VPN Recommendations for Germany/Europe perhaps

[ShawnP]

Good day,

I now live in Germany and need to get a VPN as I like Netflix/Language Reactor for language learning. I've never had a VPN before. For those living in Europe, especially Germany, what VPN's do you have and/or what would you recommend?

My coworker recommended Express VPN and said to stay away from Nord VPN. Another person said she has Hide.Me VPN.

I figured if any group of people would know about VPN's, it would be this group. Apologies if posting in an incorrect location.

[Cavesa]

A good thread, thanks, I am making the same decision now. Why did that coworker warn you against Nord VPN? Functionality? Price? Limitations?

[ShawnP]

A good thread, thanks, I am making the same decision now. Why did that coworker warn you against Nord VPN? Functionality? Price? Limitations?

I really don't know. He did say he believed they spent more on advertising than anything else. Not sure if thats a valid response but he's been here 4 years so I'll take his word for it.

[garyb]

NordVPN is a brand I feel I've never been able to trust, since I see their adverts on every corner of the Internet, so I've never used their product. I don't know if that's a fair judgement, though!

I've had ExpressVPN and CyberGhost in the past, and both of them worked great at first but after around 18 or 24 months they became less reliable especially with Netflix so I didn't renew my subscription. That was a couple of years ago though, and maybe things have changed since. I'm sure there's a constant battle between Netflix blocking VPNs and VPN companies trying to get around the blocking since Netflix access is an important part of their offering. There are plenty of articles online about "best VPNs for Netflix" but they're the usual affiliate link trash written by people (and probably AIs more recently) who likely haven't even tested them, so first-hand experiences would be useful!

[ShawnP]

NordVPN is a brand I feel I've never been able to trust, since I see their adverts on every corner of the Internet, so I've never used their product. I don't know if that's a fair judgement, though!

I've had ExpressVPN and CyberGhost in the past, and both of them worked great at first but after around 18 or 24 months they became less reliable especially with Netflix so I didn't renew my subscription. That was a couple of years ago though, and maybe things have changed since. I'm sure there's a constant battle between Netflix blocking VPNs and VPN companies trying to get around the blocking since Netflix access is an important part of their offering. There are plenty of articles online about "best VPNs for Netflix" but they're the usual affiliate link trash written by people (and probably AIs more recently) who likely haven't even tested them, so first-hand experiences would be useful!

garyb,
Exactly why I asked here instead of reading something someone wrote on the internet for money saying one is better than another. Most likely, they are being paid to promote a product.

[dubendorf]

I highly recommend Mullvad for VPN. As a company they seem quite privacy-oriented, insofar as a VPN company can be. It is €5/month flat rate, no subscription or commitment. I have had good success with watching shows in other countries using Mullvad. (Although, Norway's NRK started to block VPN servers and I had to try multiple servers to watch certain Norwegian shows while in the US). I haven't tried watching US Netflix from abroad, so I don't know if Netlix blocks any US servers, but they have many servers so it is worth trying a few. The software works on all platforms and is easy to use in my experience.

[Severine]

I've used Proton VPN for years and highly recommend it. Its security and privacy credentials are excellent, and they have many streaming-specific servers that have never failed to work for me. I have used it to watch region-locked content in a variety of countries: I can watch US content while not located in the US (Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime streaming), Canadian content while not in Canada (Netflix, Crave, CBC, etc.), and online public broadcasting content in countries like the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, etc. while located in North America.

I've used it on PC, Mac, and my Android phone. Obviously I have not tested it for all countries, all streaming services, etc., but it has reliably worked for everything I have ever wanted. It's also useful for buying things on regional versions of websites (e.g., Amazon.fr) that don't reliably work for out-of-country IPs.

There is a free-version, but I think the dedicated streaming servers might be for paid accounts only. I have had a paid account for years, so I honestly have no idea what the limitations of the free plan are. If you use it, I would recommend subbing.

[leosmith]

I used a free one originally, then switched to Express out of paranoia. It worked really well. Then I switched to Nord for about 6 months to save money, and it didn't work well. I've been back with Express for a long time now, and it still works well, but occasionally Amazon Prime Video will block it. I think once or twice Netflix even blocked it. Never used it in Europe though. I might check out some of the recommendations on this thread. Software is constantly changing, so it's probably impossible to get one that will work perfectly forever.

[MorkTheFiddle]

There is a free-version, but I think the dedicated streaming servers might be for paid accounts only. I have had a paid account for years, so I honestly have no idea what the limitations of the free plan are. If you use it, I would recommend subbing.

I'm in the USA, so take this with a grain of salt.
I use the free version of Proton. The servers open to me as a user of the free service are in the USA, the Netherlands, and Japan, usually in that order. That is, if no USA server is available, then it hops to Netherlands, etc. Tho only occasionally does it go to Japan. And when it hops out of the country, some Internet news and sports can be in Dutch or Japanese.
Just the other day I was linked to a server in Poland and a day after that Romania.
I'm more likely to get a USA server the earlier in the day I log on.
I find no degradation in service, but the vpn uses a chunk of bandwidth, which affects, I think, sometimes, the latency of a condo-mate also using the wi-fi.
IIRC, Nord owns Proton, and also, IIRC, Proton's base is Switzerland.
Bottom line, I am quite satisfied with ProtonVPN.

[wallflower]

I switched to ExpressVPN after that, and I haven't looked back. The software just worked, right away. They have many servers in the US and around the world. The only problem I have is when I move the laptop to a new network. It can take a while for it to make a new connection, and meanwhile it blocks all internet traffic. Plus, it won't respond immediately to attempts to cancel the connection or even quit the app. This is particularly an issue if the new network has a log-in page.

This may be an issue with the kill switch feature. Maybe their customer service would be able to advise you.

IIRC, Nord owns Proton, and also, IIRC, Proton's base is Switzerland.

You are half correct here: Proton is based in Switzerland, but they are not owned by Nord. Nord and Proton are completely separate. I just wanted to clear that up since some people appear to be a bit suspicious of Nord.

Anyway, my experiences. I used NordVPN for several years and it was several years of on/off glitches and headaches. The vpn would work flawlessly for a few months and then there would be months of the vpn not maintaining a connection, or not able to connect in the first place… Customer service was usually prompt to reply, and what they suggested usually worked, but it was a hassle to again and again have to turn on/off features at different times to make the vpn function properly.

At the end of my subscription I cancelled, switched to Proton, have had zero issues in the year or so I’ve been with them.

I think most/all vpn providers are always trying to stay ahead of the vpn-blocking that streaming websites and other websites do. Proton has a “stealth mode” that they claim “evades detection and allows you to bypass most firewalls and VPN blocking methods.” I haven’t tested it to say whether it works or not.

All that said, I am not in Germany so cannot advise on the specific question in the OP.