Schools, colleges, and workplaces around the world regularly block access to all manner of content, including streaming platforms, online gaming, and social media. Issues arise when these restrictions stop students from accessing content they actually need for research. However, there are ways around these restrictions if you use one of our best VPNs.
Using a VPN allows you to not only bypass blocks on school Wi-Fi, but also adds an extra layer of encryption to your everyday browsing, preventing third-party snoopers from intercepting your personal data.
The TechRadar team performs regular testing to back up our rankings. With 11 years of experience writing and reviewing VPNs, we can confidently state that the two best choices for school Wi-Fi are NordVPN, closely followed by Surfshark, but we’ll also look at three other providers that we think are worth checking out.
5 best school Wi-Fi VPNs: quick overview
The 5 best school Wi-Fi VPNs in 2025
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The best school Wi-Fi VPN
NordVPN is our top pick, thanks to an extensive suite of privacy and security features that’ll protect you on public Wi-Fi networks, great connection speeds ideal for streaming, and an extensive network of servers in 118 countries that guarantee you’ll be able to find a server local to you for the best possible performance.
NordVPN offers easy-to-install and beginner-friendly apps for all major devices, including iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, and Linux. Depending on your school’s software policies, you can even install NordVPN on your browser of choice with extensions available for Firefox, Chrome, and Edge.
Read more about NordVPN â–¼
As well as staying safe online, another big reason people use a VPN is to access streaming content that might otherwise be blocked or unavailable on their school’s Wi-Fi or in their part of the world, and NordVPN is a great choice. In our testing we were able to access Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, 10Play, 9Now, the BBC iPlayer, and Channel 4 through NordVPN’s servers.
Great access to streaming platforms and other online content is all well and good, but you need to make sure the VPN you pick has fast connection speeds that can keep up with movies and day-to-day browsing. With download speeds over 950 Mbps, we never encountered slow loading times or buffering, even when connecting across different countries. To put this into context, you need a download speed of 30 Mbps to stream 4K content, so NordVPN is more than fast enough.
When it comes to user security and privacy, NordVPN will keep you safe on your school Wi-Fi hotspots or when you’re out and about using public Wi-Fi. The provider offers a kill switch, DNS leak protection, and access to the TOR network through Onion Over VPN. NordVPN even offers obfuscated servers, which can be used to hide the fact you’re using a VPN at all, handy if you find them blocked on your school Wi-Fi network.
The best budget school Wi-Fi VPN
Surfshark is the best cheap VPN, and a great pick for students looking for a bargain without sacrificing security. In fact, Surfshark packs a ton of privacy-boosting features into all of its subscriptions.
These include a data breach notifier, Surfshark Alert. that’ll warn you if your account information has been leaked on the dark web, so you can take steps to re-secure it, and a handy tool called Alternative ID that allows you to create a brand new online identity and email addresses you can use when you’d rather not hand over your actual details when signing up to services or filling out forms. This not only helps keep your personal details safe, but it also protects you from ending up on spam email lists.
Read more about Surfshark â–¼
Surfshark’s other features include obfuscated servers that disguise the fact you’re using a VPN at all, CleanWeb, its ad/tracker/malware blocking solution, and it’s one of the few providers to offer unlimited simultaneous connections for folks with lots of devices.
Surfshark’s apps are available for all major platforms and devices, ensuring that you’ll be able to install it on whatever device it is you own, including browsers, iOS, and Android devices.
Surfshark performed well in our performance tests, reaching speeds of over 950 Mbps when connected to the WireGuard protocol, and you’ll still get over 600 Mbps if you switch to OpenVPN. Couple these excellent speeds with its ability to access geo-locked sites and streaming platforms, including Netflix, Disney+, ITV, the BBC iPlayer, and more, and you’ve got an excellent choice for a school Wi-Fi VPN provider.
The best beginner school Wi-Fi VPN
ExpressVPN is held back from the top spot by a high subscription price and a more basic feature set compared to NordVPN. Still, it’s one of the best providers around with its offering of easy-to-use apps, a global network of servers with fast download speeds, and a commitment to the security and privacy of its users.
ExpressVPN has support for eight simultaneous connections for busy families or for you to share with friends, and its own bespoke version of the WireGuard protocol, called Lightway, that guarantees a speedy connection no matter where you are.
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Other features include split-tunneling, which allows you to choose which apps use the VPN connection and which don’t. This is useful when dealing with banking apps or financial and educational websites. There’s also a built-in ad-blocker and even a password manager called ExpressVPN Keys, that’ll generate and remember strong login details for you.
ExpressVPN offers apps for just about any device, including Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android. ExpressVPN’s apps are quick to install and simple to use with a sleek, simple layout that beginner VPN users will find easy to get to grips with, though the desktop app is missing a few useful features, like the graph showing your current IP address and the amount of time your device has been using the VPN.
In our latest VPN testing we found ExpressVPN’s wide network able to access all the most popular streaming sites like Netflix, Disney+, Paramount+, as well as regional sites like the BBC iPlayer.
ExpressVPN returned download speeds of just under 900 Mbps in our testing, which is slower than the top two choices on this list but still more than 30x faster than the recommended speed you need for 4K streaming, meaning you never need to worry about buffering or lag.
The best privacy-friendly school Wi-Fi VPN
If keeping your personal data safe online is one of your biggest requirements from a school Wi-Fi VPN, then Proton VPN could be your best match. If, like many students, you’re operating on a tight budget, you’ll be pleased to hear that Proton offers a free version of its service, which we think measures up remarkably well compared to many premium options.
There’s a Proton VPN app for all the most popular platforms on the market, like Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android. Linux users even get a proper GUI client, while many other providers only offer a command-line only. Once you’re logged in to the app, there’s a guided tour you can follow, and we recommend checking it out if you’re new to VPNs, as Proton VPN’s app can be a little intimidating at first glance.
Read more about Proton VPN â–¼
With Proton’s focus on security and privacy, you might think that it’s less capable in other areas. Maybe it wouldn’t be a good choice for accessing content around the world like streaming sites, such as streaming, but it’s every bit as speedy and reliable as the other choices on this list.
We tested Proton VPN against the popular streaming platforms, including Netflix, Prime Video, and Disney Plus, as well as region-specific services like BBC iPlayer in the UK and 10Now and 9Play in Australia. In all cases, the Proton VPN servers provided instant access to the services we checked out.
While it might not be quite as fast as NordVPN or Surfshark, Proton VPN’s download speeds are still more than enough for streaming and downloading, coming in at 700 Mbps in testing, more than 20x faster than the recommended speeds you need for streaming 4K content.
Proton VPN comes with all the usual tools to keep your information safe while you’re using Wi-FI, from AES-256 bit encryption to the latest WireGuard VPN protocol, but it goes further than some other VPN providers by using something called Secure Core architecture. This routes your internet traffic through multiple servers, which makes it harder for someone to intercept or block.
The best all-rounder school Wi-Fi VPN
Like Proton VPN, Switzerland-based PrivadoVPN is a provider with an emphasis on user privacy. Feature-wise, it is lacking some of the useful extra functionality you find with NordVPN or Surfshark, but it more than covers the basics you might be looking for in a school Wi-Fi VPN.
There’s advert and malware blocking, split-tunneling, selection of VPN protocols including IKEv2, OpenVPN and WireGuard, as well as AES-256 bit encryption. All the basics we’ve come to expect from the providers we recommend.
Read more about PrivadoVPN â–¼
As with the other options on this list, PrivadoVPN has you covered no matter what device you’re using on your school Wi-Fi, with apps for Windows, MacOS, iOS, Android and more. There’s even extensions you can install in your browser of choice, and manual setup instructions are provided on the company support site if you’re installing on something that isn’t listed here.
With a smaller network than the other options on this list, there’s a bigger reliance on virtual servers; servers that aren’t physically based in the countries they claim to be in. This did cause us a few issues when we were testing its ability to unblock sites around the world and streaming sites in particular.
While we were able to access Netflix, Prime Video, and Disney+, as well as regional services like BBC iPlayer, ITV, Channel 4, 9Now, and 10Play, we found that we sometimes had to try a couple of different servers before finding one that worked.
PrivadoVPN did impress when it came to our speed testing, and was more than capable of keeping up with NordVPN and Surfshark, with download speeds in excess of 950 Mbps in testing, meaning you can use it for downloading, browsing, streaming, or gaming without worrying about lag or buffering.
PrivadoVPN is certainly much cheaper than most of the other VPN providers on this list and, like Proton VPN, it’s the only provider to offer a free version as well as paid, but the lack of locations and unblocking issues as well as a distinct lack of any real additional features means it’s one we think you should only consider if none of the others on this list work for you.
Best school Wi-Fi VPN FAQs
Can school Wi-Fi see what you search when using a VPN?
No. A VPN encrypts your internet traffic, hiding your browsing history from your school, work, or home ISP. They might be able to tell that you’re connected to a VPN, and they can see the size of your incoming and outgoing traffic, but they can’t see the actual content or what you’re specifically doing online. Using incognito/private browsing mode in your web browser will add another layer of security as well.
Can school Wi-Fi block VPNs?
Yes. Schools can try to stop people using VPNs by using firewalls and network filtering to detect and block VPN traffic, or by keeping a list of the IP addresses of VPN servers and blocking those. This is where a money-back guarantee comes in handy, as it allows you to test if a specific provider will work for you.
Is school Wi-Fi secure?
This will vary from school to school, as it does with any public Wi-Fi hotspot. It will depend on how it has been configured, whether or not it requires a password to use, or whether it’s simply open for anyone. A VPN will help protect you on an insecure Wi-Fi network by adding a layer of encryption that can defeat anyone attempting to intercept your internet traffic.
We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
