The 4 Best VPN for Malaysia (2023 Update)

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How we test the best VPN for Malaysia

We looked at 30 VPN services across macOS, iOS, Android, and both Windows 10 and 11. Each of those services underwent a battery of tests, including all of the following.

> Test 1: Logging policy

What is a logging policy?

VPNs are supposed to offer complete privacy. That’s why you’re using one. But just like your internet service provider (ISP), a VPN can track what you’re doing with the IP address assigned to you. After all, that data gets routed through the VPN’s servers.

From that data, a VPN can use your public IP address to get an idea of where you live. It could even take a look at what websites you’re visiting and what you’re doing on those websites.

A logging policy is a VPN’s way of telling you that it isn’t (or is) going to do that. The policy outlines what data, if any, the VPN keeps or tracks related to its users. It should also tell you what the VPN does with that data.

For example, Hola VPN is a free VPN service. But to offer a free service, the creators have to make money elsewhere. They do that by selling the data they gather about their customers to advertisers and data brokers.

And they’re not alone.

About 30% of VPN services store your original IP address before giving you access to a new one. About 5% of them track what you’re doing online.

What do we test for?

First, we want to see that the VPN has a logging policy. Second, we need to know what that policy says so we understand the rights the service grants to itself when it comes to your data.

Now, some data tracking is essential. A VPN needs to keep track of server load and aggregated bandwidths, for example. But there are two things we want to see a VPN cover in its logging policy:

• Check browsing activity: The privacy a VPN is supposed to provide doesn’t mean much when the VPN tracks what you’re doing. We want to see that the VPN doesn’t track what you’re doing. Ideally, we’d like to see the VPN collect zero data on its users.
• IP address tracking: Simply put, we don’t want to see a VPN track your originating IP address. It shouldn’t even be able to see which ISP you have. The logging policy should tell us that IP addresses aren’t stored or monitored.

> Test 2: Ownership

What do we mean by ownership?

The name you see on the box is rarely the name of the company behind the product. That’s as true for VPNs as it is for anything else. In many cases, the VPN you use is actually owned by another company, which may be owned by a bigger umbrella company.

That’s a problem because these weird ownership structures affect your data. In addition to giving more companies access to data, corporate holding structures create legal issues. For example, a VPN that comes from the Netherlands but is offered in the United States has to account for laws in both countries.

While there are dozens of VPNs on the market, the reality is that they’re all owned by a handful of companies. Here are some examples:

• Cyberspace is a Netherlands-based company that owns some major VPNs, including Atlas VPN, NordVPN, and Surfshark. You’ve probably seen all three advertised regularly if you watch YouTube content.
• Kape Technologies owns ZenMate, CyberGhost VPN, Express VPN, and several others from its base in the UK.
• Aura, also known as Pango, is a U.S.-based company that owns JustVPN, TouchVPN, and Hotspot Shield. It also provides VPN tech for some major security firms, such as Kaspersky.
• The American company Ziff Davis owns Strong VPN, Perimeter 81, SaferVPN, and a host of other services.
• Gaditek is a VPN company based in Pakistan that owns Ivacy VPN, PureVPN, and Unblock VPN.

What do we test for?

We look at who owns the VPN, what country they’re registered in, and what data retention laws they follow. Our tests also aim to show us as much as possible about the company’s history.

For example, you’d like to know if a VPN company has associations with malware. Until 2018, Kape Technologies was known as Crossrider. A development platform for browser extensions, Crossrider was regularly used by malware creators and ad injection developers. When Crossrider entered the VPN sector, it changed its name to avoid the association.

That’s the sort of information we think you need to know about the people behind the VPNs you consider using.

> Test 3: Independent audit

What is an independent audit?

Every claim a VPN service makes needs evidence. You can’t just take buzzwords like “Military Grade Encryption” as given. Ideally, a VPN needs to undergo an independent audit to prove the legitimacy of its claims.

In an independent audit, the VPN hires an outside company to check specific aspects of its service. These audits tend to focus on infrastructure and operations, ensuring the VPN only makes promises it can keep.

There are plenty of recent examples of these types of audits:

• ExpressVPN brought in PricewaterhouseCooper (PwC) to conduct an audit on its TrustedServer technology in 2019. It wanted to confirm that the server wiped data stored on it every time it was rebooted.
• Deloitte conducted an audit on Private Internet Access’s (PIA) server environment in 2023. This audit checked that the servers met the promises made in PIA’s privacy policy.

Independent audits tell us that a VPN provider cares about its service. By bringing a third party in to check claims, the VPN can ensure it keeps its promises.

What do we test for?

We look for any evidence that the VPN has undergone an independent audit. Our research shows us what that audit related to, what it showed, and how it affects you as a user.

> Test 4: Available VPN protocols

What is a VPN protocol?

The VPN app you download has to communicate with the service provider’s VPN server. VPN protocols ensure that communication is safe and secure at all times. The protocol determines how apps and servers identify each other, in addition to outlining how the app logs in and what encryption it issues.

There are several VPN protocols providers can use. Each impacts several aspects of the VPN service provided, including security and download speeds. Here are the most common protocols:

• OpenVPN: The majority of VPN services use this open-source VPN protocol. It’s customizable, offers fast download speeds, and is compatible with most major operating systems.
• WireGuard: Another open-source protocol, WireGuard is starting to become more popular with VPN service providers. It’s faster and leaner than OpenVPN, with its fewer lines of code making debugging much easier.
• L2TP/IPSec: This is one of the older VPN protocols. Some services still use it, though it’s slower and less secure than OpenVPN.
• IKEv2: If you want security, this joint offering from Microsoft and Cisco is the best protocol. However, our tests show us that the increased security often comes at the cost of download speed.
• PPTP: An old VPN protocol that is rarely used today because of its security vulnerabilities.

A few VPN providers prefer to use their own protocols rather than relying on the above options. For example, NordVPN uses a protocol called NordLynx that is based on the WireGuard protocol. Hotspot Shield has Catapult Hydra.

The issue with these protocols is that they’re not open source, meaning others can’t inspect the code.

What do we test for?

We look at which VPN protocols the app offers to users. Our tests show that most offer OpenVPN as standard, with either WireGuard or IKEv2 as alternatives. Once we know which protocols are offered, we test the devices and operating systems they’re compatible with.

> Test 5: Supported encryption standard

What is an encryption standard?

Encryption standards set the rules for how a VPN encrypts your data. The Data Encryption Standard (DES) was the first symmetric key algorithm used for encryption. Created in 1977, it allowed the use of the same encryption key when encrypting or decrypting data.

The Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) came along to replace DES in 2002. Using a version of the Rijndael block cipher, AES has key sizes ranging between 128 and 256 bits. Most VPNs use some form of the AES standard.

What do we test for?

First, we look to see which is the VPN’s default encryption standard. If we see AES-128, we expect it to be the GCM version because it’s faster than the CBC version and allows independent encryption of each block of data.

If we don’t see AES-128 GCM, we prefer to see AES-256 used over AES-128 CBC.

> Test 6: Basic security features

What are basic security features?

If a VPN doesn’t have even the most basic security features, you can’t trust it. This is the minimum that we expect to see:

• AES 128 GCM or AES 256 encryption: Ideally, we’ll see AES 256 because it’s stronger and almost impossible to hack using brute force.
• Kill switch: If a VPN tunnel fails, the VPN should shut off internet connectivity instantly.
• A good VPN protocol: If the VPN doesn’t use OpenVPN or WireGuard, we’re instantly wary. These are the gold standards in open-source VPN protocols.
• Split tunneling: A VPN should allow specific programs to bypass the VPN tunnel so they have access to the web outside the VPN.

What do we test for?

This one is really simple. We test the VPN to see if it has these four basic security features. The kill switch and split tunneling functions get special attention because we want to know they work as advertised.

> Test 7: Advanced security features

What are advanced security features?

The more advanced a VPN’s security, the more protected you feel when browsing the web. Here are a few advanced security features we look for:

• Obfuscated servers: These special servers change your data to hide that you’re using a VPN. That’s really useful for services and countries that track VPN use.
• Ad trackers and malicious website blockers: If a URL is associated with dangerous malware or ads, we want a VPN that blocks it.
• Override GPS location: VPN servers are often thousands of miles away from their users. With this feature, the user gets to set their location to that of the server, meaning nobody knows where they are.
• Dedicated IP address: This feature allows you to generate a unique IP address that you can use to get into certain websites. Having a dedicated IP also helps with issues like avoiding blacklists and getting through captchas.
• RAM-only servers: A traditional server stores data permanently, or at least until its deleted. Some VPNs use Random Access Memory (RAM) servers that get wiped every time the server restarts. That means the server loses its data as soon as the power goes off.
• Double VPN: This allows your internet traffic to go through two VPN servers, doubling your protection and encryption in the process.

What do we test for?

This is a simple test where we look for the above security features and confirm they’re working as intended.

> Test 8: IP leak

What is an IP leak?

Every device has a pair of IP addresses – public and private. You use the private IP address when communicating with devices on the same network, such as other computers or printers. The public address comes into play when you use the internet.

That public IP address usually comes from your ISP. The problem is that an IP address says more about you than you may like:

• IP addresses indicate your approximate location down to the neighborhood or zip code level.
• Somebody who can track your IP code can also track your browsing habits. This allows them to build a general profile of who you are based on your browsing activity.

As mentioned, VPNs help with this by assigning you a new IP address. In most cases, that IP address is the one the VPN server uses. That means your ISP can see you’re using a VPN, but can’t see what you’re doing beyond that. Plus, any websites or web services you use only see the VPN’s IP address, rather than yours.

So, what does all of this have to do with an IP leak?

An IP leak happens if your VPN fails to obscure the public IP address your ISP assigned to you.

What do we test for?

After connecting to the VPN service, we run an IP address lookup. If we see our own IP address, we have a leak on our hands.

> Test 9: DNS leak

What is a DNS leak?

A domain name system (DNS) plays an important role in helping you browse the web easily. It takes the URL you type into your browser and turns it into the IP address of the website you’re trying to access. It’s thanks to a DNS that you can type softwarelab.org into your browser instead of 165.227.148.211.

Think of the DNS as a phonebook full of the IP addresses of websites. But with so many websites around, we need a little help to get people where they want to go. DNS servers give us that help, making them the phone operators of the internet.

Who operates DNS servers?

Usually, it’s your ISP. And that’s a problem because it means your ISP gets to see all of your browsing history based on the requests you’re sending to their servers.

VPN services solve this problem by providing their own DNS servers. Assuming the service has its own servers, a DNS leak happens if your queries get routed through your ISP’s DNS servers instead of the VPN’s DNS servers.

What do we test for?

We run a DNS server lookup on the VPN to make sure it has its own servers. If it doesn’t, we know that web traffic has to get routed through your ISP’s servers, making using a VPN almost pointless.

> Test 10: WebRTC leak

What is a WebRTC leak?

Web browsers have to form lines of communication between themselves and the websites you access. Those connections have to occur in real time. Web Real-Time Communication (WebRTC) makes it happen.

Without WebRTC, you can’t stream video or audio in real time. You’d have to wait for whatever you want to view to load first. Of course, data gets exchanged as part of a WebRTC connection, with that data including your IP address.

There’s nothing you can do about this. Blocking WebRTC requests in your browser reduces functionality. A good VPN ensures that the IP address comes from its own servers. If your IP address gets sent during WebRTC communications, we have a leak on our hands.

What do we test for?

We use a WebRTC lookup test to ensure our IP address isn’t displayed when a WebRTC connection is opened.

> Test 11: Download speed via OpenVPN

What is OpenVPN?

As an open-source VPN protocol, OpenVPN lives up to its name. It’s open for anybody to inspect and critique it, which ensures continued improvement. That iterative improvement means OpenVPN is one of the fastest and most secure VPN protocols available.

Most VPN services use one of the two versions of OpenVPN currently available:

• OpenVPN TCP: Transmission Control Protocol gives the VPN more control over data transmission, though it loses some speed in the process.
• OpenVPN UDP: User Datagram Protocol is usually the default option for VPNs because it offers the fastest downloads.

Though some VPNs have started using WireGuard, OpenVPN is still the most common VPN protocol. We want it to be as fast as possible for our VPNs.

What do we test for?

After setting the Windows version of the VPN to the OpenVPN protocol, we test it on a 1 Gbps connection. We want to see how close the VPN gets to delivering 1 Gbps.

> Test 12: Supported speed via WireGuard

What is WireGuard?

WireGuard is a faster and leaner VPN protocol than OpenVPN. We can see that in the code, as WireGuard has 4,000 lines compared to OpenVPN’s 500,000. For that reason, the code is easier to debug and simply runs a lot faster.

In recent years, WireGuard has been used on more operating systems. Though originally designed for the Linux kernel, it’s not available for macOS, iOS, Android, and Windows. That means it’s also a viable choice for VPN service providers.

Our tests show that VPNs using WireGuard are an average of 60% faster than those using OpenVPN. Of course, we need to confirm that’s the case for individual VPNs.

What do we test for?

Like the OpenVPN test, we connect to the VPN service with a 1 Gbps internet connection. This time, the Windows version of the VPN gets set to WireGuard before we run the test.

> Test 13: (Virtual) VPN servers and locations

What are (virtual) VPN servers?

Most VPN servers are physical. The hardware is located in the same country as the VPN itself, and your web traffic gets routed through that physical server stack. These servers typically have special software allowing the creation of VPN tunnels. Some VPN services even use RAM-only servers that wipe themselves as soon as they’re powered off.

But what if the VPN service wants to offer IP addresses from smaller countries that don’t have server farms?

That’s where virtual servers come in. These servers can give you an IP address local to one country despite being located in another. For example, a server could claim to give you an address from Luxembourg even though it’s actually located in the Netherlands.

We’ve found that the largest physical server networks top out at about 60 countries. If a VPN offers IP addresses from more than 60 countries, that’s a good sign that it uses virtual servers.

What do we test for?

We check the number of locations and servers the VPN offers. Then we analyze whether those servers are physical or virtual, in addition to checking if they give IP addresses from the country or city level.

> Test 14: Streaming compatibility

What is compatibility with a streaming service?

A lot of people use VPNs to access content on streaming platforms that they can’t view in their own countries. For example, somebody in the UK might use a VPN to access Hulu, which isn’t available in the UK. Alternatively, somebody in the U.S. may use a VPN to access the original version of the WWE Network instead of watching wrestling content via the Peacock services.

The problem is that streaming services don’t want you to access content from other countries. They’re constantly developing technology to catch VPN users out, creating a cat-and-mouse game between streaming companies and VPN providers. If a VPN isn’t compatible with a big streaming service, it isn’t of much use to a lot of users.

What do we test for?

We run the VPN while accessing major streaming services, including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, Disney Plus, and Hulu. We also test BBC iPlayer in the United States. Finally, we run more in-depth tests on Netflix by checking it for Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Germany, Japan, and the UK.

> Test 15: Torrenting compatibility

What is compatibility with a torrent network?

Peer-to-peer (P2P) downloading has been around for decades. Torrents are the most popular form of P2P in the 21st century. A torrent has no central server, with users instead downloading directly from other users’ devices.

The act of torrenting isn’t illegal. However, many people use torrents to share copyrighted material, which is illegal. Hence, many people associate torrenting with piracy, even though the tech has many other uses.

What do we test for?

After starting the VPN, we test that it allows downloading via P2P networks using a torrenting client, like BitTorrent or μTorrent.

> Test 16: Annual price and price per device

What is the annual price and price per device?

Most VPN services offer a price per month with the option to commit to a contract for a set amount of time. As a general rule, you’ll pay less per month if you commit to a 12-month contract than you would when buying a single-month subscription.

These tests involved checking each VPN service’s price for a 12-month contract. That’s the apples-to-apples test. Then, we wanted to see how much the per-device cost would be. That can be a challenge because some VPNs limit the number of devices you connect to them while others offer unlimited devices.

For example, Surfshark allows you to install it on an unlimited number of devices. That makes it great for sharing with friends because it means the cost per device is super low. Other VPNs limit you, making the cost per device higher.

What do we test for?

First, we check the annual price for a 12-month contract. Then, we figure out the cost per device by dividing that annual price by the number of connections the VPN allows.

What VPNs for Malaysia have we tested?

We have tested 30 paid and free VPNs (Virtual Private Networks). Proton VPN is the best free VPN service. But if you have the money, we recommend getting a paid VPN service.

In the best case, the free version allows you to protect only one device and doesn’t offer you unlimited bandwidth / unlimited data. And in the worst case, the free VPN providers show you ads or secretly sell your browsing history to advertisers and your internet service provider.

And should you be strapped for cash, don’t opt for an expensive VPN like ExpressVPN. Instead, get a cheap VPN, like Surfshark, that allows you to install it on an unlimited number of devices and share the cost with a friend.

• Astrill VPN
• Atlas VPN
• Avast SecureLine VPN
• Betternet VPN
• Bitdefender VPN
• CactusVPN
• CyberGhost VPN
• ExpressVPN
• HideME VPN
• HMA VPN (HideMyAss VPN)
• Hola VPN
• Hotspot Shield VPN
• IPVanish VPN
• Ivacy VPN
• IVPN
• Kaspersky VPN Secure Connection
• McAfee Safe Connect VPN
• Mozilla VPN
• MullVad VPN
• NordVPN
• Norton Secure VPN
• Private Internet Access VPN
• PrivateVPN
• Proton VPN
• PureVPN
• StrongVPN
• Surfshark VPN
• Tunnelbear VPN
• VyprVPN
• Windscribe VPN

The best are: CyberGhost, NordVPN, and Surfshark.

Frequently asked questions

Languages, comparisons and Sources

Other comparisons on SoftwareLab.org:

• Best Antivirus of 2023
• Antivirus for Windows 11
• Antivirus for macOS
• Antivirus for Android
• Antivirus for iOS
• Antivirus with a VPN
• Best VPN of 2023

VPN privacy policies and independent audits:

• CyberGhost – Privacy Policy
• CyberGhost – Transparency Report
• ExpressVPN – Privacy Policy
• ExpressVPN – PWC Audit
• ExpressVPN – Lightway Audit
• ExpressVPN – Browser Extension Audit
• IPVanish – Privacy Policy
• NordVPN – Privacy Policy
• NordVPN – Privacy Policy Audit
• Surfshark – Privacy Policy
• Surfshark – Infrastructure Audit

VPN testing tools:

• BrowserLeaks – Data Leak Test
• Fast – Speed Test
• Speed Test – Speed Test
• Exodus – Privacy Audit Android

Custom VPN protocols:

• ExpressVPN – Lightway protocol
• NordVPN – NordLynx Protocol

VPN mergers and acquisitions:

• NordVPN and Surfshark merger
• Kape technologies buys CyberGhost
• Kape Technologies buys ExpressVPN
• Kape technologies buys Private Internet Access