Normally, when you use the internet, your Internet Service Provider (ISP), workplace network administrators, and in some places, the government can see exactly what you’re doing online. However, if you connect to a VPN, your traffic is encrypted and as such, unreadable. This is particularly useful if you live in a country with strict online censorship, or where speaking too freely online comes with real, significant risk.

Of course, there’s an additional advantage to using a VPN: it can make it appear as though you’re in a different country. Geo-locked platforms check the user’s IP address to see if they’re within the service’s broadcast area or not. As a result, you can bypass these restrictions and access a huge range of previously off-limits content simply by connecting to a server in one of the supported regions.

How to get a Philippines IP address

Follow these steps to get an IP address for the Philippines:

  • Begin by signing up to a suitable VPN service (we recommend ExpressVPN).
  • Next, install the software, taking care to get the appropriate version for your device.
  • Connect to any of your VPN’s servers in the Philippines.
  • Finally, try loading a geo-locked Philippine website. If it doesn’t load immediately, clear your browser’s cache and cookies, then refresh the page.

If you’re trying to watch a live event, we strongly recommend performing the steps above well in advance. This way, if anything doesn’t work as intended, you’ll still have enough time to get help from your VPN’s customer support team.

There are hundreds of different VPNs all offering different things and all claiming to be the best. While choice is always a good thing, it makes it difficult to accurately compare services and find the best one for a particular scenario. When looking for the best VPNs for a Philippine IP address, we considered the following criteria:

There are no hidden terms—just contact support within 30 days if you decide Express isn’t right for you and you’ll get a full refund. Start your Express trial here.

  • Has servers capable of providing a Philippine IP address
  • Consistently provides high speeds and stable connections
  • Uses effectively uncrackable encryption and includes additional security features
  • Doesn’t log any personally identifiable information
  • Offers solid multi-platform support

We’ll cover each provider in-depth, discussing the key features on offer. If you don’t have time to read the whole article, here’s a quick list of the best VPNs for getting an IP address for the Philippines:

Best VPNs for an IP address for the Philippines:

The best VPN to get a Philippine IP address – at a glance

We’ve compared the most important features for the top VPNs here. Prefer to read the in-depth reviews? Start with ExpressVPN – our #1 choice for getting a Philippine IP.

The best VPNs for a Philippine IP address

Here’s our full rundown of the best VPNs for getting an IP address for the Philippines.

1. ExpressVPN

                    Jan 2023

Apps Available:

  • PC
  • Mac
  • IOS
  • Android
  • Linux

Website: www.ExpressVPN.com

Money-back guarantee: 30 DAYS

With high speeds and 3,000+ servers throughout 94 countries (including the Philippines), ExpressVPN is a natural choice for those looking to stream. Better still, it has apps for all of the most popular operating systems and is able to unblock some of the most sought-after streaming sites, letting you watch whatever you want, wherever you are in the world. If you run into difficulty, you can contact support 24/7 over live chat.

256-bit encryption is enabled by default, but this service also includes a kill switch (in desktop versions), IPv6 and DNS leak protection, and perfect forward secrecy for added security. You can register anonymously by paying with Bitcoin and using a throwaway email address. But even if you don’t take these steps, ExpressVPN doesn’t log any information that could identify you anyway.

ExpressVPN comes with apps for Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android, and iOS. There’s also custom router firmware to simplify the process of protecting all of your devices.

BEST VPN FOR THE PHILIPPINES:ExpressVPN is our number one pick for getting a Philippine IP address as it’s versatile and fast, and can reliably unblock major geo-blocked services.

Pros:

  • Excellent multi-platform support
  • Fast enough for HD live streaming
  • Good range of security features
  • 30-day money-back guarantee

Cons:

  • Slightly more expensive than some of its rivals

Read our review of ExpressVPN.

2. CyberGhost

Website: www.Cyberghost.com

Money-back guarantee: 45 DAYS

CyberGhost recently added several hundred new servers to its network, and now offers access to 40 in the Philippines. This service is fast enough to stream live HD content with no noticeable buffering or lag, plus it works with popular platforms like Netflix US abroad. Further, CyberGhost permits up to seven simultaneous connections, while most of its rivals allow six at most.

All of this VPN’s security features are enabled by default. These include 256-bit encryption, an always-on kill switch, protection against IPv6 and DNS leaks, and even automatic ad-blocking and malware-scanning. Best of all, CyberGhost doesn’t log any information that could identify you. If you need help, you can contact customer support 24/7 over live chat.

CyberGhost apps are available for Linux, Windows, MacOS, Android, and iOS. This service also works with wireless routers but must be installed manually.

BEST BUDGET OPTION:CyberGhost offers high speeds, strong unblocking ability, and a strong commitment to your security and privacy, while remaining affordable. This service comes with a 45-day money-back guarantee.

  • Some of the fastest servers we’ve tested

  • All security features enabled by default

  • Kill switch on all apps and keeps no logs

  • Not suitable for those that need control of advanced features

Check out the full CyberGhost review.

3. Surfshark

Website: www.Surfshark.com

Surfshark has a network of 3,200+ servers in over 60 countries (including the Philippines). It provides solid speeds and unlimited bandwidth, making it ideal for anyone looking to watch Filipino channels like ABS-CBN or UNTV while traveling abroad. Best of all, this VPN has no connection limit, meaning you can secure your whole household with one account.

This VPN’s security features include 256-bit encryption, protection against DNS and IPv6 leaks, and a kill switch that lets you decide which apps stop sending data when your connection drops. It also offers a NoBorders mode for bypassing especially strict geo-blocking, plus automatic ad-blocking and malware-scanning. Surfshark doesn’t log any data that could be traced back to you so your privacy is in good hands. Need help? You can contact support staff over live chat, day or night.

Surfshark users can install apps for iOS, MacOS, Windows, Android, and Linux. Alternatively, they can install it manually on select internet routers.

Read our full review of Surfshark here.

  • Fast enough for lag-free streaming

  • Impressive unblocking capabilities

  • Puts your security and privacy first

  • We found some slow speeds during testing

Our score:

GREAT FOR STREAMING:Surfshark makes it easy to get an IP address from the Philippines. What’s more, this fast, privacy-first VPN can unblock many popular streaming services abroad and even includes a 30-day money-back guarantee.

4. PrivateVPN

Website: www.PrivateVPN.com

While PrivateVPN has a smaller network than some of its rivals (around 200 in total, covering 63 countries), it does offer faster speeds than most and have a virtual server in Manila, Philippines. Additionally, this VPN is able to securely access a wide range of platforms, allowing you to safely stream Netflix, Hooq, and Iflix internationally. PrivateVPN allows up to 10 simultaneous connections, which is on the more generous side.

This service secures your traffic with 256-bit encryption and protection against WebRTC, DNS, and IPv6 leaks. While PrivateVPN has a strict no-logs policy, security-conscious users will appreciate the ability to register anonymously using Bitcoin and a burner email address. Should you have any problems installing or configuring the software, customer support will be happy to do it for you remotely.

PrivateVPN has Windows, Android, MacOS, and iOS apps. It also works with Linux systems and some wireless routers, although you’ll have to configure it manually.

IDEAL FOR STREAMING:With better-than-average speeds, a no-logging policy, and the ability to securely access several popular platforms abroad, PrivateVPN is a strong choice.

  • Very fast connections

  • Zero logs kept

  • No issues with Netflix or similar services

  • Limited server network

  • Support not available via live chat

Here’s our full review of PrivateVPN.

5. Private Internet Access

  • PC
  • Mac
  • IOS
  • Android
  • Linux
  • Background
  • FireTV

Website: www.PrivateInternetAccess.com

Private Internet Access provides servers in more than 80 countries. This includes servers in the Philippines so you can get an IP address and access content as normal while traveling abroad. When it comes to speed, Private Internet Access (PIA) is highly consistent. This is in part thanks to its offer of unlimited bandwidth which allows for steady streams. Indeed, we successfully used it with BBC iPlayer and Netflix US.

Once signed up with PIA, you’ll have the option to connect up to 10 devices at the same time. All devices will be secured with 256-bit AES encryption, a kill switch, and DNS leak protection. Just as important, PIA ensures the protection of your privacy by not keeping any logs. While this is an easy-to-use VPN, you can always get in touch with its support via live chat or email should you have any questions.

SERVERS IN 80+ COUNTRIES:Private Internet Access has servers in the Philippines and over 80 other countries such as the US. Connect 10 devices at once. No bandwidth throttling and high-end encryption. 30-day money-back guarantee.

  • Servers in over 80 countries including the Philippines

  • Use it to stream GMA 7 and even BBC iPlayer

  • Connect up to 10 devices at the same time

  • Struggles to unblock some streaming services

  • Like many VPNs, it doesn’t work reliably in China

Read our full Private Internet Access review.

Will a free VPN get me an IP address from the Philippines?

Free VPNs can be an appealing prospect, but we advise against using one. For a start, there aren’t many that offer servers in the Philippines so you may not even be able to get a Philippines IP address. Further, these services are almost always painfully slow. This makes day-to-day browsing difficult and streaming (especially of HD content) extremely frustrating, with frequent, lengthy pauses. You may even find yourself disconnected from the VPN, which could leave you unprotected and unaware that anything is wrong.

If users aren’t charged upfront, how can these services afford to operate? Well, it’s because you generate the company money in other ways. You’ll often find that free VPNs insert large ads into the pages you visit, but some even use tracking cookies to harvest data including which sites you visit and how often you do so. Once enough information has been collected, it can be sold to advertisers without your knowledge and or explicit consent.

Finally, there’s the security aspect to consider. While paid services are extensively tested and vetted prior to release, free VPNs usually aren’t. One study found that out of 283 free VPN apps tested, 18% never encrypted user traffic, and 84% were vulnerable to IPv6 leaks. Further, more than 38% of these apps actively tried to infect the user’s system with malware. Even popular free VPNs come with risks, as we found when Hola was caught selling idle user bandwidth to help facilitate a botnet.

The best way to protect yourself online is by using a reputable VPN provider with a customer-first privacy policy.

Methodology: Finding the best VPNs for watching Filipino TV

There are surprisingly few major VPN providers with servers in the Philippines. This limits our choices right off the bat, but that doesn’t mean that all of the services that remain are up to the task. We filtered out all but the best VPNs using the strict set of requirements below:

  • Filipino servers: Most streaming services from the Philippines are geo-blocked, so you’ll need access to Filipino servers to spoof your location and access them abroad. We’d like to see lots of servers, since this usually means more consistent speeds.
  • Solid performance: Live streaming requires a fast connection, so we looked for the fastest VPNs on the market at the moment. It’s important to remember that the farther away you are, the slower your speeds are likely to be, however.
  • Versatility: To give you as many options as possible, we found VPNs that work with a wide range of streaming services. Some of the services we tested include HOOQ, Netflix, Disney Plus, and ESPN.
  • Strong security: We required our top VPNs to follow no-logging policies. They also had to include powerful security tools such as 256-bit encryption, a kill switch, and protection against DNS and IPv6 leaks.
  • Easy to use apps: The easier a service is to use, the better it is for everyone. We strongly prefer VPNs with 24/7 live chat, multi-platform support, and well-organized menus. Some of the providers above even let you protect all of your devices at once.

Check out our full methodology post to learn more about how we test VPNs.

Note that subscription services can be slightly more difficult, however, as you’ll still need to sign up. Netflix is simple, since it’s available in almost any country in the world, but some services require a payment method linked to a local address. If you usually live in the Philippines, you can register using your regular credit card, but if you don’t, and the service requires you to provide identification, you might be out of luck.

While traveling, you’re far more likely to use public wifi networks. The problem is that these networks are often poorly secured, and equally troubling, there’s no way of knowing who’s monitoring user activity. Thanks to your VPN’s encryption, though, you’ll be able to browse safely, free from prying eyes, wherever you go.

President Duterte infamously said: “Just because you’re a journalist you are not exempted from assassination.” The Philippines remains one of the most dangerous countries in the world to be a journalist, and as a result, citizens are far more likely to censor their own content than the government is. For this reason alone, we highly recommend using a VPN when in the Philippines.

It’s more common to be able to get an IP address from a specific part of the US or UK, for example, where there are more servers available across more locations (most VPNs only have a few servers in the Philippines although CyberGhost has 70 in Manila at the time of writing).