If you plan to visit Malaysia anytime soon, you should know certain things before taking off. However, there is one more thing we recommend to take care of before your take-off. First off, you may experience geoblocks on your international subscriptions like Netflix or Hulu in Malaysia. On top of that, the Malaysian government is known for its self-censorship. They’ve also started blocking websites, especially those of political nature. There were multiple cases of bloggers’ arrests for publicly sharing and discussing their views. Even if you have no intentions to get involved in political discussions, there are numerous reasons to get VPN installed wherever you are, which we’ll get into later in this article.
If you’re reading this with the single purpose of finding a list of the best VPNs for Malaysia in mind, here you go:
Top VPNs to use in Malaysia in 2022
NordVPN
NordVPN has proven to be one of the most reliable VPN providers globally. NordVPN has an extensive network of servers that you can choose from to access any content you’re looking for. They don’t track or store their customers’ data, so you can be absolutely sure that your private business stays private. NordVPN also works if you’re looking for a Malaysian IP while you’re outside the country since they have local servers in Kuala Lumpur. Plans start at as low as $3.71 a month.
ExpressVPN
Express VPN is very similar to NordVPN in terms of features they provide for Malaysia. They have no data limits and a 30-day money-back guarantee if you sign up for a year. But, if you on;y need a VPN for a short period, they offer monthly plans as well.
Surfshark
is another excellent option that’s budget-friendly as well. Surfshark has an excellent track record of unblocking any restricted websites and providing reliable personal security for those using public VPNs. All that plus their own Malaysian server at impressing $2.49/month if you sign up for a year.
Is there a free VPN to use in Malaysia?
We don’t typically recommend using free VPNs because a little money goes a long way when it comes to high-quality VPNs. However, if you only need to access something not too heavy, like your corporate email. you can go with our top choice for a free VPN for Malaysia.
Hotspot Shield
Hotspot Shield is one of a few providers that offer a basic package for free. It will unlock geographically-restricted content since the basic package will only get you access to the US-based servers. However, it’s limited to 500 MB daily, which’s clearly not enough for video streaming or catching up on the latest football game. With that being said, it’s a safe option and whenever you feel like you need more data or server locations, you can upgrade to a paid version.
Even though Malaysian regulations aren’t as though as those in China, it turns out only a few VPNs can unblock the content without significantly slowing down your devices. Our list includes top-notch VPNs that can ensure your privacy and smooth operation during the trip.
What to look at while choosing a VPN for Malaysia:
- Privacy and anonymity: All of the chosen providers have a strict no-log policy and are based out of countries with no stringent data retention laws. Also, they all provide the so-called Kill Switch feature, which ensures that if your connection with VPN’s server gets dropped for any reason, your data won’t leak and your actual IP address won’t get exposed.
- Security: The providers we recommend provide up-to-date encryption, meaning that even if your data gets to the hands of the wrong people, there’s nothing they can do about it since they will receive it as a meaningless string of symbols.
- Speed and stability: All these top-tier Malaysian VPNs provide great speed and stability of the connection.
- Geolocation spoofing: TThe provided Malaysian VPNs proved to be very strong when it comes to unblocking geographically restricted content so that you can watch your favorite Netflix shows with no problem.
Key reasons why to use VPN in Malaysia
Internet Censorship Circumvention: When you’ll first browse the Internet in Malaysia, you might find that many of your favorite websites are blocked and inaccessible, but you will be easily able to unlock all of them with a good Malaysian VPN.
Content limitations: Unlike in China, Netflix, YouTube, and other streaming services are available in Malaysia. But the content on those services only offers a fraction of what US Netflix does. If you consider yourself a free-minded individual and are planning to watch what you like – VPN Malaysia will do the job.
Public WI-FI Safety: Just like anywhere in the world, it’s a good idea to get an extra layer of protection if you’re going to use a public hotspot since you never know who is using the same network. That’s critical in Malaysia since their wi-fi spots provide stable Internet connection, but they aren’t encrypted.
Malaysian Content Access: If you want to access local content or streaming services like Astro Go and Unifi TV, you need a Malaysian IP since it’s geographically restricted.
Web activity monitoring: State-issued surveillance programs constantly monitor your internet activity. Initially, they were aimed to track people who access pornography since Malaysia is an Islamic country. But they also save all the data, which puts your privacy in jeopardy. Authorities use this information to track users’ IDs, downloads, locations, and so on. Sometimes lack of understanding of the rules led citizens and tourists to harsh repercussions.
Is the usage of VPN is legal in Malaysia?
Unlike some highly regulated countries, VPNs aren’t banned in Malaysia. The usage of VPN Malaysia is perfectly legal, unless you use a VPN to cover up some illegal activities.
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Should you use a paid or free VPN while in Malaysia?
You definitely can find free VPN services in Malaysia. But there are a million reasons not to use them. And here are some of the most evident ones:
User Privacy
Most free VPN providers will save you data and sell it to the higher bidder, most often advertising companies. Others will insert tracking cookies or ads to your online sessions. You got to remember that they have to make money somehow.
Convenience
There are a lot of users and often not enough computing resources available. You can face a situation where you have to wait in a queue to get connected to a server.
Limited servers
Apart from those servers’ busyness, users of free VPN services in Malaysia have limited options on which servers you can connect to. You often don’t have a choice at all and will be automatically connected to a server chosen by the provider.
Performance issues
Many free providers want to limit your connection speed to ensure that all of their users get their share of bandwidth. It results in a slow Internet and often limits or even makes it impossible to watch movies or stream shows.
In conclusion, using a free VPN in Malaysia will not do a proper job in terms of safety, privacy, and performance. That’s why we strongly recommend considering a decent VPN. We also suggest sticking to the list of the best VPN services in Malaysia to avoid unexpected issues.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is it legal to use VPN in Malaysia?
Yes, it is. Even though Malaysia is known for its Internet censorship, there’s no specific law prohibiting using VPNs in any shape or form.
Can I unblock Netflix, Hulu and other streaming services using VPN?
With the VPNs provided in this list – you can. There are two components to streaming while abroad: a) Unblocking geographically restricted content itself, b) Fast enough traffic to stream without interruptions.
How do I access porn in Malaysia?
VPN works by connecting you to a server located elsewhere. It also masks your actual IP and location, therefore if you chose a location, say, in the US, there’s no way Malaysian VPNs can block any type of content for you. Just make sure you’re using a high-quality VPN so that your speed is good enough to stream any content.
How free is the Internet in Malaysia?
It’s recognized as being “partially free” by the advocacy body Freedom House. It means that certain websites are being blocked, especially those of political nature. Also, pornography is highly restricted in Malaysia. The last major reported incident of authorities restricting access occurred in 2012. However, a partly state-owned company continues to dominate the network infrastructure.
Which VPNs to avoid using in Malaysia?
Free VPNs aren’t a good option to use anywhere simply because they don’t provide the level of privacy and security you might have hoped for. Even Hotspot Shield, being a safe and free option, doesn’t provide enough data or speed to do most things we do daily, like streaming or watching sports.