Iran is an ancient and beautiful country with an amazing history, but it also happens to have a highly restrictive government.
Iran is notorious for its extreme government censorship, banning sites like Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, and other websites that are commonly used in most other countries.
Because of the lack of privacy and enhanced restrictions, the best way to access the Internet in Iran is to use one of the best Iran Virtual Private Networks (VPN).
By using a VPN in Iran, you will be able to get past the government’s strict censorship and gain access to geo-restricted sites like BBC iPlayer and Netflix US; and you will also be able to keep your Internet traffic private and secure.
Keep on reading to find out which VPNs work best for Iran, and how to use them!
In a Hurry? Here Are 3 Best VPNs with Iran IP Addresses
3 Best Iran VPNs to Get Iran IP Address
If you are looking for the best VPN to allow you to access content in Iran while ensuring your online anonymity, these are the 3 best VPNs.
1. ExpressVPN — Broadest Server Network
ExpressVPN is the fastest VPN, scoring high on all VPN reviews.
ExpressVPN has a very extensive network of servers around the globe, with servers in over 94 countries, making it easy to connect to a server to disguise your IP address and get around Iran filtering.
ExpressVPN also offers excellent security and privacy features, including a Kill Switch, which means that you will be disconnected from the Internet automatically if your VPN fails, protecting your anonymity at all times.
It also has a proven no-logs policy that ensures your privacy and offers AES 256-bit encryption of your data. On top of this, ExpressVPN also uses obfuscated servers, so the Iranian government won’t be able to block your OpenVPN traffic since its deep packet inspection won’t detect your VPN traffic at all.
In addition to the fact that no records of your activity are logged, ExpressVPN is based in the British Virgin Islands, which is outside of the 5/9/14 Eyes alliance, so you won’t have that nagging fear that your data could be handed over to authorities if requested.
ExpressVPN is secure enough that you will be delighted with its product to offer a full 30-day money-back guarantee. If you opt to cancel for any reason, you can do this easily by requesting a refund from one of Express’s live-chat support representatives.
- Extremely fast speeds
- Connect 5 devices simultaneously
- Obfuscated servers
- Military-grade encryption
- OpenVPN protocol
- Strict no-logs policy
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Unlimited data
- More expensive than competitors
2. NordVPN — Unlimited Bandwidth for Iran
NordVPN is also a good choice when looking for the best VPN for Iran as it has excellent online security, including AES 256-bit encryption, a Kill Switch, a no-logging policy, and double-hop servers, which ensure that your connection is encrypted twice.
NordVPN’s speeds can be somewhat inconsistent, but you can ensure that you get fast speeds as long as you do not mind switching servers when necessary. There are many choices of servers available to you as NordVPN has an extensive network of over 5,200 servers across over 60 countries around the world.
NordVPN offers unlimited bandwidth, allows you to access most streaming sites, and it places no limits on your data, making it versatile and effective for any Internet use.
NordVPN allows up to 6 users to utilize it concurrently and it is simple to use of a wide range of iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac devices.
As NordVPN offers such a wide range of excellent features, there is a full 30-day guarantee available, and it is sure that you will be satisfied with it.
- No-logs policy
- Obfuscated servers
- Good security
- Unlimited bandwidth and data
- 6 simultaneous connections
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Speeds slower than ExpressVPN
3. Surfshark — Unlimited Device Connections
Surfshark is one of the best VPNs for Iran, having good security features that include a Kill Switch and a high level of encryption as well as a no-logs policy and CleanWeb adblocking.
Surfshark offers access to over 3,200 servers in 65 countries, and you can use an unlimited number of simultaneous devices with the same account, as well as unlimited bandwidth, so you and your family and friends can use it on your mobile devices and computers at the same time.
Surfshark is a bit slower than the top two VPNs, but if you are OK with switching servers to find one that works well for you, you are bound to find one that will unblock your content from Iran or anywhere. As this provider is the most affordable on our list, it might be worth it for some people to save money but have to experience a little server trial and error.
Surfshark also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee as Surfshark is very sure that you will be satisfied with this product.
- Unlimited simultaneous connections
- Strong encryption
- Kill Switch
- Affordable price
- Unlimited data
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Obfuscated servers
- Slower than other premium VPNs
- Some buffering
Why You Need a VPN for Iran
While using a VPN is important in general, using a good VPN for Iran is essential!
Iran heavily censors many Internet sites and apps that many users want to access on a regular basis, like YouTube or Facebook, and many other social media sites. If you are caught using sites like these that are blocked in Iran, you may find yourself in a huge amount of trouble.
Using a VPN, you can bypass Internet restrictions and conceal your online activity so you will not find yourself facing criminal charges or being punished.
Even more extreme, if you are caught in this religious country using sites like porn, gambling, or even dating sites, you could find yourself with fines, a prison sentence, or even floggings!
The Government of Iran impinges on your freedom on the Internet by:
Filtering certain info: Some content is blocked, mainly due to religious concerns and a desire to enforce Sharia law (e.g., porn, dating, or gambling sites).
Banning messaging apps because of their potential role in organizing protests against the government.
Punishing the media for covering events that are considered to place the government in an unfavorable light (e.g., covering the COVID crisis).
Creating censorship centers that expose the identity of anyone who tries to gain access to geo-restricted content (unless they use a tool with strong privacy and security features to encrypt their data, as a VPN). When users are identified, they are sent warnings and, if they continue to access the shows, their IP addresses can be used to track them down and bring criminal charges.
Cooperating on Internet security with China, another highly restrictive regime, and sharing intelligence in order to implement their restrictions on online activity.
How to Choose the Right Iran IP VPN
When choosing the right Iran VPN, here are the features to seek when making your decision:
Great Speeds: To ensure that you have good speed when connecting to a VPN server from Iran, make sure the VPN you choose has servers in a nearby location so you can get a faster local connection.
Military-Grade Encryption: Make sure your VPN has AES 256-bit encryption so if the government of Iran or any prying eyes get their hands on your traffic, it will be completely indecipherable.
Kill Switch: In a heavily censored country like Iran, it is especially important for Internet users to use a VPN with a Kill Switch so that their online connection is killed in the event that their encrypted connection cuts out unexpectedly. This ensures that their actual IP addresses are never leaked to the government, thereby protecting them online.
Widespread Network of servers: It is important to have a widespread network of servers to be able to unblock popular streaming services and bypass geo-restrictions in any location around the globe, providing you with an acceptable IP address instead of your Iranian IP addresses.
No-Logging Policy: Pick a VPN that has a strict no-logging policy so you can trust that none of your information will be shared with Iran’s government if it is requested. With a no-logs policy, your VPN will never have any data to surrender.
Obfuscation: If your VPN offers obfuscation, you can hide your VPN traffic, making it appear to be a regular online connection.
Money-Back Guarantee: If your VPN has a money-back guarantee, this means that you can test it to make sure it works well for you before committing to a long-term plan.
What About Free VPNs? Can I Use a Free VPN for Iran?
We would definitely strongly advise you against using even the best free VPN for Iran, however tempting it may be to obtain a service without charge.
Free VPN services do not make money from your subscription fee, but they need to make money somehow. To do this, most free VPNs sell your private data in order to ensure that they make a profit. This can result in unwanted ads, viruses, and possible malicious sites (Malware) and compromising your privacy and security. This is particularly hazardous and inadvisable in a country like Iran where a breach of this sort could result in you being in very real danger.
On top of this, a free version of a VPN will most often limit your bandwidth and data and offer very limited VPN server access. As a result, it is likely that you will not really be able to access content on your favorite streaming platforms that you are hoping to unblock.
The chances of even the best of the free VPNs being able to unblock the Internet in Iran is slim to none, so we recommend using a premium service (like ExpressVPN) that offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. This guarantee is essentially like getting this top VPN for free for a whole month.
How to Use a VPN in Iran
To use a VPN in Iran for protecting your online activities from being exposed to the Iranian government and prying eyes, follow these simple steps:
- Subscribe to a reliable VPN service with top security online and Iranian VPN servers, like ExpressVPN.
- Download your VPN app and install it on your device.
- Sign in to your account.
- Connect to one of your VPN servers outside of Iran.
- Surf the web in Iran undetected with renewed Internet freedom!
FAQs
Because Internet usage in Iran is dangerous and can even result in severe punishment, you need to ensure that the service you use has extremely strong privacy and security features, like a very high level of encryption, a kill switch, and a strict no-logging policy. ExpressVPN, NordVPN, and Surfshark all meet this criteria.
This will keep your non-government-approved VPN usage completely hidden.
All of the top VPNs on our list use obfuscation, which is a great feature in heavily censored countries like Iran.
Another practical reason that deters companies from expanding their server network to Iran is that Iran’s online infrastructure is pretty poor, with slow speeds and government-initiated Internet shutdowns during political protests. This could potentially prevent users from accessing VPN servers for which they may have paid, which the companies want to avoid.
While there may eventually be virtual servers in Iran, not many VPNs are likely to have VPN server locations there any time in the near future.
Conclusion
If you are trying to access blocked content and want to watch Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, or any other geo-restricted content in Iran, you will need to obtain one of the VPNs mentioned above so that you can conceal your actual Iran IP address and get an IP address that will allow you access to your blocked sites.
Be very careful to choose a VPN that has very strong security and privacy features so that you can be sure that you will not be subject to any fines or punishment.
Use the information above to guide your choice and then enjoy your viewing!
