Of course, picking a VPN outside the 14 Eyes isn’t enough in itself — these picks also have solid no-log privacy policies, advanced encryption, a large network of servers, and top speeds to boot. Here are our top VPNs outside 14 Eyes countries: This coalition is referred to as the 5/9/14 Eyes alliance, which spies on, collects, and exchanges a lot of data about its citizens across borders. This could include browsing history, downloads, emails, calls, internet search history, chat messages, and much more. As much as a good service can protect you by keeping you anonymous online, hence bypassing surveillance, it’s not the case with all VPNs. VPN companies with subpar privacy practices located in countries belonging to the 5 Eyes, 9 Eyes, and 14 Eyes alliances could be compelled by state agencies to hand over your data. In this article, we look at the best VPNs outside 14 Eyes countries that ensure your security and privacy beyond any state agencies and mass surveillance.
Which is the Best VPN Outside 14 Eyes Countries?
To be totally secure and private online, you don’t need just any service but a virtual private network (VPN) that’s based outside the 14 Eyes alliance. Why? It’s all about your data. Members of the 5, 9, and 14 Eyes countries can collect user data from internet service providers (ISPs), companies, and other entities and store or share it with each other. Just to name a few data points, your ISP alone would know your name and address, IP address, websites visited and browsing history, emails sent, and device type and model. The VPN providers below are located in privacy-friendly jurisdictions outside this alliance and cannot be compelled to store or give up your data to authorities in the first place. We researched and tested dozens of VPNs to ensure their privacy policies are based in privacy-friendly countries. Below are our results: Below we take a deep dive into each virtual private network and the privacy and security they offer, the protocols they use to secure your data, and their privacy policies that protect your data from intelligence agencies and government surveillance.
1. NordVPN: Overall best VPN outside 14 Eyes countries
Features:
Located in Panama, outside 14 Eyes OpenVPN, IKEv2 and NordLynx (WireGuard) protocols Supported on Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Linux, routers, consoles, Smart TVs and even RaspberryPi 30-day money-back guarantee
NordVPN is our overall top choice because of its location and high level of security. It’s based in Panama, where there’s no mandatory data retention law. This means the VPN company can’t be compelled to store users’ data and provide it to government authorities on order. NordVPN maintains a strict no-logs policy and has been audited twice to ensure the same by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). In 2019, NordVPN started an initiative of deploying diskless servers, which ascertain that no data or configuration about users is stored. This is in addition to establishing colocated VPN servers, which allows the company to manage and maintain its own server network. Over the years, NordVPN has worked to improve both its download and upload speeds, and it’s now one of the fastest VPNs on the market. To top up the speeds further, in 2020, the VPN upgraded to 10GBps servers from 1GBps to provide users with ultra-high speeds and better usability. For comparison, the majority of its competitors are still running 1GBps servers. The ultra-high speeds are sufficient for accessing streaming services, torrenting, and gaming. NordVPN has a server network that is distributed globally across all continents, including Antarctica. This ensures that users have ample options to bypass censorship and any geo-restrictions. For a full rundown of its specs, read our full NordVPN review. You can also try NordVPN at no cost for 30 days.
2. ExpressVPN: Fastest VPN outside 14 Eyes countries
Features:
Located outside 14 Eyes in the British Virgin Islands OpenVPN, L2TP/IPSec, WireGuard, Lightway and IKEv2 protocols Works on Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Linux, routers, consoles and Smart TVs 30-day money-back guarantee
ExpressVPN maintains a strict zero-log policy and only stores anonymized connection logs. It’s based in the British Virgin Islands, which keeps it outside the 14 Eyes countries. On the off chance that servers were hacked or a government agency insists on getting its hands on user data, there wouldn’t be any to offer up. For example, a well-known case in Turkey in 2017 proved ExpressVPN does not store user data. More recently, ExpressVPN underwent two independent audits of their privacy policy by KPMG and Cure53. The virtual private network employs the best security protocols we have today. For example, it uses military-grade AES-256 encryption to scramble your data while in transit. It also uses the WireGuard protocol, which increases your data transmission speed and strengthens security. ExpressVPN also employs a modern, proprietary protocol called Lightway that makes your VPN browsing experience fast, more secure, and more reliable, and Lightway secures your data in case of a connection drop. It ensures your data and device are protected until you get back online. You can also read our comprehensive ExpressVPN review before making a final decision. With their 30-day money-back guarantee, you can try ExpressVPN out for free for a month.
3. Surfshark: Secure and affordable VPN outside 14 Eyes countries
Features:
Data protection operates under British Virgin Islands law, outside 14 Eyes OpenVPN, IKEv2, and WireGuard encryption protocols Works on Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Linux, routers, consoles, and smart TVs 30-day money-back guarantee
First, it’s important to note that Surfshark’s moving its business to The Netherlands in 2021 does not affect its online privacy policies in regard to user data. All user data is still protected under the laws of the British Virgin Islands, where Surfshark is still incorporated. The only data that’s exposed to the 9 Eyes alliance pertains to company data such as: active connections, server contract negotiations, and so on. Considering that point, Surfshark remains one of our top-rated VPN services due to its privacy, security, user-friendliness, and cost. Surfshark maintains a strict no-logs policy, so it does not collect or gather any information like IP addresses, online activity, session information, bandwidth usage, connection time stamps, network traffic, and other similar data. The VPN encrypts your data with highly-secured AES-256 encryption while browsing. It also allows you to choose between verified and open-source security protocols such as OpenVPN (UDP and TCP), WireGuard, and IKEv2. It has a kill switch to protect your data when your connection suddenly terminates. You can read our full Surfshark review to learn more about this leading VPN, or take it for a spin free for 30 days.
4. CyberGhost: User-friendly VPN outside 14 Eyes countries
Features:
Located in Romania, outside government alliances OpenVPN, IKEv2, and WireGuard protocols Apps for Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Linux; can be installed on routers, consoles, and smart TVs Lengthy 45-day money-back guarantee
If you’re on a budget but still want a VPN service that has great speeds, usability, and top-notch security, then CyberGhost is your best bet. The VPN is based in Romania, which is privacy-friendly and outside the 14 Eyes countries. In its privacy policy, CyberGhost maintains that it does not store any user data or any logs tied to your IP address. It achieves this by operating RAM-only servers instead of disk-based servers. Meaning their servers are incapable of storing user data, only transmitting it. They don’t keep traffic logs, IP logs, or timestamps. CyberGhost implements a kill switch that protects your data from internet service providers when your internet connection drops or you change networks. Data traffic is encrypted with AES-256 bit encryption, which is the same encryption used by banks and the military (and the VPNs on this list). You can also get started with CyberGhost for free and test the full capabilities of the VPN with a 45-day money-back guarantee. Find out more in our full CyberGhost review.
5. Proton VPN: Most secure VPN outside 14 Eyes countries
Features:
Located in Switzerland OpenVPN, WireGuard, IKEv2 encryption protocols Can be used on iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, Linux, Fire TV Stick, Chromebook, Android TV 30-day money-back guarantee
Proton VPN was established by industry veterans who previously developed the world’s most secure email, ProtonMail — so you can expect top-notch privacy and security for your connection with this virtual private network company. This VPN is based in Switzerland, which puts it under strong privacy laws and outside the 5, 9 and 14 Eyes alliance. Because of this, Proton VPN can’t be compelled to store or hand over user data by government agencies. Proton VPN also employs some of the latest and greatest security protocols to protect your data. For example, the proprietary SecureCore protocol protects your connection by routing your traffic through multiple servers before leaving their network. In addition, it also implements OpenVPN, IKEv2, and WireGuard. Its apps are open-source. Therefore, they can be scrutinized and improved by anyone. Proton VPN is always evolving and developing new security features and secure VPN protocols to keep your data secure. It’s also among the top free VPN services that offer unlimited bandwidth for users. If you want to compare it with some of our other picks, read our full Proton VPN review. Otherwise, click the button below to get started.
6. FastestVPN: The most affordable VPN outside 14 Eyes alliance
Features:
Based in the Cayman Islands OpenVPN,IKEv2,L2TP/IPsec, PPTP protocols Works on Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and Linux 15-day money-back guarantee
FasestVPN is a relatively new VPN company on the market. However, the VPN has implemented all the necessary industry-standard security features to secure your connection. It’s based in the Cayman Islands, which is a jurisdiction that exercises “No mandatory data retention laws.” According to its privacy policy, it does not store any user data besides email addresses, billing data, the amount paid, and the method of payments. This information is used for account management. In addition to the industry-standard security protocols, FastestVPN has split-tunneling and DNS leak protection to protect your IP address and data from being exposed. It also has a kill switch which ensures that your device won’t revert to its default Internet connection if the VPN connection suddenly drops. If you would like to know more about this VPN with its incredible speeds and security, you can read our in-depth FastestVPN review.
What is the 14 Eyes Alliance?
At the start of the cold war, the U.K. and U.S.A. banded together to gather and share intelligence on the Soviet Union. Over time, objectives changed, and this alliance expanded to include five countries (Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States), to become 5 Eyes. Later on, even more countries joined in and collectively formed the 9 Eyes and 14 Eyes alliances. They all cooperate on different terms, and some work more closely than others, but 5 Eyes is the most prominent alliance of them all. What does the 5/9/14 Eyes alliance do? They collect, assimilate, and exchange information about their citizens (sometimes unconstitutionally) to prevent harm that may occur to them, such as terrorist attacks. However, in the process of doing so, many claim that they invade people’s privacy — which has been a cause of concern. The alliance collects information pertaining but not limited to:
Phone taps Your contact information Information of those you’ve contacted Your online activities from your internet service provider (ISP) Personal emails Chat messages
Which Countries Constitute the 14 Eyes?
The alliance that started with just two countries (U.S. and U.K.) has, over time, grown to include more countries that cooperate on different terms. Here’s an infographic of the Five, Nine, and Fourteen Eyes alliance countries.
For a more in-depth breakdown, check out our full explainer on the 5, 9, and 14 Eyes alliances.
How We Picked the Best VPNs Outside 14 Eyes Countries
Despite there being a number of VPN services that offer great security and usability, not all of them will protect you from government mass surveillance and personal data collection. To enhance your online privacy, we suggest you use one of the VPNs mentioned on this list. Here are the criteria we used to pick them.
Location: Where a VPN service is based determines if it can be compelled by the 14 Eyes coalition to store and hand over your data. The virtual private networks on this list are based in privacy-friendly jurisdictions which are not part of the coalition that collects and shares the data of their citizens. No-logs policy: When a VPN does not store anything, your data cannot be leaked in case of a hack or by order of authorities. They simply have nothing to hand over to state agencies when they demand it. Reliable VPN services such as NordVPN and ExpressVPN, for example, have taken it up a notch by being independently audited to ascertain their no-logs policy. Security: The VPNs on this list should have modern and industry-proven security features such as a kill switch, DNS leak prevention, IP leak prevention, and military-grade encryption. This is to protect your data while in transit and in case your connection terminates. Speed: A good VPN should have fast speeds that make browsing, streaming, and gaming enjoyable and free of lags and buffering. The VPNs on this list are fast, with minimal to no connection drops.
VPNs Based in 14 Eyes Countries
There are some VPN providers out there that provide ample security and privacy protection, unblocking capabilities and great speeds, but with one unfortunate caveat — they’re located in countries that are members of the 14 Eyes alliances. While we have recommended some of these VPNs in other situations (IPVanish, Private Internet Access (PIA), and TunnelBear, to name a few), if you’re looking for one tucked safely out of surveillance alliances, they may not be for you. They include:
Final Thoughts
To remain completely secure and protect your privacy online, you need a VPN that does not store any of your data and is based outside the 5/9/14 alliance countries that conduct global surveillance. This means the VPN cannot be compelled to store user data and hand it over upon request by any state agency. Here’s a quick review of the best VPNs based outside of the 14 Eyes countries:
NordVPN: Panama ExpressVPN: BVI Surfshark: BVI CyberGhost: Romania Proton VPN: Switzerland FastestVPN: Cayman Islands
Though these 5/9/14 Eyes alliances exist to safeguard the national security of participating members — such as thwarting terrorist attacks and tracking down criminals — that security can come at the expense of privacy for its citizens. After all, it can be quite unsettling to know that governments can easily peep in on your browsing history, search intent, communications or even a list of YouTube videos you’ve been watching. To protect yourself and your data, any of the VPNs we’ve chosen will certainly get the job done right. If you have any questions about these picks or other online privacy concerns, just leave us a comment below, and we’ll get right back to you.
