When talking about Iran, we all think about ancient Persia as one of the oldest civilizations on the planet. However, despite Persian technical advancements thousands of years ago, Iran is among the most censored countries, even rivaling China.
In fact, the authorities in this country want to completely cut off their residents from the internet, which results in thousands of blocked sites and no freedom of speech. Moreover, the ISPs in this country monitor online activities daily, which is dangerous to your online privacy.
Not to mention that Iran even blocks VPN services, which makes it incredibly difficult to find a VPN for Iran that’s working in 2024. The good news is that this problem won’t bother you anymore, and if you live here, we’ll help you find the best VPN for Iran that you can use with no issues.
This is quite a complex topic because of recent events in the country, so we’ll need to explain the reasons for using a VPN in Iran and how to set up a VPN service if you live there.
VPNs That Work in Iran in 2024 At a Glance
Using a VPN in Iran is incredibly difficult at this point. With so many failing to work, our team took matters into its own hands and tested hundreds of them. At the time of writing, these three VPNs work perfectly in Iran:
- NordVPN – the best overall VPN for Iran
- ExpressVPN – the fastest Iran VPN in 2024
- Surfshark VPN – VPN with unlimited simultaneous connections
We recommend NordVPN and its 65+% discount with a couple of gratis months for the 2-year plan. For those wanting to save a bit of money, Surfshark is great as a slightly inferior solution, while ExpressVPN is more expensive. We don’t advise using CyberGhost or PIA in Iran, as these aren’t working.
Why Should You Use a VPN for Iran?
The situation in this country is quite severe and users could be completely cut off from the internet if specific laws come to fruition. Using a VPN in this country is, therefore, crucial, so let me give you a couple of good reasons why you should use it:
Bypassing Censorship
Let’s address the elephant in the room. Iran was always a “grey area” for internet users. A few years back, it received the status of the enemy of the internet, similar to China, which clearly implies what kind of country we’re talking about.
Not so long ago, the level of internet freedom in the country was, let’s say, bearable. However, the government started talking about something called The Protection Bill. The Protection Bill aims to “protect” people in this country from the internet.
It is planned to function similarly to the Great Firewall of China, which translates to thousands of blocked websites, leaving only those that the government deems “safe.” In other words, Google services will likely be blocked, but also social media platforms, and streaming sites.
Internet freedom in this country is on the verge of disaster, which is further exacerbated by the government’s plan to block VPN services, which already happened. As such, using a VPN in Iran can be a challenge, as very few providers will actually work at the time of writing.
However, if you use the best VPN for Iran that we presented below, you can fix this issue easily. Once you connect to a server in a non-censored country, you can unblock all websites and enjoy YouTube, Netflix, Viber, and other sites and services without any issues.
Avoiding ISP Monitoring
Because of the current events in the country, Iranian ISPs resort to mass surveillance and data gathering. ISPs are forced by the government to track your online activities and follow everything you do online, which is all but good for your privacy.
They can easily see the websites you visit and frequently visited sites, but also check your searches, to see what you’re looking up online. I find this extremely dangerous and malicious, especially knowing that the ISP can report you to the authorities for allegedly suspicious activities.
To avoid this from happening, using an Iran VPN is obligatory. By connecting to a server, you will encrypt your connection and change your IP address to another country, hiding your original IP in the process.
As a result, you’ll become invisible to your ISP and due to encryption, it won’t be able to read your connecting, making it easy to browse the web safely, privately, and anonymously.
Unblocking WhatsApp and Other Social Media Sites
A huge portion of censorship has to do with social media sites and VoIP services. It’s not the first time that the government in the country blocked Facebook, Instagram, or any other social media outlet. From time to time, users report the inability to use some of these websites and apps.
Following recent events, for example, we’ve heard that WhatsApp isn’t working in Iran, with a few other social media sites unavailable. Once again, a VPN can help you by making you seem like you’re located somewhere else, which will give you access to social media sites freely.
Just be sure to connect to a server in a non-censored country like the US or the UK, and you’ll be good to go!
Bypassing Geo-Restrictions
Much like any other country, Iran is home to geo-restrictions, especially on foreign betting sites and streaming platforms. In this country, Netflix block is still active, so the platform isn’t available at all. Moreover, you won’t be able to access BBC iPlayer, Disney+, Hulu ABC, and HBO Max.
If you find this annoying and you like watching blockbusters and series, using a VPN in Iran is your best, and only bet. By connecting to a server in the respective country, you can unblock the aforementioned streaming platforms with no issues.
A US server gives you access to Netflix US and Prime Video, and with a UK server, you can watch BBC iPlayer, ITV, and other channels. Possibilities are endless here, and with the right provider, you can expand your horizons and increase your online freedom in this country.
Getting Rid of Potential ISP Throttling
We should mention that the internet in this country is under the total control of the authorities. They not only control what can be accessed online but also the entire infrastructure, which is quite concerning knowing the behavior of the authorities that we already mentioned.
This means they can even control your internet speed and intentionally slow it down during bandwidth-hungry activities, such as downloading, gaming, or streaming. The best VPN for Iran can stop ISP throttling in its tracks by concealing your IP and hiding your online activities from the ISP.
Staying Safe on Public WiFi Networks
Despite the totalitarian regime in the country, public WiFi hotspots tend to be unsafe. If you’re a tourist, you’re especially vulnerable because you’re going to be using those hotspots to go online, publish a selfie on Instagram, or watch some YouTube videos.
Public WiFi hotspots are known for their lack of security, as they lack encryption and even password protection in some cases. This means hackers can easily sweep the network, steal your private data, and go away like nothing happened.
Luckily, with the VPN’s ability to encrypt your traffic, that won’t be the case. With your traffic encrypted and your IP address hidden, even a great hacker won’t be able to track you online. As a result, he can’t read your traffic, and thus, he can’t steal your private data.
Best VPN for Iran: The 3 Providers That Work Reliably
With everything said, I think it’s pretty obvious that you need the best VPN for Iran in 2024 and luckily for you, I found three that REALLY work and are tested by us. Let’s check them out together:
1. NordVPN
NordVPN is a very powerful provider that bypasses the Great Firewall of China with no issues. It’s also our favorite VPN to use in Iran thanks to Obufscated servers. Connecting to one of these is simple and can be done in any app – mobile or desktop.
From this point, you can use the VPN in Iran 10/10 times and enjoy an array of benefits. NordVPN packs 6,300+ servers in 111 counties, making it the largest VPN that works in Iran. Moreover, the VPN is the fastest around, with 10 Gbps servers and the NordLynx protocol.
We love its performance for streaming, as it works with Netflix and other popular services. We’ll add to everything P2P servers that you can use for torrenting. In fact, NordVPN can be bound to any torrent client for additional security and convenience.
As the top-rated Iran VPN, NordVPN’s security is non-negotiable. AES-256 encryption is there and it’s backed by a secure kill switch and RAM-based servers. Let’s not forget its IP/DNS leak protection, which helps deter unwanted leaks for even stronger privacy.
This amazing VPN for Iran also won’t keep logs. It’s a perfect option to stay safe online with no traffic logs or information related to your IP or DNS requests. With a couple of audits from PwC and Deloitte, NordVPN remains among the most trustworthy VPNs around.
Compared to ExpressVPN or CyberGhost, it offers more features as well. For instance, its apps are better optimized and you get 10 simultaneous connections. NordVPN also includes Double VPN servers and Threat Protection with an antivirus, ad blocker, and anti-malware.
It’s a 360-degree cybersecurity suite that can replace all your antivirus software. Best of all, its 2-year deals are amazingly cheap at well under $3.6/mo. For this price and a 30-day refund policy, finding a better VPN for Iran is impossible!
2. ExpressVPN
We actively test ExpressVPN every day in this country, only to receive amazing results. This VPN is still working in Iran flawlessly, and 9/10 times, we have no issues securing our connection and enjoying internet freedom. It’s slightly less reliable than NordVPN.
However, ExpressVPN is among the top VPNs you can currently get, offering 3,000+ servers in 105 countries globally. This makes it great for bypassing geo-blocks and getting rid of annoying censorship that prevents you from accessing your favorite social media sites.
Best of all is that ExpressVPN works without any special settings. You just get it, open the app, and connect to a server – that’s all! From there, ExpressVPN will use 256-bit AES encryption to conceal your IP address and secure your connection, rendering it untraceable by your ISP.
In addition, the provider boasts IP/DNS leak protection, as well as an automatic kill switch, both of which will prevent unwanted leaks and keep you anonymous in Iran all the time. Not to mention that ExpressVPN stores no logs of your online activities and IP address.
Therefore, if Iranian authorities request it to hand out any data, it will greet them with empty hands. This no-logs policy was audited by KPMG, so you can be sure ExpressVPN is an excellent companion for total privacy and security.
In addition, it offers a proprietary Lightway protocol, which produces the fastest speeds and makes this provider great for streaming. Apart from working with BBC iPlayer and Netflix, ExpressVPN will also allow you to download torrents in complete safety and enjoy the provider on every device.
Other notable features include RAM-based servers, private DNS, and 8 simultaneous connections, all of which make this provider a top VPN for Iran. Feel free to check its annual plan with a 49% discount and 3 free months, with a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee – we’re sure you’ll be more than satisfied!
Use ExpressVPN in Iran Reliably
3. Surfshark
Another great VPN for Iran is Surfshark and we found this one to work well, although it needs some tweaks, which we explained below. Surfshark is much cheaper than ExpressVPN, so it makes sense that it’s also a bit less reliable.
However, once you set it up properly, it’ll work with no issues and provide you with nearly the same benefits. This provider packs 3,200 servers in 100 countries and offers unlimited simultaneous connections, which is something you’ll rarely get in a VPN service.
Furthermore, the provider offers tons of security features that are crucial for this country. Aside from 256-AES encryption, Surfshark offers an ad blocker, kill switch, and WireGuard, a VPN protocol for boosting connection stability and performance.
Granted, it’s not faster than NordVPN by any stretch but it’s not snail-slow. Besides, you get a NoBorders mode for bypassing censorship, plus MultiHop servers for doubling your encryption and routing your traffic through multiple servers.
Surfshark offers a Surfshark One plan for over $2 a month as a high-tier subscription. If you go for it, you’ll get Surfshark Antivirus, Alerts, and True Incognito Mode. In any case, this provider is based in the Netherlands and has a no-logs policy, so you can expect the highest level of privacy.
Its no-logging policy is verified by Cure53 and Deloitte, allowing you to browse the dark web privately in Iran or simply enjoy the surface web and unblock sites effortlessly. Beware that Surfshark has rare issues with a kill switch and in very rare instances, it’ll fail to work when losing a VPN connection.
On the good side, connection losses are very infrequent, so you don’t have to worry about it. Surfshark offers a cheap 2-year plan at around $2.5 a month with a 30-day money-back guarantee that covers all subscription plans. Sounds good? Check it out below!
Get Surfshark: A VPN That Works in Iran
How to Use Surfshark in Iran? A Full Setup Guide for Windows
As explained previously, to use Surfshark in Iran and make it work reliably, manual settings are required. Luckily, Surfshark is happy to provide you with these settings and tutorials if you contact its customer support.
To avoid making this article too long, I will show you how to set it up on Windows, but you can request settings for Android, iOS, macOS, and Linux as well. Without further ado, here are the steps to use this VPN in Iran:
- Visit this page to get to the manual connection page in your account. If the previous link doesn’t work, you can use this one. Given that you already have the account, simply log in and proceed to the next step.
- When prompted to choose a protocol, choose OpenVPN and get your credentials in the form of the username and password. You can keep this page open because you’ll need those credentials later.
- You’ll now need to download OpenVPN configuration files for the locations you want. Click on Locations and download the ones you need.
- Download the OpenVPN GUI client. You can do that via its official site – it’s free.
- Install and open OpenVPN GUI. It’ll open in the system tray.
- Right-click on OpenVPN GUI in the system tray and click on “Import File.”
- Find the OpenVPN configuration file(s) you downloaded in Step 3, click on it, and press Open to import the file(s).
- Right-click on OpenVPN GUI in the system tray again and you’ll find the name of the file(s) you imported. Simply place your arrow on the file you want and you’ll get the option “Connect.”
- Click on “Connect” and enter the credentials (username and password) from Step 2.
- Click on “OK” and the OpenVPN GUI icon in the system tray will turn green, indicating that the connection is successful.
- OPTIONAL: To disconnect, right-click on OpenVPN GUI and click on “Disconnect.” And if you want more locations, go back to Step 3 and download the configuration files for other countries – there are more than 90 of them.
Reputable VPN Services That DON’T Work in Iran
Unfortunately, at the time of writing this article, countless reputable VPN services will not work in Iran. Due to the situation in the country, censorship and restrictions, in general, are in full swing, which makes using a VPN service more difficult.
Currently, these two providers won’t work properly in this country:
CyberGhost
Sadly, CyberGhost won’t work in this country at the time of writing. However, we expected this to happen, as the provider also won’t work in China, which is yet another censored country that closely resembles Iran at this point.
CyberGhost has no obfuscation and that’s the main reason it won’t work in Iran. But the good news is that this provider is working on fixing this issue and making itself usable for Iranian residents. Besides, the provider is one of the top choices out there.
I found it to be a great VPN for macOS but also for other platforms, offering 12,000 servers in 100 countries. Much like other providers, it has impeccable security, a no-logs policy, and great streaming/torrenting servers, which make it a reliable choice.
If you don’t live in Iran or China, know that you can use this provider anywhere else and enjoy its numerous benefits on both mobile and desktop platforms. I suggest checking out its 2-year deal and a 45-day money-back guarantee you get just in case it starts working in Iran properly.
Private Internet Access
Another VPN we’d like to mention here is Private Internet Access. Iran’s been doubling down on its VPN ban, so a provider like PIA VPN also isn’t going to work. Yes, it does offer obfuscation that can be enabled in Settings but in our experience, it’s not particularly useful in Iran.
However, Private Internet Access is a quite decent provider and if you don’t live in Iran, you can use it. Besides, we’ve heard that PIA VPN is working on improving its ability to work in this country, so much like with NordVPN, we’re hoping to see some improvements in the future.
Other than that, PIA VPN sports 30,000 servers in over 90 countries, solid speeds, P2P servers, and a boatload of security features. It’s also a no-log service and offers 256-bit encryption, a kill switch, split tunneling, and an ad blocker
If you’re interested, check out its cheapest deal through the button below. It’s a 3-year plan that costs under $2.3 a month and offers a 30-day refund policy. If PIA VPN fixes its problems and manages to work in Iran at some point, this will be one of the top choices for budget users.
Free VPN for Iran: Will Any of Them Work?
Throguhout the years of using and testing VPNs every day, I found one consistent issue with free VPNs. Namely, free VPNs are very incapable of working in censored countries, and so far, I haven’t found a single free provider that works in China or Iran.
Thus, a free provider can’t be the best VPN for Iran simply because it doesn’t work in the country! Not to mention that free providers are painfully slow and they limit your bandwidth to just a few gigabytes a month, which makes them far less usable than unlimited premium providers.
Security is another weakness of these providers. They tend to give you outdated encryption protocols and by storing and selling your data, they can earn some money they don’t earn from subscriptions. However, while I don’t recommend using them, you can at least test them.
Try ProtonVPN, Windscribe, or any other provider and you’ll see that all of them fail to work in Iran. You can’t have it both ways. If it’s free, you’ll have to deal with some compromises, which won’t happen if you pay a few dollars a month for a top-grade premium service.
Is Using a VPN in Iran Legal?
Knowing how the Iranian authorities treat internet space in the country, it’s worth talking about VPNs and their legality in Iran. As we speak, using VPN services in the country isn’t illegal, but the government is actively blocking their sites.
The situation is similar to what we have in China. In China, it’s not illegal to use a provider of your choice, but it’s very difficult to subscribe to one, as these sites are blocked. The aforementioned Protection Bill aims to spice things up, though.
The authorities suggested that the sale and distribution of VPNs in the country should be illegal and that those violating this law can end up in prison for up to 2 years. Thankfully, at the time of writing this article, this law wasn’t yet approved, which makes everything we talked about valid and legal.
Summary
With numerous privacy concerns and censorship in Iran, it’s no wonder people are looking for high-quality providers to fix these issues. The best VPN for Iran is NordVPN and in 2024, we found it to be super-reliable and easy to use in this country, with no additional manual settings. ExpressVPN follows in closely, being slightly less dependable.
If you opt for a cheaper solution like Surfshark, it’s worth noting that you’ll have to perform a manual, albeit simple configuration that we explained. In this case, it’ll be a reliable service for keeping yourself away from the prying eyes and regaining online privacy in the country.
6300 servers
111 covered countries
30 days money-back guarantee
10 simultaneous connections
3000 servers
105 covered countries
30 days money-back guarantee
8 simultaneous connections
3000 servers
100 covered countries
30 days money-back guarantee
Unlimited connections
Best of all is that all three providers can be used risk-free due to a 30-day money-back guarantee, so if you’re unsuccessful, you can always request a refund. However, we tested these providers and can confirm they work well, so it’s highly unlikely you’ll want to do that.
If you encounter a problem, don’t hesitate to read our guide to resolve frequent VPN disconnections.
