If you live in Indonesia, a VPN is a vital bit of kit that will transform your browsing experience as well as your privacy when online.
Indonesia's netizens will run into geo-restrictions if they want to access content from outside their region, and what's more, the government has completely banned access to some of the most popular sites on the internet.
[[post-object type="divider" /]]
What are the Best VPNs for Indonesia?
Below you'll find our very best VPNs to use, whether you want to access Indonesian content from outside the region or enhance your privacy within it.
[[post-object type="best-buy-table"/]]
To ensure that you get the best VPN for Indonesia we have chosen services that have the following features:
- Ability to bypass government censorship laws
- A reliable and speedy server network
- A kill-switch and other contemporary security features
The best VPNs for Indonesia: an in-depth analysis
Here's a closer look at the best VPNs for Indonesia. If you need more information, check out our detailed VPN reviews.
[[post-object type="reviewsc" /]]
Why do I need a VPN for Indonesia?
VPNs are legal to use in Indonesia, and around 40% of the population are thought to use one when they head online.
This is largely due to Indonesia's Draconian censorship laws, which have seen the authorities ban tens of thousands of sites on the grounds that (according to the Indonesian government) they promote nudity, misinformation and extremist ideology.
The government is evidently prepared to shut down the internet completely, and did so last year on more than one occasion, amidst protests, in the eastern state of Papua. Even more worryingly, last year, a government minister suggested that Indonesians should only use licensed VPNs. Others have suggested they may soon be banned altogether.
What sites are blocked in Indonesia?
In 2019, Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram were banned for three days during a period of national protest on the grounds they were promoting misinformation.
Telegram and YouTube, the latter of which is incredibly popular in the country, have also been temporarily banned in the last few years. Netflix has also been blocked and then unblocked by Telkom, the country's biggest internet service provider.
But such is the nature of the government's relationship with the internet and its citizens that any popular site could be banned without warning.
[[post-object type="useful-articles" ids="9176,8000,8277,7492,9163" title="Useful Guides" /]]
How to set up your VPN for Indonesia
Simply follow the steps below to set up a VPN for Indonesia.
- Select one of the providers from the list above.
- Sign up for one of their account subscriptions.
- Follow the provider's instructions to activate the VPN.
- Connect to a server located in Indonesia.
- Enjoy your private browsing experience!
Why you shouldn't use a free VPN in Indonesia
There are some great free VPNs available, yet many come with risks not commonly associated with their paid competitors.
It's important to remember that wherever you are in the world. But particularly in a country like Indonesia, which is constantly banning websites and shutting down the internet, you need a VPN provider that can guarantee no logs of your activity are kept or sold to third parties.
Unfortunately, this guarantee just can't be afforded to users of free VPNs. Free services have to have some way of making money, and sometimes that comes in the form of selling data to third parties.
Free VPNs are notorious for being infested with malware, irritating ads, and rarely offer any genuine privacy.
It also takes a lot of time, effort, staff, and commitment to be able to run an operation that can reliably protect millions of users across the world simultaneously – so it's not surprising that finding such a service for free is incredibly rare.
Conclusion
It's no surprise so many Indonesian citizens use VPNs already, considering the government's propensity to ban and restrict content.
More will likely follow. So if you're living in the region and want a more expansive online experience with several added layers of security, make sure to download one of these:
[[post-object type="best-buy-table"/]]