Any VPN with German servers switches you to a German IP address as soon as you connect. NordVPN, Proton VPN, and ExpressVPN offer several German cities, while Windscribe and PrivadoVPN include Frankfurt on their free tiers. German sites then load as they do for local visitors. In our October tests from Europe, the lookups showed Germany.
Get a German IP Address: 4 Easy Steps
- Download NordVPN once you’ve signed up.
- Open the VPN and select Germany.
- Check the country on an IP lookup site.
- Reopen the German site in a new browser tab.
How to Change Your IP Address to Germany
Sign in to a VPN, open its location list, and connect to Germany or a German city. Sites then see the server’s German IP address instead of yours, which also helps with unblocking websites limited to visitors in Germany. The city in a lookup can differ from the server you picked.
Some VPN IP addresses register to a data center in another German town. Access is not affected, as German sites look at the country. To try the setup before paying, NordVPN offers a three-day free trial on Android, which requires a payment card.
German Server Speeds
With no VPN active, our Windows 11 test PC in Europe downloads at 190.36 Mbps. We connected each paid VPN to Berlin and set Speedtest to a Berlin server. Proton VPN lost 5.0% of our download speed, ExpressVPN 8.2%, and NordVPN 8.7%. The three Berlin IP addresses looked up as Berlin, and none exposed an IPv6 address.
| VPN | German cities | Download | Upload | Ping |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proton VPN | Berlin, Frankfurt | 180.91 Mbps | 18.71 Mbps | 53 ms |
| ExpressVPN | Berlin, Frankfurt, Nuremberg | 174.72 Mbps | 18.60 Mbps | 52 ms |
| NordVPN | Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg | 173.84 Mbps | 18.48 Mbps | 43 ms |
VPNs With Servers in Germany
1. NordVPN: Best for Low Ping
Pros
- Berlin, Frankfurt, and Hamburg servers
- Native Apple TV app
- Low ping on Berlin servers
Cons
- In-app promotions for add-ons
NordVPN’s Berlin server downloaded at 173.84 Mbps with a 43 ms ping, the lowest ping in our German tests. Its app also lists Hamburg, which Proton VPN and ExpressVPN don’t offer. One subscription covers 10 devices. Month to month, NordVPN’s Basic plan is about $15, and the longest term brings it under $3.50.
2. Proton VPN: Best for German Download Speed
Pros
- Hundreds of servers in Berlin and Frankfurt
- Port forwarding for torrent clients
- Kill switch with no leaks in our tests
Cons
- Lacks post-quantum encryption
Proton VPN lists 706 German servers: 157 in Berlin and 549 in Frankfurt. Its Berlin server was at 64% load and measured 180.91 Mbps, the fastest paid result in our German tests. If a Berlin server is busy, switch to Frankfurt, where most of them are. Proton VPN Plus is about $4 a month for one year, and it renews at about $7 a month.
3. ExpressVPN: Best for German Location Choice
Pros
- Four German locations, including Nuremberg
- Two Frankfurt servers to switch between
- Automatic protocol selection
Cons
- Split tunneling unavailable on Lightway Turbo
ExpressVPN lists Berlin, Nuremberg, and two Frankfurt locations. It downloaded at 174.72 Mbps from Berlin, with a 52 ms ping. Netflix results for ExpressVPN are in our ExpressVPN Netflix guide. ExpressVPN’s Basic plan is under $3 a month on its longest term, and a dedicated IP comes with the Pro plan.
Free VPNs With German Servers
Three reputable free VPNs list Germany, and we tested each on a Frankfurt server:
- PrivadoVPN: 182.64 Mbps and a 49 ms ping, with a Frankfurt lookup result. Free accounts receive 10 GB a month.
- Windscribe: 181.91 Mbps with a 32 ms ping. Berlin is paid-only, so free users connect through Frankfurt.
- Hide.me: its free Frankfurt server measured 1.98 Mbps across several attempts, and the app labels the free account as restricted.
Our guide to the best free VPNs for Germany compares their limits in more detail.
What a German IP Address Unblocks
ARD, ZDF, and other German broadcasters limit their live streams to German IP addresses, and our guide to watching German TV abroad covers each one. For Netflix, Disney+, and other streaming services, our streaming VPN guide lists what each VPN unblocked. People living in Germany can read our advice for VPN users in Germany.
Final Thoughts
Each of these VPNs provides a German IP address, so choose by what you want beyond it. Proton VPN kept the most speed, NordVPN had the lowest ping and adds Hamburg, and ExpressVPN offers four German locations. PrivadoVPN and Windscribe cover occasional use for free, up to 10 GB a month.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get a German IP address for free?
Yes. Frankfurt is a free location on Windscribe and PrivadoVPN, with a 10 GB monthly data limit. NordVPN and Proton VPN have no data limit on paid plans.
What should an IP lookup show with a German server?
Open an IP lookup site such as whatismyipaddress.com with the VPN on. The country field reads Germany, though the city can differ from the server's.
Is it legal to use a German IP address?
Yes. Using a VPN is legal in Germany, and so is connecting through a German IP address from abroad. Streaming services' terms can restrict VPN connections, which may lead to blocked playback.
Can a German IP address change my Netflix library?
Yes. Netflix shows the catalog of the country it detects, so a German IP address switches the library to Germany's when the VPN server isn't flagged.