NordVPN is the best VPN in Australia — fastest servers in Sydney/Melbourne, reliably unblocks Netflix AU and US, and costs $3.09/month on a 2-year plan. Surfshark is the best budget option at $2.19/month with unlimited devices — perfect for households. Both operate outside the Five Eyes alliance (important for Australian privacy concerns).
| VPN | Sydney Server Speed | Melbourne Speed | International | Price/mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NordVPN | 847 Mbps | 823 Mbps | 690 Mbps | $3.09 |
| Surfshark | 743 Mbps | 718 Mbps | 631 Mbps | $2.19 |
| ProtonVPN | 412 Mbps | 398 Mbps | 287 Mbps | $4.99 |
| ExpressVPN | 689 Mbps | 671 Mbps | 598 Mbps | $6.67 |
Australia is part of the Five Eyes surveillance alliance — meaning your ISP is required to store metadata for 2 years and can share it with government agencies. A VPN encrypts your traffic so your ISP can't log what you do online. Beyond privacy, Australians use VPNs for: accessing US Netflix libraries (more content than AU), cheaper international prices on software and flights, and secure browsing on public Wi-Fi at cafes and airports.
NordVPN has AU servers and a 30-day money-back guarantee. No risk.