France VPN: Best VPN to Stream All the Content You Want & For Personal Security

The best VPN for France will let you access all the streaming content you want while ensuring unbeatable personal security.

Whether you want to watch your favorite shows on Amazon Prime Video or Netflix, we’ve reviewed the top VPN providers for France to find the best one for you.

In a hurry? If you want the best VPN for privacy, security, or speed, here are our editor’s picks for the best VPNs overall — each with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Click through now to get our best discount on your subscription:

• ExpressVPN: A global leader among VPNs, ExpressVPN offers one-click ease with high speed servers in 105 countries — and it also unblocks Netflix. Get 3 months free when you purchase a 12-month subscription.
• NordVPN: Compatible with many streaming services, featuring malware prevention and ad blocking. Get up to 68% off + 3 free months with NordVPN’s Back to School special when you choose a 2-year plan with our special offer.
• Surfshark: Award-winning VPN for unlimited devices, featuring worldwide connections with 10 GBit servers in 100 countries. Get up to 86% off your Surfshark 2-year subscription price.

France Overview

To ensure you are acting within the laws of France, here’s the information you need to know if you are new to France or unfamiliar with the data rules.

When choosing a VPN provider in France, you should take note of this information because local providers are affected.

Jurisdiction Characteristics
Political Culture	Democracy
Main IT hub location	Paris
Data protection registration	Not Required
Data protection officers appointment	Not Required
Data transfer to 3rd party disclosure	Consent required
Unlawful disclosure of sensitive information	4% of annual global turnover or £17.5 million maximum fine
Breach notice obligations	Within 72 hours after noting data breach
VPN allowance	Allowed
Downloading copyrighted content	Not Allowed

Quick Guide to Choosing The Best VPN For France

When looking for the best France VPN, there are a few features you’ll need, as well as some you should avoid.

What to look for:

• Strict no-log policy – It is vital that your chosen VPN doesn’t record or retain any of your personal data or online activities so it has no information to hand over if requested by the French Government.
• French servers – If you want to access content in France, you’ll need to connect to a server within the country, so you should look for a VPN service with lots of French servers. The more of these it has available, the more likely you are to experience faster speeds as well.

What to avoid:

•  Slow speeds – VPN providers are unlikely to have as many servers in France as they are in the US, increasing the likelihood of congestion or farther distances from the server. Choosing a server with fast speeds should help mitigate any of this from causing any noticeable problems.

The Best VPNs for France

Below is our selection of the best VPNs for France:

NordVPN has more than 5,750 self-managed servers, a policy of zero-logging, its own NordLynx protocol, and a 256-bit encryption standard, making it one of the best on the list.

It also has high-speed servers that provide HD video streaming, double VPN, Tor over VPN, and anti-DDOS protection. In terms of encryption and security, this VPN is one of the most robust out there, and it includes a kill switch and DNS leak protection. Doubling encryption increases connectivity security at the cost of slower speeds, however.

In addition to unblocking geo-restricted websites and allowing you to play online games, NordVPN enables you to stream HD video lag-free. Due to its company location in Panama, there are no 14 Eyes obligations or data retention laws, and NordVPN has a strict no-logging policy that has been independently verified.

Servers

In France, NordVPN has over 230 servers in both Paris and Marseille, ensuring connections remain reliable, fast, and congestion-free. Its app provides a Quick Connect feature, and NordVPN offers users its own NordLynx protocol, which is designed to be the fastest in the industry.

Privacy

NordVPN does not log any traffic and operates outside the jurisdictions of the Nine Eyes privacy alliance, you can connect while in France knowing your data and activities remain anonymous.

NordVPN also has obfuscated servers and a Double VPN feature, so no one can ever see your final online destination and offers users the option to purchase a dedicated IP address.

Security

NordVPN offers some of the best security practices in the VPN market, using the industry standard AES-256 encryption algorithm, and its own NordLynx protocol. A NordVPN subscription also includes a number of additional security features, including a kill switch, Double VPN setting, Dark Web Monitor, and its Threat Protection package.

Read our full NordVPN review.

 

Rank:	3	Max devices:	Unlimited
Servers:	100	24/7 support:	✅
Speed:	10 Gbps	Free trial:	✅
Countries:	80	Money-back guarantee:	✅
Encryption Type:		Apps & devices:	Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Router, Amazon Sticks, Android TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox, PlayStation
Jurisdiction:	Netherlands

A great choice for anyone traveling to France on a budget, Surfshark offers servers in three locations within France and offers a seven-day free trial on iOS and Android devices – so you can try the service out from anywhere.

Furthermore, Surfshark offers impressively fast speeds, with secure encryption and a strict no-logging policy, and doesn’t have a connection limit, so you’ll be able to protect any and all of your devices at once.

Encryption

Surfshark offers industry-standard AES-256 encryption and provides DNS leak protection, IPv6 protection, IPv6 encryption, and WebRTC leak prevention as standard features, ensuring your traffic is protected at all times.

In addition, its NoBorders Mode helps users bypass country-specific restrictions, while Camouflage Mode prevents anyone from being able to tell you’re even using a VPN.

Prices and free trial

Surfshark is relatively new to the VPN market, so has lower prices than its more experienced competitors with proven reputations, making it great for those on a budget.

It also offers a seven-day free trial for mobile devices (iOS and Android) so you could download it before a trip to France and try it out for free! For desktop apps, Surfshark also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can still try it risk-free.

Servers

Surfshark has a global network of more than 3,000 servers, with three locations in France: Paris, Marseille, and Bordeaux. Connecting to any of these servers will provide you with a secure and private internet connection, as well as a French IP address to bypass any geo-blocks and access French content.

Read our full Surfshark review.

Rank:	4	Max devices:	5
Servers:	3,000+	24/7 support:	✅
Speed:	10 Gbps	Free trial:	✅
Countries:	68	Money-back guarantee:	✅
Encryption Type:		Apps & devices:	Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Linux, Router, Chromebook, Android TV
Jurisdiction:	Switzerland

Our Deal: $4.00 per month for 2 years

Sign up now for ProtonVPN

Pros & Cons:

VPN Accelerator

ProtonVPN has a VPN Accelerator feature built into all of its apps – even if you’re on the free plan. This is designed to boost your speed and provide a more reliable and stable connection over long distances, which is important if you’re traveling far away from the more established server locations or better-developed internet providers. ProtonVPN claims you can expect speeds up to 400% faster, even over less reliable internet connections.

Free version

ProtonVPN is one of the few premium VPN providers to offer a completely free plan and doesn’t even limit your bandwidth with it (meaning it doesn’t cut you off when you’ve used a set amount of data).

The downside is only three server locations are included: the US, Japan, and the Netherlands. If you’re in France looking to access US content, this will help you bypass geo-restrictions with no problem, if you’re trying to access French content with a French IP address, you’ll need to upgrade to a paid plan.

Servers

ProtonVPN has 3,000 servers, many of which are capable of speeds of up to 10 Gbps and are designed to provide streaming support so you can access your content from anywhere. Nearly 100 of these are Secure Core servers, including the ones it has in Paris, which routes network traffic through safer countries like Switzerland or Iceland for additional privacy and security.

Read our full ProtonVPN review.

CyberGhost

Rank:	5	Max devices:	7
Servers:	9,000+	24/7 support:	✅
Speed:	10 Gbps	Free trial:	✅
Countries:	90+	Money-back guarantee:	✅
Encryption Type:		Apps & devices:	Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Linux, Router, Amazon Fire TV devices, LGTV, AppleTV, Android TV, PlayStation, Xbox
Jurisdiction:	Romania

Our Deal: $2.19 per month for 2 years + 2 months FREE

Sign up now for CyberGhost

Pros & Cons:

Large server network

CyberGhost has one of the largest VPN server networks in the world, with 925 in France across three different cities. This means you should always be able to connect to a French server and experience congestion-free speeds.

All of CyberGhost’s servers are RAM-only too, providing an additional level of security and peace of mind.

Fast speeds

CyberGhost plans come with unlimited bandwidth and have 10 Gbps servers in the busiest locations to ensure users can stream without buffering or lag.

Using a CyberGhost VPN will also stop your internet service provider (ISP) from seeing when you’re streaming or gaming, to prevent bandwidth throttling that would slow your connection speed.

Verified no-log policy

CyberGhost is based in Romania, outside the jurisdiction of the five-eyes, nine-eyes, or 14-eyes alliances. The service doesn’t log or store any user data and has proven this through a third-party audit.

Read our full CyberGhost review.

Why Use a VPN for France?

Using a VPN for France will let you use the internet anonymously and protect your personal data. This is particularly important in France, as the country is a member of the Nine Eyes Alliance, so it openly shares information about its citizens and visitors with other governments. But a VPN hides your activities so there’s no data to pass on.

VPNs also let you bypass geo-restrictions placed on online content. If you’re traveling in France, a VPN will allow you to access your US content from services like Netflix and Disney+. Or, if you’re a French national living in the US, you can use a VPN that has servers in France to access French content unavailable in the US.

How to choose a good VPN for France

A good VPN for France will have a strict no-logging policy, meaning it doesn’t record any of your personal data or traffic information. Ideally, this policy will have been independently verified by a trusted third-party audit.

You also need to ensure the VPN service has servers within France, so you can connect to a French IP address to access French content. When in France, the closer you are to the server will often provide faster speeds.

What to avoid in a VPN for France

If possible, stay away from VPNs located in jurisdictions with information-sharing alliances with other countries, as this means they may pass on your data and internet history if asked.

You should also avoid providers with slow server speeds, particularly if they don’t have many servers in France. Fewer available servers increase the likelihood of congestion, and you’ll probably be farther away from your nearest one, choosing a server with slow speeds will exacerbate any problems this could cause.

How to Get Started Using a VPN for France

Using a VPN for France shouldn’t be much different from using a VPN for any other purpose. There’s likely to be just one additional step to choose the country of the server you’d like to connect to.

VPN services will all be different in their setups and instructions, but the most popular ones should provide an app that will then let you choose which country to connect to. As a result, the installation and setup of a VPN for France should be relatively similar regardless of your provider.

We’ll walk you through how to set up ExpressVPN for France (our number one pick), but it should be fairly easy to follow the same steps with whatever VPN you choose.

1. First, sign up for ExpressVPN. We recommend subscribing to the one-year plan with three months free.
2. Download the ExpressVPN app to the device you’re either taking to France or want to access French content on. ExpressVPN has download links for all major platforms and devices on its website – just select yours and click “download”.
3. Once the app has been downloaded and installed, you can open it and sign in to your ExpressVPN account.
4. The app will present you with a big “connect” button, and show your server location underneath. Click this location and you will be shown all the available server locations you can connect to.
5. Choose a server that suits your needs. If you’re in France and want to access US content, choose a server in the US. If you’re in any other country and want to access French content, choose a French server. Alternatively, if you’re in France and just want a VPN for privacy and security, you can click the big “connect” button on the app’s homepage and it will assign you the fastest server available for your current location.
6. The app will then connect you to the server. You can then go to any site or app and access your chosen content safely and anonymously.

ExpressVPN has specific installation guides for all its apps and devices on its official website, including how to install them onto a router or smart TV. You can access these through ExpressVPN’s online support pages.

 Methodology

We personally try out each VPN for our reviews. We evaluate speed, security features, ability to unblock streaming services, support for torrenting, customer support, and many other factors. We also look at the VPN company’s jurisdiction, history, past security incidents, privacy policy, and audit reports to ensure that you get a complete picture of the service. Learn more about how we test VPNs on our methodology page.

Wrapping Up

When it comes to choosing the best VPN for France, jurisdiction and server locations are the most important factors.

You need a VPN provider that has servers in France, so you’ll be able to bypass any geo-restrictions for French or US content and access reliable speeds. But you’ll also want a service with strong encryption and a strict no-logs policy, to keep you protected from France’s information-sharing agreement as part of its Nine-Eyes Alliance.

ExpressVPN and NordVPN are our top choices, as both come with industry-standard 256-bit encryption and their own exclusive protocols designed to be faster and more secure. Both providers also have several servers in multiple locations throughout France, making them ideal for unblocking French content or connecting while traveling within the country.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is the best free VPN to connect to France?

ProtonVPN, which made the top five list above, offers a free plan and is one of the few providers to do so with unlimited bandwidth while still remaining safe and trustworthy. It is the best free France VPN for users within the country, as it comes with secure encryption and privacy settings. However, ProtonVPN doesn’t let its free plan users connect to its French servers, so it won’t help users from outside the country access any French content.

Which VPN for France works with Netflix?

All of the recommended VPN services listed above have servers in France and have been tested and found to unblock Netflix (both Netflix France and Netflix US). Each has its own pros and cons, making them better suited for different things, so if a user’s key need for a France VPN is to access streaming sites, ExpressVPN or NordVPN is likely to be the best, as these providers have the fastest servers (which is important for streaming).

Is it illegal to use a VPN in France?

No, it is not illegal to use a VPN in France. VPNs are legal in most countries, except those with extremely strict VPN regulations (and even most of those are unlikely to have complete bans).

It should be noted that any illegal activities carried out while using a VPN are still illegal, and you may want to check whether using a VPN goes against a website’s terms of service.