There are two main benefits of a VPN. Firstly, it offers a great way to protect your online privacy. Secondly, it spoofs your IP address, allowing you to access the internet as if you were in another country (we’ll explain more about this later). Here we’ll take you through some of the features you want to look out for and then list the best VPNs for New Zealand.
See also: How to watch BBC iPlayer in NZ.
Best VPN for New Zealand
1. PureVPN (with dedicated IP)
- 256-bit AES encryption
- Automatic killswitch
- Connect up to 5 devices simultaneously
- No logs
- Dedicated Android; iOS; Windows; and Mac apps
- 750 Servers in 140+ Countries
- Unlimited bandwidth
PureVPN tops our list because of its dedicated IP function. This feature costs an extra $1.99/month but buys you sole access to an IP address in the country of your choice. This is important because late last year, online streaming services such as BBC iPlayer and Netflix, started blocking shared IPs from VPNs. Buying your own dedicated IP sidesteps this.
If you’re not interested in the dedicated IP feature, then PureVPN is still one of the best-priced VPNs on the market, boasting a large selection of servers in over 140 countries.
It’s a user-friendly app too. Customers will find its Purpose tab particularly useful and time-saving. Via this tab, you can select the reason you’re connecting to a VPN. If it’s to watch Netflix US, then you just select the Netflix US server. Easy.
Click here to buy PureVPN (with dedicated IP).
2. NordVPN
- 256-bit AES encryption
- Automatic killswitch
- Connect up to 6 devices simultaneously
- No logs
- Dedicated Android; iOS; Windows; and Mac apps
- 1535 servers in 61 countries
- Unlimited bandwidth
NordVPN is one an established and respected VPN provider. It’s a service that has performed will in VPN test for several years. Today it’s competitively priced and has all the features you want from a VPN. Android and iOS apps are available directly on the respective app stores and you can run up to six devices simultaneously. There are multiple price options too.
3. IPVanish
- 256-bit AES encryption
- 5 simultaneous connections on multiple devices
- No logs
- Dedicated Android; iOS; Windows; and Mac apps
- 40,000+ shared IPs, 850+ VPN servers in 60+ countries
- Unlimited bandwidth
IPVanish is as respected as any VPN. It’s operated as an excellent VPN service for several years and boasts a huge network of fast servers in 60+ countries. The 2017 product has all the features you’d want from a modern VPN and its priced well. You won’t regret using IPVanish as your main VPN.
4. CyberGhost
- 256-bit AES encryption
- Automatic killswitch
- 5 simultaneous connections on multiple devices
- No logs
- Adblocker (optional)
- Dedicated Android; iOS; Windows; and Mac apps
- 1000+ servers in 30+ popular countries
- Unlimited bandwidth
CyberGhost is the cheapest of the Big 3 VPNs. It’s perfect for Kiwi users as its quick, and importantly, cheap. It comes with great features such as an optional adblocker and automatic killswitch. The service lets you use a VPN on up to five different devices simultaneously with 256-bit AES encryption while keeping no logs on your activity.
5. BulletVPN
- 256-bit AES encryption
- 3 simultaneous connections on multiple devices
- No logs
- Tier-1 data centres
- Dedicated Android; iOS; Windows; and Mac apps
- …and an Amazon Fire TV app
- Unlimited bandwidth
This is a great choice if you have an Amazon Fire TV stick thanks to its dedicated app. A lot of its rivals don’t support this device. Those who have a Fire TV will be able to download this app and then access TV streaming services from multiple countries. It’s also one of the fastest VPNs you can buy in 2017, hence the name.
6. PIA
- 256-bit AES encryption
- 5 simultaneous connections on multiple devices
- Adblocker (optional)
- No logs
- Dedicated Android; iOS; Windows; and Mac apps
- 3272+ servers in 25 countries
- Unlimited bandwidth
If you’re looking to spend as little as possible on your VPN, you’ve just found the service for you. It comes with heaps of features and lets you connect up to 5 devices and any one time. Don’t be put off by its cheap price tag. This is a quality VPN.
Best VPN for New Zealand 2018: Glossary
Online Privacy: If you’re serious about protecting your online privacy, then a VPN is a great way to go. This is because they (good ones) offer end-to-end encryption. What this means if your data is encrypted before it leaves your computer and is only decrypted when it reaches your VPN server location. This means that your ISP (and government) won’t be able to see your internet activity as its all encrypted.
See also: What’s the best antivirus software for Macs?
Five Eyes Countries: For extra privacy, we recommend choosing a VPN that’s not located in one of the Five Eyes countries (UK, US, Australia, New Zealand and Canada) as these countries share spying intelligence freely. Which means, theoretically, they could obtain your VPN provider’s own data. To remove this possibility we advise choosing a VPN with an HQ located outside of these countries.
Logs: This is more of a focus for those looking to use a VPN for online privacy rather than boosting their online streaming catalogue. However, VPNs that log your internet activity are common. If you’re VPN provider logs your activity and is based in one of the Five Eyes countries, then you should avoid using if online privacy is a priority.
One step better than selecting a VPN outside of the Five Eyes agreement is choosing a service that doesn’t keep logs of your activity at all.
Location spoofing (Unlock more content): The internet is not even. You’ll get a slightly different version of the internet, depending on where you access it from. VPNs let you access the internet from your server location. If you pick a server located on the West Coast of the US and you’ll be served the same internet that people who live there access.
This is important if you’re looking to use a VPN to improve online streaming services. If you’re looking to access the UK’s BBC iPlayer you don’t need a sophisticated VPN. Most that have servers in the UK will mean that you can watch the entire iPlayer catalogue. Watching US Netflix (it has a much bigger library than NZ’s) is a little trickier. On the one side, Netflix actively blocks access from certain IP addresses to stop users from doing the above. On the other, VPNs create new IP addresses to allow its users to continue watching US Netflix. The result is a game of Cat and Mouse. The best VPN (listed below) is the most successful at this game.
Multiple-device support: The best VPNs have easy-to-download programs for Windows/Mac and dedicated apps on the Apple’s and Android’s app stores. Once downloaded, you log in and that’s it, you have an active VPN on whatever device you’re using.
Less established VPNs tend not to have their own apps. This is either because they haven’t been approved by Apple or Android’s app stores or the software hasn’t been made yet. The alternative is usually via a third-party app called OpenVPN Connect. Installing your VPNs profile on here requires a little legwork (about 10 mins in total).
Those with an Amazon Fire TV device should also check the device is supported by a VPN too. Amazon Fire TV devices use a modified Android App Store, making things a little more difficult.
Users: This is common sense. But you should always consider how many licences you’re getting with your VPN provider. Good VPNs allow you to link multiple devices to your account at the same time.
Killswitch: This is another feature that only applies to users focused on privacy. A kill switch is a feature that will automatically shut down access to any soft or software (of your choosing) if a VPN connection drops, rather than continuing with your regular ISP (without encryption).
Server locations: The majority of users will only need a handful of server locations and the list below features VPNs that cover all the popular server locations. However, a VPN does not automatically grant you access to a server in every country in the world. If you’re looking to access a specific countries internet, it’s worth researching a VPNs full server list before purchasing.
See also: How to watch UK TV in New Zealand.
i think pia here is the better option of the lot though it’s 3.3 a month and i just got ivacy’s 5-year sub at 1 a month. in terms of encryption and speeds too, ivacy and pia are pretty decent, especially in case of kodi and youtube streaming.