Best VPN For Poland to Protect Your Privacy

In Poland, internet freedoms have historically been quite good. However, since 2016 new anti-terror laws have been passed, which allow large scale monitoring and blocking of internet communications. The government has claimed the right for intelligence agencies to monitor the telecommunications of every citizen, in what is widely seen by internet activists as a gross abuse of power.

If you are in Poland and you want to keep your data out of the hands of the government, or if you simply want to improve your security and unblock regional content on the internet, then you need a VPN. In this article we’ll talk about the advantages of a VPN for users in Poland and then share our recommendations for the best VPN for Poland.

Use A VPN To Protect Your Privacy

Usually, all of the data that your device sends over the internet is routed via an internet service provider, or ISP. That ISP can easily see everything that you do online, and this information can be handed over to the government. With the anti-terrorism laws in Poland, the government has the right to monitor all telecommunications for security purposes. This is very concerning for all citizens, as it is a significant power that can easily be misused. If you want to prevent the government from tracking where you go online, what messages you send, and who you talk to, then you need a VPN to ensure your privacy.

If you’re not quite sure how a VPN works, think of it like a secure tunnel connecting your device to a proxy server located somewhere in the world. Thanks to the VPN software, every bit of data leaving your device appears scrambled to third-party observers thanks to a form of digital cryptography known as encryption. Once at the proxy server, your data is decrypted, relabeled with a false IP address, and sent on to its original destination.

The website receiving this connection will register it as originating from your VPN proxy server, rather than your actual location. And, because many users may be connected to the same server, all hidden behind encryption, no one will be able to link that site request back to you. Such is the anonymizing power of a VPN!

On your end, all you experience is the internet as normal, enhanced by the knowledge that your connection is completely private and invulnerable to penetration attempts. There exists not a single ISP, government, or hacker on Earth that can break through 256-bit AES encryption, which is the industry standard among top-tier VPNs, so browse in peace!

Use A VPN To Get Around Regional Restrictions

Another advantage of using a VPN is that it allows you to get around regional restrictions. For example, lots of people from around the world want to use the BBC iPlayer website to watch popular British shows like Doctor Who, Sherlock, or Great British Bake Off. However, the site only works to play video if you access it from within the UK. If you try to use the iPlayer website from Poland, then you will get an error message and you won’t be able to watch any videos. This is because the website examines IP addresses and uses this information to determine the location of visitors, then restricts the content that is available depending on this location.

With a VPN, you can access BBC iPlayer and hundreds of other websites from within Poland. When you connect to your VPN, you simply choose to connect to a server in another country – in this case, in the UK – and then you will be assigned a UK IP address. This new IP address masks your real IP, which both keeps you safe and lets you access geo-blocked content. Now when you visit the iPlayer website, it will see your request coming from the UK proxy server and allow you to access its content library – even if you are actually based in Poland.

You can use this method to watch all sorts of international content from Poland, like CBC from Canada or Comedy Central from the US. And Netflix uses are in luck too: with the right VPN, you can unblock Netflix and watch video content from all over the world with no regional restrictions.

How To Choose The Right VPN Provider For Poland

Avoid Free Providers

In order to choose the right VPN provider to use in Poland, there are some key factors that you should consider. The first issue to remember is that although it may be tempting to save some money, you should stay away from free VPN providers. The problem is that companies who do not make their money from user subscriptions must make that money elsewhere, and free VPN providers have a history of dodgy behaviour such as selling off user data, using inadequate or non-existent encryption, and even making their users part of a botnet which is a major security risk.

VPN Search Criteria

To stay safe online, you should select a trustworthy paid VPN provider which meets the following key requirements:

1. Exceptional security to make sure that no outsiders can access your data. This includes powerful encryption to lock down your data, as well as a no-logging policy in place to ensure your activity history can never be used against you.
2. Fast server connections. Using a VPN will inevitably impact your internet speeds to some extent, as the data has to go through an extra step of encryption and routing through a proxy server. However, a good VPN will optimize their methods, minimizing slowdown to an unnoticeable degree.
3. A large network of servers in different locations so that you can get around regional locks of all kinds and access content from all over the world. The more servers that are available from your VPN provider, the more options you will have to find a server that is fast and reliable for your needs.
4. Software that can be installed on a range of operating systems so that you can install your VPN software onto all of your devices, and simultaneously protect your computer, your laptop, your phone, and more.

Our Recommended VPN Providers For Poland

1. ExpressVPN – Best Overall

ExpressVPN is often hailed as the best overall VPN on the market, and we fully concur. No other provider delivers quite the same combo of security, speed, and ease of use. At the core of any VPN is its encryption, and ExpressVPN more than delivers with unbreakable 256-bit AES encryption available over OpenVPN, L2TP/IPSec, PPTP, and SSTP protocols. Add to the mix DNS leak protection, an automatic kill switch, VPN split tunneling, and an IP address checker, and you’ve got a full-featured security service on its own.

Of course, ExpressVPN does all this without compromising speed, as its name may suggest. Whether you’re streaming HD video, torrenting, or communicating via VoIP, you’ll enjoy the fastest connections any provider has to offer. This performance comes in part due to ExpressVPN’s massive server network, numbering more than 2000 servers in 94 countries, with many options in countries neighboring Poland and abroad alike. No matter where or how you connect, you can rest easier knowing that none of your identifying information is being saved, thanks to ExpressVPN’s no-logging policy. Dedicated software is available for Windows, Mac OS, Linux, Android, smart TVs, and even browsers like Chrome, Firefox, and Safari.

Read our full ExpressVPN review.

2. NordVPN – Jack Of All Trades

NordVPN is the Swiss army knife of VPNs. To be sure, you’ll find all the industry-standard security appointments, like 256-bit AES encryption, a strict no-logging policy, fast speeds, and wide availability of dedicated software (including Windows, Mac OS, Android, iOS, Linux and more).

However, the gem of NordVPN’s offering is undoubtedly its server network, which numbers more than 4900 nodes in 62 countries. This is by far the largest network on the market, and it is expanding all the time. However, size isn’t everything; NordVPN offers an array of specialty servers optimized for a variety of applications, including P2P, anti-DDoS, double VPN encryption, dedicated IP, and even onion over VPN. If ever you’re facing censorship, website filtering, throttling, or even outright VPN bans, NordVPN has what you need to bypass them all to access the free and open internet.

Read our full NordVPN review.

3. CyberGhost – Dead-simple To Use

While every entry on this list is easy to use, CyberGhost puts the user experience forth as its top priority. Upon launching the software, you’ll be prompted to choose a function you want your VPN to help you with, like “browse anonymously”, “torrent anonymously” or “unblock streaming sites”. Simply make your selection, and with a single click CyberGhost will automatically configure the optimal settings as per your request.

Don’t let this user-friendly interface fool you–CyberGhost is uncompromising when it comes to your security and privacy, boasting unbreakable 256-bit AES encryption, and one of the most comprehensive no-logging policies on the market. Performance benchmarks are similarly impressive, with blinding speeds available across their massive server network (over 2800 nodes in 60 countries). This sleek, lightweight software is available on Android, iOS, Windows, Mac OS, and many more, so you can protect each one of your devices with a single subscription.

Read our full CyberGhost review.

4. PrivateVPN – Personalized VPN Connections

PrivateVPN stands out from the rest of the top-tier providers on our list due to the way it handles IP spoofing. While this provider does offer the standard fare of shared IP addresses on most of its servers, it also sports a dynamic IP system on select nodes, which allots each individual user their own unique identifier. Why does this matter? Streaming sites like Hulu and Netflix often block VPN traffic by blacklisting shared IP addresses. Having a unique IP address allows you to slip under the radar, and unblock regional content from anywhere in the world!

PrivateVPN also offers industrial-strength 256-bit AES encryption, with the option to drop to 128-bit encryption for a boost in speed. Even at maximum security settings, connections are both fast and stable across their entire server network, which includes 80+ nodes in 56 countries. If that figure seems rather small, consider that the dynamic IP system reduces the need for massive numbers of proxy options in many cases. Rounding out the package is a comprehensive no-logging policy, ensuring that records of your activity can never be used against you (as they don’t exist!)

Download PrivateVPN’s intuitive app on Windows, Mac OS, Linux, Android, iOS, Amazon Fire Stick and more.

Read our full PrivateVPN review.

5. PureVPN – Comprehensive Cybersecurity

PureVPN isn’t just another VPN; it’s an all-in-one cybersecurity package. A single subscription grants you VPN protection, ad blocking, malware protection, and dedicated anti-spam filtration. That’s a lot of functionality for a single piece of software!

Even without the expanded protection features, PureVPN stands on its own as an exception VPN provider. Under the hood, you’ll find impenetrable 256-bit AES encryption, DDoS protection, app filtering, an automatic kill switch, a NAT firewall, and even the option for a dedicated IP address. What’s more, PureVPN’s server network offers incredible reach, with more than 750 nodes available in over 140 countries–perfect for Polish users wanting access to the unlimited worldwide internet. All of this is backed by a comprehensive no-logging policy, so your privacy is assured. Dedicated software is available for Windows, Mac OS, Android, iOS, and Android TV devices, plus there are browser extensions available for the Chrome and Firefox browsers.

Conclusion

With recent changes to the telecommunications laws in Poland, it is advisable for people living in or travelling through Poland to use a VPN to keep their internet activities safe and private. As well as keeping your data safe from the prying eyes of the government, a VPN will also enable you to get around regional restrictions and to access content from anywhere in the world. We have shared our recommendations for the top VPNs to use in Poland for security and privacy.

Are you Polish or living in Poland? What do you think future holds for internet freedom in your country? What will you use your VPN for? Let us know in the comments below!