If you're on Singtel, StarHub, or M1 fibre and streaming, working from home, or just browsing on hawker centre or MRT WiFi, a VPN does three genuinely different jobs: it stops your ISP or a shared network from seeing your traffic, it unblocks content libraries that aren't available on Singapore Netflix or Disney+, and for many PRs and expats, it keeps a connection back to services from their home country working normally.
We tested five VPN services from a residential Singtel 1Gbps fibre connection in the CBD and a StarHub 500Mbps connection in Tampines over two weeks.
The short answer
NordVPN is our top pick for most Singapore users. Fastest on both fibre connections we tested, reliably unblocks Netflix US and BBC iPlayer, and independently audited by both PwC and Deloitte.
For privacy above everything else, ProtonVPN's Swiss jurisdiction and fully open-source apps are the better fit. For the simplest possible experience, ExpressVPN remains the easiest to just open and use.
Why Singapore specifically needs a VPN
Public WiFi at hawker centres, malls, and MRT stations. Singapore has dense free WiFi coverage - Wireless@SG at hawker centres and community spaces, mall WiFi at every major shopping centre, and increasingly WiFi on the MRT itself. All of these are shared networks, and shared networks are where traffic interception happens.
Streaming geo-restrictions. Netflix Singapore's library is smaller than Netflix US or UK. Disney+ Singapore content differs from other regions. A VPN lets you access other libraries when what you want isn't available locally.
Working for or with overseas teams. A large share of Singapore's workforce is PR or foreign-employed, working with head offices in other countries. Some corporate resources and home-country banking apps work more reliably through a VPN server in that country than through Singapore's IP ranges.
Bypassing ISP throttling. Singtel, StarHub, and M1 have all been reported by users to occasionally deprioritise specific traffic types during peak evening hours. A VPN prevents your ISP from identifying traffic type at all, which makes selective throttling impossible.
Online shopping and travel pricing. Flight prices on Singapore Airlines, Scoot, and AirAsia, and hotel prices on Agoda and Booking.com, can vary by browsing location. A VPN to a different country occasionally surfaces a lower price for the same booking.
Our rankings
1. NordVPN - Best overall for Singapore
Price: US$3.39/month (2-year plan) Singapore servers: Dedicated Singapore server cluster Protocol: NordLynx (WireGuard-based), OpenVPN Simultaneous devices: 10 Audits: Deloitte (2024), PwC (2023, 2022)
NordVPN was the fastest VPN on our Singtel 1Gbps connection - via NordLynx we averaged 720 Mbps download and 650 Mbps upload. On the StarHub 500Mbps connection we measured 410 Mbps, an 18% loss. Both are excellent results for a VPN tunnel.
Streaming was flawless: Netflix US, Netflix Japan, BBC iPlayer, Disney+ US, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video US all loaded on first attempt. Netflix Singapore also worked normally when connected to a Singapore server, which matters since some VPNs accidentally break local streaming when active.
Threat Protection Pro blocks ads, trackers, and malicious domains at the DNS level - useful given how ad-heavy some regional news and forum sites can get. Meshnet lets you route traffic through another device running NordVPN, useful if you travel regionally and want to maintain a Singapore IP for banking or local app access that expects one.
The downside: the two-year commitment gets the best price; monthly pricing at US$12.99 is expensive. The 30-day money-back guarantee lets you test risk-free if unsure.
2. ProtonVPN - Best for privacy
Price: US$4.49/month (2-year plan) Protocol: WireGuard, OpenVPN, Stealth Simultaneous devices: 10 Audits: Securitum (2024, 2023), all apps open-source
ProtonVPN's Swiss jurisdiction means data requests from outside Switzerland face a genuinely higher legal bar than most competitors based in Five/Nine/Fourteen Eyes countries. Every app is open-source and independently audited - the code is publicly inspectable, not just marketing language.
Speed on Singtel fibre: 580 Mbps via WireGuard - slower than NordVPN but comfortably enough for 4K streaming and video calls without issue.
Stealth protocol disguises VPN traffic as regular HTTPS, useful on corporate networks that actively block standard VPN protocols - we tested this against a corporate network with VPN detection enabled and Stealth connected without issue. Secure Core routes traffic through hardened servers in Switzerland, Iceland, or Sweden before exiting at your chosen destination; the speed cost is real (around 250 Mbps on our connection) but worth it for anyone handling genuinely sensitive information.
Free tier: unlimited data, no ads, servers in the US, Netherlands, and Japan. The most genuinely useful free VPN available.
3. ExpressVPN - Best for ease of use
Price: US$6.67/month (1-year plan) Protocol: Lightway (proprietary), OpenVPN Simultaneous devices: 8 Audits: Cure53 (2024), KPMG (2023)
ExpressVPN is the VPN you set up for a family member and never think about again. The Lightway protocol connects in under 2 seconds and switches cleanly between home WiFi and mobile data with no manual reconnection needed.
Speed on Singtel fibre: 640 Mbps - competitive, though behind NordVPN. Streaming reliability was the standout: Netflix US, UK, and Japan, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Disney+, Amazon Prime, and HBO Max all worked without issue throughout testing.
MediaStreamer covers Smart TVs, PlayStation, Xbox, and other devices that can't run a VPN app directly - configure it once on your router and every device on the network is covered. Aircove, their dedicated router firmware, is worth considering for a household with 10+ devices that would otherwise need per-device setup.
The downside: the most expensive option here, and no two-year plan exists. The Kape Technologies acquisition remains a lingering concern for privacy-focused users, though post-acquisition audits have stayed clean.
4. Surfshark - Best value for large households
Price: US$2.19/month (2-year plan) Protocol: WireGuard, OpenVPN Simultaneous devices: Unlimited
Surfshark is the only VPN here with unlimited simultaneous connections, which matters for a household running phones, laptops, and tablets across multiple family members on one subscription. Speed on Singtel fibre: 490 Mbps - the slowest of the four but genuinely fine for streaming and everyday browsing across several devices at once.
CleanWeb blocks ads and trackers, Camouflage Mode disguises VPN traffic on networks that block standard protocols. Streaming was reliable for Netflix US and Disney+; BBC iPlayer was inconsistent during our testing.
Note: OnlyCodes doesn't have an affiliate partnership with Surfshark. It's included here because the unlimited-device policy and price genuinely make it the best choice for budget-conscious households, not because it pays a commission.
5. CyberGhost - Biggest server network
Price: US$2.19/month (2-year plan) Protocol: WireGuard, OpenVPN Simultaneous devices: 7
CyberGhost runs 11,000+ servers across 100 countries - the largest network of anything tested here. Speed on Singtel fibre: 470 Mbps, mid-pack but adequate for any standard use case.
Servers are labelled by purpose - streaming-optimised profiles for Netflix US, BBC iPlayer, and Disney+ take the guesswork out of server selection for less technical users. Smart Rules auto-connect the VPN whenever you join an untrusted network, so hawker centre or mall WiFi triggers protection automatically without you remembering to turn it on.
Speed test results
Averaged over 14 days across two connections.
Singtel 1Gbps fibre (CBD):
| VPN | Download (Mbps) | Speed Loss | |---|---|---| | No VPN (baseline) | 940 | - | | NordVPN | 720 | 23% | | ExpressVPN | 640 | 32% | | ProtonVPN | 580 | 38% | | CyberGhost | 470 | 50% | | Surfshark | 490 | 48% |
StarHub 500Mbps fibre (Tampines):
| VPN | Download (Mbps) | Speed Loss | |---|---|---| | No VPN | 470 | - | | NordVPN | 410 | 13% | | ExpressVPN | 370 | 21% | | ProtonVPN | 340 | 28% |
Singapore-specific use cases
Protecting banking apps on shared WiFi
DBS, OCBC, and UOB apps all use their own encryption, but a VPN adds a second layer that prevents anyone else on the same hawker centre or mall WiFi from even seeing which bank you're connecting to. This matters most on genuinely open networks rather than home fibre.
Important: some banking apps flag VPN connections as unusual activity and may temporarily block access. If a banking app errors out with VPN active, disconnect, complete the transaction, then reconnect afterward - this is a known interaction, not a VPN malfunction.
Working with head offices overseas
A meaningful share of Singapore's workforce is PR or foreign-employed with reporting lines overseas. Corporate VPNs handle work resources specifically, but a consumer VPN connected to your home country's servers can resolve access issues with home-country banking, government portals, or media that geo-restrict outside their home market.
Corporate and campus networks that block VPNs
NUS, NTU, SMU, and a number of corporate networks filter VPN protocols. ProtonVPN's Stealth protocol and Surfshark's Camouflage Mode are built specifically to get past this kind of detection - worth trying first if a standard connection fails on one of these networks.
Streaming Singapore-only content while traveling
meWATCH and other Singapore-only services geo-restrict to Singapore IP addresses. Connecting to a Singapore VPN server while traveling restores access - NordVPN's Meshnet is particularly useful here since it lets you route through a home device for a guaranteed Singapore IP rather than relying on a shared server location.
How to choose
For most Singapore users: NordVPN. Fastest on both fibre connections tested, reliable streaming, reasonably priced on the two-year plan.
For privacy-first users: ProtonVPN. Swiss jurisdiction, open-source apps, a genuinely useful free tier, and Stealth protocol for restrictive networks.
For simplicity: ExpressVPN. One-tap operation, seamless network switching, the most consistent streaming track record.
For large households: Surfshark. Unlimited devices on one subscription covers everyone without per-person cost.
For server variety: CyberGhost. 11,000+ servers with streaming-optimised profiles across a huge range of countries.
What to avoid
Free VPNs, with the exception of ProtonVPN Free. Most free VPN apps monetise through ads, data harvesting, or bandwidth reselling - several have been documented injecting ads into HTTPS traffic. ProtonVPN Free is the exception specifically because there's no monetisation of user data behind it.
VPN apps requesting excessive permissions. A VPN needs network access and nothing else. If an app asks for your contacts, photos, or SMS, that's a red flag worth uninstalling over.
Lifetime deals. VPN infrastructure costs real money to run continuously. A one-time payment can't sustain that indefinitely - these services tend to degrade, sell data, or shut down within a year or two.
FAQ
Is using a VPN legal in Singapore?
Yes. There's no law prohibiting VPN use in Singapore. Accessing geo-restricted streaming content through a VPN may violate that service's terms of service, but it isn't a criminal matter, and there are no documented cases of individual prosecution for personal VPN use.
Will a VPN fix slow Singtel or StarHub speeds?
Sometimes. If slowdowns come from ISP throttling of specific traffic types, a VPN bypasses that and can restore normal speeds. If slowdowns come from your plan tier or general network congestion, a VPN won't help and may add a small overhead on top. Worth testing with and without to compare on your specific connection.
Can I get cheaper Netflix through a VPN?
Technically, subscribing while connected to a country with lower Netflix pricing can reduce cost, but Netflix has increasingly cracked down on this and may cancel accounts found doing it. We don't recommend this route since it violates Netflix's terms of service.
Which VPN works best on Singtel fibre?
NordVPN, at 23% speed loss on our 1Gbps connection via NordLynx. ExpressVPN was second at 32% loss. Both held stable connections throughout testing, including peak evening hours.
Should I install a VPN on my router or on individual devices?
For most households, individual devices are simpler and don't affect the speed of non-VPN traffic on the network. Router installation covers every device automatically but slows all traffic, including devices that don't need protection. For a household with 10+ devices wanting blanket coverage, ExpressVPN's Aircove router is the cleanest option.
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