The Best VPNs for the United Arab Emirates

1. NordVPN - Best VPN with Obfuscated Servers

SecurityScore:

9.7 /10

View Plans Links to NordVPN

Product Specs

Server locations	126 countries
Average Speed Loss	6% download & 4% upload
Apps	Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Android TV, tvOS
Best Monthly Rate	$3.39/mo with a 2-year plan
Money-Back Guarantee	30 days full refund

View Plans Links to NordVPN

Security

NordVPN uses nothing but top-notch technology to safeguard its users’ privacy. For tunneling, it offers NordLynx and OpenVPN. NordLynx is the default protocol, developed by NordVPN itself. While we found that it’s speedy and reliable in the U.S. (NordVPN is one of the fastest VPNs), we saw from numerous user reviews that it doesn’t work in the UAE, especially if Etisalat is your internet provider. That’s why we recommend changing NordVPN’s protocol to OpenVPN as soon as you’re done setting up the VPN.

For encryption, OpenVPN connections from NordVPN always use 256-bit AES. It’s non-customizable, so every time you connect, you know you’re getting unbreakable encryption. 256-bit AES is the industry standard, trusted by even the U.S. military.3

Privacy

NordVPN backs up its strong VPN connections with a principled privacy policy. It doesn’t collect browsing information, so while its servers can technically access your traffic, it doesn’t keep logs of which websites you’re visiting.

We also saw NordVPN pass numerous independent audits in the past few years. It was actually one of the first VPNs to submit its policies to an audit; its first one took place in November 2018.4 It was a bold move to prove its transparency and trustworthiness, and since then, we started seeing other prominent VPNs adopt the practice.

>> Learn More: Do VPNs Hide Your Browsing History?

Features

NordVPN’s VPN apps are chock-full of features. One of the features we consider essential is the kill switch. We’re big believers that a VPN is necessary whenever we’re connecting to the internet, and so we don’t want our devices to go online unless a VPN is cloaking our connection. NordVPN’s kill switch ensured that. Whenever the NordVPN was turned off, whether of our own accords or due to an interrupted connection, the kill switch stopped all internet communications from our devices. That’s one way we make sure we’re always private online.

>> Related: Data Privacy: What Websites Collect and How To Opt Out

NordVPN is no doubt a strong option. We’ve tested it numerous times, and it has proven time and again why it’s one of the top VPNs right now. It’s one of the few VPNs that can work in China, despite the country’s ban on VPNs. Even in less restrictive countries, it helps private internet users stay safe from government spying. Better still, NordVPN is affordable for the features it offers. It costs a minimum of $3.09 per month with a two-year plan. If you are up for a two-year plan, Surfshark becomes even more affordable than NordVPN costing $2.49 per month for the basic plan. Take a read through our Surfshark vs NordVPN comparison to see which is right for your next trip to the UAE.

One of NordVPN’s best features for users in the UAE is called obfuscation. All VPNs can scramble your traffic to hide its content from ISPs, governments, and hackers, but VPN traffic looks a certain way that makes it easily detectable. They’re kind of like armored trucks – you don’t know exactly what they’re transporting, but you know there’s something valuable inside. That’s why ISPs in the UAE can easily spot and block users who are using a VPN.

NordVPN offers obfuscated servers. They are under Specialty Servers, and there’s one right in the UAE. Obfuscated servers use various tunneling techniques to camouflage VPN traffic and make it look like regular internet traffic. We normally use obfuscated servers to connect to NordVPN when we encounter networks that block VPNs – like office or school networks – but if you find yourself having difficulties bypassing Etisalat VPN blocks, obfuscation is worth a try.

>> Also See: The Best VPNs That Can Bypass School Network Restrictions

2. Surfshark - Best VPN with Multihop

SecurityScore:

9.5 /10

View Plans Links to Surfshark

Product Specs

Server locations	100 countries
Average Speed Loss	8% download & 50% upload
Apps	Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Chrome, Firefox, Edge
Best Monthly Rate	$1.99/mo with a 2-year plan
Money-Back Guarantee	30 days full refund

View Plans Links to Surfshark

Security

Surfshark is another VPN that uses top-level encryption (256-bit AES) and various VPN protocols. But of course, OpenVPN should be the go-to protocol if you’re connecting from the UAE. So first order of business after setting up Surfshark: We set up its OpenVPN connection. We found that the default setting is “Automatic,” which means it chooses the best protocol for the server you’re connecting to, but with a quick visit to its settings, we were able to change Surfshark’s default tunneling to OpenVPN.

>> Learn More: VPN How-Tos – Everything You Need to Use VPNs Like A Pro

Privacy

Next to NordVPN, Surfshark is another VPN that regularly undergoes third-party audits. The most recent one was done by Cure53, a German firm, back in May 2023. That audit had huge significance because just before it, Surfshark started logging IP addresses of users. Bear in mind, Surfshark deletes the information within 15 minutes after a session ends, so it’s not a huge red flag, but to clear up concerns, Surfshark underwent a server infrastructure audit.

IP addresses are stored in VPN servers. That’s why the audit was significant. By passing Cure53’s tests, Surfshark proved that its server infrastructure follows privacy protocols to the dot, including deleting stored IP addresses.

>> Check Out: What Can Someone Do With Your IP Address

Features

Just like NordVPN, Surfshark is a feature-rich option. It offers obfuscation under the guise of a feature called Camouflage Mode, and it also features a kill switch. We also like that Surfshark has an easy-to-use split tunneling feature, which we usually put to use when we’re multi-tasking.

Normally, when we connect to Surfshark, all our device’s internet communications pass through the VPN tunnel. However, there are websites or apps that are not VPN-friendly. For example, for security, some online banking platforms don’t allow VPNs. We could bypass that with obfuscation, obviously, but an easier method is to use split tunneling so that the bank’s website just automatically bypasses the VPN. Our connection to the site won’t be protected by Surfshark, but at least we’re able to manage our finances with ease.

Surfshark subscriptions cost a minimum of $2.49 per month if you sign up for two years, which is why we believe it’s one of the most affordable VPN options out there. Despite that, it’s still a strong choice, especially if we take into account the fact that it offers Dynamic Multihop.

Multihop is a fairly common privacy feature. It connects you to two VPN servers, thus making your connections extra secure. It’s like putting your data in a safe, and then putting that safe inside another, bigger vault.

Surfshark’s Dynamic Multihop stood out because we were able to customize it and choose the two servers we’re going to be connected to. That way, we controlled which country we changed our IP address to. With other VPNs that offer multihop, there are pre-set server pairings. For example, with NordVPN, we only had nine options, none of which are close to UAE, so speeds are likely going to be slower.

With Surfshark, we recommend choosing an entry location (location of the first server) within or close to the UAE for faster speeds. There’s one right in Dubai and another in Saudi Arabia. For the exit location, which will determine your new IP address, you can choose any country you like. For example, if you’re trying to get a U.S. IP address to access Hulu, choose a server in the U.S. If the location doesn’t matter, though, like if you’re only using multihop to increase your privacy, choose a server closest to you.

>> Related: Best VPNs for Hulu

3. Proton VPN - Best VPN with Privacy-Focused Extras

SecurityScore:

9.3 /10

View Plans Links to Proton VPN

Product Specs

Server locations	122 countries
Average Speed Loss	8% download & 4% upload
Apps	Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Chrome, Firefox, Android TV, tvOS, Firestick
Best Monthly Rate	$4.49/mo with a 2-year plan
Money-Back Guarantee	30 days prorated refund

View Plans Links to Proton VPN

Security

We didn’t find anything from Proton VPN that we hadn’t seen before from other VPNs, but that’s actually a great thing. That just means Proton VPN conforms with industry standards, including the use of 256-bit AES for encryption and OpenVPN as the primary VPN protocol. After installing the VPN, all our connections went through OpenVPN.

Privacy

Proton VPN started from Proton, a privacy initiative born out of CERN in Switzerland, the very birthplace of the World Wide Web. And from the very start, privacy has been the main focus of the brand. It has undergone several security and privacy audits, the latest of which took place in April 2023. The audit confirmed that Proton VPN is compliant with its “no-logs” policy.

Features

As far as features, Proton VPN is a pretty strong option. One of the features that will likely be useful in the UAE is called Alternate Routing.

As we mentioned earlier, some internet providers in the UAE block VPN IP addresses. And when a VPN IP address is blocked, your devices can’t send encrypted traffic to the VPN servers. If that happens, Proton VPN’s apps are configured to direct traffic to third-party servers that are less likely to have been blocked, like Amazon’s AWS servers. These servers host a connection to Proton VPN servers, so when they receive traffic from a user, they direct it to the designated VPN server. Of course, AWS servers have a different privacy policy than Proton VPN, but since the traffic is encrypted (only the VPN server can decrypt it), AWS servers can’t peek inside your data packets.

>> Learn More: The Data Big Tech Companies Have On You

If you truly want to protect your privacy, you’ll need more than just a VPN. And that’s where Proton VPN shines – the Proton brand offers a number of privacy-focused tools to help individuals stay more private online. These tools are available with the Proton Unlimited subscription.

The subscription starts at $7.99 per month with a two-year subscription. It’s not the most affordable, but includes ProtonMail and Calendar (encrypted email with integrated calendar), Proton Drive (an encrypted cloud backup storage with 500 GB of space, and Proton Pass (a password manager).

That’s similar to NordVPN’s Ultimate plan which costs $5.99 per month with a two-year subscription, but the addition of an encrypted email takes Proton Unlimited to the next level. Our NordVPN vs ProtonVPN comparison walks you through all the differences in these two plans. And although privacy of emails are protected by UAE’s Cybercrime Law, taking extra precautions to protect your privacy is always recommended in a country where the flow of information can be controlled by the government.

4. Private Internet Access - Best for Business and Offices

SecurityScore:

9.4 /10

View Plans Links to Private Internet Access

Product Specs

Server locations	91 countries
Average Speed Loss	5% download & 84% download
Apps	Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Chrome, Firefox, Android TV, tvOS
Best Monthly Rate	$2.03/mo with a 3-year plan
Money-Back Guarantee	30 days full refund

View Plans Links to Private Internet Access

Security

Private Internet Access offers something unique because it allows users to choose between two encryption standards: The gold-standard 256-bit AES and the slightly lesser but faster standard 128-bit AES.

Here’s how we took advantage of that: For normal browsing, we used 256-bit. It’s super secure, and with Private Internet Access’ generally fast connections, we had no problem surfing the web. For activities that require faster speeds but not as strong protections – such as streaming and online gaming – we used 128-bit. It kept our speeds optimized for such occasions, while also giving us enough encryption and privacy.

Privacy

Private Internet Access, it seems, is all for giving users options. That reflects in its privacy policy, as well. In addition to not logging IP addresses and browsing histories, PIA made it optional for users to let the VPN gather statistical data and user metrics – things like which operating system your device is using, the version of the PIA app you’re running, and whether connections are manually (i.e. you clicked the Connect button) or automatically established.

Those types of data collected are anonymized. This means they can’t be tied back to the user they came from and thus are safe to be logged, but PIA still makes collection of those types of data voluntary.

Features

Private Internet Access isn’t lacking in terms of features, but we found that some of its features are substandard compared to Surfshark and NordVPN. For example, while it offers multihop connections, it doesn’t actually connect you to two VPN servers. It connects to a proxy server (learn the difference between proxy and VPN here), which doesn’t offer encryption, and then connects to a VPN server. That’s only one layer of encryption.

On the bright side, we found PIA’s split tunneling more customizable than both Surfshark and NordVPN. In addition to being able to exclude apps and websites from VPN tunnels, we were also able to set apps and websites that can only connect to the internet via a VPN. For example, we always want to be connected to a VPN when torrenting, so we set our uTorrent app to route all traffic through PIA.

» Further Reading: How To Download Torrent With A VPN

Private Internet Access is another budget-friendly option, and it’s especially well-suited to those conducting business in the UAE because of its customizability and adaptability. You can take advantage of its secure configurations for matters that require utmost privacy, like uploading confidential documents, but gear down to a lower encryption standard to enjoy faster speeds. For example, we like switching to 128-bit AES to conduct virtual meetings via Zoom.

There’s also the fact that Private Internet Access doesn’t limit the number of simultaneous connections, which means you can use it on any number of devices. That’s really an economical way to connect an entire office to a secure VPN, unlike some options that limit the number of connections. For example, NordVPN allows up to six simultaneous connections only.

>> Compare: Private Internet Access vs. NordVPN

5. ExpressVPN - Best for VoIP Services

SecurityScore:

9.1 /10

View Plans Links to ExpressVPN

Product Specs

Multihop	No
Obfuscated Servers	Yes
Kill Switch	Yes
Split Tunneling	Yes
Netflix	Yes
Torrenting	Yes

View Plans Links to ExpressVPN

Security

We love ExpressVPN’s Lightway protocol, a self-developed protocol specifically for this VPN. It was one of the reasons why ExpressVPN did so well when we compared VPN speeds. Unfortunately, like NordVPN’s NordLynx, we also saw some user reviews stating that LightWay doesn’t work in the UAE.

That’s not a huge issue, though. We saw excellent speeds even with OpenVPN, the other protocol offered by ExpressVPN. And as we’ve mentioned several times already, it’s a secure protocol that can bypass VPN blocks in the UAE. Couple that with ExpressVPN’s 256-bit encryption and you get a speedy but secure VPN.

Privacy

It may not have been the first VPN to think of submitting itself to third-party audits, but ExpressVPN’s commitment to privacy and transparency has pushed it to partake in numerous audits. Just in the past year, we saw it release results from audits of its mobile and desktop apps, privacy policy, server network, and even the Aircove VPN router.

Overkill? We don’t think so. There are many moving pieces within a VPN, and any of those can compromise your privacy. An unsecure app can result in less-than-secure connections, a compromised server network can result in data breaches, and so on. By going through audits and security checks, ExpressVPN makes sure its entire VPN infrastructure is secure.

>> Read More: The Top VPN Routers

Features

Besides having a secure VPN network, ExpressVPN protects its users’ privacy through its many features. One of our favorites is the TrustedServer Technology, which are essentially RAM-based VPN servers. In some countries, like China and India for example, VPNs are required to install a backdoor for the government. These backdoors are installed on servers, and they give the government access to browsing data that’s supposed to be secret.

ExpressVPN’s server can’t conform to that requirement because they run on RAM, meaning, all data is wiped after every reboot. And from what we gathered, ExpressVPN reboots its servers every one to two weeks. In addition to removing all data, RAM-based servers also do a fresh install of their stacks (essentially operating system) every reboot, so backdoors cannot be forcefully installed. Even if someone sneaks in to install a backdoor, it will be removed the next reboot.

ExpressVPN is not the cheapest VPN; an ExpressVPN subscription costs a minimum of $8.32 per month. However, we think it’s worth it if what you’re looking for is a speedy VPN for all sorts of bandwidth-heavy activities like downloading and video streaming. What’s more, ExpressVPN’s secure network is great at bypassing geo-restrictions. In our recent trip to Southeast Asia (including China), we saw first-hand how it was able to get around the Great Firewall of China.

>> Related: The Best VPNs for Travel

Now, if you live in the UAE (or if you’re traveling to the country), you probably know that some VoIP services are banned in the country, including FaceTime and WeChat. Some services are allowed for business use – for example, Skype for Business – but remain illegal for personal use. We’re not going to delve into why those services are not allowed, but just know that if you urgently need to use a video calling platform that’s banned in the UAE, ExpressVPN is one option you can turn to. We use ExpressVPN when video calling all the time, and it’s generally lag-free. And because of its secure network, it can keep you safe from ISP monitoring.

Of course, we don’t encourage breaking the law. So as much as possible, don’t use apps banned in UAE.