The Netherlands has some of the fastest internet in Europe, so a slow VPN stands out quickly. It’s also a country with a broad intelligence law, active anti-piracy enforcement and a public broadcaster that geo-blocks a lot of its content. Whether you live there, visit, or are a Dutch expat missing NPO, the right VPN depends on which of those matters to you.
Here are the VPNs that score best in our database for Dutch users, and why.
Quick answer: the best VPNs for the Netherlands
- NordVPN: best overall, 4.63/5, fastest and best for streaming
- Proton VPN: best for privacy, with free Dutch servers
- Surfshark: the Dutch-registered option, best value with unlimited devices
- Mullvad: best for anonymity, no email needed
- CyberGhost: cheapest good streamer, 45-day refund window
Why use a VPN in the Netherlands?
A broad intelligence law
The Dutch Intelligence and Security Services Act of 2017, nicknamed the “sleepwet” (dragnet law), gave the AIVD intelligence service wide surveillance powers. It was unpopular enough that voters rejected it in a consultative referendum on 21 March 2018, 49.4% against and 46.5% for. The vote was non-binding.
The Netherlands is also part of the Nine Eyes intelligence-sharing group, which is why we score Dutch-based VPN providers 4/5 rather than 5/5 on jurisdiction. Our Five Eyes, Nine Eyes explainer covers what that membership means in practice.
No general data retention, for now
There is some good news. In March 2015 a court in The Hague struck down the Dutch telecoms data retention law, so internet providers aren’t currently required to store everyone’s connection data by default. The EU keeps debating new retention rules, though, as we track in our piece on EU data retention and VPN providers.
Anti-piracy enforcement
Dutch anti-piracy group BREIN is persistent. After a case that began in 2010, the Amsterdam Court of Appeal ordered Ziggo and XS4ALL in 2020 to block access to The Pirate Bay. A VPN hides your traffic from your provider, but it doesn’t make downloading pirated content legal. Be clear on that before you choose a VPN for torrenting.
Public Wi-Fi everywhere
Trains, stations, cafés and libraries in the Netherlands all offer free Wi-Fi. It’s convenient and it’s shared. A VPN encrypts your traffic on those networks so nobody else on the same hotspot can snoop.
NPO and Dutch TV abroad
If you’re Dutch and abroad, a lot of NPO Start and other Dutch streaming content won’t play outside the Netherlands because of broadcast rights. A VPN with Dutch servers fixes that.
How the top VPNs compare for the Netherlands
All figures come from our comparison database, scored out of 5.
| VPN | Overall | Jurisdiction | No-logs audit | Speed | Streaming | 1-year plan | Refund |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NordVPN | 4.63/5 | Panama (5/5) | PwC (5/5) | 5/5 | 5/5 | $68.85 (~$5.74/mo) | 60 days |
| Proton VPN | 4.24/5 | Switzerland (5/5) | KPMG (5/5) | 5/5 | 4/5 | $47.88 (~$3.99/mo) | 30 days |
| Surfshark | 4.08/5 | Netherlands (4/5) | Cure53 (5/5) | 5/5 | 4.5/5 | $59.76 (~$4.98/mo) | 30 days |
| Mullvad | 4.04/5 | Sweden (4/5) | Cure53 (4/5) | 5/5 | 2/5 | $66 (~$5.50/mo) | 30 days |
| CyberGhost | 3.58/5 | Romania (5/5) | QSCert (3/5) | 4/5 | 4/5 | $47.88 (~$3.99/mo) | 45 days |
1. NordVPN: best VPN for the Netherlands overall
NordVPN is the most complete VPN we track, with the highest score in our database at 4.63/5. On fast Dutch fibre, speed matters, and NordVPN gets 5/5 there. Streaming is 5/5 too: Excellent on Netflix, Disney+, BBC iPlayer, Prime Video, HBO Max and Peacock.
Privacy is just as strong. It’s based in Panama, outside the intelligence-sharing alliances, with a PwC-audited no-logs policy and RAM-only servers across 6,274 servers in 104 countries. Obfuscated servers and Tor-over-VPN give it 4/5 for getting through restrictive networks, handy if you travel beyond Europe.
The 1-year plan is $68.85 (about $5.74 a month), with a 60-day money-back guarantee.
Get NordVPN for the Netherlands
2. Proton VPN: best for privacy, with free Dutch servers
If the “sleepwet” is your main concern, Proton VPN is the cleanest answer. It’s Swiss (5/5 jurisdiction), its no-logs policy has been audited by KPMG (5/5), and it runs RAM-only servers. Speed is 5/5 in our tests.
The bonus for Dutch users: Proton’s free plan includes servers in the Netherlands, with unlimited data. You can’t pick the exact server on the free tier and it doesn’t support streaming, but for public Wi-Fi on the train it’s hard to beat free.
Proton Plus costs $47.88 for a year (about $3.99 a month). Streaming is 4/5: Very Good on Netflix, but only Variable on BBC iPlayer and Disney+.
3. Surfshark: the Dutch-registered option
Surfshark is registered in the Netherlands. That’s why it scores 4/5 on jurisdiction rather than 5/5. Some people see a Dutch provider as a plus (Dutch consumer law, EU privacy rules), others as a minus (Nine Eyes). Our view: the Cure53-audited no-logs policy and RAM-only servers matter more than the flag.
It’s also great value. Streaming is 4.5/5, Very Good on Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, HBO Max and Peacock. Speed is 5/5. It allows unlimited devices, which suits a household full of phones and laptops. The 1-year plan is $59.76, about $4.98 a month.
4. Mullvad: best for anonymity
Mullvad is for people who want the VPN provider itself to know nothing. You sign up with a random account number, no email, and you can pay in cash. It runs RAM-only servers and scores 5/5 on speed. It’s Swedish, so 4/5 on jurisdiction, but it has already been raided by Swedish police who left with no customer data.
Don’t pick it for NPO or Netflix: streaming is 2/5 in our tests. Price is flat at $5.50 a month.
5. CyberGhost: cheapest good streamer
CyberGhost has 6,200 servers in 90 countries and scores 4/5 on streaming, with Very Good results on Netflix and Disney+. At $47.88 a year (about $3.99 a month) and with a 45-day refund window, it’s an easy pick for watching Dutch TV abroad on a budget. Privacy is weaker than the others here (3/5 on the no-logs audit criterion).
Want to compare all VPNs side by side? Check our full VPN comparison table with scores across 18 criteria.
How to watch NPO Start from abroad
- Install a VPN with good streaming results (NordVPN, Surfshark or CyberGhost are the safest bets from our list).
- Connect to a server in the Netherlands.
- Clear your browser cookies, or log out and back in to the NPO app.
- Open NPO Start and play your programme.
If it still says the content isn’t available in your region, switch to another Dutch server. If the problem keeps coming back, our fix for “VPN detected” errors lists the usual culprits.
What about torrenting in the Netherlands?
VPNs are legal in the Netherlands, and peer-to-peer file sharing itself is a legal technology. Downloading copyrighted films or music without permission is not, and BREIN has a long track record of going after uploaders and the sites that host them. A VPN protects your privacy; it doesn’t change the law.
If you use P2P for legal files (Linux images, open-source software, your own backups), pick a VPN with a solid no-logs record. Our best VPN for torrenting guide compares the options.
Dutch VPN or foreign VPN?
People often ask whether they should pick a provider based in the Netherlands. There’s no rule. The country a VPN is registered in decides which courts can compel it, so a provider outside the intelligence alliances (Panama for NordVPN, Switzerland for Proton) has a slight edge in our scoring. But an audited no-logs policy and RAM-only servers matter more, because a provider that holds no data has nothing to hand over wherever it’s based.
If you’re also comparing options for neighbouring countries, our best VPN for Germany guide covers a similar set of providers.
NordVPN is the best VPN for the Netherlands: 4.63/5 overall, 5/5 on speed and streaming, a PwC-audited no-logs policy and RAM-only servers, based outside the intelligence alliances. Proton VPN is the privacy pick and has free Dutch servers, Surfshark is the best-value Dutch-registered option, and Mullvad is the choice for full anonymity. Start with NordVPN and use the 60-day guarantee to test it on your own connection.