NordVPN at $3.09/mo covers both Sydney and Melbourne with NordLynx speeds that hold up on Australian connections. ExpressVPN is the better option if you need servers in more specific locations or travel frequently to Southeast Asia. Everything else in this category either charges too much for what they offer or has reliability issues on Australian endpoints.
Top Pick
All Options Compared
| Feature | NordVPN | ExpressVPN |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | No free tier | No free tier |
| Paid price | $3.09/mo USD | $6.67/mo USD |
| Protocol | NordLynx, OpenVPN, IKEv2 | Lightway, OpenVPN, IKEv2, L2TP |
| Servers | 5,800+ | 3,000+ |
| Countries | 60 | 105 |
| Simultaneous Connections | 6 | 8 |
| Kill Switch | ||
| Split Tunneling | ||
| Ad Blocker | Plus tier only | |
| Audited No Logs | ||
| Torrenting | ||
| Streaming Optimized | ||
| Score | 9/10 | 8/10 |
1. NordVPN, Best Overall for Australia
NordVPN has servers in Sydney and Melbourne, and the NordLynx protocol consistently delivers the fastest speeds on Australian connections in independent tests. The 2-year Basic plan at $3.09/mo is the cheapest price among credible VPN providers, the catch is the upfront commitment of around $74.
For most Australian users, the 60-country network covers every practical use case: unblocking US Netflix, accessing BBC iPlayer, and securing public Wi-Fi. The Meshnet feature, which creates a private encrypted network between your own devices, is included at no extra cost and has no equivalent at this price point.
The one legitimate knock: the ad blocker (Threat Protection Pro) is locked to the Plus tier at $4.99/mo. The Basic plan includes Threat Protection Lite, which blocks malicious domains but not display ads.
2. ExpressVPN, Best for Frequent Travellers
ExpressVPN's 105-country network is the widest available and the main reason to pay the $6.67/mo annual premium. Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth are all covered. The Lightway protocol reconnects faster than NordLynx when switching between networks, useful if you move between mobile and Wi-Fi regularly.
The TrustedServer infrastructure uses RAM-only servers that wipe all data on reboot. PricewaterhouseCoopers independently audited it in 2022. This architecture is an advantage over providers running traditional disk-based servers.
The price is the problem. At $6.67/mo annually (and $12.95/mo on monthly billing), you're paying more than double NordVPN's 2-year rate for advantages that most Australian users won't use day-to-day.
How We Ranked These
Rankings are based on three criteria weighted for Australian users: server presence in SYD and MEL, connection speed on Australian ISPs based on published independent tests, and price at the 1-year or 2-year commitment level. Privacy policy and independent audit status were used as a floor, any provider without a verified no-logs policy was excluded.