To use the Internet in Ashgabat, a VPN is necessary. However, finding the best VPN in Ashgabat is tricky because they are all technically illegal.
Turkmenistan is one of the world’s most isolated countries, with its population having no access to thousands of websites and services accessible to large parts of the world. The government of Turkmenistan has almost total control of the internet. A large portion of the population does not even have access to the Internet. Those that do have access need to be very careful because their activities are under constant surveillance.
In countries where governments control access to the Internet and monitor their populations, Virtual Privacy Networks are a lifeline. They allow users to access restricted content by spoofing users’ locations, as well as give users anonymity by encrypting their traffic. However, some countries like Turkmenistan go above and beyond to isolate their users from the rest of the Internet by making VPNs illegal. This makes VPN usage not only that much more difficult but also punishable by law.
For users who decide to use a VPN, finding the best VPN in Ashgabat is a big task. The majority of popular VPNs do not work and those that do can stop working at any time. Unfortunately, that is the reality of Internet users in Ashgabat, and Turkmenistan in general.
What are the qualities of the best VPN in Ashgabat?
Security and traffic encryption. This is perhaps the most important thing to consider when choosing the best VPN in Ashgabat. VPNs encrypt traffic, thus concealing it from view. This is what gives VPN users anonymity and privacy as not even the Internet Service Provider can see the traffic. AES-256 encryption is the standard encryption used by most popular VPNs.
Server networks and obfuscated servers. VPNs with larger server networks are usually a better choice. More servers means they will be less crowded. These VPNs also tend to have more locations, particularly in small countries.
VPNs with obfuscated servers in their network are a necessity if you’re looking for the best VPN in Ashgabat. If you connect to regular servers, the fact that you’re using a VPN will be visible to your Internet Service Provider, even if it cannot see your traffic. This is normally not an issue because, in most countries, VPNs are legal. However, because VPNs have been made illegal in Ashgabat, if you want to use a VPN, you need to conceal it. This is what obfuscated servers are for. When you connect to an obfuscated server, the VPN removes all traces of itself from your data, hiding your VPN usage.
Strict no-logs policy. All good VPNs will have a strict no-logs policy, which means that they do not track users’ browsing and keep logs. We do not recommend using VPNs that keep logs, especially if you’re looking for the best VPN in Ashgabat. You can find out what kind of information a VPN collects in its Privacy Policy. However, keep in mind that even if a VPN claims to not collect browsing data, it does not mean it’s true. You need to choose a VPN that has been audited by independent parties at least once because only that works as proof.
Extra features. For some users, VPNs with additional features are important. In addition to traffic encryption and location spoofing, VPNs offer features like adblocking, protection against malware, password management, etc. If you use separate programs to get these features, it may be more convenient to just use a VPN that has them.
Internet speed. This is particularly important to users who have poor Internet speed. Because of how they work, VPNs slow down the Internet but to what extent depends on many factors, including the encryption protocol used. The best VPN in Ashgabat will certainly be able to retain at least 80% of your original speed.
NordVPN may be the best VPN for Ashgabat
NordVPN secures traffic by encrypting it with a combination of AES-256 and ChaCha20 encryption. This type of encryption is practically indecipherable. The VPN also has a kill switch to protect your IP address from leaking in case you get disconnected from the VPN and it cannot encrypt your traffic.
NordVPN has a large server network with more than 5,800 servers in 60+ countries and hundreds of locations. A wide selection of locations is especially valuable to users who need rare locations for whatever reason.
NordVPN is one of the most private VPNs currently on the market. It does not collect any information related to users’ browsing and keeps no logs. As stated in its Privacy Policy, the VPN only collects information that’s necessary to maintain an account. Because NordVPN has been audited, you can trust its claims of no data collection.
One of the most impressive things about NordVPN and why it’s the best VPN in Ashgabat is its speed. When connected to NordVPN, your Internet speed will remain more or less the same, with only minimal slowdown. This is largely to do with NordLynx, NordVPN’s incredibly fast encryption protocol. You can switch encryption protocols in Settings but we recommend sticking to NordLynx because it’s why NordVPN is such a fast VPN in Ashgabat.
For users who need additional features, NordVPN offers a big variety. Depending on which subscription you get, you could unlock an adblocker, protection against malware, a data breach scanner, a password manager, and 1TB of cloud storage.
There is no free Ashgabat VPN but NordVPN does offer a 7-day free trial. While an Android device is necessary to initiate the trial, it can later be used on all devices as long as they support NordVPN. The 30-day money-back guarantee can also be used as a longer free trial as long as you request a refund within 30 days of your purchase.
Once the trial is over, you will need to buy a subscription if you want to continue using it as there is no free Ashgabat VPN free version. However, NordVPN offers many discounts all year round, with as much as 70% off on long-term subscriptions. Only long-term subscriptions have discounts but if you plan on using a VPN for a longer time, it’s better value for money to get a long-term subscription even if you have to pay the whole sum in one payment.