If you’re planning on spending some time in Turkey, be prepared for the massive amount of censorship and surveillance that goes on over the internet there. Turkish law requires ISPs to maintain data logs of their users for two years, and over 30,000 websites are currently blocked. Don’t sweat it though – if you use a VPN, you can keep your browsing private, and visit any website you want. With IP address blocking and an encrypted tunnel, you get truly anonymous browsing and unlimited access to all of your favorite content.
Best VPN For Turkey is Express VPN
—————————-
Why Is My Access Limited in Turkey?
Whether you’re living there or just visiting, you’re bound to notice at some point or another that internet access in Turkey is a little…different.
This is a country where the government is in complete control of the content and level of privacy their citizens have.
In Turkey, ISPs are required by law to maintain activity logs on all of their users for two years, and relinquish those logs to the government at any time if requested.
In addition, all web traffic is filtered by the government, and sites deemed inappropriate or offensive are blocked.
Right now the list of blocked sites sits in the tens of thousands, and at one point even included YouTube and Minecraft.
The easiest way to bypass these ridiculous restrictions and keep the Turkish government out of your business is to use a VPN.
Why A VPN will Unblock Turkish Websties?
If this is your first time hearing of them, don’t worry, the concept is pretty simple. VPNs are virtual private networks, and are like secret tunnels in the internet.
It’s a service that is provided by a company, usually for a small monthly fee, designed to protect your connection and open up your access.
By blocking your IP address and routing your connection through a secure server of your choosing, a VPN completely bypasses all internet censorship.
Additionally, the encryption gives you a truly private, secure connection.
Top 3 VPNs for Turkey
I’ll give you the bullet points of the top three VPN providers on the net right now, and how they compare for connecting in Turkey.
#1 Choice: Express VPN – 4.5/5 – Outstanding on all features
Without a doubt, the best choice for just about any scenario is Express VPN. All of their plans come with unlimited bandwidth, so they’re great for streaming and downloading.
With a network of servers spanning 97 cities around the world, they have the means of keeping up with the activity of all of their customers, so your connection is always lightning fast.
Definitely the biggest selling point of Express VPN though is their customer support.
With representatives available round the clock to answer your questions through live chat or e-mail, you’re never in the dark for long.
Their average response time for e-mail inquiries is less than 20 minutes – totally unheard of.
Their software is incredibly user-friendly too, making it great for beginners who may want to get past Turkish censorship, but are a bit intimidated by the idea of using a VPN.
You can use Express VPN on any operating system, and even have up to two simultaneous connections to protect both your mobile and home devices.
I sound like a salesman, I know, but seriously, with all of these features for just $13 a month, backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.
For the best choice for internet users in Turkey, get Express VPN now.
#2: IPVanish – 4/5 – Low monthly rates, slower support
If you’re not able to connect to an Express VPN server (unlikely), IPVanish is another VPN you can try.
However, their money back guarantee only extends two weeks compared to Express VPN’s 30-days, so make sure you keep an eye on the calendar so you can claim a refund if you need to.
While their customer support isn’t quite as on the ball as Express VPN’s, they are available 24/7 and do have a live chat feature – in my experience the wait times just tend to be longer.
Their software is very sleek and easy to use, and not overwhelming with advanced settings to confuse VPN newbies, almost as easy as Express VPN’s software.
They allow up to two simultaneous connections, and have completely unlimited bandwidth, so they’re great for Netflix addicts and Pandora Radio listeners.
One big thing to keep in mind with IPVanish though is that their software is not compatible with iOS.
While it will certainly work with just about everything else, including Windows, Mac, Android, and Linux, they don’t as of yet have a version compatible with the mobile Apple operating system.
While IPVanish isn’t quite as good as Express VPN, they have a comparable list of features that makes them a good backup plan.
IPVanish can be found at this website.
#3: HideMyAss– 2/5 – Unreliable connection
HideMyAss is something of a catch 22. While their server selection is huge, with 151 locations worldwide, their connection is just notoriously unreliable and slow.
I’ve been disconnected a few times, and even after trying several different servers, have had issues with connection speed. When I use Express VPN, my connection is always fast and reliable.
The same thing goes for HideMyAss’s customer support.
Though they claim to be 24/7, and even have phone support in addition to live chat and e-mail, more often than not you’re waiting at least overnight to hear back from them.
Even with their live chat, you’re often waiting at least several minutes for a service representative.
Like Express VPN, HideMyAss’s software is compatible with all devices, so it’s great for people that use a menagerie of gadgets on the go.
However, with their connection and support hang ups, I would only ever use HideMyAss as a last resort. For a more reliable connection and much better service, just stick with Express VPN.
HideMyAss is here.
Conclusion: Best VPN For Turkey
The censorship in Turkey is so extensive and random, it’s almost comical.
As one of the only countries in the world to ever block Minecraft, they’ve earned a reputation for having far reaching censorship that doesn’t always make sense.
All of that ridiculousness aside though, it can be really frustrating when you can’t access content you need.
What’s even more disturbing is the rampant and blatant surveillance that goes on in Turkey.
With little cause, government agencies can seize the records of your exact internet activities from your ISP, which are kept on file per the country’s own laws.
Fight back against the censorship and surveillance. While protests certainly make a point, using a VPN will actually make a difference in your own accessibility.
When you use Express VPN, you get the following:
- military-grade encryption
- round the clock customer support
- IP address blocking
- access to servers around the world
- an anonymous, private connection
For the best customer service, and a connection that can keep up with everything from sporting events to music downloads, even in Turkey, use Express VPN.
Good customer service, reliable service and fast internet – everything that I am getting from Astrill and it works in Turkey too.