- Cutting edge privacy and security
- Excellent for streaming
- Easy to use across platforms
- Strong commitment to transparency
- Privacy-friendly jurisdiction (British Virgin Islands)
- Exceedingly expensive
- No way to opt-out of potentially unneeded extra features
- Speed performance getting progressively worse
- Only eight simultaneous connections
- Blazing-fast internet speeds
- Strong privacy and transparency
- Great for streaming service unblocking
- User-friendly apps
- Inconsistent pricing structure
- Not as transparent as other VPN rivals
- Competitive speeds
- Interface encourages learning
- 10 simultaneous connections
- Based in US
- Still offers PPTP
- Previous DNS partial leak
Reasons to use a VPN in Mexico
When traveling to Mexico, there’s something else you’ll want to pack alongside your sunscreen: a laptop or mobile phone with a VPN on it. Having a reliable virtual private network installed on your device before you leave for a foreign country can be a real game-changer. A VPN encrypts your internet traffic, masking your online activity from third parties like your ISP. Whether you’re on a business trip or a vacation, a VPN can provide privacy peace of mind while allowing seamless access to apps and websites from your home country.
A VPN lets you check out all the shows on your favorite streaming services from back home. Many streaming platforms, such as Hulu and Disney Plus, limit access to their content based on your physical location by checking the IP address you’re connecting from. A VPN disguises your public IP address, so you can make it look like you’re connecting from a different city, state or even country. This allows you to bypass geolocation restrictions when using the internet, meaning you can continue accessing your favorite websites and streaming platforms just as you would back home. It’s ideal if you don’t want to interrupt your binge-watch of Toxic Town on Netflix just because you’re traveling. You’ll be glad you’ve got a VPN installed if you find that banking services or news sources from your home country are restricted while on holiday.
The best VPNs for international travel should offer a combination of high-speed performance, airtight privacy and ease of use. You won’t want to fiddle around with your VPN settings when you’re rushing through an airport. To give you a hand with your selection, our team at CNET has rigorously tested nearly a dozen VPN providers to identify the top VPN options available when you’re traveling to Mexico. Whether you want access to your favorite streaming services or just to ensure you’ve got a boost to your online privacy while using public Wi-Fi, our picks for the best VPNs for Mexico will keep you connected and protected no matter where you go.
What is the best VPN for Mexico right now?
ExpressVPN is the top VPN for Mexico due to its ability to unblock almost any site while offering privacy protection and lightning-fast speeds. It offers an impressive no-logs policy that has been independently audited. These are the key factors you should look for in a VPN for Mexico, but ExpressVPN also offers industry-standard encryption, a kill switch and RAM-only servers that never save data. Granted, it’s the most expensive option on this list, but the overall ease of use makes Express worth it.
Other VPNs we tested
CyberGhost
CyberGhost caught our eye since it has one of the largest server networks in Mexico -- 50 servers in Mexico City -- and a vast selection in the US. It also has specialized streaming servers that bring out the best quality for dozens of US streaming services. It has an easy-to-use interface that makes it an excellent choice for simple usage at $13 per month, $42 every six months or $57 total for the first two years (then $57 annually). Despite these great features, we don’t recommend using CyberGhost as it produces uneven internet speed results and, in our testing, its apps were buggy.
Private Internet Access
PIA is a surprisingly great VPN because it has over 50 US servers for excellent United States coverage. Despite the extensive US network, PIA has only one Mexico server. This means connecting to a local IP could cause significant speed reductions or even disconnections due to overcrowding. It’s an acceptable option if you just need to connect to a home IP in the US to access different sites, but its uneven internet download speed loss makes PIA one of the more sluggish VPNs we tested.
How we test VPNs
We hand-tested VPNs in the US and researched servers to find the best one for Mexico. During our testing, the most important features we looked for were robust privacy features, security options, server network and location availability, bypassing geo-restrictions and more.
For example, we tested security by checking for IP or DNS leaks. We found ExpressVPN to be one of our most secure VPNs thanks to its TrustedServer technology, automatic kill switch, verified no-logs policy audited by another party and split tunneling.
Other VPNs stood out since we searched for more than just security potential. NordVPN is a super fast VPN with the most Mexican server locations, so you can get local news without risking your data.
Factors to consider in a VPN for Mexico
After testing multiple VPNs, we found the best features to narrow down when looking for the best VPN out of hundreds of options.
Privacy
No matter your reason for getting a VPN, privacy should always be your first consideration when deciding which one to download. VPNs with a no-logs policy (and third-party audited), reliable kill switch, DNS protection and friendly country of origin will protect you the best.
Servers
For this article, we narrowed down VPNs with various Mexico and US servers. However, VPNs with a large server network (with many servers and multiple locations) will provide more connection options no matter where you are.
Streaming capabilities
If you plan on traveling, looking for a VPN with features to access geo-restricted content should be high on your list. Most websites have software that detects if you’re using a VPN and will block you from seeing its content, especially if you’re streaming from another location. VPNs like ExpressVPN, NordVPN, Surfshark, and more can easily bypass geo-restrictions, whether you’re looking to watch Netflix’s US library while in Mexico or trying to stream from a site unavailable in the country.
Speed
Your VPN’s speeds must be fast enough to keep a reliable connection to the server (slow speeds will cause frequent disconnection) and fast enough to stream content. A top VPN -- Like NordVPN -- will give you a minimal speed reduction to stream from Netflix and other sites in UHD.
Price
You’ll want to research each VPN and see if the features each one offers provide a good enough value for the price. On top of that, we tested VPNs, which have money-back guarantees, so you can get a refund within a certain amount of time if you aren’t 100% satisfied. If you’re on a budget, there are cheap VPN alternatives.