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The government doesn't want any system of transmitting information to remain unbroken, unless it's under its own control.
Isaac Asimov
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Recommendation: As a rule, free VPNs are the free plans of premium VPNs. However, they have fewer benefits that the paid packages. Thus, it’s necessary to study them before subscribing.
However, this does not mean that there aren’t websites you won’t access when in France. There are those websites based in the USA, China, or Peru that you will have no authority or capacity to browse. For example, access to 1100+ sites was restricted in 2015-2016.
To be an internet savvy person who browses any website, you need to access VPN service providers in France.
Nowadays, France is discussed around the globe on account of terror attacks and disorders on the part of inhabitants.
The negative grass-roots sentiments made the authorities to take over the control of people’s communication. They make efforts to prevent acts of terrorism in the future. It may be done via snooping performed by the government and the special agencies.
Manuel Valls, the Prime Minister of France, claimed that over 2 thousand people will be prepared to identify potential acts of terrorism. The authorities are going to spend about $500 million on this issue. Thus, terrorism became the number one threat to the French.
This allows local authorities to control netizens in France.
As of November 2014, 47% of Frenchmen were concerned about the issue of monitoring. But after the French Patriot Act was passed, the figures decreased a lot.
Such anxiety is connected with the news that the French authorities were allowed to install equipment for tapping in any place. In this case, people are devoid of the title to private life.
In order not to be at the epicenter of a possible scandal of a data leak, it is recommended to use one of the VPN services. In this case, you will be just a ringside spectator but not a victim.
Comparison of the main features of VPN services for France
| Service | Ranking (out of 10) | Stealth level (out of 10) |
Speed, Mbps | Country selection | Number of servers | Price (monthly) |
| ExpressVPN | 10 | 9 | >100 | 94 | 3000+ | $6.67-12.95 |
| NordVPN | 10 | 10 | >60 | 59 | 5700+ | $3.30-11.95 |
| Surfshark | 10 | 10 | >50 | 63 | 1700+ | $2.49-12.95 |
| CyberGhost | 9 | 9 | 40-70 | 90 | 6000+ | $2.25-12.99 |
| PIA | 9 | 10 | >50 | 45 | 3300+ | $2.69-9.95 |
After scrupulous testing of more than 70 VPN apps, I can mention the one that suits most of all for French residents – ExpressVPN. While reading its short description, you’ll understand why.
There are 4 more VPNs that are good for France.
Main advantages
Thanks to ExpressVPN diskless servers, the app users have an opportunity to surf the net anonymously. Besides, the provider supports both streaming and torrenting.
The table lists the ExpressVPN plans and prices
| 1 month | 6 months | 1 year | |
| Price (monthly) | $12.95 | $9.99 | $6.67 |
| Money-back guarantee (days) | 30 | 30 | 30 |
|
By saving 70% on NordVPN beneficial 3-year plan, you can use 6 devices simultaneously. Besides, the provider offers advanced security functions such as Onion over VPN, kill switch, and whatnot.
The table lists the NordVPN plans and prices
| 1 month | 1 year | 2 years | |
| Price (monthly) | $11.95 | $4.92 |
$3.29 (2022 Winter Promotion) |
| Money-back guarantee | 30 | 30 | 30 |
|
Surfshark is a VPN with a minimum price and maximum functions. It’s even possible to test it for 7 days without payment (the card is not required). Additional features of CleanWeb, Whitelister, and Camouflage mode make your web surfing protected against the prying eyes.
The table lists the Surfshark plans and prices
| 1 month | 6 months | 2 years | |
| Price (monthly) | $11.95 | $6.49 | $2.49 |
| Money-back guarantee | 30 | 30 | 30 |
|
When coming to France, I strongly recommend to enable the CyberGhost VPN function “Autostart at launching”. It will prevent data leaks and you’ll get access to the restricted content in the country. Besides, the servers are fast enough.
The table lists the CyberGhost VPN plans and prices
| 1 month | 1 year | 2 years | 3 years | |
| Price (monthly) | $12.99 | $3.99 | $3.49 | $2.25 |
| Money-back guarantee | 45 | 45 | 45 | 45 |
|
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Main advantages
For better security, I recommend to use it on Windows and macOS. The provider guarantees strict no-logs policy.
The table lists the PIA plans and prices
| 1 month | 1 year | 2 years | |
| Price (monthly) | $9.95 | $3.33 | $2.69 |
| Money-back guarantee | 7 | 7 | 7 |
|
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If you want to be private while browsing websites in France but can’t afford even a cheap VPN app, then let me introduce 5 free services. They have their drawbacks but still can be used to unblock services.
Warning: It’s important to notice that some VPNs can show ads to be in the market. Besides, choosing a free VPN, you agree on some restrictions. Read the information below carefully to be aware of what to expect.
The leader among free VPNs for France is ProtonVPN. It’s available for a lifelong subscription. The speed is medium with servers available in 3 countries.
This provider offers protection of 10GB traffic per month. Your data will be protected using one of 4 allowed protocols.
One more free plan of a premium VPN. When the provider offers all servers for its free plan users, the traffic restriction is 500MB-1.5GB.
The free version of Turbo VPN is available for Android and iOS. Meanwhile, 8 servers located in 7 countries are at your disposal.
Again. The provider allows using the app free of charge with 10GB traffic restriction. Servers are located in 5 countries. Not bad speed but still, too slow for streaming.
A VPN creates a secure ‘path’ for all your traffic. Thus, all the data one sends or receives through the Internet are encrypted and therefore indecipherable for third parties.
Firstly, a user will not undergo data or identity theft.
Secondly, all email letters will be private.
Thirdly, a VPN subscriber becomes the only owner of his/her data.
Before deciding on what VPN to subscribe for being or living in France, it is recommended to pay attention to VPN characteristics. Here we are to save your time and help you make the right choice.
A reliable VPN service for France possesses:
VPN services are useful for those, who want to protect the data while using the Internet. They allow changing the IP and being in any place abroad but virtually. It helps to lift restrictions connected with access to online services.
The services differ from each other by the functions and encryption methods. Besides, one may find free VPN services for France.
These free tools offer access to the content on the Internet, but they have one essential minus – data leak. There are even the cases, when, free French VPN services informed the authorities about some individuals.
All in all free VPNs have both strong and weak sides.
Let’s have a closer look at them:
However, if a user does not want to pay for a pig in a poke, it is possible to make use of a VPN free trial period and check if the service is worthy.
According to the investigation conducted among French residents in the year of 2013, the fear of data leakage is widespread among Frenchmen. Users were allowed to choose several variants while answering the opinion poll.
60% of respondents said that they use social networks less than ever before, as there are a lot of adversaries targeted their sensitive information. They steal messages and photos and make money on them.
VPN services for France solve this problem successfully. Thanks to reliable methods of encryption, users’ data are under strong protection. The efficiency depends on the tunneling protocols used to cipher the information transferred via the digital communication path.
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Leave a comment
I’ve heard a lot of the problems regarding privacy in France. And I reckoned it all was rumors. But I changed my mind soon after the trip to Paris this April. I wanted to stream one of the services I usually use in my native country, but was warned by a message, that it is forbidden. In case I would ignore it, I would face serious troubles with the gendarmerie. Paris, and France in general, was always attractive for me and my family, but now it’s not the best place to spend time without a VPN. For example, for every modern family Netflix is the most used site, as it has a great library of shows, movies and series. But, we couldn’t access it as we do it in the US. VPN service will be the first thing I’ll think about before visiting France again. Maybe my comment will be useful for someone.
Inna, you have no grounds to worry about access to Netflix in France in case you are already a VPN subscriber. The problems with access to the original Netflix library are possible only in case a person surfs the Internet with a French IP address. But as soon as one has subscribed for a VPN, it is possible (and even recommended) to connect to the US-based VPN server. Netflix will be easily unblocked and one will have an opportunity to watch Netflix originals without restrictions.
I can prove it! ExpressVPN unblocks Netflix in France. I choose one of numerous American IP-addresses and the internet is changed. I can open websites as if I am in America. I like it very much. And also I must add that the speed is ok. It reduces just a bit, so it doesn’t make streaming hardly possible. The video is fine. No complaints! Also I should mention ExpressVPN support service. They helped me when I had some questions before subscription and assisted me while installation. Unlike other VPN services, ExpressVPN’s support service specialist answered all my questions and didn’t insist on subscription. I liked it very much!
What a f*ck!!! I can’t browse some sites in France! Will HMA help?
Hi Pablo! It is possible to use HideMyAss VPN in France. But it is not in the list of the best VPN services for France because of unclear logging policy of this provider. Apart from it, many HMA subscriber complain about numerous errors. Of course, they are described in HideMyAss VPN review. Nevertheless, if you want to browse the net without restrictions and keep your anonymity, it is advisable to subscribe for one of the VPNs described in this article.
I could not agree more with the author, as the monitoring became a real problem for Frenchmen and the guests. We understand that that this measure is forced. But I can hardly accept it, as we live in a democratic society. It seems at least strange for me, that we are monitored.
I support your idea Bill! That’s impossible for the 21st century. All my correspondence is read before it reaches me. One day a row will blow up. The thing is that emails are used to deliver various types of messages. For instance, I work in the company that deals with patents. But there’s no guarantee that our clients’ letters are not read. It may lead to extremely negative aftereffects. I’m even afraid of saying about them… Thus, I dare assume that a VPN for France is the only tool that can help both civil citizens and big companies like ours.
