Best VPN for Canada: Keep Streaming in Style

ExpressVPN is CNET’s Editor’s Choice for the best overall VPN and our top choice for the best VPN for Canada. ExpressVPN came out on top due to its lightning-fast speeds, reliable privacy protection and extensive server network, with Canadian servers in three cities (Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal), and 18 US locations. ExpressVPN also has an excellent unblocking capability for streaming and sports sites like Hulu, Amazon Prime, Netflix and ESPN Plus. In Canada, you’ll be able to access blocked streaming sites like Hulu to stream The Great while connected to a US server on ExpressVPN.

ExpressVPN has unique security features, including running its servers through TrustedServer technology, so it can never store data on a hard disk as it goes through RAM-based servers. With other features such as industry-standard 256-bit or ChaCha20 encryption depending on the protocol, IP leak protection and a strict no-logs policy, your data is as private as possible. We like that ExpressVPN is located in the British Virgin Islands, which isn’t part of the Fourteen Eyes Alliance. ExpressVPN offers up to eight simultaneous connections, and the VPN app is available on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS and more platforms.

The one downside to ExpressVPN was that it wasn’t the fastest VPN we tested and had a 25% average internet download speed loss. ExpressVPN is also more expensive than other competitors and has a monthly price of $13. To get a better discount, you can pay $100 for the first year (then $117) or $140 total for the first two years (then $150 annually). Despite the price, ExpressVPN has excellent privacy and transparency, intuitive apps and great streaming support. Plus, its subscriptions include a password manager as well as identity theft insurance. If you aren’t completely satisfied with the product, you can get your money back thanks to ExpressVPN’s 30-day money-back guarantee.

NordVPN is the fastest VPN we tested. During our annual 2024 tests, NordVPN had a mere 11% internet download speed drop on average, with only an average 3.19% drop while using NordLynx (NordVPN’s WireGuard-based protocol) on Windows and 12.56% average with MacOS. Minimal speed drops mean you won’t face any slowdown when you connect to a US server from Canada, whether you’re browsing the internet, streaming or trying to upload photos from your trip.

NordVPN also has an extensive network, with 300-plus servers in Canada in three locations (Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver) and more than 1,970 servers in the US in 16 cities. With such exceptional coverage, you won’t have to connect to far-away servers or face as many bogged-down servers. Besides the great speeds, NordVPN has an excellent track record of privacy, with features like a kill switch (to cut your internet off if your VPN disconnects unexpectedly), double VPN (for improved privacy versus a standard VPN connection), onion over VPN servers (which use Tor for beefed-up privacy) and Meshnet to connect geographically distant devices to a virtual local area network for secure file sharing. NordVPN operates in Panama, which is outside of the Five, Nine and 14 Eyes data-sharing alliances.

You’ll only be able to connect up to ten simultaneous devices while in Canada, which should work fine for most folks. Using Nord, you can unblock streaming sites such as Netflix, Max, ITV, CBC, Amazon Prime, Sling TV, Hulu and more. NordVPN costs $13 for a monthly plan, $60 for the first year of its annual plan or $83 total for the first two years (then $140 annually after the introductory price on the one- and two-year plans). If you aren’t happy at any point using NordVPN, you can use its 30-day money-back guarantee to get a full refund.

Surfshark made this list because it’s the most affordable VPN for Canada and has some of the best unblocking capabilities of any top VPN. During your visit to Canada, you’ll have difficulty accessing US-based streaming sites to watch your favorite content. A VPN like Surfshark will allow you to watch shows from Netflix’s US library (and other international libraries). Additionally, you won’t be able to stream anything from Max or Hulu unless you connect to a US server. If you have difficulty unblocking these sites, try switching to a different US server.

Surfshark has more than 150 servers across three Canadian cities (Montreal, Vancouver and Toronto) and over 600 servers in 20-plus US cities. Surfshark averaged an overall 17% internet download speed drop and only had an 11% drop while using the WireGuard protocol. Surfshark complements that minimal speed loss with its exceptional privacy suite, which even offers a unique IP Randomizer feature that changes your virtual IP every 5 to 10 minutes while on its server (which makes it harder to trace your traffic back to its source). Plus, you’ll get dynamic multi-hop servers for enhanced privacy, DNS leak protection, split tunneling and Surfsharks’s CleanWeb technology (which will block ads and malware while streaming or browsing the web). You can use all of these on any device you own since Surfshark has unlimited simultaneous device connections.

Surfshark operates out of the Netherlands and is a member of the Fourteen Eyes Alliance. Although this may cause some privacy concerns, Shurfshark has a no-logging policy that passed an independent no-logs audit in 2023. Surfshark has the lowest annual price, starting at $48 for the first year and $54 for any additional years. Its two-year plan offers the best price of $56 total (but renews at $79 annually). The monthly plan is $15.45. Surfshark has a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Private Internet Access (PIA) has an extensive network for both the US and Canada. PIA has more than 35,000 servers in 91 countries, with at least one server in every US state and four Canadian locations (Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver and Ontario). With so much coverage, you’ll have no problem connecting to a US server from Canada to access all your US-based sites.

Besides the expansive network, PIA also has an independently audited no-logs policy, AES 256-bit or ChaCha20 encryption depending on the protocol, RAM-only servers and open-source apps (only a few providers, including Proton VPN, offer this feature). It also has a kill switch that will cut off your internet if your VPN connection drops unexpectedly while in Canada. PIA works on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Apple TV and multiple browsers with unlimited simultaneous connections.

Unfortunately, we experienced a high average internet download speed loss of 49% -- for reference, we find around 20% perfectly usable, with the fastest VPN we tested (NordVPN) delivering a best-in-class 11%. PIA’s middling connectivity means it’s not great for bandwidth-intensive applications, like competitive gaming, or folks with slower internet speeds, such as satellite internet. The VPN is a budget-friendly app with price plans that start at $12 a month, $40 a year and $79 for a three-year plan.