10 VPNs for Oman in 2022: Rating Based on Test Results
Whereas international organizations asked Oman to unblock VoIP services, people could barely work and communicate with relatives during the COVID-19 pandemic.
To go round such severe for 2022 restrictions, I recommend using a very useful tool – Virtual Private Network. It changes your IP address so that you could surf the Internet as if you’re abroad.
Keep on reading this article and learn about:
- Censorship in Oman
- Internet freedom in Oman
- Social media in Oman: is it safe to use it?
- VoIP services in Oman: are they blocked?
- Best VPNs for Oman
- Why use a VPN in Oman?
- Free VPN for Oman: is it worth using?
- ExpressVPN: 5 VPN protocols to configure secure connections in Oman!
- NordVPN: Great VPN app with an in-built kill switch, available for 6 devices and 50+ countries.
- Surfshark: OpenVPN and IKEv2/IPsec protocols for secure browsing in Oman.
- PIA: Robust protocols for encrypted Wi-Fi in Oman!
- CyberGhost VPN: IP and DNS leak protection are a must-have for Oman!
- ProtonVPN: Online freedom, privacy, and security are possible for $0 per month thanks to ProtonVPN free plan without time restrictions.
- Windscribe: A free package by this premium service is available with a 10GB traffic limit.
- Hide.me: One more VPN provider with a free package and some limits in speed, bandwidth, and server locations.
- HotspotShield: A free basic plan is available for you in Oman. Reliable traffic ciphering without payment.
- TunnelBear: Its free VPN package can be used if you are not going to stream movies or download torrent files because of the tiny traffic limit.
Recommendation: Want to get maximum functions without payment? It’s possible for some time thanks to a period of free trial many VPNs offer. It lasts from 24 hours to several days.
Censorship in Oman
According to Freedom House, Oman is not a free country in terms of the degree of political rights and civil liberties. Freedom of expression in Oman is limited.
The authorities of the country supervise people's actions and communication. There're a huge number of arrests and interrogatories because of political considerations.
That's not all
As stated in Reporters Without Borders, Oman occupies the 135th position in the world press freedom index. The government monitors critical news and commentaries on social media. Journalists' privacy is put at risk in the country, reporters are sued for ‘inappropriate’ content.
A well-known writer Abdullah Habib had been sentenced to prison for certain Facebook posts related to political issues in 2016. He had been accused of spreading hatred and blasphemy.
Internet freedom in Oman
Any criticism of the sultan is prohibited in Oman. Besides, there’s a list of topics prohibited in the country:
- Anti-Islam information
- Gambling
- Pornography
- Illegal drugs
Social media in Oman: is it safe to use it?
Well-known social media like YouTube or Twitter are not blocked in the country. Facebook is the most popular social media among residents of Oman.
However, bearing in mind all the information, which is mentioned above, you can imagine how unsafe it is to be active on social networks in this country.
VoIP services in Oman: are they blocked?
Unfortunately, the answer is ‘yes’.
Such VoIP services as Google Talk, Viber, and Skype were blocked in 2007. They were restricted by TRA, which claimed that such messengers don't have a license. Nobody knows if it is true.
After authorities took a decision to unblock Zoom, Google Hangouts, Skype for Business, and Microsoft Teams during the pandemic in 2020, the apps like FaceTime, Skype, and WhatsApp are still unavailable in the country.
In fact, you need the best VPN for Skype or other messengers in Oman to keep in touch with your loved ones.
Comparison of VPN apps for Oman
| Service | Ranking (out of 10) | Speed, Mbps | Country selection | Number of servers | Price (monthly) |
| ExpressVPN | 10 | >100 | 94 | 3000+ | $6.67- 12.95 |
| NordVPN | 10 | >60 | 59 | 5300+ | $3.29-11.95 |
| Surfshark | 10 | >50 | 63 | 1700+ | $2.49-12.95 |
| PIA | 9 | >50 | 47 | 2700+ | $2.69-9.95 |
| CyberGhost | 9 | 40-70 | 90 | 6300+ | $2.25-12.99 |
ExpressVPN
Main advantages:
- Multi-platform compatibility
- Fast speeds
- Zero-knowledge DNS
- Automatic kill switch
Overview
The server network of ExpressVPN has reached 3000+ servers in 160 locations. These servers are suitable for content unblocking, streaming, and torrenting. Its headquarter is located in the BVI that guarantees strict no-logs policy and confidentiality.
Price
ExpressVPN prices
| 1 month | 6 months | 1 year | |
| Price (monthly) | $12.95 | $9.99 | $6.67 |
| Money-back guarantee | 30 | 30 | 30 |
Conclusion
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NordVPN
Main advantages:
- 72% off
- Obfuscation features
- Double VPN
- CyberSec
Overview
NordVPN has more than 5300 fast servers located all over the world. It serves to go round online censorship and geo-restrictions of any kind.
NordVPN is headquartered in Panama that is also known for its strict laws regarding confidentiality. Thanks to its numerous functions, NordVPN is perfect for unblocking services and apps.
Price
NordVPN prices
| 1 month | 1 year | 2 years | |
| Price (monthly) | $11.95 | $4.92 | $3.29 (2022 Winter promotion) |
| Money-back guarantee | 30 | 30 | 30 |
Conclusion
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Surfshark
Main advantages:
- CleanWeb
- Unlimited number of devices
- Camouflage mode
- Whitelister
Despite it being introduced only in 2018, I can conclude Surfshark is one of the best providers in the market in 2022. Similar to the VPNs taking the 2nd and 3rd positions in the rating, Surfshark is based offshore.
Surfshark is one of the fastest services thus it’s perfect for downloading torrents. Besides, it’ll be perfect for VoIP communication because the visual signal will be close to perfect.
Price
Surfshark 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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Private Internet Access
Main advantages:
- Really fast speeds
- P2P support
- Ad blocker
- WireGuard
Overview
Private Internet Access provides its subscribers with traffic ciphering and real security on the Internet combined with geo-restrictions bypassing. You can connect to one of the 2700+ servers located all over the world.
PIA is on the list of providers with strict no-logs policy. Among the available methods of payment are Amazon Pay, credit cards, and PayPal.
Price
PIA 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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CyberGhost VPN
Main advantages:
- 2 extra months free
- NoSpy servers
- 15 years in the market
- IP leak protection
Overview
You can try CyberGhost absolutely risk-free thanks to a 45-day money-back guarantee for long-term plans and a 24-hour trial period. Its server park counts 6300+ fast servers in 89 countries.
At the same time, privacy issues are rather disputable. The provider doesn’t collect users’ IPs, used servers, data on traffic, and time of use. But it keeps information used for registration. The specialists say it’s unsafe.
Price
CyberGhost VPN prices
| 1 month | 1 year | 2 years | 3 years | |
| Monthly price | $12.99 | $3.99 | $3.49 | $2.25 |
| Refund guarantee | 45 | 45 | 45 | 45 |
Conclusion
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Free VPN apps to use in Oman
An alternative to paid VPNs might become free VPN services in case you agree to surf the Internet with some restrictions.
Warning: In this section, you’ll find free plans by premium VPN providers. But be sure they’ll do their best to make you upgrade.
Free ProtonVPN
ProtonVPN is a provider that offers netizens in Oman to use its service without paying for it for as long as they want.
Nevertheless, its free package restricts the number of countries to 3.
Free Windscribe
One more site I recommend to use in Oman to unblock VoIP apps is Windscribe with its free plan.
It restricts the subscribers in monthly traffic – 10GB.
Free Hide.me VPN
Hide.me also offers a free plan with some limits – 10GB traffic per month and 5 locations with available servers.
One of its strongest sides is not bad speed against a backdrop of other free apps.
Free HotspotShield VPN
This VPN offers a 15GB monthly traffic limit. But remember you cannot use it in a day. Your daily traffic should not exceed 500MB.
Free TunnelBear
This VPN has the most restricted traffic limit – 500MB per month. Alternatively, you can share a Tweet about the provider and get 1GB more but it’s still not enough.
FAQ
Is VPN legal in Oman?
Using a VPN is a perfect way to access any blocked website in Oman. The authorities of Oman try to ban them as they don't want people to connect to the prohibited websites. It is not in their best interests.
Despite these facts, it's not illegal to use VPNs in Oman. Residents of the country, who want to keep in touch with whole content, frequently use VPN providers in this country.
Why use a VPN in Oman?
Let's see what are the main reasons for using a VPN in Oman.
- Of course, the main aim of Omanis or tourists is to unblock prohibited websites. Actually, we live in the 21st century and the very fact that some information is so carefully protected resents many Internet users.
- Many tourists want to choose a VPN for WhatsApp in Oman. It is not a surprise, unblocking VOIP messengers is crucial while traveling. We all want to keep in touch with our families and friends while being far away from home. If you don't know how to unblock Skype in Oman, you can easily do it with the help of a secure VPN.
- Do you want to express your opinion without fear of being caught by the Oman government or an ISP? We think that freedom of speech is a human basic right. A reliable VPN will help you to feel free while communicating through social media.
- A VPN is good for a safe connection to public WiFi spots. While traveling to Oman you may want to protect your device against viruses or malicious software. It matters because some WiFi spots are not secure.
- A reliable VPN will encrypt your data, making it invisible for an ISP or the Oman authorities. A lot of modern VPNs use 256-bit encryption for protecting your data. Such type of encryption is extremely robust.
Free VPN for Oman: is it worth using?
We've found perfect VPN providers that are available in Oman. You can find them in the next section. We just want to draw your attention that they are paid.
We don't recommend you to use a free VPN in Oman because it's risky.
It's impossible to know for sure if free VPN providers are trustworthy and safe. Some of them act in their own interests.
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