Since the Arab Spring, online political discourse in Egypt has been heavily monitored under the anti-terrorism laws. This led to several arrests of users whose online content criticized President Sisi during the 2018 elections. More generally, the Egyptian authorities have begun to monitor and arrest queer citizens on a disturbingly frequent basis since the Mashrou’ Leila concert.
Whether you’re an Egyptian resident or simply ticking its attractions off your bucket list, it’s imperative that you invest in a virtual private network (VPN). It’s a service that conceals your identity by connecting you to a remote server and then encrypting your connection to make it untraceable.
In order to help you find the best VPN for Egypt, we’ve made a list of 7 top-notch VPN services that are incredibly well-suited for use in this particular country.
No time to read? Here are our best VPNs:
1. NordVPN ‣
- Location: Panama
- Pricing: starts at $3.49/month
- Server count: 5400+ servers in 59+ countries
- Features: military-grade encryption, massive server list, 24/7 live chat support
NordVPN is top-of-the-range software that handles the official cybersecurity for Liverpool FC and has some of the best security features on the market.
Over 2019, NordVPN worked hard to improve their connection speeds – something they were able to do. Currently, their massive server fleet (5400+ servers in 59 countries) delivers amazing performance. It doesn’t matter where you are in the world – you’ll have countless servers on hand for a speedy connection. This also applies to Egypt.
Something going wrong? Never fear: NordVPN benefits from some of the best 24/7 live chat support in the game. With a dedicated team on hand at all times, you’ll never have to worry about losing out on one of the best VPNs for Egypt.
2. Surfshark VPN ‣
- Location: British Virgin Islands
- Pricing: starts at $1.99/month
- Server count: 1000+ servers in 60+ countries
- Features: high-security VPN, unlimited simultaneous connections, great for geo-unblocking
Surfshark VPN is not only one of the most versatile but it’s also the cheapest VPN option on the list. Its signature feature is allowing unlimited devices per subscription, which makes it ridiculously cost-effective.
Relying on the same AES 256-bit encryption cipher and DNS leak protection NordVPN uses, Surfshark is virtually impenetrable. Since the location of the company is in the British Virgin Islands which have no data retention laws, your privacy is in good hands.
Should you encounter any problems, you also have 24/7 live chat support. At so low a price, it’s practically a steal.
3. PrivateVPN ‣
- Location: Sweden
- Pricing: starts at $3.82/month
- Server count: 100+ servers in 60+ countries
- Features: great speeds, security, geo-unblocking, torrent support
PrivateVPN is another speedy service that comes a great deal cheaper than the majority of candidates for the title of best VPN for Egypt.
PrivateVPN is great for torrenting and unblocking geo-restricted content and has plenty enough servers to be able to do that. However, one thing we dislike about PrivateVPN is that it’s registered in Sweden – not the most privacy-friendly in the world. With that said, PrivateVPN operates under a no-logging policy, which means you should be fine.
As with the other options we’ve covered thus far, PrivateVPN uses a top-of-the-range encryption cipher. It also uses StealthVPN, which as we’ve mentioned gives users that extra kick in terms of online security.
4. ExpressVPN ‣
- Location: British Virgin Islands
- Pricing: starts at $8.32/month
- Server count: 3000+ servers in 90+ countries
- Features: military-grade encryption, browser extensions, private DNS server
When searching for a VPN that will keep your personal information locked up and secure while you’re in Egypt, you need to look at where the company is registered to determine its legal jurisdiction.
For example, ExpressVPN is registered in the British Virgin Islands, which has no data retention laws and thus leaves the company under no obligation to surrender the information stored on its servers to any legal authority!
Express also lives up to the gold standard of VPN data practices by logging zero user information whatsoever. As well as this, the service also features a private DNS server to fully safeguard your connection against leaks, and it also uses AES-256-GCM encryption – which is, simply put, unhackable.
This VPN is on the more expensive side, but for the asking price, you receive unbreakable security and great connection speeds to ensure your base download speeds are barely hampered.
5. VyprVPN ‣
- Location: Switzerland
- Pricing: starts at $5.00/month
- Server count: 700+ servers in 70+ countries
- Features: great security, server list, geo-unblocking, torrenting, download speeds
The pricing of VyprVPN is decidedly mid-range because the product itself is a great all-rounder. Its registry in the privacy haven of Switzerland makes it easy to trust, and that trust is rewarded by a solid privacy policy that means the company does not log any of your user activity on its servers.
As well as this, VyprVPN benefits from its support of the Chameleon protocol, which was developed by partner company Golden Frog specifically for this VPN. It’s a protocol designed to ensure your server connection is never throttled by your ISP, which makes VyprVPN a great candidate for fans of torrenting.
VyprVPN also stands out through its use of the AES-256-CBC encryption cipher, which is a faster version of the usual AES-256-GCM cipher used in the other VPN we’ve mentioned. As well as working much more quickly, it also works just as well to make sure your information can never be hacked.
6. Astrill VPN ‣
- Location: Seychelles
- Pricing: starts at $10.00/month
- Server count: 320+ servers in 60+ countries
- Features: military-grade encryption, obfuscated servers, high-speed connections
While it may not quite be the best VPN for Egypt overall, Astrill VPN nevertheless shines in its own right, offering some features that some users may find preferable over our top two choices.
First off, the security features match the best of the best: AES-256-GCM encryption and a Seychelles registry, which means your information cannot be acquired by hackers nor governments, no matter how hard they try.
However, Astrill’s ace card is their support for the StealthVPN protocol, which is an improved version of the industry go-to OpenVPN that allows for obfuscated connections – basically, it’s an additional layer of security.
The added heft of its security features do not stop Astrill from offering seriously impressive connection speeds. Of all the VPN we’ve ever tested, Astrill is one of the fastest overall.
Alas, the price may not quite be ideal, but if you’re willing to go the extra mile and safeguard your personal information to the hilt, Astrill can certainly be one of the best VPN for Egypt.
7. Ivacy VPN ‣
- Location: Singapore
- Pricing: starts at $0.99/month
- Server count: 1000+ servers in 50+ countries
- Features: military-grade encryption, high-speed connections, split tunneling, kill switch
Ivacy VPN is something of an underdog in the VPN market. Part of this may be to do with the fact that it’s registered in Singapore, which immediately sends up red flags for those with a knowledge of cybersecurity.
Singapore is not a part of the Five Eyes group, but it has been known to cooperate with the said alliance in the past. This has granted it authoritative power over the data surveillance of internet users in Singapore.
However, Ivacy itself ensures this never becomes an issue – it adheres to a strict no-logs policy and encrypts user data with an AES-256-GCM lock. As well as this, it also features a reliable kill switch that protects your personal information in the event of a server connection drop.
As well as this, Ivacy provides great speeds for a very reasonable price. As such, it maybe isn’t the best VPN for Egypt under our original criteria, but if you’re strapped for cash, it can do the job well enough.
And the best VPN for Egypt is…
If you want to remain totally anonymous and secure in order to express yourself online, look no further than NordVPN. Quite simply, it has it all: great security, great speeds, torrenting support, and geo-unblocking support.
Those looking for a cheaper alternative, though, should remember Surfshark, which has great features, unlimited connections, and a particularly cheap 2-year plan.
If you’re in Egypt, which of these VPNs have you used before? Did we miss any great VPNs for Egypt? Let us know in the comments below.
I’ll be going with PrivateVPN. I’m not going to need the internet MUCH while I’m in Egypt – there are so many things to see! – but I don’t want to find it limited when I get there. Plus, I’m going to be doing a lot of studying, and I’m going to need the internet to remain free and open for that.
Enjoy your time in Egypt. We visited there several years ago and would love to go back. We were so excited to see the pyramids. Our first hotel was located right next to the entrance to the Great Pyramid of Cheopswith. The view was unbelievable! The climb to the top of the Great Pyramid is very steep up a wooden slope and can be slippery so be sure to wear rubber-soled shoes.
Most people thought that the Arab Spring would mean more freedom (specially online) for the Egyptian people. That sadly hasn’t been the case, and using a VPN has become more and more necessary.
PureVPN and CyberGhost are two more VPNs that work best in Egypt. PureVPN offers great value for money with unlimited bandwidth and has more than 2000 servers in 140 locations. Similarly, CyberGhost allows you to surf the internet at blazing speeds and provides complete security. You should add both of these to the list.