Penka Hristovska
Fact-checked by Hazel Shaw
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🥇 ExpressVPN
: It anonymizes your online activities in Iceland with advanced privacy features. It works with over 100 streaming platforms, including local ones like RÚV, and it has great torrenting and gaming support. ExpressVPN backs all first-time subscriptions with a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee.
I’ve carefully selected the best VPNs for Iceland that offer industry-leading privacy features, excellent support for international and Icelandic streaming services, fast speeds, and great torrenting support.
My top pick for Iceland is definitely ExpressVPN. It has best-in-class privacy features to keep your online activities anonymous from your Icelandic internet service providers (ISPs), and it has blazing fast speeds for streaming, torrenting, and gaming. That said, I also picked out several excellent alternatives for your consideration. Editors’ Note: ExpressVPN and this site are in the same ownership group.
Quick Summary of the Best VPNs for Iceland
Editors’ Note: Intego, Private Internet Access, CyberGhost and ExpressVPN are owned by Kape Technologies, our parent company
🥇1. ExpressVPN — Best Overall VPN for Iceland
Approved by our experts
ExpressVPN is my top recommended VPN for Iceland. It has servers spread across 105 countries that offer blazing-fast speeds for HD streaming, fast downloads, and lag-free online games. It also has a server location in Iceland and nearby locations like the UK, Ireland, and the Scandinavian countries, so you get the best speeds possible.
ExpressVPN is excellent for streaming and torrenting from Iceland. It accesses 100+ streaming platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime (and their libraries in Iceland) and local sites like RÚV and Via Play. For those who torrent, ExpressVPN allows P2P traffic on all servers and works with popular clients like qBittorrent and Vuze.
The VPN is great for gamers in Iceland, too — in fact, it’s the best gaming VPN on the market. It maintains low ping for smooth gaming, and all of its servers have built-in anti-DDoS protection, so trolls and sore losers can’t kick you from the game. It even works with many popular cloud gaming services, like PS Remote Play.
I like the VPN’s useful extras for increasing your privacy — its Shuffle IP feature changes your IP address every time you load a new page or open an app, making it harder for your Icelandic ISP or other trackers to build a profile on you. It also has Advanced Protection, which blocks ads and trackers that share your online habits with ad companies.
ExpressVPN’s plans that start at £3.86 / month, and it backs all first-time purchases with a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can try out the service without any risk to your wallet.
Bottom Line:
ExpressVPN is the No. 1 VPN for Iceland. It has excellent speeds, accesses 100+ streaming platforms from Iceland, supports torrenting, and it’s the best gaming VPN on the market. It has useful extra features to keep you safe online in Iceland, such as Shuffle IP and Advanced Protection. Try it risk-free as a first-time subscriber thanks to its 30-day money-back guarantee.
Read the full ExpressVPN review
🥈2. Private Internet Access — Excellent VPN for Torrenting in Iceland
Private Internet Access is a great choice for anonymously torrenting from Iceland. It lets you torrent on any server location in 91 countries, and it comes with SOCKS5 proxy servers and port forwarding. SOCKS5 proxy servers change your IP without encrypting your traffic, so they’re great for torrenting restricted content, and port forwarding connects you to more peers, so you can share P2P traffic anonymously and get better speeds.
PIA also gets you better torrenting speeds on slow networks or older devices by adjusting the encryption level to 128-bit AES, which is faster but slightly less secure than the industry standard of 256-bit AES. That can be especially helpful in rural areas in Iceland, where the internet connections are generally slower.
PIA protects your privacy from Icelandic ISPs with PIA MACE, which blocks ads and trackers (including on P2P platforms) that harvest your browsing data. It also boosts your safety on the go by automatically connecting when it detects unsecured networks — handy for public Wi-Fi in places like Reykjavík cafés or hotels.
PIA has streaming-optimized servers in 10+ countries that access 30+ streaming platforms, like Netflix and Max — but Iceland isn’t one of them. For better streaming, ExpressVPN works with 100+ platforms and offers reliable streaming on all its servers, including Iceland.
Private Internet Access is one of the cheapest VPNs on the market, with plans starting at £1.69 / month. It also backs all purchases with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Bottom Line:
Private Internet Access is a great VPN for torrenting in Iceland. It comes with extra P2P features for better speeds, has an excellent ad and tracker blocker for keeping you anonymous from trackers, and it includes good streaming support. All plans are backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Read the full Private Internet Access review
Editors’ Note: Private Internet Access and this site are in the same ownership group.
🥉3. CyberGhost VPN — Great VPN for Gaming in Iceland
CyberGhost VPN has specialized gaming servers that reduce lag and prevent connection drops. The nearest gaming server to Iceland is in the UK, which is probably the best option for optimized speeds when gaming from Iceland. You can also connect to gaming servers in France, Germany, and the US, and all of these servers have anti-DDoS protection.
One of my favorite things about CyberGhost VPN is that you can automate your connections. This is thanks to its Smart Rules feature that lets you set conditions that trigger your VPN connection. For example, you can have it immediately connect you to the Iceland server location when you open a P2P client or a streaming app, or you can have it launch your browser when you connect to a server.
CyberGhost also does a good job at blocking trackers with its Content Blocker, but some ads slipped through in my tests. If you need a good VPN ad blocker, it’s best to check out ExpressVPN or Private Internet Access.
For streaming, the VPN works with 50+ services, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Max. Plus, it allows P2P traffic on its Icelandic servers in Reykjavik and works with top torrenting clients.
CyberGhost VPN’s plans start at £1.92 / month. Long-term plans have a 45-day money-back guarantee, and its monthly plan comes with a 14-day money-back guarantee.
Bottom Line:
CyberGhost VPN is a good VPN for streaming in Iceland. Its gaming-optimized servers provide optimal connections (even in rural areas!). It’s got very convenient automation rules for keeping your connections always anonymous and has a decent tracker blocker. CyberGhost backs long-term plans with a 45-day guarantee.
Read the full CyberGhost VPN review
Editors’ Note: CyberGhost and this site are in the same ownership group.
4. NordVPN — Great VPN for Remote Work in Iceland
NordVPN is great for remote work in Iceland thanks to its Meshnet feature, which creates a secure private network between your devices. It’s ideal for safely sharing sensitive files or accessing your work computer from anywhere. For example, all data transfers are protected by VPN encryption if you’re working from a café in Akureyri or waiting at Keflavík Airport.
NordVPN is great for streaming and torrenting in Iceland. It accesses 10+ streaming sites, like Netflix and Disney+, and it supports P2P traffic on most of its servers, including those in Iceland (the VPN also offers SOCKS5 proxy support). However, ExpressVPN works with more streaming platforms, and Private Internet Access includes port forwarding support.
Its Threat Protection Pro is especially useful in Iceland — it blocks trackers that try to collect your data and stops intrusive ads. I also like its File Protection that scans anything you download on desktop, which gives peace of mind when dealing with files shared through messaging apps and email.
NordVPN offers plans that start at £2.62 / month, and it backs every purchase with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Bottom Line:
NordVPN has a unique feature called Meshnet that’s excellent for remote work in Iceland. It has pretty good torrenting and streaming support, and it includes a malware scanner to ensure the files you download don’t compromise your privacy. It also blocks ads and their associated trackers. Its plans are all backed with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
5. Surfshark — Good for VPN Beginners in Iceland
Surfshark is a great choice for VPN beginners in Iceland thanks to its intuitive apps. It helps you quickly find the best server, like the one in Reykjavík, by showing the fastest nearby options on the main screen. It’s very handy if you’re not sure which server to pick and just want to get online securely, whether you’re at home or using public Wi-Fi in a local café.
The VPN protects your privacy in Iceland with its IP Rotator feature. It changes your IP at regular intervals without disconnecting you. This way, it becomes much harder for ISPs and ad networks in Iceland to track your browsing habits or link your sessions together over time.
Surfshark is great for streaming from Iceland, as it supports 50+ streaming apps, such as Netflix or Amazon Prime Video. Surfshark supports torrenting, but not on its servers in Iceland — the closest P2P servers are in Norway and the UK. So, if you want to torrent locally, I recommend ExpressVPN or Private Internet Access instead.
Surfshark offers cheap plans, starting at £1.69 / month. It covers all plans with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Bottom Line:
Surfshark has beginner-friendly apps that make it simple to find and connect to the best server available from Iceland. Its IP Rotator feature makes it difficult to track your online activity, and it has good streaming support. The only thing it lacks is P2P support on its servers in Iceland (though it supports torrenting on other servers). It backs all purchases with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Read the full Surfshark review
Quick Comparison Table
Editors’ Note: Intego, Private Internet Access, CyberGhost and ExpressVPN are owned by Kape Technologies, our parent company
Testing Methodology: Comparison & Ranking Criteria
I followed our tried-and-true VPN testing methodology in testing the top VPNs to find the best of the best for Iceland. This involved simulating real-life scenarios that someone who needs a VPN for Iceland is likely to find themselves in. Here are some of the main criteria I used to choose and rank VPNs for my final list:
- I looked into VPNs with strong privacy. I only selected VPNs that are rigorous about maintaining your privacy, with strict no-log policies that prevent the VPNs from keeping records of your online activity. That way, if the Icelandic authorities demanded the VPN provider to hand over records, they wouldn’t have anything to give.
- I picked VPNs with server locations in Iceland. Iceland is physically distant from most popular VPN server locations, like the US or the UK, so I made sure all the VPNs on my list have a server location in Iceland that gives you the best possible speeds and accesses local content.
- I only chose VPNs with strong security features. All the VPNs here have industry-standard security features to protect you from surveillance or would-be hackers. They all have 256-bit AES encryption, a standard used by militaries, and a kill switch that prevents you from going online unprotected. Moreover, all of them passed IP leak tests I put them through.
- I chose VPNs with good streaming & torrenting support. The VPNs I recommend for Iceland all work with popular streaming platforms, as well as major torrenting clients.
- I tested the VPNs speeds. All VPNs introduce some degree of slowdown to your connection because of the encryption process which keeps your traffic safe. That said, the VPNs on my list all maintain good speeds regardless — among them, ExpressVPN was the fastest in my tests.
- I estimated how much value each VPN provides. The VPNs I discuss here all allow multiple connected devices under a single subscription, have plenty of extra features, and back all purchases with a money-back guarantee.
Top Brands That Didn’t Make the Cut
- TunnelBear. TunnelBear has good speeds, and it’s very transparent about how it maintains your privacy. However, its streaming support could be better, and it doesn’t have an Icelandic server location.
- PrivateVPN. PrivateVPN has affordable plans and a server in Iceland, but it doesn’t have some useful extra features for your privacy, such as a tracker blocker.
- IPVanish. IPVanish has a large server network, including an Icelandic server location, but the VPNs on my list have better streaming support overall.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a VPN for Iceland?
While Iceland is considered to be among the countries with the highest degree of internet freedom, you would still benefit from using a good VPN for Iceland. Iceland’s Electronic Communications Act of 2003 requires ISPs to keep records of users’ online activities for up to 6 months, primarily for the purpose of preventing cyberterrorism.
If you feel uncomfortable with your internet activities being monitored, despite being legal, a good privacy-friendly VPN will hide everything you do online. This is because VPNs encrypt all of your online activities, making them unreadable to your Icelandic ISP, government, or any other third-party that tries to spy on them.
Is using a VPN legal in Iceland?
Yes, using a VPN is fully legal in Iceland. Iceland’s laws don’t ban the use of privacy tools like VPNs. However, it still matters what you use a VPN for. A high-quality VPN conceals your real IP address and makes your internet activities more difficult to track, but it’s still illegal to use it for criminal purposes. Neither I nor anyone at SafetyDetectives endorses the using VPNs for copyright infringement.
Is there a good free VPN for Iceland?
Probably, but I don’t recommend using one. Many free VPN services don’t have servers in Iceland or have lousy security and privacy features. You’re much better off with a premium VPN like ExpressVPN, which has excellent speeds, security, and streaming support, as well as great extra features on all servers, the ones in Iceland included.
Does Iceland block access to any websites?
Yes, but very few. Iceland maintains minimal restrictions on online content. Social media, political, social, or religious websites are all typically accessible in Iceland. Still, the country blocks websites like the Pirate Bay and Deildu because of copyright infringement.
Keep in mind that, while VPNs aren’t illegal to use, top-tier ones (like the ones I discuss here) maintain strict no-log policies, which means that you are still wholly responsible for what you do while connected to a VPN.
