Best VPNs for Austria

Best VPNs for Austria: In Austria, those visiting the country for travel or business purposes; and Austrian citizens living abroad can benefit from a stable VPN connection. This helps them keep in touch with friends and family and safely access banking and financial services. In this article, we’ll discuss the best VPNs for Austria and general tips on how to make the most of them.

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) can be used for a myriad of reasons. Whether it’s to safely torrent files, access your favorite movies and television shows; evade government surveillance; or log in to blocked sites, it’s a great option overall to keep your web activity encrypted and private.

The VPN providers we recommend in this article offer an all-encompassing range of server locations. This means it’s possible to get an IP address from Austria even if you’re currently living in the US; the UK, Australia, Germany, Canada, India, China, Hong Kong, France, Sweden; Norway, Japan, or anywhere else in the world.

Also read: What’s the Dark Web & How to Access It?

The Best VPNs for Austria

VPN services exist in abundance, but they’re not all comparable.

Our list is predicated on the following factors:

• Operates a wide network of servers across the world, including in Austria
• Unblocks geo-restricted streaming services without any problems
• Offers a fast and reliable connection
• Maintains stringent encryption parameters, so your location remains hidden at all times
• Allows for multiple simultaneous connections

How do VPNs work?

VPN software sets up an encrypted virtual tunnel; that diverts all the internet traffic flowing from your device through another server. This obfuscates your actual IP address (the one assigned to you by your internet service provider); and makes it appear you’re in a different location. That’s how you’ll be able to access streaming providers like Netflix and Hulu. Furthermore, the encryption aspect of it also prevents sleuths from monitoring your digital footprint.

Should I use a free VPN in Austria?

Free VPNs aren’t a recommended option because of their poor encryption standards; limited IP addresses, and shady practices of data theft and pilferage. They’re heavily advertised across the internet, and you’ll be inundated with a tempting call to actions that routinely plug the fact that you can sign up without a credit card. But as the old adage goes, when the product is free, you end up being the product.

Free VPN providers aren’t charities and need to make money. They usually do so by throwing a ton of advertisements your way and, in some cases, unethically inserting tracking cookies to mine your data and sell it to third parties. One of the core reasons you’re signing up for a VPN is to make sure your privacy and confidentiality on the web is upheld, while such providers are in the business of doing precisely the opposite of that.

Investing a few dollars each month for a paid VPN service will go a long way in ensuring a trouble-free experience.

Tips for using a VPN in Austria

The use of a VPN in Austria will significantly enhance your overall internet experience. Here are a few pointers for getting started.

How to set up a VPN in Austria

1. The first decision you need to make is which provider appeals to you the most. The mini-reviews above give a snapshot, but feel free to dive into the detailed reviews at the end for more information.
2. After you’ve settled on a provider, simply sign up with your credit card information and other personal details.
3. Proceed to download the relevant apps for your device directly from the provider’s page. Don’t trust third-party sites.
4. Reboot when the installation is complete.
5. Log in and connect to a VPN server of your choice, either in Austria or another country.
6. Now your internet connection is encrypted and private, and you will be assigned a new IP address from your chosen country.

How to access Netflix libraries in Austria

If you log in to your Netflix account while in Austria and without a VPN, then you’ll be shown the Austrian Netflix library. Some people mistakenly assume that just because the account was originally registered in another country, such as Canada or the US, they’ll automatically be shown that particular roster of content. However, that is not true. To switch Netflix libraries, you’ll have to connect to a VPN first. For example, if you’d like to access US Netflix, then it’s essential to connect to a US VPN server before logging on to the Netflix app.

Netflix blocks VPNs due to licensing agreements it has in place with its media partners. This doesn’t impact its original productions; these are Netflix’s own properties and can be broadcast around the world. But other television series, The Office, for example, are only allowed to be viewed by users in specific countries. That’s because Netflix has paid for streaming rights and needs to abide by the contract terms.

At the moment, not all VPNs (especially free VPNs) are compatible with Netflix. We’ve highlighted the ones in our mini-reviews, but you can check with customer support if you run into any issues.

Watching Austrian TV and accessing banking services when abroad

Austrian citizens who live or travel abroad frequently can use a VPN to keep in touch with local television from back home and log in to their bank accounts safely. There’s a wide range of television programming in Austria, including news, entertainment, and sports. Some of the popular channels are ATV, ATV2, and Prosieben Austria. Some will geo-restrict services to only access live streams if you have an Austrian IP address. That’s tough news for enthusiasts who live in other parts of the world; however, using a VPN can help you regain access.

When it comes to financial services, using a VPN is especially important if you use public wifi networks, such as those found in hotels, for most of your internet activity. Hackers lie in wait on such networks, so you should always add a layer of encryption before connecting to a hotspot.

While banks and non-banking financial institutions don’t necessarily geo-restrict their services, most of them will have strict compliance controls set up. That means incoming requests from obscure parts of the world might be flagged and blocked. If you try to access Austrian bank accounts online from all over the world, you run the risk of being frozen out of your account. Therefore, it’s a good idea to set up a VPN first because the host entity (your bank in this case) will assume you’re in Austria as long as you connect to a server there first.

Is torrenting legal in Austria?

Copyright laws are very strong in Austria. Although torrenting is legal per se, if you’re caught downloading material protected by intellectual property or copyright laws, you could be judged to have flouted laws.

Austrian courts lifted a ban on The Pirate Bay in 2016, ruling that ISPs cannot block a facilitating medium, but copyright laws still apply. It’s unclear whether there have been any arrests in relation to these laws, but it’s still prudent to act wisely. The use of a VPN will protect your identity on the web.

Conclusion – Best VPNs for Austria

With so many VPNs claiming (often falsely) to offer the same features, choosing the best one for your daily use or vacation in Austria can be daunting. That’s why we research for you, putting hundreds of VPNs to the test in dozens of countries every year.

With any of our top-rated VPNs, you’ll be able to access blocked content you were previously unable to reach without fear of being tracked by your ISP, data-stealing companies, or cybercriminals.