - Most Affordable for WhatsApp With Unlimited Connections
| Location | Servers | Connections | Average Speeds | Best Deal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Netherlands | 3200+ | Unlimited | 26 Mbps | Show Offer |
Unblocking WhatsApp
The third VPN software on the chopping board is Surfshark, with over 3,200 servers, and 600+ of these in the US. That’s slightly more than ExpressVPN but way off compared to NordVPN and CyberGhost.
Still, unblocking WhatsApp from anywhere over Surfshark is a walk in the park.
Like NordVPN and ExpressVPN, Surfshark offers obfuscation (Camouflage Mode) that’s automatically activated over its OpenVPN protocols (both UDP and TCP). However, your connection speeds will take a significant hit, once enabled.
Luckily, it’s faster than NordVPN’s obfuscation.
Privacy & Security
Surfshark employs the reliable AES 256-bit encryption to prevent WhatsApp data privacy and security compromises on whatever network you use. So, it keeps your internet service providers out of your business (on mobile networks) and stalls any potential hacker (on public WiFi).
You also get a VPN kill switch that disables the internet whenever your VPN connection is disrupted. This limits IP leaks that may reveal your identity to network admins or make you lose WhatsApp access.
The Android version of the Surfshark app even incorporates an extra Android native kill switch that blocks out the internet for everything, even the apps not using the VPN.
Speaking of, Surfshark offers a split tunneling feature called the Bypasser. Here, you can either use:
- Bypass VPN to select specific apps you want to access the internet without a VPN or
- Route via VPN to choose apps that you want to pass through the VPN
Unfortunately, Bypasser isn’t available for iOS and macOS.
Connection Speeds
Surfshark averaged 26 Mbps in the speed test using IKEv2, its fastest protocol. When I switched to OpenVPN to test the Camouflage Mode, the speeds dropped to 10 Mbps. This is still faster than NordVPN, and it comfortably handles video calls without buffering.
For mobile data users, stick with IKEv2 for the best speeds and security balance. If unsure, though, Surfshark chooses the best protocol for you by default.
Device Compatibility
Surfshark works on Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows, which are all WhatsApp-supported platforms. It also offers browser extensions on Chrome and Firefox for securing WhatsApp Web activity.
The VPN is also one of two that allows unlimited device connections simultaneously. Thus, it can cover a group of friends or family members who want to unblock and secure their WhatsApp activity.
Another area Surfshark edges out the rest is the price tag.
It’s the cheapest VPN in the game, and with these discounts, you’ll be getting it almost for free.
Pros
- Unblocks WhatsApp anywhere
- Reliable, fast connection speeds
- Offers obfuscation
- Robust security and privacy
- Unlimited simultaneous connections
Cons
- Obfuscation is slower than ExpressVPN
- Smaller server network than CyberGhost
Cyberghost - Largest Server Network for Unblocking Whatsapp Anywhere
| Location | Servers | Connections | Average Speeds | Best Deal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Romania | 8800+ | Seven | 22 Mbps | Show Offer |
Unblocking WhatsApp
CyberGhost has the largest VPN server network on this list with over 8000 servers. About 1300+ of these are in the US alone, ensuring prime access to fast, uncongested, WhatsApp-unblocking servers.
Like NordVPN, it offers specialty servers dedicated to streaming, torrenting, and gaming. So, you can use these to unblock WhatsApp from anywhere and enjoy fast speeds for your video calls.
The only drawback is the lack of obfuscation, so forget bypassing the strict Great Firewall of China. In this case, I’ll recommend choosing ExpressVPN for its fast obfuscation.
Privacy & Security
CyberGhost provides military-grade encryption for all-round protection of all your WhatsApp connections and other apps routed through the VPN. When combined with WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption, not even Mark Zuckerberg can hack your chats.
There’s a kill switch for handling potential IP leaks if your VPN connection gets compromised during your WhatsApp sessions.
You also get split tunneling to bypass the VPN connection on specific apps. However, this feature is missing on iOS devices for now.
Connection Speeds
CyberGhost is one of the fastest VPN providers, averaging 22 Mbps which is faster than AtlasVPN. Video and audio calls are a breeze over this VPN, and so was the exchange of large files.
My tests showed that the fastest and most data-efficient protocol on CyberGhost is WireGuard. So, use that on mobile data.
Device Compatibility
You can use CyberGhost on all devices that support WhatsApp.
This includes Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows devices.
You can also use WhatsApp Web through reliable Chrome and Firefox extensions. Plus, CyberGhost allows up to 7 device connections simultaneously, which is more than NordVPN and ExpressVPN offer.
Finally, the VPN provider is affordable, and you can save a lot in the long run with these fantastic discounts. So, get them while you still can.
Pros
- Largest server network for unblocking WhatsApp
- Fast connection speeds
- Robust security and privacy
- Compatible with multiple devices
Cons
- Lacks obfuscation
- Only seven simultaneous device connections
- No browser extension for Edge
AtlasVPN - Best Free VPN for WhatsApp
| Location | Servers | Connections | Average Speeds | Best Deal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The United States | 750+ | Unlimited | 20 Mbps | Show Offer |
Unblocking WhatsApp
Wrapping up the mini-reviews is AtlasVPN. It has the smallest server network, with only 750+ servers (9 in the US), which is a far cry from what CyberGhost offers. The silver lining is that the VPN provider still unblocks WhatsApp in most restricted regions.
However, a major stumbling block is the lack of obfuscation which makes accessing WhatsApp in places like Iran and Ethiopia over AtlasVPN risky.
But, you can use a feature called SafeSwap that connects you to several rotating IP addresses.
Thus, VPN detection may still happen, but pinning down your exact location would challenge the parties involved.
Privacy & Security
The AES 256-bit industry-standard encryption offers blanket protection to apps routed through the VPN, including WhatsApp.
Thus, you can safely use public WiFi without exposing your private chats to hackers or other snooping parties. It also keeps your ISP from monitoring your online activities.
Additionally, a kill switch can be enabled from the settings for DNS leak protection every time your VPN connection drops. AtlasVPN also offers split tunneling on Android only.
This allows you to exclude location-sensitive apps like PayPal from the VPN connection to avoid problems.
Connection Speeds
I got 20 Mbps with AtlasVPN, making it the slowest VPN in my tests.
Still, it broke through the 20 Mbps ceiling which is good enough for clear video calls without buffering or lag.
Moving on, AtlasVPN has two protocols: WireGuard and IPSec/IKEv2.
Both are fast but WireGuard is best to conserve battery power and your data bundles.
Device Compatibility
AtlasVPN is compatible with Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows.
But there’s no browser extension support, unlike my other WhatsApp VPNs.
Furthermore, you can connect unlimited devices simultaneously with AtlasVPN, like Surfshark. This is perfect for people with multiple devices but are short on a budget.
But it gets better.
AtlasVPN is the only VPN on this list offering a free version that doesn’t require a trial. The downside is the free version is limited to only three servers, and a 5GB bandwidth cap.
However, the premium version is reasonably cheap, and you can get discounts through this link.
Pros
- Unblocks WhatsApp
- Reliable connection speeds
- Robust security and privacy
- Compatible with multiple devices
- Unlimited simultaneous connections
Cons
- Lacks obfuscation
- Smallest server network
- The free version is limited
- No browser extension support
How to Unblock WhatsApp Using a VPN?
You can unblock WhatsApp in any restricted region through the following steps.
- Download and install NordVPN on your device.
- Launch the VPN and choose a server.
- Open WhatsApp and enjoy unrestricted access.
Having Trouble Using WhatsApp With a VPN? Troubleshooting Guide
Sometimes, you may encounter connection issues when using a VPN to unblock WhatsApp. Try the following troubleshooting tips.
- Update the VPN. Outdated VPN apps may have unresolved bugs that interfere with the VPN’s smooth functioning. Uninstall and reinstall the VPN if this doesn’t work.
- Change to another server. You may be using an overcrowded server with slow speeds causing connection problems.
- Change VPNs. Some free versions of VPNs like AtlasVPN may have limited core features, making connections a challenge. I recommend NordVPN in this case, or ExpressVPN from highly-censored locations.
- Restart your router. The issue may be with your router or mobile data. Restart the devices to clear any possible bugs.
FAQs
What’s the Best WhatsApp VPN for UAE?
The best WhatsApp VPN for UAE is NordVPN. It offers obfuscation, allowing WhatsApp users to bypass the heavy WhatsApp censorship in UAE without detection. NordVPN also offers over 5000 servers to unblock and secure private WhatsApp chats. Finally, the VPN is compatible with all platforms that support WhatsApp, including browser extensions.
Can a VPN Track WhatsApp Messages?
Reliable no-logs VPNs can’t track WhatsApp messages because they don’t store user data. A strict no-logs policy means there won’t be any compromising data tied to you, and your government can’t request such data from the VPN provider either.
What’s the Best VPN for WhatsApp Video Calls?
The best VPN for WhatsApp video calls is NordVPN, offering fast speeds to handle video calls without lag or buffering. This is made possible by combining ultra-fast servers and the exclusive NordLynx protocol for fantastic security, speed and privacy.
Can a Free VPN Work With WhatsApp?
A free VPN can work with WhatsApp, but they’ll offer a poor experience with the social messaging platform.
Free VPNs have limited features like fewer servers and unreliable encryption.
They may also not keep out third parties like your ISP and trackers.
Furthermore, free VPNs lack fast speeds to handle video calls while posing data privacy concerns.
Is WhatsApp Encryption Reliable?
WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption is reliable, ensuring only the people in a conversation can see the messages. That way, not even WhatsApp itself can snoop on your conversations.
However, WhatsApp is tied to Facebook, which is known to violate user privacy. Thus, you need a VPN for an extra layer of chat protection and data integrity on WhatsApp.
Wrapping Up
So there you have it, the best VPNs for securing your WhatsApp chats.
NordVPN remains my top recommendation for the core features necessary for a smooth and safe WhatsApp experience.
If NordVPN doesn’t fit your needs, alternatives like CyberGhost, ExpressVPN, Surfshark, and AtlasVPN are highly recommended.
Remember to get your NordVPN subscription with these huge discounts for an even better value.
