Today, many netizens are turning to VPN services in order to evade the heavy-handed approach to censorship.
And although there are a lot of providers that can get the job done, which VPN should you be using in Indonesia specifically?
It can be time-consuming and a headache searching for a reliable provider, that’s for sure.
But it doesn’t need to be.
In this article, we’ll be rounding up the top seven options to give you a choice and explaining the various features which make them suitable.
Despite being the third-largest democracy on the planet, Indonesia heavily monitors and censors internet access to its citizens. In 2020, Indonesia was rated as “partially free” in Freedom of the Net, scoring very low in the “civil liberties” category.
It shouldn’t come as a shock that the second-largest Muslim country in the world isn’t fond of pornography and religious criticism.
In 2008, a law was passed that essentially allowed the government to monitor the flow of information and censor online content. This law incited fear and led to self-censorship in both bloggers and average users.
Keep scrolling down to discover which is the best VPN for Indonesia.
Top 7 VPNs for use in Indonesia
| RANK | PROVIDER | PRICE | COUNTRY LOCATIONS | SIMULTANEOUS CONNECTIONS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  | $6.67 /mo | 94 | 5 | VISIT |
| 2. |  | $2.75 /mo | 60 | 7 | VISIT |
| 3. |  | $2.99 /mo | 62 | 6 | VISIT |
| 4. |  | $5.00 /mo | 64 | 5 | VISIT |
| 5. |  | $2.99 /mo | 63 | ∞ | VISIT |
| 6. |  | $6.49 /mo | 60 | ∞ | VISIT |
| 7. |  | $2.99 /mo | 77 | 10 | VISIT |
1. ExpressVPN
We’re starting our list of the best VPNs for Indonesia with ExpressVPN.
This VPN service is often considered the best that the industry has to offer, or at least one of the best ones out there.
It offers the most robust protection that the VPN industry can deliver, such as OpenVPN as a security protocol, AES 256-bit military-grade encryption, a server network that consists of over 3,000 servers in 94 countries, and customer service available around the clock.
Not only that, but it also offers numerous other security features, such as a strict no-logs policy, DNS leak protection for your data, a kill switch, split tunneling, as well as the ability to switch between several different VPN protocols, activates smart connect, allowing you to hide your online activity and what content you were browsing.
In our tests, we found their speeds to be at the top end of the scale. Couple this with support for torrenting, and a 30-day money-back guarantee and you’ve got peace of mind too.
However, the reason why we believe that this VPN is the best for Indonesia is the fact that it has servers in numerous countries in this region.
These include Malaysia, Hong Kong, India, Cambodia, Bhutan, Bangladesh and more. Plus servers in Indonesia.
All this combined allows you to bypass local restrictions, reach foreign content, unblock apps and websites and stay private while using the ‘net across the country. You can use it to protect your web traffic and hide your activities from the government on iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, Linux, gaming consoles, smart TVs, and more.
Our #1 recommended VPN for Indonesia
30-day money-back guarantee
2. CyberGhost
Next, we have CyberGhost VPN, which is often considered to be just as good as ExpressVPN, or at least a worthy alternative for Indonesia.
This service offers privacy and security protection that is just as strong, while its server network covering a slightly smaller number of countries (89) has nearly twice as many servers as ExpressVPN, some 6,800 in total.
One area where CyberGhost beats pretty much all competition is its extremely long money-back guarantee, which lasts for 45 days, whereas the industry standard is significantly shorter, only 30 days.
In other words, CyberGhost believes in the quality of its service, and it is ready to take the bet and let you use it 50% longer and remain a user after that.
Similarly to ExpressVPN, CyberGhost also features servers in numerous servers in Asia and the Pacific area, including India, Vietnam, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Indonesia. Plus many other surrounding countries, so the same great speeds can be achieved with this service, as well.
3. NordVPN
Then, we have NordVPN, which is another one of the major services with customers all over the world. It’s also probably the most famous and you may have already heard the name.
The reason for this is simple, the service has the strongest protection that a VPN can provide, and an impressive server network that spans through 58 countries.
It has around 5,500 servers in total, making it the second VPN on this list to offer more servers than our number one choice, ExpressVPN.
It is great for hiding your activities from internet service providers, unblocking social media, and more. Best of all, it is very easy to use, and one of the best VPNs for new users.
Still, that is not all, as NordVPN also features a user-friendly app with a map of the world that lets you see exactly where it is that you are connected to. This is available for all major devices.
Using a VPN provider for content-streaming services like Netflix from other countries, downloading and uploading of all kinds of content, or even unblocking social media is excellent thanks to high speeds. While they’re not quite as fast as ExpressVPN, they are near in the download speed stakes.
Like our previous two entries, it features servers in Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia itself, and many other excellent locations in Asia, as well as in other parts of the world.
4. VyprVPN
Continuing down our list of top VPN Indonesia services, we have VyprVPN, which may be slightly lesser-known when compared to the three VPN giants mentioned above, but it has all the same qualities.
That includes top-notch privacy and security features, support for multiple apps, and a significant server network.
In fact, VyprVPN has servers in over 70 countries, which is better than what NordVPN has to offer in terms of coverage.
These include Indonesia, naturally, but also Hong Kong, India, Japan, Macau, Malaysia, Maldives, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Vietnam, and numerous other locations.
VyprVPN provider even has locations in some countries that are typically not covered by many VPNs, such as Russia. This is great for local users, but also those in other countries interested in Russian content.
They also offer a super-handy 30-day money-back guarantee.
5. Surfshark
Next, we have Surfshark a relatively young service provider when compared to the rest on this list, but just as good when it comes to bypassing censorship, unblocking geo-restricted content and materials, and achieving excellent speeds.
Surfshark offers strong security and privacy features, just like the rest of them here. Apart from that, it also has a pretty extensive server network, especially when it comes to coverage.
This VPN offers around 1,040 servers in 61 countries around the world which is a lower server count. If you’re looking for more, stick with one of the earlier choices in our list.
The service has a server in Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Australia, Hong Kong, Azerbaijan, India, Kazakhstan, New Zealand, and many other locations.
Not only that, but it keeps to its no logs policy, it offers multiple user-friendly apps, and all of its servers are P2P-friendly, meaning that you can use them for torrenting, and it offers unlimited simultaneous connections.
6. IPVanish
IPVanish is definitely deserving of being on the list of the best VPNs for Indonesia.
It is one of the more affordable VPN services out there, with strong security and privacy features. It has military-grade encryption (AES 256-bit encryption), fast connection speeds, multiple security protocols, plenty of VPN servers, a kill switch, good customer support, and more.
When it comes to bypassing censorship, geo-restrictions, and accessing streaming services, the most important feature is VPN server network. IPVanish features over 1,600 servers in over 75 locations, with a total of 40,000 IP addresses.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t have servers in Indonesia itself.
However, it does have over 77 of them in the surrounding countries, including Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, India, Taiwan, and Singapore, as well as 52 more in Oceania, with 5 being in New Zealand, and the rest in different cities in Australia.
IPVanish also has a 30-day money-back guarantee, which is good to have in case you change your mind. In any case, it is a good choice if you need to protect your internet connection or access streaming services on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and other platforms.
7. Private Internet Access
Lastly, we have Private Internet Access, or PIA, another VPN that deserves to be called the best VPN for Indonesia. This VPN provider offers one of the largest, if not THE largest VPN server network out there.
PIA has nearly 25,200 servers in 77 different countries, it offers the industry’s best encryption, AES 256-bit encryption and it has a variety of security protocols, including OpenVPN and WireGuard.
It allows you to establish up to 10 simultaneous connections with only one license, it supports P2P traffic, and it is very easy to use.
Another thing that makes it the best VPN for Indonesia is the fact that it is extremely fast. This makes it great for accessing streaming services, but also social media, and other things that you might need to access online.
You will also be kept safe by its kill switch, which will protect your information, including your IP address from leaking. Users in Indonesia will also be happy to know that this VPN is able to protect them from the government, and even their Internet Service Provider (ISP).
What is the best country to set your VPN to?
In order to use VPN and protect your internet traffic, you need to connect to a VPN server offered by your VPN service provider.
Let’s say that you use ExpressVPN, choosing a server to connect will depend on what you need. If you wish to access US Netflix from Indonesia, you will, obviously, have to connect to the US.
If you want to access the UK’s BBC iPlayer, then you will need a UK IP address, which is obtained by connecting to a VPN in the UK.
If you wish to browse local content while protected and anonymous, then you need a VPN in Indonesia.
However, if you just wish to unblock something that may only be blocked in your country, or you simply wish to be anonymous and establish online privacy, it pays to connect to a server that is close by.
The closer the server of your virtual private network is, the lesser the distance that data has to travel. As a result, your internet connection will be faster with closer servers.
What’s the best free VPN for Indonesia?
There is also a matter of free VPN providers, which many tend to inquire about when seeking the best VPN for Indonesia.
Unfortunately, a free VPN is never a good option for a variety of reasons. That is why pretty much all the best VPNs for Indonesia are premium services.
Let us explain.
As you know, free VPN providers do not get money from their users, since they are free. However, this also interferes with the quality of their service. VPN servers need to be hired or bought, as well as maintained, so free VPNs can’t have that many of them.
Those that they do have are often overcrowded and extremely slow, and usually located in the most sought-out countries, such as the US.
In other words, you are unlikely to find one in Indonesia anyway. But, even though they are located in the right spot, they still cannot access websites like US Netflix, as Netflix blocks them due to them only having basic technology.
On top of that, even those few servers that they have still need to be maintained and paid for, so a free VPN needs to get the money from somewhere.
Most of them choose to either bombard their users with ads, or collect their browsing information and sell it to advertisers, the government, or anyone else who opts to pay for it, which defeats the point of using a VPN in the first place.
Now, we understand that you sometimes have no choice, you simply need to use VPNs in Indonesia and you don’t have the money to pay for it. If that’s the case, we recommend ProtonVPN.
This is a free service offered by a premium VPN by the same name, located in Switzerland.
This VPN will respect your security and privacy, but it offers only a handful of servers, none of which are in Indonesia. It is far from ideal, but it will work if you have no other choice.
Features you should consider
When it comes to choosing a VPN, especially for Indonesia, there are some features users should be considering.
Here are some of the most important ones:
1. Localized servers
You might be wondering why you need localized servers in Indonesia, why not just use one on the other side of the world?
The answer is simple, the closer the server to your physical location, the shorter the path that information needs to travel. As a result, it would be ideal if users could find a Jakarta server to connect to for the best Internet speed.
As a result, you get to achieve faster internet connections. And, if the content you are after is not available in your country, you should always try to connect to the closest neighboring country that has access to it.
If you find something blocked when connecting to Indonesia. Try using Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, or another nearby location.
2. Apps for all devices
You need to protect all of your devices, especially if you are traveling to countries like Indonesia, but also if you are a local.
The internet is not a safe place these days, and the threat of hacking attacks, government surveillance, censorship, and alike is everywhere, at all times.
This is why you need to a VPN that covers multiple devices so that you can protect your desktop, laptop, tablet, smartphone, as well as any other device that you might be using.
Our top five picks for VPN Indonesia all supply apps for iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, and more. Some also cover other devices like the Amazon Fire TV range, routers, Smart TVs and Linux.
3. Unblock streaming
If you are interested in watching foreign content from Indonesia, including movies and TV shows that are not available in your country – you need the best VPN service for that.
With the best VPN, you can simply connect to another region and access anything that is available to that region.
However, not every VPN can unblock things like overseas Netflix, so if you wish to have it unblocked, you need to be careful when picking a service.
ExpressVPN, CyberGhost VPN, and NordVPN all unblock the most popular Netflix regions as well as the most popular TV networks from the United States, UK, Australia, Canada, and other locations.
You can also unblock social media, chat apps, news sites, and much more.
4. Privacy protection
Lastly, you should consider getting a VPN in order to protect your online privacy.
As mentioned briefly earlier, the internet is full of dangers.
There are hackers, malware, cookies from various websites, Indonesian government agencies, and even your internet provider. All of which are interested in collecting as much of your data as possible.
The best way to protect yourself from them is to use a VPN and make use of its privacy and security features.
Do I need a VPN in Indonesia?
When it comes to why you should use a VPN in Indonesia, specifically, there are plenty of reasons.
There are some of the basic ones, such as protecting yourself from the data-logging websites, the Indonesian government, online surveillance, and accessing foreign content.
But, there are also some that are significantly more important, such as bypassing heavy censorship found in Indonesia and ensuring your human rights.
As you may know, Indonesia does not allow its citizens much internet freedom, or at least not in a sense that the majority of the world knows it.
The country’s government uses its authority to determine what websites and content internet users may or may not access, and they blocked over 70,000 sites deemed ‘negative’ back in 2018 (Source).
The country spent $15 million to block 72,407 websites in January 2018, and many more in the following months.
Websites like Netflix have also found themselves blocked in the past (Source).
Are VPNs illegal in Indonesia?
With Indonesia’s tendency to block all kinds of content, many were afraid that it might follow in China’s and Russia’s footsteps, which would lead to making VPNs illegal.
Fortunately, this has not happened.
In fact, Indonesia is easily one of the countries with the most VPN users in the world. According to Global Web Index, Indonesia has the highest rate of VPN use in the world (Source).
These days, VPNs are still legal and used by many of its citizens, which is also unlikely to change in the near future, so you can still use VPN service providers to access blocked content.
So whether you’re in Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Bali, or even the Gili Islands, you’re free to use a VPN to stay protected and access an uncensored internet.
Conclusion
If you live in Indonesia, or you plan to move to the country or even just visit it, having a strong, functioning VPN is one of the major needs.
Indonesia is known for its online surveillance and censorship, so using a VPN for bypassing such problems and protecting yourself is more than just a luxury, it is a necessity.
There are a lot of VPNs for Indonesia, but I recommend using ExpressVPN.
In our tests, it offered a reliable service with fast connection speeds. You also get a lot of service for your money.
However, if you don’t agree, don’t forget they’ve got the 30-day money-back guarantee so you can test them yourself without risk.
| RANK | PROVIDER | PRICE | COUNTRY LOCATIONS | SIMULTANEOUS CONNECTIONS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | | $6.67 /mo | 94 | 5 | VISIT |
| 2. | | $2.75 /mo | 60 | 7 | VISIT |
| 3. | | $2.99 /mo | 62 | 6 | VISIT |
| 4. | | $5.00 /mo | 64 | 5 | VISIT |
| 5. | | $2.99 /mo | 63 | ∞ | VISIT |
| 6. | | $6.49 /mo | 60 | ∞ | VISIT |
| 7. | | $2.99 /mo | 77 | 10 | VISIT |
Do you know if Astrill works in Indonesia? I am trying to find a reliable vpn service in the country and Astrill is what I have at the moment. Might visit the country soon.