Besides having some of the tastiest food in the world and being one of the most popular tourist destinations in the region, Thailand is also one of the more problematic countries when it comes to online liberty. This gastronomic heaven received its best classification for freedom of internet access in 2013, when it was labeled as “partially free” by Freedom House in its reports due to the steps made towards a more liberal lifestyle. However that rating didn’t last long, as only one year later Thailand was reduced to “not free” once again. In fact, internet censorship has been increasing over the last ten years with content being subjected to heavy filters, often blocked and regulated by different entities. Fortunately, the use of VPNs and other circumvention methods is not banned, reflecting the worldliness of Bangkok and meaning VPN providers have installed servers in Thailand – particularly in its capital city.
Best VPN Services for Thailand of 2024
Rank | Provider | Info | Visit |
1
|
Editor's Choice 2024
|
|
|
2
|
|
||
3
|
|
Using a Thai IP
Thailand is a fairly repressed country, particularly when it comes to internet usage. Bangkok has six TV stations broadcasting on a national level via relay stations. Two of them are owned by the Royal Thai Army and the rest belong to the state itself. These are all required to broadcast programs produced by the government, although there are also cable TV subscriptions available that provide satellite channels, making some of the content exclusive to the country – particularly soap operas. Although there are some TV stations that provide live online streams, such as TPBS (Thai Public Broadcasting Service), others are not under this same umbrella and are often pre-recorded.
Thailand’s internet coverage is pretty decent, although speeds vary throughout the territory. These can go from a simple 2MB/s up to an amazing 1GB/s, depending on the ISP and the location. And although the internet is subject to heavy filters or even full blocks on certain content, VPNs and other online circumvention solutions are – almost unbelievably – not banned. This means finding a decent provider that offers one or more servers in Thailand is fairly easy.
Thai Online Privacy Laws
Online privacy laws in Thailand are strict, with the country living in an online dictatorship in a way. ISPs are known to monitor traffic, store logs of your activity for potential future use – and let’s not forget that these providers are mostly government or military owned. In fact, a quick visit to the main Thai ISPs’ homepage will portray this, since the King’s image is presented on all of them. Not only that, but although there are internet service providers offering high speed connections, it is common for them to throttle internet speeds. This happens particularly to those who are consuming too much bandwidth during the day, usually imposing a 256 KB/s limit or lower.
Internet Censorship in Thailand
As you might have already guessed, then, censorship in Thailand is one of the highest. The country is classed “not free” according to the Freedom of the Net Report, mostly because of the online filtering and website blocking that has been constantly increasing since 2006. Internet filtering includes sites associated with social, political, and internet tools. In other words, anything that might be seen as an ‘attack’ on the King or his policies as well as typical targets like adult and gambling content are usually blocked. This is applied via three different entities: the Royal Thai Police, the Communications Authority of Thailand, and the Ministry of Information and Communication Technologies (MICT). These are the ones responsible for providing a ‘clean’ online environment to Thai people, although the latter has the most control and power for issuing orders. ISPs are not forced to comply with any MICT requests for website blocking, however those who do not comply can expect punishments and fines.
In late 2010, the number of websites blocked reached over 110,000. In December 2011, the Cyber Security Operation Center was implemented by the government. This new censorship instrument then blocked more than 22,500 websites in less than three years.
Then there is the fact that there are also some TV channels – such as BBC One and Two, CNN, Yahoo News and more – that became blocked after dealing with Thai policies. YouTube has also been down several times, particularly after a video was posted ridiculing the image of the King.
Streaming Services in Thailand
As you might expect, Thailand is a quite repressive country regarding available foreign content. The only main foreign service available for Thai viewers is Netflix that – although it has a decent library – it obviously falls behind when compared to the American equivalent. However, the list of blocked content, services, and TV channels is beyond vast. Hulu, Amazon Prime, Spotify, Pandora, and the previously mentioned news channels such as the BBC, CNN, and Yahoo News are nowhere to be seen. Since Thailand is one of the most loved tourist destinations in the world, if you’re considering paying a visit or are already there then make sure to follow this advice: bring a VPN with you since this will be the best way to access blocked content in the country.
Free Thailand VPN Trials
To make your life easier, we recommend three great VPN companies to choose from. All of them provide quality service and will grant access to a Thai IP address as they support servers in Thailand – leaping over the King’s digital walls.
IPVanish
IPVanish is our favored VPN choice. It includes a slew of useful – and important – features for anyone looking to make use of a VPN connection, such as: multi-device support (including computers, mobile and routers), AES 256-bit encryption, over 40,000 IP addresses provided by more than 850 servers in 60 countries, unlimited bandwidth and up to five simultaneous connections. There’s even the option to make use of this outstanding service without any risk, thanks to the seven-day money back guarantee.
SaferVPN
SaferVPN is another one from our preferred list due to the quality service it provides. With a useful no log policy – important for surfing online in Thailand – a safe 256-bit military grade encryption, and around 400 servers in 30 different countries you’ll be able to access any content globally. In addition, with SaferVPN there are extra features, such as automatic Wi-Fi security, multiple protocol choices and support for many devices. Besides a nice 14-day money back guarantee, SaferVPN also offers a free trial for 24 hours for registering with your email.
VyprVPN
More than a dangerous predator, VyprVPN is a pretty fantastic provider developed by Golden Frog. It includes support for the majority of devices – including smart TVs – and the ability to customize and set unique preferences for each connection. The company provides one of the greatest VPN networks, too, with 700+ servers in more than 50 countries, granting a high quality service with unlimited bandwidth. But the best news is yet to come: VyprVPN allows you a three-day free trial together with different plans, including dedicated business options.