Panama is one of the most personal data-friendly countries in the world, with its citizens enjoying virtually unrestricted Internet access. But whether you’re a resident in the Central American country or simply visiting, you’ll still need a VPN for Panama.
Why? Because it protects your personal information from malicious actors on the Internet. The tool also opens up access to blocked content on websites and other streaming services. And since no country is completely free from some form of surveillance, a VPN ensures you’re shielded from prying.
This article will highlight the best VPNs to use in Panama and discuss why you should consider them. But first, let’s explain why you need a VPN in Panama in the first place.
Top 3 best VPNs for Panama
3000 servers
105 covered countries
30 days money-back guarantee
8 simultaneous connections
9.4 /10
12000 servers
100 covered countries
45 days money-back guarantee
7 simultaneous connections
9.2 /10
3000 servers
100 covered countries
30 days money-back guarantee
Unlimited connections
9.1 /10
Why You Need a VPN in Panama
As pointed out, Panama residents don’t need to look over their shoulders while using the Internet, which is the case in some countries. However, a VPN can come in handy in Panama for several reasons. Let’s get down to it.
Enhanced Online Privacy
Whenever you connect to a public Wi-Fi network in a coffee shop or airport in Panama City, you’ve unwittingly opened yourself up to potential danger.
It is becoming increasingly common for hackers and other cyber criminals to break into unsecured public networks and steal data. This includes banking information, passwords, and other sensitive information.
Signing up for a VPN that works in Panama means you don’t need to ditch public Wi-Fi entirely. High-level encryption scrambles your data, making it practically impossible for any third parties to read.
What’s more, a VPN masks your IP address, so it’s way harder to target you. This covers you from more than just hackers, identity thieves, and other bad actors — your ISP will also be unable to know what you’re up to.
Bypassing Geo-restrictions
Many websites, services, and streaming platforms are only available in certain countries or regions. That’s down to a technology called geo-blocking.
It means that if you’re in Panama, you’re restricted from accessing content limited to certain audiences. So, an exclusive Netflix US show is out of bounds. Conversely, if you travel out of Panama, you’re blocked from enjoying your favorite content on TVMax, Mall TV, Hosanna Visión, or other local Panamanian platforms.
That is, until you use a VPN service. A premium VPN for Panama will get around those restrictions, whether you’re in the country or elsewhere.
Overcoming Surveillance
Panama does not have any mandatory data retention regulations. It’s also not part of the 5/9/14 Eyes — that intelligence gathering and sharing alliance of countries.
That said, anecdotal reports point toward government monitoring of private e-mails within the country. This has even led to arrests in a few cases.
So, if you’re a privacy-conscious individual completely averse to government monitoring, a VPN presents a solution. Acting as a secure tunnel between your device and the Internet prevents law enforcement and other surveillance agencies from accessing your online activities and information.
Avoiding Price Discrimination
Price discrimination is a common practice among online retailers and service providers. They may offer different prices based on your location or IP address.
When you connect to a VPN, your device is assigned a new IP address from the VPN server. This can be useful if you are trying to purchase a product or service offered at a different price in different countries.
For example, if you are in Panama and want to buy a product going for a lower price in Europe, you can connect to a server there and buy it. You would be saving some money in the process.
The Best VPN for Panama – Our Top Picks for 2024
There are lots of VPN services out there. Virtually each one boasts that it will safeguard your data when you use the internet. They also promise reliable connections and performance. Unfortunately, most of them cannot live up to those claims.
To arrive at this list, we extensively tested dozens of VPN services and narrowed them down. Let’s see why your decision should come down to these options.
1. ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is not just the best VPN for Panama — it is arguably the top provider overall. The privacy service has its headquarters in the British Virgin Islands. Like Panama, that territory has no mandatory data retention laws, making it an excellent VPN base.
ExpressVPN offers more than 3000 servers in 94 countries, which is an impressive network size and spread. More relevantly, you can get a Panama IP address, as it has servers located in the country. That translates to faster speeds and reliability as your traffic does not have to travel far.
It also means you’ll have no issues enjoying content when you take a trip out of the country. We tried this out with Telemetro, and the VPN easily blew past the geo-block on the service to stream videos. It mirrors that ability with other local content platforms.
If you’re wondering if ExpressVPN is just as good at unblocking international streaming services, it is. So far, we haven’t encountered any streaming platform with geo-restrictions tough enough to stump the VPN, including Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, and HBO Max. And because it’s incredibly fast, you’ll enjoy buffer-free streaming.
As for privacy and security, you’re covered. ExpressVPN uses AES 256-bit encryption — the industry standard — to protect your data. It has a strict no-logs policy that has undergone independent verification.
The provider also packs a powerful collection of features that include leak protection, Onion over VPN, Private DNS, obfuscation, and a selection of tunneling protocols.
ExpressVPN is compatible with a wide range of devices and platforms, including streaming devices and gaming consoles. In fact, it’s one of the best VPNs for Steam Deck. You can protect up to five of them simultaneously on one account.
Take advantage of a 49% discount on its yearly plan to enjoy the best VPN in Panama at a lower price. There’s a 30-day money-back guarantee attached.
2. CyberGhost
CyberGhost is our top choice for VPN newbies in Panama, with its easy-to-use apps and intuitive interface. It is available in Spanish across all platforms, which is great as it is Panama’s official language.
The provider offers a massive network of servers — over 9,400 spanning 91 countries. As there are several in Panama, you’ll have servers nearby wherever you are.
They are pretty fast servers, thanks to the 10 Gbps infrastructure. CyberGhost is not as fast as ExpressVPN, but then few providers are. Still, the inevitable drop in performance is not significant enough to distort your browsing, streaming, or downloads, especially when connected to a closeby server.
Plus, CyberGhost offers a choice of multiple tunneling protocols, including WireGuard, which is known for fast speeds. What’s more, you can connect to dedicated streaming, torrenting, or gaming servers.
The VPN shines at unblocking streaming platforms. For this article, we tested Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, and Prime Video, and CyberGhost accessed exclusive libraries within seconds. When we turned to local Panamanian content, the outcome was the same, with TVMax and Telemetro proving no match for the VPN. It’s also worth noting that CyberGhost is a reliable VPN on Kodi.
Stellar security and privacy features help to shield you from cyber criminals and other actors. The provider uses military-grade encryption, which is not vulnerable to brute-force attacks. And because it has RAM-based servers, your activity logs are wiped off after every reboot. In any case, there’s a watertight no-logs policy.
As soon as CyberGhost detects a new public hotspot, automatic Wi-Fi protection kicks in. Plus, there’s a kill switch and built-in leak protection to prevent any exposure to your sensitive information.
CyberGhost lets you protect up to 7 devices at the same time, over the industry average. It supports Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Linux, and a host of other devices.
The provider offers a generous 45-day money-back guarantee on plans longer than a month, leaving you more than ample time to make up your mind.
3. Surfshark
Surfshark is an excellent option if you’re trying to avoid breaking the bank for a VPN service. It manages to offer pocket-friendly subscriptions (at least on long-term plans) without compromising on quality.
The VPN provider has 3,200+ servers in 100 countries, including Panama. We like that global spread because there’s likely to be one or more Surfshark servers nearby when you go abroad. If you’re into torrenting, you’re in luck. Surfshark supports the activity, providing dedicated P2P servers to optimize downloads and seeding.
Whether you’re watching a video, downloading, or just browsing the Internet, you needn’t worry about annoying lags. Surfshark is fast enough that your experience is smooth and stable when you connect to a Panama server from anywhere in the country.
Despite its budget tag, the provider will not compromise the privacy and security of your data. It comes with bank-level AES 256-bit encryption, a kill switch, and a choice between OpenVPN, WireGuard, and IKEv2 protocols. Surfshark’s logless policy has gone through third-party audits, essentially confirming that the VPN will not store your activity logs on its servers.
Its MultiHop feature adds an extra layer of encryption by routing your data through multiple servers. This can come in pretty handy when you need even more security than normal. Surfshark lets you choose the entry and exit servers. It’s one of the only services with that option.
The strong showing continues into streaming. Surfshark will breeze past geo-blocks to allow unrestricted access, whether it’s on local or international streaming platforms. The Smart DNS feature is especially convenient for streaming on consoles and smart TVs.
Surfshark is compatible with Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Linux, Fire TV, and routers. It offers unlimited simultaneous connections, so one subscription covers all your devices. A 30-day refund window lets you try the service risk-free.
4. Private Internet Access
There’s having loads of server options and then there’s being spoiled for choice. Private Internet Access falls into the latter category, with its jaw-dropping collection of 30,000+ servers in 84 countries. Considering the network size, it’s no surprise the VPN has servers in Panama.
PIA is not quite as fast as the other providers on this list. That said, switching to another is usually enough to ensure buffer-free connections if you run into a slow server. Plus, the port forwarding feature will speed up your download for peer-to-peer sharing.
Where Private Internet Access really impresses is security. Its US base may be enough to make you pause, but the provider has proven its strict no-logs policy — in court and through independent audits. And if you’re still unconvinced, completely open-source apps mean you can inspect and analyze the VPN’s code yourself.
To render your data indecipherable to malicious actors, PIA offers a choice between AES 128 and 256-bit encryption. The latter is significantly tougher to crack but has more impact on speed and performance. There’s also leak protection, obfuscation, MultiHop, and regular and advanced kill switch features.
Private Internet Access is hit-and-miss when it comes to unblocking geo-restrictions. The technology on some Netflix libraries proved too strong when we tried watching exclusive content. That was also the case with BBC iPlayer. As for local Panama websites and services, PIA easily gets you access.
The provider is compatible with a wide array of platforms and devices. Like Surfshark, there’s no limit to the number of connections you can hop on with a single subscription. You can get a full refund if you find it’s not good enough, thanks to its 30-day money-back guarantee.
How We Ranked The Best VPN for Panama
The services on this list of the best VPNs for Panama made it in based on their performances in our tests across a number of metrics. Check out the criteria below, as it can prove useful when picking a provider in the future.
Extensive server network
The best VPN services come with networks comprising thousands of servers spread across dozens of countries. This is beneficial as it shortens the distance to a server wherever you are, allowing for faster speeds and reliable connections.
For this article, we prioritized services with servers in Panama. With these VPNs, you can get a Panama IP address, which is great for accessing local content and services from abroad.
Robust security and privacy features
The primary focus of a VPN service is to protect you from online threats and keep your online activities away from prying eyes. It does this by passing your Internet traffic through an encrypted tunnel and masking your IP address.
We only considered providers with an impressive array of standard and advanced security features for this list.
Speed and Performance
There’s no getting past it — a VPN’s encrypted tunnel will negatively impact your Internet connection’s speed. However, for some providers, this drop in performance is barely perceived.
We tested for speed and only selected VPNs that allow you to browse, stream, and download without constant drags in performance.
Unblocking Geo-Restrictions
Websites and streaming services are getting better at keeping VPNs at bay. It’s what makes those with strong unblocking abilities valuable, especially for people who stream content regularly.
We selected providers that grant you access to local Panamanian content from outside the country. And if you’re in Panama and looking to watch exclusive content on international platforms, they will come through.
If you’re interested, we have an article on how to change regions on Netflix.
User Experience
Many beginners find the idea of a VPN intimidating, so it’s important to make the apps as user-friendly as possible. The learning curves on these apps are not steep, and even beginners can get easily used to them.
Plus, each provider offers 24/7 customer support to provide answers to any inquiries. They also have helpful user guides, FAQs, and tutorials.
Money-Back Guarantee
A refund policy allows you to use a VPN risk-free. If you’re unsatisfied with the service, you get to ask for and receive a full refund. The providers on this list offer at least 30-day money-back guarantees on their long-term plans, so you get enough time to make up your mind.
Conclusion: Which VPN to choose in Panama?
Panama may not be a restrictive country, but you must watch out for cybercriminals like anywhere else. A VPN makes sure they cannot get a hold of sensitive information. It also protects you from surveillance and helps you access restricted content on websites and services.
The best VPN for Panama in 2024 is ExpressVPN. It offers a strong line-up of features, blazing-fast servers, and can get past geo-blocks with ease.
