VPN Services for Israel: Apps with the Best Test Results
When living in a country where 363 news articles were not allowed for publication in 2018 only, online censorship takes place.
Israel is one of the countries with severe censorship and content restrictions. In this regard, VPN applications are necessary for many netizens. Without such tools, it becomes barely possible to stream videos and read true news.
Consequently, I’ve made up my mind to find answers to the following questions:
- How severe is the censorship in Israel?
- What VPNs can cope with online restrictions?
- Is it possible to use free VPNs in Israel?
- How to access restricted apps in Israel?
- FAQ
Keep on reading this article to find the VPN app that will meet all your requirements!
- ExpressVPN: The best VPN for Israel allowing to unblock all restricted websites in this country.
- NordVPN: You will feel protected while traveling to Israel with this robust VPN for sure.
- Surfshark: One of the best VPNs for Israel, it uses 265-bit encryption and robust protocols.
- CyberGhost VPN: Amazing VPN for Israel with high speeds and friendly customer support.
- PIA: Cross-platform software for your devices that will safeguard you in Israel.
- ProtonVPN: It offers freedom, privacy, and security for $0 per month thanks to its free plan.
- Windscribe: Premium VPN with a free package for your use in Israel. Slower speed at remote servers.
- hide.me: Another VPN app with a free plan and some restrictions in speed, bandwidth, and servers.
- HotspotShield: Why not to make use of its free basic plan when visiting Israel to access restricted sites.
- TunnelBear: A good solution if you are not going to stream movies all day long. No restrictions in locations.
Recommendation: Before subscribing to a VPN service, it’s necessary to decide what for you are going to use it. Having answered this question, you’ll understand what VPN features are significant for you. For example, if your aim is to unblock torrent sites and download torrents, a free VPN is not the way-out for you. Such apps are restricted in traffic and speed. Thus, it’s better to subscribe to a cheap VPN if you’re resource-constrained.
Is a VPN required for Israel?
Israel has one of the highest internet penetration rates in the world. Israelis spend close to 60 hours per month surfing the web, the highest number for any country worldwide.
However, the Israeli government, particularly the military, has long had a dominant role to play in regulating telecommunications in the country.
Israelis only got independent internet access in 2009. The Israeli government has long since controlled the publication of the material, whether in print or online, citing fears of national security breaches.
Israel has a strong military censor “authorized to ban the publication, printing, importing, and exporting of any material that will or is likely to cause damage to the security of Israel or public order,” according to the OpenNet Initiative.
The Israeli government is known to block publication of certain news items known to reflect badly on the national security agenda. Therefore, Israeli web users may lack access to certain blogs and news sites that may publish material critical of the government’s point of view.
Web users in Israel may also face other obstacles, such as geographically specific blocks initiated by foreign ISPs. Israelis can surpass such restrictions by subscribing to a Virtual Private Network (VPN).
There are free VPNs and web proxies that offer limited access to connections originating from Israel. However, a full-service VPN can guarantee unrestricted and unlimited access to the web.
Comparison of the main features of VPN services for Israel
| 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+ | $4.13-11.95 |
| 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 |
ExpressVPN
Main advantages
- Compatibility with all platforms
- Works with Netflix
- High-speed servers
- 30-day money-back guarantee
Overview
The servers of ExpressVPN are located in 94 countries. Well-considered mirrors are offered. It works on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and Linux. The connection is extremely sustainable, while the switching between the servers is fast and unlimited.
ExpressVPN is a very reliable service with easy-to-understand apps and P2P support.
Price
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 |
Conclusion
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NordVPNMain advantages
- 59% off
- 24/7 customer support
- Easy setup
- 30-day money-back guarantee
Overview
The company’s servers are placed in 59 countries worldwide and the switching between them is unlimited. It uses the technology of both standard and double encryption (and even Tor VPN when your traffic passes through 3 servers).
The speed is very fast. Self-hosting provides unlimited channel. A can assume, NordVPN works with BBC iPlayer, Netflix, Hulu, and ABC IVIEW better than other VPNs do.
Price
The table lists the NordVPN plans and prices
| 1 month | 1 year | 2 years | |
| Price (monthly) | $11.95 | $4.92 | $3.29 |
| Money-back guarantee | 30 | 30 | 30 |
Conclusion
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Surfshark
Main advantages
- The BVI jurisdiction
- Unlimited number of devices
- Servers located in 60 countries
- Free trial
Overview
After my testing, I’d like to mention that Surfshark is one of the worthy providers in the market. Like ExpressVPN and NordVPN, Surfshark is based in offshore. It guarantees strict no-logs policy and provides 100% confidentiality.
Surfshark is one of the leaders in terms of download and upload speed. The speed drop is insignificant even when connecting to the remote servers. It allows streaming Popcorn Time and download torrent files without troubles.
Price
The table lists the Surfshark plans and prices
| 1 month | 6 months | 2 years | |
| Price (monthly) | $12.95 | $6.49 | $2.49 |
| Money-back guarantee | 30 | 30 | 30 |
Conclusion
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CyberGhost VPN- Affordable plans
- 24-hour free trial
- Lots of security features
- No logs
Overview
CyberGhost is a cheap service with a 45-day money-back guarantee for long-term plans. The service has placed its 6400+ servers in 89 countries. It has good speed and bandwidth but is not far ahead.
As for privacy, the situation is rather disputable. The provider doesn’t collect users’ IPs, used servers, data on traffic, and time of use. But is keeps information used for registration.
Price
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 |
Conclusion
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PIA
Main advantages
- Attractive prices
- SOCKS5 proxy
- 10 simultaneous connections
- No traffic log
Overview
PIA provides not only traffic ciphering but also anonymity combined with geo-restrictions bypassing. You can choose and connect to one of the 3200+ servers worldwide.
PIA doesn’t keep logs. Besides, it supports several methods of login.
Price
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 |
Conclusion
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Free VPN services to use in Israel in 2022
I understand that sometimes there’s no opportunity to pay for a service. In this regard, I’ve selected 5 more VPNs that don’t require payment. It’s possible to use them free of charge without a time limit.
Nevertheless, some restrictions take place in this case: traffic, bandwidth, speed, servers, functions, and whatnot.
Anyway, have a look at the top 5 free VPNs for Israel and make your choice.
Free ProtonVPN
Main qualities
- Available as a free plan
- Restrictions: servers in 3 countries, 1 connection
ProtonVPN doesn’t restrict traffic even for free plan users. However, it has serious limits for speed when using a free plan. You won’t manage to stream Netflix.
It provides a high level of protection even for a free version. But the restrictions in speed and servers make users buy a paid package.
Free Windscribe
Main qualities
- Available as a free plan
- Restrictions: 10GB traffic, servers in 10 countries
When choosing between free VPNs for Israel, Windscribe is among the leaders. It offers quite fast speeds. In general, the service is worth being called a reliable one.
But traffic is limited to 10GB per month. Of course, it’s more than enough for websites unblocking. Besides, not all servers are available for a free version.
Free Hide.me
Main qualities
- Available as a free plan
- Restrictions: 10GB traffic, 5 locations, 1 connections
Your security is guaranteed thanks to the OpenVPN encryption protocol. The speed is fast enough for streaming almost without buffering.
Its traffic is also restricted to 10GB for users that show preference to a free plan. Servers in only 5 locations are available in this case.
HotspotShield
Main qualities
- Available as a free plan
- Restrictions: 500MB traffic (daily)
When choosing HotspotShield, you’ll have an opportunity to connect to only one location – the US. Besides, the traffic limit is significant – 500MB daily.
Also, you’ll have to suffer from ads in case you’ve chosen a free plan.
Free TunnelBear
Main qualities
- Available as a free plan
- Restrictions: 500MB traffic (monthly)
TunnelBear has servers in only 23 countries (too few if compare with other VPN providers). Free traffic is limited to 500MB per month. But it’s possible to get 1GB more when Tweeting about the service.
TunnelBear doesn’t keep logs and allows us to connect up to 5 devices per subscription.
FAQ
Why I need a VPN in Israel?
VPN technology serves to access the Internet through an encrypted virtual network. It makes regional content blocking inefficient and provides anonymity. Thus, your ISP and other third parties cannot monitor your activity on the web.
Besides, VPN allows using the networks you don’t trust in a reliable way – coworking networks, public Wi-Fi hotspots, etc.
Does the government monitor users in Israel?
Unfortunately, the answer is ‘yes’. As for now, the government has the official sanction to track users’ mobile phone location data. They explain it by the necessity to stop the spread of COVID-19.
Can I access Hulu in Israel?
Although Hulu is the US service, it’s possible to unblock it here in Israel. The plan of action is rather simple.
First, you are to choose and subscribe to the best VPN service and run the app on a device you are going to use to stream Hulu.
Second, it’s necessary to change your virtual location to the US.
Third, open Hulu service and sign up as if you are physically located in America.
That’s it. Hulu is unblocked!
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