Best VPN for Crypto Trading 2022 [Secure Your Blockchain Trades]

Although the crypto market is booming, it’s fraught with breaches and thefts. Between 2011 and 2021, over $12 billion worth of crypto was stolen. If you’re reading this article, chances are you’re a crypto trader or you’re considering getting started. Whichever side of the aisle you’re on, you’ll need the best VPN for crypto trading to safeguard your wallet. 

Key Takeaways:

• Crypto trading has become increasingly dangerous because of the rise of scammers and hackers.
• With a virtual private network (VPN), you can hide your IP address and encrypt your traffic, making it difficult for cybercriminals to crack your wallet.
• NordVPN is the best VPN for crypto trading because of its suite of specialty servers and strong encryption features.
• For crypto miners, ExpressVPN is ideal because it’s blazing fast. Surfshark, CyberGhost and PIA are affordable yet reliable options.

With a worldwide market capitalization of over $2 trillion, it’s no surprise that crypto trading is seen as a modern-day gold rush. From Bitcoin and Dogecoin to Litecoin and Ethereum, around $120 million worth of cryptocurrency is traded each day. Many people are turning to these coins because they have been touted as private and secure digitized currencies.

However, scammers and hackers track crypto IP addresses to hijack and compromise user accounts. With a VPN, you can hide your IP address and encrypt your internet traffic, making it appear as gibberish to snoopers. That said, not all VPNs are strong enough for the shark-infested waters of crypto trading, but NordVPN (our top pick) is more than up to the task. Read on to learn our five best VPNs for crypto trading. 

• Can You Buy a VPN With Bitcoin Transactions?
• How Does a VPN Protect Cryptocurrency?

  A VPN hides your IP address, ensuring that fraudsters can’t track your cryptocurrency transactions. Further, a VPN encrypts your internet traffic so that even if a snooper manages to access your data, they’ll only see scrambled codes.

• Can You Get Banned for Using a VPN With a Decentralized Exchange?

  You can use a VPN on decentralized exchanges without worrying about being banned because they are censorship-resistant. Since there’s no single owner or controller, governments typically can’t monitor or ban cryptocurrency transactions on a decentralized exchange.

Top VPNs for Crypto Trading

What Makes the Best VPN for Crypto Trading?

We examined several VPN providers through the lenses of privacy, security and encryption features. Below are the five VPNs that came out on top.

1. NordVPN — Overall best crypto-trading VPN
2. ExpressVPN — Fast VPN for crypto traders
3. Surfshark — Affordable VPN for crypto trading
4. CyberGhost — Excellent VPN with a dedicated IP address
5. Private Internet Access — Cheap, long-term VPN with good security features

For crypto trading, protecting your IP address should be your foremost concern. An exposed IP address is an invitation for cybercriminals and even certain governments to track your crypto-trading activities. That’s why a kill switch is a no-brainer; it cuts off your internet connection as soon as your VPN connection drops.

Further, good crypto VPNs should have IP and domain name system (DNS) leak protection. DNS leaks occur when requests are sent to your ISP’s DNS servers rather than through a VPN’s encrypted tunnel, making your IP address, browsing data and location visible to your ISP and possibly cybercriminals.

What’s more, a cryptocurrency-trading VPN should have a strict no-logs policy so that if governments subpoena them, there’ll be nothing to show. In totalitarian countries such as China, you’ll need obfuscated servers to conceal your VPN use. Be sure to always check if VPNs are legal in your location, since some VPN users in Tibet and Xinjiang have reportedly been jailed.

Also, look for security features like Onion over VPN and double VPN, which add an extra layer of security to your internet traffic. 

What Are Some VPNs That Accept Bitcoin?

Here are a few VPNs that accept bitcoin as payment:

The 5 Best Crypto VPN Services

In this section, we’ll delve deep into each of the VPN providers on this list. We’ll walk you through the key features that make them excellent for crypto trading and we’ll touch on their weaknesses (if any). Let’s start with our winner, NordVPN. 

More details about NordVPN:

• Pricing: NordVPN’s cheapest plan costs $3.71 per month (two-year plan)
• Provider website: nordvpn.com

NordVPN takes first place on our list, thanks in large part to its suite of specialty servers. Onion over VPN servers, for example, route your internet activity through the Tor network. You can use the double VPN servers to hide your crypto traffic behind two servers instead of one, while the obfuscated servers make it nearly impossible for anyone to know you’re using a VPN. 

In addition, NordVPN comes with an automatic kill switch and leak protection. If you plan to mine cryptocurrency, you’ll love the fast speeds that come with NordLynx, NordVPN’s version of the WireGuard protocol. Add that to the fact that you get access to over 5,400 servers in 60 countries and you have a VPN that’s excellent for unblocking crypto trading on any platform.

Buy and Sell Crypto Safely With Threat Protection 

NordVPN’s threat protection feature is built to fend off trackers and intruders before they can cause any harm. It works by warning you each time you’re about to visit a suspicious website. It also scans and deletes all malware-ridden files you download and blocks intrusive ads and pop-ups. Read our NordVPN review to discover more.

NordVPN’s monthly plan is expensive, but you get a steep discount if you sign up for the two-year plan. All plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee. NordVPN accepts various cryptocurrency payments through CoinPayments.

NordVPN

More details about ExpressVPN:

• Pricing: ExpressVPN’s cheapest plan costs $6.66 per month (15-months plan)
• Provider website: expressvpn.com

ExpressVPN takes the second spot in this review mainly because it’s the fastest VPN. It has impressive download and upload speeds, especially when using the Lightway protocol, making it a good choice for crypto mining. In addition, this VPN service has an automatic kill switch known as network lock, which is available on Windows, Mac, Linux and routers.  

Further, ExpressVPN provides extensive leak protection (DNS, IP and WebRTC), so you don’t have to worry about your data being exposed. The threat manager, included with your subscription, stops websites and apps from recording your online activity and sharing it with third parties. On top of all that, you get access to a massive server network with over 160 server locations. 

Protect Your Crypto Wallet Using Trusted Server Technology

With TrustedServer technology, all of ExpressVPN’s traffic runs on RAM-only servers. This means that operating systems and apps never write on the hard drive and all your data is wiped with every reboot. This technology ensures that no record of your cryptocurrency transactions is kept on its servers. 

ExpressVPN’s monthly plan is expensive, but you can soften the blow to your wallet with the one-year plan. All plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee. ExpressVPN accepts Bitcoin through a wide range of wallets. It also accepts Ethereum and XRP, as well as the PAX, BUSD, USDC and GUSD stablecoins. 

ExpressVPN Plans

More details about Surfshark:

• Pricing: Surfshark’s cheapest plan costs $2.49 per month (two-year plan)
• Provider website: surfshark.com

If you’ve read some of our other reviews, you’ve probably noticed that Surfshark often claims the “most affordable” spot, as you can see in our best VPNs listing. However, there’s more to this reliable VPN service than pricing. Aside from a kill switch and DNS leak protection, you get a set of interesting features to protect your privacy while trading.

First on the list is the CleanWeb feature, which blocks ads, trackers and phishing sites. The NoBorders and camouflage modes are useful if you’re trading in totalitarian countries where VPNs are forbidden. In addition, Surfshark is backed by a strict no-logs policy, ensuring that your trading data is never collected by the VPN. 

MultiHop, Surfshark’s version of a double VPN, routes your internet traffic through two servers to encrypt your traffic twice and help you trade securely. The only downside is that you have about 14 server combinations to choose from. Fortunately, as part of a new feature known as Nexus, Surfshark has introduced a dynamic MultiHop feature, which allows you to choose your own country combinations.  

Surfshark’s one-year and two-year plans are some of the cheapest out there. For payment, you can either use CoinGate or CoinPayments to pay with Bitcoin, Ethereum and Litecoin. All plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee. 

Surfshark Plans

• : Unlimited GB bandwidth,
  Unlimited devices
• : Unlimited GB
• : Unlimited
• :

More details about CyberGhost:

• Pricing: CyberGhost’s cheapest plan costs $2.15 per month (three-year plan + three months)
• Provider website: cyberghostvpn.com

CyberGhost has the most servers of any VPN on this list, with over 7,800 servers in 91 countries. This makes it an excellent choice for sneaking past geoblocks and keeping tabs on your crypto wallet, even in countries where your trading platform is banned. Although its speeds are not as consistent on OpenVPN, you get stable connections on the IKEv2 and WireGuard protocols. 

There’s also a kill switch and DNS leak protection, both of which ensure that your IP is always hidden. In addition, CyberGhost’s apps are extremely easy to use and you can automate your VPN experience with the “smart rules” feature. For example, you can set up your device to connect to CyberGhost each time it connects to a public WiFi network. Learn more about this VPN service in our CyberGhost review.

Avoid Being Blocklisted by Trading Platforms With a CyberGhost Dedicated IP Address

A VPN normally assigns multiple users the same IP address, and might cycle a user through several IP addresses in a single day. Some trading platforms will block your access when they notice that you use multiple IP addresses. Further, your IP might be blocked if an unscrupulous character uses it — a phenomenon known as the bad neighbor effect.

A dedicated IP address helps you stay off blocklists, and you’ll avoid annoying extra verification steps like CAPTCHAs when trading crypto. However, you’ll need to pay extra for one. 

CyberGhost’s two- and three-year plans are affordable and you get a 45-day money-back guarantee, so it’s worth a try. You can pay using Bitcoin, Ethereum and Bitcoin Cash through BitPay. 

CyberGhost Plans

More details about PIA:

Although it’s not as fast as the others, Private Internet Access (PIA) earns a spot on this list, thanks to its trove of security features. Aside from the standard AES-256 encryption, you get access to a kill switch, which protects your data, and the VPN is backed by a strict no-logs policy. PIA has servers in 84 countries, with a lot of servers in the U.S., so it’s a good choice for people who use crypto platforms there.

You can also use the dedicated IP address feature to avoid blocklists and constant security warnings. One standout aspect of this reliable VPN service is that it’s easy to use and customize. That’s why it makes our best VPN for beginners list. What’s more, you can connect up to 10 devices with a single PIA subscription. Read our PIA review to learn more.

Protect Your Crypto Wallet With MACE 

Developed by PIA, MACE blocks ads, trackers and malware like many other ad blockers. However, it does that in a unique way. Instead of blocking requests from a tracking server, it sends the DNS request to your local IP address. As a result, MACE is faster and more memory-efficient than ordinary ad blockers. 

PIA is cheap, especially with the three-year plan. You can pay with BitPay, Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum and Litecoin, and there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee with each plan. 

Standard Plans

Why You Need a VPN for Crypto Transactions

Crypto trading is becoming increasingly risky because of hackers and scammers. A virtual private network (VPN) hides your actual IP address and encrypts your internet traffic, making it difficult for anyone to track your crypto exchanges. What’s more, features like a kill switch and leak protection provide a safety net in case your VPN connection drops. 

Further, a double VPN feature encrypts your connection twice, making it even harder for snoopers to get access. If you’re in a heavily restricted country, a VPN can use obfuscation to hide the fact that you’re using a VPN. All in all, VPNs safeguard your crypto wallet and transactions.

Do I Need to Use a VPN for Mining Crypto?

When mining cryptocurrencies, you might be required to share sensitive information. A VPN ensures that such data remains encrypted to snoopers. Besides, you avoid data and bandwidth throttling from your internet service provider (ISP) with a VPN. Finally, with a VPN, you can unblock geo-restricted cryptocurrency trading exchanges to trade more coins. 

Can I Use a Free Crypto-Trading VPN?

A free VPN may help you trade crypto anonymously, but there are some caveats. Some free VPNs are malware-ridden and they might log your data to sell to advertisers. You also might experience data and bandwidth throttling. That said, if you are on a tight budget, we recommend Windscribe. It’s one of the rare trustworthy free VPNs and comes with a no-logs policy.

The Risks of Using a VPN With Crypto Exchanges

While using a VPN is legal in most cases, it’s not without risk. For example, Binance’s terms of service prohibit U.S. residents from using a VPN, so your account could be suspended if you’re caught. Residents of the United States can use Binance.US, though the available cryptos are limited. 

Others, like Coinbase and Crypto.com, do not explicitly forbid VPNs in their user agreements, but be sure to enter accurate information when filling in their forms — otherwise, your account could be suspended. Trading platforms, due to know-your-customer and anti-money laundering laws, want to ensure that there are no unscrupulous activities. 

In a similar fashion, decentralized exchanges do not ban VPNs outright, but the key is to use a VPN that can’t be detected.  

Is Using a VPN to Buy Crypto in New York Legal?

There is no indication that VPNs are illegal for buying crypto in New York. However, the state has strict regulations for crypto assets since its introduction of BitLicense in 2015, and popular exchanges like Binance.US don’t work there. Be sure to double-check with your trading platform before making crypto purchases in New York. 

Final Thoughts

Cryptocurrency trading is all the rage these days, but with an influx of scammers and hackers, there’s no telling when your crypto wallet might be targeted. That’s why VPNs are a must-have, whether you’re trading on CoinBase or Robinhood. Further, some countries and cities have banned certain trading platforms, such as the Binance ban in the U.S.

From our testing, NordVPN is the overall best for anonymous and private crypto trading, thanks to its excellent security and encryption features. ExpressVPN comes in second and is great for mining crypto because of its fast speeds. If you want a much cheaper yet effective option, take your pick between Surfshark, CyberGhost and PIA.

Which crypto trading platforms do you use? Have you tried using VPNs to access a trading platform? Which ones gave the best results? Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below, and as always, thanks for reading.