5 Best VPNs for the Dark Web in 2024

When people hear “the dark web,” they instantly imagine different vices and crimes. This is quite understandable, considering the dark web’s mysterious nature and notorious reputation. We also advise avoiding the dark web unless you have a pressing business there, in which case you must use a VPN.

Best VPNs for dark web – Quick list

Short on time? Here’s a quick list of our top VPNs for the dark web and what differentiates them from others.

How to access the dark web with a VPN: A step-by-step guide

Why do I need a VPN to access the dark web?

VPNs are not essential for accessing the dark web, but they can help keep you safe. You need Tor, an anonymous browser, to visit websites on the dark web, which may attract your ISP’s attention and other law enforcement agencies.

Tor (The Onion Router) directs traffic over a free, worldwide volunteer overlay network of more than 7,000 relays. Using the Tor browser, it becomes difficult for third parties to know where you are. However, due to its deep association with the dark web, ISPs are always on the lookout for users on the Tor network and their activities.

While Tor contains some safety and privacy features, these are not reliable. Tor’s relay networks, commonly known as “nodes,” are vulnerable, and government and intelligence agencies often target them. Using a VPN with Tor helps provide additional security and privacy and protects these vulnerabilities.

The dark web is also full of hackers and cybercriminals with malicious intent. With a VPN, you can mask your identity and perform your business safely.

Finally, you may also need a VPN for censorship when accessing the dark web. Countries with harsh internet policies, like China, restrict the Tor project website or other web pages where you can download the software. That means there’s no way to start accessing the dark web unless you first connect to a VPN.

These countries sometimes go to extreme lengths to block the Tor traffic altogether. The Chinese government uses a firewall that restricts so many websites that it earned the name “The Great Firewall of China.” A VPN helps you bypass these restrictions.

Best VPNs for the dark web – Detailed list

Here’s a comprehensive analysis of the best VPNs to browse the dark web safely.

1. NordVPN

Already a household name in the VPN market, NordVPN‘s developers keep upgrading it with new features to stay ahead of its competitors. One of the most trusted VPN services for dark web security, NordVPN effectively blocks malware, ads, web trackers, and other online threats.

Conventionally, Nord also doesn’t log your data and uses AES 256 encryption. Moreover, it allows you to create your own private encrypted network for safe file sharing and work using its “Meshnet” feature. It is also one of the few VPNs with a dark web monitor; if your accounts ever get compromised, NordVPN will send you alerts.

The VPN also offers dedicated IP addresses, enabling you to access IP-restricted networks. If unsatisfied with these features, you have a 30-day money-back guarantee. You can also raise queries and make complaints via its 24/7 customer service.

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2. Private Internet Access (PIA)

Private Internet Access (PIA) makes it on our list of recommended VPN services for the dark web due to its useful features. It has various customizable privacy functionalities that help you decide how to stay safe on the dark web. For example, PIA has WireGuard and OpenVPN, and you can choose which you prefer online.

With PIA, you also get mainstream VPN features like the no-logs policy, 128-bit and 256-bit military-grade AES encryption, and multi-platform operability. Unlike most VPNs, though, PIA provides these features at an extremely affordable price. Its best monthly deal costs only $2.03 per month and has an extra three months free on a 3-year plan.

PIA runs over 28,000 servers in 84 countries, making it one of the largest VPN providers by the number of servers. In addition, it has an advanced malware and ad-blocking feature called “MACE” that can be valuable when visiting Tor websites.

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3. ExtremeVPN

ExtremeVPN is a recently launched VPN with all the functionalities you’ll find in older VPNs and more. These include an extensive server network, state-of-the-art encryption, IPv6 and DNS leak protection, and a no-logs policy.

ExtremeVPN also has unique and advanced features, making it a must-have for the dark web. It uses obscure or obfuscated servers to hide VPN usage from ISPs and anti-VPN applications and services. ExtremeVPN also has multi-port and domain fronting capabilities, giving you a premium VPN experience.

Despite these various features, ExtremeVPN costs as low as $3.29/ month. Its customer support is swift and prompt, available via live chat and a dedicated help section on the website.

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4. ExpressVPN

By popularity and trustworthiness, only a few VPNs come close to ExpressVPN. Since its launch in 2008, ExpressVPN has helped businesses and individuals take control of their online privacy and security.

ExpressVPN works well with Tor, Freenet, and Invisible Internet Project (I2P). It has various features that keep you safe on and off the dark web. It uses 256-bit encryption for maximum data protection and has a no-logs policy. ExpressVPN is ready to prevent your IP address from ever falling into the wrong hands in the depths of the internet by preventing IPv6, DNS, and WebRTC leaks. “Network Lock” is the name of ExpressVPN’s kill switch, which is available across all major platforms.

ExpressVPN may look slightly overpriced, considering a monthly fee of $8.32, but it offers enough features to justify this rate. Nonetheless, if you find it unsuitable, you can claim a refund via its 30-day money-back guarantee through 24/7 customer support.

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5. PureVPN

PureVPN is a British Virgin Islands-based VPN service that launched in 2006. Since then, the VPN has grown immensely, now serving over 3 million people in more than 140 countries.

This VPN’s appealing and user-optimized interface is only overshadowed by its features and cost. It markets its features under four main categories: PureVPN, PurePivacy, PureKeep, and PureEncrypt. PureVPN is a full-featured high-speed VPN, PurePrivacy is a digital privacy manager, PureKeep is a secure password manager, and PureEncrypt helps with end-to-end file encryption.

PureVPN offers a 31-day money-back guarantee if you’re unsatisfied with its services. The Help section on its website provides helpful resources to ensure you maximize your VPN usage. These include setup guides, troubleshooting, FAQs, and a learning center.

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Best dark web VPN features: Quick comparison table

Below, you’ll find a table of the core information of our best VPNs for the dark web. This includes VPN speeds, deals, and features like obfuscated servers and malware blockers. You can compare these details and choose the one that best satisfies your needs.

VPN	Best monthly deal	Speed	Number of servers	Ad, malware blocker	Obfuscated servers	5/9/14 Eyes alliances jurisdiction	Money-back guarantee
NordVPN	$3.99 (save 71% on a 2-year plan)	Impressively-fast	5,500+ servers in 60 countries	Yes	Yes	No	30 days
Private Internet Access	$3.33 (get 3 months free with a 3-year plan and save 83%)	Fast	3,000+ servers in 94 countries	Yes	Yes	Yes	30 days
ExtremeVPN	$3.29 (billed at $39.48 for the first 12 months to save 68%)	Fast	6,500+ servers in over 78 countries	No	Yes	No	30 days
ExpressVPN	$8.32 (get 3 months free and save 35% on the annual plan)	Blazing-fast	3,000+ servers in 94 countries	No	Yes	No	30 days
PureVPN	$3.33 (billed at $79.95 for the first 24 months to save 79%)	Fast	6,400+ servers in over 75 countries	Yes	Yes	No	31 days

Methodology for selecting the best dark web VPNs

VPNs offer various features which may not be useful for the dark web. To choose the best one, we had to analyze various VPNs and narrow down these features that should be considered a must-have in a dark web VPN. Here are our results:

1. Security

VPNs should keep you safe online, whether on the surface web or the dark web. This is even more important for the dark web as the inherent risks increase significantly.

A VPN should have at least AES-256 encryption to make it on our list. This is the current global standard and the same encryption that government agencies and military intelligence use. It should also protect against various IP address leaks and feature a working kill switch when the connection drops.

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2. Logging policy

Every application you use can track your activities if you let it. This helps them determine inappropriate use, identify fraud, or complete certain actions. VPNs should never do this, though.

Virtual Private Networks are not online marketplaces or social media applications, which means they keep much more sensitive data. If a VPN’s logging policy doesn’t state that it clears this data after every session, ensure you avoid it. An uncleared log is a potential haven for malicious actors like hackers and cybercriminals.

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3. Server network

Often, the quality of a good VPN can be determined by its server network. The more extensive its network is, the greater your access to various online content. Sometimes, the server network can also influence the VPN’s speed.

Each of the VPNs on our list has thousands of servers in different locations. Even if you live in a censorship-heavy country, you can connect to a server in a more accessible region, open Tor, and browse your desired websites.

Numerous VPN servers in a location limit the load on any individual server, increasing speed and efficiency. Conversely, a VPN with only a few servers will have high latency, causing it to buffer and lag, due to multiple connections on a single server.

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4. Server speed

The Tor browser uses a network of entry, middle, and exit nodes to reroute your traffic and keep you anonymous on the Tor network. This already slows down your browsing speed. Adding another VPN layer can cause a noticeable lag in connection speed and give an unpleasant experience.

For this reason, your chosen VPN should have high speed. The VPNs on our list use 10Gbps servers for maximum speed online. Server speeds often reach 100Mbps and sometimes exceed 200+Mbps in server-concentrated regions like North America and Europe.

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5. Dark web support

None of the features listed above matter if your VPN doesn’t support the dark web. There are different ways to access the dark web, the oldest and the most common being the Tor browser and network. At the very least, your VPN should support Tor and allow you to visit .onion websites.

There are also other ways, including the Freenet and the Invisible Internet Project. The more a VPN supports, the better.

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6. Location

Over the years, countries worldwide have formed intelligence alliances, including the 5 Eyes, 9 Eyes, and 14 Eyes. These alliances center around sharing and monitoring their citizens’ data for improved national security and law enforcement. You want your VPN to be from a region outside these alliances.

The members of the 5 Eyes alliance are the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. These countries, alongside the Netherlands, France, Norway, and Denmark, make up the 9 Eyes alliance. 14 Eyes alliance comprises all these countries, including Belgium, Italy, Germany, Spain, and Sweden.

To use VPNs from these locations, confirm that they have clear no-log policies and don’t submit users’ data to law enforcement agencies.

Most VPNs on our list originate from the British Virgin Islands, which is not a member of all the alliances, and all providers boast strong no-log policies.

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What is the dark web?

The dark web is the part of the Internet that is unavailable in search engines’ indexes. It runs on overlay networks and requires specific programs, configurations, and authorization to access.

Like a black market, the dark web is infamous for largely criminalizing activities, such as pirated files, illegal substances, hacking, unlawful transactions, and stolen data on the dark web.

The sheer number of illegal activities on the dark web has been a growing concern for governments worldwide. For this reason, many have taken steps to police top dark web sites actively. This may be through improving the capabilities of domestic law enforcement agencies or enhancing information sharing among countries.

To better understand the dark web, it may be necessary to review the surface and the deep web:

The surface web

This internet section is readily available to the general public with standard search engines. The surface web is so large that Google’s index contains over 55 billion web pages.

Despite this enormous number, the surface web only consists of about 10% of all the information on the internet. This is similar to an iceberg, where the tip, the visible part, is a fraction of the entire iceberg.

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The deep web

The deep web is any part of the internet that is inaccessible by search engines. This includes password-protected websites, the content behind paywalls, and email content. Accessing this section requires certain apps and special access.

You’re right if you’ve drawn parallels between the deep and dark web. The dark web is technically a subset of the deep web. On the dark web, content runs on overlay networks and uses encryption software to provide enhanced security or accessibility.

You can read more about the dark web from our well-detailed article here.

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Is it legal to access the dark web?

Under most jurisdictions, accessing the dark web is legal and permitted. However, there are restrictions on the Tor network in countries such as China, Russia, and Iran. You could land in trouble if law officers catch you surfing the dark web in these countries.

Even in dark web-legal regions, you should be careful with your activities and clicks. Criminal masterminds, terrorists, and drug pushers typically coordinate their operations and recruit new members via the dark web. These are illegal activities, and you may face jail terms if caught in them.

How do I access the dark web on my iPhone safely?

You must first download the Tor browser to use it on all compatible platforms, including Windows, Android, Mac, and Linux. This is the only way to access the Tor network and, subsequently, the dark web. The app isn’t available on iOS, so you may wonder, “How can I access Tor on my iPhone?”

You can use Onion Browser, which is owned by the Tor network. This app is available on the iPhone’s App Store and encrypts your Tor network traffic for maximum privacy.

A disclaimer on the Onion Browser website states,

Using Onion Browser does not guarantee security or privacy on its own. It simply provides a set of features that may enhance privacy and anonymity while browsing the web.

Your traffic and data on the browser may be safe, but not other applications you use. This is why you need a VPN to protect every website and application you open during any connection. The VPNs on our list also support split tunneling, so you can decide which apps to protect and which to not.

Can my ISP see that I’m accessing the dark web?

Both Tor and VPN encrypt your data and try to mask your identity to varying degrees. Tor sends your traffic through three nodes in different locations worldwide, making it difficult to pinpoint your location. However, these nodes are vulnerable, and ISPs often exploit these vulnerabilities.

That means ISPs may see that you’re accessing the dark web but not determine what you’re viewing. You can easily avoid this ISP tracking with VPNs using their advanced encryption capabilities.

Is it safe to access the dark web with a free VPN?

Free VPNs promise to provide the same VPN services as premium vendors but at no cost. Since running a VPN requires significant investment, you may be curious about where they get the capital to fund that infrastructure.

Your skepticism is valid. It’s not uncommon to find free VPN providers selling their users’ details to various businesses and organizations. This can compromise your privacy and defeat the purpose of using a VPN.

Here are other reasons why you shouldn’t use free VPNs to access the dark web:

• Data limits — Free VPNs typically enforce some sort of data cap when you use their servers. This means the VPN may suddenly disconnect you even when you’re deep in your activities on the dark web, and privacy is of the utmost importance.
• Speed limits — Like data limits, free VPNs enforce speed limits. When you combine this with Tor’s three layers of data encryption, your internet speed will be significantly worse.
• Limited servers — Operating a quality VPN service requires an extensive network of functional servers. Free VPNs have limited servers serving thousands of people, further slowing network speed.

Free VPNs are also overrun with ads, both helpful and harmful. Imagine getting malware on your computer from clicking on an ad from your VPN provider. These reasons and more make free VPNs unsafe for accessing the dark web.

Helpful safety tips for using the dark web

A VPN and Tor can augment your online security and privacy but can’t completely prevent every potential harm. They won’t protect the links you click or the forms you fill out, so you must also take extra safety precautions. Here are tips to follow when using the dark web:

• Second-guess all clicks — Be careful with what you click on the dark web. A wrong click can lead to illegal websites or malware, which can be dangerous and harmful.
• Never drop personal information — We strongly advise against dropping personal information on the dark web, whether to log in to a website or fill out a form. Instead, create anonymous accounts for all the websites and use those to log in when you visit.
• Know why you’re visiting — Before visiting the dark web, ensure you know why and what you want to achieve. This prevents you from wandering when you’re there.
• Disable Javascript — Hackers often use Javascript to inject malicious codes into a website, spread malware, and access personal information. Therefore, disabling Javascript before entering the dark web is necessary to ensure your safety. While this move may affect the functionality of certain websites, it is better than risking your digital safety.
• Avoid social media and your email — When on the dark web, avoid regular internet pages like Facebook, Twitter, and email. Also, ensure you don’t visit your email to avoid leaving behind any details that can help identify you.

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